The Return of The Mythical Archmage [EN]: Chapter 310

The reason the abyssal sea went berserk was due to the overflow of mana. No, to be precise, it should be said it was due to the overflow of monsters. The abundant mana within the sea area gave birth to new monsters, and the mana emitted from these newly born monsters further enriched the mana of the sea area. The enriched mana of the sea area then caused monsters to gestate even faster. The increase in monsters, in turn, enriched the mana of the sea area again. The result of this cycle is the situation we are in now. The mana that began to overflow naturally started to flow southward along the currents. Following the outflow of mana, the monsters also began to move southward. This is the whole story of the current abyssal sea rampage. Looking back, this incident is a disaster caused by the South Korean government’s lax response and neglect. The problem was that they left the sea area unattended for over a decade, just because it was quiet. If they had periodically subjugated the monsters, this would not have happened. No, even if they had just consistently investigated, it wouldn’t have escalated this far. If they had only grasped that the number of monsters was continuously increasing, they could have at least prepared countermeasures in advance. ‘It’s a good thing I have a solution.’ If I had been just a little late in weaving the Neutral Ring, I would have been utterly helpless and would have had to wait for death. Thinking about it like that, I feel a surge of anger towards the officials who handled this matter so carelessly. ‘Was the person in charge’s name Song Hansu?’ No, if they didn’t investigate, they should have just said so. Why did they write in a report from a month ago that there was nothing wrong with the abyssal sea? Once this incident is resolved, I will definitely sanction that civil servant named Song Hansu. How many people were almost killed because of that person’s sloppy habits? My anger is boiling over. Kieeeeeeeeeee-! While I was sighing like that, a monster that had been quiet suddenly leaped up. The other guys are still keeping their distance, just being cautious, but is this one fearless? I let a little bit of the Reverse Flow mana flow towards the monster. Just a tiny bit. Only a small fraction of the mana I’m currently injecting into the sea. I shoved about 1% of the mana into its maw. Puhwaaaaaaaak! As the mana was absorbed, it spurted blood and stopped breathing. “Miho, you should rest a bit.” I didn’t even glance at its corpse, and instead looked at Miho, who was awkwardly on guard behind me. “Now that things have progressed this far, even if dozens or hundreds of monsters come, they won’t be able to touch a hair on my head. So, just rest.” Miho, who had been on high alert, ready to respond to the monster’s attack, calmed down again at my words. “It’s okay, just rest a little. It’ll be over soon.” Miho made a disgruntled, sulky face for a moment. But that expression was fleeting. Soon, she nodded her head slightly, as if she couldn’t help it. I could faintly hear Miho’s rough breathing. She was desperately trying to hold her breath, not wanting to show that she was tired, but she couldn’t fool my senses. The strength in her eyes had also weakened to some extent. ‘Miho is already at her limit.’ Miho can’t fight any more. She had already exhausted herself in the fierce battle just now. After unleashing high-powered magic like Soulfire so many times, it was inevitable that she would be drained. There’s nothing Miho can do now. ‘From the start, there’s nothing more for Miho to do, now that we’ve come this far.’ Miho has already perfectly fulfilled her role. Now it’s my turn. ‘Now, slowly…….’ I poured even more mana into the sea. With the maximum output I could muster, with the maximum power I could endure. I poured the mana that was circulating in reverse through my Infinity Circle directly into the sea. ‘It broke through.’ Just like how raindrops, falling continuously, pierce through a rock. My mana was concentrated at one point, piercing through the mana pathway leading to the sea’s passage. ‘I’ll concentrate all my mana into this passage…….’ My mana, which had been embedded in the sea’s mana pathway like a needle, began to flow rapidly into the sea’s mana pathway. The ‘Reverse Flow’ mana, imbued with the energy of reverse circulation, slowly began to erode the mana pathway. ‘2%, no. Maybe about 3%.’ Even so, compared to the mana flowing through the mana pathway, my mana is only like a firefly in front of the sun, but……. This is enough. ‘Turn. Turn the other way!’ My mana isn’t ordinary mana, it’s ‘Reverse Flow’ mana. It’s mana that has learned and mastered reverse rotation, imbued with the will of reverse rotation. ‘Not here.’ ‘The direction is opposite!’ ‘Turn the other way!’ ‘You’re the ones who are opposite!’ Deep within the sea, I could feel the mana colliding with each other. The sea’s mana, born from the will-less nature of the sea, couldn’t resist my mana, which had a firm will. ‘It’s the opposite!’ ‘It was the opposite!’ ‘It’s the opposite!’ The will of my mana permeated the mana within the sea’s mana pathway. ‘Go the other way!’ ‘Opposite, opposite!’ The mana that was re-influenced in this way influenced another mana. And the mana that was influenced in that way influenced yet another mana. My will slowly began to dye the mana, which had been like a blank canvas. ‘With this…… finish it!’ And at that moment. Kuuuuuung-! A sound of something shaking was heard. A sound that filled the heavens and the earth, like the sky was wailing and the sea was sobbing. Thud! Then, the sound of mana colliding was heard. The mana that was overflowing and flowing southward. And the mana that was flowing in reverse with my will. Mana with completely opposite flows collided directly. And the next moment. Within this sea area, all mana stopped moving. * * * ‘No way…….’ Immediately after feeling like the mana had stopped, Terun immediately climbed onto Behemoth’s back, preparing to go help Shin Hayul at any moment. Because stopping mana is not something an ordinary human can do. She thought that something might have gone wrong, causing this phenomenon. That’s why she was preparing to go provide support. But……. ‘He just… stopped the flow of the sea itself.’ All her worries were unnecessary. The mana stopped not because something unexpected had happened. It wasn’t a sign of an additional mana disaster occurring in response to Shin Hayul’s actions. ‘A mere human… stopping the mana of the entire sea alone.’ It was simply that causing this phenomenon was Shin Hayul’s goal. A single mage had single-handedly stopped a mana disaster, an unmanageable catastrophe. “…Are you crazy?” She was so dumbfounded that she blurted out a curse. What kind of brain structure do you have to have to come up with the insane idea of stopping the mana of the sea? Usually, wouldn’t you just conclude that it’s impossible and not think about it any further? ‘That’s not just being flexible in thinking.’ She knew that Shin Hayul’s thinking was flexible yet firm. But she didn’t know it was to this extent. ‘No, even if you managed to come up with the idea that it could be done that way. How could you actually execute it…….’ Everything from start to finish is absurd. Having such an idea. Putting that idea into action. She couldn’t understand any of it. ‘A con man.’ Then, she suddenly remembered what Shin Hayul had said earlier. ‘You’ll be able to tell right away, he said.’ He said there wasn’t time to explain the details, just to watch, and that Terun would be able to grasp the principle at a glance. ‘Grasp it, my ass. I don’t understand a thing.’ All she understood was that he had simply stopped the mana that was flowing southward from the sea. By stopping the flow of mana, he prevented the monsters from coming down any further, saving Jeju Island from danger. That’s all Terun understood. She understood the result, but she didn’t understand even 1% of the process or the cause. ‘How the hell did he stop the mana of the sea?’ Compared to the mana of the sea, a single human’s mana is like a firefly in front of the sun. What Shin Hayul just did was like a firefly fighting and winning against the sun. The current situation is that absurd. ‘Is it related to how he was defeating the monsters in one blow?’ The incomprehensible magic that instantly killed monsters with an output of 4th circle or lower earlier. Could there be a secret in that magic? They both have the commonality of being an incomprehensible ‘something’. It wouldn’t be bad to assume that they are related. Besides, there are no other hypotheses that come to mind. ‘The commonality between the magic that made the monsters self-destruct while spewing blood and the act of stopping the mana of the sea…….’ Terun immediately fell into thought. She organized her hypotheses by compiling everything she had seen, felt, and gained so far. ‘Hand contact?’ When Shin Hayul was dealing with monsters, he always had his hand outstretched. And when he was doing something strange to the sea, he was squatting on the surface of the water with his hand touching it. ‘It’s not a bad approach.’ It’s a leap, but it’s not a bad approach. Terun continued her thoughts. ‘A method that can only be used by making hand contact at close range… what could it be?’ There was not a trace of anxiety on Terun’s face. Her expression was clear, as if she had never been impatient. ‘Contact alone is too little of a hint… should I try to probe him a bit when he comes back? …No. He might reveal a secret…….’ The southward flow of the sea has stopped. In other words, Jeju Island is out of danger. There was no reason for Terun to be anxious. Terun licked her lips, staring at Shin Hayul’s back floating in the distance with a burning gaze. ‘At least, if I’m with him, I don’t think I’ll ever be bored.’ She was planning to become independent again after finishing her research on the Mimir thesis. But it seems like she’ll be sticking around for quite a while. Terun licked her lips again and smiled slightly. -Jijijiji… Jik! At that moment, a noise came from the radio that Terun had slung over her shoulder. The radio that Shin Hayul had left with her. For a noise to come from here means……. ‘It’s connected to Seoul!’ Or it could be connected to Sophia Anetscheff. Terun immediately grabbed the radio. And just as she was about to speak into the radio. -Rapid. Go to the South Sea. “…Huh?” She was momentarily speechless at the cold voice that came from the radio. A woman’s voice. Even though the radio was full of static, the killing intent was palpable. -Shin Hayul is there. At that moment, Terun’s eyes widened. Judging by that murderous voice, they weren’t trying to send support. That means……. ‘An enemy?’ There’s a high probability that this voice is that of an enemy. -Roger. I’ll go kill them quickly. ‘It’s definitely an enemy!’ Kill them. It’s certain. There’s no room for doubt. This is the radio of the enemy, the black mages. ‘I don’t know how the transmission got connected and the enemy’s voice was picked up on this radio…….’ Whatever the reason, it was lucky that they were able to eavesdrop on the radio. ‘An attacker is coming. We have to escape before that.’ The black mages were said to be stationed in Seoul, so even if they moved as fast as possible, it would take at least an hour to get here. In the meantime, they could escape on Behemoth. Since the sea’s rampage has stopped, they can escape easily on Behemoth. “Shin Hayul-!” Shin Hayul reacted to Terun’s voice. He looked at Terun with a ‘what’s wrong?’ expression. Terun held up the radio and gestured urgently for him to come over. As if sensing that the situation was unusual from Terun’s expression, Shin Hayul’s expression hardened and he began to approach Terun. And just then. -Please handle it as quickly as possible. -Don’t worry. A voice was heard again from the radio. A much clearer voice than before. -30 seconds until arrival. 10 seconds to deal with them. I’ll kill them within a minute. You know why my codename is Rapid, right? A confident voice was heard, along with a triumphant laugh. ‘Codename, Rapid… Judging by the name, he seems to be a high-ranking officer with an advantage in speed… Where is he that he can arrive here in 30 seconds?’ As Terun was lost in thought, watching Shin Hayul approach quickly. -I see them. One man and a huge fox. And a woman a little further away… is that Behemoth? Terun’s eyes widened at the man’s voice that followed. ‘He’s watching us?’ The man is nearby. At least, he’s in a position where he can see us. “Shin Hayul…! An enemy is coming! Run away……!” Just as Terun was about to shout loudly. “……!” Suddenly, Shin Hayul twisted his body and cast a defensive spell, with a shocked expression. Kaaaaaaang-! A dagger, which seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, collided with Shin Hayul’s shield, creating an ear-splitting impact. “Wow. You blocked that?” The same voice as the one heard on the radio. ‘That man is Rapid?’ Codename Rapid. “This, it seems like 10 seconds is out of the question?” He licked his lips as he looked at Shin Hayul.