The Return of The Mythical Archmage [EN]: Chapter 247

The Doctor’s expression was a bizarre mix of anger and amusement.

I stared at him, my mind racing with panic.

‘How did he get back so fast?’

It wasn’t strange that the Doctor had returned. Given the mercenary group’s intervention, it was natural he’d receive a report and come back. What puzzled me was the speed of his return.

‘It hasn’t even been ten minutes since the mercenaries engaged. How is he already here…?’

If I ran at full speed, it would take at least fifteen minutes to get here from the school. Since the Doctor is stronger than me, he might be a bit faster, but still, ten minutes is just too fast.

‘He was observing the class, so it would have taken at least a minute or two to take down the chairman.’ Considering the need for secrecy, preparing to return would have taken at least five minutes. No matter how I think about it, ten minutes is way too fast.

How did he arrive so quickly?

‘Could it be related to the Doctor’s ability?’

The Doctor’s ability, which even Shadow and Hermes don’t fully understand. Could his ability be related to ‘speed’? If so, it would explain how he returned in just ten minutes.

‘If that’s the case, escape is impossible.’

Escape is impossible against a mage whose weapon is speed. The situation has become even more difficult.

“Why are you so quiet, rat?” The Doctor’s lips curled up even further. He seemed to take my silence as a sign, and he was clearly enjoying it.

“Don’t you intend to speak? That’s a problem. I have a lot of things I need to hear from you.” The crescent-shaped curve of his lips and his wide-open mouth made the already grotesque atmosphere even more bizarre.

“I guess I have no choice. I’ll just have to capture you and torture you.” The Doctor took his hand out of his pocket and took a step towards me.

“Stop.” The mercenary leader moved at that exact moment. He stood between me and the Doctor, his face contorted as he held eight daggers in both hands.

“You have some business to discuss with us first.” Following the leader, the entire mercenary group positioned themselves as if to surround the Doctor. It was the same formation they used when they faced me earlier. The only differences were that I kept moving and interfering to prevent them from completing their formation, and the Doctor was just standing still as if he didn’t care whether he was surrounded or not.

“Business to discuss…” The Doctor put his hand in his pocket and pretended to think for a moment. “Hmm. I don’t have anything to say to dogs who betrayed their master.”

“…” The leader’s expression became even colder.

“Ah. For dogs, punishment is also a form of communication. If that’s the case, then I do have something to say. I need to punish the disloyal hounds who dared to bite their master’s hand.”

“…You talk big, trash.” The eight daggers in the leader’s hands pulsed with eight different attributes, just like before. Was he not using his full power when he fought me earlier? They pulsed much more intensely.

“Try getting bitten to death by those dogs.” The eight swords left the leader’s hands and began to move towards each of the mercenaries surrounding the Doctor. The eight swords formed an octagon.

“Sheffy!”

“Yes!” A woman answered loudly to the leader’s call. And at that moment.

Kugugugugugung-! Mana surged again.

‘…A barrier?’ A barrier was activated, changing all the mana within this area. I activated my Mystic Eyes [a special ability to see magical energy] to observe the barrier. Since it was a large-scale barrier, I could see its structure even from my current position.

‘A special barrier. The activation condition is for eight people, including the leader, who possess seals to stand in an octagonal shape. So that’s why they tried to surround me like that earlier.’ The mercenaries grasped the eight swords in their hands. And the mercenary leader created a new sword and held it in his hand. A short sword forged using only attribute-less mana, without any special attribute conversion. Despite not possessing any special energy, it contained much more powerful force than the other swords. I guess that sword is like that man’s ultimate move.

I nodded in understanding and continued to analyze the barrier.

‘The barrier’s effect is mana freezing. It freezes the mana of the target at the center of the octagon, blocking both movement and magic simultaneously.’ Judging by the density, shape, and nature of the mana contained within the barrier, it seems to be a barrier that would work even on a 7th or 8th circle archmage [a very powerful mage].

“Hmm. I don’t think I’ve heard about you having this kind of magic.”

“This is insurance, you see. Insurance against employers like you who try to abandon us.”

“Indeed. You dogs have some brains.” The Doctor laughed as if he found it amusing and took his hand out of his pocket.

“It’s too late to regret it.” Seeing the Doctor, each member of the mercenary group lowered their stance. They were trying to kill him quickly before the Doctor could do anything.

“Die.” The mercenaries rushed at the Doctor simultaneously. Swords with different powers flew from different directions. It was not an attack that a mage, who couldn’t use magic due to mana freezing, could respond to, unless they were in perfect condition.

However.

“Just because I gave you some praise, don’t get too cocky, you dogs.” The Doctor was not a mage who followed common sense.

Snap! The Doctor snapped his fingers using his middle finger and thumb.

“Vanish.”

And at that moment.

“Kali’s Origin…”

“Die…” The mercenaries disappeared. It wasn’t a metaphor or an analogy. They literally vanished in an instant. Or should I say, they were annihilated? Even the clothes and equipment they were wearing disappeared from this world.

“It’s a bit quieter now.” The barrier was destroyed because the caster disappeared. In the center of the collapsing barrier, the Doctor smiled with satisfaction. Seeing that, Shadow’s words suddenly came to mind.

‘If you encounter the Doctor, run away no matter what. He’s the most dangerous one among the executives.’ Shadow’s words were accurate. This guy is very dangerous.

“Now it’s just the two of us, rat.” The Doctor turned his gaze towards me. “Your mind might have changed in the meantime, so let me ask again. Do you still not want to talk to me?” His eyes seemed to say, ‘If you’ve seen my power, you should know your place.’

“…What are you curious about?” Talking in this situation is also beneficial for me. Right now, I need time to organize the information I just saw, make predictions, and analyze it.

“Heh heh. You’ve become quite obedient.” The Doctor laughed as if he found my answer amusing. Then he took a step towards me.

“Stop. If you come any closer, I’ll assume you have no intention of talking.” What he uses is black magic. A legacy of Veil Stoll. Its roots are different from the Vaitener style. Therefore, my Mystic Eyes cannot see, grasp, or break down that man’s magic. I have no idea what principle the magic that just unfolded was based on.

‘But one thing. I figured out the activation condition of that magic.’ The mercenaries disappeared the moment they touched the mana that the Doctor emitted. And that mana is still surrounding the Doctor. In other words, I need to avoid approaching the Doctor right now.

“You’re quite wary. But it won’t change anything.” The Doctor chuckled and stopped walking. “I stopped as you said. So, can I ask questions now?”

“…” I nodded silently. The Doctor grinned.

“Luan Palatia. Where did you hear about this place?”

“You managed to remember my name. We only made brief eye contact.”

The Doctor tapped his head. “My brain structure is different from inferior species like you.”

He seems quite confident in his memory.

“Forget about that and answer my question. You. How do you know about this place?”

“I didn’t come here knowing there was anything in particular.” I made up a plausible lie. “I happened to witness a guy named Mael Nadal opening a secret passage in the chaos. So, I was just investigating what this secret passage was.”

The Doctor’s brow furrowed. “I see. The place where that transporter died was right in front of the secret passage.” Then, with an expression filled with anger, he gritted his teeth. “So, this happened because of that damn transporter.”

“I guess you could say that.”

“…Tsk. There are too many useless idiots in the world.” The Doctor shook his head. “If it weren’t for that idiot, you wouldn’t have had to die like this. It’s a shame, Luan Palatia. For a talent like you to die here like this.” The Doctor looked at me blankly. Unlike his words that feigned sympathy, there was no trace of pity in his expression. No, I couldn’t find any emotion at all. The empty eyes, typical of a psychopath, were emitting a clear gray light.

“I’ve mostly satisfied my curiosity. Now I have no more use for you.” The Doctor slowly raised his hand. And just like he erased the mercenary group earlier, he took the stance of snapping his fingers. A gesture that he would erase me.

“Just die.” Just as the Doctor was about to snap his fingers, I took two steps back.

“…” The Doctor stopped his movement with his middle finger and thumb touching.

“Why? Weren’t you going to erase me?” The Doctor frowned. I moved two steps to the right again.

“Are you going easy on me? Or are you planning to play with me?” And then two steps back again, followed by two steps to the right. The Doctor didn’t snap his fingers; he just remained silent with a frown.

“Or is it because I keep getting out of the range of your magic?” The Doctor lowered his hand with a frown. “…As expected of a rat, you’re quick-witted. Did you see through my magic at a glance?”

“I have good eyes, you see. I saw the mana you emitted enveloping the targets right before the mercenaries disappeared. In other words, your magic won’t work as long as I don’t enter the range of your mana.” I moved again and boasted. “By the way, how long are you going to keep doing this useless thing?” The reason I keep moving is because the Doctor keeps moving his mana towards me. He’s pulling out thin strands of mana like threads and slowly moving them towards me. But because of the distance, it’s too slow. It’s at a level that even a child could avoid if they could see it.

“It seems you can really see it, not just pretending.” I wondered why he kept trying when it wasn’t working. It seems he was trying to figure out if my words were a bluff or not. The Doctor clicked his tongue and retracted the mana he had emitted.

“Okay. So, are you going to keep running away like that?” The Doctor sneered. “Running away is fine. But I wonder how long you can keep running.” With a sneer, he slowly approached me. “Unless you can get close, you have no way to counterattack. If you can’t counterattack, the result is as good as decided.” Currently, I am ‘Luan Palatia’. That is, a swordsman. That’s why the Doctor is saying that. That unless I can get close, I have no way to counterattack.

‘If I use magic, I can respond from a distance.’ But that’s the Doctor’s misconception. I am Shin Hayul before I am Luan Palatia. I have magic. I can respond from a distance. However.

‘Using magic here is a bad idea.’ I can’t use it. No, I shouldn’t use it. ‘If I use magic now, he’ll immediately realize that I’m Shin Hayul.’ By avoiding the Doctor’s magic just now, I showed that my eyes can see mana. If I use magic on top of that? I’ll be 100% suspected. My magic has strong characteristics. If the Doctor has a good eye, he’ll definitely notice. I want to avoid using magic if possible.

‘The best option I can choose right now is to somehow avoid that guy’s attacks and escape from here.’ To hide my identity, escape, and then plan for the future. That’s the best option I can choose right now.

“If you’re thinking of escaping, let me tell you in advance. Give up.” Could he read my thoughts? The Doctor licked his lips and warned me. With no way to counterattack, the only option I can choose is to escape. The Doctor must know that very well. That’s why he’s saying that.

“You can never escape.”

“…We’ll see.” Considering the range of the Doctor’s mana emission, there is a chance. ‘I’ll hide my maximum speed, slowly lure the Doctor, and then, when I’m far enough from the entrance, I’ll run out at full speed and escape.’ The Doctor doesn’t know my full power at all. If I hide my maximum speed and evade, there will be a chance. I slowly took a stance. I lowered my center of gravity and strengthened my whole body so that I could respond to his attacks at any time.

“I told you to give up.” The Doctor chuckled as he looked at me. “No matter what you do, death is all that awaits you.” And the next moment.

Kugugugugugugugu-! The Doctor’s mana expanded. It wasn’t at the level of emitting thin threads like before. The mana surrounding the Doctor was expanding in the shape of a dome. It was like a balloon inflating.

“My mana has the property of a virus. It slowly contaminates the mana in the air.” As the Doctor said, the ordinary mana around him was being influenced by the Doctor’s mana and was becoming corrupted.

“I can’t directly control this transformed mana, but…” The black mana was expanding slowly but surely. That mana touched the neck of a female researcher rolling on the floor.

“It applies to the range of the magic’s effect.” Ssshhh… The woman’s head disappeared in an instant. Shortly after, the woman’s body, which was touched by the mana, also disappeared in an instant.

“Now, my mana won’t stop until it infects all the mana in this area.”

“…”

“If this place wasn’t underground, but above ground, you might have been able to escape. It’s a shame.” The Doctor described his mana as a ‘virus’. A virus has a higher infectivity in enclosed spaces.

“Now. How are you going to struggle? I only have five minutes left until my mana completely engulfs this area.” The Doctor’s mana was rapidly contaminating the surrounding mana. At this rate, there will be no space to escape in five minutes. I have to do something before that. And there’s only one thing I can do right now.

‘In this situation, I have no choice but to use magic, regardless of whether my identity is revealed or not…’ There’s no other way. Just as I was about to use magic.

‘That is…?’ I suddenly noticed the passage leading to the center of the laboratory. ‘Why is the mana contamination slower only in the passage leading to the center of the laboratory?’ Only that section had slower infection, so the dome shape was partially distorted.

‘Why?’ The answer was derived surprisingly quickly. ‘Ignis!’ Ignis is beyond that passage. Which means.

‘Is Ignis’s mana offsetting the Doctor’s mana?’ That’s what it means.