Chapter 18

The Returning Archmage Is a Max-Level Player Chapter 18

Overkill, who wielded flames.

It was the nickname given to Michael because he swept battlefields with more firepower than necessary.

Just like his nickname, Michael was considered someone specialized in battles against large armies even within the United States. His confidence was considerable as well.

That was precisely why the revelation of this ranking board came as such a tremendous shock to Michael.

Because Michael himself had once challenged the 2nd Floor Hard Mode.

The result was failure.

During the defense section, a swarm of Servant Insects reached the crystal sphere, disqualifying him from the ranking criteria.

The memory of that time was still vivid.

Racial limitations.

It was the moment he had keenly realized there was a wall that could not be broken through with simple firepower alone.

But someone had appeared who crossed that wall.

And a human, at that.

“Listed in the Hard Mode Ranking! So this was actually possible!”

Michael’s voice trembled because he could not suppress his excitement.

Noah, on the other hand, remained calm.

She was simply staring at the ranking board with cold eyes.

“It happened because it was possible.”

“Noah. You failed too, so you know how absurd the difficulty is.”

“I know. But the difficulty shouldn’t be the point.”

Noah lightly tapped the holographic window with her finger.

“What matters right now is exactly who made it onto the ranking.”

Michael was left speechless by her calm words.

Noah was right.

This was not the time to react emotionally.

They had to calmly accept what that ranking board meant.

As Michael took a deep breath and adjusted his posture, Noah spoke again.

“Private. The person receiving the most attention among Earth’s Awakened.”

“First in the tutorial. First on the 1st Floor. And first on the 2nd Floor Hard Mode...”

“A human. And the name of Earth at that, was placed at the very top of the Hard Mode ranking board that had been dominated by other races.”

Gulp-

After drinking a mouthful of cold water, Noah spoke once again.

“You probably understand better than anyone what this situation means.”

Michael’s expression hardened.

It was not simply first place in the rankings.

Humanity, which had until now been completely pushed aside in the competition against other races, had finally broken through that wall.

The repercussions were difficult even to imagine.

“Everything’s going to be overturned.”

An era where the strength of an individual Awakened directly translated into national power.

Depending on which country the Private Awakened belonged to, the international order itself could be reorganized.

“Everyone will be desperate. Not only countries like the United States, China, Russia, and Germany, but guilds that desire power and authority as well.”

“...”

“Because the country or guild that secures Private first will seize the next generation of hegemony.”

Michael’s eyes gleamed.

“Our side is going to get busy too, isn’t it?”

“That’s right. Very busy.”

A faint smile formed on Noah’s lips.

Normally, she hardly showed any emotional fluctuations, but at this moment, even she could not hide her anticipation.

“Because the Guild Master is going to move personally.”

Michael’s eyes shook violently.

Ironborne’s Guild Master.

A high ranker within the top ten of the world rankings.

Someone like that was moving personally.

And this was only the beginning.

“And we won’t be the only ones moving.”

Countries across the world. And guilds everywhere would now begin moving in earnest to secure Private.

_____________

Kim Dohyun silently stared ahead.

Because a message different from the ones before was floating there.

Ding-!!

-The condition has been fulfilled by collecting 5 Tokens of Conquest.

-The fate of the Tower guides you.

-A visit from the Wandering Merchant has been authorized.

The moment the message appeared, light began gathering in front of Kim Dohyun.

Glittering particles swirled together and formed a single shape.

About the height of an adult’s knee.

It was a stuffed rabbit doll covered in soft white fur.

What distinguished it from an ordinary rabbit doll was the neatly tailored gentleman’s suit and the monocle hanging over one eye.

And above all.

It was alive.

“Pleasure to meet you, Climber.”

The stuffed rabbit bowed politely in greeting.

Kim Dohyun lightly responded.

“Nice to meet you.”

There was no hostility.

Indeed, the rabbit doll merely began explaining its business in a matter-of-fact tone.

“I am a wanderer who travels throughout the Tower and a merchant who sells goods...!”

The rabbit doll continued its introduction, then suddenly looked surprised and burst into laughter.

“Hahaha!! I thought the pull was unusually strong, but I never imagined that a Climber on the 2nd Floor would be the one to draw me out.”

The rabbit was so excited that its small stuffed body bounced up and down, both ears standing upright.

“Allow me to properly introduce myself. My name is Lupin. It is an honor to meet someone who has proven their qualifications.”

Lupin removed his hat and pressed it to his chest.

“First, allow me to apologize. I nearly committed a discourtesy by failing to recognize an extraordinary person.”

Lupin neatly folded both ears and bowed deeply.

Then he pulled a pocket watch from the inside of his gentleman’s coat.

Click-

It was the moment the pocket watch opened.

Ding-!!

-Special Merchant Lupin acknowledges user ‘Kim Dohyun’s’ achievements and abilities.

-The Secret Shop has been opened.

[Lupin’s Secret Shop]

Spirit Contract Stone... Token of Conquest ×5

Blizzard Spellbook... Token of Conquest ×7

Stone of Servitude... Token of Conquest ×5

“This is a Secret Shop exclusively for extraordinary individuals. I gathered these items with tremendous effort, so I can confidently guarantee their quality.”

As Kim Dohyun examined Lupin’s explanation and the information floating before his eyes, a deep smile curved across his lips.

‘Even better than expected.’

His intuition had been right.

It had been worth collecting the Tokens of Conquest.

And it would not have been an exaggeration to call the items he had just seen mere appetizers.

-Broken Heart of the Dragon Lord... Token of Conquest ×100

-King’s Covenant... Token of Conquest ×75

-Star-Cleaving Sword... Token of Conquest ×80

“Incredible.”

Items were mixed throughout the list.

Some of them were things that could not be obtained through ordinary currency.

Lupin certainly had reason to take pride.

“Is it really okay to show all this so openly?”

There were items that even Kim Dohyun found tempting.

If there were someone malicious enough, they might try to take them by force, yet Lupin was displaying them with complete confidence.

Of course, it was not pure concern.

‘It’ll be hard to find another merchant like this.’

This was not only about the immediate transaction.

Since he could continue trading as long as he collected Tokens, Lupin remaining safe was considerably beneficial to Kim Dohyun as well, so he did feel some concern.

But it was needless worry.

“What you are imagining will not happen. Not only would I never recognize such rude individuals as extraordinary, but the transaction itself is conducted under the protection of the Tower. My safety is absolutely guaranteed.”

Lupin adjusted his monocle and smiled.

“In other words, showing you my Secret Shop itself is a kind of VIP treatment granted only to those who have completed my evaluation.”

“Nice.”

Kim Dohyun smiled brightly as he examined the list.

His hand stopped while scrolling down and checking each item one by one.

It was only an instant, but his pupils trembled.

‘Why is this here...?’

It was familiar.

No, it was far beyond merely familiar.

Something he had kept closest to himself and used more than anything else for fifty years.

An item that had been like a symbol of the Archmage was displayed in Lupin’s Secret Shop.

[Gloves Once Used by a Great Hero]

Grade:?? / Usage Restriction:??

Severely damaged after being left unattended for a long period while in a state of major damage.

Ever since he saw the sword made in Grundal, Thorgen’s world, he had thought there must be some kind of connection.

But he had never expected to encounter it directly.

And moreover.

It was not something commonly found.

It was his one and only ‘unique’ tool.

It was undoubtedly a good thing, but he could not accept it as purely good news.

‘The condition is too severe.’

It was barely maintaining its shape.

It was explicitly stated that the abilities it once possessed had been completely lost.

But that was only the System’s judgment. Babel’s judgment.

Kim Dohyun’s eyes gleamed as he examined the gloves.

‘I can fix this.’

The System had failed to detect it, but the unique magical circuits he had personally engraved still remained faintly.

If he restored them along those traces, he could revive the abilities.

Of course, with only two rings right now, it would not be easy.

‘But it’s only a matter of time.’

He could take his time restoring them.

No. Even emergency restoration alone would have sufficient merit for now.

-Gloves Once Used by a Great Hero... Token of Conquest ×10

“Isn’t that too expensive?”

It was a reasonable question. At present, the gloves were little more than rags.

Considering only the abilities they currently possessed, the price was absurd.

But Lupin was firm.

“That item is not a simple pair of gloves. When people’s thoughts and stories accumulate, they eventually become a myth in themselves.”

Lupin adjusted his monocle and continued.

“These gloves likewise contain a myth that loses nothing in comparison to such things. Though they have been damaged and lost their abilities, the thoughts and stories contained within are real. Among collectors, that alone is enough to grant them tremendous value.”

Kim Dohyun now understood why Lupin called himself a ‘merchant.’

He was very good at explaining things in a way that made them tempting.

Of course, even without this explanation, it did not matter.

To Kim Dohyun, this was more valuable than any other item.

The problem was the number of Tokens.

‘It’s unfortunate, but there’s no helping it.’

There was no way to obtain it right now.

Just as Kim Dohyun clicked his tongue in disappointment.

“What...!?”

Lupin’s eyes widened behind his monocle.

At the same time.

Crackle-!

Along with the sound of space distorting, sparks erupted from the holographic window floating before them.

“This cannot be!”

Even as Lupin stared in shock, the sparks grew more violent.

Crack-!

The crack engraved across the holographic window grew larger and larger before the window shattered.

At the same time.

The pocket watch emitted a powerful light, and a familiar item appeared.

‘Do you want to come back?’

As though answering Kim Dohyun’s inner thoughts, the Gloves Once Used by a Great Hero lightly resonated.

Wooooong-!

In the brief instant the resonance echoed.

Things flashed through his mind.

His trembling fingertips as he drew his first magic circle. The nights spent learning hundreds of spells. The dawn when he first earned the name of mage.

And.

The battlefields he had crossed alongside his companions.

The nights when they endured at death’s door while calling one another’s names.

The ordinary days spent laughing and talking together.

The day they saw a landscape so beautiful that even the word beautiful felt insufficient.

They had been there beside him through all of it.

To Kim Dohyun, those ‘gloves’ were not merely an object, but a collection of varied and precious memories.

Perhaps the ‘gloves’ before him felt the same way.

Swoosh-

As though they had been waiting for this reunion. The gloves immediately wrapped themselves gently around Kim Dohyun’s hands.

At the sight, Lupin burst into hearty laughter.

“Hoho... I never imagined I would witness such a precious sight with my own two eyes.”

Lupin’s expression was pure astonishment.

As though the shock still had not faded, even his hands were trembling.

“To think that an item whose value was considerable even while damaged would personally choose you. Could it be...”

Unable to continue, Lupin slowly looked at Kim Dohyun.

His gaze overflowed with awe. And curiosity.

“Perhaps, Climber, you were a hero who saved the world in the distant past.”

Lupin removed his hat and bowed deeply.

Kim Dohyun did not bother denying it.

But neither did he affirm it.

‘Hero.’

He had been called by that title, but he had never thought of himself that way.

He had simply been one person struggling desperately to survive.

So instead of answering Lupin’s words, Kim Dohyun said something else.

“But these don’t seem willing to leave my side...”

Five. He had been trying to find some compromise to make up for the five Tokens of Conquest he lacked, but Lupin shook his head.

“It is quite all right. The item has returned to its owner. How could I possibly demand payment?”

“Still...”

“Consider it the price of having the honor of receiving a noble individual.”

Lupin’s tone was firm.

His intention not to accept any payment whatsoever was clear.

“If it truly bothers you, Climber, then simply tell me your name.”

“Will that really be enough?”

“It is more than enough.”

Lupin’s attitude remained unwavering.

Kim Dohyun had seen beings with that kind of character a few times before.

They were impossible to persuade.

In the first place, there was no reason to reject something being given to him for free.

Of course, he had no intention of accepting it completely for free.

‘Goodwill for goodwill.’

It was a principle he had upheld as an Archmage.

He would not forget the goodwill shown to him now.

For the moment, he was only receiving.

But someday, he would certainly repay it in an appropriate manner.

“Kim Dohyun. That’s my name.”

“Climber Kim Dohyun. I have clearly committed it to memory.”

Lupin smiled brightly with both ears standing upright.

“Is there perhaps anything else you require?”

There were items he liked, but he lacked the Tokens.

He could purchase and use relatively inexpensive items that he could afford, but there was no particular need.

“No. For now, this one thing is enough.”

“Understood.”

Lupin nodded and closed his pocket watch.

“It was an honor to meet you.”

It was immediately after he gave his farewell.

-The 2nd Floor clear is ending.

-Returning to Earth.

As his vision gradually blurred.

Lupin slightly lifted his silk hat.

“Kim Dohyun. Someday. I look forward to meeting you again.”

With those words, his vision was covered in brilliant light.