The Discipline Elder's Test
Even for a pure human, digging deep into the ground is an incredibly difficult task.
Especially when the depth reaches seven meters.
It would normally take several sleepless nights, yet Lim Dojun finished it in less than a day.
The Gellerd Brotherhood had put in the effort, and Lim Dojun, who had recovered some of his mana in between, helped them out from time to time.
“I’ll assist you.”
A sharp spear made of ice shot down from the sky.
It was meant to shatter the earth and make digging easier, but the Gellerd Brotherhood misunderstood.
“Ugh! P-please spare us! We’ll work harder, Sir Mage!”
“We’ll move so fast you won’t even see our hands!”
“Faster! Faster!”
No matter how many times Lim Dojun told them he had no intention of harming them, they couldn’t help but be terrified.
And so they reached the bottom.
“Hmm.”
It really was worth leaving treasure behind.
Golden coins glittered in abundance, and inside the bag beside them were various gathering materials.
Although he had only recently begun studying magic, the supplementary knowledge in the spellbooks told him these were quite valuable magical ingredients.
If the Magic Tower mages currently wandering around on missions to earn contribution points saw them, their eyes would light up with greed.
These kinds of materials were bought by the tower without question, making them perfect for secret funds.
Moreover, when they were rare, their value skyrocketed, so they were also excellent for investment purposes.
‘But they don’t all look in perfect condition.’
Having been left unattended for quite a long time, some were still fresh while others were completely wilted.
He would need to take them to the tower and examine them closely.
After that, Lim Dojun looked at the Gellerd Brotherhood members who had collapsed from exhaustion.
“Thank you for helping me dig. You’ve all worked hard. I’ll be on my way now.”
“Y-you’re just leaving, Sir Mage?”
“Of course?”
“How long… should we keep the house empty for you?”
“There’s no need for that. You can continue living here.”
Lim Dojun shrugged.
Thanks to the Gellerd Brotherhood, he had easily dealt with Eggnok and even received help digging the ground.
There was no official land deed, so he couldn’t sell it, and disposal was impossible.
But there was no point in keeping it either.
With the Blue Magic Tower right there, what would he do with a rundown mansion in the back alleys?
‘The maintenance costs would be more trouble than it’s worth.’
At Lim Dojun’s words, the Gellerd Brotherhood members’ eyes widened in shock.
“Y-you’re sparing us and even giving us the house…!?”
“······!!”
Starting with being saved from Eggnok and now being given a house.
This was their first time experiencing anything like it, and their hearts swelled with emotion.
“No one has ever done this much for us before…!”
People who drifted through the back alleys rejoiced or despaired over even the smallest things.
They would kill each other over trivial matters, so of course they had never encountered such great benevolence.
“If you ever need our help in the future, please call us anytime! We will risk our lives for you!”
“Mm. Lives won’t be necessary.”
“No, it is! After all, we already died once yesterday! We can use these lives for you, Sir Mage!”
Their eyes burned with fervor.
Figuring he probably wouldn’t see them again, Lim Dojun simply patted their shoulders.
Having met many criminals during his military days, he could roughly tell from their eyes whether someone was truly evil or not.
In Lim Dojun’s view, the Gellerd Brotherhood were simply uneducated; they were far from being rotten to the core.
And Lim Dojun’s assumption that they wouldn’t be of any help turned out to be wrong.
“Ah, that’s right.”
Just before returning to the tower, he received unexpected information.
“Sir Mage. Do you happen to know about the black market auction?”
In cities of a certain size, black markets existed.
They allowed the circulation of illegal goods while avoiding taxes. And since Bellangs was large enough to have a Magic Tower branch, its black market was particularly substantial.
“I used to work at the black market, and I’m still personally close with one of the managers. By chance, I obtained valuable information this time. The auction organizers are preparing to put up an absolutely incredible item!”
“An incredible item? What exactly is it?”
“As for that… I’m sorry.”
Gellerd apologized, realizing that despite his dramatic delivery, he had no specifics.
“B-but that person isn’t the type to make a fuss over nothing. It’s definitely an incredible treasure. The organizers are planning a surprise reveal, so I thought you might want to participate, Sir Mage.”
At first glance, the information seemed rather useless.
However, Lim Dojun was quite intrigued.
‘That sounds like it could become achievement points.’
He had already earned one achievement point just from learning incomplete dragon-style magic.
Likewise, obtaining a great item or learning an extraordinary technique would likely yield the same result.
He didn’t know if something that significant would actually appear at a black market auction, but there was nothing to lose by trying.
‘And I just got some bullets, too.’
The gold coins and materials he had dug up.
If he took them to the tower, he could convert them to cash immediately, so they were essentially money in his pocket.
The prestige of the Blue Magic Tower, one of the ten great magic towers of the continent, was lofty and exalted.
Mages belonging to the tower were far stronger than ordinary mages, and naturally, their pride was equally high.
But today.
The mages of the Blue Magic Tower’s Bellangs branch had completely abandoned their usual demeanor and were running around as if their feet were on fire.
“Hurry, hurry!”
“He’ll be here soon!”
An urgent report had arrived that a big shot from the main tower was visiting.
Since the notice had come right before his arrival, preparation time was extremely tight, which explained their frantic efforts.
And a short while later.
-Vooooong!
The space-transfer magic circle slowly activated.
Moments later, with a burst of light, an elegant white-haired mage appeared.
The waiting mages all bowed their heads at once.
““We welcome the Discipline Elder’s visit!””
Discipline Elder Keon.
Excluding the Tower Master and a few elders, he was one of the highest-ranking leaders in the tower.
Keon glanced around and frowned.
“Where’s Delcrein?”
“The branch leader is currently too ill to move, so…”
“Ha… That guy, seriously. Getting all dramatic just because he took a few hits?”
Muttering in clear displeasure, he turned to a nearby mage.
“Is he in the branch leader’s office right now?”
“Yes, he is.”
“Lead the way.”
“Yes, sir!”
Keon strode after the guiding mage with long, purposeful steps.
His blue robe fluttered with every stride, and the mages he passed bowed their heads respectfully.
Normally, one needed prior permission to enter the branch leader’s office, but such procedures meant nothing to Discipline Elder Keon.
He opened the door without hesitation and stepped inside, where he found Delcrein sitting at his desk, rubbing his eyes.
“Aigoo… Aigoo…”
“Hah, really. Your master comes to visit and you don’t even greet him?”
“Aigoo… This unworthy disciple was too unwell to come out and greet you, Master.”
At the shameless remark, Keon clenched his fist tightly, but eventually relaxed his grip. There was nothing he could do.
It was true that beating his fully grown disciple until both eyes were black and blue had been excessive.
Wasn’t that very concern what had brought him all the way from the main tower?
“Tsk tsk. You insolent brat. Making your old master come all this way.”
“I never asked you to come.”
“You made me worry enough to come anyway! That alone is already a sin!”
Even though Keon had been the one who hit him, he insisted the fault lay with his disciple.
As the Discipline Elder, Keon placed great importance on rules and order.
Knowing his master’s personality well, the disciple—who had come to see him after so long—spouted nothing but nonsense.
—Master! That child will become a mage who represents our tower in the future! We must support him from now on!
One of the most important things in the Magic Tower was nurturing talent.
No one understood the value of a single genius better than they did.
So when they discovered truly outstanding talent, they naturally provided support.
But his disciple was far too impatient.
—Just wait and see. He has only just begun learning magic. How much of his talent could you have possibly assessed? We need to watch him learn more magic, assign him several missions, and observe his disposition.
It was a perfectly reasonable statement.
But Delcrein could not accept it.
—Master! That would take far too much time! Talent like that will be wasted if we don’t nurture it immediately! I cannot stand by and watch!
In a large organization like the Blue Magic Tower, rules were inevitably strict and procedures slow.
That was why Delcrein had come to negotiate directly. Instead of simply getting beaten for angering Keon, he had managed to secure what he wanted.
He had obtained the advanced mana control technique known as the Barkmong Mana Control Method, allowing Lim Dojun to properly lay the foundation before diving into high-level magic.
Delcrein personally brought out tea, grinning from ear to ear.
“You’ll be amazed when you see him yourself, Master. He mastered the Barkmong Mana Control Method in a single day.”
“…One day?”
“Yes! I wasn’t exaggerating at all!”
Keon’s eyebrows twitched.
That was indeed astonishing.
He composed himself.
“Huu. Very well. I’ve decided to trust you this once. The reason I came today is not only to see you but also to assign a mission to your disciple. You remember, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
Pass Discipline Elder Keon’s test by successfully completing a mission.
In return, he had received the Barkmong Mana Control Method in advance.
“If he fails to impress me or fails the mission, I will immediately expel him from the tower. If he receives special treatment, he must provide appropriate compensation.”
“Jun will definitely succeed.”
“Such confidence. The mission is simple. Capture a magic criminal that the tower has placed a bounty on. It doesn’t have to be from our tower—any tower is fine.”
“!”
Delcrein was visibly shocked.
“A wanted criminal? No… What kind of ridiculous mission is that!”
No matter how much he believed in Lim Dojun, there was a limit to what a novice mage could handle.
This clearly crossed the line.
“Master! Are you trying to get my disciple killed?”
“Hmph. Weren’t you the one who said he was a talent that might appear in the tower’s history? Then something like this should be easy for him.”
It was true that Delcrein had said those words.
A talent who could read a book once and master a mana control technique, then immediately enter lower-level magic.
Not only was his knowledge absorption fast, but even the power of his magic release surpassed that of ordinary mages.
It was truly a legendary talent, which was why he had said such things. But now that an actual mission like this was on the table, he couldn’t help but worry.
“Most of the tower’s wanted criminals are former tower mages who committed serious crimes and fled, aren’t they? They’re all fully accomplished mages. How is a mage who has just begun his training supposed to catch someone like that?”
“That is precisely what determines true talent. Overwhelming with talent a mage who started before him. Is there any better way to tell whether someone is a genius or not?”
“But…”
“I know what you’re worried about. That’s why I won’t set a time limit. Since he’s learned the Barkmong Mana Control Method, I’ll give him plenty of time to train. He can depart once he’s ready.”
No time limit.
Those words finally allowed Delcrein to calm down a little.
With that much leeway, he could prepare Jun thoroughly before sending him on the mission.
-Knock knock
“Master. Do you have a moment?”
It was Lim Dojun’s voice from outside.
Delcrein glanced at Keon, who nodded.
“Come in.”
When Lim Dojun opened the door and entered, he was startled to see another person present.
“I didn’t realize you had a guest. Should I come back later?”
“No, it’s fine. But do you not know who this person is?”
“…No. Your disciple has not yet had the chance to familiarize himself with the other senior mages.”
Lim Dojun bowed his head politely.
He simply hadn’t had enough time to memorize the tower’s personnel yet.
Besides, he had just returned from outside, and the other mages had deliberately disappeared because they didn’t want to get involved with Keon, so he hadn’t heard about the visit.
All he could tell was that the man was an elderly high-ranking mage, judging by his age and presence in the branch leader’s office.
Keon gave Delcrein a light elbow jab, signaling him not to say anything, then quietly took a sip of tea.
Delcrein realized his master was up to his usual mischievous tricks again and frowned slightly before continuing.
“Mm… That’s understandable. Anyway, what brings you here?”
“I captured a wanted criminal and thought I should report to you first, Master. He was apparently affiliated with the Black Magic Tower.”
“!!”
“???? …Cough!”
Keon spat out the tea he had been drinking.