Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Tower Masters' Game
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The top floor of the Lightning Tower. A place where massive amounts of plasma swirled like a raging storm.
In the center of that space, brimming with mana infused with lightning attributes, a single woman sat suspended in mid-air.
Crackle-
Plasmas colliding and sparking in bursts both large and small.
Every strand of electricity converged on the woman, yet her expression remained utterly serene.
She had already become electricity itself.
Flutter-
A massive tome floated in the air beside her.
Intricate magic formulas flipped by rapidly, plain to see even at a glance.
The woman murmured incantations for a long while before abruptly closing the book.
At that instant, the plasma filling the air ground to a halt.
"Tower Master."
As the woman emerged from the room, a Lightning Mage stood waiting for her.
The woman's identity was none other than the Lightning Tower Master, Electra.
Awaiting her was her disciple and next Tower Master candidate, Lea.
"Word from the council."
"Got it."
Electra grabbed her robe and slipped it on without even hearing the details.
She had emerged from her chamber for that purpose anyway.
She rarely interrupted her research and left her room except during the regular council sessions.
Electra fell deep into thought as she headed toward the Trinity Council building.
It was about the magic she had been researching up until moments ago.
A large-scale lightning spell she had been developing for the past three years.
Once completed, it would possess enough power to paralyze an entire kingdom's castle.
Of course, there would be no need to use it.
The era was one of peace, and mages no longer had reason to fight.
That had been the pact forged long ago by Trinity's great archmages.
Mages are seekers of knowledge.
Thanks to that pact, mages could devote themselves entirely to magical research.
Put another way, it meant mages now existed solely to study magic within their towers for life.
Occasionally unveiling an artifact to the world, at most.
Of course, that was the essence of being a mage.
Yet Electra occasionally felt a profound ennui.
It took years to perfect even a single spell.
Her life felt like an endless string of unfulfilling days.
Electra sometimes wondered how elves endured such long years in their forests.
Lost in these thoughts, Electra arrived at the council building in central Trinity.
The other Tower Masters were already there.
"Electra~ Hurry up already! Lightning's always the last one, I swear."
The Fire Tower Master picked at his nose as he spotted her and called out.
"What's on the agenda today?"
"Same old stuff as always. Only special thing is the Illusion Tower putting forward an item?"
"Illusion Tower?"
"'Maple Leaf Tale' is blowing up out there, you know."
"Maple Leaf Tale?"
"You really gotta chat with your disciples about the world sometimes. Bet you were holed up in your top room again."
The Fire Tower Master Piraeus explained the events surrounding 'Maple Leaf Tale' to Electra.
"I'm not quite following. So people are going wild over a world created by illusions?"
"That's what they say. Never tried it myself, of course. Probably no one here has. Not with Illusion Tower artifacts."
Tower Masters were mostly reclusive, ignorant of worldly affairs.
The fact that even some of them knew of 'Maple Leaf Tale' spoke volumes about its hype.
Of course, popularity didn't equate to mass-production approval.
Approval granted another artifact from the council that could mass-produce it without manual labor,
allowing far faster output than handmade methods.
That decision rested solely with the Tower Masters.
They evaluated an artifact's magical value, impact, and more to judge if it was fit for worldwide distribution.
"...Still don't get it."
Electra couldn't wrap her head around this 'Maple Leaf Tale' artifact.
The idea of such fervor for something intangible.
It would probably get shot down, just like always.
Most of the insular Tower Masters thought the same.
"...Next item: Illusion Tower's 'Maple Leaf Tale' artifact."
The Illusion Tower's turn came after a few agenda items.
"...It's been a while. Illusion Tower Master. Who's the guy next to you?"
"An Illusion Tower mage. Apparently the creator of 'Maple Leaf Tale'."
Electra and Piraeus whispered as they eyed the pair.
"Uh, um, uhhh... This artifact is..."
The cute-looking Illusion Tower Master began explaining the artifact,
but she stammered so much that her disciple took over.
"Hm..."
Voting time after the explanation ended.
Electra pondered yea or nay.
'I get the purpose. The magical intricacy shows tremendous effort. But...'
While she deliberated, most Tower Masters had already voted.
Most against, simply because it was from the Illusion Tower.
After much thought, Electra voted nay.
She had seriously weighed its value and spell complexity.
But spreading an illusory world to the masses sounded utterly absurd.
She still couldn't grasp why people raved about 'Maple Leaf Tale'.
"Yea: 4. Nay: 27. Rejected."
The Illusion Tower Master wobbled and groaned at the results.
And so the Illusion Tower's cheerful rebellion seemed at an end.
But just as the next item was about to be announced...
-Wait a moment!
The Illusion Tower Master's disciple shouted.
"...What is this?"
The current chair, the Space Tower Master, furrowed his brow.
His attitude prompted murmurs from the other Tower Masters.
Tower Masters had reached realms unattainable by ordinary mages.
For a young pup of a mage to interrupt them was sheer rudeness.
"Terribly sorry to halt the meeting. I'm Illusion Mage Rye Ought, creator of 'Maple Leaf Tale'."
"And? If this is a pointless interruption, you'll pay the price."
Mages were supremely logical beings.
Conversely, if Rye had a valid reason, they might hear him out.
"It seems a key procedure was skipped. Normally, don't we test artifacts firsthand to judge their value? But 'Maple Leaf Tale' skipped that."
Electra nodded.
He had a point.
Of course, it likely wouldn't change the outcome.
"Acknowledged. But the chair may restrict demonstrations if problematic in this space. 'Maple Leaf Tale' immerses users in an illusory world, correct?"
"Yes."
"One per person, entering individually. Can you provide that experience to everyone here?"
Rye pondered briefly.
"...It's possible. I brought plenty. But conveying 'Maple Leaf Tale's' value in a short time would be tough. Creating characters and finishing tutorials for all would take ages."
"So, impossible."
The chair turned away again.
The matter seemed settled.
"But this should be feasible instead."
"What's that?"
"The artifact we proposed next: 'Championship of Legends'. We've also applied for its mass production."
"Hm... Yes, next is indeed 'Championship of Legends' mass-production approval."
"Exactly. It's a similar type to 'Maple Leaf Tale'. A match takes about 30 minutes. If approved, I'd like to request a re-review of 'Maple Leaf Tale'."
The Space Tower Master chair pondered before replying.
"Very well. It was next anyway. But mind yourself next time. No need for needless talk if it's the following item."
"Ah, yes... Sorry."
It would have proceeded regardless if he'd stayed quiet.
The Tower Masters irritated at the wasted energy.
What must happen, happens.
They prized extreme efficiency; Rye's conduct was unbecoming of a mage.
Rye distributed the prepared 'Championship of Legends' artifacts to the Tower Masters.
Thirty Tower Masters would demo it, excluding Hina.
They first scanned the artifact's structure at a glance.
Not their element, so hard to grasp fully, but it seemed harmless.
"Using the artifact connects you right away. I'll set the brackets arbitrarily. Basic rules are..."
Rye explained 'Championship of Legends'.
5v5 teams destroying each other's nexus in a mini-war format.
Each selecting unique clones with diverse spells and attacks.
Hard to picture from words alone, but Rye said they'd adapt quickly once playing.
The Tower Masters' intellect far exceeded normals', so likely true.
"Alright, activate your artifacts. Once in, I'll split rooms and guide champion selection."
Explanation done, Rye activated his own.
The Tower Masters followed suit, entering 'Championship of Legends'.
A few grumbled but complied.
Demos were standard before deciding.
Thus, the first 'Championship of Legends' match was played by Trinity's Tower Masters.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Electra had grown deeply weary of life as a Tower Master.
A life of scant fulfillment. Years to complete a single spell.
When she first became a mage, every day was thrilling.
Learning new magic, growing daily.
She loved that constant sense of achievement as days passed.
But after becoming Tower Master, it changed.
At the pinnacle of lightning magic.
Climbing one step higher now took years.
Fulfillment dwindled. Virtually nonexistent.
Other mages claimed ecstasy from perfecting a spell over years.
But Electra wasn't like them.
Unlike others, she craved the sense of achievement itself more.
Living so long without it made life insufferably tedious.
Years of fruitless, joyless research with no end in sight.
Until she encountered the Illusion Tower's artifact.
"No! Ice Tower Master, what are you doing! Use stun!"
"But..."
"Just ult already! Hurry!"
Boom-
"Nice!"
⚔ DOMINATOR OF THE FIELD! ⚔ That day, she discovered a new world.