The Return of The Mythical Archmage [EN]: Chapter 381

Who said it?

People are usually insensitive to changes in their own bodies.

I hadn’t really felt that way before, but it seems to be true.

Even now, after hearing that my body has changed, I don’t feel it at all.

It just feels like my normal state.

‘I still can’t feel it.’

There’s no change that I can feel.

It’s not like there’s been a change in my magic processing speed.

There’s been no change in mana circulation efficiency or mana absorption efficiency either.

Nothing has changed from before I obtained the dragon’s mana.

How am I supposed to notice it like this?

“But Mimir, why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“What? Why didn’t I tell you that the Successor’s body was changing?”

“Yeah.”

I’m not saying this to blame Mimir.

It’s just a pure question.

Mimir’s words were very logical. The fact that he’s so detailed means he’s known about the changes in my body for a while now.

But why didn’t he tell me beforehand?

“I just thought you, as the Successor, would naturally know.”

Mimir replied with a look of disbelief.

“The Successor’s senses are the best in the world. I didn’t think the Successor wouldn’t notice what I noticed.”

Mimir’s senses are somewhat connected to mine.

If Mimir noticed it, I should have noticed it too.

From Mimir’s perspective, it’s understandable that he thought I would know.

“Unless there was a reason to talk about it… there wasn’t really an opportunity to talk about the Successor’s body, was there? It’s not like there was a big change right away as the dragon’s mana was being digested.”

There wasn’t an opportunity to talk about this.

No. There were opportunities, but there were other more important things, so I didn’t delve into it deeply. That would be a more accurate way to put it.

“……I guess so.”

I understood.

From Mimir’s perspective, there was no reason to bring up the changes in my body.

“Hmm. But thinking about it again, I was a bit short-sighted. Instead of taking it for granted, I should have mentioned it at least once.”

Mimir looked at me with an apologetic expression.

“Sorry.”

“Why are you sorry?”

This situation isn’t anyone’s fault.

It was just an inevitable blind spot that occurred as various situations arose and we responded in the best way we could.

It’s not Mimir’s fault.

“The one who’s at fault is entirely me.”

If there’s anyone at fault in this situation, it’s none other than me.

“……I feel so sorry for those two.”

I lowered my head, looking at Adela and Soonchan, who were still lying next to me.

“Because I acted without thinking…”

Mimir not telling me about the changes in my body isn’t a problem at all.

It’s just a common miscommunication that could happen.

The problem is my actions.

My actions of ignoring Mimir’s words to wait until they returned are the problem.

This whole thing is entirely my fault.

‘Thinking about it again, I was too hasty.’

Adela and Soonchan could have lost their lives as mages.

This isn’t a situation that can be lightly dismissed with a simple apology for a misunderstanding.

“……You certainly did proceed with things without much of a plan.”

Elena said, looking at Adela with a bitter expression.

“Shin Hayul. That was unlike you.”

Aslan glared at me intently.

His eyes were filled with the words ‘reproach’.

“Did you fall into the trap of impatience?”

“……It would be a lie to say no.”

I was definitely being impatient.

I thought the time spent waiting for Mimir to return was a waste.

That’s why I activated the Radiant Mana Stone. I thought if I showed them a taste of it now, the training schedule would be moved up a little.

I had such a naive thought.

“The emotion of impatience is what creates irreversible mistakes. Just like now.”

“I’m sorry.”

I’m ashamed.

I want to disappear into a hole.

“This isn’t something that can be resolved with a simple apology. Your friends almost died because of your immature actions.”

“……”

I was too ashamed and sorry to lift my head.

“This responsibility…”

“Aslan.”

At that moment, Elena intervened.

“Don’t scold him too much. He’s reflecting on it.”

Aslan frowned.

“I’ve told you, this isn’t a problem that can be solved with just reflection.”

“It is a problem that can be solved with reflection. If there was a problem with their bodies, I would understand, but they don’t have any aftereffects.”

“That’s just a result. What’s important is the cause of that action. If we don’t fix the cause, the same thing will happen again.”

“Reflecting is fixing the cause. Hayul is reflecting enough. He won’t make such a mistake again. There’s no point in further discouraging him.”

A tense atmosphere flowed between Elena and Aslan.

“I still can’t understand your educational theory. It’s as sweet as candy.”

“Yes. I agree. Your coercive education, which only uses the whip, is something I can’t understand.”

Mimir smiled brightly as he watched the two of them.

He looked like he was enjoying watching them fight.

“Still the same. Still the same.”

There was a time when the two of them were co-instructors.

He must be thinking about that time.

“And. The result was good, wasn’t it? Then that’s all that matters.”

……Good result?

What does that mean?

“That’s also just a result. Shin Hayul’s thoughtless actions just happened to have a good result by luck. The cause and process are problematic, and there are many things to reflect on.”

Elena smiled menacingly.

“Do you have mithril in your head? Why are you so inflexible?”

“Do you have whipped cream in your head? Looking at the world so sweetly, that’s exactly what it seems like.”

Sparks began to fly between the two’s eyes.

They had determined looks that showed they would never give in.

“Both of you. Stop there. You’re too excited.”

At that moment, Mimir intervened between the two.

“What’s important right now isn’t the two of your educational theories.”

Mimir pointed at Adela and Soonchan, who were lying down, with his index finger.

“What’s important is that no major problem occurred, and that Adela Steart and Ji Soonchan overcame their limits, right?”

“……”

“……”

The two closed their mouths and looked at their respective partners.

Soonchan was still breathing roughly, and Adela’s breathing was becoming somewhat stable.

“Excuse me for interrupting, but what do you mean by overcoming their limits?”

I looked at the two of them and voiced the question I had been holding since earlier.

“It seems to be related to what you said earlier about a good result…”

When the two of you were arguing earlier, you clearly said that there was a ‘good result’.

It must be related to that.

“Ah, I guess I haven’t told you yet. It’s just what it sounds like.”

Mimir replied with a nonchalant expression.

“Whatever the reason, those two took the high-output mana from the Radiant Mana Stone with their bare bodies, right? It was a short time, but they managed to endure it to some extent.”

If expressing not fainting as enduring, then they did endure it.

“Through that process, their mana adaptability evolved in an instant.”

Mimir’s eyes shone brightly.

He had a very amused expression.

“Should I call it shock therapy? By enduring mana of a density that exceeded their limits with their bare bodies, their bodies changed to survive. In short, they overcame their limits.”

“Ah, I see.”

So that’s the change that happened to their bodies.

“Then the reason why they fainted later is…”

“Yeah. Their brains temporarily shut down to adjust to the changes in their bodies.”

“Ah, so that’s what it was.”

I just thought they fainted because there was a problem with their bodies.

“……I thought something big had happened.”

They didn’t faint because there was a problem with their bodies, but rather because a positive effect was acting on their bodies.

That’s a relief.

“Don’t be arrogant just because the result was good. This was just luck. There’s nothing you did well.”

Aslan glared at me and spoke harshly.

I had nothing to say, even if I had ten mouths.

This whole thing was definitely my fault.

“But don’t be too discouraged either. It’s not like you made a huge mistake.”

Elena glared at Aslan and then offered me words of comfort.

I didn’t answer either of them.

I didn’t know what to say.

“……Elena Ro Greenwood.”

“Why are you suddenly calling me by my full name? Aslan Polohamruin?”

The two glared at each other again and growled.

“I told you earlier, don’t be too lenient.”

“I wasn’t being lenient. You’re being unnecessarily coercive.”

And the argument started again.

“……Sigh.”

Mimir sighed softly as he watched the two of them.

“……”

I watched the three of them and Adela and Soonchan, who were lying down and breathing heavily, and kept my mouth shut.

‘……This is really uncomfortable.’

It felt like I was sitting on pins and needles.

“……Sigh. I don’t know.”

Mimir sighed one last time and turned his gaze towards me.

“Successor. Let’s just go.”

“……Go? Where to?”

“The next area.”

Mimir pointed to a passage located on one side of the Radiant Mana Stone cave.

Are we going to gather information?

“What about Elena and Aslan?”

“Just leave them.”

Mimir waved his hand as if to say not to worry about them, and then gestured for me to follow him.

“Is it okay to leave them behind?”

“Yeah. You don’t have to worry about them. Once they get like that, there’s no point in trying to stop them.”

I looked at Aslan and Elena one more time.

Is it really okay to go?

I’m the one being scolded.

“Still…”

“It’s okay, I’m telling you. I’ll take responsibility, so just follow me.”

Mimir leaned his face towards me. He had a look that said, ‘Enough, just follow me.’

“Hmm. Well, okay…”

If he’s taking responsibility, then whatever.

I nodded and followed Mimir.

* * *

I followed Mimir through the passage.

“How far are we going?”

“I’m going to go to the end of the passage. There’s something I want to test.”

“Something you want to test?”

“Yeah.”

Mimir turned around and looked at me.

He moved his body backwards while facing me.

It was a way of moving that was possible because Mimir didn’t have a physical body.

“I’m going to see if we can move to the next area.”

“Are we entering the Green Zone? Right now?”

The Hallamanium Site is composed of a total of 4 stages.

The first stage is this place, the Radiant Mana Stone cave.

The second stage is the Green Zone I just mentioned.

“I don’t know about entering the Green Zone right away. But I thought that the Successor right now might be able to overcome the trials of the first stage?”

“Are you really telling me to challenge the trials right now? I haven’t even done any proper training yet?”

Wouldn’t it be too much to pass the trials already?

“You haven’t done any proper training, but you were fine even after being exposed to the high-density mana of the Radiant Mana Stone.”

“……That’s true.”

Even so, isn’t it a bit much to go straight to the trials like this?

“You don’t have to think about it too seriously. It’s not like you only have one chance to challenge the trials. If you don’t succeed this time, you can just try again next time.”

“Is the structure of the Hallamanium Site’s trials such that you can challenge them multiple times?”

“Yep.”

I thought I could only challenge it once.

From the trials in the latter half of Idred’s Book to the trials in Mimir’s Book.

I only had one chance for all of them. So I naturally thought it would be the same this time.

“Then, well…”

If there are multiple chances, then there’s no problem.

My heavy heart instantly became lighter.

“I can just think of it as preparing for the real test and go there with a relaxed mind.”

“Yeah. You can relax.”

Mimir turned his body back around, showing me his back.

“Then, as they say, strike while the iron is hot.”

Beyond Mimir’s legs, which were floating in the air, I could see a door with a unique shape.

The test site must be prepared beyond that door.

“Go and come back.”

Mimir pointed to the pattern engraved in the center of the door.

A gesture to put my hand there.

“I’ll go and come back.”

I slowly brought my hand to it.

Flash-!

At the same time my hand touched it, a pure white light flowed out of the door.

And immediately after that.

“I will begin the first trial.”

Along with my teacher’s voice, which sounded very vivid, unlike before.

“……Huh?”

Breaking through the pouring light, a man appeared.

The moment I saw the man’s face, my eyes widened.

“The trial is very simple.”

A handsome man with striking sun-like blonde hair.

“Defeat me.”

Ray Bell Bytheiner.

“……Teacher?”

My teacher appeared in front of me.