Chapter 297
Chapter 297
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 297
Chapter Title: Bedrock Discipleship (1)
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“What?”
I was shocked.
Truly shocked.
Shocked enough to crunch! and shatter the nearly finished, clumsy sculpture?
“You want a spot in the Peach Blossom Paradise? To build a magic tower?”
Ah.
Now that I thought about it, yeah, that made sense.
A ‘successor’ was a rank above a ‘follower’.
So why was our Arin the only one without a magic tower?
I was the only one without a magic tower!
“You punk! What’s with the fuss when you were training so well?! Hurry up and finish your sculpting, then practice fishing and rainmaking too. By sunset, you’ve got fifty skills to master—fifty! Time’s short! I told you to learn only combat arts, but no, you drag in weird life skills... Ugh! Fishing builds patience, fine! But sculpting? What’s sculpting?”
The old man grumbling beside me as he watched my sculpting didn’t register at all.
“Arin.”
“Yes.”
“You can build a magic tower?”
“Yes, Professor.”
Arin beamed.
“I’d love to build it right here in the training grounds, but it’s too cramped. Lend me a plain as big as the city Demir built.”
“Of course, of course. That goes without saying.”
Ah.
It was moving.
Like when your kid gets into a top university and wins a Nobel to support you a bit—must feel like this.
Such a proud, admirable kid.
“Just a plain? I’ll set up a second city there too. Hmm, leave Vina’s habitat alone and claim a spot to the east?”
In a few months, the city would be complete.
Sorry, Demir, but time for another task.
- Hey now. What’s that supposed to mean, Master!
Was he nearby, by chance?
Demir sent his will through our link.
‘Oops.’
I’d planned to tell him gently later.
- Doesn’t Master know me yet?
Huh? What’s this?
Was I imagining how thrilled he seemed?
No, I wasn’t.
- Building this city, I’ve regained almost all my old power! Thanks to you, my life’s more satisfying than before! And now? Another city? Kahahahaha! That’s the dream! Thank you! Thanks, Master! One more city, and I’ll fully recover my prime. I’ll send the kids to draft plans right away!
Arin’s magic tower city seemed a done deal.
Who knew he’d be so thrilled.
Yeah.
Give a swordsman a sword, a novelist a pen— that’s happiness, right?
People are happiest doing their calling.
‘Professor.’
Arin shook her head, a strange look on her face.
‘It’s not that.’
Why she wanted a magic tower.
On the surface, to get closer to ‘Ancient Magic’.
Building a magic tower would bring her nearer to Ancient Magic.
For a follower of Ancient Magic like her, it’d be pure joy and bliss.
Plus.
She could live the magic tower lord life she never had in the magic world.
But.
Demir hammers away at buildings.
She pores over books.
‘All for Professor.’
The one who freed them from their ‘limitations’.
Who endlessly cherished and cared for them after.
Joo Dong-hoon.
To Arin, Professor came first.
Professor’s dream was to grow stronger.
Her strength was his strength.
And.
To care for a strong Professor, a strong organization had to back him.
That was raising Byulcheonji.
Demir swinging hammers to help Kim Jin-ah.
Eldrin carving wood and gathering herbs.
At root, all for Professor.
“Professor...”
Lost in thought for a moment, Arin smiled softly.
“Hm?”
“Building the magic tower will take over a year.”
“Huh, that long?”
“What, you think that massive thing pops up like whoosh, done!?”
“Uh, no?”
Arin shook her head.
“A magic tower’s like a world’s pillar. To root into that world, it needs time and mana.”
Roots to draw the world’s energy.
That’s why only one per world.
“While it builds, I’ll take responsibility for training them.”
Arin’s eyes gleamed.
“Six months, right? Plenty. I’ll whip them into mid-tier combat mages. Can’t let Professor lose face—not on my watch.”
Her whole body radiated determination.
Emily, and Do Ha-rang.
Arin planned to show those novice mages.
How advanced magic world civilization was.
How rankings meant nothing before that civilization’s level.
‘I’ll show them.’
Arin’s gaze settled slowly.
* * *
“Hmmmmm.”
“Is this right, sis?”
“Hmm, who knows.”
“We’re up against elder mages, and here we are, sitting cross-legged—what are we even doing?”
Training grounds, first floor corner.
Arin had the two rankers sensing mana.
Fine.
Mages sense mana—it’s basics of basics.
When first entering Sofia’s magic tower.
No, when awakening her ‘unique ability’ as an F-rank hunter.
It started with the basic quest: sense mana.
“It’s been ages since we did basics.”
Do Ha-rang sighed deeply.
How long had they sat?
Her butt felt like it’d blister, arms and legs numb beyond tingling.
“I can already sense mana. Plenty.”
Emily frowned, uncomfortable.
“Truth is, we’ve sensed mana since before Byulcheonji.”
“Yeah.”
Emily was anxious.
Were they impatient?
Or lacking patience?
Far from it.
Training started two weeks ago.
Only six months total, and two weeks gone.
They’d sat the whole time.
Minus eating and sleeping—all day, every day.
Without faith in Arin, impossible.
But now, that faith was cracking.
“Sis, I... need advanced combat skills... As a white mage, more focus on healing than fighting.”
“What about me? Earth attribute’s weak compared to fire or water. And my opponent’s fire attribute Brandon.”
“Urgh.”
As they grumbled.
Arin, watching from afar, smiled faintly.
‘Still.’
She was satisfied they followed orders diligently.
Grumbling was fine.
Back in magic world school, her peers did the same.
Though she’d tried everything to sense mana once.
Normal mages all went through it.
‘Any art’s foundation must be solid.’
Look at Professor.
Mastering basics of all arts.
That’s foundations.
Like groundwork.
For a tall tower, the base must be rock-solid.
Advanced skills without foundation? Balance crumbles.
Can’t even use them properly—collapses.
Later, building high? Base can’t bear the weight.
‘Professor’s case.’
No idea why, but some advisor surely.
A top expert.
One who knows foundations’ importance.
Others’ foundations: modest plot.
Professor’s: vast plain.
Big enough for any tower, unshakeable.
Professor would build his tower there later.
Taller, sturdier than anyone’s.
This was just laying the cornerstone.
‘So.’
Arin looked at Do Ha-rang and Emily again.
‘Work hard on your foundations. To help Professor even a drop later. Plus...’
She smiled gently.
‘Advanced skills don’t matter anyway.’
Truth was.
At Earth’s magic tower civilization level, basics sufficed.
Using advanced skills? Like nuking a boar with a hydrogen bomb.
Arin would teach the novices that from now.
* * *
Sunset, darkness over Peach Blossom Paradise.
Whoooosh!
Chilly wind blew before Arin’s training grounds.
‘Finally, after two weeks... off the ground.’
‘Real training now?’
Do Ha-rang and Emily swallowed hard.
Why?
First time Arin summoned them.
“I...”
Polymorphed Arin’s stern face tensed them up.
The kid always [Professor, Professor!] beaming—now this? Wind felt colder.
“Can’t let you lose in the magic tower and tarnish our Professor’s face.”
Arin’s cold gaze fixed on them.
‘Whoa.’
‘How serious is she?’
‘Aura rivals a tower lord?’
They’d felt Sofia’s aura in the tower.
Dominating space, suffocating pressure.
They felt it from Arin.
From a mere skeleton.
“Lots of complaints so far, right? How long sitting? Mana’s sensed plenty—why keep sensing?”
Arin eyed Do Ha-rang.
Flinch!
Her body shivered.
“Do Ha-rang-ssi?”
“Y-Yes?”
“Man’s your closest friend for a mage. Must bond deeply. More than flashy skills.”
Arin felt it too.
Fighting the water dragon.
Sensing Ancient Magic.
‘Power Word Kill.’
Could she control that absurd instant-death spell because she learned it?
‘Not at all.’
Possible because close to Ancient Magic.
Respecting, feeling it, pleading desperately.
“Come out.”
“Huh?”
“Come, stand.”
Thud!
Arin slammed her staff down.
Still using the ‘Fire Dragon’s Staff’ (S-rank).
“Y-Yes!”
Step.
Do Ha-rang stepped forward, uneasy.
World rank 103 cowering before a skeleton.
Absurd to hear, but it was Arin.
The Arin dueling tower lords on magic prowess.
“We’ll duel magic now.”
“Huh? What...!”
Do Ha-rang jumped.
Magic duel with Arin?
Duel? She’d be paste with one swing.
“Listen to the end. I’ll use only basic spells: Energy Bolt, Fireball, Water Bomb, Sandstorm. You—full power, take me down.”
Swish.
Arin raised her staff.
“If even one touches me a bit.”
Do Ha-rang gulped dryly at her aura.
“On Professor’s name, I’ll teach you every advanced spell I know.”