Delivery's Here! Straight to the Magic Tower!
I glanced over at the counter. Lucy was sprawled across the sofa in her human form, rolling around lazily.
"Lucy, aren't you coming with us? Touring the Magic Tower could be fun."
"No. Too much hassle."
Lucy answered while slipping a snack onto her finger like a ring. "That place has way too many stairs. Plus, those mages stink. The smell of ink and rotting paper gives me a headache."
"They say they'll give you delicious imperial desserts if you go."
"Desserts?"
Her ears twitched. But she quickly shook her head.
"Tell Vargas to buy some for me. I'll guard the shop while you're gone. If any crazy customers show up with no manager around, I'll have to kill them all."
In truth, she just didn't want to move. The Magic Tower was crawling with mages who weren't exactly pushovers. In the end, I headed to the Magic Tower alone with Elena.
A colossal ivory tower piercing through the clouds on the outskirts of the imperial capital. The white Magic Tower. It was the place where all the magical knowledge of the continent was gathered, a domain ruled by the 8th-circle archmage 'Odin'.
"Hold on tight."
Elena wrapped her arms around my waist. Huh? She swung her staff, and a magic circle formed on the ground. Our bodies floated into the air.
"Since teleport gates can cause time lag, I'll escort you via the VIP exclusive elevator."
"Ah, thank you. But this is... a bit close."
The faint lavender scent drifting from Elena's body tickled my nose. She smiled as if enjoying my reaction.
"Why? Don't like it? The next master of the Magic Tower is personally escorting you."
"No, it's an honor for me."
In the blink of an eye, we arrived at the top floor of the Magic Tower—the Chamber of Truth. This place had neither walls nor ceiling. It was a mystical space where the stars of the night sky wrapped around us like a dome.
And right in the center stood the white-haired old man who had eaten eel rice bowl at my shop last time and regained his youth. Odin, the master of the Magic Tower.
"Oho, you've arrived! My savior!"
Odin spread both arms wide in welcome. He looked much younger than last time. His wrinkles had smoothed out, and his back was straight. It seemed the effects of my cooking were still going strong.
"Welcome, Daon. I've been waiting for you."
"Thank you for the invitation, Master of the Magic Tower."
"No need for formalities. You're my benefactor. Thanks to your cooking, I finally unraveled a magical formula that had been stuck for ten years!"
Odin was as excited as a child. But deep in his eyes, something sharper than mere appetite flickered.
"By the way..."
He circled around me, observing closely. "You said you were a black mage, correct?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Yet the energy coming from your body... it's different from a pure black mage. It's sharp. Heavy."
His gaze fixed on the demonic sword Ghost Cry hanging at my waist.
"And that ominous thing. The legendary demonic blade... A black mage who uses a sword? How fascinating."
"I bought it for self-defense. I use it for cooking too."
"For cooking? Hahaha!"
Odin burst into laughter. "Using one of the greatest demonic blades in the world as a kitchen knife. You've got some nerve."
He stamped his staff on the floor with a heavy thud.
"Very well. Before we eat, let's do a simple 'test' to help with digestion."
"A test?"
"I want to confirm whether you're qualified to carry out my 'request.' It would be troublesome if I sent you off recklessly and you came back as a corpse. Who would make my rejuvenation dishes then?"
Odin snapped his fingers.
System Warning
Special Field: 'Illusory Training Grounds' deployed.
All external communication has been blocked.
The scenery around us changed. The starlit room vanished, and I found myself standing in the middle of a desolate desert. Elena sat far away in what looked like spectator seats, watching me with worried eyes.
"Master of the Magic Tower? What is this..."
"Don't worry. It's a virtual space. Even if you die, you won't really die. Probably."
Probably? What the hell?
Odin's voice echoed from the sky.
"Now, let's begin. These are my little pets."
Rumble—!
The sandy ground split apart as massive golems rose up. One, two, three... A total of ten. These weren't ordinary stone golems. They were 'Adamantium Golems' covered in magic circles from head to toe—monsters with both physical and magical resistance.
"You want me to take these down? I'm a chef!"
"If you're a chef, preparing ingredients is basic. Try peeling off those tough shells with all your might. Hehehe."
I had no choice. The golems raised their fists and charged at me.
"Damn it, the chat won't even connect!"
I swallowed a curse and stepped back. A golem's fist slammed into where I'd been standing.
Boom—!
A sandstorm erupted.
'Black magic alone won't cut it.'
My main skills, 'Curse' and 'Corrosion,' worked great on living things, but against these inorganic lumps, they'd take way too long. That left only one option.
I drew the demonic blade Ghost Cry from my waist.
(Hehehe! Food! It's a fight!)
The sword vibrated wildly.
"Hey, can you cut through that?"
(Rocks? Those puny things! Just feed me mana and I'll slice them like tofu!)
"Good. It's an all-you-can-eat buffet. Devour as much as you want."
I poured my mana into the sword. This wasn't ordinary mana infusion. I wrapped the blade in the sticky, destructive mana unique to black magic.
Vrrr—!
Purple flames blazed across the black blade. Was this magic? Or sword energy?
"Here I come!"
I used Shadow Step to get behind a golem and swung my sword.
Slice—!
The sensation was unbelievable. Instead of the clang of metal on metal, there was a smooth cutting sound. The Adamantium Golem's waist split cleanly along a diagonal line.
(Delicious! It tastes like magic stones!)
The sword greedily sucked up the mana stored in the golem's core. The cut surface corroded and crumbled away.
"It works!"
I picked up speed. My body was no longer moving with the sluggishness of a typical black mage. The agility stat I'd gained from leveling up, combined with the instinctive sword sense guided by the demonic blade.
Swish! Swish!
I danced between the golems. Every time my black sword traced through the air, the golems fell apart like dismantled parts. Even without Lucy's mana support like last time, I was swinging the blade with surprising skill.
"Bind them with magic!"
"Shadow Bind!"
⟨ Shadow Shackles ⟩
At the same time I cast the new black magic spell I'd learned, black tentacles burst from the ground and bound the golems' feet.
"Now cut them down!"
I sliced through the bound golems' necks one by one. It didn't even take ten minutes. All that remained on the desert sand was a pile of scrap metal.
Test Complete
Evaluation: S Rank
The illusion faded, and the Magic Tower's Chamber of Truth reappeared. I caught my breath and sheathed my sword.
Clap, clap, clap.
Odin approached while applauding. Elena came down with a shocked expression.
"Amazing. Truly amazing."
Odin's eyes sparkled. "I thought a black mage wielding a sword was just imitation... but the way you infuse mana into your blade is incredibly original. Especially combining the 'Corrosion' and 'Absorption' properties of black magic into your sword energy."
"I was just desperately trying to survive and it turned out this way."
"That's what we call talent."
Odin patted my shoulder. "You pass. I can entrust my 'request' to you."
"What request?"
Odin spoke with a serious face.
"Go catch a dragon."
"......Pardon?"
"To be precise, I need the heart and meat of an Earth Dragon."
A dragon. The strongest being in a fantasy world. And he wanted me to catch one?
"Master of the Magic Tower, I'm still only level 20. Don't dragons start above level 100?"
"It's not a normal dragon. It's closer to a corrupted young dragon that's been causing chaos in the western mining region of the empire lately. But according to legend, its meat grants vitality close to immortality."
In the end, it was all about food again.
"Of course, I'm not asking you to do it for free. The reward will be worth it."
When Odin snapped his fingers, a blue system window appeared in the air. It was my status window.
"You know your class change quest is complete, right?"
"Class change?"
I hurriedly checked my status window. It was the notification that had popped up when I defeated the Gluttony Lord on the Avalon Islands. I'd been too distracted to check it properly back then.
"W-what is this?"
"It's a new path created by your own actions."
Odin smiled. "Normally, black mages change class to 'Necromancer' or 'Warlock.' But you wield a sword, made a contract with the Demon King, and have been charming people with your cooking."
He tapped the screen.
Class Name: Black Magic Swordsman
Description: A hybrid class that wields both the destructive power of black magic and the sharpness of swordsmanship. It can perfectly infuse the Demon King's authority into a blade to cut through anything.
"Black Magic Swordsman?"
"That's right. A profession with no historical precedent. I will help you with the class change ritual. I'll gather the essence of the Magic Tower to expand your vessel."
Odin made the offer. "If you bring back the dragon, I will make you the one and only Black Magic Swordsman on this continent. So, what do you say? Will you do it?"