Descent of the Legendary Archmage

After all the classes were over,

I was using the private training ground with Adella and Soonchan as usual.

“Aah, I am tired to death.”

Soonchan, who was exhausted after an hour and a half of sprinting, mumbled with a face of death on the floor.

“Great job.”

I handed Soonchan a sports drink that helped him recover from fatigue.

“Gave the disease and offered the remedy.”

“Say it correctly. When did I give you a disease? I gave you a prescription and medicine.”

“...Okay, thank you. I’m very happy that my competent doctor is looking after me.”

Soonchan gritted his teeth and was handed over as if he was stealing a sports drink from me.

Then he gulped it down.

“Whoa, you petty bastard. You did this because I teased you yesterday.”

After drinking the whole 500ml drink, he seemed to have gained some energy.

His eyes that resented me became even more intense.

“Hey, do you really think I raised the intensity of your training for that reason?”

“Yes, you would do that.”

Soonchan looked at me confidently.

I don’t see any doubt in his eyes.

“No, I would not. Since participation in the Olympiad has been confirmed, I decided that it would be better to raise the intensity of your training a bit more.”

“Hey, don’t be ridiculous. I know you raised the intensity of my training because I teased you the day before yesterday.”

“...Not at all.”

“Look me in the eyes and tell me, you bastard.”

Soonchan’s forehead wriggled with annoyance.

I got up from my seat ignoring Soonchan.

“Adella, I’m sorry to interrupt, but could you come over here for a moment?”

Then I called Adella, who was sitting far away and resting.

“...You petty bastard. Even if I feel unfair, I will quickly overcome my lack of stamina.”

Soonchan mumbled behind me, biting his teeth.

No matter what he says, Soonchan works harder than anyone else.

Whatever I command, if he doesn’t want to do it, he can do it roughly. But, he is really going all out for running.

Knowing that, I am raising the intensity of the training even more.

‘With this momentum, he can completely overcome his lack of stamina within a month.’

If Soonchan’s will is not extinguished, it won’t be impossible to completely overcome his lack of stamina within a month.

“Do you have something to say?”

While I was in my thoughts, Adella approached me.

Since Adella also had a hard time in training a while ago, she didn’t look so good.

“The selected members for the Olympiad have been confirmed, so I’m planning to reorganize the training plan.”

“Reorganize the training plan?”

“Yes. Starting from tomorrow we can legally skip classes. Since we are going to have more time, I was wondering if we could change the schedule a bit.”

Participants in the Olympiad are exempted from all classes until the Olympiad.

It is the school’s consideration to prepare for the Olympiad instead of taking classes.

Besides that, there is another reason to control their conditions.

“Even if we don’t have to take classes, special training for the Olympiad will begin the day after tomorrow. Is it necessary to reorganize the training?”

“That training is only 8 hours a day. I want to set up the training schedule before and after that.”

“Aha.”

The joint special training for sophomores and juniors in preparation for the Olympiad is only 8 hours in total from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

That is, we have time in the morning.

“You are not going to do this hellish training in the morning, aren’t you?”

Soonchan looks at me with a desperate face. He is begging me not to do morning training.

“Don't worry. I have no intention of doing this high-intensity training in the morning.”

“...Really?”

Soonchan looks at me as if he is surprised.

He looks like he is thinking, ‘what’s wrong with this devil bastard?’

“People might think I make you run to tease you, dude.”

Exercising too much is not necessarily a good thing. Taking a rest is more important than exercising. Exercising in the morning won’t help much.

If he does this high-intensity training in the morning, he will be completely exhausted in the special training at 10 a.m.

In many ways, morning training is nothing but poison.

“What are you going to do for morning training?”

“Tactical strategy meeting.”

“Tactical strategy?”

“Yeah. There is more than one Olympiad, right? Let’s look into the changed rules this year and study how we can win.”

“Aha. You mean we are going to start preparing for the Olympiad in earnest.”

Soonchan understood.

“Then, why don’t we analyze the power of other countries together?”

Adella, who was listening quietly, raised her hand and presented her opinion.

“I’m going to do it when the members of other countries are completely confirmed.”

There are also countries where the list of participants has not yet been confirmed.

It is not too late to analyze the power of other countries after their participants have been confirmed.

“Shouldn’t we collect information on the main participants we are paying attention to from now on?”

“You don’t have to worry about that. I’m already collecting information when I have time.”

“Already?”

“Yes.”

“You should have told me. Then I would have helped you...”

Adella said with her face half upset and half sorry.

“You don’t have to be sorry. Actually, there is not much I do. Jung Suha is in charge of collecting information.”

“Ah~”

The main participant analysis is currently left to the blue tower.

Since the Blue Tower has decided to support the Korean team in earnest this time, it feels like it will do everything it can.

“That explains it all.”

Adella nodded convincingly.

“Anything else you want to know? Then we will have a tactical strategy planning meeting tomorrow morning?”

“Wait. I have a question.”

Soonchan raised his hand quietly.

“What is it?”

“Well, it is good for us to plan a strategy. But, do you think the juniors will follow our strategy?”

That’s a good question.

“Of course, they won’t just follow it.”

Since they also have pride, they won’t easily follow us.

“Then what?”

“I have something in mind.”

“You do?”

“Yeah. You don’t have to worry about that.”

There is already a way to convince juniors.

“...You are very creepy. There is nothing you haven’t prepared.”

Soonchan stuck out his tongue.

It was a strange word that seemed like a curse and a compliment.

“Anyway. We are good, right? Then, we will have a 2 hour tactical strategy meeting every morning from 7:30 a.m. tomorrow?”

“Yes.”

“Yes, no objection.”

The two nodded.

“Oh, and I’m sorry, let’s shorten our evening training time a bit.”

“Shorten our evening training time? Why?”

“I want to do something by myself.”

“By yourself?”

Adella asked unexpectedly.

“Yes.”

“The only training you can do by yourself is mana circulation training, isn’t it?”

As Adella said, the only thing that I can quietly train by myself in modern study of magic is mana circulation.

“Yes. I am going to do mana circulation training.”

“Every day?”

“Yes.”

“...”

Adella tilted her head further with a face of ‘do you have to?’

She asks if there is a reason to do mana circulation training by splitting the evening training time.

“It is because I can see the wall of enlightenment.”

“...What?”

“Can you see what?”

The two reacted violently to my nonchalant words.

“Th-the wall of enlightenment? You mean you can see the wall of the 5th circle? Do you?”

I’m known as a 4th circle magician to others, including Adella.

That’s why Adella is bringing up the word ‘5th circle’.

“Yes, I can.”

In fact, I am preparing to break down the wall of the 4th circle. But, I roughly confirmed it because I had no reason or need to explain it.

“5 circles at 18 years old...? Are you really crazy?”

Soonchan reacted even more intensely.

Adella’s surprise grew even more.

“If you succeed, you will be the world’s first and youngest magician to achieve 5 circles...”

I shrugged my shoulders, catching the gaze of the two focused on me.

“Anyway. I think I should take some time alone for that reason. I’m sorry, but please understand.”

“Hey, there is nothing to be sorry about. You said you saw the wall of enlightenment.”

“He is right. If that’s the reason, you can skip the evening training.”

“No. If I stay stuck in my room because I can see the wall of enlightenment, it will create adverse effects.”

There is something called efficiency in concentration.

Concentrating on one thing does not necessarily lead to good results.

“Anyway, I will ask for your understanding for a while.”

The remaining period is one month.

Before that, we must somehow weave the 4th circle.

* * *

That night.

After all the training, I headed to the mansion of Magic Shin Clan.

As soon as I arrived at the mansion, I went to see my father.

My father was doing paperwork in his study today as usual.

“I’m sorry to come here late at night without contacting you.”

I bowed my head to my father, who sat at his desk and checked the papers as usual.

“No problem. I was going to call you once.”

My father took his eyes off the papers and got up from his seat.

“Sit down.”

He said, sitting in front of the guest table in the study.

I sat across from him.

“Do you have something to say to me?”

Since he said he was going to call me, he must be saying that he has something to say to me.

“Hmm. You can defer my words. Tell me your business first.”

My father looked at me with shining eyes.

What interesting business did you bring today?

He seems to have such expectations.

“I have a favor to ask of you.”

“You have a favor. What is it?”

I handed him a note that I had written down in advance.

“I need the ingredients written here.”

My father skimmed the note he had been handed.

“The horn of the octagonal tree, the heart of Catastrophe, the eyes of Leviathan?”

His eyes became a bit sharper.

All three are ridiculously expensive ingredients.

“...Yes.”

“What are you going to use this for?”

All three ingredients are expensive and cost over one hundred thousand dollars.

No matter how good my father thinks of me, these are not things he can get me without question.

At least I need a reason to convince him.

“I need them for my magical achievement.”

And I know the best way to convince my father.

“Magical achievement?”

“Yes.”

“...Explain exactly what you mean.”

I said, staring into my father’s eyes.

“Now I am facing the wall of enlightenment.”

“...What?”

His eyes trembled.

“Are you saying that you are facing the wall of enlightenment?”

“Yes.”

“Are you ready to go over the wall of the 4th circle?”

“Yes, those ingredients are essential for me to go over the wall of the 4th circle.”

The ingredients on the note I gave him are the ones that help me weave the ring of expansion.

To be precise, these are some of the ingredients for making a potion written in the book I read at Mimisbrunnr.

‘A potion to help weave the Circle of Expansion.’

I can get other things on my own, but there is no way to get these three ingredients on my own.

That’s why I came to visit my father.

The only way I can get these expensive ingredients is to rely on my father.

“You are not lying, are you?”

“No, I am not.”

I said clearly, staring straight into my father’s eyes, which seemed to test me.

“You know better than anyone that I don’t have any reason to lie, right?”

“...”

My father stared into my eyes as if to grasp my true intentions.

His heavy eyes seemed to pierce my abyss.

“I don’t think you are lying.”

“Yes, it is the truth.”

He seemed to feel the sincerity in my eyes, and was immediately convinced.

“So are these ingredients for making a potion?”

“Yes, they are.”

I told the truth.

There is no reason to lie, and I shouldn’t.

Lying doesn’t work on my father.

“It is the first combination I have ever heard of. Where did you get the information about the potion?”

“Information from an ancient book.”

“...Ancient book?”

“Yes.”

Ancient potion.

It is a special combination of potion written in the ancient book,

and is characterized by having a far superior effect than existing potions.

“I see. An ancient book.”

He was convinced.

“If that’s true, I can get you as many ingredients as you want.”

“So...”

“Okay, I will get you.”

“Thank you.”

In the past, he wouldn’t have been convinced by these words, and he wouldn't even have listened to me.

But now, I have built up pretty solid trust.

I thought he would get me these much right away because there were things I had shown him so far.

“By the way.”

My father laughed with interest.

“...An ancient book again?”

Then he looked at me with very meaningful eyes.

“Hayul, it seems that you are quite lucky.”

“...”

It was a word that contained so many meanings.