Chapter 296
Chapter 296
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 296
Chapter Title: Don't Worry, Professor
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The bracket was neatly drawn up.
[Match 1]
[Emily vs. Brandon]
[Match 2]
[Do Ha-rang vs. Usher]
[Match 3]
[Joo Dong-hoon vs. Cainard]
[Match 4]
[Arin vs. Sophia]
The Magic Tower had sent out their top four elites.
Two of the three troublesome elders, plus the Grand Elder and the Tower Master.
As for us, well.
Just as we'd said, we were dragging out every mage we had.
The format was four matches total.
It could end in a 2:2 draw, but that didn't matter.
The point of the exchange wasn't to decide a winner—it was for friendly competition.
The deadline was six months from now.
Even if we wanted to rush it, there were unavoidable logistics.
Selecting the venue, designating spectators, promotion, revenue models, and so on.
There was more to organizing an exchange than met the eye.
But above all.
I needed to buy time first.
I had homework from the old man, after all.
"No, really! What are you even thinking?!"
After the Tower Master left, in the now-silent meeting room.
"Huuuuh."
Kim Jin-ah let out a massive sigh, like the ground might cave in beneath her.
At the same time.
She poked me with a look on her face that said tears would stream down if I prodded her again.
"...Guild Master."
"Yes."
"Guild Master."
"Yes."
"Giiiild Maaaaster!"
She had a lot she wanted to say, but as my deputy, she couldn't quite bring herself to lay into her superior.
I smiled brightly.
"Speak freely, Vice Guild Master."
"Freelyyy? Freelyyy?!"
"..."
No, why was she getting scary again?
Kim Jin-ah narrowed her eyes and glared at me as she shouted.
"Do you have any idea how hard I've worked building up Star Heaven all this time? Huh? Ughhh! Guild Master, I knew you were reckless, but this is too much! Who in their right mind picks a straight-up magic duel with the Magic Tower? A duel! Huh?!"
Kim Jin-ah exploded, then groaned in despair.
"And do you know how important a guild's image is? Lose once in magic or whatever, and it's over—done! Even if we advance later, Star Heaven will forever be 'the guild that lost to the Magic Tower!' That's the image that'll stick in people's heads!"
"What if we win?"
"If we win..."
Kim Jin-ah furrowed her brow and trailed off.
If we win.
Of course it'd be great.
Just winning would get us recognized as one of the Big 3, but beating the Magic Tower with magic alone?
Star Heaven would shed its upstart image overnight and cement itself as a major guild.
We'd be called the Big 4, surpassing the Big 3.
And top-tier among them, no less.
Especially the fact that we'd beaten their best with pure magic—it'd become eternal legend, a monumental achievement for Star Heaven.
'And from there, it'd be smooth sailing...'
She grinned wide.
Lost in that vision, Kim Jin-ah's eyes glazed over, a bit of drool trickling from her mouth.
Star Heaven beating the Magic Tower?
The mere thought flooded her brain with dopamine.
'Wait, hold on.'
Then.
Snapping back, Kim Jin-ah slurped up her drool.
"Win? As if!"
The outcome was clear from the bracket alone.
Match 1: Emily vs. Brandon.
Earth Witch Emily was world rank 153.
Towering Inferno Brandon was world rank 90.
A whopping 63-rank gap.
- Loss.
Match 2: Do Ha-rang vs. Usher.
White Magician Do Ha-rang was world rank 103.
Dark Mage Usher was world rank 74.
Not as bad as the first, but still a 29-rank difference.
- Loss.
Match 3: Joo Dong-hoon vs. Cainard.
The Grand Elder was world rank 13, but Guild Master was 7.
But in a magic duel?
Ahh.
I wanted to believe in him, but I couldn't picture beating that Grand Elder with magic.
- Loss.
Match 4: Arin vs. Sophia.
This one was just absurd.
A world rank 7 summon beating world rank 4?
No way.
Humanity had deemed the ranking system all-knowing.
And the gaps between hyper-rankers were said to be massive per single rank.
Obviously.
- Loss.
"Aaaah..."
Thud.
In the end, Kim Jin-ah collapsed to the floor.
"Four losses—four looosses!"
I shrugged at her.
"Rankings don't put food on the table."
"Huh?"
"Don't put too much faith in the ranking system. My brother the Berserker, me—we've taken down plenty of high-rankers before."
Rankings were just rankings.
They didn't represent absolute strength.
I still couldn't accept it.
Sophia ranking above our Arin.
And that went for.
Arin too.
I share a mental link with the skeletons.
'Though it weakens over distance.'
Arin happened to be nearby.
And she was saying.
- Don't worry, Professor.
Arin's conviction.
That was why I'd bet on her against Sophia.
Avoiding Kim Jin-ah's gaze, I turned to the two mages still spaced out.
"Emily, Do Ha-rang?"
"Yes, yep!"
"P-Please, speak."
The two mages jumped to their feet at my question.
They seemed unusually disciplined.
"I mentioned discipline earlier, right? Unlimited training for the next six months. You absolutely, absolutely cannot lose."
I stated it firmly, then turned and walked out.
Time for me to prepare too.
And hey.
So what if we lose a bit?
What mattered wasn't winning or losing.
It was whether we'd grown that much or not.
Arin responded to my thoughts with baffled amusement.
- No, Professor?
- I told you not to worry?
- We're definitely winning.
- No way we lose this.
It was a utterly reliable, ecstatic reply.
* * *
"Huuuuh."
Murung Paradise, Arin Training Grounds, 1st floor.
Do Ha-rang, sitting with a solemn expression, let out a deep sigh.
'How are we supposed to win this?'
She and Emily.
Both felt utterly frustrated by the situation.
They were former Magic Tower professors.
So they knew exactly how strong those elders were.
"Emily sis."
"..."
Emily looked at Do Ha-rang with a bitter expression.
"What we posted on the community... this wasn't it."
"...It wasn't."
"I was just praising Lady Arin's greatness and Star Heaven's system. When did I ever say we'd crush the elders with magic?"
"...You didn't."
But why!
Why had it come to this?
She had pride in her magic as a ranker, sure, but facing the Magic Tower was another matter.
For men, it was like squatting 500 on the big three, then challenging legendary Ronnie Coleman.
"But we can't help it, right?"
"Can't help it."
Silence fell.
How much time passed like that.
Emily finally spoke up, hesitantly.
"But you know."
"Yeah, sis."
"Why would the Guild Master pick a fight he could lose?"
"Huh?"
"The seniors at the banquet said it: he's reckless, but he's never lost or failed once."
"So we're supposed to take down Elders Usher and Brandon?"
"What if we do?"
"...!"
Truth be told, those elders were the biggest reason they'd left the Magic Tower.
Usher, Brandon, Damian.
The notorious three elders.
Unlike the benevolent, wise Tower Master or Grand Elder Cainard.
Those three were the worst of the worst.
Racism, cliques, you name it.
Especially when Do Ha-rang was a professor—they'd subtly picked on her for being Eastern.
Emily had been cowardly ignored just for being friends with her.
Of course, those three weren't criminals.
If they were, the Tower Master would've axed them already.
Just.
"If we win, though... man, it'd feel so good. Seeing those damn old geezers groveling at my feet."
"Right?"
"But can we actually win?"
"Do Ha-rang."
"Yeah, sis."
"It's already decided."
Emily nodded with a resolute expression.
"Plus, the Guild Master said it: don't lose, no matter what. We're under discipline—if we lose here..."
For a moment, Emily got chills.
The Guild Master would be fine.
But picturing the Vice Guild Master with bulging eyes, glaring like a Siberian tiger...
"Eek!"
Do Ha-rang rubbed her arms as if her hairs were standing on end.
It was amazing.
Why was the non-ranker Vice Guild Master so terrifying?
"Let's believe..."
Emily took a shallow breath and spoke.
"We said it ourselves: Star Heaven has a better system than the Magic Tower. And we have six months."
"Yeah."
"Let's trust Lady Arin. Who knows? Maybe we can surpass those damn elders?"
"Got it."
The eyes of the two mages on the 1st floor training ground burned with determination.
And above them.
A figure watched them fondly.
Red hair, slender girl.
It was Eloise Arin.
* * *
Three days later.
"It's done...!"
Arin Training Grounds building, top floor.
The red-haired girl sitting in a chair—Arin's eyes blazed with light.
[Name: Eloise Arin]
[Vitality: 2,000/2,000]
[Unique Ability: Skeleton King]
[Class: Magician]
[Grade: SS]
[Strength: 102] [Agility: 104] [Stamina: 109] [Mana: 181] [Technique: 114]
[Held Skills]
-'Fire Magic Mastery' (Lv.Max)
-'Rune Interpretation' (Lv.Max)
-'Heir to Ancient Magic' (Lv.3)
-'Skeleton Summon' (Lv.Max)
"I finally did it...!"
Lately, she'd set everything aside to focus solely on leveling 'Heir to Ancient Magic'.
The method was simple.
Reading books.
The Magic Tower's library was essentially the archive for 'Ancient Magic' (SSS Grade).
Reading, understanding, resonating with it—that was the surest way to approach ancient magic.
And it was something Arin had the utmost confidence in.
Thanks to that.
'Heir to Ancient Magic' had leveled up twice.
As a reward, she'd gained 500 vitality per level, totaling 1,000 more.
"Ahh."
Vitality 2,000.
The reason she'd dreamed of it was simple.
"Finally...!"
She could now use one of the ancient magics she'd longed for.
Building a Magic Tower.
Of course, she could've built one before.
[Skill: Magic Tower Lord]
[Grade: SS]
[Effect 1: Erects a Magic Tower in the air.]
[Effect 2: Only one person per world can obtain this skill.]
[Effect 3: Consumes 1,000 Vitality.]
She knew the incantation for the skill Sophia had.
Plus.
Only one Magic Tower per world.
Meaning, no matter how talented Arin was.
She couldn't build one on Earth.
Well, she could, but.
She'd have to destroy Sophia's first.
But.
"This is a completely different world, right?"
This wasn't Earth.
It was Murung Paradise.
A beautiful planet Delaila had found wandering the universe via World Link.
Meaning, she could build a Magic Tower here.
But still.
Arin didn't want just any ordinary Magic Tower.
She wasn't some 'Follower of Ancient Magic' scattered across the universe.
She was the 'Heir to Ancient Magic'.
A constellation who could wield ancient magic without penalty, closest to Ancient Magic (SSS Grade).
So she'd planned to use ancient magic for it.
[Skill: Magic Tower Lord]
[Grade: SSS]
[Effect 1: Erects a Magic Tower in the air.]
[Effect 2: Only one person per world can obtain this skill.]
[Effect 3: Consumes 2,000 Vitality.]
This one.
Arin had a hunch.
Sophia's high rank on Earth was all thanks to that skill.
Having 'Magic Tower Lord' meant.
The Magic Tower's power and influence added to her personal combat strength.
So beating Sophia had nothing to do with rankings.
Her, who could use ancient magic and forbidden spells without limit, losing to a mere follower of one world?
Unimaginable.
"Lalala."
Arin hummed excitedly.
She couldn't wait to tell the Professor about building her new Magic Tower.
Vmmm!
She quickly cast a teleport spell.
Toward where she sensed the Professor's presence.