The Genius Magician Hides His Swordsmanship - Chapter 1

Chapter 1. Prologue.

A fishy smell filled my throat. I lowered my head. There are wounds all over my body. Thanks to the cold pain that started from the shadows, I managed to come back to my senses.

‘…Damn them.’

Five figures were approaching. If you knew their identities, there would be no mainlander who would not be surprised by them.

“This is an honor, all five of the old men of the Pentagram came to catch me.”

The Pentagram (Five-pointed star)
Like stars in the sky, these five men who have reached the pinnacle of wizardry, have all come together to kill me, a single swordsman!
The old man in the center took another step forward. Through his tousled gray hair, a casual voice spoke.

“Adonis, this is the end of our ill-fated relationship. Blame it on your talent.”

The old man’s eyes were red. His blood red eyes were looking down at me. Those red eyes would make anyone who met them submit. They were the eyes of a true-blooded member of the Delemar family, one of the greatest magical families of all time.

‘It’s all because of him.’

Lokgo, to me, was not a man to be admired. He was not to be admired at all.

“You’re being silly.”

The words that could be uttered toward such a person were limited.

“The lowly dog only picks up dirty things till the end.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, You’re the one who’s doing the dirty work. You pretended to be noble, and now you’ve ventured into forbidden territory.”
“…What?”
“You’re a bunch of bastards. You think I’m afraid of you, I know you’re all afraid of me!”

His expression twisted. The wrinkles around his bark-like eyes deepened.

“Shut up.”
“You’re the Archmage of the Devil, and the children will laugh at you when they pass by.”
“How dare you!”

Wizard Lokgo’s eyes glowed with a fiery red glow. At the same time, mana began to gather in the staffs of the five mages.

“…Kill him.”

Paradoxically, I am relieved to see that. I provoked them, so I can die as painlessly as possible.
I purposely got under their skin. Anyway, I can’t get away from them.

‘I’d rather die than to beg for my life from those guys.’

KWAR!
A sound like a thunderclap engulfed the surroundings. The sky was still clear, so the sound must’ve been created by their mana flow.

‘These old men are full of energy.’

They are 9-star archmages. They were old, but their skills were no joke.

‘If only I could reach the level of a 10-star.’

I couldn’t help but feel regretful at this moment. If I could have attained that elusive level, I would have been able to do the work of even the most powerful demons.

“Now go to hell, Adonis.”

Eventually, the energy gathered in the five staves shot out. I couldn’t make out what the blackened magic was. I could only guess that it was some kind of dark magic.
Black spots pierced my entire body.
Poof!
My arms, legs, and torso. It was unclear which was hit first.

‘…My eyelids weigh so much.’

To become a 9-star swordsman, I had defeated hundreds of strong men.
I had overcome thousands of adversities. But at this moment, I couldn’t overcome the weight of my eyelids, which felt like they were weighed down by a thousand pounds, and then, my eyes closed.

There was no pain, no sharpness of the blades.
The pain that pierced my skin, even the blood rushing through my body. At some point, I stopped feeling it.

‘…Is this what death feels like?’

I felt like I was in space, floating. I didn’t even realize the unfamiliar sensation for a moment.
A thunderous, windy sound shook my entire body.

“Fuck..!”

I reflexively swore. As an unattended person, the worst was about to happen. It was the sound of a power overload. The auras I had worked so hard to collect to become a 9-star swordsman were scattering in all directions.

‘…Free for life.’

Oh well, what good is aura if I’m dead?

‘I don’t think I can take it with me to the afterlife.’

I didn’t even try to catch the fleeing aura, I just let them go with the flow. And in that moment.
Zzzz…

A strange sensation washed over me. It was the vibration of the aura’s flow. Only now, in my current state of stillness, did I realize. I was feeling small vibrations.

‘What..!’

The auras were coursing through my muscles.

It traveled through my abdomen, over my pecs, down my left and right arms. Over my thighs, and down to my ankles. The auras ended up exiting through my limbs.

‘I could have used my muscles as an aura pathway… I didn’t have to concentrate them in my abdomen!’

The flow was a natural phenomenon.

‘I can only witness the threshold of the level of 10-stars when I’m on the verge of death. It’s too late, it’s too late!’

I, the young swordsman, who had reached the level of 9-star at the age of thirty-five and shook the continent, closed my eyes.

Tap-tap-tap-
A strange sensation groped through my body. A strange yet familiar sensation. It didn’t take me long to realize what it was.
A touch… Yes, a touch. Like the way a mother would hold a child. It was a cozy touch that I hadn’t felt in a long time, and it didn’t feel so bad.

‘…It was almost as if I was seeing my dead mother.’

I opened my eyes slowly.
Wondering if this was the afterlife, and if so, what kind of world it would be like.

‘…What the hell!’

I couldn’t help but gulp in the air. The scene that came into view was completely unfamiliar.

“Ian, let’s eat.”

Because some woman was taking care of me. I had no choice but to freak out. I exclaimed instinctively.

‘Let go of me!’

But the sound that popped out of my mouth was a little different from my will.

“Wahhhh!”

I yelled with a loud voice as if I roared.

“Oh, really? Did mommy startle you?”

Suddenly something squishy came into my mouth.

‘What the hell is this doing… Eup! Eup!’

Eventually, the woman’s milk got launched into my mouth.

“I’m sorry for startling you.”

Now I could see the woman’s face properly. It was a strange face I had never seen before.

‘Who is this crazy woman, a mother?’

Her jawline was elegant, and her lips were as small as cherries.
Her nose was moderately high.
And her eyes were…

‘What the!’
I was so surprised that I spat out the milk.

“Wahhhhh!”

The eyes of the woman patting me on the back were as red as an eternal ruby.