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

(TL: ‘Volcano’ has been changed to ‘Flower Mountain’(華山).)

They walked through the desert, feeling the texture of the sand on their skin, and the crunch as they crushed it beneath their feet.

Lukas looked at the back of Kwak Do-san, who walked ahead. It wasn’t just Kwak Do-san. The other four Swordsmen, who appeared to be Kwak Do-san’s party, also showed their backs to Lukas. Their swords slept quietly in their sheaths.

Even with their skill, it would take them a few seconds to fully draw their swords and be ready.

In other words, they were giving Lukas their completely defenceless backs.

In their current state, Lukas could subdue all five of them in five seconds or less. In fact, at least a dozen methods to do so were already running through his mind.

There was no way that Kwak Do-san did not know this.

‘Do they trust me?’

That couldn’t be it. Instead, it felt closer to resignation.

They had already witnessed Lukas’ might for themselves. Even if they remained on guard and had their swords out. Even if they were ready in advance, they knew it would only delay their deaths by a few tens of seconds.

So the thing that was truly surprising was their stubborn determination to not show their helplessness or inner feelings.

“Wouldn’t it be dangerous to follow them so easily?”

Pale spoke up. At first glance, it might seem like she was worried, but there were no signs of nervousness in her voice.

She’d told him before that if he recklessly entered someone else’s territory, he’d get ‘painted’. He still wasn’t sure what that meant exactly. However, he had the vague understanding that it would be an extremely dangerous situation.

Nevertheless, Lukas shook his head.

Michael had said. ‘Even though you have stepped into my territory, for some reason, there is nothing I can do to you’. If those words were true, then even if it was a Lord, they would not be able to subdue Lukas.

He looked at the backs of Kwak Do-san’s party once again.

Even though they were walking a short distance behind them, Pale had not spoken in a soft voice. So they must have heard her words.

Nevertheless, there was no change in their pace or gait. Even in the face of blatant suspicion, their attitudes remained the same.

He decided to shake them a bit more.

“That might be true. However, if they tricked me into following them, then they should hope they prepared their trap thoroughly.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because if their preparations are even slightly insufficient, the Flower Mountain will lose at least half of their men.”

“…”

He spoke in a quiet voice, but there was no wind in the desert. So it would have easily reached the ears of those walking ahead.

And yet, there was no change to Kwak Do-san’s footsteps. It was the same for the rest as well.

Except for one. The woman on the far left, who appeared relatively young. When she heard Lukas’ words, her shoulders shook slightly. But that too was only for an instant.

In the blink of an eye, her agitation completely disappeared.

Unfortunately, there was no reaction beside that one.

Lukas turned his head to look at Pale. No, to be precise, he looked at the woman she was carrying.

Witch.

Witch…

She didn’t seem like one. There were no traces of black magic on this woman. Instead, what he could feel was the faint reverberation of extremely dense and pure mana. In that case, was she a Wizard? Perhaps she was, but… he couldn’t tell.

Lukas couldn’t help but question this conclusion. Why couldn’t he tell? He could not inspect the inside of her body. Then why couldn’t he inspect her insides?

Was it because this was the Imaginary World? Or was there something wrong with his senses? That was also unknown.

0

For a moment, Lukas felt like bursting out in laughter.

He carefully looked around him.

The Swordsmen from the Flower Mountain whose true intentions were still unknown.

Pale, whose identity he hadn’t yet guessed.

And a woman who could be from the universe that he hadn’t yet spoken a word to.

He had no one to talk to, no friend to trust.

Anyone could try to trick him at any time and stick a knife in his back. He was surrounded by beings that he didn’t know if he could trust.

In fact, it was possible that this was a situation where he was walking into the jaws of the enemy with his own two feet. After all, just because Michael couldn’t do anything, it didn’t mean that the Lords of other territories would be similarly incapable.

He was aware of all of these possibilities, and yet… he was still walking forward without hesitation.

‘Because it doesn’t matter.’

Right.

Even if all of them were deceiving him, even if he were walking to his own grave.

Lukas felt that it didn’t really matter to him. It was strange.

It was not confidence. Nor was it desperation. It was also far from resignation.

Whatever happened happened.

If he had to say, that would be the best way to put it.

* * *

At some point, the surroundings had become foggy. Visibility fell so low that even the backs of Kwak Do-san’s party, who were only a few steps ahead, were blurred.

That wasn’t all. The ground below their feet also hardened. It was easy to see that they weren’t in the desert anymore.

It didn’t feel like they were walking on a well trodden path. Like a mountain road. It felt more like they were walking on a path that had been carved by nature, by roaming wild animals.

“We’ve reached the entrance.”

Pale muttered.

When he heard the word entrance, Lukas thought of the ant hill he’d seen right before they entered the underground city.

As he had this thought, the scent of plum blossoms filled his nostrils and their view changed.

“Wow!”

Pale exclaimed softly. The sight before them was worth such an exclamation.

A giant mountain that reached through the clouds and seemed to pierce the sky. Combined with the faint scent of plum blossoms, the subtle magnificence of the scene could be felt with a glance.

Flower Mountain.

It wasn’t just the huge mountain, but also the surroundings that were beautiful. They felt warm sunshine and refreshing air on their bodies as if they had come to appreciate the mountain scenery on a beautiful spring day.

It was a hundred times more colourful and lively than the desolate underground city that Lukas had visited before.

“Welcome to Flower Mountain.”

Kwak Do-san’s voice was filled with pride. But he couldn’t help but wince slightly when he saw that Lukas’ expression hadn’t changed in the slightest.

“…ahem. Before we take you to see the damage, I would like to guide you to the underground prison first.”

“Prison?”

When Lukas frowned at that word, Kwak Do-san shook his head.

“Please don’t misunderstand. Although it is a prison, we don’t intend to detain you. I would just like to remind you that the witch is an extremely dangerous being. To be honest, I’m fearful that she will regain consciousness any moment now.”

“…”

“If the place where the witch wakes up is the underground prison, the elite masters of the main mountain will be able to respond quickly. I’m making this suggestion because I think it’s the safest option.”

Kwak Do-san’s voice remained unshakeable.

Besides, he’d said it was a suggestion, not a demand. Perhaps if Lukas refused, he would not say anything else.

“Fine.”

When Lukas accepted his suggestions so easily, Kwak Do-san’s eyes widened slightly, but he quickly regained his composure.

“I thank you for your trust. So-han, guide these people to the prison.”

“Understood.”

A tall young man bowed his head politely before turning to Lukas.

“This one is called Yong So-han. I will be your guide from now on.”

“Are you not going to guide me?”

Lukas’ gaze turned to Kwak Do-san.

“I would love to, but I have a responsibility as the team leader. Since we have returned to the main mountain, I naturally have to report to our Senior Brother first. I beg for your broad generosity to accept this much.”

“…”

Lukas nodded his head without saying anything more, and Kwak Do-san took that as his permission to leave.

Two of the Swordsmen, who hadn’t spoken a single word so far, followed him.

“Please follow me.”

The young man, Yong So-han, bowed his head to them before walking away, followed by the last of their group.

Lukas and Pale followed.

The underground prison was located a short distance away from Flower Mountain. It had the appearance of a naturally formed cave.

Unlike the beautiful scenery outside, the cave seemed to exude a gloomy aura.

“Here is fine.”

Pale muttered softly. It felt like her footsteps became more lively.

What was fine? Lukas pondered inwardly, but he was not curious enough to ask.

The cave was quite deep, and it gradually began to slope downward. It was unclear just how far they traversed down the rough stone steps.

After a while, Yong So-han stopped walking.

“…”

The smell of wood incense mingled with the humidity in the cave. It carried a scent similar to a temple sacrifice.

The scent of the wood incense seemed to mask another faint smell.

The smell of blood.

“This way.”

Yong So-han resumed walking.

On both sides of the path, jail cells made of solid iron were erected. In them were men and women, old and young, even children.

And,

“…”

Lukas’ form stopped.

He was in front of a jail cell. His gaze was locked onto someone on the other side of the iron bars for a long time.

“What are you doing?”

Yong So-han, who was walking ahead, turned around.

Without even looking up, Lukas said.

“Who is this person?”

“One of the sinners.”

“What is his crime?”

“Massacre. He killed 11 of our disciples and wounded another 25. He is one of the most dangerous sinners in this prison.”

“…”

Massacre.

Lukas felt his mouth go dry. It felt like he’d swallowed a mouthful of sand.

He walked closer to the jail cell.

“Wa-, wait. Don’t get too close.”

Ignoring Yong So-han’s call, he reached his hand as far into the cell as it could stretch. Then he quietly spoke again.

“Is that really the truth?”

“…”

“Did this man really commit a massacre with his own hands?”

At that moment, the person inside the cell stirred slightly.

Slowly, he raised his head. His entire body was covered in scars, and he was so thin that his rib bones were visible. This showed that he had experienced a long period of torture and neglect. Rather than meals. He had probably only been given enough to eat to maintain his existence.

Suddenly, his chapped lips parted, and it seemed that a voice that hadn’t been used in a long time tried to flow out.

“—”

But no sound came out of his mouth. Nevertheless, Lukas heard his words.

He turned around.

The prison didn’t seem to have any specially assigned guards.

In other words, the only ones there were the two Swordsmen.

“I’m not sure what’s going on, but please calm…”

Just as Yong So-han had a strange feeling and brought his hand to the hilt of his sword.

Paak!

A Hyper Bolt struck him in the stomach. Yong So-han coughed out the air in his lungs and his eyes rolled back into his head.

Knocked out in one hit.

“What-!”

The other swordsman a short distance away was surprised and drew his sword like lightning.

Lukas turned to him, preparing to cast another spell, but it wasn’t necessary.

Crack!

Because the Swordsman’s face was crushed in the next instant.

Red Blood and white brain matter mixed as they flowed down. The body, which had lost its head, convulsed a few times as if it couldn’t understand what had happened, before finally collapsing to the ground.

Blood soaked the cave floor.

Lukas turned to the woman who had created such a horrific scene.

“Pale.”

She twisted her mouth instead of answering.

Then, she licked the blood from her hands. The image was alluring, but at the same time, it carried a frightening aura.

“Uncle, do you remember what I said last time?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I told you that territories have a lot of tasty things.”

There was no need for him to ask what she meant.

Pale showed the meaning of her words through her next actions. After walking over to the body, she grabbed it by the ankle. Then, she pulled it in the opposite direction from the hip.

With a gruesome sound, the man’s leg was ripped off, like a boiled chicken leg that was pulled off.

With a hum, Pale opened her mouth wide.

“Hap.”

Chomp, crunch, munch. The sounds of her chewing not only the muscles and blood vessels, but also the bones, filled the underground prison.

Lukas’ gaze became cold.

He wasn’t surprised or shocked. But the sight of cannibalism was something that he never liked to see.

“Are you not going to eat?”

Pale didn’t look back at him and instead asked with a smirk.

“You put in a lot of effort. That should make up for it.”

Pale’s question carried genuine curiosity.

Certainly.

If Lukas were to kneel down and carry out a similar predatory act, he would be able to completely replenish the mana he’d lost. Perhaps the nutritional value of a warrior like Yong So-han was much better than the rats and monsters he’d eaten before.

However, he had no intention of doing so.

No matter how polluted, corrupted, or soiled he became, there were actions that he would never tolerate.

Cannibalism was one such action for Lukas.

Pale finished eating the leg in a flash and wiped her lips. However, that only served to spread the blood that had splashed onto her face while she was ripping the body apart, making it even messier.

“If you don’t eat, it’ll be your loss. If you just leave it, it’ll disappear.”

“Disappear?”

“Look at that.”

As if to prove her point, the body of the unnamed man began to slowly disappear.

That wasn’t all. Even the pieces of flesh and bone fragments that had scattered and the blood that had splashed onto Pale’s face began to disappear.

“That’s why it’s better to eat. Even when everything is gone, the feeling of fullness will not disappear.”

Pale patted her stomach in satisfaction.

He knew that she was a glutton. She always seemed to be eating something. When they were walking, Pale would take things out of her pocket to eat.

And yet, her cheeks were still sunken, her limbs were still thin.

This fact unsettled Lukas, but he’d never taken the opportunity to ask.

“Why did you kill him?”

He’d had no intention of killing. The Hyper Bolt that Lukas had used had only been strong enough to knock him unconscious. Pale was different. She’d smashed the Swordsman’s head with the first blow.

“I hate liars. And this place is a den of liars.”

Pale straightened her knees and stood up.

Then she turned to Lukas.

“By the way, why did you do that? Did you know they were lying too?”

“I’d had my suspicions before. But I was certain after what just happened.”

“Just happened?”

“Right.”

Lukas turned to the cell he was standing in front of.

“This man is not someone who would commit a massacre without cause.”

“Do you know each other? Are you from the same universe?”

“No.”

Lukas shook his head as he looked inside the cell.

Many things had changed, but those eyes hiding behind his long hair remained the same.

Lukas was more surprised that he’d met this man here in the first place.

He hadn’t expected this man to be in the Imaginary World. Because this was a place only forgotten beings were supposed to enter. Even now, as he stood face to face with him, he couldn’t understand what was going on.

However, there was no doubt that they had reunited.

Lukas called his name in a soft voice.

“Lee Jong-hak.”

As if to answer him, the Human Dragon lifted his head.