Record of a Thousand Lives - Chapter 139

Chapter 139
“As you wish!” someone shouted.

At that moment, all the other magicians cast binding magic on Hawelmon. The dwarf was frozen in midair without being able to move an inch, still holding his hammer.

Professor Railsen sighed and said, “Please forgive us for using such lowly magic in the presence of you, an Archmage. However, what did you mean precisely by what you said just now?”

“There are 217 of my soul fragments scattered around the continent. The soul fragments’ personalities and magic power are all identical to myself, Oblion,” Kang Yoon-Soo briefly explained.

All of the magicians gathered could not hide the astonishment on their faces.

“Do you mean we have to destroy all 217 soul fragments within a month?”

“Kill 217 Archmages? Is that even going to be possible in the first place?”

Magicians were innately arrogant, but they valued logic more than anything else in the world. There were quite a few of them who seemed to be ready to run away and seek refuge instead of putting their lives on the line to protect the continent.

“This is a serious problem,” Equinn said. The sweet, charming smile on her face had already disappeared.

When Equinn, who had the brightest smile among all of the magicians gathered, suddenly made such a serious face, it turned the atmosphere even more grim.

Professor Railsen asked, “Are you aware of the locations of the soul fragments scattered across the continent?”

Kang Yoon-Soo nodded and replied, “More than half of the soul fragments are scattered across the dangerous areas of the continent.”

“By dangerous areas, you mean…?”

“Thunder Paradise, Igyris Storm Triangle, Aquile Ice Mountain, and the Vault of Heaven,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

“…”

The magicians could not hide their shock once again. These wise magicians possessed immense knowledge of most subjects imaginable, and geography was one of those subjects. However, all of them cursed their immense knowledge for the first time in a long while.

“Impossible!” Professor Rehond shouted, standing up abruptly. He faked a cough when he realized what he had just done, then added, “I apologize for raising my voice so suddenly, but this is hard to believe. There is a chance that we will die if we go there.”

“I agree,” Timero, the only Centaur magician, said. He added, “The locations you have just mentioned are all places that the most elite explorers could not finish producing maps for. That can only mean that they are extremely dangerous places, and we do not have adequate information on them, no less. It would be absolute lunacy to try and challenge an Archmage in such an environment.”

Kang Yoon-Soo could not understand the logic behind the magicians’ opinions. The areas he had just mentioned could not even hold a candle to the truly forbidden areas of the continent. He would have understood if they were on par with the lair of the Dragon of Destruction or the Colossi’s Magic Tower, as those were places where even he could die instantly in spite of his knowledge from his previous lives.

‘The Magic Tower isn’t a place that can be visited at this point in history,’ Kang Yoon-Soo thought.

This was the time period when Sirian had forbidden anyone to enter the Colossi’s Magic Tower. It was impossible for even an Archmage to enter the magic tower, so Kang Yoon-Soo had no choice but to only focus on the trial.

The other magicians seemed to agree with Timero’s opinion. However, they could not openly voice their agreement and go against the words of an Archmage.

Just then, the binding magic on Hawelmon faded, and the dwarf shouted, “How irresponsible of you! Oblion, how dare you call yourself an Archmage after that?! And you’re even asking your juniors to clean up after the mess you caused! Shameful!”

The magicians were all clapping and supporting Hawelmon inwardly.

It was then that Kang Yoon-Soo said, “Hawelmon, this is your chance to kill me.”

“What are you talking about?” Hawelmon asked.

“You can kill me 217 times, can’t you?” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

Hawelmon fell deep into thought for a moment, then withdrew his hammer and said, “I’ll destroy all of the soul fragments scattered across the continent! Let those that want to back out now back out!”

The magicians were dumbfounded by the dwarf’s declaration. Just like that, Kang Yoon-Soo successfully recruited Hawelmon as an ally, and he only had to convince the thirty-one remaining magicians.

It was then…

Knock knock…

Someone knocked on the door.

Kang Yoon-Soo waved his hand, and the old wooden door opened to reveal a half-transparent Oblion standing there. The soul fragment of the Archmage smiled and said, “I waited quite a while for you to come, but you didn’t, so I took a stroll before coming here. But oh my, there are some familiar faces that I haven’t seen in a long time.”

The magicians looked back and forth at the two identical-looking Archmages. One was void of any expression, while the other’s body was translucent. The magicians were stunned for a few seconds, before they finally came back to their senses and caused a ruckus.

“S-Soul fragment!”

“It’s the Archmage’s soul fragment!”

The laboratory was turned upside-down in an instant. Some of the magicians cast their ultimate defensive spells, while others threw away their pride and hid under the table.

Hawelmon, on the other hand, raised his magic hammer at the soul fragment and yelled, “Come here obediently and die, you damn soul fragment!”

The soul fragment leisurely waved a finger, and Hawelmon’s magic hammer was crushed like a tin can. Hawelmon fell to his knees and cried out in pain. “Nooooo! M-My kids! Two of my kids are now crushed!”

“I don’t wish to be killed with that hideous-looking thing, Hawelmon,” the soul fragment said. Then, it waved its hand at some of the brave magicians who were pointing their staves at it and said, “You can be at ease and lower your staves. I’m a soul fragment that’s ‘still’ sane.”

“What do you mean by ‘still’?” Haselit asked while gripping a magic scroll in her hand.

The soul fragment shrugged and replied, “All the soul fragments are going to go on a rampage in a month’s time. The soul fragments that are in the dangerous areas of the continent are currently slowly going mad as we speak. You must hurry.”

The fragment then slowly walked toward Kang Yoon-Soo and said, “I must be the only soul fragment that was able to move, judging by the fact that I’m the only one to come here. You have to personally find the other soul fragments and get rid of them.”

It looked around at the magicians, who were either pale with horror or hiding under the table. It furrowed its brows and asked, “But why have you called all of these magicians? This is unlike me. I would have preferred to not let this be known to the world and hunt down the soul fragments by myself.”

Kang Yoon-Soo replied in a small voice, so the other magicians could not hear it, “I have to get rid of all the soul fragments to receive the additional rewards.”

The soul fragment smirked and replied in a whisper, “So, you aren’t me?”

“This is a world inside a trial, and whatever happens here will not affect the world I live in,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

“Hoo… Well, I guess it’s true that this continent isn’t the only world out there, but I never imagined that a soul from another world would ever possess my body,” the soul fragment said with a hint of amusement in its voice. Then, it tapped its forehead for a minute before adding, “I don’t know how you managed to enter my body, but I hope you don’t plan to do anything funny while looking like me. Also, you don’t plan to stay there forever, right?”

“Just for a month,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

“That sounds reasonable. There was once a time when I had to lend my body to a demon while tinkering with summoning magic. Ha… I think I ’m the only magician on this entire continent to run a body rental service,” the soul fragment said. It then warned Kang Yoon-Soo, “Just be aware that my magic can’t take innocent lives. I tattooed an insignia on myself that would instantly kill me if I killed an innocent person intentionally. That was also how the demon that possessed me died last time.”

“I know,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

“Good. The duration will be a month, and the payment for the rental will be you perfectly disposing of all of the soul fragments. Can you do it?” the soul fragment asked. Oblion was gentle and kind, but he went straight to the point, like any other magician.

“Yes,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied, stretching out his hand. The soul fragment disappeared the moment he closed his hand. The half-transparent Oblion crumbled into dust and was absorbed into Kang Yoon-Soo.

The magicians stared at the scene in surprise.

“Let’s go,” Kang Yoon-Soo said as he stood up from his seat.

The magicians hesitated for a moment, but Hawelmon took out another magic hammer from his dimensional bag. He slung it over his shoulder before saying, “Only those who really wish to come should tag along. You’ll just get in the way if you force yourself to come.”

The magicians were still hesitating. It would be a different story to put their lives on the line, even if this was an adventure alongside an Archmage.

It was then that Equinn suddenly stood up and followed behind Kang Yoon-Soo.

Professor Railsen could not hide his shock, calling out, “Lady Equinn…?”

“If we let the soul fragments run free, the continent is eventually going to be destroyed even if we run and hide, right? Then should we not at least try to struggle one last time and put up a fight? But, ah… I thought this was going to be a picnic with Oblion-nim; to think I would have to trek across the continent at this age…” Equinn murmured.

She was not the only one. Haselit and Haelian both stood up and followed behind the Archmage.

“Noonim, are we going to be alright?” Haselit asked.

“Haselit, I am actually looking forward to this trip. When will we ever have another opportunity to tag alongside an Archmage, if not now? I am always prepared to put my life on the line for an adventure,” Haelian replied.

“Why so, noonim?” Haselit asked in surprise.

“It is because I am a magician,” Haelian responded.

The other magicians nodded, and eventually, they all ended up standing from their seats. Soon, they started to follow behind Kang Yoon-Soo.

They were mesmerized just by walking behind Kang Yoon-Soo, and the entire scene felt magical for some odd reason. The story of the strongest magician on the continent, along with thirty-two of its most powerful magicians, had begun.

***

The journey went smoothly—for about an hour.

On the tenth day, Equinn grumbled and complained, “I think I am going to die.”

The Centaur Timero added, “Oh, how embarrassing… I am already dead.”

“Then is this heaven?!” Equinn asked in surprise.

“Unfortunately, I am certain that this is hell!” Timero replied.

“Ah… To think that we cannot escape this hell even after dying…” Equinn moaned.

The two magicians smiled weakly while talking to each other, but the other magicians did not even have the strength to joke around with them. The magicians were currently using their staves in an unconventional way—as canes to support their trembling bodies as they walked.

Professor Railsen asked while breathing laboriously, “Where are we going this time?”

“Thunder Paradise,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

“Heok!” Professor Rehond exclaimed before fainting.

Kang Yoon-Soo waved his hand and muttered, “Recovery.”

It was one of the most basic healing spells, and it recovered the target’s stamina by a little bit. However, its effects were completely different when cast by an Archmage. Professor Rehond suddenly gained the stamina and energy to continue walking once again.

The poor old professor managed to slowly get up once again, but he moaned in protest, “I think it would be better for me to just faint and get some rest…”

“Are you trying to escape alone?” the other magicians snapped, glaring at him.

The trip that the Archmage had prepared was, in one word, cruel.

From the very first day of the trip, the magicians had spread across the continent and begun destroying the soul fragments. They, who had never traveled all across the continent, could never have imagined in their wildest dreams how tiring and exhausting it could be.

They normally pooled their mana together to cast teleportation magic, and cast Haste on themselves to quicken their pace. However, the trip prepared by Kang Yoon-Soo was different from how a magician would usually go about it. The itinerary he had planned was so tight that they spent every second rushing even if they used teleportation magic and Haste.

In a single day, they had to reach a destination that would take a normal person half a year to reach on foot. Additionally, they had to move again immediately as soon as they got rid of the soul fragment. Of course, the next destination would take a normal person a whole year to reach on foot.

The magicians were left totally exhausted after repeating the process ten times; they were already on the verge of dying from exhaustion. That was mainly because magicians were not the kinds of people who were known for their stamina in the first place.

A few of them had collapsed from exhaustion, but Kang Yoon-Soo showed them no mercy and cast the Archmage’s recovery spells on them whenever they collapsed. That was how the magicians ended up walking like a bunch of lifeless zombies.

Haselit, who was sweating profusely, called out, “Noonim.”

“What is the matter?” Haelian responded.

Haselit pointed at Kang Yoon-Soo, who was walking in front, and said, “T-That is a demon…”

“Omo, Haselit. You should not say those kinds of words toward an Archmage,” Haelian said, reprimanding her younger brother.

The only ones among the magicians who were fine were Kang Yoon-Soo and Hawelmon. The dwarf did not show any signs of tiring out despite his short, stubby legs.

“Tsk tsk… This is what happens when you don’t work on your stamina just because you’re magicians,” Hawelmon said, clicking his tongue.

However, the trip was not fruitless at all. They had managed to take care of a whopping hundred and eight soul fragments in a matter of ten days, which was half of the total.

‘It’s going to be different from now on,’ Kang Yoon-Soo thought.

The soul fragments had docilely agreed to be disposed of until now, but the remaining hundred and nine soul fragments had already started to grow corrupt and were beginning to go on a rampage. On top of that, they were all in the dangerous areas of the continent.

The place they were currently heading for, Thunder Paradise, had thirty soul fragments scattered across it.

‘The real journey starts here,’ Kang Yoon-Soo thought, expecting a fierce battle to break out soon.

The scenery changed quite frequently as the magicians walked. They crossed a mountain range, a stone mountain, and a river. Then, the sky started to turn dark, and thunder boomed across the skies. The ground in front of them was strewn with debris from destroyed buildings.

“So this is Thunder Paradise…”

Thunder Paradise had first been found by the explorer Rekimond, but no one had ever found out why he named it that. it was a scary place, where lightning from above ceaselessly struck down on all life within it.

Suddenly, something growled loudly from behind the debris. “Grrrr…!”

A large horde of monsters with yellow hides appeared—they were high-leveled monsters that inhabited Thunder Paradise.

The magicians dispelled their travel magic and recovered their mana—it was now time for battle.

Kang Yoon-Soo started the fight by casting a top-grade spell. “Sky Break.”

The Archmage’s magic power split the dark sky apart, and a gigantic bolt of lightning struck down.

Baaaaaam!

“Euaaak!” The magicians screamed in surprise, and they all took a few steps back.

The Archmage’s lightning ferociously devoured the monsters.

“Kiiiiiekk!”

The hundreds of monsters, despite their lightning-resistant hides, were all burned to a crisp in an instant.

[You have massacred the monsters inhabiting Thunder Paradise in an instant.]

[The fame of the Archmage Oblion has spread across the continent.]

[The top-grade spell Sky Break’s mastery has increased.]

[Your skill ‘Auto Loot’ has sent all of the spoils directly into your dimensional bag.]

[You have obtained 412 Electric Stones and 21 Lightning Unicorns.]

“Let’s go,” Kang Yoon-Soo said as he marched onward, leaving the magicians who had been preparing for battle speechless.

Haelian suddenly nodded and said, “I’m sorry, Haselit. I was wrong. Indeed, that man truly is a devil.”