Chapter 510: The First Lesson
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 510: The First Lesson
Skin as white as snow, blue eyes like ice submerged in water, and a voluptuous figure that stirred men's hearts.
Valentina Sasha Danilova, an Archmage who had reached the 8th Circle, a realm considered transcendent.
The moment she entered the Magic Tower, a heavy silence fell as every eye in the hall focused on her.
“You…”
But the Tower Lord's gaze was fixed solely on me.
I bowed my head respectfully to her.
“It's an honor to see you again.”
“…You got here fast.”
“I stopped by before returning to Korea. I hope I'm not intruding?”
The Tower Lord glanced around for a moment before slowly shaking her head.
“Not particularly. It's not like there's ever a day I'm not busy. And a promise is a promise, so it's no intrusion.”
“That's a relief.”
“Follow me.”
With that one short remark, the Tower Lord walked toward the elevator.
As I followed her, I passed by the Vice Tower Lord.
Crack.
A subtle fissure appeared in the Vice Tower Lord's perpetually pleasant smile.
Beyond his eyes bloomed a jealousy so vivid it was undeniable.
I couldn't help but let out a small snort.
‘There's nothing uglier than a man's jealousy.’
I shot the Vice Tower Lord an overt sneer before stepping into the elevator with the Tower Lord.
Until the very moment the doors closed, the Vice Tower Lord was glaring at me as if he wanted to kill me.
But from an angle the Tower Lord couldn't see, I flipped him the middle finger.
The Vice Tower Lord's face twisted viciously.
Thud.
And the doors closed.
The triumphant smile on my lips was short-lived.
“Do you know the Vice Tower Lord? You two don't seem to be on good terms.”
“Pardon?”
The Tower Lord, who had been standing behind me, suddenly spoke.
“Yes, well… I think it's because the Vice Tower Lord seems to like you. He's probably wary of a young man like me.”
“It's not that he 'seems' to like me. He does. He's confessed to me several times.”
“And you rejected him every time?”
At my question, the Tower Lord simply leaned against the wall and quietly averted her gaze, offering no answer.
I could feel her firm resolve not to engage in any unnecessary conversation.
I decided to keep my mouth shut as well, knowing that trying to break the awkward atmosphere would only lower her favorability toward me.
A heavy silence descended.
Ding.
[199th Floor.]
[Doors opening.]
Thankfully, the elevator arrived quickly.
As the doors slowly opened, a corridor made of beautiful crystal unfolded before my eyes.
It was like stepping into an ice palace from a fairy tale.
‘I've seen plenty of marble corridors, but this is the first time I've seen one made of crystal.’
And it wasn't just any ordinary crystal.
It was mana crystal, which could only be mined from within specific Gates. It was said to have properties that resonated with a mage's magic power, aiding in their training.
Naturally, it traded at an exorbitant price.
For a moment, I wondered if the person in front of me was really the same one who couldn't afford fifty million pounds and had to offer something else as payment for the Millennium Hwari's core.
‘Well… I guess it can't be helped. She must have a ton of expenses.’
I followed the Tower Lord toward her workshop.
Every time her snow-white hair fluttered, a pleasant scent tickled my nose.
And even though she wasn't wearing high heels, she was tall enough that I couldn't see the top of her head.
She seemed to be at least in her mid-170s.
‘She's a total model.’
I had to consciously stop my gaze from drifting toward her ass.
An Archmage of her level likely had eyes in the back of her head—in fact, you had to assume she had a 360-degree field of vision.
“There's no one else here, by the way.”
Even in the workshop of Sister Han Lael, the Gray Tower Lord, there was at least one staff member from the secretary's office present.
But here, I couldn't sense the presence of anyone other than the Tower Lord and myself.
“There is no one. An ordinary mage's body wouldn't be able to withstand it.”
“…Pardon?”
The Tower Lord glanced at me and added, “There's no need to feign ignorance. You must have already guessed it, haven't you? How the bitter chill filling this entire floor affects mages.”
“…?”
I tilted my head at the Tower Lord's cryptic words.
What chill was she talking about?
“I'm sorry, but I'm not sure what you mean.”
Hearing this, the Tower Lord gave me a strange look for a moment, then suddenly turned and walked toward me.
Then she abruptly grabbed my hand.
I was momentarily flustered by the unexpected situation. The Tower Lord's hand was white and slender, and at the same time, surprisingly soft.
But it was also slightly cold.
“…You're certainly warm.”
“I get that a lot. I tend to run hot.”
Most of the martial arts I've learned are related to yang energy, and the Crimson Cloud Thunder Art is a martial art of extreme yang.
Not only was my body temperature higher than a normal person's, but even after achieving Immunity to Cold and Heat, I was naturally more resistant to cold than to heat.
“…Over long years of repeated meditation and research, the chill seeping from my body has permeated every corner of this workshop. It has now become a space that maintains a temperature of minus twenty degrees Celsius year-round. Of course, if it were simple cold, it wouldn't be a major problem. But the chill imbued with my magic power is effectively a poison to mages below a certain level.”
“…A poison?”
“It inflicts permanent damage on their Mana Circles and Magic Circuits, proportional to the duration of exposure.”
“…”
At the Tower Lord's words, I quickly checked my body's condition.
But I couldn't find any trace of the chill she mentioned having infiltrated my system.
Still, she didn't seem the type to make trivial jokes, so I couldn't just dismiss her words.
“Wait, so you brought me to such a dangerous place?”
“Did you intend to seek my teachings without that much resolve? Besides, I did say it affects mages below a certain level.”
At that moment, a faint smile spread across the Tower Lord's lips.
“The hero of Britain who subjugated the executives of Belmoras couldn't possibly be that weak, could he?”
“…”
Men are simple creatures, so much so that it's almost pathetic.
A pretty woman gives them an innocent smile, and their imaginations run wild.
And I was no exception.
Seeing the Tower Lord's smile so unexpectedly, I quietly sucked in a breath.
“…I think I understand why the Vice Tower Lord fell for you.”
“Don't get cocky. We haven't formally established a master-student relationship. I could work you to death and then kick you out.”
“It was a joke.”
“Not a funny one.”
The atmosphere turned a little chilly.
She gave me a kind(?) smile, so I thought we'd gotten a little closer, but it seems I was mistaken.
A moment later, we arrived before a massive door that looked to be at least ten meters tall.
Creeak.
Despite its antique design, the door opened automatically.
What lay beyond was none other than the Archmage's workshop.
“Sit wherever you like.”
Snap.
As the Tower Lord sat on the sofa and snapped her fingers, a teapot and cups flew through the air and arranged themselves neatly on the table.
I sat across from her.
Thanks to that, I got a nice view of her pale white thighs as she crossed her legs.
Of course, it was only for a fleeting moment.
One wrong move and I could lose an eyeball, so I immediately managed my gaze.
“So, what is it you want to know?”
“About an Elementalist's Astral Formation.”
“The 6th Circle?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm…”
The Tower Lord looked at me with a meaningful expression.
As if something was unexpected.
“…I'll tell you this in advance: the lessons will be one hour a day for the next three days. I can't spare any more time than that, so if you want to gain something from this, you'd better be prepared to die trying.”
“Somehow… the curriculum seems more intensive than the tuition fee would suggest.”
It was just a core worth fifty million pounds, after all.
About ninety billion in Korean Won.
Of course, it could have easily fetched two or three times that at an auction in Asia, but even hundreds of billions wouldn't be enough for private tutoring from an Archmage.
“…The value of an object is judged differently by each person. You don't need to worry about it.”
“So when do the lessons begin?”
“Right now.”
“…Pardon?”
Clink.
The Tower Lord set down her teacup and glared at me with cold eyes.
“I barely managed to make time for this as it is. No more chatter. Give me your hand.”
“Yes, ma'am.”
Having more or less grasped the Tower Lord's personality, I extended my hand without another word.
She took my hand and slowly closed her eyes.
‘Her eyelashes are long.’
Looking at her like this, she was the very picture of an ice fairy.
Speaking of which, she might not be a fairy, but there was a similar folk legend in Russia.
Snegurochka (Снегурочка).
It's the name of a woman from a folk legend originating from native Slavic beliefs.
Snegurochka, the daughter of Frost and Spring, is an immortal being who lives in the winter forest.
But she was always lonely and was prepared to give up her eternal life to feel the emotion of love, just like a human.
Taking pity on her, Snegurochka's mother, Spring, gave her a wreath of love as a gift, which allowed her to feel love.
However, the moment Snegurochka fell in love and left the forest, she melted in the morning sun and turned into a cloud.
The man Snegurochka loved knew this would happen and begged her to live, but when she ultimately left the winter forest and chose death, the man followed her and committed suicide.
I have no idea why the plot of an animation the head nun at the orphanage showed me as a child suddenly popped into my head.
The moment I saw the Tower Lord, it just came to mind—
“How long are you going to keep staring at me?”
“…Ah.”
Is this what a hiker feels like when they encounter a giant wolf on a snow-swept mountain during a blizzard?
The Tower Lord's blue eyes, glaring at me, shimmered faintly.
“My apologies. I was so captivated by your dazzling beauty that I lost myself for a moment.”
“If you don't want to lose your life, you'd better focus.”
“…I will take your words to heart.”
I let out a silent sigh of relief and straightened my posture.
I was almost expelled before the first lesson even began.
“By the way, I heard you reached the 5th Circle in less than a year, so I thought you were wise, but it seems that's not the case.”
“Pardon?”
“Or… is it because you're a genius who can handle virtually all elements that you can't let go of your foolish attachment?”
The Tower Lord's gaze grew colder than I had ever seen.
As if she were condemning me.
“Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Lightning, Light, and Darkness. You intend to establish your Astral based on all seven elements? Your ambition is commendable.”
“…”
“But that's all it is. You're just a fool who should have already reached the 6th Circle, floundering in knee-deep water.”
What the Tower Lord was trying to say was clear.
Stop being so stubborn.
“Selection and concentration. You can't be so dull as to not even understand that, can you?”
“I know.”
“No, you know nothing. For example, to become a lawyer, you don't need to get a perfect score in every subject. You just need to pass the bar. That's enough. But you've already passed, yet you've given that up to pursue a perfect score in every subject. While you're wasting your time on such foolishness, your peers are establishing themselves in the legal world and building their careers.”
“…”
“Even if you eventually pass with the perfect score you desire, you'll just end up as a junior lagging behind your peers.”
“…Nevertheless, I am certain that the path I wish to take is the right one.”
Of course, I had no proof.
It might seem ridiculous and foolish to flatly reject the advice of an Archmage, but I still trusted my intuition.
“…Tsk. What a troublesome brat to have rolled in here.”
The Tower Lord narrowed her eyes and stood up. Then she walked deeper into the workshop.
I was watching her back for only a moment when she glared back at me and continued, “What are you just standing there gawking for? You have fifty-five minutes left. I doubt you have time to sit around leisurely.”
