Chapter 264. A (13)
The green mage finally unleashed the true power of golem magic to its fullest extent.
And about two hours later, the foreign ruler, humiliated, ultimately surrendered and agreed to all of the opponent's demands. He signed the peace treaty brought by the deep-sea dweller. The fortress was half-ruined, and his proud 2,600 soldiers were swept away by the magic of a single young man—there was no other choice.
[It would have been nice if you had listened when I was speaking.]
Golem magic. Originally, these earth puppets were used only on one's own private land, mainly set loose in farrs' fields to chase away flocks of birds and animals... Those stupid things. Who would have thought the day would co when they'd move with such perfect coordination, as if each one were alive, and kill all the expert knights?
[Of course, it would have been better if you hadn't thought about expanding your borders in the first place. This is all because of you. Because of you. Get it?]
This is the beginning of the machine age. The green guy killed all the mages of the enemy nations who opposed his will with new technology.
[It's your fault that the celebratory fireworks of my artistic research achievents were drowned in the blood of our own kind]
No more guilt arose. When the orange died, there was a long hesitation, but once the task began, it wasn't particularly difficult or anything special.
Yeah. Really.
[Those guys who bragged about being the masters of all life on this planet, when you actually see them in action, they're this insignificant.]
Now, only the burning reaction of a feeling called emptiness occasionally flares up.
Having finished his thoughts, the green mage gathered his golems and crossed the border once again. By the ti he returned to his holand, the neighboring country's situation—where the ruler's fortress and the Magic Tower had both collapsed—had turned the international scene into complete chaos. But even that was not sothing he needed to worry about right away.
***
A familiar scene ca into view. The deep-sea environnt, pitch black without any light, with the crushing water pressure pressing in from all sides. After a long while, soone swam through that darkness.
Phew...
Because on the planet Alphauri, the deep sea was the best shortcut for quietly crossing borders.
Co to think of it, I heard that the deaths of those orange comrades happened sowhere around these waters. Since I'm here anyway, why not take a look around the territory that his family manages?
Long legs. Odd eyes. And the title of war hero.
The green man, who had single-handedly confronted the enemy ruler in a major incident and returned, looked quite modest. Unlike modern Earth warfare, where combat aircraft are pre-manufactured for invasions, he had simply stuffed the core material of the no-core, the magic stones, into his pocket and raised soldiers directly on enemy ground for use.
After offering my condolences appropriately, I should go back to the academy and refine the golem technique a bit more.
He had just discarded all the low-grade golems, which were no better than instant food, and was returning ho with empty tentacles. Traveling light both on the way there and back—it was a rational strategy.
It's quiet.
And as he strolled so comfortably through the sea, his highly developed brain naturally began to drift into idle thoughts.
In fact, this green genius had finally t all the conditions after personally carrying out the fortress raid.
[Archmage.]
Social conditions related to that title.
During the early Middle Era, when the battle against the Beta-star beings broke out, most of the upper-class fortresses had already collapsed—rendering it impossible. And even if the fortresses had remained intact, it wasn't a ti for fighting among one's own kind. So, no matter how powerful a mage might have been, most during this era were unable to fulfill the tradition in a tily manner.
Today. The alien being who would one day assu the na Kim Gyeo finally earned the qualifications. From this mont on, he was a legally recognized and undisputed Archmage in both na and substance.
The last condition that had been a stumbling block was very related to siege or defense battles, so the situation was roughly t with just one fight. Moreover, this was the first ti in history that Archmage had ever erged from the deep-sea territories.
Hmm.
Perhaps, upon hearing the news, his fellow countryn would gather money from all sides to erect a golden statue in his likeness, proud of his achievent.
...
However, these brain cells, strangely enough, have a cunning frog-like symbol and usually don't prefer certain rewards.
Sure enough, the genius quickly lost interest in the archmage title he had just earned. Becoming archmage was sothing he had seen through clearly since his youth, so it held little excitent for him. It had only been temporarily delayed due to the tradition of fortress conquest. Lately, he was widely recognized as the top mage anyway.
_-
He reached the level that countless mages aspired to—like a shining star—but still showed indifferent gestures. Soon, the subject of his thoughts changed quietly and swiftly.
Expectation...
For now, he had just returned from boldly punishing the neighboring country for breaking the hard-earned peace.
Now that I think about it, this whole affair unfolded quite differently from what I expected.
It was easy. Despite going up against the leader of an entire nation, the battle was remarkably simple. The enemy panicked the entire ti, unable to even figure out where the golem-controlling mage was hiding—and in the end, their fortress fell without leaving so much as a scratch on him.
What a pathetic end.
The newly crowned archmage continued swimming and contemplating. In truth, it was sothing he had vaguely sensed from the very first mont he encountered arcane studies at the academy—As expected, every other Alphaurin besides himself was weak.
Power. Magic power. And as revealed through this recent incident—ntal fortitude as well.
The Great War ended less than ten revolutions ago. And yet, why do the intelligent beings on this planet have such short mories?
Back then, everyone was just waiting for the war to end.
Alphaurins don't have a culture of making wishes upon shooting stars. In fact, "the sky" doesn't hold much positive aning here. However, instead, they have a habit of whispering their dreams to rare fish, which glow faintly with white light, often found in the waters. These fish are rare, with slender bodies, and their glow becos a sort of symbol for the dreams or hopes of the Alphaurins.
Co to think of it, there were so many who rubbed their tentacles raw, desperately begging they'd do anything if only they could return ho...
Once, there were citizens who swore they'd cherish peace for life as long as the Beta aliens vanished from the world. Those who said they had no more wishes now whisper to the glowing creatures, begging for just one more square foot of their neighbor's fields to call their own.
The hero who saw all the trends quickly ca to a conclusion.
This can't be done anymore.
It was perfect arrogance.
I can't stand it anymore.
He lost all trust in his own kind after a series of incidents. Yet, even while watching those foolish fools, he still felt the beauty of life and the universe. Before his people bleed themselves to extinction in pointless conflicts, shouldn't so one hurry up and start the [Managent]?
The total area of Alphauri. Food self-sufficiency rates by country. Theories on agricultural efficiency once announced at the academic society, etc.
Many Alphaurins died in the Great War. And the planet they live on is so vast, imnse, grand, and heavy that words can hardly describe its greatness.
With conditions like this in the world, just a little adjustnt would be enough for everyone to live quite satisfactorily.
He just needs to avoid being overly greedy.
Yeah.
And he happens to have more than enough power to punish the small number of greedy ones.
I think it would be better to do it this way!
The green young man soon made up his mind. For the greater good, so sacrifices were inevitable. Besides, he was already fed up with their incompetence—unable even to properly fend off a single invasion by neighboring robbers.
I didn't like the fact that they couldn't stop the magic tower on their own. I should take the neck of our country's leader while I'm at it.
A rebellion born of pure intent. The deep-sea creature, who thought of it with a cheerful attitude, soon made a very eerie decision.
A plan to twist and kill, by force, all the leaders of each nation who would obviously resist out of fear of losing their power—and then to rule this world using the authority thus obtained. It was rely a desire to manage his pitiful and foolish kin so that needless wars would no longer break out. He harbored not a single selfish desire.
This alone was already disturbing enough. And yet, the green man had even reached his physical pri this year. So then—who could possibly stop him?
Through this incident, I've realized that it's impossible to live on this planet while embracing all Alphaurins.
A terrifying situation.
If there's no other choice, then shouldn't I at least proceed in a direction where the overwhelming majority can find lasting happiness?
It was the mont a genius beca a disaster. With that dangerous goal firmly set, the green man passed through the waters.
But then, a certain light began to approach from ahead, toward the deep-sea dweller who had been gliding along as smoothly as a torpedo.
Hmm?
Faint, hazy, yet vividly blue in hue. It was a familiar case of bioluminescence.
Sir ▒▒-r!Hero of the Academy!I've been waiting for a long ti, but you're finally here!There it is, there it is!
A herd of mammalian livestock, commonly used for transportation on Alphauri, had suddenly appeared. Above the animals were fellow Alphaurins, firmly gripping the beasts' whiskers.
More precisely, they weren't particularly close—just Alphaurins he'd vaguely seen in passing at the Academy.
What? What brought you here?
Curious, he asked a question—and soon, an ultra-low frequency response ca back from the other side.
We've co to share in your joy!News of the enemy's cattle collapsing reached here.Tradition...Finally, you have really fulfilled all the requirents.Aren't you now officially allowed to be called an archmage?I didn't know you could achieve it so quickly.
Their appearance instantly shattered the quiet of the deep sea. And upon closer look, one of them was even holding a large, beautiful wreath in their arms.
Receiving the title of Archmage does co with various perks—state-backed authority, a stronger voice within the Academy—so it's certainly a cause for celebration for the collective.
Hmm?
A welco party was sothing he had never even imagined, so his mind montarily froze. But the feeling wasn't unpleasant. After all, how many people in this world would dislike being praised? Yes... how many, really...
_-
He suddenly felt tired.
I believed you could do it.
After a few seconds, the whale they were riding reached close by. The green archmage filled his lungs, attempting to say sothing.
Congratulations!
But the other party finished speaking a little faster, so today, like a current in the air, a quirky creature with colorful feathers all over the skin of its upper body—the part that served as its face—soon spoke.
From now on, as the proud Archmage, I warmly welco you to this place... [Indecipherable sounds or coded symbol ▒▒▒ ▒▒▒ ▒▒▒▒ ▒▒]
But unfortunately, even in a distant future after reincarnation, the genius could hardly recall the full content of the eccentric's praise that was delivered at that mont.
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Okay. That's it for the Middle Era._-The explanation that starts next will be vague overall.Yes?I'm going to start rambling on like a patient who had a lobotomy, with a lot of illogical and awkward parts._-Don't be too suspicious and just listen for now. It's simply a recomndation._-It's an intentional foreshadowing, after all._-Would you like so more green tea?_-Seonwoo Yeon, are you perhaps so bored with what I'm saying that you're falling asleep with your eyes open?No, no. It's just that it's so fresh and overwhelming it made dazed, so please don't think that way...
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