The Return of The Mythical Archmage [EN]: Chapter 332

After about two and a half hours of comprehensive check-ups, I stepped out of the examination room, where Soonchan greeted me.

“What kind of examination takes so long?”

“What can I do? My constitution is just so unique. This is actually a pretty quick one.”

“This is?”

“Yeah. It’s only because my information is recorded here. If it were a regular hospital, it would have taken at least 10 hours.”

“…That’s insane. 10 hours of that boring examination?”

“And I can’t even sleep. They have to check everything, starting with my constitution.”

“…I don’t think I could do that.”

Soonchan shook his head, looking disgusted.

“Did you just get back?”

“Yeah. You can tell by my clothes. I just got back 10 minutes ago.”

Soonchan was wearing the Blue Magic Tower uniform.

The fact that he was still wearing it meant he had just returned.

“But why didn’t you go wash up right away?”

“I heard your examination was over, so I wanted to see you.”

“…Why are you being so weird?”

Why was he acting so out of character?

Normally, he would have just gone to wash up without a second thought, quickly showered, and then asked, ‘Is the examination over?’ with a towel on his head.

“Is that what you say to a friend who waited for you?”

“Put yourself in my shoes. How would you feel if I waited for you like this?”

“Hmm…”

Soonchan paused for a moment to think.

“Disgusting. I feel like I’m going to throw up.”

“Right? That’s how I feel right now.”

I wondered if he had eaten something bad.

“…I understand.”

Soonchan looked at me and chuckled.

“Well, to be honest, it’s not like I was waiting here because I was worried about you.”

He took his hands out of his pockets, stood up, and looked me straight in the eye.

“It’s, how should I put it? It feels like my chest is swelling. Or maybe I’m just feeling lightheaded.”

“…What the hell are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“No, it’s not nonsense.”

Soonchan frowned, looking incredibly complex and subtle.

“You know, after the transplant, I went straight to deal with the monster rampage, right?”

“Yeah.”

“It was a level 5 threat. And Adela and I handled it alone, right?”

“…Alone?”

“Yeah.”

A level 5 threat.

It’s a level that, case by case, can be safely suppressed by about three 7-circle mages [Mages are ranked by circles, with higher circles indicating greater power].

Even if Adela is an irregular mage who has transcended the realm.

It’s not a disaster that two 6-circle mages can handle.

“It’s like my body isn’t my own. Or like the magic I’ve used until now feels like child’s play…”

Soonchan brought his hand to his neck.

A specially developed choker that doesn’t feel foreign at all.

He stroked it and smiled brightly.

“I was just thinking about this and that on the way back… and I felt like I needed to see you. …Ah, I don’t even know what I’m saying. Sorry.”

He laughed and scratched his head as if he was frustrated.

Anyone who saw him would think he was crazy.

Laughing while frustrated, and happy while frustrated.

“So, you’re saying you suddenly got a huge power boost and you don’t know what to do?”

“Yeah, well… no. It’s a little different.”

Soonchan narrowed his eyes and fell into thought.

He seemed to be desperately trying to organize his thoughts.

“I’m happy, but more than happy, I’m grateful, I guess.”

“Grateful for what?”

“Grateful to you for giving me this opportunity?”

“You’re talking weird again. Do you want to get hit?”

I was genuinely getting goosebumps.

“No, it’s not weird. This is the only one of its kind in the world, right?”

Soonchan tapped the choker on his neck with his finger and asked.

“The choker itself can be mass-produced.”

“Not the choker. The contents inside… or whatever you call it. That person.”

“You mean Aslan-nim?”

“Yeah. Aslan Polohamruin-nim. He’s the only one in the world, right?”

“Aslan-nim’s data is unique, yes. Elena-nim’s data is the same.”

This is why mass production of the new generation AI choker is impossible.

The choker itself can be mass-produced, but there is no data to put inside it.

In short, they succeeded in creating the body, but there is no soul to put in that body.

“You gave something so amazing, one of only three in the world, to an ordinary mage like me? So…”

So, he’s grateful.

Is that it?

“That’s not it.”

“What do you mean?”

“You. You’re not an ordinary mage.”

Ordinary? Him? Where did he get that idea?

“A mage who is aiming to be a 6-circle master at 22 is ordinary? Go outside and say that. You’ll get rocks thrown at you.”

“…Is that so?”

“It’s just because the people you’re comparing yourself to are me and Adela. You’re a mage with monstrous talent too.”

“Hmm…”

This is Soonchan’s bad habit.

Perhaps because the people around him are so amazing, he tends to underestimate himself.

“And one more thing that’s wrong. The reason I decided to transplant Aslan-nim’s AI into you wasn’t because you’re my friend. It’s because you had the highest synchronization rate among everyone around me.”

“…Really?”

“Yeah, you idiot.”

It’s a bit awkward to say it myself.

I’m someone who can strictly separate public and private matters.

The reason I decided to transplant Aslan-nim’s data into Soonchan wasn’t because he was my friend. It’s because the data showed that way.

“I checked the synchronization rate of a total of 13 people besides you. And you were overwhelmingly the highest. Adela was the same.”

Soonchan and Aslan-nim’s data were a great match.

How good was it? It was about three times higher than Soonchan’s superior, Kim Kangin-nim.

Compared to the highest among the other candidates, Soonchan was about twice as high, so that says it all.

…Ah, by the way, Adela’s synchronization rate was about 1.5 times better than Soonchan’s.

When I first saw it, I suspected there was an error.

“You got that power because of your luck. There’s no reason for you to thank me at all.”

“…”

“Rather, I should be the one thanking you. You took the risk of having to replace the AI and didn’t hesitate to wear the mana-suppressing device.”

Replacing the AI.

And with a new generation AI that hasn’t been 100% verified for stability.

He took on that huge risk and became the first demonstrator.

It’s me who should be grateful, not Soonchan.

“I don’t have anything to say when you put it like that…”

Soonchan scratched his cheek with an awkward expression.

“If you understand, stop talking weird and go wash up. You’re supposed to have a date with Senior Heeyoon later, right?”

“Huh? Ah…? Ah!”

Soonchan’s pupils shrank.

His eyes were trembling.

Every expression and every look conveyed the feeling of ‘I’m screwed.’

“I’m doomed…”

His muttering while looking at the time revealed the current situation.

He was clearly late for his appointment.

“Hey, I, uh, sorry. I think I need to go quickly.”

The hurried gestures and quickened speech of someone who is late.

Soonchan frantically pulled out his phone from his pocket.

“Yeah. Go on.”

“Yeah, yeah! I’m going! Let’s talk more later!”

And then he started texting with a storm of hand movements.

He must be texting Senior Heeyoon.

“Ah, right. I forgot to tell you this.”

Soonchan stopped texting and turned his gaze to me.

“If you’re going to say something weird like ‘thank you’ again…”

“Adela and Stella asked me to tell you.”

“…Huh?”

Suddenly?

“They said they want to fight each other. They’re going to spar? They asked you to be the referee.”

“…Suddenly?”

What’s going on now?

* * *

Soonchan quickly left the research lab first.

I quickly changed into casual clothes and headed to the training room in the basement of the research lab.

“Where are you going?”

Mimir asked me on the way to the training room.

“To the training ground.”

“Why the training ground? For performance testing?”

“No, not that.”

Earlier, when I was talking to Soonchan.

I had temporarily deactivated the choker for the examination.

Mimir didn’t hear my conversation with Soonchan.

It’s understandable that she wouldn’t know what’s going on.

“Two of my acquaintances are going to spar, and they asked me to be the referee.”

“Ah.”

Mimir nodded slightly.

“If they’re acquaintances, is it Jisoonchan and Adela Sterton? Those two?”

“Adela is right. But not Soonchan.”

“Then who’s the other one?”

“Stella.”

“Stella, as in Stella Vinosh? The monster swordsman daughter of the Vinosh family?”

“Yeah.”

“She’s fighting Adela Sterton? She won’t stand a chance.”

Mimir tilted her head slightly with a puzzled expression.

“Is it like a spar to ask for guidance?”

Mimir’s question was reasonable.

Mimir’s memories are stuck three years in the past.

In Mimir’s memory, a modern knight is a weakling who can never beat a mage.

“You’ll see.”

But it’s different now.

The swordsman of three years ago and the swordsman of today are practically different beings.

“…While I was asleep, a lot has changed, it seems.”

“A lot has changed. You’d be surprised if you heard it.”

“…It’s that much, huh.”

Mimir’s eyes sparkled with a subtle expression.

“Then, synchronizing my knowledge with the present is the top priority.”

She looked like she was enjoying acquiring new knowledge.

“You’re going to be busy for a while.”

I couldn’t help but smile at that sight.

“Why are you smiling?”

“No. It’s just. You’re so like you.”

That sight was so much like Mimir.

It made me realize that Mimir had returned.

I couldn’t help but smile.

“What’s that? Are you making fun of me?”

“I’m not making fun of you.”

I stopped walking for a moment and looked at Mimir.

“If I were going to make fun of you, I wouldn’t do it like this, I would have talked about how you were crying earlier…”

“Aaaah! I can’t hear you! I can’t hear you! Did the system crash? I can’t hear your voiceee!!”

Mimir covered her ears, then uncovered them, pretending not to hear.

It was obvious that she could hear, but she was desperately pretending not to, which was a little cute.

“…Tsk.”

Mimir pouted.

It seemed that I had unknowingly let out a laugh.

I can’t do that. She might actually get upset.

“Ah, right. I forgot to tell you something important.”

“You make fun of me as you please and then change the subject as you please. You must be having a lot of fun.”

Mimir crossed her arms, clearly showing that she was sulking.

As I expected, she was about to get upset.

“Elena-nim and Aslan-nim have also returned.”

“I’m not listening. I’m not going to fall for such a forced change of subject… Huh?”

Mimir widened her eyes and focused her gaze on me.

“W-what did you just say?”

“Aslan Polohamruin-nim and Elena Ro Greenwood-nim. The two of their spiritual data were also successfully reactivated through the AI choker, just like you.”

“…Really?”

Mimir’s expression gradually brightened.

“It might be a bit difficult in normal situations, but in this research lab’s training ground, you’ll be able to talk to them.”

The smile that had been brightening finally bloomed like a fully opened flower.

“Really? Really? I can meet Elena again?”

“Yeah. You can meet her.”

The smile that I thought couldn’t get any brighter became even brighter.

A 100% pure happy smile.

She was smiling so happily that even the person watching her felt good.

“Adela, who is in the training ground right now, is also Elena-nim’s new partner. You can talk to her right away…”

I was about to say that, but then I suddenly remembered Soonchan from earlier.

“…Hmm. No. Not right away. It might take a little time.”

“Time? Why?”

“Adela just finished a battle. Depending on how much she activated the choker, if we assume she overdid it, she’ll be asleep for at least 1-2 hours.”

Even with the latest AI choker that has gathered all of modern technology, it’s difficult to fully contain the great spirit of Elena Ro Greenwood.

When Elena-nim uses her full power, the choker is strained, and it enters a cooldown state for system reasons.

That’s why Aslan-nim didn’t intervene or say anything to Soonchan during our conversation earlier.

If she wasn’t asleep, she would have said hello to me by talking to Soonchan or something.

“I thought it would take days… 1-2 hours is nothing. I can wait as long as it takes.”

Mimir smiled brightly again.

“Huh? But then that means Adela Sterton is fighting without Elena’s help?”

“I guess so?”

As we talked, we walked quickly, and soon we arrived at the training ground.

I slowly opened the door to the training ground.

“Sorry for making you wait so long. I’m here… Huh?”

And as soon as I saw the scene beyond the training ground, I was speechless.

“What is this…”

The inside of the state-of-the-art training ground, which should have been all silver, was completely dyed green.

“Why is Elena-nim’s magic…”

The special magic used by the Forest Mage, Elena Ro Greenwood.

Wood-attribute magic filled the inside of the training ground.