The Return of The Mythical Archmage [EN]: Chapter 5

Even after formally entering Byteiner’s magic, my daily routine didn’t change much.

I wake up, do my morning training, attend classes, and then focus on magic training from the afternoon until dawn.

The only difference is that I now do my magic training in my room instead of the training grounds.

And today, as usual, I’m in my room doing magic training after finishing my classes.

‘Water.’

A small water droplet about 10cm in diameter floated above my palm.

It was the basic elemental magic, Water.

In the past, I had to cast for nearly 8 seconds to create this small droplet.

Now, the magic manifests naturally just by thinking about it.

“Intent. Instant cast.”

Magic that activates as I think, without any algorithms or calculations.

It was a wondrous magic, beyond amazing.

“And on top of that…”

The shape of the water droplet began to change with my thoughts.

Swoosh, swoosh.

It changed into a star shape, then a spear shape. Next, a bow shape.

Soon, it even transformed into the shapes of a lion or a tiger.

And finally, it changed into the shape of a bird, flapping its wings around me as if it were a real bird.

Everything changed according to my thoughts, moving as I willed it.

“This is truly amazing.”

I clicked my tongue and canceled the Water magic.

The bird that was flying in the sky scattered into water droplets and disappeared.

‘If I said I used this magic impromptu without any algorithm settings, would anyone believe it?’

Probably not.

I wouldn’t believe it myself.

To be able to freely change the manifested magic like this.

This is something that shouldn’t happen according to the common sense of modern magic.

If you think about the 8-step activation formula of magic, you can see how absurd this is.

‘It’s like reversing the magic formula and modifying the intermediate formula.’

Currently, I changed the form after completing the magic casting.

In other words, after completing the final stage of magic, ‘Manifestation (8th stage),’ I modified the previous stages, ‘Transformation (3rd stage)’ and ‘Concentration (4th stage).’

This is magically impossible.

In manufacturing terms, it’s like changing the frame after making a car because you don’t like it.

In construction, it’s like adding earthquake-resistant design after building a building because you forgot it.

In short, it’s physically impossible.

And I did that physically impossible thing.

Of course, I didn’t actually ignore the laws of physics.

It was only possible because the structure of Byteiner’s magic is completely different from existing magic.

The more I think about it, the more I can only be amazed.

Instant cast magic that doesn’t require casting, plus magic that can freely change.

Is there another magic system as broken as this?

‘It also suits me well.’

Especially considering my fighting style, it will show outstanding compatibility in many ways.

‘The downsides are that it consumes a lot of mental power and that my current achievements are low…’

Due to the structure of Byteiner’s magic, which directly rotates the brain, the consumption of mental power is considerable.

Thanks to this, even with the vast mana capacity of the Infinity Circle [a magical core], I can’t overuse magic.

And my achievements are low because I’m still at the 1st Circle [a level of magical proficiency], which can’t be helped.

‘Well, both are problems that time will solve, so it doesn’t matter.’

Even if they are downsides, they will both gradually improve with my achievements, so it doesn’t matter.

Rather, I feel even more joy that these are the only downsides.

“This is enough for now.”

For now, it’s enough that I’ve overcome my weaknesses.

I’ve only taken one step.

There’s no need to be impatient at all.

As my teacher said, impatience in magic is poison.

Slowly, but not too slowly.

If I take one step at a time, I will eventually reach the goal I have set.

I was so sure as I read through the newly updated pages of [Ray Bell Byteiner].

[If you have entered the basics of Byteiner’s magic, ‘Intent,’ the next step is to begin full mastery.]

My lips curled up into a wide smile.

* * *

Monday, April 20th.

In the afternoon, I took some time to go outside.

My destination was the personal training grounds.

I was planning to use the training grounds for the first time in a while, to use the Byteiner magic I had mastered over the past two days in a practical format.

“This place is ridiculously expensive.”

The magic training facilities in the familiar Obelisk shopping district boast tremendous equipment, but the rental fees are too expensive.

800,000 won per hour.

That’s my entire monthly living expenses gone in one hour.

I can’t afford to use such high-end facilities.

“Money is everything.”

I smiled bitterly and passed through the main street of the Obelisk shopping district.

After walking for a while longer, I entered a secluded outer street.

[Magician-Only Training Room, Connection.]

And in the corner of that dark street was the training room I was aiming for.

A worn-out sign and a shabby structure.

It was a stark contrast to the shops in the main shopping district I had just passed.

[200,000 won per hour.]

But it was that much cheaper.

I quickly entered the store.

“Welcome.”

The inside of the store was quite tidy.

Unlike the shabby and unmanaged sign, the interior felt well-maintained.

‘Well, it’s a magic training facility, they wouldn’t neglect maintenance.’

They know how picky magicians are.

“I’d like to use a training room capable of facing virtual monsters for one hour.”

“Could you show me your ID?”

I handed over my student ID, which proves that I am enrolled in the Obelisk Academy. The clerk placed my student ID on the scanner.

It was a mana scanner, used to determine whether the student ID was real or fake.

“Yes. It’s been verified. Would you like me to guide you to your room right away?”

The clerk, who had quickly completed the verification, returned my student ID.

“Yes, please.”

“Then, this way.”

I followed the clerk inside.

Seeing the lights on in between, it seems that quite a few people are using it.

So many people at this time.

I searched for the cheapest place and came here, but it seems to be a decent place.

After about a minute of walking, I arrived at room 14.

The room was also quite clean.

It’s true that the training dome is old, but that’s inevitable considering the price.

“You can use this room. Would you like me to explain how to use it in detail?”

“No, it’s okay.”

I have the same training dome at home, so I know how to use it better than anyone else.

“Okay. Then please call if you need any help.”

With those words, the clerk left the room.

“Hoo.”

Left alone, I lightly stretched and headed to the control panel.

I lightly selected the types and number of monsters on the panel.

Next, I selected the terrain.

[Confirming Large Monster Mode.]

[Generating the set terrain and monsters.]

Buzz-!

The mana inside the dome vibrated violently.

The surrounding scenery began to change.

The ordinary interior of the dome turned into a suitable cave.

At the same time, monsters began to appear.

The monster I chose.

Bloodclaw Wolves.

They are relatively agile canine mammals, classified as danger rank E.

There were 10 of them.

They were randomly generated around me.

[Generation complete.]

[To start training, please say ‘Start Training’.]

Danger rank E is a weak monster that even a 2nd Circle mage can easily defeat.

The reason I chose Bloodclaw Wolves is because there was a strange trend called the [Bloodclaw Challenge] at Obelisk Academy.

“They said that if you could defeat 10 of them at the same time without taking any damage, you were a proper 2nd Circle master.”

Even if they are E-rank 4-tier monsters, it’s not easy to face 10 of them at the same time.

No matter how fast modern magic has become, it’s the mage who uses it.

It was not easy to defeat 10 monsters rushing from all directions without taking any damage.

The ability to use magic in the right place, as well as the ability to judge situations, a wide field of vision, multitasking, and the skill to move the body.

All of that had to be supported to defeat the Bloodclaw Wolves without taking any damage.

“I didn’t even dare to try it back then.”

It was impossible for me, who used to take 7 seconds for a single basic magic, to face 10 Bloodclaw Wolves at the same time.

“I’m trying this after the trend has passed.”

It feels a bit awkward.

“But well, there’s nothing else that can show my position as clearly as this right now.”

I heard that not many people have actually succeeded in this challenge.

That’s why it can be an indicator.

“Hoo. Okay. Let’s do it.”

I took a deep breath for the last time and calmed my mind.

I lowered my stance while rotating the Infinity Circle and entered a complete battle stance.

A perfect sense of tension ran through my whole body.

“Start training.”

[Training begins.]

Mana vibrated briefly, and the training began.

* * *

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“Goodbye.”

After Shin Hayul left, the part-timer headed to room 14 to clean it up.

Reset the training dome settings to the initial settings, pick up any trash that might have fallen in the room, and erase any traces of smoking.

That was roughly what the part-timer did.

Sometimes, there are people who use the room really messily.

In such cases, they would claim compensation through the ID that was scanned in advance.

“As expected, the Obelisk Academy students keep the rooms very clean.”

Fortunately, there seems to be no need to worry about this customer.

Room 14 was very clean.

It was so clean that there was nothing to touch.

‘I just need to reset the settings.’

The part-timer quickly opened the settings window. Now, all they had to do was insert the master key and reset it.

Then, the student ID of the student who used room 14 suddenly came to mind.

‘Come to think of it, the student who used this room… was Shin Hayul, right?’

Shin Hayul.

A once-in-a-lifetime genius that anyone involved in magic would know…

‘I heard he was labeled as unsuitable and there was no news for a while. He’s still enrolled in Obelisk Academy.’

I thought he had already given up on being a mage and was just holed up in his family.

“I wonder what kind of training Shin Hayul did.”

Then, curiosity suddenly arose.

What kind of results did Shin Hayul, the former genius and current unsuitable person, achieve in today’s training?

How much had the supernova Shin Hayul fallen?

I was so curious.

“Shall I take a look?”

The thought was short, and the action was quick.

‘Yeah. Let’s see.’

The part-timer canceled the reset settings and turned back to check the training records.

And was surprised.

It was surprising that he had completed more than 5 types of training in the past hour, but what was more surprising was the results of that training.

“He succeeded in the Bloodclaw Challenge?”

The list of monsters he defeated after that was also quite impressive.

“No, more than that, this…”

Shin Hayul’s last training was [Large Monster Survival Training].

It was a training set up according to the world international test standards, including the Obelisk Academy test.

It was a training to test how long you could last against the constantly pouring virtual monsters, or how quickly you could eliminate the monsters.

For reference, the average elimination time for academy students around the world is 12 minutes and 33 seconds.

“Huh!”

And Shin Hayul’s elimination time was…

“All monsters eliminated in… 6 minutes and 37 seconds!?”

6 minutes and 37 seconds.

It’s not a time for a student level.

It was a record that could only be seen in international competitions where mages above the 5th Circle participate.

That Shin Hayul, an unsuitable person, had achieved such an insane record.

“…Oh man. This piece of junk. It’s malfunctioning again.”

That this old facility’s training room had malfunctioned again.

“How many times is this this month?”

The part-timer smacked the piece of junk lightly with their fist, annoyed.

From recording errors to operational errors.

I’m tired of these minor breakdowns.

“Looking at it, it looks like I’ll have to call a repairman again soon.”

A time of 6 minutes and 37 seconds, which was too absurd.

As if they didn’t think that was Shin Hayul’s real record, the part-timer casually reset the settings and returned to the counter.