The Return of The Mythical Archmage [EN]: Chapter 3

Since that day, my life took a complete 180-degree turn.

High risk, high reward.

The reward I received for risking my entire life was nothing short of heavenly bliss.

[Mana possesses its own will.]

[When mana permeates the brain, two or more wills clash within it, causing an overload that the brain cannot handle, eventually leading to its rupture.]

[This is why mana acts as a toxin in the brain.]

Ray Bell Byteiner.

The book left behind by the great hero, whom I now serve as a master beyond time, contained a wealth of knowledge.

[However, your brain and mine possess the ability to block the will of mana from its source. Thanks to this, we can directly use the sensitive organ of the brain to wield magic.]

I carefully pondered each sentence recorded in that book, engraving them into my mind.

The pleasure of indulging in unknown knowledge, the thrill of enjoying it all alone, and the overwhelming sense of accomplishment.

Even sleeping felt like a waste of time.

[General magic consists of eight stages: ‘collection – heating – transformation – condensation – transfer – expansion – amplification – manifestation.’]

[However, this is merely ‘general’ magic. It’s a lower magic system created by me for my vassals who cannot channel mana through their brains.]

[It’s an irrelevant theory for us. Forget it all.]

[I will now teach you a new mana circulation path that suits us.]

Every day was enjoyable.

I don’t know how long it’s been since I felt this good.

Learning the new magic system was quite challenging, but it was incredibly rewarding.

[You must master the full-body mana circulation until it becomes as natural as breathing before moving on to the next stage.]

[Never forget that impatience is poison in the study of magic.]

Mana circulation through the brain, which is forbidden in modern magic.

I spent all day repeating the training to make that mana circulation path as natural as breathing.

I dedicated all my time, except for four hours of sleep a day, to mastering the mana circulation path.

“There are six things that are considered important in modern magic. Shin Ha-yul, do you know what they are?”

“……”

“Shin Ha-yul?”

“……Yes, yes?”

“You’ve got it good. To have the leisure to daydream during class.”

“I’m sorry. I’ll concentrate.”

I was sometimes reprimanded during class, but I don’t regret it.

After all, they are all knowledge I already know, and they are theories that are irrelevant to me now.

[It won’t be easy. Changing the way mana circulates is like changing your breathing method.]

[It’s like telling a human who breathes through their mouth that they actually have gills, so they should breathe through their gills.]

[Take about a month to get used to it.]

That kind of life continued for over ten days.

It was already the evening of the 11th day.

‘I think I’m starting to get the hang of it.’

I didn’t even notice if the food was going into my mouth or my nose.

I was completely distracted, focusing solely on mana circulation.

“What are you thinking so hard about?”

Sun-chan sat next to me.

His tray was empty.

He must have already finished eating and was on his way out when he saw me and came over.

“Just… some contemplation on the theories written in a newly acquired ancient book?”

“Looks like something’s not working out? You’ve been spacing out a lot lately.”

Sun-chan’s expression seemed to say, ‘I’m worried about you.’

“It’s just a pretty interesting theory, so I have a lot to think about. It’s not that something’s not working out.”

“Really? That’s a relief… You haven’t been to the training room for the past ten days either. There’s really nothing wrong, right?”

“I told you, there isn’t.”

I understand why Sun-chan is worried.

In this school, I’m known as both a misfit and a severe training addict.

I’ve never missed a single day in the training room, including weekends.

So, it’s understandable that he’d be worried that something might be wrong since I haven’t shown up for ten days.

“Look at my face. Does this look like the face of someone who has something wrong?”

I’m enjoying every day so much these days, what worries could I possibly have?

“Well, you do look better lately.”

“Right?”

I laughed heartily and shoved the remaining food on my tray into my mouth as quickly as possible.

I wanted to finish eating quickly and go back to my room to focus on training.

In an instant, all the food disappeared into my mouth.

I quickly got up from my seat.

“Then, I’ll go first! See you tomorrow!”

“Huh? Okay. See you tomorrow.”

Leaving Sun-chan, who was waving his hand blankly, I dashed to the dormitory.

Ah. I wish a day had 48 hours.

A smile never left my face.

* * *

The next day.

The first class was a subject called ‘Theory and Application of Magic.’

It was a class that most students looked forward to, and it was also one of the five major subjects with the highest scores on the exams.

Personally, it’s my least favorite class.

“For modern magicians, about 99% is innate.”

To be precise, I should say it’s my least favorite ‘instructor.’

“When those with mana marry those with mana, there is a 99% chance that a child with mana will be born. At this point, it’s safe to say that the importance of lineage has already been proven.”

Instructor Leng Smith.

A 43-year-old magician from France, said to be the second son of a very distinguished family in France.

“Also, the nobler the lineage, the higher the growth limit and the more mana circles that can be woven. This is also a statistically proven fact.”

He’s a very infamous instructor.

He’s so steeped in elitism that he’s famous for evaluating students based on their family background.

“In modern magic, where artificial intelligence handles the intermediate steps of magic, what ultimately matters is innate talent.”

They say appearances don’t lie. A weasel-like face with a treacherous mustache. He’s exactly the kind of instructor you’d expect from that appearance.

“Ultimately, those who are lucky enough to be born with mana cannot overcome the wall of the 6th circle. This is also a statistically proven established theory.”

The treacherous weasel glared at Sun-chan, who was sitting behind me, in a blatant manner.

It was an obviously malicious act.

Some students burst out laughing.

“Heh heh. A merchant is no magician. A magician is…”

“I know, right.”

It was the laughter of some dimwits who agreed with the treacherous weasel’s elitism.

They were a real pair of jerks.

“Of course, lineage is not everything. There is no 100% in all things in the world. There is always a 1% margin of error. That’s why I said 99%.”

Oh, really.

This time, he glared at me.

“There are cases where even those born into world-renowned prestigious families are born as useless defects.”

Right.

I was wondering why he hadn’t picked on me today.

“Ah, Shin Ha-yul. Don’t misunderstand. I wasn’t specifically talking about you.”

“……Yes.”

How could I possibly like this instructor’s class?

“As expected, Instructor Leng Smith is different. He knows what’s what.”

“He’s like the epitome of a magician.”

“Ugh. That weasel. He’s so annoying.”

“I want to rip off that sneaky mustache.”

Instructor Leng Smith is extremely polarizing among the students.

Most of the regular admissions are in favor, while the general admissions are against him.

“Hmm. I wonder if I’ve upset Shin Ha-yul’s feelings for no reason. I don’t feel good about it.”

He’s clearly pretending not to have done it on purpose.

He’s really disgusting, so disgusting.

“Alright. As a substitute, though it’s not much, I’ll give you some advice.”

The weasel’s mustache smiled wickedly. It was clear that it wasn’t going to be good news.

“You know that there’s a verification assessment for second-year students on April 30th, which is 15 days from now.”

“Yes.”

It’s an intermediate comprehensive assessment for all second-year students.

The purpose of the assessment is to see how much their skills have improved over the year.

It’s an important exam, but why did he mention it?

“There’s a new rule for that exam this time.”

“A new rule, you say?”

I had a bad feeling about this.

“Yes.”

The weasel’s expression became even more unpleasant.

My anxiety intensified.

“Starting this year, students who fail to meet the standards will have their qualifications revoked. They will be expelled immediately.”

“Expelled?”

“Wow. That’s crazy.”

The murmuring around me grew louder.

“I heard that it’s a new rule proposed by Shin In-hyuk, the head of the Mado Shin family. He said there’s no need to keep students who are below the level of having no talent as magicians.”

A moment of silence flowed.

“……Wow, that’s really crazy.”

“Isn’t that just targeting Shin Ha-yul?”

“Is Shin Ha-yul being abandoned by his own father now?”

I thought my father had been unusually quiet lately, but he was preparing something like this.

He seems determined to get me expelled no matter what.

It’s bitter.

“Well, there’s no need to worry too much. It’s not easy to fall below the standards. Unless there’s something wrong with your body, everyone should be able to pass easily.”

The weasel stared at me with a snake-like, filthy gaze.

His expression seemed to say that I wouldn’t.

“Ah, the advice wasn’t over yet. Shin Ha-yul, in preparation for this comprehensive assessment, at least try to do something about your magic activation speed. That’s all.”

“……”

I’ve heard your advice that’s not even advice. Thank you very much.

I hope you go out and die.

I cursed inwardly and smiled outwardly.

“Yes. Thank you for the advice.”

“Hmm?”

The weasel frowned.

He seemed puzzled by my calm reaction.

He probably said that to break my will.

That might have worked on me ten days ago, but it doesn’t work on me now.

‘15 days is enough.’

I felt the mana moving from my brain to my heart, fingertips, and toes, and my motivation flared up.

Even in this messed-up situation, mana is circulating in a constant path.

Full mastery wasn’t far off.

‘I’m looking forward to it.’

I’m really looking forward to seeing the expression on Instructor Leng Smith’s face, who is smiling triumphantly, twist in dismay.

‘And…….’

My father’s bewildered expression too.

* * *

“……Done.”

Night of the 14th day.

I finally achieved my goal.

The new mana circulation method through the brain was completely ingrained in my body.

Now, I can maintain the circulation even while sleeping.

Actually, it was finished on the 12th day, but I gave myself two more days just in case.

As my master said, impatience is a fatal poison in magic.

Anyway, it’s time to move on to the next stage.

[If you have mastered the full-body mana circulation as naturally as breathing, then it’s time to create a mana circle.]

The first step, called the gateway for magicians even in modern magic.

Creating a mana circle.

It was time to do that.

Of course, it’s not about creating an ordinary mana circle.

[I warn you in advance, completely forget the method of creating a general mana circle that’s in your head.]

[What you will create now is not the ‘heart circulation type’ mana circle that I created for my vassals, but a ‘full-body circulation type’ mana circle.]

My master’s mana circle is different from the modern mana circles that are engraved in the heart.

[Think of your body as a single loop, and draw a circle using your entire body.]

[If you can freely circulate mana as naturally as breathing, as I said, the mana loop will naturally weave itself.]

After this, nothing was written. It was completely blank.

I guess new sentences will be updated depending on my level.

Last time, when I destroyed the mana circle and was told to circulate mana through my brain, new letters appeared afterward.

There’s no need to worry.

Thinking that, I sat down in place.

Not in a lotus position.

Modern magic recommends the lotus position as a posture to concentrate on the heart, but I’m not creating a circle in my heart.

There’s no need to sit in a lotus position that would interfere with the circulation in my legs.

“Hoo…….”

I sat in the position that I felt most comfortable in.

I focused even more on the mana that was naturally circulating through my entire body.

A refreshing feeling, as if I were floating in the middle of a forest.

A mysterious sensation where my body doesn’t feel like my own.

Is it because my senses have escaped from the shell of my body?

Mana feels even more vivid.

‘Giggle.’

‘It’s fun.’

‘It’s painful.’

‘It’s interesting.’

As if proving that mana is a being with a will, I could hear the voices of mana.

My consciousness sank deeper and deeper into the water.

I forgot that I was breathing.

I forgot that I was thinking.

I forgot that I was concentrating.

A state of selflessness.

All my senses were focused only on the movement of mana.

From the right leg, passing through the left arm and head, to the left leg and right arm.

And back to the head.

Mana continued to rotate.

It rotated in the shape of a Möbius strip (∞), symbolizing infinity.

Continuously.

Continuously.

It rotated at a constant speed.

As if symbolizing infinity.

It rotated without stopping.

The foundation of Byteiner’s magic.

The Möbius strip symbolizing infinity.

The ‘Infinity Circle’ began to be engraved on my body.