Cute Mage's Quest (2)
The blinding white light that had filled my vision gradually faded, revealing the scenery of the 7th floor of the Tower of Ruin. Tower of Ruin, 7th Floor entered.Current Difficulty: Easy → Extreme.
It was a forest thick with the same damp, earthy scent I'd encountered on the 6th floor yesterday. But the number of creatures blocking my path was completely different.
—Kieeeek!!
—Kek! Human… I'll turn you into minced meat!
—I can smell our kin on that guy!!
Ten Goblin Warriors, the same ones that had given me quite a bit of trouble yesterday. Ten Goblin Shamans, likewise. A total of twenty hidden boss-level monsters had formed a circle around me, radiating killing intent as if they were ready to tear me apart at any moment.
Of course, I wasn't the least bit intimidated.
Barrier will disappear in 30 seconds.
“Why do you keep sending these polite messages when it’s always thirty seconds anyway?”
I shrugged lightly and took a deep breath. The only condition Magic Tower Lord Lillian had set for her quest was to clear the floor with a new record using only wind magic. That meant I couldn’t use any of the martial arts I’d been relying on, like the North Sea Ice Palace’s Ice and Snow Soldier Technique.
‘Not that it’s going to be difficult.’
Glancing at the thirty-second countdown floating in the air, I opened and closed my hands a few times. Then, with practiced ease, I activated the 1st Circle wind magic skill Air Weapon that the Tower Lord had temporarily granted me upon accepting the quest. A basic spell that shapes wind into the form of a weapon through mana.
‘⋯⋯Whoa. I only skimmed the concept on YouTube once, but this actually works?’
I marveled inwardly, channeling the sensation I used with the Ice and Snow Soldier Technique to draw up every last drop of mana inside me. At the same time, I began gathering the surrounding wind and compressing it into both hands.
Shuuuuk—!
The violently swirling air currents soon took on a visible deep-blue hue and instantly coalesced into the shape of two greatswords. I gave the wind greatswords in my hands a few casual swings through the air. Their size and form were clearly those of massive, destructive blades, yet because they were made of wind, they felt as light as feathers. At this rate, I could swing them at speeds far beyond what any normal longsword could achieve.
Barrier has disappeared. Begin combat!
The barrier vanished along with the announcement. I immediately wrapped wind mana around the soles of my feet and kicked off the ground. Even with just the raw leg strength from stats well over 90, the dirt floor cracked slightly.
—K-Kieeeek!?
The Goblin Warrior at the front panicked and tried to raise its massive axe, but I was faster. Crossing the wind greatswords in my hands, I slashed horizontally across its thick waist.
Seogeok—!
There was almost no feedback from cutting through something. The ultra-high-speed rotating wind blades sliced through the warrior’s hide and muscles as easily as paper. Its upper body slid off, spraying blood.
—Kieeeek!!
At the sight of their comrade’s meaningless death, the shamans in the rear simultaneously hurled black masses of curses at me. Still in mid-air from my leap, I twisted my waist and dodged them with ease.
The overwhelming power of greatsword-class weapons combined with their impossibly light weight created a synergy beyond imagination.
Shupapapang—!
I weaved between the goblins at blinding speed, dancing with the greatswords as if they were ordinary daggers. Every time the wind blades flashed, warrior limbs flew through the air, and shamans’ skulls burst like watermelons under the flat of the blades.
A one-sided massacre that allowed not a single moment of resistance.
After cleanly beheading the last remaining shaman with a wind greatsword, I exhaled lightly and shook my hands.
Whiuuung—!
The wind greatswords dissolved back into the air currents and scattered with the breeze.
Tower of Ruin, 7th Floor Extreme difficulty cleared!
Incredible achievement! You have defeated five Goblin Warriors and five Goblin Shamans!
Hidden Title acquired: Goblin Hunter (All stats increase by 10% when hunting green-skinned humanoid monsters).
Clear time: 14 seconds.
Rewards: All stats +2, 5 High-Grade Mana Stones, 5 Mid-Grade Mana Stones, 1000 Coins, Random Item Draw Ticket (F~B) ×1, Extreme Emblem.
“Hah, fourteen seconds. That’s basically just mulching them.”
I wiped the goblin blood off my cheek with my sleeve and let out a dry laugh. When overwhelming physical stats met an unrestricted weapon speed, the result was nothing short of a slaughter blender.
“Anyway, let’s go report the results quickly.”
(Incredible achievement! You have defeated five Goblin Warriors and five Goblin Shamans!)
Hidden Title acquired: Goblin Hunter (All stats increase by 10% when hunting green-skinned humanoid monsters.)
(Clear time: 14 seconds.)
Thanks to the exclusive mana breathing method and countless 1st Circle spells the great Magic Tower Lord of the Empire bestowed upon me along with 10,000 coins, I was able to clear the Extreme 7th floor with ease. I dedicate all this glory to Magic Tower Lord Lillian.
“These guys really open a gender war the second you give them any bait.”
I tapped the community screen and burst out laughing in disbelief. Starting from the Magic Tower Lord’s haughty, nitpicking comment, martial artists denouncing magic as sorcery and other races claiming to be the origin of magic had joined in, turning the board into complete chaos in an instant.
And this was on a post written by Padak.
“Just delete all of them. They’ll fight all night if you leave them.”
Lee Sieun, who had been watching the screen with me, yawned widely and chimed in. I nodded and swiped through the system window floating in the air, giving a one-hour ban to everyone brawling in the comments.
After confirming the noisy notification window had gone quiet, I processed the next three trash posts in a row, then sat cross-legged on the living room floor.
“Hey, come here. Since you got a mana breathing method as a permanent trait anyway, let’s learn it together.”
“Really? You worked hard for that, and you’re willing to share?”
“Yeah. Besides, internal energy methods or mana breathing techniques can be taught without system restrictions anyway… You should build up the strength to overcome your Lazy penalty while we’re at it.”
At my words, Lee Sieun’s eyes sparkled as she scooted right up behind me. I closed my eyes and began slowly circulating the Breath of the Blue Storm.
“You… put both hands on the middle of my back, right around the spine, closest to the heart, and focus on the mana flow.”
“Got it. Stay still. Your back is surprisingly broad.”
Lee Sieun’s slightly cool yet warm hands pressed firmly against my back. She closed her eyes and began matching her breathing to mine. Her initially slightly off-tempo breaths gradually synced perfectly with my rhythm, and soon I could feel faint blue mana rising from her body like a small flame reigniting.
“Oh… You’ve got quite the talent.”
“I may not look it, but I’m Blue Badge 1. Even if the penalty wrecked my base stats, my talent is high.”
“That’s a relief, then.”
After opening up the basic mana circuits for Lee Sieun, I stood up and decided to test the 1st Circle wind spells I’d received from the Magic Tower Lord in earnest.
“Let’s see… Air Bullet!”
When I flicked my finger, a compressed wind projectile the size of a ping-pong ball flew out with a ping, tapped the living room wall, and disappeared.
“That’s basically just a toy. Breeze Step!”
A weak gust rose beneath my feet, giving me a momentary feeling of lightness. It wasn’t as good as the Snow Gliding Ice Flower Steps, but it seemed quite useful for light movement without consuming stamina or mana.
“Next, Wind Cutter.”
When I lightly swung my hand blade, a crescent-shaped sharp wind blade flew out and cleanly sliced an apple on the dining table in half.
“Hey, this is pretty good! Perfect for when you’re too lazy to peel fruit.”
Lee Sieun picked up the halved apple, took a bite, and smiled genuinely delighted.
“There’s something even funnier. Dust Sweeper.”
When I chanted the spell, hair and dust piled in the corner of the living room were swept up by a whirlwind and gathered into a round dust ball in the air. I tossed it straight into the trash can and grinned.
“This is literally god-tier for cleaning, right? You don’t even need to run the vacuum anymore.”
“At this rate, I might even get lazy with housework. Am I going to turn into some kind of Demon King of Laziness?”
While we were messing around with a few more silly 1st Circle spells, a spell at the very bottom of the skill list caught my eye—one marked with a red warning.
Condensed Vortex.
Description: Consumes mana at a 1st Circle level, but depending on the caster’s mana control, it can unleash explosive power exceeding 3rd Circle. (Absolutely prohibited for indoor use)
“Indoor use prohibited?”
I scratched my cheek and stared at the text. My current mana stat was well over 90, and I had perfectly controlled wind on the 7th floor just moments ago.
‘With this level of control, a little taste shouldn’t be a problem.’
Driven by a strange mix of curiosity and confidence, I extended my right palm forward and carefully gathered mana.
“Condensed Vortex.”
Shuuuung—!
A small whirlwind formed in the center of my palm and began sucking in the surrounding air like a black hole. In an instant, the vortex grew to the size of a baseball and began thrashing and expanding violently, as if mocking my control.
“Huh? Hey, wait. What’s going on with this!?”
“Are you insane!? Get rid of that thing right now!”
Lee Sieun, who had been eating an apple, turned pale and screamed. The mass of mana that had escaped my control was about to reach its critical point and explode in my hand. Instinctively, I hurled the unstable mana ball toward the living room window where no one was standing.
Kwaaaang—!!!
With a deafening roar, a massive gust swept through the living room. Crash! Shatter!!
“Kyaaak!”
The sturdy floor-to-ceiling living room window and the veranda glass door both shattered completely, sending a rain of tiny glass shards pouring down. At the same time, the fierce outside wind rushed into the now-open living room, sending scattered laundry and receipt scraps flying wildly through the air.
And then—
Thud thud thud thud!!!
“Student!! What on earth are you doing inside the house!! Open the door right now!!”
The landlady’s lion-like roar, having rushed up from downstairs, began echoing thunderously from beyond the front door.
We’re screwed.