The Archmage’s Destruction Strategy - Chapter 23

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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#023. Seven Daggers

“T-Teacher? What did you just say? You’re going to hunt the Yeojiggwi? Is that why we’re going to China?!”

The person most shocked by Sung-jun’s words was Seoa, Sung-jun’s disciple.

Of course, she knew well that Sung-jun’s destination was China, but she had never heard that Sung-jun’s purpose was to eliminate the Corrosion Entity in China.

Park Hyeon-jo, who heard Sung-jun’s story, also showed a similar reaction to Seoa.

The title ‘apocalypse-class’ given to the seven Corrosion Entities that appeared simultaneously around the world on the very day Silermantis appeared and Sung-jun’s teacher died wasn’t attached for nothing.

The ‘apocalypse-class’ Corrosion Entity that Park Hyeon-jo had confirmed with his own eyes was literally an existence strong enough for a single entity to drive all of humanity to extinction.

“Let me give you a word of advice instead of payment for the drink – give it up. That’s not something humans can kill.”

“It’s not that I’m going to kill it because I can. I’m going to kill it because I have to.”

“Do you think the Chinese Awakened didn’t kill that thing because it’s something that doesn’t need to be killed? Seo Moo-gyeol of the Nine Origin River who died that day was also a stronger warrior than you. Moreover, nearly 10,000 Awakened from Tianwu Guan were deployed to subjugate the Yeojiggwi. Over 5,000 warriors died that day alone. Are you saying you’re stronger than them?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never fought them.”

Sung-jun brought his palm toward the dying campfire.

Then the campfire that was about to go out began burning fiercely as if gasoline had been poured on it.

“But I still have to go. Even if it means going there to fight and die.”

“If you absolutely must defeat that thing, how about getting help from the South Korean government?”

At Shirasaki Miyu’s sudden interjection, Sung-jun looked at her and asked.

“From the South Korean government?”

“Actually, the biggest reason I chased after you was because I wanted to fight you, but there was one more reason. I didn’t think much of it so I forgot, but the woman who prepared food for me to come here asked me to deliver a message.”

“What message?”

“Before that, there’s something I need to confirm. That message came with a condition.”

Shirasaki Miyu paused for a moment and took a deep breath.

Then she looked at Sung-jun with cold, sunken eyes and said.

“The apocalypse-class Corrosion Entity that appeared in Seoul’s sky that day. Are you the Awakened who eliminated it?”

After thinking for a moment, Sung-jun shook his head.

Of course, it was true that he was involved in Silermantis’s sealing, but that didn’t mean he had sealed Silermantis himself.

Moreover, the concern about whether revealing that he was involved in that incident now would be a wise choice was one of the important reasons why Sung-jun was trying to hide his identity.

“No.”

“Ah, then never mind. That guy’s message was only valid if the other party was that person.”

“What if my teacher was the person who eliminated that apocalypse-class Corrosion Entity?”

“Hmm… should I tell you when the person himself said no… Well, it’s not particularly a secret, and there’s a chance you might meet the Awakened that woman is looking for…”

After thinking for a moment, she cheerfully delivered Han Suryeon’s message to the three people.

As the director of Dimension Nation, the Awakened management organization belonging to the South Korean government, she promised unlimited support to the Awakened who eliminated the apocalypse-class Corrosion Entity that appeared in Seoul.

This was a proposal that had quite significant meaning at the current point in time.

With government organizations and communication systems around the world collapsed, the support of the South Korean government, which was still functioning ‘relatively’ well as a nation, could be a very powerful force.

However, for Sung-jun, who had originally intended to solve everything with his own power alone, it wasn’t a very tempting proposal.

Whatever form of assistance the South Korean government could provide, it wouldn’t be of any help against an apocalypse-class Corrosion Entity that could drive humanity to extinction as a single entity.

‘It would be like pouring a cup of water into a massive wildfire. There might come a time when I need to ask for help, but at least not now.’

Having made that decision in his mind, Sung-jun next had to decide what to do about Shirasaki Miyu who had chased after him and Park Hyeon-jo who had escaped from China.

He had to think about how to handle this girl who would clearly continue chasing and bothering him unless he did something, and he also had to consider how to utilize Park Hyeon-jo, who currently knew the most information about the Yeojiggwi.

And after a while, having finally made his decision, Sung-jun opened his mouth toward Park Hyeon-jo, who had completely emptied the bottle of alcohol he had given him earlier and was shaking the empty bottle over his tongue.

“You said your name was Park Hyeon-jo, right? A former Tianwu Guan Awakened.”

“That’s right.”

“Let me make you a proposal.”

“I refuse.”

“Without even listening?”

“You’re going to ask me to guide you on your suicide mission, aren’t you? I’m not stupid or crazy enough to crawl back into that hell. If you want to go, go alone and die. Don’t drag innocent people into it.”

“If we defeat the Yeojiggwi, the Chinese government would give unimaginably massive rewards, wouldn’t they?”

“That’s when there was still a government. Now China is a place where everyone is too busy surviving, let alone having a government. Setting aside the monsters overflowing everywhere, they fired nuclear weapons into their own country trying to handle the situation, so radiation is overflowing everywhere.”

“Wait, the Chinese government fired nuclear weapons into their own country?”

Park Hyeon-jo smiled bitterly at Seoa’s shocked question.

“What else could they do? The Awakened forces they had painstakingly cultivated were slaughtered in an instant. The Chinese government’s judgment was that they had to succeed in eliminating the apocalypse-class Corrosion Entity even if it meant using nuclear weapons.”

Unfortunately, the nuclear attack attempted by the Chinese government only resulted in blowing up one of their own intact cities with their own hands.

The only thing that could damage the monsters from the Other World that came through dimensional gates was attacks using ‘awakening abilities.’

Absurdly, the monsters possessed the ability to ignore any powerful attack that didn’t contain awakening abilities.

Beings that would casually ignore incredibly powerful attacks like missiles or nuclear explosions, yet would be wounded even by sword attacks if they contained awakening abilities.

Those were the monsters called Corrosion Entities.

“The US government published experimental results through captured Corrosion Entities regarding that aspect. They confirmed that humanity’s existing attack methods other than awakening abilities cannot cause damage.”

“They never thought the creatures would withstand even nuclear attacks. The Chinese government was almost in a panic state too.”

“South Korea was in an incredibly good situation…”

Seoa said.

The situation in South Korea that she had seen was nothing short of paradise compared to the Chinese situation Park Hyeon-jo described.

“So I refuse the proposal. The rewards are hard to expect anyway, and I absolutely cannot believe that you could defeat the Yeojiggwi.”

At Park Hyeon-jo’s refusal, Sung-jun made a troubled expression.

Of course, there was the option of finding a new guide after arriving in China, but there was no guarantee he could find an Awakened locally who ‘had actually seen the Yeojiggwi,’ ‘was familiar with local Chinese conditions,’ was ‘an Awakened,’ and ‘spoke Korean well.’

Moreover, the form of shelter that Park Hyeon-jo had guided Sung-jun’s group to was one of the important reasons why Sung-jun liked Park Hyeon-jo.

Park Hyeon-jo’s tendency to focus purely on survival efficiency was clearly evident throughout his shelter.

‘Usually this type prioritizes their own survival above all. Conversely, that also means I never need to worry about betrayal as long as it’s advantageous for their survival.’

Of course, people with survival-centered thinking don’t necessarily avoid betrayal.

Such people are the type who wouldn’t hesitate to sell out acquaintances for their own survival.

However, what was important to Sung-jun wasn’t whether they would betray or not, but that he could predict ‘when they might betray.’

If he could just convince them that helping him would be more beneficial for their own survival, Park Hyeon-jo was exactly the type from whom he could receive the best assistance without worrying about betrayal.

After thinking for a moment, Sung-jun turned his gaze to the iron flail hanging from Park Hyeon-jo’s waist.

“Is that your weapon?”

“This? It looks pretty shabby, but if I put some internal energy into it, it’s decent enough. I left my original weapon on the battlefield the day Seo Moo-gyeol died when I ran away.”

“Could you let me see it for a moment?”

Park Hyeon-jo silently untied the iron flail from his waist and handed it to Sung-jun.

Then Sung-jun placed the iron flail on his palm and began concentrating his consciousness.

To propose a definite ‘reward’ that could guarantee the survival that Park Hyeon-jo most desperately wanted right now.

And at that moment, an incredibly complex magic circle formed around Sung-jun and began inscribing onto the iron flail in his palm like gorgeous patterns.

‘Enchantment…! What is Teacher trying to do?’

Seoa, who had received countless basic magical knowledge and classification methods from Sung-jun throughout their journey here, immediately recognized that the magic Sung-jun cast was an ‘enchantment’ type spell that imbued specific objects with magical abilities.

However, because Sung-jun’s level of casting that spell was so overwhelmingly high, her insufficient knowledge couldn’t grasp what Sung-jun was trying to do.

But she could feel through intuition rather than knowledge that Sung-jun was trying to reborn that ordinary iron flail into an ‘incredible weapon.’

“What are you doing right now…!”

“Please wait a moment! Teacher is doing important work.”

Sung-jun’s enchantment continued for a long time, embedding dozens of formulas.

And finally, when the last magical formula was carved into the handle of the iron flail, Sung-jun exhaled deeply and said to Park Hyeon-jo.

“I’ve enchanted it with a magical formula that explodes the moisture inside the struck area upon impact, causing wounds to burst open. I’ve also added an automatic retrieval spell that makes it fly to your palm when you reach out even from a distance, durability enhancement techniques, and life absorption spells that heal the weapon owner’s wounds by absorbing the life force of struck opponents.”

“What… what did you just say…”

“I’m not well-versed enough with Tianwu Guan warriors to say for certain, but with this weapon alone, Park Hyeon-jo of the Four Origin River should be able to gain enough strength to fight and defeat warriors of at least the Seven Origin River level.”

“Is… is such a thing really possible?”

“After all, while magic may not be omnipotent, it’s at least versatile enough.”

Park Hyeon-jo received the iron flail Sung-jun was holding with trembling hands.

It was covered with magic circles emitting a subtle blue light like a legendary weapon from a game.

“By the way, if you don’t know the activation words, that’s just an ordinary iron flail.”

Watching Park Hyeon-jo’s conflicted expression as he held the enchanted iron flail, Sung-jun drove the point home.

“I won’t ask you to help fight the Yeojiggwi. Just provide guidance and information, and I’ll tell you the activation words.”

“Let me ask one thing. If what you’re saying is true, you’ve just turned an ordinary iron flail into relic-grade equipment managed by nations. Why are you so obsessed with the Yeojiggwi that you’d give me something so precious?”

“The red iron chain that Seo Moo-gyeol of the Nine Origin River used, the ‘Blood Chain,’ probably had seven small daggers embedded in it.”

“That’s a famous story. No matter how strong and massive a Corrosion Entity was, it would collapse just from grazing those blade edges because of the deadly poison coating them.”

“That’s not poison. It’s a type of curse created through magic.”

Sung-jun spoke as if he knew that weapon well.

“That dagger is a relic created by the previous master, something I cannot make even with my current abilities. It’s an item I must obtain in order to eliminate the remaining Corrosion Entities.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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