The Return of The Mythical Archmage [EN]: Chapter 96

“Shinmu (神武).” [A top-tier buff-type arcane magic focused on physical enhancement.]

It’s considered among the best five arcane magics for physical enhancement.

Unlike other arcane magics that manifest in various forms, ‘Shinmu’ exists as a single, specific magic. The degree of physical enhancement it provides depends on the user’s mastery and mana output.

I activated Shinmu at its maximum output, amplified by the ‘Ring of Resonance’.

‘My mental power is nearly depleted, so I can only maintain this for about three minutes at most…’

But three minutes is more than enough to deal with Dahlia in her current state.

I took a deep breath, a technique I learned from Kang Shin-woo, and focused my body.

The heightened senses further sharpened my focus.

‘The foundation is everything in martial arts.’

The teachings of the Shinmu River Clan.

The core of ancient martial arts.

I repeated the words I had heard countless times while learning Taekwondo from Kang Shin-woo and took a step forward.

Shinmu River Clan’s ancient martial arts.

Mugeuk Footwork [A fundamental stepping technique].

That seemingly insignificant step placed me directly in front of Dahlia.

“…Ugh!”

Dahlia reacted with a startled expression, her blue flames flickering erratically.

Her movements were slow and weak, a stark contrast to her earlier performance.

There was no way the exhausted Dahlia could keep up with my current speed.

I lowered my stance amidst the slowly moving blue flames and tilted my body’s axis.

My body rotated swiftly around my right foot, tracing a wide circle.

Shinmu River Clan’s ancient martial arts.

Mugeuk Kick [A circular kick technique].

My kick shot straight towards Dahlia’s solar plexus.

A swift, precise strike.

It was a blow that Dahlia, in her current state, could never have blocked.

“Th-this…!”

Whoosh, whoosh!

Dahlia desperately blocked my kick.

The slow-moving blue flames suddenly accelerated, forming a precise shield against my attack.

Pssst-!

A tingling pain shot through my body. Even with my body enhanced to the 6th Circle level, I couldn’t completely ignore the extreme heat of the Hellfire.

‘But it’s not enough to stop me.’

The physical enhancement from Shinmu was significant, but Dahlia’s blue flames had weakened considerably.

‘At this level, there’s no need to hold back.’

I immediately focused my body’s axis on the wall of flames that Dahlia’s blue flames were blocking.

“Hoo….”

A deep breath infused with mana.

It flowed from my fingertips to my toes.

Shinmu River Clan’s ancient martial arts.

Explosive Force [A technique that releases a burst of power].

Explosive force unleashed from my feet.

The product of ancient martial arts, materialized through magic.

The intangible shockwave emitted from my foot couldn’t be blocked by the blue flame’s shield.

The blue flames soon lost their form, scattering into remnants of mana.

Remnants of mana and fire filled the surroundings.

Bang-!

The shockwave directly hit Dahlia’s body.

Dahlia was thrown back.

She didn’t even scream.

She must have lost consciousness.

—Dahlia Salentia! Damage Over! Eliminated!

As Dahlia crashed to the ground, the referee announced my victory.

“Hoo.”

The battles against Kyle and Dahlia.

Both ended in my victory.

‘Now, all that’s left is to deal with the remaining four.’

I dragged my tired body back to the base.

* * *

The winner of the Territory Scramble was decided to be Korea.

The results of this match immediately topped the news portals of various countries and became a trending topic on most popular websites.

It was a natural outcome.

The 2-on-1 battle between Shin Hayul, Kyle, and Dahlia, the 2-on-4 match led by Kang Shin-woo and Ma Jin-seok, and the final 3-on-4 battle that ensued after a battered Shin Hayul joined the fray.

It was an all-time legendary match with no weak points, so it was only natural that it gained such fame.

[Wow, that was the most legendary match I’ve seen in the past year.]

[I have to go to work in three hours, I’m screwed. I didn’t sleep. But I don’t regret it.]

[If I had slept and missed this, I would have regretted it even more, right?]

[My thoughts exactly.]

[I was about to get upset because India got eliminated so quickly. But with that level of performance, I have to admit it.]

[Kuh. I’ve been replaying the highlights over 30 times now.]

Even now, countless people were sharing videos of the Territory Scramble, posting comments that were more like praise than admiration.

[Bartender! Shut it down!]

And among them, the place with the most posts was, of course, Korea.

[Is it real that Shin Hayul won against Kyle and Dahlia at the same time? Shin Hayul is a true legend.]

[My heart is swelling with pride.]

[Wow, that was truly amazing. I think I’ve watched the scene where Shin Hayul uses Hellfire and Wind God at the same time for the 100th time.]

In a competition where they were competing against geniuses from all over the world, there was no way that Koreans wouldn’t be excited about Korea receiving so much attention.

[Shin Hayul is amazing, but Ma Jin-seok and Kang Shin-woo were also crazy. If you haven’t seen it, you have to watch it.]

[I already watched it. I was watching the 3-on-4 and thought, ‘Oh, they’re pretty good?’ and then I had to change my pants again.]

[How was it? I need to go watch it.]

[Wow. The UK and the US also had all-star members, but they just blocked them with two people. They weren’t like this last year.]

[I compared it to four months ago, and they suddenly grew rapidly.]

[Did they take some kind of doping?]

Shin Hayul was amazing, but the interest in Ma Jin-seok and Kang Shin-woo was also immense.

The fact that they held out against the elites of the UK and the US in a 2-on-4 match made everyone’s hearts race.

[Hey, I didn’t really follow the Academy Olympiad. Is it like this every year? It’s crazy. It’s more fun than the adult matches? I just finished binge-watching from the first match.]

[It was always fun, but not to this extent. This year is just legendary.]

[The other members’ potential is also crazy, right?]

[Not to the crazy level? There are four 3rd Circle users.]

[Hey. It’s amazing how well they’re working as a team with those 3rd Circle users.]

The interest gradually spread, and not only the 5th match, the Territory Scramble, but also the previous 1st to 4th matches began to be re-examined.

[I think Adela Stewart is the real deal? I don’t think anyone other than Kyle and Dahlia can beat her?]

[She was always famous as a genius. I’m shocked by Ji Soon-chan right now. What is his defense magic?]

[I heard he first entered magic at the age of 17.]

[Holy moly. Is that real? Is that for real?]

[Wow, the future is scary.]

As befitting Korea, a country with more interest and attention towards stars who are working hard to promote national prestige than any other country in the world, all attention was focused on the Obelisk Academy Olympiad team.

All the citizens praised the team and lauded their struggles.

[But Shin Hayul is really on another level by himself. The magic of the Shinbi family and the Shinmu River Clan is one thing, but how did he use Hellfire and Wind God?]

[I majored in magic analysis. So, I checked all the information and videos about Shin Hayul and analyzed them, and I think he has a Jewel Eye [A rare and powerful magic eye].]

And a post like this was posted on some community, gathering attention.

[Jewel Eye? Are you talking about Sophia Aneschev’s Jewel Eye?]

[Come on. That’s an exaggeration. Would Sophia be crazy enough to pass her Jewel Eye to Shin Hayul? What connection do they have?]

[That’s right. That’s not it. Sophia used her Jewel Eye in an official event just a week ago. That’s definitely not it.]

[Even if it’s not a Jewel Eye, it could be a Magic Eye with similar power.]

[Ah. That’s possible.]

Various speculations about Shin Hayul’s abilities were rampant.

[Isn’t it just that his infiltration ability is insane? He infiltrated the Green Magic Tower and the Red Magic Tower and stole the arcane magic.]

[Isn’t it a mind control ability? He brainwashed Dahlia and Kyle and extracted the arcane magic formulas.]

[No, no, it’s a mind-reading ability. He definitely read the opponent’s mind and extracted the magic formulas. It’s a done deal.]

Amidst such absurd speculations.

Another hot topic post was uploaded.

[But isn’t Shin Hayul a criminal?]

The title was so clickbaity that it was impossible not to click on the post.

[Arcane magic is classified as personal property, right? Using it without permission like that is a violation of the Arcane Magic Ownership Act, isn’t it?]

The Arcane Magic Ownership Act [A law protecting the intellectual property of arcane magic].

It was a kind of copyright law.

A protection law in case arcane magic is leaked.

Shin Hayul’s unauthorized use of Hellfire and Wind God was in violation of this law.

In summary, that was the content of the post.

[Is this real? Then is Shin Hayul going to be arrested?]

[Hmm. It says it’s punishable by up to eight years in prison, so if things go wrong?]

[Oh no, that can’t happen.]

It was a very well-organized post that actually brought up what was written in the legal code.

For those who didn’t know, it was enough to make them worry that Shin Hayul had actually committed a crime.

[Yeah, that’s a stale topic from 50 years ago~]

However, that atmosphere was short-lived.

With the appearance of a certain comment, the atmosphere was reversed again.

[If that’s the case, how many convictions does Sophia Aneschev have?]

[You’re saying the existence of the Jewel Eye itself is illegal.]

It was a rebuttal comment that Shin Hayul’s actions were not a crime.

[Sophia Aneschev was sued for the same thing 50 years ago, and she easily won.]

[There’s a precedent that reading and using an opponent’s magic formula with the power of a Magic Eye like the Jewel Eye is not an illegal act~]

[If Shin Hayul really has a Magic Eye with a power similar to the Jewel Eye, and he used it to read the magic formulas of Hellfire and Wind God, then it’s legal.]

Continuous shields from people who clearly had an expert aura.

They brought up a court ruling that actually happened 50 years ago, and the public opinion leaned towards the idea that Shin Hayul had not committed a crime.

[Wow. So, it’s okay for Shin Hayul to spread the magic formulas of Hellfire and Wind God?]

[Amazing. Let’s go, righteous Hong Gil-dong [A legendary Korean folk hero who stole from the rich and gave to the poor], spreading arcane magic for poor mages.]

[That’s not it. The leakage of arcane magic is also a serious crime. If it’s discovered that Shin Hayul leaked it, then he’ll be going to jail.]

[Ah, what a letdown.]

[I was just imagining using Hellfire~]

[But in the end, if Shin Hayul doesn’t have a Magic Eye like the Jewel Eye, then he’s a criminal, right?]

[That’s true.]

As time passed, just as the topic was gradually dying down.

A new fire was lit.

[Hey! The Magic Tower official article is out!]

And it was a very huge fire.

[Official from the Green, Blue, and Red Magic Towers]

[The verification of the Magic Eye that Shin Hayul possesses has been completed.]

[Result: It has been confirmed that Shin Hayul’s Magic Eye has the power to read magic formulas, just like the Jewel Eye.]

[It is announced that Shin Hayul did not violate the Ownership Act.]

Shin Hayul’s Magic Eye was real.

With this news, the internet was set ablaze again.

[Wow, I’m so hyped. A legendary prospect has appeared in Korea.]

[I knew it!]

[Is a 9th Circle user finally going to appear in our country?]

Shin Hayul’s criminal allegations were completely dismissed, and only expectations for Shin Hayul remained.

[A 6th Circle user at the age of 18, possessing a Magic Eye with the same power as the Jewel Eye of Sophia Aneschev, who is considered the best in the world.]

[Isn’t this the spec of a protagonist that would only appear in a novel?]

[Why are you leaving out the most important thing?]

[What did I leave out?]

[That he’s an Incompatible [Someone who is not naturally suited for magic]. Have you already forgotten that he fell to rock bottom a year ago?]

[Crazy. That’s right. I forgot, but Shin Hayul was an Incompatible.]

[He really is a protagonist from a novel.]

And finally.

[Hey, hey! Huge news! Shin Hayul’s Magic Eye has been officially registered!]

[Wow. What’s the name?]

[Using the character for ‘god’ (神) and ‘eye’ (眼), it’s called Shinan (神眼)!]

[God’s Eye?]

[Wow. That name is awesome.]

With new topics popping up one by one whenever things seemed to cool down, the topic of Shin Hayul continued to burn.

“It’s burning so brightly.”

Parade laughed as if it was the most interesting thing in the world, scanning through the constantly updated posts about Shin Hayul.

“The posts are burning, and Tkish’s phone is burning too.”

The posts about Shin Hayul were quite interesting, but what was even more interesting was Tkish’s situation.

Bzzzz! Bzzzz-!

Tkish’s phone had been vibrating non-stop for six hours.

“Don’t you have to answer it? He’s a VVIP customer.”

“…Mind your own business.”

Parade got up from the hammock and picked up Tkish’s phone.

The screen read [Shin Ji-han].

“Why don’t you answer it? Our VVIP customer must be in a terrible state because of Shin Hayul.”

Parade chuckled as if it was someone else’s problem.

And it actually was someone else’s problem.

“Oh. It hung up.”

The vibration stopped just in time.

“Ah. He was calling again?”

But that was only for a moment.

The phone started vibrating again.

“Wow. This guy is persistent? He’s going this far to kill his own brother?”

Parade wore a bitter smile.

“That scumbag. If I told him to wait, he should just wait quietly….”

Tkish gritted his teeth.

Shin Ji-han’s obsession was infuriating.

It would be better to just turn off the phone, but unfortunately, he couldn’t turn it off.

Since it was a security phone made using magic stones, turning it off would release all the magic that had been placed on it.

For the same reason, silent mode was also impossible. Such a setting didn’t even exist in the first place.

“Give it to me.”

Tkish, who was furious, took the phone from Parade.

Then, without answering the call, he manipulated the phone and wrote a text message.

The recipient was, of course, Shin Ji-han.

[Shin Hayul will die in five days anyway. So, don’t bother calling me. If you call me one more time, I will cancel the mission.]

Ten seconds after sending.

The phone stopped vibrating.

And that day, the phone never vibrated again.