The Return of The Mythical Archmage [EN]: Chapter 301

Why couldn’t I think of such a simple method?

‘The path of souls, that’s right.’

Miho’s special magic that we used when climbing Mount Baekdu.

Connecting souls to create a path to the destination, Miho’s unique magic, the path of souls.

Why did I forget about this?

‘We could have come up with this so easily. What was I even doing?’

It’s so absurd that I’m speechless.

Even though I knew Miho could use the path of souls, I didn’t even consider it.

How could I be so foolish?

I’m so ashamed of myself.

While I was berating myself.

Miho, who was in my arms, licked my cheek.

She seemed to sense my emotions and was trying to comfort me.

I gently stroked Miho’s head and smiled faintly.

“Thank you. You’re the best, Miho.”

Miho purred as if she was happy with my touch.

Even I feel healed just by looking at her.

“So… where do we go next?”

There’s no sign of Dante’s Grimoire around here, nor even any special mana reaction.

Since the destination of the path of souls was set to ‘Dante’s Grimoire’.

I thought I’d feel something the moment we arrived.

Like at Mount Baekdu, do I have to go through trial and error again from here?

Miho tilted her head as if asking what I was talking about.

Then, she whimpered softly and looked down.

“Is this the destination?”

Miho nodded.

The outskirts of Baekrokdam [the crater lake at the summit of Hallasan].

There’s nothing but grass here, is Dante’s Grimoire really here?

‘That can’t be…?’

I activated my divine eyes and scanned the surroundings.

Did I miss something?

‘There’s nothing here.’

I didn’t miss anything.

I searched every nook and cranny more thoroughly than before, but there was nothing unusual.

Except for the high concentration of mana unique to Baekrokdam, everything is ordinary.

“Is this really the place?”

Miho nodded with a confident expression.

Then, she got out of my arms and stepped onto the ground.

It was the place Miho had been staring at intently earlier.

“Exactly there?”

Miho nodded.

I knelt down on one knee and placed my hand on the ground where Miho was standing.

As expected, I don’t feel anything.

‘No matter how excellent the concealment magic is, if I sense it from this close, I should feel something.’

If it’s concealment magic, there should be at least a slight inorganic sense of incongruity unique to concealment magic.

Moreover, such incongruity in a natural space would be even more noticeable.

‘Could it be… did they use the mythical magic, Nubes, to conceal it?’

The mythical magic, Nubes, that I confirmed when I broke into the Doctor’s lab before.

If it’s that magic that couldn’t be sensed at all, even when touched…

‘No. Even if it’s Nubes, it’s hard to perfectly conceal something in a place with such abundant natural mana.’

It’s like hiding a precise machine in nature.

In a city with many machines, you might be able to hide it without any incongruity, but hiding a machine in nature where nothing is crafted is not an easy task.

Since mana itself doesn’t have any special properties, the incongruity will only increase when concealing it.

‘Then what is it?’

I made eye contact with Miho again.

Miho’s eyes were adamant that this was the destination.

There wasn’t even a hint of hesitation or doubt.

A conviction filled with confidence.

That’s not 99% certainty, it’s 100% certainty.

Then it really is here…

‘What am I supposed to do here?’

What am I supposed to do here?

What do I have to do here to get Dante’s Grimoire?

Nothing comes to mind.

‘It seems like Miho doesn’t know what to do here either.’

Miho is just certain that Dante’s Grimoire is here.

She doesn’t seem to know how to get it out.

‘Then that means I have to find a way on my own…’

Could there be a hint in the voice of my teacher that I heard when Idred’s Grimoire disappeared, or in the information left in Mimir’s Grimoire?

I recalled the end of the two grimoires and organized the information.

‘First of all, there’s no particular hint in Idred’s Grimoire…’

Mimir’s Grimoire, which lost its original power and turned into an ordinary book.

Could there be a hint there?

‘If there’s anything, it’ll 100% be in Mimir’s Grimoire…’

I kept my hand on the ground and pondered.

I went through all 682 pages of the book, thinking about the pages and sentences that could be a hint.

How much time had passed?

“Ah.”

Suddenly, one method came to mind.

It wasn’t a hint from Mimir’s Grimoire.

“Right, connectivity…”

The contents of Mimir’s Grimoire were all about the seventh infinity circle.

There was nothing written about Dante’s Grimoire.

What I came up with after a long thought wasn’t a hint written in Mimir’s Grimoire, but something more fundamental.

It was the process of how I had learned the Vaitern method.

‘Come to think of it, Mimir’s Grimoire was also an ordinary book at first.’

The day I accidentally got Mimir’s Grimoire at a used bookstore.

Mimir’s Grimoire didn’t show any reaction even when it came into contact with me.

‘It wasn’t my hand that made Mimir’s Grimoire react, but Idred’s Grimoire.’

Mimir’s Grimoire awakened in my room, at the same time as it met Idred’s Grimoire.

And come to think of it, the awakening condition of Idred’s Grimoire was contact with me.

‘The awakening condition of Idred’s Grimoire is me. And the awakening condition of Mimir’s is Idred’s Grimoire. According to this rule, the awakening condition of Dante’s Grimoire is…’

The awakening condition of Dante’s Grimoire is likely to be Mimir’s Grimoire.

‘Mimir’s Grimoire is the key.’

I’m sure of it.

I looked around to make sure there was no one around.

Then, I took out ‘Aeth’ [a magical artifact] and put it on.

And I took out Mimir’s Grimoire and placed it on the ground.

‘Probably with this…’

Dante’s Grimoire will open its eyes.

I was so sure of it.

Ping!

‘Bingo!’

And as if answering my conviction, a short mana resonance sounded.

‘Welcome to Dante’s Grimoire, Successor.’

Then, my teacher’s voice was heard.

‘Now, I will give you a trial. Prove that you are a suitable person to possess Dante’s Grimoire.’

My vision turned black.

* * *

When my vision returned.

I was standing in the middle of a garden.

A beautiful garden filled with roses of various colors.

The unique, alluring fragrance of roses fills the air from all directions.

‘Am I inside Dante’s Grimoire?’

Right before I moved here.

I heard my teacher’s voice saying, ‘Welcome to Dante’s Grimoire.’

Maybe Dante’s Grimoire awakened in response to Mimir’s Grimoire, and then sucked me into the book.

If I had opened my eyes in a cave, I might have thought I had moved to a space prepared under Baekrokdam.

But the place I’m standing is not a cave, but a garden. A garden with the sun shining under a blue sky.

It’s clear that I’ve entered the inside of Dante’s Grimoire.

‘They said they would give me a trial.’

For me, trials have always been taken inside a book.

This time will be no exception.

The fact that the trial is starting is proof that this is inside Dante’s Grimoire.

‘But why is it so quiet?’

If they said they would give me a trial, shouldn’t the trial start right away?

Looking back at the previous test pages, the test either had a guide appear or started right away. It was one of the two.

There has never been a test that started in such a peaceful place without a guide.

“Miho, is there anyone around?”

I glanced down and asked Miho, who was looking around at my feet.

Miho perked up her ears, pondered for a moment, and then shook her head.

“Then, like with Aslan, is finding the supervisor the first trial?”

Except for the fact that it’s a peaceful place, it feels similar to the Labyrinth of Desire.

Above all, this place.

Considering this place, which seems to be a recreation of the past, there’s a high probability that someone is waiting for me inside, like with Elena and Aslan.

“First, Miho, let’s start by exploring the surroundings.”

I need some kind of hint.

I don’t know if finding someone is the first goal, or if there’s another goal.

But if I investigate, something will come up.

There must be a hint in this trial.

I picked up Miho, who was still looking around, and started to walk out of the garden.

Or, I was about to.

Kugugugugung-!

I would have, if the garden hadn’t suddenly started shaking violently.

‘An earthquake? No, this is…’

Earthquakes are generated by regular waves.

The direction of the force is too irregular to be an earthquake.

This is not an earthquake.

‘An artificial tremor.’

It feels like someone is grabbing the ground and shaking it wildly.

No, to be more precise, it feels like the ground itself has a will and is moving.

‘It feels like this ground itself has a will and is moving.’

At that moment, a very uneasy feeling flashed through my mind.

‘No way… it can’t be?’

Just as I was trying to deny the uneasy feeling.

Thud!

Another loud vibration rang out.

At the same time, the ground slowly began to tilt.

The left side is tilting to the left, and the right side is tilting to the right, centered on the direction I’m standing.

“This is… !”

Ching!

As if the earth was trying to swallow me.

As if the earth itself had become the mouth of a giant monster.

It opened its mouth wide.

‘This entire rose garden was a monster!?’

Of course.

There’s no way the seventh trial would be this peaceful!

‘I’m falling!’

In an instant, I lost my footing and began to freefall.

I immediately used magic to float my body.

However.

‘The magic…’

The magic isn’t activating.

Mana isn’t listening to me.

To be more precise, it felt like mana was following this unidentified monster below me more than me.

Mana is refusing my will on its own.

Since mana is refusing my will, magic cannot be activated.

“Miho!”

If magic doesn’t work, I can just use the power of souls.

I asked Miho to transform into her true form and fly in the sky.

However.

“…You can’t?”

Miho’s power seemed to be no different from mine.

Just as I couldn’t use magic, Miho couldn’t use the power of souls either.

‘No. I’m falling…!’

My body continued to freefall.

My body was gradually being consumed by the darkness.

As if its only purpose was to swallow me, the unidentified monster slowly began to close its jaws.

The ground that had been opened to the left and right returned to its original state, and the light gradually faded.

Kugugugung-!

Soon, the entrance completely closed, and the light completely disappeared.

Even after the light disappeared, my body continued to fall endlessly.

1 minute, 2 minutes.

How much longer am I going to fall?

How huge is the unidentified monster that swallowed me?

10 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes.

Infinitely.

The fall continued endlessly.