The Great Mage Returns After 4000 Years

Book 2: Chapter 386

No human was strong from the start. Growth was a destiny that all humans shared from birth.

It was the same for Lukas.

Even he had a period of weakness, a period when he needed to be protected, in other words, a period of growth.

In the future, 4,000 years after he was born.

Lukas searched for literature of the past.

The Age of Light, The Prosperity of magicology.

And the Great Heroes.

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Among the Great Heroes, the records about Lukas were very detailed. Although there were obvious differences in the interpretations by historians and Wizards, no one could deny that he was the idol of all Wizards living in the present era and a pioneer with absolute influence in magicology.

Naturally, there were many books that analysed Lukas’ activities very carefully.

But in all of those books, there were no records of Lukas Trowman’s childhood.

Lukas’ actions in his youth were recorded in detail, that is to say, after he entered the world of magicology, and revealed his existence to the world.

If so, then what about before that?

Naturally, Lukas couldn’t be a human who suddenly fell from the sky one day.

He must have parents. He must have siblings.

For him, his childhood memories were always blurred whenever he tried to remember them.

Lukas was also reluctant to talk about the past. The same was true about his family.

He deliberately suppressed those thoughts, and even his closest friends knew nothing of Lukas’ childhood.

What was the reason?

Was it because Lukas was a pathetic, shabby human before he came into contact with magic? Was it because he didn’t want to bring up his immature days?

Those sounded reasonable, but it always felt like there was something more. Lukas himself wasn’t able to give a clear answer to that question.

Nevertheless, one thing was clear.

Lukas had also had a time when he was weak.

There were countless Wizards more powerful than him.

In the beginning, he walked along the path they paved. He read their books, listened to their teachings.

He enjoyed the learning process, and he never got tired of it. It was like he was addicted.

‘Since when?’

He stopped feeling excited about learning new spells. His heart didn’t pound heavily when he found a book he’d never read. He stopped having expectations before listening to the lecture of a renowned Magicologist.

-There has to be a formula more efficient than this one.

-The information in this book is incorrect.

-This Wizard’s lecture is strange.

At first, he thought he’d become arrogant. This was considered a process that all Wizards with outstanding talent had to experience.

There was only one person that he considered a teacher deep down inside, but they always emphasised humility.

But this wasn’t arrogance.

It was something else. He was different from others.

Lukas realised that he was special.

From that moment on, he solved everything on his own. He no longer craved for anyone else’s advice or instruction.

He showed off his own talent.

He informed others about more efficient formulas, shouted that the contents of the books were wrong, and preached on the spot if he found anything wrong with the lectures.

Most of the time, he was met by people who couldn’t accept his words.

At that time, Lukas’ social standing was low, and Wizards were usually quite proud.

So Lukas fought them.

Sometimes with his tongue, sometimes with his knowledge, sometimes with his fists.

And most of the time, with magic.

Lukas defeated most of the Wizards who were ‘stronger than him’.

At those times, Lukas’ heart would pound heavily in his chest. He didn’t enjoy fighting, but it felt good to convince others that he wasn’t wrong.

Sometimes, there were problems that weren’t so easily confirmed, but when that happened, his heart beat even harder.

Right. Even before encountering the Demigods.

Lukas had always enjoyed standing in the shoes of the underdog.

‘Since when?’

At some point, no one could listen to Lukas’ comments without arguing.

He found himself in a position not to learn, but to teach.

Whenever he encountered a question, he couldn’t expect anyone’s advice.

—That was when he suddenly realised.

There was no one in front of Lukas on the road he was walking.

He was alone.

If a question arose, he had to find the answer for himself.

It was a road without a single footprint.

A rough, barren, unfinished road.

Looking at the road he would have to walk on from now on, Lukas didn’t feel fear.

However…

He sometimes missed his youth.

At that time, there were still a lot of beings to compete with.

* * *

‘A Wizard stronger than me.’

When he heard Yang In-hyun’s words, Lukas wasn’t sure how to describe the feeling that arose within him.

But it was clear that his heart beat suddenly accelerated.

Confusion, shock, disbelief, faint expectation.

The wave of complex emotions soon began to influence his body as well.

—The magic that is spread across the Three Thousand Worlds has many different branches.

He recalled what Yang In-hyun had said.

To be precise, the words of someone else that Yang In-hyun had recited.

‘I know that.’

Lukas had visited many universes in his time as an Absolute, and he’d also been exposed to the ‘magic of other universes’.

Although they all had minute differences, the spells and context that Lukas was accustomed to were the same. They had the same method of interpreting natural mana, tuning it, and applying the laws.

At first, he couldn’t understand the reason. Universes could not interact with each other. Naturally, this meant that it was impossible for them to share information. And yet, their interpretation of mana was so similar.

…But after a while, he realised that it wasn’t that strange.

It was the same in history as well. There were many cases of different ethnic groups developing similar weapons at the same time without ever meeting each other. While there were still minute differences between them, it was clear that they were essentially the same weapon.

That’s why it wasn’t that surprising that intelligent beings who discovered the existence of mana, learned to use similar concepts.

‘The roots are the same.’

The higher they reached in their pursuit, the closer their magic got to the root.

…The original form. Maybe it referred to Endtongue, maybe it didn’t.

Endtongue was what Lukas believed to be the end of magicology.

Utilising the infinite power and possibilities that were contained in mana to adjust the material laws. An absolute power which wouldn’t feel strange even if it was called reality manipulation.

Yang In-hyun had said.

The being he knew was a Wizard who was stronger than Lukas.

0

Far stronger? Even if he was speaking carelessly, that was not an expression that could be used lightly. Especially to a being like Lukas Trowman when it came to the field of magicology.

However, Lukas was certain that Yang In-hyun was not lying.

Babump-

Knowing that Lukas’ heart pounded even harder.

* * *

Clang!

Yang In-hyun’s sword collided with Lukas’ magic.

Absolute.

The power of 9 stars, which could tear even space itself apart, was being blocked by a single sword. He couldn’t even find the slightest hint of strain on Yang In-hyun’s face. He maintained his calm expression and light steps even while withstanding the full force of absolute.

Following a series of low cracking sounds, Absolute Line broke into pieces.

“…”

Lukas couldn’t help but feel a bit speechless as he witnessed this scene with his own eyes.

A state where he only needed his swordsmanship to affect space. Yang In-hyun stood far higher than Snow, the best Swordsman Lukas knew. (TL: Lucid is officially chopped liver.)

The information he had about Yang In-hyun needed to be revised significantly.

This opponent was a monster who had already transcended mortality and could be considered an Absolute even if he only met the lower requirement.

“…”

Their gazes met.

Flap, the hem of Yang In-hyun’s clothes fluttered slightly. But this was because of his tangible aura, not the breeze.

Once again, he felt the strange aura he’d felt before he’d shot an Absolute Line towards him.

This was the first time Lukas had ever experienced something like this. In other words, everything was unclear. The principles behind the attack, the form, the manner, he knew none of them.

Nevertheless, there was one thing that Lukas could be abundantly clear about.

Yang In-hyun should never be allowed to easily draw his sword.

Crackle-

His entire body sparkled with dark red light. He could feel the mana in his mana room rushing out.

It couldn’t be helped.

Spells at 8 stars and below would have no effect on Yang In-hyun.

Absolute was the minimum that could be used as a deterrent to stop this monster’s advance for a moment.

However, Absolute Line could not even withstand one of Yang In-hyun’s sword strikes.

If that was the case, then…

‘…Absolute Field.’

At the same time as he thought that, the entire area around them became Lukas’ territory. Dark red light quickly engulfed the surrounding area.

“Hmm.”

Even though the colours of the world around him changed and his movements were restricted to an extent, Yang In-hyun didn’t seem to be very surprised.

He still looked at Lukas calmly while holding his sword.

“This is a bit annoying.”

He tilted his head slightly like he was loosening his joint.

Crack. Crack. A soft sound could be heard for a while and that was it.

Yang In-hyun’s stretch was over.

Piht, with a faint sound that was almost inaudible, Yang In-hyun’s figure disappeared.

‘Fast.’

Much faster and stealthier than when he’d missed his movements in their first encounter. This meant that even Absolute Field, which had cost a lot of mana, was no deterrent for him.

It was a desperate situation, but to some extent, it was expected.

Shuk.

His forearm was cut. A bit of flesh fell and blood splattered.

But Lukas ignored the pain and stretched out his right arm.

Suddenly, his outstretched hand grasped Yang In-hyun’s collar.

“…”

Yang In-hyun opened his mouth slowly. It seemed that he wanted to say something, but Lukas didn’t give him the chance.

Bang!

An explosion erupted from his palm.

It wasn’t an ordinary explosion. With the power of Absolute Field, he condensed space to the limit before letting it explode. The compressed space spread out in an instant, forcible pushing away anything that came into contact with it.

No matter how tough a material was, it could not completely block a force capable of destroying space itself. The only variable in this situation was Yang In-hyun’s sword technique, but the distance was much closer than a Swordsman was comfortable with. In other words, it wasn’t suitable to use a sword technique.

Absolute Burst was a technique with many restrictions and high risk, but it had great destructive power to make up for it.

When it was used at such a super close range, even Yang In-hyun wouldn’t be able to easily handle it.

“…”

Blood dripped from Lukas’ wrist. Smoke blocked his view for a moment.

Yang In-hyun…

“You even sacrificed your own hand. Such an unbecoming and ignorant way to fight…”

A soft voice was heard from within the smoke.

Bang!

With a loud sound, the smoke was cleared in an instant. A strong wind swept across the area as if he’d swung his sword to clear it.

When the smoke dissipated, Yang In-hyun could be seen standing about ten steps away from Lukas. Lukas’ expression hardened.

‘…wounds.’

He didn’t have any. The only thing different was the slight tear on his collar. The result of offering his right hand was just a piece of cloth.

Lukas bit his lip.

He couldn’t help but feel deep regret.

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“Using this absolute space to read my movements was a pretty good move, but it probably wasn’t the best method. Your next actions were even more disgusting. I’m talking about that attack that was close to self destruction, sacrificing your own arm.”

“…”

“Fighting without thinking is not a bad thing. But I cannot feel a desperation for victory or desire for survival at all. You don’t feel desperate in the slightest. It’s bad enough to fight someone like that, but that’s not all.”

Rage seeped into Yang In-hyun’s voice.

“What pisses me off the most is that you’re trying to take advantage of me.”

Crunch-

Yang In-hyun grit his teeth.

“You bastard, you’re trying to use me to die.”