Chapter 1

Surviving in the Murim as a Mage - Chapter 1

[Dragon Slayer of the German Mountains, Slaughterer of Giants and Monsters, Commentator of All Mysteries, Companion of Spirits and Fairies, Terror of the Seven Continents, Archmage of the Hero’s Party...]

—Excerpt from "The Great Archmage: A Gathering of Descendants Praising Tvalier of the Rainbow."

***

My great master.

There are honestly countless modifiers used by the world to praise the Archmage Tvalier. To be fair, there are many more famous ones besides those mentioned above. I will stop here, however, as the pages of my journal are insufficient to record them all.   

Honestly, since he is a man who achieved such great feats, that level of treatment is only natural. But from my perspective, my master—the great Archmage, Duke Tvalier—is simply a somewhat immature, overly curious old man.

THUD!

"Lian! Are you here?"

"Yes, Master. But I would appreciate it if you would knock."

"No, such trivial matters are not important right now. I just returned from another dimension. Ha, but to my surprise, the version of me over there was a total lump of incompetence. He had no talent and was incredibly lazy. Do you remember the law I told you about last time? The Law of Identical Conservation of Entropy."

"Hmm, was it 'the entropy existing in all dimensions is fixed, and if a being in one dimension uses a large amount of entropy, their counterparts in other dimensions suffer a corresponding disadvantage'?"

"Yes! Exactly! As I thought, it seems I was right on the mark. The me in the other dimension is just too incompetent. He is completely useless."

I carefully placed my experimental tools on the table. I turned my head slightly to look at Duke Tvalier, whose face was flushed with excitement.

He had snow-white eyebrows and hair. Although he was an old man well over a hundred years old, his skin was without a single wrinkle, and his eyes were sparkling like a young boy's. I saw my master's energetic side every day, but it was still truly amazing to witness.

"By the way, were you successful with the dimensional travel magic that had been blocked until now?"

"Hmm? Heh, I succeeded in that long ago. It has become quite stable now. I have already looked through five different places."

"Congratulations. You have gained yet another new achievement."

The Mage of Space and Dimension, the Great Archmage Tvalier. Another modifier was added to describe my master.

While I was stuck in the laboratory like a proper mage, struggling with magical reagents all day long, our great master, Duke Tvalier, was personally experimenting with legendary spells that were thought to be possible only in one’s imagination.

He casually tossed a book onto my desk, saying he had recorded the details of his successful dimensional magic in a grimoire. I did not know if it was truly acceptable to leave a world-shaking grimoire in such a random spot.

"Ahem, well, as for the academic announcement, I suppose you can do as you please. Since I believe I have finished passing down all the magical theories I need to teach you, I am thinking of challenging a new type of magic now."

"What kind of incredible thing are you planning to attempt this time?"

I wondered if there could be any magic more dangerous than dimensional magic. Duke Tvalier scratched the back of his head and laughed awkwardly.

"This magic is a bit dangerous, so I have written my will in advance. Would you like to read it?"

"Pardon?"

I looked at my master with a confused expression. What kind of magic could possibly make a monster who crosses dimensions prepare for death? As my expression turned strange, my master grinned and set down a single sheet of paper—his will—next to the dimensional grimoire.

"I intend to go to a higher dimension, one level above this one."

"A higher dimension... Do you mean you are going to the Divine Realm?"

Was it even possible for a normal human to enter the Divine Realm? No, if it was my great master, it might actually be possible. He was already a man called the God of Magic. He was someone whose limit of talent could not even be guessed. However...

"The Divine Realm is not a higher dimension. It is just somewhat difficult to access from the same dimension because of the gap in status. I can go there whenever I put my mind to it. In fact, I have been there myself."

"To the Divine Realm?"

"Of course. I even met the Goddess Ionia. She was very angry when she saw me and chased me out. I was even banned from entering."

"Is... is that all right?"

"I suppose it will be fine. I did apologize, after all."

Was he joking? But his expression was far too serious for me to dismiss it as a prank. Anyway, I needed to master that dimensional grimoire on the table as quickly as possible. I pulled myself together and asked a question.

"Then, what exactly do you mean by a higher dimension?"

"Hmm, literally speaking, it refers to a world where the laws are similar to ours, but entirely different rules exist. Right now, the distance is so great that I am only making vague predictions, but it is likely a world where the entropy of all dimensions operates in a completely different way. Even I might even find it quite difficult once I go there."

For that embodiment of self-confidence to speak so humbly... did such a world really exist? It was quite surprising.

"Does such a world truly exist?"

I had only intended to think about it, but the words slipped out of my mouth.

"It probably does. However, it is a place that cannot be observed well from here, so I will not know for sure until I go there myself. But I am certain it exists. Now, I just have to go."

"But if you go to such a world, your power will be restricted. Are you not afraid?"

"Hmm? Why would I be afraid of that?"

Looking at my master’s expression, which suggested he could not understand the question, I suddenly realized what kind of being the monster before me was and nodded.

"I suppose you would actually enjoy it, Master."

"Of course! Starting from the very bottom is quite fun."

I let out a small laugh while looking at my master’s bright smile. Such words were only possible because he had the confidence that he could reach the top at any time, in any form. Perhaps my master would have reached the pinnacle of the world just the same even if he had learned swordsmanship instead of magic. In fact, he was a master of swordsmanship recognized by the Hero himself. The person before me was already an out-of-spec monster. I quickly nodded and spoke again.

"Regardless, if it is a dimension so distant that even your eyes cannot observe it, it must be incredibly dangerous."

"Yes. It cannot be observed while possessing a physical body. So, this time, I plan to discard my body and attempt it as a soul—a perfect mental entity. I believe I need to reduce my weight drastically to travel further."

"We usually refer to that as death, Master."

"That is why I wrote my will."

"Do you really have to go that far, Master?"

"Yes. This is truly the last time."

I knew well that he was not someone who would listen even if I tried to stop him. He was a madman who could not resist new magic. While I looked at him with a complex and subtle expression, the great Archmage, Duke Tvalier, looked back at me and giggled without any dignity.

"So, you are free now, my disciple. Is it not great?"

"It is... great, but..."

The freedom I had longed for so much. But for some reason, I felt a bit hesitant. Perhaps it was because I had never thought I would find freedom in this manner. It did not feel very good because it was not something I had earned entirely through my own strength.

"While I am gone, feel free to do something like conquering the world. You may use my fortune as much as you like. I have written it all in my will."

"The debt in your name is already tens of thousands of gold pieces due to the costs of various experiments."

"What? That cannot be right."

"The gold was exhausted long ago making the elixirs and medicines you ordered."

"What should I do? It is a serious problem if there is no money. Being a mage costs a great deal of gold."

"Well, it is fine. I will handle the debt myself."

"Oh! As expected of my disciple! You should at least have that much capability!"

I looked at my master’s excited face and asked with a slightly annoyed expression.

"So, are you going to return?"

"I probably cannot return this time. I have to leave my body behind."

"Then I am really going to conquer the world. Who would stop me if you are gone, Master?"

"Probably no one. Use this opportunity to try being an Emperor."

"Ah, hearing you say it makes me really not want to do it. It sounds trivial."

"Haha, it is true that it is not a big deal."

While I looked at my master with a very pouting face, he grinned and tapped my shoulder.

"Disciple. Have you forgotten what this great master has always told you? Compared to the process of realizing the truth, the honors of the secular world are as light as a feather. I have told you this repeatedly."

"If that feather is the Seven Continents, it is not light at all, is it?"

"No. It is not different in the slightest, my disciple. Well, you will come to realize it someday."

My master continued to tap my back while wearing his characteristic, easygoing smile.

"You have worked hard under me all this time. I wanted to say that to you eventually. Out of all my disciples, you were the only one I could actually communicate with."

"..."

"Perhaps because you are greedy, you are also quite smart."

"That world conquest I mentioned earlier... it was not a joke."

I was serious. I was really going to conquer the world. Once the inhibitor known as my master disappeared, there would be nothing to hold me back.

"Sure. Do as you wish. Once you try it, you will feel it—that you wasted time on something lighter than a feather."

"My motivation is plummeting even before I start. Thank you very much, Master."

When I spoke while gritting my teeth slightly, my master chuckled. Ah, I felt like I had lost even before starting. It was a strange feeling.

"Since all my knowledge has been fully passed down to you, I have no lingering regrets here. It is quite a relief."

"Do not just dump everything on me like that now."

I spoke bluntly while tucking the dimensional grimoire and the will from the table into my arms.

"Whether it is a higher dimension or whatever, I hope you live well over there. Well, you will live well anyway even without your disciple's concern. Talking about it makes me quite annoyed."

"If I succeed there, I will call for you as well."

"No, thank you. I will live happily here, reaching the highest point. Besides, didn't you say the rules there are different? You might not even be able to use magic."

"I am only guessing. I might be able to use it. If not, I will just learn swordsmanship."

"Sigh, do as you please. Anyway, once your will is announced, a lot of pests will probably swarm around. It will be troublesome for a while."

As I shook my head with a look of annoyance, my master tapped his staff a few times and spoke lightly.

"Then, I am off."

"Have a safe—"

LURCH—

Suddenly, my master stumbled and fell backward right before my eyes. After catching him in a hurry, I pressed my aching forehead and shouted.

"By 'off,' did you mean you were leaving right this second?"

Is this a joke? Just like this, all of a sudden?

The greatest Archmage in history. The God of Magic. Duke Fabius Tvalier.

He officially met his death in that manner.