The Tower of Desires
“Think positively, my disciple’s disciple. After all, we won’t have any free time until this matter is wrapped up.”
I gladly accepted Adelian’s proposal. Since he could only help me after the work was finished, helping him finish it quickly was the fastest way to save time.
Adelian continued as we walked across the field. “My disciple’s disciple. As you know, I’m quite serious about raising disciples.”
“That’s a fact the entire world already knows. Is a Demon God going to appear in the future or something? Why are you so dedicated?”
“Then are you collecting magic because a Demon God will appear in the future?”
“I understand now.”
Adelian stopped at an appropriate spot and looked up at the sky. It was clear and bright. He said, “I believe I cannot teach magic itself, yet if it proves helpful, I consider it time for education tailored to each individual.”
“So that’s why the clone magic.”
“It’s quite different from clone magic, though I am doing something similar.”
As the rumors said, it seemed true that Adelian raised countless disciples using clones. “After raising an endless number of disciples, I realized one thing. The body is insufficient.”
“Even with hundreds of clones, it’s still not enough?”
“I need to raise even more. Only then can I prepare for the future.”
“You’re sure a Demon God isn’t actually appearing, right?”
“That was obviously a joke. In any case, I thought about it a great deal. My body only numbers in the hundreds, so how could I accomplish even more work?”
“How indeed?”
“Are you curious?”
Adelian looked at me. His blue eyes gazed at me quietly. When I nodded, he spoke. “In the end, people do not move without a purpose. Even if they do move, without purpose it cannot be called true effort.”
“Motivation is important, after all.”
“So I considered ways to grant people a purpose. There were many ideas. Scattering teaching fairies across the world was one option, but ultimately I chose to stimulate people’s ‘desires.’”
Desires? Just from the word, I couldn’t guess what method he meant. When I narrowed my eyes, Adelian smiled.
“Are you curious?”
“Yes.”
“It’s nothing complicated. People are most passionate when they have something they want.”
The moment the words left his mouth, snap. Adelian flicked his finger.
And then.
A colossal tower suddenly came into existence in the world.
Or rather, it wasn’t quite sudden. When I blinked, the enormous tower stood there as if it had always existed.
Ahem. Adelian cleared his throat, then declared:
Whatever you desire, it awaits at the top of the tower!
The field fell into silence. Everyone had shut their mouths. Adelian clicked his tongue at their reaction. “Not to your liking?”
“Honestly, it sounds like something a con artist would say, so it doesn’t inspire trust.”
“But what if the one saying it is me?”
“If an 8th-circle archmage is guaranteeing it, then it’s trustworthy.”
I roughly understood. In short, Adelian had created a massive training facility.
“The principle is simple. Entering the tower transports you to another world. By exploring that world, you obtain rewards.”
“It’s an interesting approach.”
“Right? Experiencing it yourself will be even more fun.”
Since I had agreed to help, entering the tower Adelian created was now certain. However—
“Just from listening, it sounds like it will take an enormous amount of time.”
“It won’t. Didn’t I tell you? It won’t take much time at all.”
“Really? Then it must still be incomplete. It probably doesn’t take long to reach the top.”
“It is incomplete, but that’s because I intend to keep improving it forever. Naturally, reaching the top takes considerable time. But separately, the time itself won’t be long.”
What a contradictory statement. Only an amateur would think that. I was a mage. The moment I heard those words, one possibility flashed through my mind.
“Time is frozen inside the tower, isn’t it?”
“It is a space detached from reality.”
“Just what kind of unique magic do you possess?”
“Creating a tower for mages, scattering clones across the world, even doing something akin to prophecy—what unique magic could it possibly be?”
Though this was my first meeting with Adelian, one thing was certain. This man truly loved jokes.
Well, never mind. I asked my companions, “Is anyone coming into the tower with me?”
“I will accompany you.”
“I want to go with Master too.”
“Me too! I’ll go together!”
They were Leon, Noa, and Ferant—the count’s heir currently running away from home. So only five of us: myself, Leon, Noa, Ferant, and Jerry.
“What about Lady Muran and Chris?”
“…I’m fine.”
“Ruina. I’m not a mage, remember?”
“That’s true.”
Even if Chris entered the tower, she wouldn’t be any help. I turned to the archmage.
“Adelian?”
“Are you ready?”
“Anytime.”
“Then enter the tower. The entrance is right there.”
Where Adelian pointed stood a massive door. We approached it as instructed. The moment I touched it, I felt my body being pulled somewhere.
At the same time, the world spun.
Drip.
At the sound of falling water, I opened my eyes. In the dark space, only the glow of luminous stones lit the world. A cave?
Hmm.
“Everyone, be careful. In a cramped space like this, rushing to use magic could easily cause an accident.”
“…….”
“Everyone?”
I turned around. But there was no one behind me.
…….
Wait. Was this tower meant to be entered alone? Then he should have said so first.
Feeling utterly dumbfounded, I muttered to myself. It was then that the message appeared.
Cave of the Blind? What did that mean?
After a brief moment of thought, I started walking. Experiencing it once was more reliable than thinking about it a hundred times.
After walking for a while, something appeared ahead. It was a goblin, but different from ordinary goblins. I observed it carefully.
The creature was muscular from intense training and properly armed. The notable feature was the long scar across its eyes. So that’s why it was called the Cave of the Blind?
After finishing my observation, I activated Jeogyeng and floated a lantern into the air. I was about to launch flames to intercept the goblin, but—
Sring. The goblin drew its sword faster. Its body blurred. I quickly fired flames. A red line cut through the air, but the goblin closed the distance in less than a second and swung its blade.
All the flames were sliced in half and vanished. I was stunned by the incredible swordsmanship. Was this thing really a monster? How was it this strong?
I gathered mana to continue casting spells. But the goblin’s attack interrupted me. Its sword pierced straight through my lantern and Jeogyeng.
My lantern! My Jeogyeng!
I snatched the falling lantern before it hit the ground and retreated. Fortunately the Star Silver was incredibly durable, so the lantern remained intact, but the spell I was preparing inside it was canceled.
In that case—
I scattered mana into the ground, intending to summon wooden soldiers. That too proved meaningless. Before the magic could activate, the goblin sliced the earth and scattered all the mana.
…Was this really the first floor? It was stronger than any swordsman I had ever met.
A mage without magic is powerless. With all my spells canceled, I was currently helpless. The situation was quite dangerous.
I urgently drew my sword and was about to use Refinement magic when I paused. The goblin was standing still.
I thought it might be catching its breath, but a swordsman that could close dozens of meters in a second wouldn’t swing its blade a few times and then need to recover.
I shifted my gaze to the goblin’s eyes. From the circumstances, this goblin was blind. Then how was it detecting and attacking its enemy?
Sound? That seemed most plausible, but I reviewed our recent battle. I hadn’t made any noise. I hadn’t spoken, rustled, or kicked any stones.
The only thing I had done since entering this cave was use magic. Nothing else.
Mana, then.
I fell into thought. Against a goblin that fought by sensing mana, what must a mage do to gain the upper hand? The answer was simple: hide the mana as much as possible. I had to control it precisely so that none leaked out.
I carefully kindled flames inside the lantern. I controlled the fire delicately, perfectly, without the slightest gap.
When I looked up, the goblin was still standing motionless in the same spot.
Correct answer.
I muttered softly to myself, then shook the lantern. Immediately afterward, a barrage of flames flew toward the goblin.
The goblin’s sword sliced through every single flame. It was magnificent swordsmanship, but now the goblin no longer knew my position while I alone knew its.
In this state, the battle was simply a matter of time.
After a short while, thud. The goblin collapsed to the ground.
I nodded at the letters floating in the air. So this was how it worked? Understood.