Chapter 82

◈ Chapter 82. Finally Moving (1)

Apprentice Mage.

Before a mage steps into the magic tower,

they are adorned with various epithets.

An unparalleled genius.

A prodigy in magic.

Or even the pride of their family.

Naturally, they have a sense of pride in themselves.

However, after entering the magic tower,

once they realize that all the knowledge they have acquired so far is merely a cup of water in the vast ocean,

they not only forget such epithets but even feel ashamed of them.

They become mere fledglings of the magic tower.

“...Hey, isn’t something off?”

The actions of these fledglings are predictable.

They lean in and whisper.

However,

“Right? I’m not the only one feeling this, right?!”

Today, the squeaking sounds in the floating garden were unusually secretive.

As if someone might be listening.

They lower their voices and converse.

The topic of their conversation is, of course,

“Isn’t this a sight we don’t see every day, this?”

Senior mages.

A position that requires pride in the chosen magic.

Naturally, all twenty senior mages believe that the magic they chose is the best.

They can’t possibly get along with each other.

“Under normal circumstances, they wouldn’t even greet each other...”

Moreover, it’s not the regular conference period, is it?

The time when senior mages are most sensitive is precisely

the regular conference period, where the honor of their school is at stake.

So, the current scene in the floating garden is quite unfamiliar to the fledglings.

“...Why are they gathered like that?”

“And they’re even facing each other!”

“Hey, Senior Mage Bangguret Tom is there too.”

Indeed.

Bangguret Tom, who had gone missing.

Including him, all twenty senior mages were gathered at one table.

A sight rarely seen even in the Crystal Hall.

This place is a social venue, the floating garden.

Moreover,

“They’re not just talking.”

The meal set on the table.

The senior mages were having a breakfast banquet.

A scene that defies common sense.

The fledglings started to think.

“...If we sit closer, maybe we can hear something?”

“Are you crazy, Richel? Don’t you have any sense? Don’t you see that skilled mages don’t even step into the floating garden? This isn’t a normal situation!!”

“Of course, it’s not normal. Senior Mage Bangguret has returned. But honestly, I’m curious. What could have happened for them to sit together and have a meal like this...”

...But.

Should we really see this as a sign of good relations?

The expressions of the senior mages didn’t look good.

“They all look incredibly exhausted.”

“Like they’ve been tormented by someone...”

“Hey, who could torment them?”

However, strictly speaking, not all of them were.

Among them, one who was no different from usual.

Yes, there was one who remained consistent.

Yes, the great senior mage who could torment even the senior mages.

The Chief Joint Researcher, Ho Yeol, who held a position equal to the Chief Mage.

His posture with the fork and knife was impeccable.

From his straight back to the angles of his arms and neck.

Ho Yeol’s appearance was as if the word "etiquette" had been personified.

“...Doesn’t he look like he’s eating really well?”

Unlike the senior mages, who didn’t seem to feel any hunger,

Ho Yeol was calmly eating.

This led to natural speculations.

“Maybe they all got a scolding? You know, from the regular conference. No presentation went without criticism, right? They all received pointers.”

“Are they talking about work in the floating garden? While eating?”

“Nah. No matter how strict they are, they wouldn’t do that.”

“Right. Talking about work while eating is really crossing the line!”

But why are fledglings still fledglings?

They know only what they see.

Even if they try to read the situation, they can’t see much from their perspective.

It’s natural that they don’t understand the reason.

However, this time, it wasn’t just about the fledglings.

“...I don’t know what to say. Really.”

“I’m glad I found out now.”

“It’s something that should have been corrected long ago. I guess now is the right time.”

Just a few hours ago,

what happened at the top floor of this magic tower

was known only to the elder mages, the two chiefs,

and the twenty senior mages.

It was the magic tower’s “internal affairs.”

Three out of the five elder mages were demon worshippers.

When did they start worshipping demons?

Are they really chewing meat?

The senior mages’ expressions looked as if they were chewing something else.

With their minds in turmoil, how could they know what was properly going down their throats?

The reason they gathered in the floating garden was simple.

“Skipping breakfast is a bad habit.”

It was simply because Ho Yeol said so.

In the silence where no one easily spoke,

the senior mages looked at Ho Yeol.

...Is he really fine?

Ho Yeol is an adventurer.

Until recently, he was an outsider.

But the status of the magic tower was well-known even among adventurers.

The idea that such a tower was being manipulated by demon worshippers.

They might have expected him to be shocked.

But Ho Yeol was calmly slicing meat.

Moreover, his attitude at the top floor of the magic tower,

when he faced the elder mages,

was the same.

What are elder mages?

They are demigods who can shake the heavens and earth with magic.

As a mage, just facing them would make one feel overwhelmed by their magic power.

It was impossible not to be overwhelmed.

But Ho Yeol was different.

Not only was he not overwhelmed,

he even spoke to the elder mages.

‘Clearly, foolish worshippers...’

With words that were sharp as thorns.

Because he witnessed it firsthand,

the evaluation of Ho Yeol changed dramatically.

Yes, if Ho Yeol hadn’t been there,

they might not have found Bangguret Tom, and they might not have made a decision even if they felt something was off. The thought of the worst-case scenario was terrifying.

If that had happened, the magic tower would still be manipulated by demon worshippers.

Yes.

Whether they knew it or not,

everyone in the magic tower owed a great debt to Ho Yeol.

That was why they couldn’t refuse his invitation to eat.

In just one day,

Ho Yeol had shown tremendous prowess in the magic tower.

But his attitude remained unchanged.

He looked as if nothing had changed.

To the point where it was meaningless to try to read the situation.

Yes, being unchanged.

Being extremely sensitive to etiquette and formality.

Ho Yeol looked at the table and said,

“Sometimes, there are things more important than appetite.”

“...!!!”

What could be more important than appetite?

There are twenty of them gathered.

The answers would naturally vary.

‘Oh no. Did I violate dining etiquette?’

‘I held the fork and knife the wrong way...!’

‘...Maybe I ordered a different menu, that’s why...?!’

But their actions were the same.

Only after Ho Yeol spoke did they start to move their forks and knives.

Proper dining finally began.

*

Yes, even if you have no appetite, you should eat.

Your schedule will get busy from today.

People move by their stomachs.

Of course, I will be the busiest.

What can I do?

This is my fate.

A fate with no good days.

At the top floor of the magic tower.

To put it bluntly, no battle took place there.

Elder mages.

No, they should now be called demon worshippers.

They surrendered.

They realized that their lives were precious.

There, I realized.

That if you want to live, you must be willing to die, and if you want to die, you must be willing to live!

The development was possible because they were prepared for a full-scale battle.

As a result, the quest was successful.

[Quest: The Truth of the Magic Tower]

There is a contradiction in the Magic Tower.

Reveal the contradiction.

Set the Magic Tower and the truth straight.

─Secure Chief Mage Bangguret Tom, who is involved with the Magic Tower’s leadership. (Success)

─Identify the demon worshippers among the elder mages. (Success)

[Conditions met.]

[Your relationship with the Magic Tower has greatly improved.]

[Your influence in the Magic Tower has greatly increased.]

I succeeded in a quest that was supposed to fail.

I made it succeed right before everyone’s eyes...!

The reward was considerable.

My relationship and influence with the Magic Tower greatly increased.

Even now, I’m taking more from the Magic Tower than I give.

Valuable magic books, of course.

Magical tools and items approved for loan, and the free breakfast I just ate.

‘I don’t know how close I am to the maximum, but...’

One thing is certain.

The reward of improved relationship and influence with the Magic Tower is better than any ordinary reward. Of course, the quest is not over yet.

On a scale fitting the Magic Tower,

the quest is a linked quest.

Indeed, it’s not an easy linked quest.

[Quest: Rebuilding the Magic Tower]

The reality of the contradiction that exists in the Magic Tower.

With the pursuit of truth, the Magic Tower’s purpose, now tainted.

Rebuild the Magic Tower from its foundation.

─Encounter the Tower Master. (In progress)

─Punish the escaped demon worshippers. (In progress)

─Find the true truth. (In progress)

Indeed, it’s the Magic Tower.

It’s clear that they expect a lot in return for what they give.

From the start, the quest objectives pour in. Pour in.

Most importantly, none of the quest objectives seem easy.

First, the Tower Master.

Even at a glance from the top floor,

he didn’t seem to be in a normal state.

What about the objective to punish the escaped demon worshippers?

This means finding the elder mages and settling the score.

And the ultimate goal of the Magic Tower, the pursuit of truth, is the icing on the cake.

Looking at these objectives...

I feel like I’ve truly become a part of the Magic Tower.

With the greatly improved relationship and influence,

I’ve received such a quest.

Well, anyway.

From the grand objectives, it’s clear that

this is not a quest that can be completed immediately.

After all, the quest name is [Rebuilding the Magic Tower].

It’s about rebuilding a tower that was poorly designed, who knows when and where. It’s naturally not easy. But everything starts with a single step.

Tap─

So, I took a step.

Toward the underground of the Magic Tower.

*

The Magic Tower has an underground space.

The role of this underground space is not just to support the tower.

The Magic Tower, which has many spaces that are hard to understand logically.

Its structure cannot be explained scientifically.

It looks neither particularly tall nor vast from the outside.

But the inside of the Magic Tower has countless floors, and each floor has a vast space.

It’s a tower built by magic.

To support such a magical tower, a solid foundation is naturally needed.

A foundation that can remain constant (恒常) in the face of any magical power or the eternal time.

Yes, the underground of the Magic Tower is a space dominated by constancy.

Its exact name is Mujeon (無間).

A space as hellish as its name suggests.

There were people who fell into this Mujeon hell.

The demon worshippers who were called elder mages just a day ago.

The worst criminals in the history of the Magic Tower.

‘What a damned place.’

The elder mages who reached the ‘realm’ of magic.

However, their magic power was useless in Mujeon.

Their mental fortitude, which they boasted of, was the same.

‘How much time has passed? A week? A month?’

All senses, including the sense of time, had long broken down.

But they didn’t give up.

Yes, Mujeon is overwhelming, but not just for them.

“Marcello. When did you notice?”

Knowing this, he desperately tried to start a conversation.

Marcello, to manipulate that young man.

If they could only escape this iron cage.

They might be able to escape this damned Mujeon.

‘If we can escape...’

They could repay this humiliation tenfold, no, even more.

Deceiving someone with words?

There’s nothing easier.

The Magic Tower itself had been deceived by their tongues.

Moreover, they had a reason to talk to them.

‘They need to find the whereabouts of one person.’

Finding and punishing the remaining escaped demon worshipper.

That would be the Magic Tower’s top priority at this point.

So, they harbored hope.

‘...If they can just regain their senses, they can survive.’

Of course, this hope didn’t last long.

“Have you come?”

Marcello, who had been silent, spoke.

The person he greeted was Ho Yeol.

An adventurer and the joint researcher chosen by Marcello.

The moment he saw his face, a sense of unfamiliarity arose.

‘...What is it?’

There was no sign of surprise on his face.

This