Chapter 20

The Returning Archmage Is a Max-Level Player Chapter 20

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He did not want to waste the two days remaining until Babel’s reentry cooldown ended.

So the place Kim Dohyun headed to was.

The public hunting ground.

‘Monsters that could attack from anywhere. Surroundings that changed from moment to moment.’

There was no better place to sharpen his combat instincts and make thorough preparations for clearing the Tower.

There was even the definite reward of securing Mana Cores.

Indeed, the public hunting ground was proving quite helpful to Kim Dohyun.

“Lightning Bolt.”

Along with the brief incantation, electrical current shot from his fingertips.

Crackle-!

The lightning pierced through the torso of the charging F+ rank monster, a Gray Wolf.

Thud-

A dark-red crystal, a Mana Core, glowed faintly inside the corpse of the Gray Wolf that had collapsed with its limbs sprawled out.

“Twelve already, and I haven’t even properly started...”

It was noon. Only a little over two hours had passed since he came to the public hunting ground.

Considering he had previously averaged three per hour, this was nearly twice the yield.

No. It was an amount that would make other Awakened recoil in shock.

But Kim Dohyun calmly slipped the Mana Core into his pouch, then leaned his back against a nearby tree. With his eyes half closed, he rested while conducting an intermediate assessment.

“Not bad.”

Looking only at the yield itself, it was a natural result.

In the first place, he hunted far more monsters than other Awakened, so he naturally obtained more Mana Cores.

However.

‘My growth speed is definitely fast.’

When he first opened his eyes in the hospital room, he had been in a state where even using Recover properly was difficult.

No. He had not even been able to construct a Circle.

But now.

Even firing Lightning Bolts repeatedly placed no strain on his body whatsoever.

Just now, he had hunted more than twenty Gray Wolves without resting even once.

‘At this growth rate... I should be able to reach the 3rd Circle before long.’

Based on the data he had collected so far, he estimated that the moment his displayed Mana stat reached 20. He would be able to enter the 3rd Circle.

‘3.2 more.’

His current combined Mana value was no less than 16.8.

Not only was the mana naturally generated by Arcanum Cosmos steadily accumulating. There were also Tower clear rewards.

And finally, if he continued absorbing Mana Cores, it truly would not take long.

A hollow laugh escaped him at the literally absurd growth speed.

‘Thinking about how hard I struggled to reach the 3rd Circle the first time, this is unbelievably easy and fast.’

3rd Circle.

It was the level at which one was officially classified as a ‘mage.’

Naturally, it was not something easily reached.

Indeed, he still vividly remembered risking countless dangers and wandering through remote regions to accumulate the mana necessary to reach the 3rd Circle.

‘Even after pushing myself that hard, it took three years.’

And even that had been a growth rate considered among the fastest on the continent.

Yet now, less than a month had passed, and he was already approaching the 3rd Circle.

Kim Dohyun’s eyes gleamed.

‘If I reach the 3rd Circle.’

There was a reason one was officially called a mage from that point onward.

Only then could one begin to break free from the laws to a certain extent.

It meant he could create magic items without usage restrictions.

In other words, he could make magic items to give his family.

Of course, creating magic items required appropriate experience and technique, but Kim Dohyun possessed both.

‘If Thorgen were here, I wouldn’t even need to make the magic items myself.’

Meister.

There was a reason Thorgen had been called that.

The quality of the equipment he created was not merely extraordinary, but could even transcend normal limits.

Kim Dohyun had truly received a great deal of help from him.

If Thorgen made equipment for the safety of his family. Most Awakened would not even dare approach them.

No. It was not only Thorgen.

‘Isabel. Ernst. Serea. Kazan.’

If his companions were here, he would not need to worry as much about his family’s safety.

They were companions he could trust even with his family.

People he could literally trust from the bottom of his heart.

“Companions...”

It was not a simple word.

True companions who shared the same purpose. And could move in the same direction became one’s greatest strength and support.

Indeed, if not for his companions on those brutal battlefields, he would not have survived.

He had received immeasurable help from them.

A bitter smile crossed Kim Dohyun’s lips.

“It would be nice if I could make companions like that on Earth too.”

He muttered briefly, then soon shook his head.

It was absurd.

In the first place, companions like that were not something one could create simply by wishing for them.

Fate. It required an opportunity that could only be described that way.

“It’d probably be faster for those guys to cross over to Earth instead.”

Just like the previous premise. It was absurd.

And because he knew that.

His emotions sank even deeper.

‘It was grueling and difficult... but there were enjoyable times too.’

The trivial conversations and ordinary days they had shared flashed through his mind.

‘A completely drunk Isabel once said that if we had nothing to do after the war ended, we should just date.’

He had been so focused on returning to Earth that he had completely forgotten.

Of course, remembering it now changed nothing.

‘It was a joke in the first place.’

Just a drunken mistake.

There had been quite a few other trivial incidents too.

‘When Thorgen and Kazan went wild trying to find out which was superior between an axe that could cut anything and a shield that could block anything, that really was ridiculous.’

Ernst had rushed around trying to stop them.

Serea had not shown even the slightest interest.

Isabel had stared at them as though they were idiots.

The scene from that time appeared before his eyes as vividly as reality.

Perhaps because those precious memories of the past had resurfaced in his mind.

“I miss them.”

He seemed to sink into emotion for a moment, but he did not let it consume him.

‘I chose all of it myself.’

He had no regrets.

There was even less reason to complain.

“If I acted like that, the title of Archmage would weep.”

If his companions found out, they would surely laugh at him.

Face the phenomenon. Make contingencies and prepare.

Recalling the principle he had upheld as an Archmage, Kim Dohyun pushed himself to his feet.

“Shall I get back to what I need to do?”

Setting the 3rd Circle as his top priority, Kim Dohyun’s eyes gleamed as he confidently moved forward.

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“Forty-five.”

Kim Dohyun slightly narrowed his brow after counting the Mana Cores he had gathered throughout the day.

Looking only at the yield itself, it seemed decent.

But reality was different.

‘The efficiency compared to the time spent is a little disappointing.’

If he had his way, he would have preferred to use a more efficient method, but for now, this was the best option.

Still, there was no reason to grow impatient over the disappointment.

Once he reached the 3rd Circle, he would be able to increase his hunting efficiency even further.

And there was not much left to go.

‘At this rate. I’ll reach the 3rd Circle soon.’

Literally soon.

There was no need to become unnecessarily greedy.

He would continue advancing surely and cautiously, just as he had until now.

Having organized the plan in his head, Kim Dohyun brushed himself off and stood up.

“Should I start heading back?”

Just as Kim Dohyun was about to move to leave the hunting ground.

Whiiiing-

Along with a faint resonance in his ears, he sensed something unpleasant.

The Search spell he had been activating periodically had detected approaching presences.

‘Enemies.’

People harboring malice were approaching.

‘Ten.’

It was not a small number, but they were not particularly threatening.

Indeed, Kim Dohyun’s expression remained completely calm.

‘They’re around the level of those ordinary villains I dealt with before.’

Since the difference in strength was obvious, there was no need to even calculate.

They were not a threat at all.

Immediately after he made his judgment.

Rustle-

Along with low voices, the sound of footsteps trampling through the brush drew closer.

“Well, what a windfall.”

“Never thought we’d run into someone hunting alone.”

Perhaps they had no intention of concealing their intentions at all. The villains openly radiated killing intent and a threatening aura from their eyes.

“Phew...”

Kim Dohyun let out a faint breath and checked the time on his Awakened registration ID.

5 p.m.

Considering the time needed to return home. And shop for groceries and cook, things were a little tight.

“I don’t have much time. So hurry up and come at me.”

Kim Dohyun stared coldly at the villains.

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Jang Gyeongtae, the leader of the Black Snake group, had been in an excellent mood lately.

And for good reason. He had learned that Kang Cheolmin, who had divided and managed the territories of villain groups around the border region, had died. And that the Iron Claw members had been arrested by the Association.

He could now comfortably expand his area of activity.

The results had not been bad either.

Just today, they had already robbed a group of Awakened of their equipment and Mana Cores.

That alone had been satisfying.

But on the way back to their hideout, a tempting piece of prey had appeared right before them.

‘One mage.’

Judging by the fact that he was wandering around the public hunting ground alone, he practically screamed beginner.

Yet strangely, the equipment he was wearing looked fairly decent.

After quickly assessing the situation, Jang Gyeongtae immediately made his evaluation.

‘Some rich, sheltered young master.’

He had clearly become so excited after Awakening that he had come alone to the public hunting ground without knowing his place.

‘Maybe it’s because we’re near the border. I can’t believe we get to see idiots like this.’

Those Iron Claw bastards. They had been keeping this honey pot all to themselves.

Jang Gyeongtae smiled as he closed the distance.

“Come at you? Hahaha! I’ll at least give you credit for your bluff.”

There was no answer.

Regardless, Kim Dohyun continued staring at the villains with an indifferent expression.

Seeing that, mocking smiles spread across the villains’ lips.

“Idiot. Seeing you wandering around alone, you look like some rookie Awakened who doesn’t even know how things work around here. Why were you walking around the public hunting ground without knowing your place?”

“Don’t be too hard on him. We make our living because idiots like this stay active, don’t we?”

After mocking him to their hearts’ content, the villains looked at Kim Dohyun and licked their lips.

“The equipment he’s wearing looks pretty expensive.”

“He looks like some young master from a rich family. What should we do?”

Ten against one.

They had an overwhelming numerical advantage.

There was no way they could lose.

Because of that.

Jang Gyeongtae’s group openly revealed their killing intent as they moved forward.

“If we want a ransom, wouldn’t it be better to take him alive?”

“No. If he’s some rich family’s young master, other Awakened might get involved. Finish him cleanly and just take his stuff.”

“Understood.”

To Jang Gyeongtae and the villains, the delicate-looking Kim Dohyun before them was not an enemy.

“Your luck really is rotten. Of all people, you had to run into us, Black Snake.”

“Let’s not waste our strength. You’ll only make the pain last longer.”

“Just think of it as your fate to die today.”

He looked like nothing more than a pile of money.

Indeed, greed continued swelling in their eyes.

And so.

Completely blinded by greed, Jang Gyeongtae openly stepped forward.

Step. Step.

Finally. The distance narrowed to around ten meters.

“You crossed the line.”

Kim Dohyun’s eyes turned cold.

“What...?”

There was not even time to voice the question.

A faint light spread from beneath their feet.

A magic circle had activated.

“How stupid. Walking into a mage’s Domain on your own.”

It was the moment Kim Dohyun quietly muttered.

Crackle-!

The moisture in the air ionized, opening paths for electrical currents. Along those paths, brilliant blue lightning erupted from every direction.

“Aaaaargh-!”

“Ghk-!”

Ten bolts of lightning pierced through the bodies of the villains simultaneously, beginning with Jang Gyeongtae.

They could not even react.

They simply collapsed helplessly.

“If you came here intending to kill someone. You must have been prepared to die too.”

Brilliant blue light spread in every direction, reflected in Kim Dohyun’s eyes.

It was the villains’ end.

After Iron Claw’s annihilation, it was the absurd end of the villains who had tried to expand their territory.