The Archmage’s Swordsmanship Is Too Strong - Chapter 11

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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11
Episode 11. Ecosystem Disruptor
***
Guild Invictus.
This organization, bearing the grandiose Latin name meaning “the unconquered,” translates in my memory into a single word: cancer.
I’m certain they’re the primary culprits behind setting back the Republic of Korea’s Hunter ecosystem by at least a decade—or perhaps half a century.
They were obsessed with Mana Stones.
Not merely greedy for money, but rather parasites sucking the lifeblood from the nation itself.
They weaponized capital, hoarding every promising talent that emerged, and crushed any rival guild the moment they showed signs of growth.
Strangling them to death.
The damage was catastrophic.
Eight out of every ten S-Rank Hunters in Korea belonged to Invictus, yet when a major Gate opened, they simply pulled out their calculators.
If the profit margins didn’t add up, they wouldn’t mobilize. Instead, they made a habit of trolling raids that other guilds were already attempting to clear.
The decisive blunder came at the Demon Wyvern extermination battle.
When humanity had to unite against Zephyros, they retreated to the rear lines under the pretense of preserving their strength.
The moment the strongest spear should have been fell into hiding behind shields, the entire front line crumbled.
Even as Blade Guild was annihilated and my brother was dying, they were probably somewhere else checking Mana Stone market prices.
Meanwhile, the delighted man keeps chattering away.
“Even Guild Invictus came, and they practically never show up for things like this.”
“…”
“Oh, and look over there. It’s not just Invictus—lots came. The Guardians, even the Arang Guild···.”
The man was right.
The area around the platform was crowded with scouts dispatched from various guilds.
It’s rare to see this kind of lineup at a standard Hunter examination ground.
The admission fee wasn’t cheap, yet they’d descended like a pack of hyenas catching a scent.
Was there a big prospect among the 25th batch?
I have no memory of one.
Is this too a consequence of a world without Kang Tae-yoon?
In any case, that prospect could be me, or it could be someone else entirely.
What matters is how I appear in their eyes.
Appetizing prey? Or a bone stuck in the throat?
Crack.
A burst of static from the speaker cut through my thoughts.
“Attention, everyone! We have thirty-six dropouts. Current remaining candidates: forty.”
The Association examiner’s voice echoed across the space.
Dozens had packed their bags over a single liability waiver.
A wise decision.
You can’t enter a Gate without proper resolve.
“Drones will be positioned above the Test Ground to capture you from multiple angles. Your spirit of cooperation, combat sense, crisis management—everything will be quantified. Don’t worry about the cameras. Focus on surviving.”
Whirrrr—
The sound of whirring propellers filled the air overhead.
Dozens of drones hung suspended in the sky like a swarm of insects.
“Once you’ve finished equipment checks, assemble at Building A Gate 1!”
The candidates moved as one.
Tension was written into every footstep.
Some drew deep breaths; others made the sign of the cross.
Each carried their own story, their own desperation.
But a Gate cares nothing for such circumstances.
‘Let’s go.’
I tightened my grip on the rough handle of the Training Sword.
My heartbeat settled into a calm, steady rhythm.
Second real combat test since the Regression.
Time to prove myself.
Crrrrreeeak—
With the grinding sound of corroded gears interlocking, a massive green iron door swung open.
From the darkness beyond came a sharp, earthy forest smell, washing over me all at once.
***
Kreeeeeeeeak.
Beyond the iron door lay an entirely different world.
The concrete floor vanished, replaced by a primeval forest carpeted with ankle-high undergrowth and damp leaf litter.
Artificial sunlight streamed down from the ceiling, but the humidity and smell were indistinguishable from a real Gate.
‘They spent some money on this.’
It was true to international standard Test Ground specifications.
Not merely a set, but an artificial ecosystem with adjusted Mana concentration.
They’d built Test Grounds with this kind of craftsmanship until ten years ago.
“We’re dividing into groups of ten! Group C, this way!”
The staff’s shout split the crowd.
I was swept along into the Group C waiting line.
The order didn’t matter anyway.
The monsters would try to kill us all equally.
“Well, would you look at that! We meet again? This must be fate. Heh heh heh.”
A familiar voice.
I turned, and there was the man in the green training suit, grinning warmly.
A stubborn connection.
Not a welcome one.
“I didn’t expect we’d be in the same group.”
“Right? Look, we didn’t even exchange names properly. I’m Lee Seong-chan.”
“Kim Do-jin.”
He offered his hand.
His palm was thick and rough when I gripped it.
Calluses were embedded like medals across his skin.
Not simple gym-built muscle.
Real muscle, forged through actual training.
“I used to do weightlifting, you see. I’m confident with strength. I’ll tank the goblins and the small fry, so you just cast your magic spells from the back.”
“I see.”
“I’m solid on tanking!~ Want to team up with me?”
“No.”
“Come on, relax! Just relax!”
Lee Seong-chan knocked the two Small Shields strapped to his arms together.
An unusual setup.
Most people would carry a single large shield.
His eyes were wide and bright.
I decided to ask the question he wanted.
“You have two shields.”
“Curious, aren’t you? Ah, you must be. This is my secret technique. You’ll see once we get started!”
He winked while announcing mysteries I hadn’t asked about.
Excessive charm.
But unlike before, it wasn’t off-putting. His gaze was clear.
It was a rare type to see in a place like this.
I liked people whose insides matched their outsides.
“Shit. This is fucking loud, seriously.”
A sharp voice cut through from the front of the line.
The atmosphere chilled as if someone had thrown cold water on it.
A young man with dyed yellow hair and piercings dangling from his ears was glaring at us.
“What, you here for a field trip? Shut your damn mouth.”
Sparks rippled at the thug’s fingertips.
Whoosh.
A well-formed Fireball.
The Mana output of an early 2nd Circle.
‘High level for a test-taker.’
He was acting out because he had something to fall back on.
It was a provocation with grounds.
In truth, Lee Seong-chan had been rather loud.
I could feel my own ears ringing from standing next to him.
But casting magic with overt killing intent like that—he’d crossed a line.
Magic should only ever be directed at monsters.
With a twitch of one finger, I could reverse the Mana flow at his fingertips.
Make him cough blood and writhe on the floor.
For just a moment, that impulse rose in me.
Thud.
Lee Seong-chan scratched the back of his head awkwardly, then walked toward the thug.
The difference in build was overwhelming.
Lee Seong-chan was a towering figure over 190 centimeters tall, while the thug was diminutive.
The shadow alone cast from above would have been intimidating, yet the hooligan wasn’t cowed—he fed the flames higher.
“What, why? Want me to burn out an eye for you?”
One spark away from ignition.
But Lee Seong-chan’s response defied expectation.
“Oh dear, I’m so sorry! When I get nervous I tend to talk too much, don’t I? I must have been quite loud.”
He bowed his torso ninety degrees.
It didn’t read as servile.
Rather, it was the manner of an adult soothing a child’s tantrum.
A sincere apology, yes—but underneath ran an undercurrent of ‘you have every right to be upset,’ delivered with such ease it disarmed.
……
The thug was thrown off balance instead.
He’d expected a fight back, but the lowered head had stolen his steam.
He clicked his tongue and dimmed the flames.
“If you know better, then shut up. Seriously, you’re so distracting.”
“Of course, I’ll be more careful. Best of luck on your test!”
Lee Seong-chan grinned and turned back, flashing me a wink.
I took another look at him.
The thug might have higher Mana readings, but in terms of depth of character—Lee Seong-chan was overwhelming.
The art of avoiding needless emotional waste, of not poisoning the test’s atmosphere.
That’s what a real Tank looks like.
He had the makings of a leader too.
The makings of a fine Hunter.
If only he’d talk less.
“Group C, enter! You start immediately!”
Beep—!
The starter signal sounded with the buzzer.
“Let’s gooooo!”
“Get out of the way! I’m going first!”
People spilled out in a flood.
They charged at full speed, as if running a hundred-meter dash.
The compulsion to grab early points, the anxiety to claim the best positions first—these drove them forward.
Shoulders jostled against shoulders; some even tripped others outright.
Fighting each other before they’d even faced a monster.
Lee Seong-chan’s fists clenched tight.
“Kim Do-jin! We should go too! We’ll fall behind if we don’t!”
“Go ahead. I need to tie my laces.”
I pretended to adjust my shoelaces, deliberately hanging back.
Lee Seong-chan’s expression flickered with confusion, but the momentum swept him along and he ran off with the rest.
“Yes, yes! Fighting spirit! See you later!”
His figure vanished into the forest.
I was alone.
Quiet settled around me.
“I used to run like that too.”
A Gate isn’t a first-come-first-served race.
Charging in blind is like walking straight into the demon’s mouth of your own volition.
The forest ahead isn’t just a simple meadow.
The examiners surely wouldn’t have cleared a path out of kindness.
Bang!
Kaboom!
Exactly as expected.
Explosions and screams erupted from deeper in the woods.
Those who’d stepped on the Mana Mines scattered at the forest’s entrance were catching it.
“Aaaaahhh! My leg!”
“P-please, someone help!”
Agonized cries rose with acrid smoke billowing upward.
The charred stench of burning flesh drifted sharp and bitter.
Cruel, perhaps—but this too was part of the test.
A filter that strains away impatience.
Those who aren’t prepared should pack their bags and leave.
Otherwise they’ll only get themselves killed in a real Gate.
I lifted my head slowly, observing the forest.
Sunlight filtering through the leaves, the damp smell of moss.
And a sticky sensation against my skin.
‘Mana density.’
I opened my palm and swept through the ambient Mana.
Whoosh.
The resistance caught at my fingertips was heavy.
Like walking through water—a pressing weight.
“…It’s thick.”
Far denser than a typical low-rank Gate.
Before the Regression, the Test Ground had diluted the Mana density for beginners’ safety.
But ten years ago was different.
The Gate’s wildness remained intact.
Their stumbling wasn’t merely from the traps.
Their minds were drunk on Mana, their judgment clouded.
‘All the better.’
Dense Mana concentration meant stronger magic.
A poison to beginners, but for me—one who wielded Mana freely—the perfect stage.
The very air here was fuel for me.
Five minutes had passed.
The screams had begun to fade.
Time to move.
“Synchronization.”
A low hum.
I spun the Mana Core near my heart.
Mana flowed through my veins, converting into Aura.
Fine sparks scattered across my entire body.
But there was no severe pain.
Thanks to the optimization process at the altar, the fusion of Mana and Aura flowed as naturally as water.
‘Smooth.’
Before, it had felt like a stiff gear grinding by force; now it was like an engine coated in premium lubricant—seamless.
My Mana Circuit no longer resisted the Aura. It accepted it.
A newly installed operating system and hardware achieving perfect compatibility.
Like a well-oiled machine, muscle and Mana meshed perfectly.
My body felt weightless as a feather.
Gone was the creaking I’d experienced at Donggulung.
Whoosh.
I tensed the soles of my feet.
I sent Aura down through my soles.
The repulsive force pushing off the ground.
“Haste.”
A high-pitched shriek.
Wind erupted around me.
An acceleration spell coiled through the air around my body.
Not mere wind.
A fluid-dynamic barrier that eliminated air resistance and assisted movement.
The surrounding landscape blurred and warped.
The reinforced strength granted by Aura, combined with the thrust of acceleration magic.
A combination made possible by my unique trait: the Tree of Sephiroth.
Preparations were complete.
I took my first step into the forest.
In that instant, the wind followed.
It wrapped around my ankles, brushed my calves, and gently lifted my body’s balance.
My movement had changed.
The sensation of touching the ground had become far lighter.
As if my weight had diminished, my feet found the path first.
My legs were no longer what they had been.
As swift as an agile rogue.
No—swifter still than that.

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