White Tower (2)
“Will the kingdom help with the repairs, I wonder.”
A mage sighed deeply as he stared at the wrecked building. The half-collapsed structure, courtesy of the earthquake Kim Sung-tae had caused, had been his cherished home.
“What the hell happened anyway?”
He turned his head toward the culprit behind it all, imprinted on the ground. The security mages had already figured out that the vivid palm print on the floor was responsible for everything, so the looks directed at it weren't exactly friendly.
“Is this the spot?”
A man approached the trace left by Sung-tae. The mages guarding the area had long since turned away, so no one paid him any mind.
“……My eyes hurt.”
The man, hat pulled low over his face, tugged it down even further. The sunlight he hadn't seen in ages felt like it was burning his eyes. How long had it been since he'd stepped outside? Ten years? Or even longer? Time had lost all meaning ages ago, so he couldn't pin it down.
“The Black Tower's authority has really fallen while I was away. To think they'd get dragged in for questioning by the White Tower of all places.”
How much time had really passed? Back in the day, if there was trouble, the mage's own tower handled it. A Black Tower mage being interrogated by the White Tower? The world had changed too much.
“These things of mine…… Urk!”
The man clutched his heart and staggered. Though no one was around, he was carrying on a conversation with someone.
“I'm sorry. I'll look into it right away. He's in the White Tower, just as you said.”
The man vanished into the shadows. The shadow swiftly traveled along other shadows, unnoticed by anyone.
＊＊＊
“This is safe, right?”
“Of course. Perfectly safe.”
Lying on his back in Aurelie's room, staring at the ceiling, Sung-tae felt a familiar sensation. Unnamed experimental tools. A sinister-looking bed fitted with bizarre devices. It was no different from Gepelt's lab or her room—and she was a monster-turned-mage.
Do all mages have places like this?
If anything, her room was even stranger than Gepelt's. Devices that looked mechanical but had no joints or screws seemed crafted purely by magic. Sharp-tipped ones like arthropod legs poked at his armor here and there, while bulbous ones flickering with light right in front of his face evoked memories of Earth.
“Feels just like a dentist's office.”
“A dentist? What's that?”
“It's a place. For treating cavities, I guess.”
“Can't you just drink a potion for cavities?”
“Ugh…… Magic really is the answer to everything.”
Sung-tae flinched as the tools moved. They looked ready to stab him with those sharp tips at any moment. And the weird noises they made every time they shifted really hammered home the dentist vibe.
He wouldn't get hurt. No matter what poked him, it couldn't leave a scratch. The problem was the feeling. Like being at the dentist as an adult—pure terror.
“Alright. Now, open wide, please?”
“W-Why my mouth?”
“You're covered head to toe in armor. At least the helmet opens, thank goodness. It's easier to measure things from the mucous membranes in your mouth than the skin.”
“Measure? I thought we were finding a way to reshape the armor.”
“Your armor seems directly linked to you, so we have no choice but to measure your life force. Once we understand the connection between your life force magic and the armor, you should be able to control it yourself and induce positive changes. Reshaping Black Oriharcon wouldn't be impossible then. To get there, we need direct confirmation, experience, and data from past experiments with measured mana.”
“……O-Okay?”
What the hell was she even saying? He nodded like he got it, but Sung-tae hadn't understood a word. What kind of mage was this? The others matched his image of fantasy mages, but the White Tower's lord felt like a scientist. Even her outfit resembled a lab coat or doctor's gown.
Was the first tower lord from Earth, by any chance?
She was the one who'd popularized using famous archangel names for tower lords—names anyone could easily recall. One angel name might be coincidence, but four meaningful ones? It had to be deliberate.
“Okay, open up.”
“Ah……”
As Sung-tae opened his mouth, Aurelie shoved in freakish tools straight out of a nightmare dentist's kit. No pain, but the clinking against his teeth and alien sensations were unsettling.
Whew. When's this gonna end?
Stuck lying there, unable to move, he picked up where his thoughts had left off.
Why would their name still be around? The second tower lord barely remembered anything, so did they erase everyone's memories or something?
Could someone of tower lord class erase memories? But the target was also a tower lord, even if second-generation.
No clue. Why erase memories at all? And why make the four archangels a tradition when there are other great angels……
Who were the other archangels besides the big four? Sung-tae, no theology buff, couldn't recall. It nagged at him like a familiar name just out of reach.
Whatever. Ancient history, dead guy. No point obsessing.
“Internal scan complete. Incredible life force, as expected. The curses and magic circles on your armor are suppressing it, keeping it from leaking out.”
True to her status as White Tower lord, she'd instantly uncovered the weakening and curse-enhancement spells layered on his armor.
“Now, time to examine the armor itself. I know it's Black Oriharcon, but we need to check its elasticity, mana absorption rate, and more.”
“Sure.”
“Pardon me, but I'll deactivate the magic circles for a moment.”
“Yeah—wait, what!?”
Before he could react, the magic circles on Sung-tae's armor unraveled like threads. Dangerous. Better than the armor vanishing, but one wrong move and the tower could crumble.
“Hee hee. No need to worry. I've already copied them and applied remotely. See?”
She pointed to the air, where dazzlingly complex magic circles floated. Invisible but linked to his armor, they kept him weakened even after Gepelt's were gone.
“Phew. Close one.”
“No idea who engraved them, but they did a solid job. I could've made them more efficient, though.”
As Gepelt had said, this tower lord was on another level. With a gesture, her magic tools shifted. The dentist-like ones vanished, replaced by what looked like professional surgical instruments. They pressed against his armor, extending probes that scanned every inch.
“By the way, didn't you say the White Tower studies the essence of mana?”
“Yes. Exploring mana's true nature is our mission.”
“But this feels less like mana essence and more like……”
Science. Like Earth machines reassembled in fantasy style.
“This is part of mana's essence too. We call them magitech devices.”
“Magitech?”
“Before the White Tower, everyone thought mana could only be controlled by mages and converted into spells. But the first tower lord devised a way to use it as fuel—and succeeded.”
Basically, mana instead of oil.
His curiosity about the first tower lord surged anew. She had to be from Earth.
“What about spells, then? From what you've said, it sounds like the White Tower focuses on magitech. No unique spells?”
“Remember the spell I showed you when we met? That's life force magic—unique to the White Tower—powered by my own life force.”
“Life force? Won't that shorten your lifespan!?”
“Life force mana doesn't deplete easily. Even if consumed, eating or sleeping restores most of it.”
“When doesn't it recover?”
“As commonly known, severe injuries or illness. Life force is energy contained in the vessel of the body. Cracks in the vessel let it leak naturally. It repairs the vessel as it leaks, but that consumed portion doesn't recover.”
“That's it?”
“Another is overusing it at once—specific to White Tower mages. That's why we don't teach life force magic to unqualified members, even within the tower.”
“So every spell costs lifespan?”
“Not if you don't overdo it; it recovers naturally.”
Sung-tae pondered. How powerful was life force magic? And even without mana, could he learn it since it used life force?
“Whew.”
After a long examination, Aurelie sighed and gestured. The floating magic circles absorbed back into his armor.
“Investigation complete.”
“Results?”
“Unfortunately…… impossible. It's outside magic's domain—smithing territory. Black Oriharcon's mana absorption prevents magical smelting. Even reshaping with your life force would destroy it before succeeding.”
“Figured. No dice here either.”
Hed learned not to expect much, so no big disappointment.
Ignis. You should've been a blacksmith, not a demon king.
His grudge against Ignis deepened, though. She'd diagnosed but couldn't help, so no need to return the favor. But he had a new request, so he'd grant hers.
“Hey, you said you wanted to research me, right?”
“No need. I couldn't even help……”
“Nah. Got a new favor to ask.”
Stretching to confirm the magic circles had settled, Sung-tae grinned.
“How about taking me as your disciple?”
＊＊＊
“Something feels off.”
While Sung-tae underwent the checkup, Garba waited by the door, scanning her surroundings at the eerie sensation. It felt like someone was watching, but her keen wolf senses and warrior-honed sight detected no intruder. Just her, standing guard.
Yet the feeling lingered, nagging her.
“Just nerves from unfamiliar territory?”
Not just unfamiliar—this was the mages' stronghold. As a warrior, how could she not feel uneasy?
She forced herself to relax. Vigilance mattered, but too much could hinder her in a real fight.
“Hoo.”
With a deep breath, she released the tension. The odd feeling finally faded.
Yeah, just tension.
“Hope the Lord's business goes smoothly.”
Regrettably, she didn't notice the shadow beneath her feet lightening. Or how it raced down the hallway and plummeted through the White Tower.
"Found it. This is the place, my master. What you've been seeking—that place—is here."
The shadow murmured as it rode the stairwell's darkness away.
"But there's a dangerous one here too, so I'll withdraw for now."
＊＊＊
“Handling life force magic is simple.”
Armor reshaping had failed, but Sung-tae saw no point seeking other tower lords. If White Tower's master couldn't, others wouldn't bother. Instead, like a kid with a new toy, he was learning from her.
“First, sense your own life force. Yours is stronger than anyone's, so it'll be easy.”
“I've seen it, sure. But seeing and sensing are different. How do I sense it?”
“Close your eyes and look inward. You'll feel it.”
Not entering my inner world—just sensing?
Sung-tae closed his eyes and sat cross-legged. Not her instruction, but instinct said it'd help.
Staring into the darkness behind his eyelids, he recalled his life force. Having visited his inner world before made sensing it straightforward.
Oh. There it is.
He marveled inwardly at the golden sea. He'd seen it with Mukkebi several times, but feeling it was a new thrill.
“Feel it?”
“Yeah, right away.”
“As expected! You have talent—no, overflowing genius! It took me two days!”
“R-Really?”
“Yes! You're a prodigy!”
“Prodigy……”
Her praise lifted his spirits, corners of his mouth twitching up. Before isekai, voice-acting fact-checkers had convinced him he could never be a mage. Turns out people had hidden talents.
Heh. See that, voices? I've got mage potential!
Life force magic differed from regular spells, but magic was magic. Sensing it meant casting was next—and he felt invincible.
“So, what now?”
“If you can sense it, the next step is simpler. Just move it—like casting a spell.”
“……Huh?”
Sensing was easy. But moving it? How do you move life force?
“Hmm. I'll give it a shot.”
Sung-tae willed his life force to move. Thought it, willed it, imagined it, wished it. Every trick failed—the sea stayed still.
“……Not moving.”
“You sensed it so fast, but can't control……”
Aurelie frowned. Normally, sensing led straight to control, regardless of mana type. Sensing easy, control hard? Unaware he'd directly seen it in his inner world, she was baffled.
Ugh. Move, damn it!
“Lord Sung-tae, if you're alright…… would you visit the White Tower's secret chamber?”
“Secret chamber?”
He opened his eyes expectantly. She pointed to a white door in the lab's corner.
“Yes. Know the White Tower lord requirement? Not just spell mastery—though you need grand mage level—but abundant life force to use it without harm. Even among those lords, some lacked sensing talent.”
“So?”
“The second tower lord made the secret chamber for them. Remember the many mana types? Including the world's mana?”
“Yeah, still fresh.”
“The world being made of mana means it has substance. Like the body holds life force, the world is a vessel for all creatures, mana, and existences.”
“Vessel……”
“That vessel contains time and space, which we can't normally gauge. What happens to time and space outside it?”
“Wait. Don't tell me……”
Sung-tae knew the answer. Envy's dimensional hole. Mukkebi had returned from beyond: “Over an hour passed.”
“Time flows differently?”
“Exactly. You knew? How?”
“Just…… experienced something similar.”
“Leaving the world's vessel warps time and space. The second lord used that to create a training room.”
“So inside, time slows?”
“Yes. And space is vastly larger than it looks. Interested?”
“What'd you call it? Secret chamber? Sounds more like a time-space room……”
“Pardon?”
“Nothing. Garba! You outside?”
“Yes, my lord!”
She rushed in at his call. Time dilation meant company would be funner than solo. Especially since control was iffy—he might get bored in under an hour.
“Mukkebi's here too, so no boredom, but just in case.”
“Huh? You call me?”
Mukkebi popped out at his mutter. Unfazed by the oddity, Aurelie waved as Sung-tae headed for the door.
“Time inside flows a hundred times faster than outside. It'll help plenty.”
“A hundred times……”
“Whoa, Sung-tae! What is this!?”
“My lord? You're really going in……”
Then the three saw it. The storm raging beyond the door. A vortex promising eternal war with otherworldly heroes upon entry.
“Uh, Aurelie? This isn't some space-time storm, is it……”
“No idea what you mean, but it's a barrier to sync real and artificial dimensions. Nothing to worry about—just go in.”
“For real? Alright, I trust you.”
Sung-tae leaped into the storm. Mukkebi followed. Garba glared at Aurelie a moment longer before warning:
“If anything happens to my lord, you're done.”
And the three entered the secret chamber.