The Return of The Mythical Archmage [EN]: Chapter 62

After that, to grasp the situation in more detail, I decided to join up with the Shadow first.

‘It’s here.’

I arrived at the vacant lot, our meeting place, but there was no one around.

Swish, swish, swish-!

The sound of raindrops hitting the umbrella was clear.

The raindrops were very large.

If I stepped outside the umbrella, I’d be soaked to the bone in a second.

The rain was that heavy.

“What’s the situation?”

As I asked, something shimmered like a mirage through the heavy rain. And that mirage soon became a human figure.

“Before the report, please excuse me for a moment.”

One of the six Shadows assigned to protect me during this Baekryeong Island training camp.

Among them, the squad leader in charge of this trip to Baekryeong Island, Min Jang-hyun.

He deployed a barrier magic that covered the area around us.

It was a barrier to prevent any possible information leaks.

“I’ll report. Currently, there’s no response inside the research institute. It’s believed that the research institute is completely empty.”

Min Jang-hyun, having fully deployed the barrier, began his report.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. I’ve tried calling several times, but there’s no answer. There’s no sign of anyone moving inside. I’ve also checked for biosignals, but there’s no response either.”

“That means it’s really empty.”

“Yes.”

My suspicion deepened.

For the research lab to be empty at this timing. It was something that couldn’t happen, logically speaking.

“And it’s certain that the head of the research institute left the island?”

“Yes. There’s a witness who saw the head of the research institute board a ship with one of the researchers. Here’s the CCTV footage.”

Min Jang-hyun projected a hologram video.

It was a video of the head of the research institute and a man boarding a ship.

“Who is the researcher who left with the head of the research institute?”

“This man.”

Another photo taken from a different angle.

In this photo, the researcher’s face was clearly visible.

“It’s him, after all.”

The man in the photo was the researcher who guided me to the head of the research institute’s office yesterday.

“And this is CCTV footage of the two of them getting off at Incheon Port.”

So, these two left the island last night.

My suspicion grew even stronger.

‘What the heck is going on?’

Everything was a question.

Why did the Black Tower empty the research institute at this timing?

Is there a reason to leave the island at this timing?

‘Why?’

All sorts of hypotheses flashed through my mind like a panorama.

But I couldn’t come to a conclusion.

‘There’s not enough information to draw a conclusion.’

Hypotheses are just hypotheses. In this situation with a lack of information, I can’t conclude anything.

‘I need some new information.’

There are still 10 hours left, and the biggest threat, the Black Tower executive, has disappeared.

In many ways, it’s a good situation to gather information.

Wouldn’t it be good to investigate something?

“Young Master.”

Min Jang-hyun’s words snapped me out of my thoughts.

“I’ll go back to my original mission…”

Just as Min Jang-hyun was about to report his return to duty to me.

Peeeeeeeeeeeee-!!

“…Ugh!”

A chilling sound rang out, cutting off the man’s words.

‘This is… a mana resonance?’

Unlike the clear resonance from my Infinity Circle, this was a fierce and rough resonance.

It was the scream of mana, generated by mana colliding and rubbing against each other.

The sound was so intense, it felt like someone was directly grabbing and shaking my semicircular canals [the part of the inner ear responsible for balance].

“…? …!”

Through my trembling vision, I saw the Shadow shouting something with a flustered face.

Of course, it was drowned out by the mana resonance, so I couldn’t hear what he was saying at all.

‘Why is he so fine? Can’t he hear this sound?’

The Shadow was very calm.

He didn’t seem to hear the chilling sound.

The man quickly pulled out his phone with a desperate expression.

He must have judged that something was wrong with me and was trying to report to Kim Seok-hyun or my father.

“I’m fine.”

I said that and at the same time gestured to the man to wait.

“…”

At my gesture, the man stopped his actions for now.

Peeeeee…

About 5 seconds passed like that.

The mana scream completely stopped.

“…Hoo.”

I feel a bit better now.

My semicircular canals are still tingling, but it’s not unbearable.

“Young Master, are you alright?”

I can hear the man’s voice again.

Thankfully, my eardrums don’t seem to be damaged.

“Yes. I’m fine. It was temporary…”

“Ah, that’s a relief.”

The man let out a sigh of relief.

“More importantly, that sound just now. Didn’t you hear it?”

“Sound?”

“Yes. The noise from the research institute.”

“No. I didn’t hear any sound other than the rain.”

The man tilted his head with a look of bewilderment.

“Really, you didn’t hear anything at all? From the direction of that research institute…”

He said that, pointing towards the research institute and turning his gaze there.

My eyes widened.

“…What is that?”

“Young Master?”

The amount of mana emanating from the research institute was unusual.

I don’t know how much mana is filled inside the research institute, but mana was pouring out through the gaps in the research institute’s barrier.

It felt like looking at a balloon about to burst.

What is it this time?

‘Divine Eye.’

To quickly grasp the situation, I quickly opened my Divine Eye.

And the moment the Divine Eye checked the mana around the research institute.

My pupils dilated even further.

‘The mana density is what…’

The mana flowing out of the research lab was extraordinary.

That’s an amount of mana that’s not just shocking, but awe-inspiring.

It’s not just the amount of mana that’s strange. The quality of the mana is also strange.

‘The mana is very unstable and chaotic.’

The mana is very sensitive.

Is that how someone feels when they’re filled with anger to the point of bursting?

It really feels like it’ll explode with just a touch.

It’s a miracle that it hasn’t exploded.

‘…Wait a minute.’

Explode? Sensitive?

My brain started spinning like a top again.

‘That’s right. Definitely…’

I add the newly gathered information to the previously established hypothesis to form a new hypothesis.

‘Dense mana in the atmosphere.’

‘A vast amount of mana pouring out, breaking through the research institute’s protective barrier.’

‘A feeling like a balloon about to burst.’

‘A mana resonance that resembles a scream.’

‘And the unstable state of mana confirmed by the Divine Eye.’

The conclusion came quickly.

‘Mana disaster.’

This is all a precursor to some kind of mana disaster.

‘Among them, it’s a precursor to a mana explosion.’

My thoughts accelerated again.

If the Black Tower is aiming to artificially cause a mana explosion, then this situation is…

‘…That’s how it is.’

What the Black Tower’s intentions are.

What’s happening in that research institute.

Who’s behind this whole thing.

I understand everything clearly.

Then what I need to do now is.

“I need to go inside the research institute. Can you break through that barrier?”

“…Yes?”

* * *

Min Jang-hyun, a member of the Magic God Clan’s special forces, Shadow.

He is the squad leader with the highest authority among the Shadows currently assigned to protect Shin Ha-yul, and he was currently in a state of real-time confusion.

‘Is this really right?’

The rain was falling so hard that it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that a hole had been punched in the sky.

Shin Ha-yul was touching the wall of the research institute in the rain.

As if he didn’t care at all about the heavy rain, he was just closing his eyes and focusing all his senses on his fingertips.

He was probably circulating mana.

The remnants of mana scattering around Shin Ha-yul were proof of that.

If I had seen this scene somewhere else, I would have been impressed, thinking, ‘As expected, Young Master Ha-yul’s mana circulation is on a different level.’

Yes.

If I had seen this scene somewhere else.

‘To break through the research institute’s barrier and infiltrate it without permission.’

If that mana circulation wasn’t to destroy the defense formula of this research institute, I would have been truly impressed.

“Hoo-oo-oo…”

The sound of Shin Ha-yul taking a deep breath could be heard.

A very deep breath.

Even to Min Jang-hyun, a 5-circle user [a mage who has reached the fifth level of magical power], the high-density mana was clearly visible as it seeped into Shin Ha-yul.

Even that simple scene was so clean that it was beautiful.

‘Why did Young Master suddenly say he was going to infiltrate the research institute?’

Min Jang-hyun’s eyes trembled again as he looked at the scene.

‘The request to observe the head of the research institute, and now this. Is there really something in this research institute?’

Judging by how far he’s going, it seems certain that there’s something in this research institute.

The important thing is what exactly is in this research institute, what is it that makes him force an unauthorized intrusion like this.

‘No, before that, is it even possible to break through this defense formula?’

Min Jang-hyun raised his head slightly and looked at the entire research institute where Shin Ha-yul was touching.

Even at a glance, the barrier looked very strict, protecting all sides.

It was the latest type of barrier that Min Jang-hyun was familiar with.

‘A state-of-the-art security barrier made up of a parallel structure of 720 magic formulas. It would take even Kim Seok-hyun at least 10 hours to break through this.’

The research institute is a treasure trove of expensive experimental materials and research results. There’s no way the barrier protecting such a research institute would be flimsy.

It’s impossible to even scratch this barrier with ordinary methods.

‘He recently became a 5-circle user, but it’s not a barrier that can be broken through with just that.’

No matter how much he thought about it, it was impossible for Shin Ha-yul to break through this barrier.

Min Jang-hyun was so sure of it.

However, as if mocking Min Jang-hyun’s certainty, Shin Ha-yul said with a confident expression.

“I’ll break through it.”

Those short words were full of confidence and certainty.

Crack, crackle, crackle!

Mana poured out from Shin Ha-yul’s body.

‘A parallel barrier made up of 720 magic formulas. Even if the Bytener method is a cheat, it’s impossible for me to destroy all of them with my current level.’

But.

‘It’s easy enough to collapse one of the 720 structural formulas.’

I already know the structure of this defense formula.

It’s a fairly famous general-purpose barrier, so I’ve memorized it well.

And no matter how excellent a magic is, as long as you know its structure, it’s no longer magic.

‘Destruction.’

Shin Ha-yul’s mana pierced through the gap in the magic that he had captured.

Just one magic formula out of the 720 parallel magic formulas.

It collapsed under the influence of Shin Ha-yul’s mana.

The destruction was successful.

One of the 720 magic formulas was completely shattered.

Of course, even if one out of 720 was broken, the barrier didn’t crumble or anything.

This barrier doesn’t have such a flimsy structure.

‘Normally, breaking one magic formula wouldn’t mean anything, but…’

A parallel formula barrier has a characteristic of automatic restoration.

Even if one magic formula is destroyed, the remaining 719 magic formulas quickly restore the destroyed magic formula.

‘But now, it’s not a situation where it can be automatically restored.’

The mana inside the barrier has already exceeded the level of oversaturation and reached its limit.

So much so that mana is leaking out through the barrier.

What would happen if you made a small hole in a barrier that’s so full?

The answer is simple.

‘It starts to collapse around the destroyed magic circle.’

It’s like sticking a needle into a balloon that’s been inflated to the max.

A small destruction soon brings about the destruction of the whole.

Kicking! Kicking, kicking!

A loud noise rang out from inside the barrier.

It sounded like something was breaking, or something was distorting.

“Let’s step back a bit.”

“Yes?”

Shin Ha-yul immediately jumped back.

‘Did he give up?’

Min Jang-hyun followed Shin Ha-yul with a puzzled expression.

And the moment they had created some distance.

Crack, crackle!

A sound like electricity sparking rang out.

Clang-!!

A shattering sound, like glass breaking, followed.

Would this be the sound if the stained glass that filled a huge church were to shatter all at once?

“…”

The barrier that had covered the research institute was shattered into pieces, scattering as remnants of mana.

It was as if blue cherry blossom petals were filling the surroundings.

“…Unbelievable.”

Min Jang-hyun’s jaw dropped as he looked at the scene.

‘Did he really destroy that parallel barrier? How the heck?’

Min Jang-hyun looked at Shin Ha-yul with trembling eyes.

“Let’s go.”

Shin Ha-yul, whether he knew of Min Jang-hyun’s surprise or not, just walked forward calmly.

Min Jang-hyun followed Shin Ha-yul and entered the research institute.

* * *

The inside of the research institute was very quiet.

There was no sign of anyone, nothing at all.

It was literally empty.

“Young Master. It’s funny to say this now, but is it really okay to just barge in like this?”

Perhaps he didn’t think I would actually break the barrier.

Min Jang-hyun said worriedly.

“I’ll take responsibility if there’s a problem, so you don’t have to worry.”

I answered casually, looking around carefully.

“Well, I’ll probably be praised, not held responsible.”

“What exactly is in this research institute?”

“A bomb.”

“A bomb… you say?”

“Yes. A bomb with the power to destroy this entire Baekryeong Island at once.”

Leaving the man who was frozen in shock behind, I looked around.

Judging by the fact that this is where the mana is densest, it must be somewhere nearby.

“What kind of bomb is that?”

“Seeing is believing. You’ll know when you see it.”

Found it.

This is the entrance to the basement.

“Here. There’s a secret passage. We need to find a way to open it. You’re the expert in this kind of thing, right?”

“Ah, yes. I’ll look for it.”

Min Jang-hyun touched here and there, focusing on the place I had indicated.

As if he was familiar with this kind of infiltration, he even took out professional equipment.

About 10 minutes passed like that.

“I found it. It’s this.”

Min Jang-hyun found a hidden button behind the drawer.

When he pressed it, a door leading to the basement opened with a loud noise.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

We slowly went down to the basement.

How far down did we go?

If we were counting by building floors, it felt like we had gone down about 10 floors.

“To think there’s such an underground facility in the central research institute of Baekryeong Island…”

Min Jang-hyun’s expression became even more serious. He seemed convinced that there was something unusual in this research institute.

We went down further for a long time.

“We’ve arrived.”

We arrived at the lowest floor.

“Young Master, this is…”

“Yes.”

The heart of this island, sleeping deep beneath Baekryeong Island.

The starting point of all ley lines [a line of energy connecting sacred sites].

“It’s the ley core of Baekryeong Island.”

The source of mana, the ley core.

“…It’s in a more serious state than I thought.”

It was going berserk.

As if it would explode at any moment.