Episode 100
100. The Archmage
‘Was this… what was possible?’
The calamities that led the Age of Ruin. Humanity, upon seeing those calamities, could only despair. They could only wish to delay the time of the end, if only by a day. That was all.
But Astrid. The moment he saw her, Geumson’s thinking expanded. He discovered himself, trapped within fixed notions.
The calamity before his eyes. It is not humanity’s calamity. It can be the monsters’ calamity. The enemies’ calamity. Astrid, who had become just that, standing boldly and precariously at the edge of the wall’s parapet. Looking at her, he realized.
Become a calamity.
One can become a calamity.
A calamity for the monsters, not for humanity. Just as those creatures plunged humanity into despair, we too can plunge them into despair.
It’s not just about holding out and delaying the time of ruin. We can become a calamity to them and bring them despair.
‘If the equipment I create can aid an existence like Astrid…’
Astrid had said not to bear it alone. He thought it was just a sympathetic word of comfort.
Because only he knew the future. Because only he knew of the coming calamity. He thought it was inevitable. He thought it was something he had to bear alone. But that wasn’t what Astrid meant.
‘One cannot overcome it by bearing it alone…’
That is why she is showing him. Risking the loss of her memory, she is showing it to Geumson. To her one and only, pitiful disciple who tries to bear everything alone.
“Isn’t it beautiful?”
At the moment Geumson was entranced by Astrid’s appearance and lost in thought, a familiar voice sounded beside him. It was the Magic Tower Lord, Roentes, standing beside him.
“I didn’t know I would witness Lady Astrid’s miracle once more… I am endlessly sorry.”
Even Roentes watched Astrid with bated breath. And rightly so, for Astrid as seen in golden hand’s vision—her appearance as perceived through Insight into the Flow and Intuition of Resolve—was not human.
Magic. It looked as if magic in human form was moving. An entire region’s magic focused solely on Astrid.
And the Archmage Astrid. She adjusted her grip on her staff and slowly closed her eyes. And from her lips began to flow a song of the stars, unlike any language in this world.
It was no ordinary magical incantation. An ancient melody, as soft as a lullaby and as grand as an epic. The moment the melody spread, time on the chaotic battlefield stopped. Players watched Astrid as if bewitched.
And the monsters. The monsters, lured by the demon-beast attracting scent and charging madly. They stopped. No, they seemed forcibly stopped, looking up at the wall with fearful expressions.
And when they faced Astrid. When they faced her magic, I could see a familiar expression.
The Age of Ruin. The expression of humans facing despair. That expression, which should not be seen on the grotesque faces of monsters. No, that emotion was what Geumson felt.
Even in that moment, only her singing voice filled the world. And a message appeared before golden hand.
[Archmage ‘Astrid’ is casting ‘Stellar Requiem’.]
It didn’t end there. A following message.
[The ‘Inheritor of Stars’ title resonates with ‘Stellar Requiem’.]
[The ‘Ancient Inquirer’ achievement deciphers ‘Stellar Requiem’.]
[You ‘partially’ understand the essence of Archmage Astrid’s magic.]
[You break through a limit.]
[The skill ‘Magic Control’ breaks through Lv.10[MAX].]
[The skill ‘Elemental Affinity’ breaks through Lv.10[MAX].]
[The skills ‘Magic Control’ and ‘Elemental Affinity’ fuse.]
[A fused skill, ‘Magic Dominion Lv.1’, is created.]
[Magic Dominion Lv.1]
[Passive Skill]
Description: Perfectly dominate the flow of magic and elements, allowing you to transform and amplify them at your will.
Effect: 10% chance to fuse opposing attributes to create a new attribute.
It wasn’t acquiring a skill. Breaking through the level 10 limit caused skills to fuse and be ‘created’. A message golden hand had never seen before, not in Lepione nor throughout his hard-won experience in the Age of Ruin.
Magic stormed violently within Geumsonn’s body. Merely observing Astrid’s magic from nearby had caused his magical capabilities to leap a level. But he had no time to mind such changes. His eyes held only the image of his master singing amidst the starlight.
And Astrid, who noticed golden hand change quicker than anyone. She smiled and spoke.
“golden hand, this is my miracle.”
At her gesture, the night sky parted. A curtain named ‘sky’, draped in deep darkness.
The curtain opens. As if it were always so. The curtain of the night sky opens.
And from the opened sky. A star falls.
Bringing a miracle to allies.
Bringing a nightmare to enemies.
The stellar bombardment piercing the monster’s tide. It began to embroider the desert of Airtos.
Kwaaaaaaang-!
Starting with the first star. A carpet of fire is laid. The desert sand, upon the carpet of fire embroidered by Astrid’s stars, heats to a red glow and begins to form a river of lava.
Unlike the illusion created by Golden Hand ‘Giant’s Forge’, this was a true land of lava. The river of lava soon formed a sea, upon which no monster could exist.
“Golden Hand, draw your own miracle.”
This is a wizard. This is an Archmage. Astrid’s unfolded magic, as if proving it. A single miracle placed a full stop on the battlefield.
“Th-this is… what in the world…”
Geumson was at a loss for words. This was an area far surpassing the category of magic he knew—truly the realm of ‘miracle’.
A single wizard.
With a single spell.
Drew a miracle.
However, Astrid, who had overexerted herself for golden hands. Her appearance seemed precarious. Her hair, once like a silver Milky Way, became dry and brittle again. Wrinkles began to re-form at her fingertips. As if her magic was finished, Astrid returned with a peaceful face.
Seeing her, Tower Lord Roentes rushed over and was about to kneel.
“Oh Star, I pay my respects…”
Astrid stopped Roentes by holding his shoulder as he tried to kneel. She showed him the same warm smile she had shown Geumson and spoke.
“The Lord of the Magic Tower does not kneel. Aren’t the other children watching?”
Astrid took in Tower Lord Roentes and the numerous mages of Airtos. As she descended from the wall’s parapet, a message appeared before all players.
[The Monster Wave has been completely annihilated.]
[You have successfully completed the ‘City Defense Alliance Quest: Airtos Defense Battle’.]
[Commencing contribution point settlement.]
.
.
.
The red wave of monsters that had engulfed Airtos completely vanished. Below the wall, only the cooling sea of lava was forming solid ground.
Waaaaaaaaah!
The surviving players and residents of Airtos erupted in cheers simultaneously. But golden hand could not rejoice. Because of the look in Astrid’s eyes as she gazed at golden hand. It was the look one gives a stranger.
“Roentes, it seems you have a new disciple? But his eyes seem familiar somehow… Dear me, do you know me?”
Astrid, who did not remember golden hands. A side effect. A side effect from overusing her magic. The magic she used for golden hand ironically seemed to have erased her memories of him.
“Oh Star, this is the Outsider golden hand. The Inheritor of Stars.”
Roentes spoke on golden hand behalf. At those words, Astrid made an expression that seemed both awkward and apologetic. As if she had made another mistake.
“Oh dear, I’m sorry. Again… I, haah, did it again.”
Astrid blamed herself. Then, she pointed to the brooch on golden hand’s chest and spoke.
“Golden Hand, can you give that brooch to me for a moment?”
The brooch pinned to golden hand chest. Astrid was asking for it. He knew the reason. Surely it was Astrid’s brooch, which held memories of golden hand. She intended to read those memories again.
But for some reason, golden hand hesitated. He clenched the brooch on his chest tightly. At that moment, a message appeared.
[Final Contribution Ranking for ‘Airtos Defense Battle’]
1st: Golden Hand – 9,874,500P
2nd: Kang Moojin (Yeokcheon) – 4,125,800P
3rd: Choi Jin-woong (Asura) – 3,512,100P
.
.
.
An overwhelming first place. Thanks to Astrid’s contribution points being automatically distributed to Golden Hand, he had taken an overwhelming first place. But seeing that ranking seemed to confirm something for golden hand.
He simply clenched the brooch on his chest tightly in his fist and said:
“This brooch… I cannot give it to you now.”
golden hand did not hand the brooch to Astrid. Knowing she would read the memories. Precisely because of that, he could not give the brooch to Astrid. At least, not now.
