The Return of The Mythical Archmage [EN]: Chapter 49

The next morning.

I woke up, dragging my exhausted body out of bed.

“Ugh…”

The aftereffects of Resonance were immense. Even after sleeping for eight hours straight, the fatigue lingered.

It actually felt more tiring than when I fell asleep yesterday.

‘Is it because I used both Resonance and Dispel? The aftereffects are lasting longer than usual.’

Normally, the aftereffects should wear off in about twelve hours.

This time, perhaps because I used Dispel on a 5th Circle magic in addition to Resonance, my body showed no signs of returning to normal even after twelve hours.

‘I have to go to school.’

Today is Monday.

The time is 7:20 AM.

It’s time to go to school.

‘Even so, it’s going to be difficult to go to school in this state.’

Since I didn’t know how long the aftereffects of Resonance would last, it was better to refrain from going to school.

‘Fortunately, today there’s only indoor training and light physical training, so there’s no pressure to rest. I should tell my father and say I’ll take a day off.’

If I told him that I pushed myself a bit in yesterday’s battle, he’d probably approve a sick leave without saying anything.

I dragged my tired body out of bed and took out my smartphone.

“Huh?”

But what was this?

My father had contacted me first.

[Sender: Father]

[You must have pushed yourself a bit in yesterday’s battle.]

[I’ve arranged for a sick leave. Rest well today and get your condition back.]

“……”

I was momentarily taken aback.

‘Is my father really being this considerate towards me?’

I even doubted if this was really a text from my father.

‘Does that mean he was that satisfied with my battle yesterday?’

My father’s consideration is proportional to his expectations of the other person.

In other words, it meant my father had high expectations for me.

‘After the sparring yesterday, he went back without a word, so I was worried that he might be dissatisfied with something…’

It seemed like it was an unnecessary worry.

Seeing this text, my father was definitely captivated by my Bytener style [a unique magic style].

‘Nice.’

A smile naturally came to my face.

With this sparring, I presented my father with the possibility of winning a gold medal at the Olympiad.

My father must also be thinking that a gold medal wasn’t just a distant dream anymore.

‘As much as my father expects from me, the security around me will become even stricter.’

At least until the end of the Olympiad, he would perfectly protect me from the checks of all external forces, including Shin Ji-han.

In other words, it meant that I could now truly focus solely on preparing for the Olympiad.

‘Then, what I need to do for the remaining month is…’

I closed my eyes again, organizing the things I needed to do step by step.

* * *

I opened my eyes again after six hours had passed.

It had been about eighteen hours since I had used Resonance.

Whirr, whirr, whirr!

The three Infinity Circles, which had been frozen solid without the slightest movement, began to rotate again.

They were a bit creaky since they were frozen, but if I gave it about three hours, they’d completely return to normal.

‘Using Resonance and Dispel leaves eighteen hours of aftereffects. I need to remember that.’

Eighteen hours of mana freeze wasn’t a bad penalty compared to the effect.

I needed to check if there were any matches where I could use it, considering the timing of each match in the Olympiad.

Thinking that, I first put on my master’s robe that was hanging next to me.

‘This is it.’

The feeling of my tired body and brain melting away in an instant.

The effectiveness of my master’s robe was truly amazing.

I might not be able to live without this robe now.

I could never give up this comfort and pleasantness.

Wrapped in the coziness of my master’s robe, I started mana circulation.

The Infinity Circles rotated rapidly, injecting vitality into my body.

About two hours passed like that.

“Perfect.”

I was in my best condition as usual.

Without any exaggeration, my body felt as light as a feather.

Was it because I was so exhausted for eighteen hours?

‘Now that my body is back to normal, I should go to Mimir’s Library to report to Mimir.’

I opened Mimir’s Library.

As usual, a short burst of light was emitted.

And I was standing in Mimir’s Well.

“Mimir. I’m here.”

Then, as usual, I approached Mimir, who was lying face down on the sofa reading a book.

Mimir didn’t react to my words. She seemed completely engrossed in the book she was reading.

I approached Mimir even more cautiously.

“…Mimir?”

Then, I whispered in her ear.

“Ah, you scared me! Hey!”

Mimir jumped up in surprise and scolded me.

“You startled me! Why did you come in without a sound and whisper in my ear?”

Mimir rubbed her arm vigorously. Goosebumps were all over her skin. She seemed genuinely surprised by my whisper just now.

“Say something when you come in! I thought my heart was going to drop.”

Mimir took a deep breath, trying to calm her startled heart.

“I did say something when I came in?”

“Huh? Really?”

“Yeah.”

I clearly said, ‘Mimir. I’m here.’

“…Did I not hear it because I was concentrating?”

Mimir tilted her head slightly and pondered.

“…Well, the book I was reading was interesting.”

Then, she seemed to realize how focused she had been on the book.

“Successor. I’m sorry I didn’t hear you. But next time, even if I don’t hear you, don’t whisper in my ear. I hate that kind of thing.”

Mimir rubbed her ear and shuddered again.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

It seems Mimir is sensitive to her ears.

“Okay. More importantly, how did the match go? Did you win?”

Mimir thumped the sofa next to her, gesturing for me to sit there.

I sat in that spot.

“You didn’t lose, did you?”

Mimir glared at me intently. Her eyes were fierce, as if she wouldn’t forgive me if I had lost.

“Of course, I won. I won easily.”

Mimir squinted her eyes and looked at me with a subtle expression.

“Are you sure you won easily?”

Her expression was as if she was sure that I couldn’t have won easily.

“To be honest, it wasn’t easy. I could have lost if things had gone wrong.”

The 5th Circle mage was not easy to deal with.

It was only because the plan worked well and I didn’t make any mistakes.

If there had been even a slight variable, I would have been the one to lose in all likelihood.

“If the opponent had known even a little bit about my magic, I wouldn’t have won.”

My victory was entirely due to the monopoly of information.

If Joo Han-wook had known that I could use 4th Circle magic, he wouldn’t have used Fire Rain.

And if he had known that I could use Dispel, he wouldn’t have used Inferno at the end.

He would have slowly, without overdoing it, aimed for my weaknesses and dragged it into a long battle.

If that had happened, I would never have been able to win.

“Even though I won, I don’t feel refreshed at all. It feels like I’ve only learned more about my shortcomings.”

The advantage of information is not eternal.

Information about my magic will definitely be analyzed as I go through the Olympiad matches.

If the advantage of information disappears, will I be able to defeat a 5th Circle mage?

In my current state, I can’t win at all.

Moreover, the two strong championship contenders participating in this year’s Olympiad are 5th Circle mages and users of Vision Magic.

I can’t even defeat an ordinary 5th Circle mage, so how am I supposed to defeat a 5th Circle mage with Vision Magic?

“…I need to work harder.”

To defeat them and win the gold medal, I need to work even harder than I am now.

That’s the conclusion I came to from this match with Joo Han-wook.

“I really like that you’re not arrogant, Successor. It makes me want to help you.”

Mimir smiled brightly.

I could see a hint of pride in her eyes as she looked at me.

“If you want to help, go and bring me some books about the 4th Circle.”

The reason I came to Mimir’s Well right away today wasn’t just to report my victory or defeat to Mimir.

The main purpose was to prepare for linking the fourth circle.

“Okay. What should I bring you first?”

Mimir got up from the sofa and headed towards one of the bookshelves.

“I’ll leave it to you.”

If it’s Mimir, she’ll bring me the information I need step by step without me having to add anything more.

“Okay, then…”

Mimir, who was slowly walking through Mimir’s Well, which had become much larger after I passed the third trial page, stopped at one of the drawers and took out a book.

“Read this first. It will be a great help in learning the basics.”

Mimir threw the book at me.

I easily caught the book that was flying towards me at a moderate speed.

[About the Fourth Infinity Circle, the Ring of Expansion]

That was the name of the book.

* * *

The next morning.

I finished my physical training in the training room as usual and then went to school.

‘The Ring of Expansion, huh.’

Sitting in my seat, I recalled the information about the Ring of Expansion.

[The Ring of Expansion is fundamentally different from the previous three rings.]

[The Ring of Deliberation, the Ring of Resonance, and the Ring of Interference are structured in parallel with each other.]

The three Infinity Circles have slightly different properties, but their structures are roughly similar.

Would it be easier to understand if I compared it to a miniature car rail?

Some rails have sections that rotate 360 degrees, and some have drop sections, but the overall structure is similar.

The three rings are like that.

[But the Ring of Expansion is different.]

[It does not stand in parallel next to the three rings, but has a structure that surrounds the three rings.]

However, the Ring of Expansion has a unique mana circulation path that is different from the previous three rings.

That’s why my master said that it is fundamentally different from the previous three rings.

[By having the Ring of Expansion surround the previous three rings, the three circles have a more stable form of circulation.]

[As a result, the Infinity Circle as a whole becomes stable, and the efficiency of magic increases.]

The Ring of Expansion, unlike the previous three circles, does not have any particularly flashy effects.

It only stabilizes the previous three circles and increases the overall efficiency of the circle.

If you just look at it like this, you might think it’s nothing special.

But, no.

The Ring of Expansion is a cheat.

In the first place, there is nothing trivial in the Bytener style.

[Of course, as the circle stabilizes, the consumption of mental power, which is an inevitable disadvantage of the Ring of Deliberation, decreases.]

The 1st Circle Ring of Deliberation.

The absolute support base for free magic, which is also the source of the Bytener style.

The Ring of Expansion reduces the only disadvantage of this, which is the consumption of mental power.

[The number of resonances also increases, the time of resonance increases, and the penalty of resonance decreases.]

The 2nd Circle Ring of Resonance.

A joker card that allows me to use magic that is one step more advanced than my original achievement.

The Ring of Expansion even mitigates the disadvantages of this joker card.

[The load on the Ring of Interference itself also decreases, and the burden of using Dispel also decreases.]

[Of course, the burden of using the Divine Eye also decreases.]

In addition, the Ring of Expansion covers all the weaknesses of the Bytener style.

In other words, the Ring of Expansion plays a kind of masterpiece role that enhances the quality of the already great previous three rings.

If this isn’t great, what is?

[As it is a completely new form of ring that completely surrounds the previous three rings and creates a new giant ring, linking the Ring of Expansion will not be easy.]

[It will be incomparably more difficult than linking the previous three rings.]

The problem is this.

Linking the Ring of Expansion is ridiculously difficult.

[It will take at least a year to link the Ring of Expansion.]

[It is natural that it takes a long time, so don’t be too impatient and proceed slowly.]

It’s also ridiculously difficult.

‘It’s natural that it becomes more difficult to achieve as the circle increases, but…’

The difficulty of acquiring the Ring of Expansion was far beyond the level of difficult.