The Wizard Who Endured the World of Murim - Chapter 79

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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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Surviving in the Martial Realm as a Mage: Episode 79
During my journey with the Hero to slay the Demon King.
It wasn’t as though we only fought the Demon Clan.
The fallen ones.
Those who had sold their souls to the Demon Clan, served them faithfully.
And willingly offered their own kin as sacrifices—dealing with them was also one of the Hero’s primary duties.
“My heart feels heavy.”
Charred corpses.
Walking between the scattered remains of torn bodies.
The Hero’s party buried the pitiful children and women who had been offered as sacrifices.
Trevallion gazed upon this gruesome spectacle and actually considered it fortunate in some respects.
Perhaps this righteous Hero could finally come to understand the darkest aspects of humanity.
But.
“I hate the Demon Clan for corrupting humans like this. It’s all their fault.”
“….”
Because humans are weak.
I had tried to tell him that they brought this upon themselves through their own corruption.
Yet the Hero understood nothing.
It wasn’t that he was willfully ignoring the truth—he simply didn’t think in that direction at all.
‘A being who stands solely on humanity’s side, advocating only for human interests.’
Without a shred of doubt or suspicion in that conviction.
This is precisely who the Hero Alexid Graim is.
‘Conversely.’
The Demon King standing at the opposite pole would be one who advocates solely for the Demon Clan’s interests.
As it should be.
I found it strange how these two great forces of the world maintained such consistent, opposing positions.
Even among the humans I knew, there were countless who betrayed their own kind without hesitation, even selling their own children to strangers without a second thought.
Yet somehow, only the Demon King and the Hero.
Possessed attitudes so simplistic and uniform that anyone could recognize them.
‘As if someone standing apart, observing from a distance, disliked complexity.’
When my thoughts reached that point.
Manmulsang appeared before me, wearing a wide-brimmed hat, waving his hands broadly left and right.
“Greetings! Is there anything you might need?”
“Welcome, Manmulsang! Quite hot weather we’re having, isn’t it?”
The Hero, drenched in human blood, smiled brightly and waved back in return.
The two of them laughed cheerfully amidst this pile of corpses, exchanging pleasantries.
This sight transcended mere strangeness—it felt genuinely grotesque.
Observing their encounter, I slowly turned my head, wondering if perhaps I was the strange one, and looked around.
Then I caught sight of the Young Priest, the High Elf, and the Dwarf King, all wearing clouded expressions.
I exhaled in great relief.
“Thank goodness. I was perfectly sane.”
“I cannot agree with that statement in the slightest. You are a madman, Trevallion. Why not seek refuge with the Goddess now and regain your senses, walking the path toward glory?”
“You mad bastard. Don’t you realize you’re the craziest one here?”
“Hehehehe, quite right! I am mad for the Goddess! Born beneath her divine image, destined to be buried beneath it when I die—a man devoted to her! Oh! What glory this is! Across the Nasri River we shall meet~ where our Goddess dwells~”
As the Young Priest suddenly convulsed into hymn-singing, I clicked my tongue and wiped the sticky bloodstains from my face.
Unlike battles with the Demon Clan.
Clashes with humans always left a bitter aftertaste.
Something felt unsettling, and guilt gnawed at me.
I found myself curious and posed a question to the High Elf.
“Do you feel disgusted when you kill your own kind, old man?”
“There you go again, spouting useless drivel the moment you open your mouth, you fool.”
“This isn’t mockery—I’m genuinely curious. Surely I’m allowed to wonder? You could just answer, so why react so sensitively?”
“Now I’m curious what’s inside that skull of yours. Would you show me by opening it up? How presumptuous.”
“…I was wrong. I was careless.”
“I’m somewhat surprised you still possess the intelligence to realize that, you imbecile.”
I raised both hands.
This High Elf elder delighted in pressing his advantage once he had it, and I realized I’d carelessly provoked him.
I needed to surrender as quickly as possible with a gesture.
The High Elf still seemed to have more to say, grumbling.
But he refrained from hurling further insults.
Meanwhile.
Manmulsang approached after concluding some transaction with the Hero, rubbing his hands together eagerly.
“Do our esteemed customers need anything? As I mentioned, we have everything prepared. And as I said before, I extend credit based on trust!”
As Manmulsang drew near with his hat pulled low, the High Elf swiftly retreated.
The Dwarf King also quietly relocated to a distant spot.
From their behavior, it was clear the elders knew something about Manmulsang.
Only the Young Priest and I remained.
“What goods do you have? I need to know what’s available before I buy anything.”
As I spoke, Manmulsang’s teeth gleamed brightly beneath the brim of his hat.
“First, I must say we have everything. The Ancient-grade Dragon Heart our valued customer ordered last time has just arrived in stock. And we possess all manner of other goods, so please simply name what you desire!”
“Payment like last time?”
“Yes, yes. You need only sign a simple contract document.”
Manmulsang sold all sorts of goods, but preferred transactions that didn’t involve money.
How does one sell things without money?
What he accepted wasn’t currency.
“I shall accept something of value precious to you, esteemed customer. The terms are remarkably generous—precisely one year! Within that time, I shall collect something of equivalent worth!”
How would he collect it?
Even I didn’t know the method.
But I was certain of one thing.
This creature would absolutely extract proper payment through some means or another.
So there was something unsettling about it, but items like an Ancient Dragon’s Dragon Heart were things that could never be obtained on the open market anyway.
When an opportunity like this arose, I had no choice but to buy it unconditionally.
It was an essential material for an elixir I’d need to advance to the 8th Circle in the future.
Of course, since the 8th Circle was still uncharted territory, I couldn’t be certain.
Regardless, right now it was my only lead, so I had no choice but to give whatever price was demanded for it.
After receiving the Dragon Heart and signing the document Manmulsang presented to me,
I looked at Manmulsang and asked casually.
“By the way, could you possibly procure the Goddess’s Staff?”
“The Goddess’s Staff? What is that, exactly?”
For the first time, Manmulsang wore an expression of genuine bewilderment.
At that, I glanced sideways at the Young Priest beside me and blurted out,
“Something made from the Goddess’s bones. Ideally, a femur would be best.”
“Y-you sacrilegious wretch! How dare you utter such blasphemous nonsense!”
Whether the Young Priest’s face flushed crimson as he had a fit or not,
I casually caught him as he rushed at me in fury and hurled him aside.
As he charged again, I pushed him away to the side with steady pressure, all while keeping my gaze on Manmulsang.
“So, think you can get it?”
….
I watched as he stood motionless, seemingly lost in thought.
I too remained still, observing him carefully.
I really did need more information about this one.
I was worried about the price, but there was no helping it.
Up until now, I’d had to sacrifice quite a lot to peel back layer after layer and approach the truth of his nature.
‘It’s still manageable.’
A contract requiring me to give my most precious possession within a year?
It was worth doing.
I still didn’t know what I’d gain in the future.
Honestly, I didn’t expect to receive anything as valuable as the Dragon Heart.
‘Or perhaps… would he take something like the Demon King’s heart?’
My heart sank.
If I could capture the Demon King within a year?
If I actually managed to capture him,
would I have to surrender his heart?
‘That would be a shame, though.’
No, wait.
Even so, the Demon King’s eyes or horns—
things like that exist too, so wouldn’t it be fine?
As I was turning my head after finally subduing the Young Priest with a wrestling technique, pinning him down,
Manmulsang, who had been staring into the void and intently calculating something, finally drew a thin smile across his lips and opened his mouth.
Crack—!
He clapped his hands together, beaming at Trevallion with unbridled joy.
“I can procure it, esteemed customer! It’s extraordinarily difficult, but I assure you—I can obtain it!”
“As expected! I knew I could count on you!”
“Hehe, fulfilling your requests is the sole source of joy for Manmulsang!”
“Now that’s what I call true professional pride!”
The moment Trevallion heard Manmulsang’s affirmation, an electric thrill coursed through his spine.
And he became certain.
‘This creature can traverse time itself.’
Not merely space.
Time too was a barrier this being could transcend.
‘The Goddess has been dead for thousands of years already.’
Whether this was truly the case, I couldn’t say.
The Goddess’s devoted followers.
According to the Priesthood’s account, at least.
The Goddess, once human, perished millennia ago.
Through her sublime sacrifice, peace descended upon the world.
So the scriptures proclaimed.
Yet one could procure a staff fashioned from the femur of a Goddess dead for so long?
I had no idea whether such an object even existed in this world.
Likely it did not.
Under that assumption, I had simply cast out this request on a whim.
It was merely an attempt to discover evidence that Manmulsang possessed truly omnipotent, god-like abilities.
‘But if this creature truly can traverse time?’
My assessment of it required elevation.
To transcend both time and space.
That was power bordering on omniscience—the very authority of divinity itself.
And.
‘Moreover, it claims it can procure the Goddess’s body without the slightest difficulty.’
Not just anyone.
The target is the Goddess herself.
I knew not which timeline it would traverse to extract the Goddess’s femur and fashion it into a staff.
But one thing was now certain—this creature surpassed even the Goddess.
“Then I shall bring the item when we meet next time, esteemed customer! Ugh! But I’m so terribly sorry I cannot hand over the merchandise on the spot each time! It’s truly shameful! For Manmulsang to be unable to deliver—this is a profound humiliation!”
“Don’t worry about it. The fact that you can procure it at all is remarkable enough.”
“Yes, yes, but you see, esteemed customer.”
Manmulsang clutched his head in self-reproach for a moment.
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, a thin smile played across his lips as he spoke.
“This item carries an extraordinarily steep price. I trust you’re aware.”
“Hmm….”
Indeed.
There’s no helping it.
A staff crafted from the Goddess’s femur.
Just the name alone is absurdly violent.
If one actually witnessed it?
That Young Priest pinned beneath me right now would certainly come foaming at the mouth in a frenzy.
For beings like them, it would be a sacred relic they wouldn’t dare even gaze upon.
“Then I shall see you next time, esteemed customer! You always ignite my competitive spirit and drive to achieve!”
Manmulsang spoke thus while gesturing, then vanished.
No matter how absurd the request.
That monster always delivers.
As I watched Manmulsang dissolve into the sunlight like melting snow.
The High Elf who had been standing some distance away approached and spoke.
“Where did you throw away the advice I gave you before, you fool? I told you never to make any deals with that monster!”
“I know. But the old man said I should investigate that creature myself, didn’t he? Or answer my questions directly.”
“…There’s nothing I can tell you about that thing, you absolute idiot.”
“Heh, so the Elf elder is bound too, and the Dwarf elder as well. Restrictions—that’s why the Immortal Race is so inconvenient.”
The High Elf said nothing more and closed his mouth.
The Dwarf King who had drawn near offered no particular words either.
He simply gazed at the moth-like human with complicated eyes.
Then the Dwarf King spoke bluntly.
“Curiosity kills the cat.”
“What?”
“You’ll pay a great price one way or another, eventually.”
Who wouldn’t know that?
But I cannot resist curiosity.
A being standing before my eyes that could make even the Demon King—no, the Hero and Demon King alike—seem insignificant.
Compared to that creature called Manmulsang, the Demon King and Hero are nothing but dust.
And I can plainly see someone riding atop my head.
To turn away from that and content myself with the puppet theater unfolding before my eyes?
That was not befitting of Trevallion.
‘I will uncover the truth of this world.’
One who pursues the truth of existence itself.
That was precisely who the Archmage Trevallion was.
Across my blood-stained face, a smile touched with madness grew ever sharper.

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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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