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

[You just answered your own question. Right. I wouldn’t pay attention to something unless it was serious. You became the eye of a storm. Every Absolute in the multiverse is paying attention to you. You were born with a destiny of chaos. Thanks to that, the balance and tranquility which had been maintained for a long time has begun to crack…]

The Lightning God’s voice became serious.

[There is a possibility that you might become another Ruler.]

“…!”

Lukas couldn’t help but feel shocked.

A Ruler…

Right. He’d forgotten.

Becoming a Ruler had been one of Lukas’ secret goals. It was for the sake of saving all of the humans in the Three Thousand Worlds and returning to his homeworld at any time.

His universe, his home.

And those who waited for his return.

However… at some point, the thought of becoming a Ruler had become faint.

He had realised it after becoming a Lord. Just how absurd they were.

He felt that if he thought too deeply about it, he would realise just how impossible his goal was. That was why Lukas deliberately stopped thinking about it.

But now, Lightning God, one of the Rulers, had said it.

He had the potential to become a Ruler.

“How is that right given? Do the four Rulers have a meeting? To decide which Absolute is qualified?”

[Everything has an order. However, it is true that your case is quite unique… Prepare for ‘The Great Game’, Madman.]

“…the Great Game?”

It was the first time he’d heard of it.

But it didn’t seem like the Lightning God intended to tell him more about it.

[I will suggest it again. Come under me. You have nothing to lose. You cannot stand on your own. If you don’t choose a Ruler to serve, you will die. Don’t think that you’ll be able to escape like in the past.]

“…”

[The other Rulers want to kill you. I am the only one willing to help you.]

Thinking that Lukas was still worried, the Lightning God added.

[Have you ever felt calm since becoming an Absolute? After saving one world, a next one awaits, and even if you save that one, there will be another. The screams ringing in your ears would never stop, and your initial determination would eventually fade away. Your emotions would dry up, and that part of you that can be called a personality would disappear. Then what would happen in the end?]

“…”

[You would simply become a puppet. With no emotions, no personality, no beliefs. You would become a machine who gets summoned to universes that have lost their balances, and you would leave after perfectly performing your task. I’m sure you know that a majority of Absolutes have become like that.]

“But that won’t happen if I obey you?”

[Exactly. Personality is incredibly important. A strong personality that is second to none is one of the requirements to become a Ruler. That is why you have the potential. An Absolute like you who has a strong personality is very rare.]

He was right.

Lukas understood.

God or the Rulers.

He understood why these beings, who had lived for countless years, talked and acted in ways that appeared similar to mortals at first glance.

Perhaps… they acted in a certain manner on purpose. Or it was possible that they changed their personalities periodically.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to maintain their egos.

“I refuse.”

Despite Lukas’ cold refusal, the Lightning God smiled widely.

[Why?]

“I have no intention of passing my karma onto someone else. This is the path that I chose to walk on. It has nothing to do with you.”

This wasn’t an emotional decision.

Lukas didn’t believe everything the Lightning God had told him, and he knew what kind of mindset the Absolutes who submitted to the Rulers would have.

Serving the Rulers was a choice that was completely incompatible with his beliefs.

The Lightning God simply laughed for a while as if he didn’t know what to say.

[You really are a madman.]

Lukas was unable to tell whether he was angry, amused, or something else entirely.

[You killed a Demon.]

Lukas remained silent.

[By this universe’s standards, he was a pretty powerful Demon too. Why did you kill him? I was able to pinpoint your location because of that.]

“You can stop talking nonsense. You would have found me regardless of if I had killed a Demon or not. This is proven by the fact that you arrived here before the Demon King.”

[Hehe.]

The Lightning God chuckled.

His insight was pretty good.

The Demons here could also be considered as the Demon King’s creations.

Killing them was the same as touching the Demon King’s bottom line.

Nevertheless, Lukas had killed a Demon. Not only did he kill a Demon, but he killed a Demon Duke, one of the highest-ranking Demons.

Nevertheless, it was the Lightning God, not the Demon King, who had found Lukas first.

In other words, this Ruler had been actively looking for him.

[You should know that each universe has a certain level of tolerance.]

The huge shadow standing behind the clouds moved. It was as if he was looking around.

[There are creatures born into the world who are weaker than insects. On the other hand, there could be countless beings in a universe who are comparable to Absolutes. I was born in a universe like that.]

The Lightning God unexpectedly mentioned his own creation.

[On average, the higher the level of the beings in the universe, the higher that universe’s tolerance. This fact is very important for Absolutes. If a force exceeds the limits of the universe, the balance is broken, and eventually, it will lead to the collapse of that dimension.]

That was the reason why Absolutes, who entered specific universes as saviours, usually didn’t use their full power.

It was the same for Lukas.

[This universe’s tolerance is below average. The science is a bit advanced, but that’s it. Just a few hundred thousand Demons is enough to push it to the brink of extinction.]

The Lightning God clicked his tongue as if to say it was pathetic.

[That’s probably why you wanted the humans to grow stronger. The stronger they become, the higher the universe’s tolerance would become and, naturally, the more power an Absolute would be able to exert. Kuku… Honestly, I’m surprised you were able to raise the humans’ power by this much in only a few decades.]

The Lightning God knew that Lukas had made the best choice.

He could have dealt with the Demons as soon as he entered this universe. Even with limited power, as an Absolute, he would be able to get rid of the Demons with nothing but 9 star spells.

The problem was what came after.

If he killed all of the Demons, perhaps within a day, another Absolute would intervene, and they would inevitably have a battle with Lukas.

If his opponent was another Absolute, then Lukas would be unable to hold back his power. Power that far surpassed this universe’s tolerance would inevitably be released, and eventually, the dimension would collapse.

If that were to happen, then humans would no longer be the problem. The entire universe would disappear in vain.

That didn’t mean that he could tolerate watching the humans being slaughtered.

That was why Lukas spread his knowledge around the world and facilitated their growth. He also saved those who could promote human development as much as possible, those who could lead them, and those who could create a great wind of change.

In addition to that, he used every other means available to him to make the humans stronger.

It wasn’t easy. Because he had to support them behind the scenes.

Nevertheless, Lukas didn’t give up, and in time, he received the results that he wanted.

As a result, in only a few decades, it became possible for humans to fight the Demons with their own power. The universe’s tolerance also increased greatly.

[However, your plan to raise the humans has come to an end.]

“…you mean…”

[Right.]

Lukas’ expression hardened when he heard the Lightning God’s next words.

[Let’s just say that your time’s up. Soon, an Absolute will enter this universe. And I don’t think I have to tell you what their goal is.]

Lukas remained silent.

[They’re not coming to this universe as saviours. Whether the balance is broken or the universe is collapsing doesn’t matter to them. Nevertheless, they still have their consciences as Absolutes, so they will be mindful to an extent, but they won’t hesitate to use their full power if necessary.]

They would exert the full power of their body if they felt that it was worth doing.

Absolutes were divided into Assistants, Managers, Lords, and Rulers.

Lukas was an Absolute with the second-highest rank. And even amongst the Lords, he had the power to stand at the very top.

But he didn’t want the universe to collapse. This meant that he would be unable to unleash his full strength as a Lord.

Lukas wouldn’t be able to use External Force, which was a power unique to Absolutes, or Endtongue, which was his main power.

This meant that he would be fighting with a major handicap.

Lukas’ heart became heavy.

It was still too early. If he had a little more time…

[I will block their entry as long as possible.]

“…”

Instead of gratitude, it was natural that he felt suspicion after hearing the sudden declaration.

[Don’t you believe me? I’m serious. I’ll buy you a year or so. And I’ll prevent the intervention of the other Rulers as much as possible.]

Lukas narrowed his eyes.

He couldn’t understand what the Lightning God was thinking.

However… He couldn’t refuse his unconventional offer.

It didn’t matter if he was up to something.

The worst-case scenario for Lukas would be the Absolute arriving before he was ready.

1 year.

Even a single year was precious time for him.

[But I was a little late. So I apologize for that.]

“…what do you mean?”

Lukas looked up at the clouds.

It felt like the Lightning God, whose features he couldn’t see, was smiling.

[I mean that I can’t kick out any Absolutes who have already entered this universe.]

Lukas’ expression hardened.

[I wonder if you can handle it. Please don’t die before the Great Game begins, Lukas. Don’t let me down…]

The Lightning God’s voice gradually faded.

He could feel the giant presence, behind the clouds, leaving…

And space and time started moving once again.