Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Art of Death (2)

“The Rule Administrators have ‘chosen’ you?”

It was hard for him to believe . As if that wasn’t possible .

The Guide asked again .

Muyoung nodded his head and started to speak .

“Is it really that strange?”

He was honestly just curious .

That was why Muyoung asked so bluntly .

The Guide was someone who was wholly dedicated to this place, even before the collapse of humans .

He might even be the one person who knew more than Muyoung .

If the Guide didn’t have the answers, there was no way for Muyoung to find out as well .

His expression was serious .

“I’m not sure of the details . How many manage the Laws of the Darkness, who are part of it, and etc . Just know one thing, that they have really high standards . Even if someone completed the impossible, it was rare for them to choose anyone…”

Then he looked Muyoung again and rubbed his chin .

It seemed like even the Guide did not have the information about the Death Lord or the Lord class that Muyoung really wanted to know about .

The Guide continued to speak .

“But, you were chosen, right?”

Like a kid who had just found a new toy, his eyes started to sparkle .

Great excitement .

At the same time, a slight smile appeared on his face .

“As expected, you truly aren’t an ordinary human being . That’s probably why you were able to win the three wagers against me . ”

While he seemed to be particularly obsessed with wagers, Muyoung could not refute his words .

Before Muyoung realized, the Guide was holding an Orc Staff .

Even the mood seemed to have changed .

The aura of magic surrounding them was so dense that it suffocated Muyoung .

Muyoung bent his eyebrows .

As Muyoung slowly moved his hand towards his weapon, the Guide started to talk again .

“Ah . Ah, I’m sorry . I was extremely thrilled . That’s right, I probably said that I was going to tell you my name if you came back alive . If it is you, you deserve to know my name . ”

Tsk .

Muyoung clicked his tongue as he removed his hand from the sheath and returned his hand to where it was before .

“Do as you please . ”

To be honest, it wasn’t like Muyoung was really curious about his name .

What could happen by knowing letters of a name .

Seeing how the Guide was obsessed about it, Muyoung just thought he really wanted to introduce himself .

“I’m a Druid . ”

Druids were known to be the ones who dealt with nature and spirits .

Swish .

Out of the blue, the wind blew .

The spirits of the wind started to come and surround the Guide .

Muyoung swallowed his saliva .

“I thought you were a magician . ”

“At the same time, I’m also the supreme magician . You weren’t wrong . Even though I was born from an Incubus of Darkness, I was baptized right away so that I wouldn’t be infected by evil . Instead I was able to gain an enormous amount of power . Of course, there is no way I can display my true powers in this fake form . ”

As if he was boasting, he continued to talk .

“The system of ‘skills’ that humans are able to use were made by me . So that as long as you knew the spell, it wasn’t hard to cast the spell or to exert magic . ”

Even though the Guide said that he was going to share his name, he was bragging about his identity .

But, Muyoung didn’t really care about his identity .

“Are you asking me to play twenty questions?”

The Guide looked a bit disappointed .

“You still don’t know who I am?”

As if his identity should have been obvious by now, the Guide clearly found it shocking .

“I still don’t know . ”

“Merlin . ”

“Merlin?”

Muyoung looked at the Guide .

The Guide didn’t seem like he was joking around .

Finally, there was a smile on the Guide’s face .

“I’m the Merlin whom your thinking of . ”

Finally, few words appeared in front of Muyoung .

For a moment, a blue light wrapped around Muyoung’s body .

Just by knowing the Guide’s name, his magical abilities rose .

That meant that the ‘name’ had that much worth, but it was the first time something like this happened for Muyoung, so it was natural for him to be a bit confused .

“As expected, you really are talented! Just because someone hears my name doesn’t mean that they all get something . A drawing might be just a scribble for someone, but to another, it might be a work of art . ”

Without a care in the world, Merlin became more enthusiastic about Muyoung .

“It’s my first time hearing that Merlin followed Solomon . ”

“It wouldn’t be correct to say that I followed him . We had no choice, but to combine our strength . If the Seal of Lemegeton was to be broken… The fake will become real and the real will become fake . It was very obvious that in a state where everything became chaotic, humans would be annihilated . ”

He also seemed to be the reason to why humans from Earth were being summoned here .

Muyoung could not take it as a joke any longer .

Right now, Merlin was telling him about the history of this world .

He knew that the 72 demons were going to be freed when the Seal of Lemegeton was broken . But, even Muyoung was unaware of the specifics regarding its background .

“Do you mean the summoning of the humans into this Underworld was already decided upon long ago?”

Merlin nodded his head .

“Yes . And to be honest, it wasn’t too promising either . The demons were too strong and therefore, even if they were to prepare for them, there was always a limit . That’s why, our only hope was human’s unlimited potential, but…”

He became silent .

However even if he didn’t hear the rest of the story, Muyoung understood .

After all, in the end, humanity wasn’t able to stop the demons .

Instead, due to conflicts between humans, numerous humans with potentials were killed .

And, even Merlin, himself, wasn’t able to consider human’s desires and their selfishness .

No, even if he knew, like a Pandora’s box, he might have still firmly believed in them as their last hope .

“However, if it is you, the person who was chosen by the Masters of the Darkness, I believe you have the potential of becoming a true hero . ”

The burning look of Merlin’s eyes were making him feel uncomfortable .

However, Muyoung didn’t really like how he was sweet talking him .

Muyoung placed a lot of pressure on his neck before he spoke .

“So what is your point?”

“Become my successor . ”

Muyoung thought he had heard of this somewhere .

That a person could potentially receive a class from supreme beings .

Unlike other people, Muyoug was able to accept four classes .

As of now, since he has earned a secret class, it wasn’t a bad idea to earn another .

Still…

‘Death Lord is one of the magic-type classes . ’

Muyoung was planning on getting specifically distinct classes .

And just by the name, he could tell that the Court Magician class was one of the magic-type classes .

“I refuse . ”

“You… refuse?”

In an instant, Merlin’s expression became strange .

It was an expression like he never expected to get refused by his offer .

Muyoung calmly spoke .

“To become your successor means that I need to be here for a long time right?”

Merlin was a being unable to leave this Blue Temple .

To learn from him meant that a lot of time will be spent here .

“10 years would be more than enough . You will be an accomplished magician…”

Muyoung just shook his head from the expected answer .

Becoming an accomplished magician seemed nice, but in 10 years, he could gain a lot more by living in the Underworld .

He needed to be the first to retrieve specific treasures .

“I’m more curious about the world beyond these gates . ”

“Even if you go there, there aren’t many good things to see . It’s much better to learn from me now and go against the demons later . ”

“If I become your successor, does that mean I can kill the demons for sure?”

“That…”

Of course, it would be impossible .

Like he said, all Muyoung could do was fight against them .

Muyoung knew the end of Merlin .

Even when he returned to his former self, all he could do was tie up three top ranking demons for 10 days . That was all .

Even if Muyoung was to take all Merlin had to offer, it meant that there was a limit .

Of course, just that by itself was an incredible thing . It was enough for him to be called the supreme magician .

However, Muyoung knew too much about the past .

It would be foolish for him to waste 10 years here .

Therefore, he calmly replied .

“As humans are faced with trials, by overcoming them, they get stronger . And a system that rewards you appropriately is exceptionally pleasing . Since you will be rewarded for the amount of effort you put in . ”

“Selfishness of the humans have gone too far . If you pass the gates, monsters and demons aren’t the ones to be worried about, it’s facing the sickening desires of humans, the same kind as you . Are you going to consider that as a trial too?”

“If they stop me, I will destroy them . I’m not willing to leave anything that stands in my way . ”

“Ha…”

As Merlin listened to Muyoung’s answers, he sighed .

It was because he knew that whatever he had to say, wouldn’t go through to Muyoung .

Muyoung’s determination was that firm .

“What a shame, what a real shame . ”

“Why don’t you look for a successor yourself instead of just waiting . There are plenty of people who are more talented than me . ”

It wasn’t like Muyoung was exceptionally talented in magic .

However, considering how many real ‘genius’ magicians have shown up in the Underworld, it wasn’t like Merlin couldn’t find a successor .

But, Merlin didn’t move from the center of the forest .

Even if a genius showed up, how can he find a successor if he just sits and waits?

“I’m not just looking at skills . But you do make a good point . ”

Merlin sighed out loud .

“I’ve basically given up on relying on humans . Just enjoyed wagering with a few humans who came to see me . However… After seeing you, I wanted to try once more . ”

“You will surely find someone . ”

Finally, Merlin took out a small bottle from his side .

“Take it . It’s the Secret Medicine of the Sage . ”

Inside the bottle, there was a liquid that had a red glow .

The Secret Medicine of the Sage!

It was an item recognized as the pinnacle of alchemy .

It was one of the choices he had when he made it to Solomon’s Hall of Fame for killing the boss . But unfortunately, it was a reward he had to give up .

However, Muyoung gave him a flat refusal .

“I’m not interested in becoming your successor . ”

Even then, Merlin didn’t take his hand back .

“I’m not giving it to you because of that . My primary role is to make heroes and to guide them . Since I can see hope in you, I can’t just send you away, can I?”

For a long time, Merlin just looked at Muyoung without saying a word .

Muyoung didn’t try look away either .

If Merlin was willing to give him the Secret Medicine of the Sage with no strings attached, there was no reason for him to refuse .

As Muyoung grabbed the bottle, Merlin spoke as if he was worried .

“I hope your will won’t be broken . ”

“Nothing will be able to break my will . ”

Muyoung waited 40 years to get this chance .

A chance to go through his life again!

Never, no matter what happens, Muyoung wasn’t willing to waste this chance .