The Return of The Mythical Archmage [EN]: Chapter 280

After a brief sparring session that lasted about five minutes,

“Then, I’ll head out first.”

“…Okay.”

Shin Ha-yul left first.

Left alone, Shin In-hyuk’s eyes gleamed as he replayed the events in his mind.

“Mythical magic, huh…”

Mythical magic, Ignis.

He wondered what kind of magic it was that earned the modifier ‘mythical.’ But after witnessing it, he understood immediately.

Mythical magic was definitely ‘something’ completely different from ordinary magic.

“I’ve heard rumors, but it’s quite an amazing magic.”

Kim Seok-hyun, who had been secretly observing the sparring session, approached Shin In-hyuk with an impressed expression.

“A flame that burns the very structure of magic itself…”

“Burned the structure of magic, you say? Is that how it appeared to you?”

“Isn’t it?”

“No. What Ignis burned wasn’t magic, but something far more fundamental than magic.”

“…?”

Kim Seok-hyun slightly furrowed his brow, looking puzzled.

Seeing Kim Seok-hyun’s confusion, Shin In-hyuk chuckled and continued.

“What Ignis burned wasn’t magic, but mana.”

Kim Seok-hyun’s eyes widened.

“You mean, you annihilated mana?”

“Yes.”

Kim Seok-hyun’s pupils trembled.

“How can you…”

Burning magic and burning mana.

To someone unfamiliar with magic, they might seem like the same thing.

But they are not.

There’s a world of difference between erasing magic and erasing mana.

“Mana is an immutable substance. It’s impossible to erase or anything like that. To burn it and annihilate it, how on earth…”

It’s impossible to eliminate mana.

This was common knowledge in modern magic theory.

“It’s because it makes the impossible possible that it’s called mythical magic.”

Shin In-hyuk smiled, as if he found it fascinating.

“What’s even more amazing is that it’s not even complete yet.”

“…That magic?”

“Yes.”

Shin In-hyuk recalled what Shin Ha-yul had said earlier.

“He said that his skills are still lacking, so he hasn’t even drawn out half of its original power.”

“That’s half of half…”

Shin Ha-yul is still at the 6th Circle [a level of magical mastery].

It’s far from being considered complete.

If the pinnacle of a mage is the 9th Circle, then there are still three more stages to go.

Thinking about it that way, it’s understandable that it’s only at 25% power.

“If it can completely burn the Lord’s magic at 25%, then what would 100% be like…”

“If it were 100%, my life would have disappeared the moment it was completed.”

Power and output are usually directly proportional.

If the power is 25%, it means the output is only 25% as well.

In other words, the range is also only 25% of the original range.

Four times the current range.

If magic of that range were to unfold, evasion itself would be impossible.

Since defense is also impossible, one would have no choice but to burn to death.

“It’s… more amazing than I imagined.”

“Yes. It was a magic that made it understandable that it carried on the progress of Ray Bell Bytenner [a legendary mage].”

Shin In-hyuk stroked his chin with a slightly troubled expression.

“Is there something you’re worried about?”

“I’ve just got a lot of thoughts.”

Because Ignis was such an amazing magic, a small problem arose.

“All Elemental [a unique magic]. I was wondering if it even makes sense to pass on the secret magic of the Mado Shin family.”

“…Ah.”

The secret of secrets that only the successive heads of the Mado Shin family can learn.

All Elemental, a special magic that allows one to freely mix and use the four elements.

Originally, he was planning to pass on All Elemental to Shin Ha-yul starting today.

But this is… well.

After seeing Ignis, he wondered if he even needed to pass on the magic.

He had considerable pride in the magic called All Elemental, but it was a clear fact that it was inferior to Ignis.

“Still, considering versatility, wouldn’t All Elemental be superior?”

Ignis is a powerful magic, but at the end of the day, it’s just a single-use fire attribute magic.

It’s not comparable to the versatility of All Elemental.

“I thought so too, but…”

Shin In-hyuk gave a bitter smile.

“I heard that there are more than ten mythical magics besides Ignis.”

“You mean there are… ten more magics at the level of Ignis?”

“Yes. So, I can’t help but be conflicted.”

Even if there are other mythical magics besides Ignis.

Even if he were to pass on All Elemental, it’s questionable whether he would even use it properly.

No, the time spent receiving the transmission itself might be a waste.

“But I can’t not pass on All Elemental, which is practically the identity of the Mado Shin family, to the next head…”

“It’s a difficult problem.”

The two were silent for a moment.

Then, Kim Seok-hyun’s eyes lit up as if he had realized something.

“Mythical magics, including Ignis, seem to have a fatal flaw of requiring long incantations. Wouldn’t the transmission of All Elemental be an alternative to overcome that flaw?”

Ignis requires about a minute of incantation to activate.

In a fierce battlefield where a single second of misjudgment can lead to death, a minute of incantation is too big of a flaw.

“I thought of that too, but…”

Shin In-hyuk closed his eyes and let out a small, hollow laugh.

“I heard that flaw will be resolved soon.”

“By resolved, do you mean… is it possible to shorten the incantation?”

“It’s not just shortening.”

Shin In-hyuk laughed absurdly, as if he couldn’t believe it even after thinking about it again.

“No incantation.”

Kim Seok-hyun’s eyes widened as much as they could.

“Ignis with four times the power… with no incantation…?”

“Yes.”

Shin In-hyuk shook his head slightly.

“That’s why I’m so conflicted right now. If what Ha-yul said is true, then the time spent learning All Elemental could be a waste of time.”

Mythical magic that has overcome the flaw of incantation.

With such magic, other magics have no meaning.

“A dilemma. It’s a dilemma.”

Shin In-hyuk’s dilemma grew bigger and bigger.

* * *

After that.

I went straight back to my dorm room.

‘Now, there’s only a month left that I can stay here like this.’

Adela, Soon-chan, and I passed the accelerated graduation exam.

But we haven’t graduated from the academy yet.

The graduation certificate will only be issued in a month.

All classes have been exempted, and attendance is also optional, but we are still students.

We don’t have to move out of our rooms for another month.

‘Well, I guess it would be right to just move out at this point.’

After the Olympiad, I haven’t slept in this room much.

If I’m not going to use it like this, it’s right to just move out.

Well, there are many rooms left in the dormitory anyway, and it wouldn’t change anything whether I move out or not.

‘I don’t know. When the time comes, the school will tell me to move out.’

There’s no need for me to take the initiative to move out.

It’s a space where I’ve lived for the past year, so I’m quite attached to it.

And there’s no better place to organize my thoughts alone.

I sat down on the bed.

For reference, the bed is very fluffy.

I used magic to remove the accumulated dust, as well as any bad odors or moisture.

Thanks to that, the bed smells like sunshine.

I lay down on the bed and called Adela.

—Hello?

The call connected before the ringtone even finished.

“You picked up really fast? What were you doing on your phone?”

—Huh? Oh, yes. I was watching a movie with Miho.

“Huh?”

What is she watching with Miho?

“A movie?”

—Yes.

“Miho is watching a movie?”

—Yes. She seems to like it?

“What kind of movie is it?”

—A romance movie.

—Mii!

Miho’s cry could be heard over the receiver.

It was a cry full of dissatisfaction.

—Um, I think she’s telling me to hang up quickly?

“…I guess so.”

I could hear it too.

“I was thinking of summoning Miho here… If I do it now, it’ll be a disaster, right?”

—I think she’ll be very angry? She’s already saying something with her eyes.

“…I see. She must really like it.”

This is… I don’t know what to say. It’s also absurd.

She’s watching a movie. I never imagined it. That Miho would enjoy a movie.

‘Come to think of it, she has intelligence no different from a human. There’s no way she wouldn’t be able to watch a movie.’

I think I’ve been a bit indifferent to Miho. It’s something I need to reflect on.

“Okay. Then I’ll hang up for now. Go back to watching what you were watching.”

—Okay.

—Mii!

Miho laughed cheerfully, as if she was excited. Is she that happy?

—Then I’ll call you back when it’s over.

“Okay. I’ll be waiting.”

After the call ended.

I stared blankly at my phone, then lay down on the bed.

“A nine-tailed fox who likes romance movies…”

She was already like a human. But now that she’s watching movies, she’s even more like a human.

‘Isn’t she going to turn into a real human later?’

I had that thought for no reason.

* * *

About three hours passed.

Even though it was dinner time, Adela hadn’t contacted me.

‘Is she watching a series or something?’

I thought that since it was a movie, she would call me back in 2-3 hours at the latest.

It seems like she’s watching a series, not a short film.

Or maybe it’s a very long movie.

‘If that’s the case, I should postpone summoning Miho for a bit.’

The current time is 6 PM.

There’s less than 30 minutes left until the appointment time.

I can’t postpone the appointment just to summon Miho.

It seems like I’ll have to summon Miho late at night or early in the morning.

It would also be okay right before Adela leaves for the airport.

‘Let’s just leave a text message.’

It seems like she’s watching a movie on her phone, so it’s not good to call her again. A text message should be fine.

I sent a message to Adela saying that I had something to do and would contact her again after 10 PM.

And then I immediately left the dormitory and headed to the meeting place.

The meeting place was a nearby Korean restaurant.

It was a high-end restaurant with separate rooms.

“Mr. Shin Ha-yul. I’ve heard about you in advance. I’ll guide you to your room.”

Maybe it’s because it’s a high-end restaurant that deals with a lot of VIPs.

Before I could say anything, the guidance started right away.

I followed the employee to the deepest part of the building.

“Excuse me.”

We arrived at the last room.

The employee knocked on the door twice and carefully opened it.

“You’re early.”

The moment the door opened, a man’s grumbling voice could be heard.

“James. There’s still 10 minutes left until the appointment time. I don’t think you should be saying anything.”

Following that, a gentle man’s voice could be heard.

“Hmph. You’re late because you’re later than us.”

“Ugh. Seriously, you’re such a boomer.”

Finally, a woman’s voice full of annoyance could be heard.

I smiled wryly as I listened to the voices of the three of them and gave the employee a thank you with my eyes.

And then I immediately moved towards the inside of the room where the voices were coming from.

“Everyone. It’s been a while. Have you been well?”

The moment I entered the room, the eyes of the three people focused on me.

“Yes. It’s been a while.”

Kim Kang-in, the Blue Magic Tower Lord.

“…Look at this bastard?”

James Filler, the Red Magic Tower Lord.

“Oh…”

And Min Ga-yeon, the Green Magic Tower Lord.

The three of them greeted me with different reactions.

“I heard you were doing secluded training… It seems you’ve achieved quite a lot. I almost didn’t recognize you.”

The Blue Magic Tower Lord greeted me with eyes full of joy.

“You’re a real monster.”

The Red Magic Tower Lord glared at me with an expression full of annoyance and dissatisfaction.

“Did you grow again in the meantime?”

The Green Magic Tower Lord scanned my whole body with a very interested expression.

“Soon-chan was grumbling about how you couldn’t even contact him once, but if you’ve grown this much, I can’t say anything. Hahaha!”

While I was in France.

I pretended to be holed up in my room under the guise of secluded training.

I didn’t contact Soon-chan during that time.

It was natural. While I was in France, I couldn’t even contact my father properly. There was no way I could contact Soon-chan.

“Magic Tower Lord. How is Soon-chan doing?”

I haven’t contacted him properly for almost two months.

He might be sulking.

“You’ll know when you meet him in person.”

Kim Kang-in gave a meaningful smile. It was a smile that gave me confidence.

“…Is he really sulking?”

Kim Kang-in’s smile deepened even more. It was a smile that made me feel uneasy for no reason.

…It seems like it would be better to go see Soon-chan tomorrow at the latest.

“Well, that’s that…”

The Blue Magic Tower Lord’s atmosphere changed. The gentle atmosphere disappeared without a trace, and he exuded a cold, business-like atmosphere.

“What is this meeting for?”

He looked at the Red Magic Tower Lord and the Green Magic Tower Lord in turn, putting pressure on them with his eyes.

“I could understand that James and Ga-yeon secretly returned to Korea. Because they said they had something to talk about with me in secret. But…”

And then he turned his gaze towards me.

“Why is Ha-yul included in this meeting where we’re having these secret talks…? What are you hiding from me?”

Seeing the Blue Magic Tower Lord like that, the Green Magic Tower Lord sighed softly.

“Don’t be impatient. We were going to tell you everything anyway without you putting on the pressure. That’s why we gathered in the first place.”

The Green Magic Tower Lord took out a special communication terminal and started manipulating it.

“You’ll see.”

After finishing the manipulation, she placed the communication terminal in the center of the table.

She gestured with her chin for the Blue Magic Tower Lord to look at the center.

The Blue Magic Tower Lord narrowed his eyes and turned his gaze towards the center of the table.

And at the same time as a woman appeared from the other side of the terminal.

—Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedules.

Kim Kang-in’s eyes widened like saucers.

“Sophia… Ms. Anechepri?”