The Return of The Mythical Archmage [EN]: Chapter 66

The Rebirth of the Mythical Archmage-67

Three days had passed since the Baekryeong Island ley core runaway incident was resolved.

[Young Heroes Prevent Tragedy in the West Sea!]

[Not only did they detect the ley core on the verge of a runaway, but they even stabilized it! The headquarters of various countries are sending sincere praise for their jaw-dropping response!]

[Shin Ha-yul, the youngest son of the Mado family, was the one who noticed the ley core’s abnormality and decided to enter the research center! How did he notice the ley core’s anomaly?]

[The public is outraged by the atrocities of the Baekryeong Island Central Research Center! Immediately release the list of researchers who were affiliated with the research center!]

Even after three days, articles were still plastered all over various portals.

Among them, one article particularly caught the eye.

[Exclusive Interview with Student Shin Ha-yul!]

[Views: 105,445]

Despite being posted just 20 minutes ago, the number of views was overwhelming.

Shin In-hyuk opened the article and began to read it slowly.

“……Oh.”

The more he scrolled down the page, the deeper Shin In-hyuk’s smile became.

Very interesting.

“What’s wrong?”

Kim Seok-hyun asked cautiously.

What could be the reason for Shin In-hyuk’s joy?

“You’ll see.”

Shin In-hyuk manipulated his phone to activate the hologram projection mode.

The article was projected as a hologram on the table.

Kim Seok-hyun quickly scanned the article. Among them, there were sentences that particularly stood out.

[……I was lucky enough to successfully weave a 5th Circle……]

[……The reason I sensed the ley core’s abnormality is all thanks to my eyes. I have a mana eye that can see mana……]

[……I was lucky. At the time, I was fortunate enough to find a way to calm the ley core……]

[……Haha. Yes, my mana control ability is a bit good……]

Kim Seok-hyun’s smile also deepened.

It was a smile that was very similar to Shin In-hyuk’s.

“It’s something I already knew from Jang Hyun’s report, but… it’s still amazing to see it again.”

5th Circle, mana eye, the wit and knowledge to calm the ley core’s runaway, and mana control ability that everyone admires.

To have all of this at the age of 18, a student.

It’s amazing even when you think about it again.

“But, Head of the Family.”

Kim Seok-hyun’s expression suddenly hardened.

“Even so, wasn’t it unnecessary to reveal the mana eye?”

Shin Ha-yul is currently preparing for the Olympiad.

In such a situation, is there a need to reveal his cards?

Especially the best card, the eye that sees mana.

“I don’t think it was necessary to reveal the 5th Circle either… I’m worried that Ha-yul might be too excited about being called a hero.”

The Shin Ha-yul that Kim Seok-hyun knows is not someone who would easily reveal his cards here. He must be excited about being treated like a hero.

Kim Seok-hyun was certain of that.

“Ha-yul is excited?”

However, Shin In-hyuk’s thoughts were different.

“That’s impossible. Ha-yul is as calm as can be.”

Shin Ha-yul is calm.

He had analyzed his situation very calmly and made the judgment that it was right to reveal the 5th Circle and the mana eye.

“You have an expression that says you don’t understand.”

“……I apologize. I am still lacking in insight and cannot grasp the intentions of the Head of the Family and Ha-yul.”

Kim Seok-hyun bowed his head.

He didn’t understand why revealing the 5th Circle and the mana eye was a calm judgment.

“It’s understandable that you don’t know. You’ve always been particularly weak in these political matters, Seok-hyun.”

“……I am sorry.”

Shin In-hyuk chuckled and began to explain.

“A good card is not always about keeping it hidden.”

No matter how important and good a card is, it is meaningless if it is not used at the right time. To maximize the effect of a good card, you must know when to use it.

“Are you saying… that now was the right time to reveal that Ha-yul has achieved the 5th Circle and possesses a mana eye?”

Kim Seok-hyun immediately read Shin In-hyuk’s mind and answered.

“Yes.”

“Isn’t Ha-yul’s goal the gold medal at the Olympiad? What benefit is there in revealing his information now… Ah.”

Kim Seok-hyun stopped talking and let out an exclamation as if he had realized something.

“Could it be that he intentionally gave information to the other teams? To make them wary of him?”

“Yes.”

Information is like a card in hand, and it’s not just about hiding it.

Appropriate disclosure of information can confuse the opponent and make them hesitate.

“Indeed… A lie hidden within the truth is a greater weapon than ignorance. That’s what it is. I understand.”

Kim Seok-hyun nodded with an expression as if he had gained some enlightenment.

“But, isn’t this a double-edged sword?”

“Yes. It’s a double-edged sword.”

Revealing information is like starting by showing one of your cards.

If used well, it can be a clever move, but if you make a small mistake, it can backfire.

Therefore, this move is either a hit or a miss.

It’s a double-edged sword that can cut yourself if you’re not careful.

“In short, this is a display of confidence.”

“A display of confidence?”

“Yes.”

Shin In-hyuk grinned.

That audacious guy.

“He has the confidence that he can perfectly handle a double-edged sword. That kind of confidence.”

“Ah……”

Shin Ha-yul is confident.

Confident that he won’t make a self-defeating move.

Confident that he will make a clever move.

“And it’s also the perfect timing to raise awareness within the family.”

“Ah.”

That’s right. The gold medal at the Olympiad is just a minor goal.

Shin Ha-yul’s real goal is to become the head of the Mado family.

Considering that goal, revealing that he has reached the 5th Circle and possesses a mana eye is a stroke of genius.

“With this incident, the young master has become a hero who protected Baekryeong Island, the youngest 5th Circle user, and a mana eye possessor who is evaluated to be on par with Kim Kang-in’s mana eye.”

“Yes. And if he wins the gold medal this time, and even gets the MVP……”

“The first Korean Olympiad winner and the youngest MVP.”

“Then, the fact that he is an unsuitable person or the injustice of a year ago will no longer be a problem.”

“Yes. That’s how it will be.”

What does it matter if he is an unsuitable person?

With those titles.

“Now that I hear it, it really was the best timing to reveal his power.”

Kim Seok-hyun nodded repeatedly, as if he was genuinely impressed.

“And one more thing. Ha-yul hasn’t revealed all of his cards yet.”

“Yes, yes?”

Kim Seok-hyun’s eyes widened.

“The unidentified power that broke the research center’s barrier, which was written in Jang Hyun’s report.”

“Ah!”

Presumably, it’s the same magic that erased Inferno when he fought Joo Han-wook in the past at the Blue Magic Tower.

Shin Ha-yul has not yet revealed that magic.

“In other words, he revealed what he needed to reveal, but he is still hiding his final card, his trump card.”

“Yes. Whose son is he, so cunning.”

Shin In-hyuk chuckled.

He was already looking forward to the Olympiad.

“……”

Kim Seok-hyun looked at Shin In-hyuk and thought of the idiom ‘like father, like son’ in his mind.

“More importantly, what happened with that matter?”

“Yes? Ah.”

Kim Seok-hyun hurriedly took out the documents and handed them over.

“Here are the results of the investigation into the Baekryeong Island Central Research Center.”

Shin In-hyuk quickly scanned the report he received.

“To summarize the results, this incident was not a targeted murder aimed at Young Master Ha-yul. Therefore, no one within the family was targeting Young Master Ha-yul.”

“Why isn’t it a murder?”

“It’s the timing of the ley core runaway that was being researched at the Baekryeong Island Central Research Center.”

“Timing?”

Shin In-hyuk flipped the document back to the front and checked the period.

“As you can see, the point at which the ley core runaway occurred while being researched at the Baekryeong Island Central Research Center was a month ago. At that time, Young Master Ha-yul’s trip to Baekryeong Island had not even been decided yet. Circumstantially, it’s hard to see it as a murder.”

“……I see.”

If the problem with the ley core had occurred after Shin Ha-yul decided to go to Baekryeong Island, there would have been a possibility of murder. But this time, the order is reversed.

This incident is likely a simple accident.

“I understand. It seems that the possibility of murder is indeed low.”

“Yes.”

Kim Seok-hyun and Shin In-hyuk came to that conclusion.

It was as the Black Magic Tower intended, to disguise Shin Ha-yul’s death as an accident.

Of course, unless Shin Ha-yul dies, it’s meaningless.

* * *

After the Baekryeong Island incident, training was suspended for a while.

Since the four people, including Adela and Soon-chan, were recovering from mana backlash, they couldn’t train even if they wanted to.

Thanks to that, I’ve been practically living in the Mimir’s Well for the past three days.

“Mimir. Where’s the next volume of this book?”

“Look at the shelf next to it.”

“It’s not there?”

“Ah, that’s not it. Just a moment.”

Mimir took her eyes off the book, got up from her seat, and approached me.

“Here.”

And she took a book from the shelf next to the next one and handed it to me.

“Thanks.”

I received the book.

“You’ve been reading only those miscellaneous books since you came back from Baekryeong Island?”

“I realized that I’m a bit lacking in knowledge, so I’m trying to fill that area.”

“……The successor’s knowledge is lacking? Who said that?”

Mimir asked with a slightly angry expression.

It was an expression that said she would slap the person who said that.

“No one said that. I just feel that way myself.”

“Why suddenly?”

“This time in Baekryeong Island, if I had known more about the ley core, I could have resolved the incident much more safely.”

What if I had noticed the abnormality in the ley core through the mana flood that occurred in the ley line on the first night?

Would it have become such a dangerous situation?

That’s impossible.

If I had noticed it early, whether I had left the island or solved it somehow, it wouldn’t have been this dangerous.

In other words, this crisis happened because of my shortcomings.

“Hmmmm.”

Mimir leaned her head towards me and stared straight into my eyes.

It was so close that our noses almost touched.

Was she trying to see something through my eyes? She kept staring intently at my pupils.

“Hmm. Well, you’re not being self-deprecating or self-pitying. That’s good.”

About a minute passed like that,

Mimir smiled as if she was satisfied and took her face away from me.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that regret is divided into self-pity, which is negative, and progressive reflection. What the successor is doing is a reflection that is leaping powerfully towards the future.”

Mimir smiled brightly and patted my back.

“You’re just doing well!”

Mimir laughed heartily and kept patting my back.

It feels like she’s getting stronger, is it just my imagination?

“By the way, the successor’s circle is really……”

“What about the circle? Is there a problem?”

Mimir stopped patting my back and observed my body here and there.

She must be observing the circle that is circulating inside my body.

“No. It’s just good to see it again. Did you absorb a lot of mana in Baekryeong Island this time? The expansion ring has become very solid.”

“I did absorb a lot of mana while interfering with the ley core at the end.”

“It’s really good. As the expansion ring became stronger, the other three rings also became stronger.”

Mimir poked my body here and there and nodded repeatedly.

She was poking the paths where my expansion ring passes.

“Ah.”

Then, Mimir suddenly let out an exclamation as if she had realized something.

“Come to think of it, I didn’t even say congratulations……?”

“Congratulations?”

“Oh. Ah, I made a mistake……”

Mimir frowned with a look of regret.

“Well, it’s late, but congratulations on becoming a 4th Circle.”

“Ah.”

That was the congratulations.

“Isn’t it too late to be so new about it?”

It’s been a while since I weaved it.

“Still. These things should be properly celebrated.”

Mimir’s expression darkened.

“How sad would it be if you couldn’t get congratulations even though your circle went up……”

Her expression was somehow unlike the usual Mimir.

It was kind of cold.

“……Mimir?”

“Ah.”

Mimir’s expression quickly returned to normal. What was that just now?

“Ahem. Anyway, congratulations, even though it’s late!”

Mimir smiled brightly and offered her congratulations again.

For some reason, I chuckled. It was kind of clumsy. Or should I say awkward? That kind of appearance was strangely cute.

“Thank you.”

Still, it feels good to be congratulated.

“Let’s go straight to 5th Circle, 6th Circle with this momentum!”

“I will.”

I felt the Infinity Circle circulating inside my body and renewed my determination.

I need to weave the fifth, sixth, and ninth rings soon.

“Oh, right, Mimir. There’s something I’m curious about.”

Come to think of it, there was something I wanted to ask.

“Huh? What is it?”

“It seems like there’s no information about black mana in Mimir’s library right now. When will I be able to find out about it?”

“Black mana? If you’re talking about information about dark attribute mana, it’s over there……”

“No. Not that. Something darker. Should I say it’s a sticky mana? That… there’s a corrupted mana, you know.”

“Corrupted… mana……”

Mimir’s expression crumpled.

“Mimir……?”

It was an expression that seemed to have materialized the feeling of disgust.