Raided The God’S Warehouse [EN]: Chapter 486

The Archmage, now inhabiting Se-un’s body, intended to observe firsthand.

Se-un, struggling to understand, questioned him again. The Archmage, in response, offered to show him directly, leading Se-un somewhere.

“Hurry and follow. This is my greatest masterpiece. I haven’t even shown it to my assistants; you’re the first outsider to see it.”

He seemed quite excited.

Se-un, agreeing that seeing was better than telling, quietly followed.

“How long do you think I’ve been at the 8th Circle?”

“…About 30 years, I presume.”

“Haha, accurate indeed.”

As a 7th Circle mage, Se-un couldn’t possibly know the Archmage’s exact level.

However, the Archmage was openly displaying his Circle as if giving away the answer.

Thanks to that, Se-un could accurately gauge his Circle.

If Se-un’s Circle was like a temple meticulously built with various materials, his Circle was like a vast blue ocean.

Not just any ocean, but the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic, and Antarctic Oceans combined into one great ocean.

Just as the 40th floor of the Trial Grounds was formed by the merging of numerous seas, including the Black Sea.

His Circle, too, was a vast world formed by the merging of eight blue and pristine seas.

A completely different direction from Se-un’s. Yet, an undeniable sense of serenity was felt.

“Then, you must also see my problem.”

“The last Circle is collapsing.”

“Haha, you see well indeed. Even though I opened my Circle, you noticed the problem of the eighth Circle, which you haven’t even reached.”

However, his ocean was not perfect.

The last, eighth sea.

No, the eighth Circle had progressed about halfway before collapsing as if it had reached the end of the earth.

Mana no longer gathered, and he could no longer advance.

In other words, his current problem was…

“Stagnation…”

“It’s funny to call it stagnation at this age, but… haha.”

He had hit a wall.

A massive wall of growth that anyone—mage, swordsman, or alchemist—would encounter at least once. A solid wall where no further progress seemed possible.

“In truth, the 8th Circle is a realm that mages dream of… but what can I do? I’m a mage and a scholar by nature. Even if I die, I wanted to fill this last Circle completely.”

His goal wasn’t to reach the 9th Circle. It was simply to complete all eight Circles he currently possessed.

It wasn’t that he disliked reaching the 9th Circle, but rather a rational goal based on his current lifespan and circumstances.

He was too rational to blindly rush towards the 9th Circle.

The knowledge and experience gained from becoming an Archmage only allowed him to dream up to a perfectly reasonable stage.

“For the first ten years, I continued my training as before. I believed that my path to the 8th Circle couldn’t be wrong, and I had no hesitation.”

The 8th Circle was the highest realm, rarely seen even in the Tower.

It was practically the last realm that beings other than dragons could reach.

Having reached such a realm, the Archmage at the time would have had no doubt in his path.

“The second ten years were filled with 고민 [agonizing contemplation]. I had surpassed the realm of an 8th Circle user, but I hadn’t moved an inch since the Expert level.”

8th Circle Expert. That was the level of the Archmage that Se-un perceived.

In other words, he hadn’t made any progress in his Circle for ten years after reaching the 8th Circle.

“That’s when I started considering other options. I looked up all the papers on magic and used various methods to find hints. That was when I made a name for myself as an Archmage.”

“The mana refinement water I saw earlier…”

“Was one of the results of that time. The mana circuit was purified, increasing the efficiency of magic, but it ultimately failed to achieve Circle growth.”

Following the Archmage, they arrived at a teleporter similar to the one Se-un had seen when he first entered his lab.

Of course, the formula written below it was much more complex. The activation formula was the same.

The formula was designed so that only the Archmage could activate it, and it seemed they were moving to his private room.

“That’s when I thought: it’s impossible with the methods I’ve used so far. I need to either see my own Circle and fill in the gaps myself, or see another mage’s Circle and 깨우쳐야겠다고 [gain enlightenment].”

As the Archmage struck his staff down, the magic circle activated, and the vision blurred.

The unique dizziness felt when teleporting was almost non-existent, thanks to how precisely the formula was 짜였는지 [woven/constructed].

“Thinking that way, the result of compiling all the knowledge in this world for the remaining ten years is this.”

As soon as the 이동 [teleportation] ended, a huge, sealed room was revealed.

No, it was hard to call this a room.

It felt like being inside a giant magic circle.

The magic circles densely written on the floor, walls, and even the ceiling were 장엄함 [magnificent] just by looking at them.

In particular, the huge mana stones 박힌 [embedded] in various places in the magic circle were clearly not ordinary.

“This is a magic circle created to analyze the power of the target and construct and enter the 심상 세계(心象世界) [mental landscape/inner world].”

“Those are top-grade mana stones… no, they seem to be more than that.”

“Haha, that’s right. Top-grade mana stones can’t maintain or activate this magic circle, so I devised these mana stones myself.”

“You created mana stones that are better than top-grade mana stones?”

“I wanted to make a dragon heart if I could, but I couldn’t get one. So I made these, and each one has more than three times the mana of a top-grade mana stone.”

Top-grade mana stones were practically the highest level of mana stones that could be obtained, excluding dragon hearts.

Mana stones, created by being concentrated for a long time in places with abundant mana, were like diamonds, making it very difficult to artificially match their performance.

But mana stones with more than three times the mana of such mana stones…

If mass production were possible, it would be an achievement that would mark a milestone in the magical world, but…

“Isn’t this material High-jena crystal?”

“Oh. I knew you were 능통하다 [proficient] in many ways, but I didn’t know you were 능통하다 [knowledgeable] in this area too.”

High-jena crystal.

It was a rare mineral that even Se-un before 회귀 [regression/reincarnation] had only seen a few times.

It was known to be created when mana itself petrified in places with extremely abundant mana, such as dragon lairs.

Unlike mana stones, it doesn’t contain mana, but it was a mineral with extreme mana affinity.

‘It’s a mineral that barely comes out once or twice a year at auction houses.’

Mana stones made of such minerals.

Even the number of mana stones visible in this room alone reached ten, so the amount of High-jena crystal used seemed enormous.

It was impossible to mass-produce mana stones made of such hard-to-find materials.

“It was quite difficult to obtain this too. Fortunately, being an Archmage helped in times like these, so I was able to obtain this much.”

“Did you fill the inside of the mana stones with mana refinement water?”

“The one I gave you earlier was diluted for 식용 [consumption]. The ones filled here are refined to the extreme, to the point where people can’t 식용 [consume] them.”

“I see.”

“Haha, I feel like all my know-how is being 까발려지는 [revealed/exposed].”

“Ah, if you’re uncomfortable…”

“No. It’s because you have excellent insight. I have nothing to hide in a position where I’m asking for a favor.”

Se-un tried to capture as much of the room’s magic circle as possible, including the mana stones.

He couldn’t fully interpret the formulas right away, but it was the result of the Archmage investing ten years of knowledge to create it.

If he could completely interpret and understand it, it would surely be a great help to his growth and future.

“In fact, I realized that it’s impossible to check my own inner self while making it.”

“Activating this magic circle would require a mage of at least the 8th Circle.”

“Haha, have you already interpreted the beginning of the formula? That’s right. In the first place, 구현하는 [manifesting] the 심상 세계 [mental landscape] itself is impossible for me without the help of this magic circle and mana stones.”

심상 세계의 구현화 [Manifestation of the mental landscape].

This was mainly an act in the realm used by gods.

Trying to reproduce such an act with magic in a human body was naturally difficult.

Perhaps, without the help of these magic circles and mana stones, one would have to reach at least the level of the 9th Circle.

“Because of that, I was looking for a mage with a Circle of a completely different nature from mine. Among them, a mage of the 7th Circle or higher.”

“Is that why you chose me?”

“Haha, it was an incredibly great 행운 [stroke of luck] for me. It was the first time I nodded to the idea of 운명 [destiny].”

“I don’t know if seeing my Circle will allow you to break through the wall…”

“Even if I can’t break through, I won’t blame you. However, as soon as I saw you, I was 확신했네 [convinced]. There will be no opportunity for me that surpasses you, that is better than you.”

Honestly, even Se-un couldn’t perfectly understand his thoughts.

In the first place, Se-un had never reached the 8th Circle either.

Frankly, the fact that he was already able to reach the 7th Circle was possible thanks to not only the 권능 [divine power/authority] of Greed but also various 기연 [fortuitous encounters] including the 권능 [divine power/authority] of Gluttony.

The wall of the 8th Circle.

This was not a level that could be broken with the 권능 [divine power/authority] of Greed.

The fact that he was able to rise to the 7th Circle right away was also due to the help of various 깨달음 [enlightenments] he had gained before 회귀 [regression/reincarnation], although it was not magic.

Se-un, who was looking around the magic circle with the Archmage’s permission, soon discovered a problem.

“…Is it possible to interfere with the observation target in the 심상 세계 [mental landscape]?”

“That’s right. In the first place, the biggest purpose of this magic circle was to directly check my Circle and fix the problems.”

“Then, if you accidentally touch it wrong… No, even if that’s not the case, if a problem occurs during observation, could it cause problems for me?”

“That’s correct. If you touch the Circle wrong, in the worst case, mana 폭주 [outburst] or 역류 [backflow] could occur, and the Circle could be destroyed.”

The Archmage didn’t bother to refute Se-un’s words.

Rather, he even listed the worst-case scenarios that Se-un hadn’t even asked about.

And then, as if reading Se-un’s thoughts, he mentioned an advantage that was hard to refuse.

“However, being able to 관여 [intervene] in the 심상 세계 [mental landscape] can also be an 이점 [advantage] for you.”

“What do you mean by 이점 [advantage]?”

“Anything is possible. You can organize the mana circuit or purify the mana. It’s not just 구현하는 [manifesting] the Circle, but 구현하는 [manifesting] all of your power, so you can also 뚫 [pierce/break through] the 혈로 [blood passage/meridian] of the 단전 [dantian – energy center]. Above all.”

The Archmage watched Se-un’s left chest.

“Aren’t you also 막혀 [blocked] in the last wall of the 7th Circle?”

Se-un quietly nodded.

In fact, not long ago, Se-un had already filled the 7th Circle and reached the level of a 7th Circle master.

When he had time at the 쉬다 [resting], he immediately 일으켜 [invoked] the 권능 [divine power/authority] of Greed to find the next 수련법 [training method], but it had no effect.

The wall of the 8th Circle.

This was not a level that could be 부술 [broken] with the 권능 [divine power/authority] of Greed.

“If possible, I’ll help you. As I said before, my mana will also be helpful for the eighth Circle you’re trying to create.”

A very sweet offer. However, it was an offer that he couldn’t lightly nod to.

“How can I believe that there will be no harm to me?”

“Haha, that’s simple.”

The Archmage 활성화 [activated] the largest mana stone placed in the center of the magic circle and gave a 푸근한 [warm/benevolent] smile.

“Why don’t you 감시 [monitor/oversee] me directly from the side?”