The Return of The Mythical Archmage [EN]: Chapter 292

Levi, having arrived at the hotel room booked under the name Asakura Ren, was frowning with a complex and grim expression.

‘Is it really Shadow, or is it a trap…’

The child who looked like Shadow that he found at the airport was giving him a headache.

If he had found Shadow in his original form, he wouldn’t have had these worries.

Using Metamorphosis [a magic that allows the user to change their form], to enhance his eyesight, he would have been able to tell if the target was real or fake.

At the very least, if the target hadn’t perfectly imitated Asakura Ren’s mana signature, he could have transformed his palm into a special eye to confirm it.

‘Metamorphosis is great, but this is the problem.’

It’s so perfect that it even replicates the target’s incompetence.

This is the biggest weakness of Metamorphosis.

Levi unpacked his luggage and took out a special communication device hidden in one of the compartments.

A custom-made device by Hermes.

Using this, his call history wouldn’t leak to the outside.

After checking for any hidden internal cameras, Levi called Hermes.

—Looks like you’ve arrived?

Hermes answered the phone before the ringtone could even finish.

—You’re going to move right away, right? Wait a moment. I’m looking for an easy target to kidnap right now…

“I saw Shadow,” Levi interrupted Hermes, muttering in a cold voice.

—…You saw Shadow? Where and how did you see him?

“While waiting for the bus at the airport, I saw a kid with the exact same face as Shadow pass by.”

—You saw Shadow in his true form? Not Shadow hiding in the shadows?

“Get real. How could I possibly see through Shadow’s concealment with this trash body?”

—I guess so… So, Shadow was walking around the airport in his true form…

Hermes fell silent, seemingly deep in thought.

—So, what did you do? Did you chase him?

“No. I just left him. It felt suspicious no matter how I thought about it.”

—It is definitely suspicious. For Shadow to be walking around the airport with his real face exposed.

Shadow hates showing his face.

There are security reasons, but Shadow simply hates his elementary school-aged body and face.

To be walking around with that face exposed?

It’s highly likely to be a trap.

—I’ll check the airport’s CCTV first.

“4:31 PM, bus terminal, gate 12.”

—Okay. Got it.

The unique sound of an analog keyboard could be heard from the speaker.

A strangely addictive sound that could only be heard when talking to Hermes.

Normally, he would have listened to that sound and waited leisurely, but.

Today, Levi didn’t have that kind of patience.

“Are you still not done?”

—Wait a bit. I’m hacking into the server right now.

Hermes replied irritably.

—Do you think it’s easy to infiltrate the airport’s system?

The typing sound grew faster.

The sound stopped exactly 10 seconds later.

—I’m in. 4:31 PM, bus terminal CCTV… This is it.

Hermes was silent for a moment.

He was probably watching the CCTV footage from that time.

—…It’s really Shadow?

“Then it’s real. Would I say it’s real if I saw a fake?”

—You have a trash body. I thought you might have been hallucinating.

“I can tell the difference between a hallucination even in this state.”

Levi snorted with a disdainful expression.

“So. Where did he go?”

—He went into a nearby restroom.

“And after that?”

—He hasn’t come out yet. Wait a bit. I’m checking while fast-forwarding through the time.

Hermes fell silent again.

Another minute passed.

“Hermes?”

Just as Levi was about to press him again.

—He’s not coming out.

Hermes replied in a serious voice.

—I’ve fast-forwarded it 100 times. There’s no sign of him coming out.

Levi’s eyes widened.

“He just disappeared in the restroom?”

—Yeah. There are two possibilities. He either came out using stealth magic…

“Or he moved somewhere through shadow travel within the restroom?”

—Right.

Hermes started typing on the keyboard again.

He was accessing the special security device installed at the restroom entrance.

—But he probably didn’t use stealth magic. There’s a stealth magic detection spell installed in the restrooms at Gimpo Airport for crime prevention.

Anyone entering the restroom with magic on their body will be caught by this security device.

—Yeah. It’s not that either. I checked, and there’s no trace of him being caught by the security device.

“That means…”

—He left the restroom without going through the entrance.

“Shadow’s shadow travel…”

The only way to leave the restroom without going through the entrance is to use shadow travel or other space-moving magic.

And as far as Hermes knows, Shadow is the only one who can use space-moving magic.

In other words.

—It seems like it was real after all?

“Shit…”

The Shadow that Levi encountered was the real Shadow.

Should he have chased him, even if it was a bit reckless?

He felt regret.

—It’s a bit of a shame that you didn’t chase him on the spot, but whatever, it’s a big achievement. We found out that Shadow is hiding in Korea.

Hermes’s tone was a bit higher than usual.

For Hermes, who had been struggling with no clues, the information he had just obtained was like gold.

This greatly increased the probability of dealing with Shadow.

—With this, Levi, it’s highly likely that he’s sticking close to Shin Hayul, just like you said?

Hermes had also suspected the relationship between Shadow and Shin Hayul in the past.

As Levi said, there is a very high probability that Shadow is working with Shin Hayul.

“But… why was Shadow walking around the airport with his face exposed?”

—Who knows. Maybe he was looking for something. Or maybe he got information that you would arrive at the airport at that time and was walking around as bait.

“There are very few people who know that I would arrive in Korea at that time. There’s no way he could have known in advance.”

There are less than three people, excluding Levi, who know about Levi’s trip to Korea.

There’s no way the information could have leaked.

—Did the new secretary you hired leak it?

“It wasn’t Sato. I’ve been watching him. He didn’t have time to do such a thing.”

Sato’s alibi is solid.

Levi himself is the witness. Sato hasn’t shown any suspicious behavior since becoming his secretary.

—Really? Then maybe he just had something to find at Gimpo Airport?

Hermes made a ‘hmm’ sound.

—And well, it doesn’t matter if he was waiting for you, right? He wouldn’t have noticed that you were Levi.

Hermes checked the bus terminal CCTV around 4:31 PM again.

—You must have been flustered. How can you have no change in your expression?

“It’s basic.”

Levi’s acting on the CCTV was perfect.

Even if Shadow was waiting for Levi and acting as bait to find him, it wouldn’t matter.

Levi didn’t show any sign.

At least, that’s how it looked on camera.

—It’s annoying, but it’s true, so I’ll let it slide. So, I just need to send you a list of guys you can disguise as, right?

“Forget the list. Tell me the location of the closest guy right now. I’ll use him.”

—You’re going right away?

“Yeah. The faster, the better, right?”

—I guess so. Then let’s see… the closest guy is… found him.

Hermes paused for a moment and recited a man’s name and address.

Levi wrote down the address and name on a pen and notepad placed in a corner of the hotel.

—Did you write it down?

“Yeah. I’ll call you again later.”

Levi hung up the phone and activated Metamorphosis.

His body twisted grotesquely and compressed.

Levi soon turned into a bird.

A bird larger than a crow but smaller than a hawk.

A bird form that was right at the limit of Levi’s transformation.

Levi opened the window with his beak and flew outside.

It would take less than 5 minutes to fly to the address Hermes gave him.

After that, he would deal with that guy, disguise himself as him, and infiltrate the Magic God’s family.

‘Perfect.’

Levi cheered inwardly and flapped his wings powerfully.

Just as he was slowly gaining speed.

Kugugugugugung!

The air suddenly changed.

The refreshing air suddenly became as calm as the air in a closed area.

The surrounding mana, which had been normal, began to transform into magic.

‘This is…’

Levi hovered in place and looked around.

This atmosphere. This air. This feeling of mana. It was certain.

‘A barrier?’

He was trapped in a barrier.

In other words.

‘A trap…?’

He had fallen into a trap.

The enemies had already succeeded in identifying Levi.

‘How?’

Levi’s expression became serious.

And at the moment he was about to start analyzing the situation.

Flash!

The sky suddenly lit up.

A white flash of light, like lightning, shining through the dark clouds.

The light that started in the sky soon turned into lightning and fell towards Levi.

A magic with a power that was clearly unusual.

‘If I get hit in this state, I’ll die instantly.’

Levi immediately deactivated Metamorphosis.

Levi returned to his original body in an instant.

He extended his right hand towards the falling lightning.

And then, Metamorphosis again.

Levi’s right hand transformed into a black shield.

Urr, Kwaaaaaaang!

Immediately after, the lightning fell.

A bolt of lightning with the power of the 7th circle [a high level of magic] pierced through Levi.

Kuuuuuung-!

Levi crashed into the ground, burying himself in the earth.

Dust rose thickly.

Residual electricity was shining among the scattered dust.

“Isn’t that a bit too aggressive for a first greeting?”

Levi’s voice could be heard from within.

A calm and composed voice, as if he had no injuries.

Whoosh!

A sudden gust of wind blew away all the dust.

Levi had created wings on his back to blow away the dust.

“How did you know? That I’m Levi.”

The wings disappeared as the dust cleared.

Levi brought his hand to his torn shirt sleeve.

The shirt was instantly restored.

“No. Before that, who told you that I would arrive at Gimpo Airport at that time?”

Levi, who had returned to his original neat appearance, smiled at the two men in front of him, Shin Inhyuk and Shin Hayul.

“You don’t plan on answering?”

Levi slowly walked towards the two of them.

“Okay. Then I’ll find out myself.”

Levi’s mana moved.

There was no trace of his body changing, but Levi had already entered a complete battle stance.

“But. Why are there only two of you?”

Levi’s eyes shone sharply.

“You prepared such a grand barrier, but there are only two people waiting. Are you underestimating me?”

It was a discreet operation that even Hermes wouldn’t have noticed.

If they had wanted to, they could have had dozens or hundreds of people waiting.

But there were only two.

It was natural for Levi to feel insulted.

“Two? That can’t be.”

Shin Inhyuk released his mana.

A monstrous amount of mana worthy of an 8th circle mage [an extremely powerful mage].

It felt as if all the surrounding mana was baring its fangs at Levi.

“Hayul is the observer. Hayul won’t be the first to lay a hand on you.”

“…What?”

“Don’t you understand what I’m saying?”

In that state, Shin Inhyuk took two steps forward.

“You’re not worth my time. I alone am enough to deal with you.”

And the next moment.

“Come, trash. I’ll show you the difference in our levels.”

The mana of the four elements, which All Elemental [a magic that allows the user to control all four elements] boasts, began to swirl.