The Return of The Mythical Archmage [EN]: Chapter 20

As expected, Baek Sa-hyuk received a slap-on-the-wrist punishment.

It wasn’t a big deal anyway.

The Baek family is a family that donates a huge amount of money to the Obelisk Academy every year.

There was no way they would expel the eldest son of such a family right away for causing trouble.

They must have agreed to receive additional donations from the Baek family and quietly cover up this incident.

‘I guess the Baek family really has a lot of money.’

To anyone, the evidence in this case is clear. It would have been impossible to cover this up with just a little money. How much did they pour in?

‘Well. The Baek family is currently struggling to get their family title.’

Family title.

‘Mado’ of the Mado Shin family.

‘Shinbi’ of the Shinbi Wi family.

This is how the name attached to the family name is called the family title.

Usually, the status of a family is divided by the presence or absence of this ‘title.’

The Baek family is currently struggling to obtain this ‘title.’

In such a situation, the eldest son of the Baek family is expelled from the Obelisk Academy?

There would be a high chance of noise in obtaining the title.

From the Baek family’s point of view, they had to prevent that at all costs.

So, they poured in money to somehow cover up this incident.

‘Well, I could protest, but…’

It’s not difficult to protest this slap-on-the-wrist punishment.

No matter how much money the Baek family poured in, it cannot be compared to the influence of the Mado Shin family.

If the Mado Shin family sends a formal letter of protest, Baek Sa-hyuk will be expelled immediately.

But that’s a bad move.

There’s no need to go as far as protesting to expel Baek Sa-hyuk.

Woong-!

Just in time, the text message I was waiting for arrived.

[Sender: Father]

[Negotiations with the Baek family are over.]

[As a condition for burying this matter, we have agreed to receive a 3% stake in the magic stone mining rights that the Baek family was occupying.]

The Baek family didn’t just give money to the academy.

The Baek family also gave money to the Mado Shin family.

It’s only natural.

The victim is none other than me, a direct descendant of the Mado Shin family.

To bury the matter, it is necessary to shut the mouths of both the school and the Mado Shin family.

That’s why I said there was no need to protest.

Baek Sa-hyuk’s expulsion is nothing compared to a 3% stake in the magic stone mining rights.

“Still, 3%……”

I don’t know if I should say my father’s business skills are amazing.

Or if the Baek family got ripped off.

It seems like they received too much for just keeping their mouths shut.

‘Hmm. Did they take advantage of the Baek family’s current situation and take a bit of a gamble?’

If so, 3% is not an impossible figure.

‘Well.’

As I said, the Baek family is currently at an important crossroads.

Saving the 3% stake could mean that 10 years of effort could go down the drain.

In many ways, the Baek family had no choice but to be in a position of weakness.

[Well done. I don’t know if it was intentional or not, but it was a perfect response.]

[If there is anything you want as compensation for the mining rights you obtained this time, let me know.]

[That’s all.]

With that text, my father’s contact ended.

I sent a simple reply and threw my phone down on the table.

“Baek Sa-hyuk is really Santa Claus.”

The previous incidents were already very grateful.

And now he’s giving me a stake in the magic stone mining rights.

At this point, I should call him a giving tree, not Santa Claus.

“Anyway……”

Earlier, Baek Sa-hyuk’s eyes were not normal.

How should I put it?

It was like he was about to commit murder.

Anyway, he was exuding a very dangerous aura.

“……This incident must have effectively led to his dismissal from the Baek family.”

No matter how I look at it, it seems like he’s going to try to harm me.

‘With Baek Sa-hyuk’s current skills, there’s no way he can harm me, but…’

There’s no harm in being careful.

I decided to focus more on Baek Sa-hyuk.

‘Hoo. Well, the work is done…’

I refocused all my attention on the Infinity Circle.

The realm of resonance was a little closer.

* * *

Leng Smith’s apartment near the academy.

In the center of the bleak living room.

Leng Smith was sitting on a luxurious sofa, talking to someone on the phone.

“Yes. Everything is finished here as planned. We will start the operation on Friday as scheduled.”

He crossed his legs and smiled leisurely, stroking his handsome mustache.

—Are you sure?

A very small voice is heard from the speaker.

The voice was so small that it was only possible to identify it as a man’s voice.

“I repeat, the preparations are perfect.”

—Hmm. Good. I’ll trust your 100% success record.

“Yes. You won’t be disappointed.”

Leng Smith got up from his seat and walked to the kitchen.

He opened the refrigerator, took out a cup-sized round ice cube, and put it in a cup.

Then, he took out the best one from the liquors he had gathered on one side.

“You should keep your promise better than me.”

He clicked his tongue as if the cell phone in his hand was cumbersome.

Then, with a light motion, he switched to speaker mode and opened the liquor with both hands.

Pouring-

The sound of liquor flowing along the ice in the cup echoed softly.

“If you do not fulfill the contract……”

Leng Smith spoke sharply, with a warning.

—You’re worrying unnecessarily.

The voice, which had become louder as it switched to speaker mode.

The voice was quite familiar to Shin Ha-yul.

—Have I ever broken a contract before?

Shin Ji-han.

Shin Ha-yul’s older brother and the eldest son of the family.

His voice echoed heavily.

—Instead of worrying about that, you should focus more on your mission.

“Haha. I just said it just in case. Don’t be too offended.”

Leng Smith drank the liquor.

Clink-

The sound of ice and cup colliding rang clearly.

“I will take care of Shin Ha-yul for sure.”

* * *

The weekend passed in an instant.

Throughout the weekend, except for the time to eat, sleep, and do physical training in the morning, I spent all my time connecting the circles.

‘It’s really difficult.’

Even so, the two rings are not showing 100% synchronization.

‘It seems like it’s up to 99.9%.’

It’s not that there were no gains during the weekend.

The two rings have definitely become closer to unification.

99.9%

A figure infinitely close to 100%.

A subtle difference that an ordinary person wouldn’t even be able to distinguish.

The Ring of Mind and the Ring of Resonance are still circulating in my body with a 0.1% difference.

“Ah. It’s annoying.”

It’s so annoying because it seems like it’s going to work, but it doesn’t.

I never imagined that the complex action of mana would be this annoying.

‘Ugh. I should go to school first.’

I can’t be late.

As someone aiming for the World Academy Olympiad, I shouldn’t do anything that could harm my grades.

‘Since there are only theory classes this morning, I should practice then.’

I got up from my seat, stretched lightly, changed into my uniform, and left the dormitory.

As soon as I left the building, my expression crumpled.

“Student Shin Ha-yul.”

Instructor Leng Smith.

I met the person I least wanted to deal with in the world from the morning.

This is really ruining my mood from the morning.

“……Good morning.”

“Yeah.”

Leng Smith stroked his mustache with a strange expression.

It was a mustache that I wanted to pull out right now because I didn’t like it.

‘When is this supremacist instructor going back to his country?’

Instructor Leng Smith.

The worst instructor who was steeped in elitism and used to verbally abuse me until two weeks ago.

How shameless he is, after I got good grades, he’s been saying nothing but good things, as if he never belittled me.

Every time I hear this guy’s compliments, I get goosebumps.

“I’ve been thinking about it before, but it seems like Student Shin Ha-yul dislikes this instructor quite a bit.”

“No, I don’t.”

I hate this guy more than the Poison Insects.

For reference, Poison Insects are the monsters that have won first place in the Monster World Cup with overwhelming support.

“Hmm. I understand. This instructor used to say quite harsh things to the student.”

If the things Leng Smith said to me could be glossed over as just harsh words, then there would be no such thing as profanity in this world.

I can say that with certainty.

“But those words were all advice I gave because I was thinking of the student. Don’t misunderstand.”

“……Yes.”

It was really nonsense.

I wish he would explain to me how ‘a broken piece of coal mixed among diamonds’ is advice.

“Well, even if I say this, it will be difficult for Student Shin Ha-yul to accept it well.”

“No, it’s not.”

You know it well.

“Hmm. It’s a good opportunity.”

Leng Smith stroked his mustache again and took a step towards me.

“I offer my sincere apologies for the harsh words I have said so far.”

“……”

I almost lost my composure for a moment because it was so disgusting.

“And. Congratulations, though it’s late.”

Leng Smith suddenly put his hand on my shoulder.

“I think it’s fortunate that Student Shin Ha-yul found his own path.”

And at that moment, a genuine chill ran down my spine.

It wasn’t because of Leng Smith’s disgusting acting.

This is not such a trivial reason.

‘This is mana… magic?’

Mana flowed from Leng Smith’s fingertips.

That mana is absorbed into my body through my shoulder.

It was the chill and cold that resulted from that.

‘Besides. This mana is…’

It’s not even ordinary mana.

‘Black.’

Jet black.

Different from the cold but clean black of dark attribute magic.

A sticky black that smells like sewage.

That dirty black mana was filling my retina.

I know what this mana is.

‘The Black Magic Tower.’

An unapproved magic tower that is different from the twelve existing color magic towers.

A garbage dump built by a magician who calls himself the ‘Black Magic King’.

A criminal group that only gathers the trash that is eating away at this world.

It is the mana of black magic used only by the magicians belonging to that place.

‘Leng Smith is affiliated with the Black Magic Tower?’

It was something I never imagined.

My eyes trembled with embarrassment.

‘There was a puppet of the Black Magic Tower hiding in the Obelisk Academy?’

‘How?’

‘Since when?’

‘Is Leng Smith the only puppet?’

All sorts of thoughts flashed through my head in an instant.

‘No, now is not the time to think about that!’

That’s not what’s important right now.

What’s important now is that Leng Smith is trying to do something by using black magic on me.

There was no way that a magician belonging to the Black Magic Tower would do something normal.

First, I have to do something about this magic.

‘First, to understand the situation, I’ll check the magic formula of this magic.’

I thought so and focused my gaze on the black mana.

Because it was so close, the structure of the magic formula came into view at a glance.

‘This magic formula structure. I remember it.’

The magic formula that I can check at once with my current level is only 1/5 of it.

But even with 1/5, it wasn’t difficult to guess what kind of effect this magic had.

‘Mind manipulation magic. I’m sure of it.’

Leng Smith is trying to manipulate my mind.

At that moment, my brain spun like a top.

‘Wait a minute. Mind manipulation…?’

A representative black magic of the Black Magic Tower that has the effect of amplifying or inducing emotions by interfering with the opponent’s brain.

A very dangerous magic that can even collapse a person’s mind if a high-circle black magician uses this magic.

The best choice would be to get out of this place right now and resist the magic.

But.

‘Mind manipulation doesn’t work on me.’

My brain has the characteristic of rejecting all external interference.

Mind manipulation magic doesn’t work on me.

‘Then what I have to do now is not to resist.’

So what I have to do is not to resist Leng Smith’s magic.

‘Pretend to be affected by mind manipulation magic and extract information about the situation I’m in.’

Crisis is another word for opportunity.

I’m not stupid enough to miss a golden opportunity that has rolled in.