Chapter 196
Chapter 196
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 196
Chapter Title: Mage Tower (2)
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A massive tower floating alone above Oxford City.
England's pride, the 「Mage Tower,」 hadn't been around for all that long.
About five years?
So who the hell built this impossible mystical structure?
Even as a tower symbolizing magic, could that giant hunk really float in midair?
Many people wondered, but there was only one thing anyone knew for sure.
The one who built the Mage Tower.
- That's right, I built the Mage Tower all by myself.
Surprisingly, the Mage Tower had been born from a single person's hands.
World ranking 4th.
Oxford's Sage, Sophia Silverstone.
- I'm not revealing how I did it.
- But this is with the agreement of the England Association and Oxford.
- We're going to rewrite the history of prestigious Oxford.
- So if you're interested, apply.
- For anything related to 'magic.'
- I guarantee we can produce talent superior to anywhere else.
A tower shrouded entirely in mystery.
"Whoo."
Having left my lodging, I read the pamphlet while memorizing the tower's layout.
[1st floor: Entrance]
[1~10th floors: Lodging]
[11~15th floors: Lecture halls]
[16~20th floors: Community center]
[21~22nd floors: Magic library]
[23~24th floors: Training grounds]
….
[36~40th floors: Professor research labs]
Just the guest-friendly info.
Exactly as Olena had said—only up to the 40th floor.
"Heh heh, so where're you thinking of heading first?"
The old man eyed me curiously.
"Your gaze is locked right on the 23rd floor, so the training grounds it is."
'Are you a mind reader or something?'
Truth be told, there wasn't anywhere else worth checking out.
The community center was just cafes, restaurants, bathhouses, and other leisure spots for daily convenience.
Everything else was for the Mage Tower's students and professors.
From what I could tell, there were about five different schools of magic.
Subdivided accordingly, it seemed.
But none of it interested me.
'How do the Mage Tower's mages train, I wonder?'
If it was something truly innovative.
I'd have to incorporate it into the Bone5 training grounds that'd soon be built in Paradise.
"I'm curious too. My mastery of myriad arts doesn't cover magic, after all."
'Tell me about it.'
Even this old man who seemed like he knew everything.
Couldn't teach me a thing about Bone5.
Because he didn't know jack.
"……."
I headed back down to the 1st-floor entrance.
More precisely, to the elevator magic circle on the 1st floor.
"Which floor would you like to visit?"
Up close, the uniformed attendant bowed politely.
How did someone like her end up working inside the Mage Tower?
Part-timer?
Or an actual member?
"To the 23rd floor, please."
"23rd floor, training grounds. Acknowledged."
The attendant's voice rang out.
At the same time, the magic circle lit up.
Pzzzz!
With a zap, I opened my eyes.
The bustling plaza was gone, replaced by a quiet, expansive hall.
"This thing's insanely convenient."
I couldn't help but marvel.
If I could just figure out how it worked, I'd seriously want to steal the tech.
'And on top of that.'
The training grounds themselves were no joke.
"As expected, it exceeds even my hopes."
The old man craned his neck, scanning in every direction.
I rolled my eyes nonstop too, like some wide-eyed country hick fresh in the big city.
"It's on a whole other level from the modern architecture I knew."
Each floor was a space straight out of magic.
Look up, and the ceiling stretched endlessly; the stairwell walls that should've enclosed it were nowhere in sight.
A space easily over a kilometer across, floored in endless marble.
Interspersed were dome-shaped rooms of unknown purpose.
Boom! KABOOM! Roooar!
Bizarre explosions echoed from a few of the lit-up ones.
Mages in training, probably.
I picked an empty room and stood in front of it.
[Magic Training Ground]
What was this?
Did I just go inside?
"So, uh, how do you even get in?"
*Knock knock.*
I rapped on the door.
Checked for switches or handles.
Still no clue how to work it.
What the hell?
"Tsk tsk, kid. Can't even figure that out and just standing there like an idiot?"
"No, I seriously have no idea."
Was this the feeling?
As human society upheaved and time flew by at breakneck speed.
The frustration of elders who couldn't keep up with modern gadgets.
No, even so.
This felt like skipping way too many steps?
"Hmph, listen up."
The old man snorted and spoke.
"When you don't know how to use something, what do you do?"
"What?"
"You smash it. People or gadgets, hit 'em and they listen."
"……."
Guess I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up.
This training ground wasn't mine anyway—just a guest telling me to smash it?
I might be a little dense, but I'm not that rude.
'Forget that.'
Could I even smash it?
Looked pretty sturdy.
*Thud! Thud!*
I punched the training ground.
Solid as hell—wouldn't budge without some real force….
Should I hit it harder?
*Swipe.*
That's when I raised my fist higher.
"Uh, hey?"
Someone approached right then.
"Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
A female mage emerged from a room, sweat pouring off her—fresh from training, by the look of it.
Not professor-level. Student.
"Heh heh, see? One smack and everything's solved."
Ignoring the old man's amused chuckle, I turned to the mage.
Still had my black fox mask on.
"How can you just pound on it like that! Do you have any idea how expensive these are!"
"Ah, sorry. I just didn't know how to use it…."
Heh heh.
Talk about awkward.
I apologized right away, and she deflated with a sigh.
"Whew, first-time guest?"
"Ah, yep."
"You have any idea how much trouble your average visitor causes by messing with these machines? That's why we're supposed to have invitees guide you properly…. Didn't get the rundown?"
My inviter….
Olena?
Or the Tower Master?
"That friend… was kinda busy."
I'd pin it on Olena for now.
She was the one who gave me the badge.
"Seriously, these are way more delicate than they look. Magic machines that analyze destructiveness, versatility, technique, speed—all in one—and even give consultations. You wouldn't believe how many guests the Tower Master booted for screwing around with them…. Anyway, if you're a guest, lemme see your badge."
"My badge?"
I fished the badge out of my pocket and held it up.
A gleaming golden badge.
"Oh my god!"
Her eyes went wide as saucers.
"You're a VIP…? One of the professors' guests?"
And then.
She stared at me with sparkling eyes.
What was this, all of a sudden?
"Heh heh, she's scheming already."
The old man chuckled.
"Obvious you're a professor's guest at a glance, so she's thinking if she plays nice, maybe some perks'll trickle down."
In other words.
Like a newbie employee bumping into the chairman's mom lugging heavy bags down the street?
Yeah, her eyes had that vibe.
"Allow me to greet you properly. I'm a Mage Tower fire-attribute mage! Name's Sunny!"
"No need to go that far…."
"Hahaha! But of course, for such a precious guest! So… you wanna use that training ground?"
Her voice, once snippy, was now sugary sweet.
The power of the badge, huh…?
"Actually, now that I think about it! If these things break so often, they should just slap usage instructions right on the front! Of course first-timers wouldn't know and go whacking at them. Ha ha ha."
"…I see."
This one.
Switched gears fast, didn't she?
"See, this entrance here."
She placed her hand on the dome-shaped machine.
*Rumble!*
Moments later, the door slid open smoothly.
"Anyone who can channel magic opens it easy. Got any innate magic abilities?"
"Nope."
*Fwoosh!*
I jammed my weapon—now a staff—right into the ground.
Then.
*Rustle rustle!*
White bones erupted from the marble floor, taking form.
[Skill: 'Skeleton Lord Summon' (S-Grade) used.]
[10 Stamina consumed.]
['Bone5' appears.]
My one and only mage, Bone5, makes his entrance.
"S-Skeleton?!"
Sunny's eyes bulged.
"Ah, you're a Necromancer! Isn't that a super rare class?"
"Yeah, something like that. He'll handle the magic."
"Huh? What're you…?"
I pointed at Bone5, and she gaped in disbelief.
"A skeleton's gonna do magic?"
"Don't talk smack. They're sensitive types."
"Ah…. S-sorry. Um."
And then.
Sunny pointed at my Bone5.
"Where's that one heading?"
'Huh?'
Heading?
I turned, and sure enough.
*Creak, creak!*
There was Bone5, moving along.
"Huh?"
That guy.
No orders or anything—where was he off to?
"……?"
* * *
Some strange feeling washed over me.
As I've said before, I share emotions with my skeletons to a degree.
I feel their joys and sorrows.
They pick up on my feelings and act accordingly.
'But that one.'
Something about him.
Nostalgic.
Like he was in a familiar place.
Like he'd come home.
'No way….'
Did he know the Mage Tower?
"H-Hey, wait up! Where are you going! You can't go that way…!"
I'd started following Bone5 without thinking, and Sunny scurried after me, yapping.
"The Mage Tower's huge and super complicated! Even if the floor allows it, stick to that area—don't wander off!"
"Yeah?"
"Yes! I'm worried! You know people go missing in the Mage Tower? Charge off recklessly and… Aaaah? What're you doing!"
"…Hm?"
*Creak!*
Bone5 reached a corner.
*Pok! Poke! Pok!*
Jamming his staff tip into the marble cracks.
"Oh?"
The old man flashed an intrigued grin.
"I can feel the air currents shifting underneath."
'Air currents?'
"Yeah. Means there's a seam."
'Seam….'
I widened my eyes.
'This is.'
One hundred percent.
Bone5 knew.
The ins and outs of this Mage Tower.
Maybe even better than the student chattering at my side.
"N-Necromancer's destroying the Mage Tower! He's smashing the Mage Tower!"
"Hoo…."
I let out a sigh and gave my hand a light shake.
*Rustle!*
Out came my trusty subordinate.
"Lord."
Taeyang got the gist right away and clamped Sunny's mouth shut.
His chill-packed palm pressed to her lips.
"Mmph! Mmph, mmph!"
She flailed with huge bunny eyes.
But against Taeyang's iron grip, all she could do was.
"Mm… mmph!"
Go limp and give up.
"Quiet down for now. No hard feelings, not gonna hurt you."
I was just curious.
And.
I didn't want to stop Bone5, who clearly knew something.
Hell, maybe even the Tower Master would be curious?
"Mmph!"
"But keep fighting it, and hard feelings might pop up. I'm only human—sometimes I do inhuman shit?"
"Mmph, mmph!"
"Cooperate? Cool?"
"Mmmph!"
She nodded like her life depended on it.
Should've done that from the start.
I gave Taeyang a look, and he released her.
"Hah! Hah!"
Panting hard, Sunny scrubbed her lips with the back of her hand.
"Ew, gross! Bone hands are gross! Ewww!"
"……."
What.
I stared at her, baffled.
She hadn't freaked over Bone5.
It was Taeyang.
Somehow.
This student didn't seem all that normal either.