The Archmage’s Destruction Strategy - Chapter 92

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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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#092. Dungeon Master

‘Like a scene from Terminator 2. Except the moving liquid is gray instead of silver.’

The flesh of the monsters that had collapsed like clay began gathering in one place, starting to form a single massive shape.

The opponent that eventually revealed itself had a form all too familiar to Sung-jun.

“After collecting all the data from inside dungeons since I arrived in Japan, what you created in the end is plagiarism?”

“Sh-shut up! The ultimate goal of battle is victory alone. I simply calculated the optimal efficiency for that purpose!”

Ignoring the flustered protesting voice, Sung-jun began analyzing the monster that appeared to be an exact copy of himself.

‘An artificial mage created to counter magic? You crammed in every magic-related artifact you had.’

It seemed like all the spell-related artifacts inside Pandora’s Box had been gathered and stuffed into its body.

Of course, all those artifacts couldn’t physically fit inside a human-sized body, so it was a mage-type monster created with magic circuits connected to subspace that could extract only the abilities rather than the actual items, allowing it to use the magic spells contained in the artifacts as needed.

‘A mirror match, huh. This should be interesting.’

Sung-jun thought that no matter how many artifacts were in the treasure trove, it would be impossible to fully implement all the vast magic he could use.

More importantly, spells like Void Spear were original spells he had created himself after Pandora’s Box was made, so it would be impossible for an opponent who could only use magic available through artifacts to use the same spells.

With that judgment, Sung-jun immediately summoned Void Spear, a spell he expected his opponent couldn’t copy, and fired it toward where the enemy stood.

“Void Spear!”

“Void Spear!”

-Kwaaaaang!!!-

Surprisingly, the moment Sung-jun summoned his magic circle to fire Void Spear, the same type of magic circle appeared behind his opponent, and a hypersonic metal pillar was launched toward Sung-jun’s position.

As the two metal pillars collided at invisible speeds, creating a massive explosion whose recoil shook the entire interior of the dungeon, Sung-jun stared with surprised eyes at his opponent who had blocked his spell with Void Spear.

‘This is my original spell created after Pandora’s Box was made. But why is there an artifact that uses Void Spear inside Pandora’s Box?’

Sung-jun’s magic eyes, which could grasp everything from activation principles to mana flow just by observing a technique, began reverse-engineering the technique his opponent used at a terrifying speed.

Having completed his analysis in an instant, Sung-jun could conclude that the Void Spear his opponent used had the same result as his own Void Spear, but operated on different principles.

‘A fake Void Spear created by sequentially activating dozens of artifacts that can produce similar effects. If I had to describe it, it’s a degraded version.’

Sung-jun called his opponent’s Void Spear a degraded version because, unlike his Void Spear which could activate multiple instances simultaneously if prepared in advance, the magic his opponent used could only activate one Void Spear at a time.

However, he couldn’t dismiss it just because it was a degraded version, since unlike the original which activated as a spell, this was implemented using artifact powers that even civilians who weren’t mages could use, so despite being instant activation, its completion speed surpassed that of Void Spear.

Moreover, even though it was a degraded version, its power was by no means inferior to Void Spear, so Sung-jun sent all 25,000 of his pre-summoned undead legion back to subspace.

Even the skeleton legion, which could regenerate infinitely as long as their cores weren’t destroyed, risked having their core areas completely shattered if caught in a Void Spear attack.

He didn’t want to expose his undead legion, which couldn’t be immediately resupplied once destroyed, to the risk of mass destruction.

“A wise decision. The Skeleton Soldiers are strong, but they would have difficulty withstanding such overwhelming destructive power.”

Argen commented as he watched the skeleton legion being reverse-summoned to subspace.

“Will you two go in as well?”

“We’re fine. The destructive power of the spell you just used could certainly threaten us, but it’s not unavoidable.”

“Alright. Still, just in case, stay in a safe location. It looks like I’ll need to fight more seriously from now on.”

Seeing Sung-jun spread both hands and take a combat stance, Argen and Karcerion simultaneously teleported to the rear.

“You still seem full of fighting spirit, but let me warn you in advance – the magic you’re so proud of is useless before me. Whatever magic you use, I’ll copy it instantly. If we keep repeating the same spells against each other, my side will be advantageous since I have an overwhelming amount of available power. Hehehehe. This battle is my victory.”

Hearing the confident voice of the Dungeon Master, Sung-jun spoke.

“A mage’s strength isn’t determined by circles alone. That’s what my late Teacher used to say like a mantra.”

-The level of circles indicates the number of spells you can use. But using more spells doesn’t necessarily make you stronger. A mage’s strength depends not on what spells you can use, but on how appropriately you use spells in each situation.

As if echoing like a hallucination, his Teacher’s teachings resonated in Sung-jun’s ears.

“By properly setting traps, calculating timing, and using necessary spells, even a lower circle mage can eliminate a higher circle mage. That’s why strength between mages is determined by combat experience, not circles.”

“Combat experience? Even so, that’s my victory. Sorry, but since D-day, I’ve gained countless combat experiences through life-or-death battles with every adventurer and monster existing in Japan. That even includes your experience when fighting as a mage. On the other hand, you have almost no experience fighting mages, right?”

“That’s correct. Since there were no mages at a similar level to me to begin with, I’d say I had almost no opportunities to fight mages. Conversely, you’ve continuously fought against me through monsters, so it wouldn’t be unreasonable to say you have more combat experience against mages.”

“Exactly. Even now, all the data about what spell you’ll use next and which direction you’ll move is being implemented as experience in my head.”

“Interesting. It’s certainly true that I have little experience fighting fellow mages.”

Hearing Sung-jun’s words, the Dungeon Master internally shouted in victory.

‘I knew my thinking was right! Since there were no humans on Earth who could use magic, there would have been no situations dealing with mages at all! A mage-type monster with the same abilities plus superior combat experience should be able to defeat that guy sufficiently.’

The problem was that despite hearing the situation, Sung-jun’s expression still overflowed with composure.

Rather, with an expression as if he had been hoping for this situation, Sung-jun opened his mouth.

“But that’s about reality.”

“What do you mean?”

“The only way for a mage who can’t use magic to conduct combat training is to fight against mages of equal level created within a world constructed through imagination.”

Despite having theoretically mastered countless spells but being unable to cast them before D-day, Sung-jun had no choice but to fight in an imaginary world he created to fill the combat experience he lacked most.

Fighting imaginary duels against a virtual version of himself that could use all the magic he was currently capable of using.

This wasn’t simply vague imagination like ‘if I were to fight myself, I’d fight like this’ in his head, but rather mage-exclusive ‘shadow boxing’ that performed simulation-like combat based on all the specs of his virtually implemented self.

‘How should one fight to stop an opponent who uses teleportation to escape danger zones simultaneously with casting offensive spells?’

‘If an opponent uses magic that blocks spatial movement to prevent evasive actions, how should one counter?’

‘How should offensive spells be operated to defeat an opponent who casts protective spells with absolute defensive power?’

‘How should one counter to defeat a mage who uses illusion magic to prevent target recognition?’

It was like an endless rock-paper-scissors game challenging oneself reflected in a mirror.

To win against a virtual self that could use completely identical spells, it was necessary to shatter the very ‘flow of battle’ the opponent was trying to establish by consecutively using spells the opponent couldn’t predict.

Since magic that couldn’t be used in reality due to insufficient mana could be freely implemented in the imaginary world, Sung-jun spent most of his free time when not studying spells fighting against his imaginary self.

And the count of that endless rock-paper-scissors that always ended in draws recorded over 200,000 battles in terms of numbers alone.

“You said I have almost no experience fighting mages? Sorry, but one of my hobbies was fighting my imaginary self with magic. From the day I first learned an offensive spell until now, I’ve fought over hundreds of thousands of battles in my imagination. And my opponent was always a mage of the same level as myself.”

Smiling with excitement at being able to actually experience the ‘duels between mages’ he had only done in imagination, Sung-jun extended his hand.

“Come at me. Let me test how strong the ‘mage’ you created really is.”

***

-Bang! Kwabang! Kwakwakwabang! Kwabang!-

In a battlefield where only explosive sounds could be heard without seeing the main bodies, the mage-type monster created by the Dungeon Master frantically repeated spatial movement.

Then, explosive magic circles that had been planted in advance at the location where it appeared after completing spatial movement activated, instantly shattering the mage-type monster’s main body.

-Kwaaaaang!!-

‘Damn it!’

The Dungeon Master wasn’t just taking it lying down either.

The moment he recognized that Sung-jun was laying invisible explosive magic circles everywhere, he immediately mobilized artifact powers that could use that magic to lay explosive magic everywhere himself.

However, unlike the Dungeon Master who had to take the full impact of explosions while attempting spatial movement directly, Sung-jun sent illusion-made duplicates just before spatial movement to trigger the explosive magic circles targeting him first.

‘He’s copying that method too!’

Seeing how Sung-jun countered the explosive magic circles, the Dungeon Master immediately summoned illusions to locations where he intended to teleport as well.

Then he attempted spatial movement to a confirmed safe area, timing it with when the explosive magic circles detonated.

-Kwaaaaang!-

“Kraaaak! Why!?”

“I showed you the countermeasure, so would I use the same method twice? The moment I showed you the countermeasure, I laid new explosive magic circles that don’t activate on illusions.”

Watching Sung-jun kindly explain even the response method, the Dungeon Master frowned but immediately laid explosive magic circles that only responded to life signatures as Sung-jun had described.

Then Sung-jun took corn from subspace, rapidly grew it into Corn Soldiers, and teleported them first.

-Kwaaaaang!!!-

“Uaaaak!!!”

“I told you. When an opponent shows you their countermeasure, you need to think of the next step and move accordingly.”

Sung-jun was completely toying with his opponent.

He used lightning rods to forcibly redirect electrical magic and discharge it, then used spatial movement to embed metal pillars in his opponent’s body to electrocute them, and when spatial movement blocking magic stopped the metal pillars, he made tens of thousands of metal needles coated with adhesive rain down to electrocute his opponent.

Having to respond to his opponent’s combat methods that showcased new magic every time – just how many types of magic could he use? – the Dungeon Master’s head was suffering from splitting headaches.

‘I was completely wrong. The opponent this human could fight best against was precisely a mage with the same abilities.’

Though he could have endured damage and fought endlessly if he wanted, the Man gave up further resistance and stopped in place.

Even if he resisted until the moment his existence was annihilated after consuming all points, it didn’t seem like he could possibly defeat the mage before his eyes.

Seeing the mage-type monster stop resisting, Sung-jun also stopped his attacks.

“Giving up already?”

“I acknowledge it. The choice to oppose a mage of your level with magic was itself a mistake.”

“Then acknowledge your defeat and obediently hand over Pandora’s Box.”

“Sorry, but that won’t happen. The real owner of this dungeon isn’t me, but someone else.”

“…As I thought.”

It was a fact Sung-jun had expected to some degree.

The forms of the countless monsters that had appeared in the current dungeon, the structure of how the dungeon operated, and the patterns of monsters attacking adventurers – all aspects contained sensibilities that brought ‘humans’ to mind.

The dungeon world implemented like a game had an excessively human-centered structure.

“So you were a human who became a minion of the Corrosion Entity.”

“I too had no choice but to make that decision in order to survive.”

“I won’t condemn you. Since you’ve been defeated by me anyway, you’ll meet the same fate as the adventurers who died before you.”

“…I suppose I can’t bring myself to beg for my life.”

Sung-jun nodded and spoke.

“Instead, I’ll make sure to get proper revenge for them.”

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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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