The Great Mage Returns After 4000 Years

Book 2 Chapter 647

The evolutionary method that Residue had chosen was extremely radical, and such forceful execution typically returned in the form of pain.

So for Residue, it wasn’t a bad thing at all.

The skin over his entire body burned pitch black, turned into ashes and crumbled, then fresh flesh regenerated, this process repeated hundreds of times within 0.1 seconds.

Of course, it wasn’t just the outer shell that needed attention.

Bones and blood vessels… above all, the internal organs were important. But the process of refining the internal components of the body was hundreds of times more difficult than simply reinforcing the exterior. It couldn’t be handled roughly. One small mistake and instead of building up resistance, he would collapse into a puddle of blood.

Residue was slowly raising the internal resistance of his body, pondering ways to accelerate the process, but so far, no effective solution had emerged.

Unable to avoid it, he continued with the slow but reliable method, all while devoting part of his consciousness to the search for a better way.

As he continued this cycle of reinforcing both inside and out, at some point.

Residue felt as though the surroundings were gradually dimming.

‘…….’

It must be an illusion. Right now, Residue’s five senses were completely cut off from the world.

So this was a scene of his mental world. Quite a magnificent view. If the sun existed in this world, he might have mistaken it for sunset.

Soon after, the surroundings turned completely dark. He felt a bit flustered, then it suddenly brightened again, only to go dark once more...

‘Hmm…….’

Though he couldn’t clearly identify his current state, Residue let out a low hum internally.

This sensation, it felt like he was experiencing the flow of time at an incredibly fast speed. The opposite of the Minimal Time Zone, his consciousness was running wild in a different sense, and things or time seemed to be flying past him...

...This had to be a hallucination felt only in the mental world. If time were actually passing at this speed in reality, all of Residue’s hastily constructed plans would become instantly useless.

‘…….’

It felt like quite a bit of time had passed in this state, but there was no sense that he could escape from it. Residue remained at the center of this endlessly repeating world, and unidentifiable forms swept past him in the blink of an eye.

Only then did his brows slightly furrow.

He had hoped that staying still would end it, but it seemed this wasn’t something to be resolved so simply.

As he thought deeply about why he was in this state, he reached the conclusion that he needed to pay more attention to the scenes that were flashing by.

So Residue drew out his concentration to the maximum and tried to capture the fleeting scenery with his eyes, but once again, he could not clearly identify their essence.

‘Hah.’

Failing twice, a sense of stubbornness began to rise. With a much more serious attitude, he focused again on the passing scenes.

This time, he wouldn’t miss it.

Even if he missed it, he would at least obtain a clue as to what it was.

─That resolution was in vain, as once again, he gained nothing.

‘…….’

Residue blinked his eyes. He had confidence in his observational skills, so this development was quite perplexing. Moreover, the fact that he had seen it several times and still realized nothing meant that even if he continued to watch, there would be nothing to gain. ⱤäNОᛒЕ𐌔

‘Is that even possible?’

Residue felt a pure sense of doubt at that point.

Among all the phenomena that existed in the world, those that Residue couldn’t understand were few enough to count on one hand. And yet, a phenomenon that he couldn’t even identify after repeatedly observing it?

Even as he thought that, things like ‘light’, ‘shadow’, ‘explosion’, and ‘something spreading’ once again passed by Residue.

‘Hmm…….’

Only then did he realize that the situation was more serious than he had thought. If he wasn’t careful, he might be trapped inside this phenomenon forever.

He didn’t feel despair or fear, but there was certainly a sense of helplessness.

In the midst of the repeating phenomenon, Residue’s worries only deepened.

─This is training.

Suddenly, he heard a voice.

Residue flinched and lifted his head.

-It’s something you’ve never done before.

‘Lukas?’

The voice, instead of replying, continued speaking in a dry, emotionless tone.

─What is training? Simply put, it is the process of making the unfamiliar familiar. To you, that might be a rather foreign concept.

‘…….’

Is he going to ramble on unilaterally again?

Residue felt deflated.

If he was going to leave, he should leave cleanly. But every so often, he would suddenly appear and assert his presence, leaving his heart in disarray.

More than that, why was this voice suddenly being heard now? Did this mean the trace left behind by ‘Frey Blake’ during their contact still hadn’t been erased?

─This phenomenon.

‘…….’

─No matter how many dozens or hundreds of times you see it, or how much you raise your concentration, it’s not something you can grasp. First, you’ll need to switch the orientation of your consciousness. Just remember this for now. The foundation of training is comprehension, and comprehension comes from analysis.

‘Are you telling me to analyze this phenomenon?’

Residue asked, even knowing the voice couldn’t hear him.

─But the phenomena that exist in the world are far too numerous and complex. Sometimes it’s impossible to analyze them from the ground up. So occasionally, you must approach from a completely different direction. You start by writing down assumptions.

‘…….’

─You probably don’t like the sound of that. Starting with hypotheses doesn’t suit your nature. But what can you do? There’s no other way.

And with that, the voice ceased.

Even when he remained still for a while, wondering if there might be more to follow, all that returned was silence. Residue let out a hollow laugh.

‘Once again, you’ve appeared to help me.’

That sudden emergence when no answer could be seen, as if arriving on cue like a seasoned actor who has memorized their lines, it was dramatic.

He gave a subtle hint like a savior or hero and then disappeared without looking back. That was Lukas Trowman’s style. Residue knew it better than anyone.

‘But I’m not your disciple, Lukas.’

So, he didn’t need teachings. He wouldn’t follow advice.

He had already received help at a decisive moment. Once was enough.

Residue did not want to become someone who depended on others. Especially not if that someone was Lukas. It wasn’t about efficiency, it was a matter of pride, and that pride was one of the most critical parts of what made up the current Residue.

So he chose not to accept the advice of a respected friend.

Maybe it was the most wrong decision he could make. Maybe he was being a fool who deliberately ignored the shortcut.

Maybe, just maybe...

Residue erased those pointless thoughts from his mind.

Such assumptions became useless the moment the choice was made.

Instead, he smiled.

Having turned away from the easiest path, things would only get harder from here.

***

The Residue of the past never doubted himself.

For example, in a situation like this, if he couldn’t understand a certain phenomenon, he would think the problem lay not with himself but with the phenomenon itself. No, he was convinced of it.

Now, it was different.

After witnessing beings like Destruction, the Four Knights, and the Half King, he had come to acknowledge the possibility that something might be wrong with himself, that there might be aspects he needed to improve. It wasn’t that he was inspired by their existence. It was simply that the moment he stopped being the strongest, he had no choice but to accept his own imperfection.

‘The evolution of the body is going smoothly.’

Even parts like bones, muscles, and internal organs, though slow compared to the outside, were gradually building resistance.

However, there was a part Residue hadn’t considered.

It was consciousness.

Because he had never once thought that his consciousness, his mind, was lacking, he was late to realize it. Most of the time, it had been the body’s output that couldn’t keep up with the mental aspect.

But this time was different.

The realm that Residue was now aiming for lay above even the mental strength of a former Ruler.

So then, how should he raise his mental state to a higher, more mature level? Should he reflect on his inner self like an enlightened monk? Or should he beat his brains out pondering the logic and answers of all creation?

They were all wrong.

Residue did not choose such a dull method. Instead, he channeled lightning directly at his own consciousness, targeting the mind itself.

Crackle!

‘……!’

And in that instant, his consciousness almost snapped.

To send lightning into one’s very consciousness was no different from striking at one’s own essence. It wasn’t an entirely accurate analogy, but it was akin to delivering an electric shock to the heart in order to train it, one slight mistake, and he would lose consciousness. And if he blacked out in this state... there was a high chance he would die or end up in a fate worse than death.

He felt pain incomparable even to the searing of raw flesh, but that pain also brought a sharp awakening of the mind.

In hindsight, the realization he had just reached was almost embarrassingly simple.

It wasn’t enough for the body to move fast. Protecting the internal organs wouldn’t solve it either.

The most important thing was, if Residue was going to move that fast, then his consciousness had to be able to keep up with that speed as well. If not, then in the end, Residue would only be able to use a tenth of his total power.

At that moment, the scenery flashed by once more.

‘…….’

With eyes wide open, Residue captured the scenery again, and for the first time, he realized something different from all the previous times.

He had misunderstood one thing. From the beginning, the subject had been wrong.

It wasn’t the scenery that was passing by, Residue himself was the one who had passed.

The truth was that he had been traveling at an unimaginably fast speed along some path. Because the speed was so great, and there was none of the physical strain or resistance that should have accompanied it, he had been deceived.

Residue thought to himself.

Perhaps the scenery that now flashed by was a fragment of the world he was meant to see and feel after completing his evolution. A preview of the world that [the one who moves the fastest] must know.

…Strangely, once his perception shifted that way, even the remnants of the panorama flashing by began to settle into his eyes.

And so, the first thing Residue saw was someone’s death.

‘…….’

Beniang Argento.

The sword of a Red Knight pierced through her chest.

With hollow eyes, Beniang coughed up blood and died on the spot.

─It has not happened yet.

Once again, the voice was heard.

─But it is something that will soon happen.

‘…….’

─In the past, I failed to protect that child. It was one of the most painful mistakes I ever made.

The voice continued quietly.

─I ask of you. Please, do not leave the same scar on her again.

Meanwhile, as Residue witnessed Beniang’s death, another scene entered his view.

At almost the same point in time, but in a different place.

Luca’s body was being torn apart by Pale’s blade.

‘This again.’

Even while taking in both tragedies, Residue remained indifferent.

A choice between two.

A despairing situation, as if shaped by someone’s malice, where only one of the two could be saved.

But shouldn’t there be a change in this script by now?

Even monotonous patterns have their limits.

Anyway, if this tiresome situation were to come crashing down on him again, Residue would have no choice but to repeat the equally tiresome decision.

As always, the choice to save them both.

*****

For more chapters visit - https://www.patreon.com/tgmalpha

For any errors and issues contact me through discord:- https://discord.gg/woopread-708613326262894654