Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Qualifications to Climb the Tower
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A moment later, Manannan arrived at the inheritance ceremony site.
"Regin."
"……."
"Honestly, aren't you a little nervous?"
"……."
"……I'm nervous. They say the pain during inheritance is no joke. If it goes wrong, your head might even explode……."
While Nuada prepared for the ceremony, Manannan's mouth didn't stop moving.
Sure, according to the game lore, the inheritance ceremony wasn't exactly a relaxing affair.
'He's way too tense.'
It was to the point where even a kid about to get a shot would seem more composed.
"Manannan."
Watching him shake was starting to rattle Regin's own calm. Regin gathered his thoughts and asked a question.
Talking to him might ease the tension. More importantly, there was something to confirm.
"Come to think of it, Manannan. The inheritance you're receiving…… it's for an Elementalist, right?"
"Yeah. Elementalist. Spell Crafter isn't bad either…… but no matter how I think about it, mage means Elementalist."
Up to here, it matched the game.
Maybe because he was set up as a rival-like character, Manannan always chose a different advanced class from whatever the player picked.
Wondering if there were differences between DAT and this world, Regin saw Manannan continue energetically.
"But why bring it up all of a sudden? Don't tell me you're jealous of Elementalist now? Too late for that, buddy."
"……."
"Look there. Master's almost done preparing. If you try to back out now…… you'll have to deal with the fallout yourself."
Jealous?
Regin shook his head slightly.
……It falls off hard in the late game.
'Mages are broadly divided into three types. Elementalist…… put nicely, it's a balanced class.'
Put harshly, it lacks any standout strengths.
The problem was that harsh assessments became more common as things progressed.
Just being balanced wasn't enough for the challenges…… that cropped up routinely in the Tower.
'Later on, you can use all three mage lines.'
It was just main and sub advanced classes.
It wasn't impossible to branch into other lines. Nuada right in front of him was such a mage.
'Of course, that's a matter of choice. In my case, I focus solely on the main class.'
Even entering the game world hadn't changed that plan.
If unavoidable circumstances arose later, he'd consider alternatives.
For now, he planned to invest in Spell Crafter.
"Silence now. We begin the inheritance rite. First, Regin. Step forward."
Nuada's stern voice rang in his ears.
As Regin approached, Nuada gathered mana and gazed at him.
"I pass down the teachings of Goddess Iella to my successors……."
The inheritance ceremony had begun.
'Iella. One of the goddesses said to have created this world.'
In the DAT lore, the gods' relationships were quite complex. Among them, Iella was called the goddess who created magic.
Regin's gaze naturally drifted behind Nuada.
A statue modeled after Iella entered his view.
'In the game, she was all teaser with no real info…….'
"……Urk!!"
It was the moment Nuada's staff glowed.
"……Hngh!"
Pain like lightning striking his head. Information about magic began pouring into his mind.
The pain spread from his head throughout his body.
Just like Manannan said, he wondered if it might actually burst.
Then.
[May blessings accompany your journey.]
……What?
The pain continued, and a woman's voice echoed in both ears.
……No, not ears—directly in his head.
Was this part of the ceremony? Or had he truly lost his mind?
As doubts rose amid the pain.
"……Hoo."
Cold sweat trickled down once.
His feverish head cooled rapidly.
The pain gradually subsided, replaced by a refreshing clarity spreading through his body.
As if the pain had never been. His mind sharpened more than ever.
'Spell Crafter…….'
The corner of his mouth lifted. His contorted expression began yielding to overwhelming emotion.
Information on spell crafting sorted itself rapidly.
He started understanding scroll forms and magic circles. He felt like he could explain mana flow and movement.
'…….'
His rising smile soon formed fully.
This was how a Spell Crafter saw the world. It was the moment Regin first walked that path.
* * *
"We can't end with just the ceremony. This bundle has the supplies you'll need. Take it."
"Uh……? Master."
"Yes."
"It's not that I'm upset or anything. I'm just really curious."
"Speak."
"……May I ask why Regin's bundle is thicker?"
Thwack—!
Nuada's staff struck Manannan's forehead. Quite sharply.
"Already obsessed with material things?"
"Ow! Th-that's not it. I was just curious what's different!"
"Regin already proved his abilities at the Spell Crafter's Association yesterday. The items inside are from them."
"Regin? Even gifts prepared by the Spell Crafters…… Regin! Open it quick!"
"Hm."
Rustle.
Unwrapping the bundle revealed something inside.
"Huh? Just scrolls? And they're even blank?"
"Not 'just' scrolls…… Heh heh. Right, as the recipient, Regin figured it out immediately."
Unlike the disappointed Manannan, Regin's eyes sparkled.
……High-grade scrolls made from Banshee leather!
'Unlike mass-produced scrolls from Orc leather…… these could sit in a luxury boutique without shame.'
And not just one—five of them. As Regin smiled, Nuada continued.
"They amplify the inscribed spell's tier by one level. Did you know?"
"I've heard. Thanks to the scroll's properties, mana loss is minimized, activating the circuit efficiently."
"Good. Cherish them. And this is your Tower entry pass. Unlimited access, given only to those who complete formal inheritance."
"Thank you."
Unlike the blank scrolls, this pass was densely packed with text.
An essential item absent in DAT.
'Some players sold them at high prices for currency, but that's selling your future for the present.'
In this game, the Tower solved most resource issues.
You could farm plenty from the monsters pouring out each floor.
"With that, the handover is done. Will you start climbing the Tower next week?"
"The Tower opens once a month, right?"
"Yes, Regin. Later, with additional passes, you can enter the 3rd and 5th Towers, but for now, only the 1st Tower. It opens once a month for a week."
This part was a bit tricky.
DAT had five Towers total. Dungeons, simply put.
But not ones you could enter freely; players prioritized their kingdom's Tower.
'The 3rd and 5th aren't affiliated with any kingdom, so reachable once leveled enough.'
There were timings to climb other kingdoms' Towers too.
Since all had to be cleared eventually, Regin sorted it mentally and decided on immediate action.
"I plan to enter right away."
"Is that so?"
Either way, the Tower to climb now was the 1st Tower, managed by Gavala Kingdom.
A week until it opened—plenty of prep time.
"Once it opens, I'll go in…… and head to the camp on the 5th Floor first."
* * *
"Lord Regin! I heard the inheritance is done! You're fully on the Spell Crafter path now……!?"
"Please take care of me from here on."
Three days later, at the Spell Crafter's Association. Karina greeted him upon entry.
He'd expected a quick hello.
But she approached and asked.
"Making spell scrolls?"
"Yes. Time to climb the Tower."
"Hee hee, that's the best part. Wondering what world awaits inside. And the excitement!"
Giggling, Karina continued.
"It's your first time making spell scrolls today, right?"
"Yes?"
"Ah, I'll help you start. First, unroll the scroll like this and focus your mana……."
She kept explaining afterward. Honestly, he'd expected to understand half at most.
……But no.
The knowledge poured in during inheritance meshed with her words, and most of it clicked.
'For now, with standard methods, I can make attribute magic, curse magic, blessing magic…… all tier 1.'
Plus, all his game knowledge layered on.
攻略 guides he'd seen. Info he'd discovered himself.
His comprehension rivaled a veteran's, not a first-timer.
'First off, tier 1 curses and blessings are basically there but useless.'
In DAT, magic peaked at tier 7.
From there, curses and blessings became ridiculously overpowered, but not now.
Curses were like stepping on a Lego by chance.
Blessings were like maybe avoiding a Lego.
In a world showered with swords and spells, Legos? You get how useless.
"Best to start with attribute magic, of course. Ooh, you learned well from Lord Nuada? Yes! Writing the formula like that makes it Fire."
Karina smiled watching Regin write.
Of course,
"……But adding Water attribute there too…… Huh? You can't mix in Lightning and Earth too!!"
Rustle.
Scribble.
Before she finished, Regin's hand kept moving nonstop.
'Done?'
He couldn't draw pictures this well.
'Manaflow is visible. Like tracing paper over something.'
Regin wiped sweat and eyed the completed scroll.
In-game, a message like this would pop.
【Spell Craft: Acquired Tangled Circuit Scroll (Low-grade).】
A chaotic mess mixing all attribute magics lay before him.
"Whew. Perfect."
"……Yes?!"
Karina stared in shock at Regin, who grinned in satisfaction.
Ignoring her gaze, Regin asked Karina.
"Now I'm ready for the Tower. If I make five more like this."
"……Lord Regin!!"
"Yes?"
"This…… this won't work! Twisting the circuits like that…… it'll explode eventually."
"Yes?"
Tears welling, Karina grabbed Regin's hand.
Regin panicked.
"That's the point."
"Yes……?"
DAT 5-year vet.
Regin, seasoned to the core as a Spell Crafter. Inheritance knowledge piled on, condensing him further.
"……This kind of thing?"
So Karina couldn't fathom Regin proudly pocketing the scroll.
* * *
"New explorers, please register over here!!"
Time passed.
The day the 1st Tower's portal opened arrived.
Towers opened one week per month; exiting anytime, but entry only during that window.
A tower stretching to the sky's end.
'Looks taller than the 63 Building.'
No comparison.
Its tip was shrouded in clouds—that said it all.
Before the Tower, in a park-like area, kingdom guards directed the crowd.
Regin queued in the newbie explorer line, gazing up.
"Your bag looks stuffed? More than last time? What'd you score now?"
Suddenly, Manannan eyed his bag. Regin's held 25 scrolls total.
Max for a low-grade bag.
'I could stash scrolls in my ketchup thief inventory, but for quick access, they're all in the bag.'
His bag brimmed with scrolls.
Some weren't his makes—gifts from others.
Regin chuckled wryly.
"……Got noob treatment."
"……What? Some kind of rain?"
"……Something like that, idiot."
Some scrolls inside were from Karina.
Years since he'd gotten noob treatment.
Seeing Regin's scrolls, Karina wailed and hurriedly packed extras.
Told him not to go too high if possible.
'Ridiculous, but sweet as noob consolation.'
Ten tier 2 scrolls.
One tier above what Regin could craft. Knowing DAT's tier gaps, he smiled.
The daze came from this.
Normally, no matter the interaction, Karina never gave more than one scroll.
Proud of her creations, she didn't hand them out easily.
But he'd saved Karina directly, leading to this.
'……Definitely.'
Not perfectly like the game.
Differences kept appearing.
'My actions change situations, people's reactions.'
As if they were all truly alive.
That's when it hit.
"Portal's opening."
Flash—!!
The line's far end where Regin and Manannan stood.
Before the Tower, blue light shimmered, forming something.
The portal.
Opening to enter the 1st Tower.
"To avoid collisions, those inside come out first before entries!!"
At the guard's shout, people stepped back, making space.
Prior entrants were inside. Bad timing with exits could cause unlucky clashes.
Portal collisions wreaked heavy damage, so outsiders kept distance—right then.
"……What? Regin, something's off, right?"
"……."
"Why's no one coming out?"
That's when the portal rippled, revealing something.
"Huh? Something's showing!"
Drip.
Thud.
What emerged from the portal was a bloodied arm fragment.