The Great Mage Returns After 4000 Years (Web Novel KR)

He got up from the blood.

He didn’t have any trouble moving, but it still took him a moment to adjust. Even though his body could regress, it seemed that being beaten into a bloody pulp for dozens of minutes had created a dissonance between his body and mind. This was also useful information.

If his opponent was Lucid or someone who was just as skilled, he learned that the fight would be quite annoying.

His surroundings were literally a sea of blood. There was so much blood, flesh, and bits of internal organs that it seemed like it couldn’t have come from one person. If someone who hadn’t been present saw it, they might have thought that a small scale war had occurred here.

[What are we going to do now?]

A voice echoed in his head. He ignored it instead of answering. This was because he knew there would be no end to them if he answered every question he was asked.

Nevertheless, it was certainly necessary for him to think about the future.

“…”

Firstly, there was someone he had to see in person and talk to more. Depending on the situation… Right. He might have to fight once again. Of course, that wouldn’t stop Lukas from actions.

He swept his hand through the air. Crack, space was torn apart and the scene of a different space was visible through the tear. The face of the person within that space was clearly visible.

“…”

The Corpse Ghost was silent.

He didn’t seem as relaxed as when they first met. But he also didn’t appear very surprised.

He could feel a great pressure behind that hideous appearance.

The Twelve Void Lords.

The depth of his container was difficult to see. He was by no means an easy opponent.

Lukas hoped he had the same feeling as he looked at him.

“You came back.”

There was a hint of coolness in the Corpse Ghost’s voice.

There also seemed to be a hint of caution mixed in. At that moment, he didn’t feel happy that he wasn’t being ignored. Instead, he felt a tingling sensation in his skin and his hairs stood up as he sensed danger.

“Do you have the power to manipulate bodies?”

“…”

“At that time, the blood flow in my body suddenly changed. Then my blood vessels broke down and my bones melted.”

Lukas was talking about the time the Corpse Ghost had killed him.

Coincidentally, Lukas had brought it up when the Corpse Ghost was considering repeating the same experiment once more. Although he wasn’t too surprised like this, he couldn’t erase the feeling that Lukas had read his intentions and that he’d somehow lost a round. As a result, the Corpse Ghost stopped the experiment he was about to perform and looked away.

Lukas slowly looked down at the table. Diable was nowhere to be seen. Only Pale was there, swinging her legs with a playful expression on her face.

For a brief moment, a feeling that he wasn’t quite sure was regret flashed across his mind.

If Diablo was still there, would he make a more serious attempt to kill him this time?… He wasn’t sure.

There was one reason why he couldn’t give a definite answer.

Lukas could not conclude whether Diablo was the source of all evil or not.

“Diablo isn’t here.”

As if he knew who he was looking for, the Corpse Ghost spoke up.

“What if I ask you where he is?”

“You wouldn’t get an answer.”

That was a surprisingly strong statement… Then perhaps he should be a bit more forceful too.

Just as Lukas was about to lift his hand to his carotid artery, the Corpse Ghost spoke again.

“Is that how you control the basic energy?”

His hand motion stopped. He’d read his intentions. It was a situation almost identical to what had happened before. Except the roles had changed.

“Is that a guess? You have a boring way of talking.”

“I’m sorry, but while I don’t have arms or legs, my eyes still work.”

The Corpse Ghost smiled and opened his eyes wide. The part of his eye that was supposed to be white was black, and his pupils were red.

“If you don’t believe me, I can explain in more detail. You are manipulating the flow of your blood in order to move the energy.”

“…”

“You used your head. The basic energy in itself is difficult to move, so you decided to use your blood flow, right? Indeed. Like a ship being swept along by a river, the basic energy and your blood flow move together. Of course, there are some weak points, and also some risks… But you are using it without any problems.”

“I’d prefer it if you call it Void.”

Even at Lukas’ words, the Corpse Ghost continued with a laugh.

“Sure. There is no end to what Void can do. Basically, you have transcended death, and the accompanying destructive power is like a helpful byproduct, but there is something that is truly terrifying. From now on, you-”

Lukas turned to look at Pale. She was listening to the Corpse Ghost with an expression of interest.

“Let’s stop there.”

“Really?”

“Right. I’ll admit it. Your understanding of my power is correct.”

“Huhu. Should I say it’s an honour?”

Lukas ignored him. He didn’t want to carry on this conversation any longer because his head was beginning to throb.

“There is something I don’t quite understand.”

“What’s that?”

“My power is not something you could understand with just a glance.”

Lukas didn’t believe he would be able to hide his power forever. However, even after considering that fact, the Corpse Ghost’s deduction had been too fast.

“It wasn’t one. This is the second time you and I have met.”

“Stop playing word games. I don’t like talking for too long.”

“…”

The Corpse Ghost smiled faintly.

“Then let’s do this. Instead of answering that question, how about you leave my territory?”

“I believe there are still tests left.”

“Couldn’t you leave the dump site at any time if you really wanted to? To test such a being would be absurd.”

That was right.

The Corpse Ghost was now politely asking him to leave.

He hesitated without giving an answer. He wasn’t really obligated to accept his offer. In the first place, Lukas’ goal was to kill one of the Twelve Void Lords and take their place. It didn’t matter to him whether his opponent was Yang In-hyun or not.

Right. Even if it was the Lord of the Dump Site in front of him.

The Corpse Ghost was reluctant to have him stay here… That much was clear. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have suggested he leave his territory.

What was important was how ‘reluctant’ he was.

For the Corpse Ghost, was Lukas simply a nuisance? Or was he an enemy who could threaten his life?

He looked at the Corpse Ghost.

He could not tell what he was thinking behind those black eyes with red pupils.

[Just kill him. Let’s fight.]

[Look at that wretched body.]

[He’s scared of you. Can’t you feel it?]

Some of the more radical ‘Lukases’ started talking again. Shut up. Lukas frowned slightly, but he didn’t have any intention of completely ignoring their opinions.

Crunch.

He clenched his fist.

Like the Corpse Ghost had said, in order for him to control Void more accurately, he needed to put his fingers against his carotid artery.

This was because it was much easier to manipulate his blood flow if he could feel his pulse. But it wasn’t absolutely necessary for him to do this.

A surprise attack was still possible.

Of course, that would be a big deal. The Corpse Ghost was currently offering Lukas peace. He had stretched out the hand of truce first. If he were to knock it away, Lukas would probably have to fight to the death with the Corpse Ghost.

Should he take his offer? Should he not?

Should he attack? Should he accept the truce?

In an instant, Lukas’ conflicted feelings increased.

It was the silent third party that brought an end to the possible conflict before it could start.

“Accept it.”

It was Pale, who grinned as she spoke.

Sitting on the chair in reverse, she was smiling as she rested her chin on the backrest.

“You can’t handle the Corpse Ghost. He is the most annoying of all of the Twelve Void Lords.”

“…”

“There are a few out of the Twelve Void Lords that uncle can fight now. But the Corpse Ghost isn’t one of them.”

Although she spoke in a playful tone, she wasn’t lying.

When Lukas realised that, he calmed his rising aura so quickly that even he himself was surprised. Then he looked at the Corpse Ghost.

“I accept.”

“A wise choice, thank you.”

The Corpse Ghost smiled as if he wasn’t aware of Lukas’ internal conflict and spoke.

“My story continues where she left off. It seems like your goal is closely related to the Twelve Void Lords… As far as I know, our fighting power is around the same level.”

Those words were strange.

Lukas immediately had a strange feeling after hearing the Corpse Ghost’s words.

“What do you mean by fighting power?”

“As expected, you know how to find the pulse of the conversation.”

The Corpse Ghost smiled faintly.

“The Twelve Void Lords can be divided into two categories. Those who created a force, and those who didn’t create a force. It is the latter that you need to be mindful of.”

He couldn’t easily understand what that meant.

Not the former, but the latter?

Wasn’t it easier to prey upon the Twelve Void Lords who hadn’t created a force?

“I’ll say it again. The Twelve Void Lords all have the same fighting power.”

“…fighting power.”

Lukas finally grasped the hidden meaning in the Corpse Ghost’s words.

“Are you saying that the independent members of the Twelve Void Lords have just as much fighting power as the Twelve Void Lords that created forces?”

“Correct.”

If that was the case then they were really dangerous.

There were an uncountable number of powerful people in the Flower Mountain alone. Naturally, there weren’t any masters comparable to Yang In-hyun, but those with the ability to take over most territories easily exceeded ten.

The independent members of the Twelve Void Lords were equivalent to the entire Flower Mountain.

“In my case, this Dump Site is my force. At the same time, the people you met outside all belong to forces of their own. Sama Ryeong belongs to [Flower Mountain], Daihad belongs to [Futurix], Haspin belongs to [Demonsio], and Mantis, who unfortunately died, belonged to [The Hive].”

“…”

“And Jacob. He belongs to [Magic Planet], kuku, and if there is someone you’ll want to avoid, it is the Lord of that place.”

“Why?”

“Because there is a high chance that the Beginning Wizard is a higher level version of you.”

This was probably the answer to Lukas’ earlier question.

The reason why the Corpse Ghost was able to recognise his power with just a glance.

It was simple. He had seen a similar power before.

“Of course, the effects and direction are a bit different. But at least, you are not a perfect pioneer in that power of Void.”

“…”

“My answer ends there. I trust that you will keep your promise. Then I’ll go now.”

After saying those words, the Corpse Ghost quickly disappeared. His attitude seemed to say that there was something he needed to deal with.

Lukas and Pale were the only ones left in the dark room.

“I missed the moment to speak earlier.”

Pale slowly opened her mouth.

“Uncle is really strong now.”

“…”

“As expected, I’m really good at recognising talented people. How is it? Like I said, eating made it fast, right?”

He didn’t have the strength to deal with nonsense. Ignoring her, Lukas looked around, observing their surroundings.

The place where the Corpse Ghost and Diablo were.

Perhaps he’d be able to find some clues about it here.

“Huh.”

Pale tilted her head and chased after him.

“You’ve become really cold since we last saw each other. Did something bad happen?”

“-what… the hell are you?”

Still not looking at her, Lukas asked a question.

“Have you forgotten already? I’m Pale.”

“I’m not asking for your name. I don’t even know if that’s your real name.”

“Ah. Why are you being like that? It really hurts.”

She didn’t have any intention of telling him.

Then Lukas didn’t have any intention of talking any further.

Lukas cut the space.

“Huh? I’m coming too.”

Pale chased after him.

* * *

When Lukas cut through space and appeared, he could feel the people around him tremble.

From their perspective, it would seem as if a black shape had suddenly appeared in space from which Lukas walked out.

“Hehe. This path is interesting.”

He looked around.

There was no sign of the Black Knight, Lucid. As he expected, he’d probably left with Diablo.

He kept looking around. Eventually, he found what he was looking for.

The figure of Sama Ryeong lay on the ground. It seemed like she was unconscious. That was a good thing for Lukas.

As he was about to walk up to her, someone blocked him.

It was Daihad.

“What is it?”

“…um. I made a temporary alliance. With her.”

He was talking about Sama Ryeong.

“So?”

“So I can’t stand aside and watch you hurt her.”

“I have no intention of hurting her. Now get out of my way. This will be your only warning.”

Lukas only said the main points. This was partly due to the fact that he had a headache which made it difficult to carry on a conversation for a long time.

But Daihad laughed as if he had no intention of standing aside.

“I’m sorry, but how can I just trust your words?”

“…”

He should just kill him. As he looked at Daihad, he had this thought.

He didn’t think that killing him would hurt him in any way.

Right. He’d do it. He’d just kill him here. And… it wouldn’t hurt to eat his corpse too.

Just as Lukas was about to put his thoughts into action…

“What do you want with her?”

It was Haspin.

“Why should I explain that? To weaklings like you?”

“There is no harm in it. I might be able to help.”

Haspin’s voice was dry but calm. And his attitude towards Lukas was very mild. This was evidence that he still wanted to cooperate despite Lukas’ harsh attitude towards him.

“I don’t need your help. And you don’t just want to help me.”

Haspin wanted something from Lukas. He frowned slightly, it felt like he was trying to bring up that matter again under the pretext of helping him.

“…does that mean you still don’t want to meet her? My Lord.”

Sedi.

Haspin had told him her name.

When he thought of her, he felt his heart beat louder than the voices in his head. It was a bad omen. Perhaps if they met… he would experience even greater agitation than this. That was not something Lukas wanted.

“Stop it with your disgusting offers. Goat.”

Unexpectedly, it was someone other than Lukas who shared the same thoughts.

The voice came from the sky.

It was Jacob, whose arrogant expression had made a reappearance.

“The sir will be going with me.”

“…the sir?”

Instead of answering, Jacob landed lightly on the ground.

Then he looked at Lukas. For some reason, his gaze was warm. His eyes also seemed to be shining brightly. Regardless of what happened, this was the first time his attitude had changed so much. It didn’t suit him.

“Sir Lukas.”

Sir?

“Would you be willing to accompany me to the Magic Planet?”

“…”

Jacob’s incomprehensible attitude change made Lukas feel like his headache was getting worse.