The Return of The Mythical Archmage [EN]: Chapter 36

Time flowed quickly.

The survival was reaching its final stage.

[Current Survivors: 5]

With two hours remaining, there were only five survivors left.

Only 1% of the 500 participants had survived.

‘That’s still a lot of survivors, considering how much the training ground’s range has shrunk.’

The range, which had been continuously decreasing with time, was now reduced to a radius of 1.5km.

With five people still alive in this confined space, it wasn’t a small number.

[Current Survivors: 4]

As expected, the number of survivors decreased.

And at that moment.

Whoosh!

A sound of wind was heard.

A sharp wind carrying mana.

A Wind Cutter [a blade of compressed wind magic] flew towards me.

I lightly leaped away to dodge it and launched a Wind Sphere towards the direction from which the Wind Cutter had come.

Bang!

A sound of the Wind Sphere exploding after hitting something beyond the bushes was heard.

It must have been blocked by a barrier.

“Come out.”

“…Tch.”

A man emerged from beyond the bushes.

A large man with dark circles under his eyes.

His eyes were bloodshot, as if he was extremely fatigued.

“Haaah!”

Without any greeting, the man suddenly lunged at me.

Looking at the figure growing larger, I recalled the attacker’s information.

‘Ji San-wook. A 3rd Circle user [a mage who has mastered the third level of magic]. A battle mage specializing in physical enhancement magic.’

He was one of the top two physical fighters in the second year.

‘He’s not an opponent to test interference magic on.’

He was not someone to be careless with.

In the first place, interference magic wasn’t suitable for mages who excelled in physical abilities.

‘I’ll fight him hand-to-hand.’

It was perfect for saving strength for the final showdown.

I stared straight at the approaching fist and lowered my stance to evade.

Whoosh-!

The wind blew as the fist grazed over my head.

‘Knee.’

The mana concentrated in the fist moved to the knee.

So did the shift in the center of gravity.

It seemed he was trying to land a knee kick on me while I was in a lowered stance.

‘Barrier.’

I deployed a barrier right in front of Ji San-wook’s knee.

“… !”

Thud-

The knee was blocked before it could even gain proper speed.

Ji San-wook’s knee kick was nullified.

‘Now, I’ll launch the barrier forward.’

The free magic that Bytener boasted about.

Due to its effect, the barrier, which should have been immovable once cast, flew forward.

“Ugh!”

The barrier, which was attached to Ji San-wook’s knee, moved forward, completely disrupting the balance of his lower body.

With one leg completely off the ground, Ji San-wook was left completely defenseless.

I threw a punch towards his unguarded jaw.

However, the opponent was Ji San-wook.

A battle mage with considerable combat sense.

‘He reacted to that?’

He instantly grasped the trajectory of my punch and raised his guard.

Thwack!

My fist collided with his guard, creating a brutal sound of impact.

Ji San-wook’s body spun around and flew backward.

Then, thud- he landed perfectly on the ground.

It was a perfect shock absorption.

‘His senses are better than I heard. He regained his balance instantly from that unstable state.’

He was definitely the second most skilled in combat sense in the grade.

‘But he’s still clumsy.’

For the record, I’m the most skilled.

‘After landing, he should have immediately lowered his stance and prepared to evade.’

Because he mainly relies on his combat sense, he leaves openings like that.

You have to think while fighting.

‘First, a punch to the head, which is sticking out about a finger’s length more than usual.’

I punched Ji San-wook’s head, who hadn’t properly regained his stance yet.

Ji San-wook was surprised and went into an evasive maneuver.

‘If you dodge like that, your flank is wide open.’

I immediately drove my other fist into his exposed flank.

Crack!

“Cough!”

The sound of bones breaking was brutal.

Several ribs must have been broken.

“This little…”

Perhaps pain was familiar to a fighter. He didn’t seem to care about his broken ribs and kicked at me with the same momentum.

He seemed to think it was a chance for a counterattack.

‘A typical style that relies solely on talent.’

Far from it.

A chance for a counterattack?

The moment he suffered a critical hit, that opportunity was as good as gone.

‘If you lift one foot in this stance, the other foot is exposed.’

I simply tripped him.

Just a slight nudge.

With just that trip, his body instantly tilted.

Thwack!

He was hit by my other fist and flew into the air.

Ji San-wook rolled three times on the ground.

“Cough, hack!”

He must have been hit squarely on the jaw, but he was still conscious.

He must have concentrated all his mana on his jaw at the last moment.

His combat sense was indeed impressive.

“When you get hit, focus on defense and evasion until you can regroup. If you try to counterattack recklessly, you won’t just end up with a critical injury, you’ll lose your life.”

I looked down at Ji San-wook, who was lying down and gasping for breath, and gave him a final piece of advice.

[Kill Point +10]

With the update of the kill points, Ji San-wook lost consciousness.

Ji San-wook’s body was enveloped in wind and floated up, then flew out of the range.

A nearby instructor must have created the wind to retrieve Ji San-wook.

[Current Survivors: 3]

That leaves three people.

[Current Survivors: 2]

…No, two people.

“Hello.”

It seemed the battle over there had also ended.

“It’s a lovely night.”

Adela Sterett.

Adela’s blonde hair and the black and white mana intertwined and scattered under the night sky.

* * *

Meanwhile, at that time.

In the Gangnam area, on the top floor of a subsidiary building managed by Shin Ji-han.

“Oppa. Are you just going to keep watching?”

“…”

Shin Se-ah and Shin Ji-han were staring at the screen with serious expressions.

“Where does that look like a one-armed basketball player?”

Shin Se-ah questioned with a venomous face. She had been relieved after trusting Shin Ji-han’s words, but now she felt betrayed.

“He took down an Emerald Turtle by himself! An Emerald Turtle! And look at that! That battle!”

The battle between Shin Ha-yul and Adela on the screen was truly awe-inspiring.

It was hard to believe that it was a match between 18-year-olds.

“Are you still going to tell me not to worry after seeing this? Now it’s not just the internet, but even within the family…”

“Se-ah.”

Shin Ji-han, who had been quietly watching the screen, called out to Shin Se-ah in a low voice.

“I’m asking you, can you please be a little quiet?”

“Is this a situation to be quiet… !”

“Se-ah.”

Shin Ji-han took his eyes off the screen and looked directly into Shin Se-ah’s eyes.

“You know I don’t say things twice.”

“… !”

At that moment, Shin Se-ah’s pupils trembled. It was as if an earthquake had struck.

“S-sorry, Oppa. I’ll be quiet.”

Shin Se-ah immediately lowered her gaze and answered.

Just making eye contact was enough to make cold sweat pour down her face.

At the same time, her hands trembled.

Shin Se-ah was genuinely afraid of Shin Ji-han.

“S-so, please don’t punish me…”

Shin Ji-han stared indifferently at Shin Se-ah, who was desperately begging.

It was a hollow and indifferent gaze, as if he were looking at a bug crawling on the ground.

“What are you talking about? Why would I punish you, Se-ah?”

Shin Ji-han, as if he had never been angry, returned with a gentle smile.

He patted Shin Se-ah’s shoulder and spoke kindly.

“We’re siblings, after all.”

Shin Ji-han took out a handkerchief, wiped the sweat from Shin Se-ah’s forehead, and smiled again.

“If you just listen to your Oppa, that will never happen in your life.”

“…Y-yes. I’ll listen.”

“Good. Can you please be quiet for a while?”

Shin Se-ah immediately closed her mouth.

Shin Se-ah would never open her mouth until Shin Ji-han spoke to her.

The fear of Shin Ji-han, deeply embedded within Shin Se-ah, would not allow her to open her mouth.

“…”

The room became completely silent.

Shin Ji-han looked back at the screen with a blank expression.

‘…Stop it, Ha-yul.’

Shin Ji-han smiled as he watched Shin Ha-yul shoot magic, dodge, and block.

‘I was going to let you live for the sake of family ties.’

Shin Ji-han’s eyes once again held a hollow light.

‘If you keep acting up like that, I’ll have no choice but to kill you.’

It was a murderous gaze, as if he considered everything except himself to be insects.

* * *

The moonlight poured down.

The complex continuous vision magic that Shinbiwiga [a family known for their unique magic] boasted about.

The fusion of light and dark attributes.

The moon attribute magic filled the surroundings.

“I won’t be careless this time.”

The natural moonlight illuminating the dark night sky and the mana moonlight illuminating Adela’s presence.

The two moonlights created a dreamlike scene.

“I’ve observed your battles dozens, hundreds of times for this moment. I won’t give you a chance to counterattack.”

Moonlight bullets flew towards me, whose posture was twisted and balance was lost.

They pierced through the darkness like arrows.

‘Can I dodge it?’

A strike that perfectly targeted my weakness.

I twisted my body to somehow evade it.

“Ugh!”

It was impossible to completely dodge it in this posture.

The moonlight bullet grazed my forearm, leaving a burn mark.

“A technique-type mage who emphasizes control like you is weak against simple ranged barrages. Especially barrages that emphasize firepower.”

It wasn’t over just because I dodged one.

Adela’s moonlight bullets were constantly flying towards me.

“That’s your weakness.”

There was no end.

If I dodged one, two would come, and if I dodged two, four would come.

If I could block them, I could somehow reduce the range and dodge perfectly.

Unfortunately, Adela’s magic right now was not something I could block.

I couldn’t match her output.

“Weakness or whatever! You’re just overwhelming me with your Circle!”

“You’re also a 4th Circle user.”

“That’s not the same… Ugh!”

Surprisingly.

Adela had succeeded in weaving the fourth circle [achieving the fourth level of magic mastery].

Adela was currently a 4th Circle user.

‘She said she had something to show me, so I had a hunch.’

I never thought she would actually become a 4th Circle user.

“When did you become a 4th Circle?”

Using a momentary opening, I rotated an Icicle Lance out of Adela’s sight.

The Icicle Lance, perfectly targeting a blind spot, flew towards Adela’s back.

“It’s been about four days. And…”

Clang!

Adela blocked my attack without even turning her head.

“I won’t fall for such obvious tricks.”

“…Don’t you think using Mind’s Eye is a bit too much?”

“I’m not foolish enough to save my strength when facing you.”

Mind’s Eye.

A vision magic from Adela’s maternal family, the prestigious French Sterett family.

It was a detection-type magic eye similar to Kim Kang-in’s Ruby Eye.

It was a magic that could only be used from the 4th Circle, so Adela couldn’t use it before.

Of course, that was irrelevant now that she was a 4th Circle user.

“Not that I’m one to talk, but… you really fight dirty!”

“Didn’t you say that ‘dirty’ is the highest compliment?”

“You remember well! I’m complimenting you!”

This was the most annoying opponent I’d ever faced.

‘With Shinbiwiga’s power, range, and versatility combined with Sterett’s detection ability, she’s more annoying than I imagined!’

Adela right now was as difficult an opponent as it could get.

“When are you going to show me that amazing magic that took down the Emerald Turtle?”

Adela said while continuously firing moonlight bullets.

“I was planning to show you anyway.”

Four moonlight bullets were approaching.

‘Until now, it was impossible to block them, so I inevitably created openings by only dodging…’

Not anymore.

‘Light attribute mana at 27.74, dark attribute mana at 71.33, and water attribute mana at 0.93, combined 12 times according to the Ceiling Pairline formula [a specific magic formula]. A magic formula that condenses into a reverse spiral shape of the Perdanian formula [another specific magic formula].’

I had seen the magic structure of the moonlight bullets enough to be sick of it.

The analysis of the magic formula was perfect.

The moonlight bullets flew towards me.

I reached out my hand towards the first moonlight bullet.

The moment it came within 30cm of my palm.

‘Interference.’

My mana shone like moonlight, just like Adela’s mana.

‘I’ll twist the trajectory of that moonlight bullet by 12 degrees.’

My interference magic formula instantly permeated the moonlight bullet.

And it changed its trajectory by exactly 12 degrees, avoiding my body.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

The remaining three moonlight bullets, which were thrown assuming I would dodge, didn’t even graze my body.

“There. I showed you.”

“What… did you do?”

I gave a provocative smile as I looked at Adela, whose eyes were wide like a startled rabbit.

“What do you think I did?”