Chapter 2
Chapter 2
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Illusion (S)
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⚔ STATUS ⚔ ✨ Attribute: Illusion (S) "S... S-grade! E... es... o-oh... Ooooh..."
"What is it? What attribute is..."
The altar attendants, stunned by the emergence of an S-rank following the A-rank, buzzed with curiosity.
But the anticipation in their eyes quickly faded once they saw what it was.
"W-Wow. Congratulations, Rye. This is my first time seeing an S-rank on the job."
"...Yeah."
I'd had my suspicions when the S-rank light appeared.
And sure enough, it was an illusion attribute.
At least it was the core illusion constitution itself, the foundation of all illusion attributes. Should I be grateful for that much?
I stepped down from the altar amid my friends' half-hearted congratulations.
"W-Wow! Wahaha! You're amazing, Rye!"
"I-I'm jealous. So jealous! Hahaha!"
"Congrats! Hey, everyone, what are you doing? Aren't you going to celebrate Rye's S-rank? It's even the core attribute!"
"The Illusion Tower's probably coming to pick him up, right? Hahaha!"
Chahahahahahaha!
This laughter wasn't congratulations or sympathy—it was just cruel.
Even I didn't know whether to laugh or cry in this situation.
Everyone knew the harsh reality for illusion-attribute mages, even kids.
If it'd been a lesser attribute, I could've just thought, "Guess I'm a normal guy."
But getting the pinnacle talent in illusions left me torn between laughter and tears.
Why did it feel so hollow despite being top-tier attribute and top-grade rank?
I'd rather have a C-rank lightning attribute, at least.
"Pfft."
Lea covered her mouth, laughing at my dazed expression.
She's mocking me, right? S-rank, but just illusion constitution.
...Whatever. I didn't even have the energy to get mad. What was the point of arguing with a kid?
Besides, Lea had a strong sense of pride—I didn't want to get tangled up with her.
"Rye? How'd it go?"
Back home, Mom asked cautiously.
I tossed my coat onto a chair and said,
"Illusion S-rank."
"R-Really? Honey! Honey, come out here!"
"What?! My son's an Illusion S-rank?!"
Mom and Dad forced some excitement to celebrate.
But I just slumped crookedly in the chair, staring blankly at the floor.
"Chahahaha! My son, my son is S-rank! The core attribute, too! Chahahaha—chaha, cha, chacha..."
Dad's boisterous laughter slowly died down.
"...Sorry, son."
"Sorry, Rye. But Illusion S-rank is still the top talent in this field..."
"It's fine. Mom, Dad—you didn't choose to be born with illusion attributes either."
"Rye...!"
"Son!!"
Mom and Dad wiped away tears and pulled me into a tight hug.
Truth be told, I wasn't fine at all.
If they both had illusion attributes, shouldn't they have married someone from another line for their kid's sake?
How do you marry another illusion user and doom your son to illusion no matter what? This is insane.
"Still, you'll be able to become a mage, Rye. With hard work, you might even have a shot at Tower Master."
"Tower Master?"
"Yeah. Usually, the ones with core attributes end up as Tower Masters. The Fire Tower Master has a fire attribute constitution, and so on."
"Right! And they say everyone with a core attribute at top rank became a Tower Master. Core S-ranks are so rare in history—you should be proud, son!"
A core attribute here meant the singular foundational one—like fire, water, illusion, or wind—that encompassed an entire lineage.
Most with core attributes got scooped up by towers.
And among them, those with high ranks and talent rose to Tower Master.
It made sense; they needed to master every spell in their line.
Core attribute S-ranks like mine were one of a handful in history, all becoming Tower Masters.
Even now, some towers had core A-rank Masters—S-ranks were that rare.
"So don't be too down! Better to be the head of a snake than the tail of a dragon, right?"
Isn't it usually the other way around? And is that supposed to be comforting?
Still, it lifted my spirits a bit.
At least as Tower Master, I'd live in some luxury.
The lord of a tower, after all.
That's what I thought, at least.
"Alright, I'm off!"
A few days later.
Mages in resplendent robes visited our village.
Not for me, of course.
Their robes bore stylish lightning embroidery.
Lightning Tower mages—they'd come for Lea and her A-rank lightning.
She was probably set for a smooth ride as a lightning mage from here on.
But I'd head to a tower too! Just wait, Lea!
As an S-rank, I'd grow faster and become Tower Master to show her!
Even if it was useless illusion!
A few days passed, imagining a golden—or shit-colored—future.
Then weeks. No tower came for me.
Did the Illusion Tower even exist?
Was "illusion" itself an illusion? Where did fantasy end and reality begin?
Thankfully, my worries were unfounded. A month later, Illusion Tower mages arrived.
Like the saying, even an enemy is welcome after time apart.
After such a long wait, I rushed out barefoot, buzzing with excitement.
That excitement deflated the moment I saw them.
"Are you Rye Ought? Nice to meet you. I'm Rain Zer from the Illusion Tower."
Two mages had come for me.
Unlike the flashy Lightning Tower crew, they looked almost like beggars.
Their only redeeming feature: robes shimmering in aurora hues.
Even those were worn and tattered.
"Sorry for the wait. It took forever walking here. But don't worry— we'll take a carriage back. We saved every penny for the best treatment for our Rye!"
Rain flashed a bright smile despite her ragged look. Was even that smile an illusion?
Less than a minute in, and my illusions about illusion mages shattered.
There weren't any to begin with.
Suddenly, I didn't want to go to the tower.
"Y-Yeah... It's fine. And it's Rye Ought, not Riot. Rye's the first name, Ought's the family."
"Right, Rye. Uh. Kun?"
"...Just Rye, please."
I bowed with cold eyes.
She kept smiling brightly—her mentality seemed solid, at least.
"Anyway, before we head to the Illusion Tower... sorry, but could I use your bathroom?"
"Sure. Go ahead."
They ended up staying briefly, using not just the bathroom but showering and eating too.
I couldn't say no—they looked too pitiful.
"I'll really be going now, Mom. Dad."
"Y-Yeah. Take care, Rye. Contact us if anything happens."
"Got it. Don't worry."
Seeing the mages' state, even Mom and Dad hesitated to send me off.
But no choice now. Couldn't be worse than village life, right?
And so, I followed the two illusion mages on the journey.
The magic city was days away, apparently.
Riding the baggage cart, I watched our village fade.
Lea got a fancy carriage...
Couldn't illusion magic make this feel like one?
I swallowed the thought.
It'd just bring me down more.
"...Who's the other one?"
I asked about the remaining mage.
Unlike the tall, slender beauty Rain, she was cute, about my height.
Seemed shy—head down, not a word yet.
"Oh, this is our Tower Master! Adorable, right?"
"Tower... Master?"
"Yes! Go on, greet him, Tower Master!"
"H-Hi... H-Hina..."
The Tower Master mumbled a greeting.
"Haha. Our Tower Master is shy around strangers. She'll warm up. Hina Sirius, Tower Master."
This... was the Tower Master?
Rain stepped in with the intro.
I'd guessed she was my age, but no—decently older. So why act like that?
Over days of travel, I got a bit closer to the Tower Master.
She still stuttered and blushed.
Rain said this was lightning-fast for her.
Not raising a cat here.
"We're here!"
We arrived at the great magic city Trinity after weeks.
It was grand enough to make the hardship worthwhile.
"Whoa..."
Towers pierced the sky everywhere.
Countless towers, yet the vast grounds kept the city from feeling cramped.
Magic civilization far outshone my hometown's—more dazzling and mystical than any past-life city.
The beauty erased all second thoughts in an instant.
"Impressive, right? Everyone reacts like that at first. Hehe."
"Yeah... Amazing..."
Trinity was a city built by mages, a sovereign city-state.
Scattered mages once gathered here, erecting towers by attribute and stacking them skyward in honor of achievements.
Ultra-high mages who could wield immense power alone swarmed the place.
Even the Empire couldn't wage full war—Trinity held fearsome might.
Long ago, nations allied with Trinity for protection from that power.
Neighboring countries funded research and recognized its city-state rights.
In return, Trinity mages focused solely on magic.
Mages wanted no wars anyway—just to immerse in spells. Win-win.
Even if Trinity never attacked first, any assault on its mages brought swift retaliation.
This applied to illusion mages too.
Meager as their magic was, they were still Trinity mages.
"Trinity's a proper city, so lots of non-mages live here too. Everything's convenient for daily life."
"I see..."
We headed to the Illusion Tower.
Gigantic towers lined the way, building natural hype for ours.
At that height, the top must touch the sky. I couldn't wait to climb.
"There it is. Our Illusion Tower."
"H-Huee...!"
The Illusion Tower finally came into view.
On the outskirts, but its beauty and majesty matched any.
Unlike others, its walls gleamed in iridescent aurora light.
Like a mystical veil enveloped the whole structure.
And it stretched beyond the sky—truly to the stars.
No top in sight, unlike distant views of others.
"So cool...! Nothing compares!"
"Hehe. Right?"
"H-Home...!"
As we neared, weary Hina started hopping excitedly.
Homebody trips must've drained her.
"Alright, shall we head in? Welcome to the Illusion Tower, Rye!"
Whoosh—
The entrance opened to a cascade of colorful lights.
Brimming with puffed-up expectations of mage life, I finally took my first step into a new world.