Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Reviving the Arcane War
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"So, what's up, Hina? It's been years—no, decades—since you last came to visit in person."
"H-Hoe...!"
A woman hugged Hina tightly and rubbed her cheek against hers.
She had transparent blue hair that flowed like a river. She was the Water Tower Master, Lina.
Lina was one of the few Tower Masters Hina was on friendly terms with.
"You're still so cute, Hina~ Even after all these decades~"
"Th-that's—"
Hina was kneaded roughly by Lina.
Lina always fawned over her like this whenever they met.
The reason Hina had come to the Water Tower was because Rye had told her to.
In truth, even when Rye gave her tasks before, Hina had never really followed through.
She'd scream "I don't wanna!" and run away every time.
But this time, Hina had no choice.
Rye had suspended her 'Maple Leaf Tale' account.
He said he wouldn't lift the ban until she finished the job.
"O-our artifact... There's this new thing coming out called 'Championship of Legends'..."
"Oh, that? I voted in favor, but everyone else was so heartless. How could they, when you're so cute?"
"Ububebepbe— That's not it—"
Hina pulled away from Lina, who was tugging at her cheeks, and spoke.
"I was thinking... what if we had a tournament between the Towers using that artifact...?"
"A tournament?"
"Yeah. Like the Arcane War back in the old days."
Arcane War.
It was ancient history among mages, now long faded away.
To talk about it, one had to go back before Trinity was founded—far further, to antiquity.
As civilization advanced, so did magic.
Naturally, mages with compatible attributes began to exchange knowledge, forming their own schools.
From the Fire School to the Space School—a total of 31 schools, classified by the 31 fundamental attributes.
These schools started interacting with one another.
Then, one arrogant mage dismissed another's magic, sparking magical battles between schools.
The victors boasted, "Our magic is the best!" while the losers retorted, "No, ours is better!" And so, the schools began competing to prove whose magic was supreme.
Of course, due to elemental matchups, no single attribute could claim true supremacy.
But the competitive mages craved decisive victories, so they held periodic showdowns.
They established rules and waged regular wars between schools.
These were called the Arcane War.
Whenever an Arcane War broke out, the surroundings were left in ruins.
As magic grew stronger, neighboring nations struggled to contain their power.
Eventually, the scattered schools banded together to form the city of Trinity.
The surrounding nations, including the Empire, seized the opportunity and proposed a treaty to Trinity.
The treaty offered Trinity massive support for city operations and magical research in exchange for not attacking neighboring nations or turning the continent into a wasteland with magic as before.
Mages weren't destroyers or politically ambitious.
They simply sought to satisfy their thirst for knowledge and prove their superiority.
Trinity accepted the treaty and gained freedom to research magic.
But they could no longer wage destructive Arcane Wars like in the past.
Thus, the Arcane War faded into history.
Yet, a competitive spirit lingered among some mages.
"Hmm... Dumping that boring lore on people would just make them tune out, Hina."
"Huh?"
"Nothing. Sure, Tower Master egos still clash... but do you think the others will go for it? It's not even real magic combat."
"U-uu... Anyway, will you do it, Lina?"
"Hmm... Well, if you ask me, I can't say no..."
Lina pondered.
Reviving the Arcane War would thrill many Towers.
But fighting with raw magic like before was impossible.
Full power from each Tower would obliterate half the continent.
And no Tower wanted to settle superiority through non-magical means.
It'd be like a martial artist competing in a footrace.
"I-it's a strategy game, so we can see who's smarter."
"True... That's true, but..."
Lina hesitated.
Hina recalled what Rye had said, watching her.
'They might think it's meaningless without real magic. But once they're in, just say this.'
"B-but the Fire Tower Master said they could beat a puny Water Tower easily..."
"...What did you say?"
"He said even back then, Water Tower was beneath them..."
Crack—
Lina's perpetually smiling eyes twisted.
Fire Tower and Water Tower had been bitter rivals since antiquity.
Water Tower couldn't afford to lose to Fire Tower, no matter what.
"...Tell them to bring it."
"Huh?"
"Whatever—COL, roll, whatever! Tell them we're doing it! Even if no other Towers join, we'll fight those Fire Tower bastards!"
And so, Hina successfully recruited a few Tower Masters.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The interior of the Water Tower spiraled upward with stairs lining the walls.
Mages' rooms lined the walls, and the central space was open all the way to a hole in the roof.
In that vast central cavity, a massive cascade of clear water poured from the floating stone at the top down to the first floor.
Like a gigantic waterfall.
Lina rode that waterfall down to the lower floor, graceful as a water goddess.
Then she bellowed, shaking the Tower.
-Everyone, assembleeeee!
At Lina's shout, her disciples came rushing in a panic.
"Kids, next month, we're holding an 'Arcane War'."
Gathering her disciples, she dropped the bombshell out of nowhere.
They looked up in shock.
"Pardon? Won't that blow up the continent, Tower Master?"
"What about the treaty?"
"Of course, not with real magic like the old days. With this."
With a gesture from Lina, several artifacts floated down the waterfall.
"What're those...?"
"Artifacts from the Illusion Tower called 'Championship of Legends'. It's a 5v5 game where you deploy strategies to destroy the enemy's nexus! Lots of elements—I'll explain in detail once you're logged in. From today, after daily duties, we'll play this to select our top 5 reps. I'll join fairly too! Aren't I the most equitable Tower Master?"
Hohohohoho!
Lina spread her arms wide and laughed heartily.
There were more than one or two things to nitpick, but the disciples kept quiet.
Just the waterfall flowing from roof to ground showed how hierarchical the Water Tower was.
"Ah... She's starting something weird again."
"Shh, be quiet. She'll kill you if she hears."
"But Illusion Tower artifact? Like 'Maple Leaf Tale'? I kinda wanna try it."
The disciples murmured, accustomed to this.
Some who'd played 'Maple Leaf Tale' buzzed with excitement.
Of course, few mages had tried it.
It was popular among the masses, but using Illusion Tower artifacts was seen as degrading among mages.
So those who played did it secretly in their rooms.
"Alright, let's grind hard to win! Oh, and we can't lose to those Fire Tower punks, got it? Lose, and you're dead~!"
The disciples replied half-forced.
Thus began preparations for the Arcane War.
The disciples logged in every evening for endless 5v5 scrims.
At first, they did it out of obligation.
Orders from the Tower Master left them no choice.
"Ah, what? They're too weak?"
"No, supports aren't supposed to do anything. Just farm up your carry and protect them. Tutorial said so."
"Then it's boring for me."
"Who said it's for fun? Just play."
The more they played, the quicker the talented ones grasped the basics.
Thanks to Rye's detailed tutorial, they adapted fast.
Soon, all the mages were familiar with the game's flow.
They understood lanes and champions.
💬 Team Chat — Hans (Atlux) Ah, ah—! What the hell! No! Ah! — Horse (Warwick) Why, why, why?! What's wrong? Understanding didn't mean skill grew at the same pace.
They were still clumsy with last-hitting minions, fighting, warding, and such.
— Charles (Mundo Doctor) (Team) No, the enemy jungler keeps coming! What're you doing, our jungler?! Hey! Horse, why aren't you here! — Horse (Warwick) (Team) No, I went bottom! Stay near the tower! — Charles (Mundo Doctor) (Team) No, jungler diff, man...! So, laners started blaming junglers first.
Inexperienced laners got ganked helplessly whenever the enemy jungler showed.
Of course, their own jungler tried something.
But they hadn't played enough to grasp that.
They probably never would, even with more games.
— Charles (Mundo Doctor) (All) No! Ah, died again! This is frustrating, I can't play! — Hans (Atlux) (All) Nice~ Yeah, Charles, you're trash. — Charles (Mundo Doctor) (All) Aaaaaah—! One side's misery was the other's joy.
The team racking up kills got hooked on the game.
Charles, unable to stand Hans succeeding, devised a way to win.
If his jungler wouldn't come, he'd survive solo.
'Ward?'
The ward item he'd once deemed a waste of gold.
Charles bought it and started shoving them into bushes.
Vision revealed the enemy jungler's path, preventing ganks.
— Charles (Mundo Doctor) (All) Hahaha! I see you all! Nope, can't catch me. Nope, missed again. You're trash, Hans. — Hans (Atlux) (All) Damn, that ward... A narrow miss despite the jungler coming.
Charles clung to the tower like a thread, last-hitting minions.
Hans, his opponent, steeled himself.
'One auto wins. Hit fast and run—I can tank one tower shot.'
Instinctively attempting a 'dive'.
Too juicy to pass up.
Hans approached with minions and autoed Charles quickly.
— Hans (Atlux) (All) Eh?! But Charles didn't die.
A potion had topped him off just enough.
Bam—
Hans took a tower shot. He could survive one more.
After a brief hesitation, Hans skill-shot Charles.
Bam—
Charles flashed the skill.
— Hans (Atlux) (All) Ah, f***! Filtered curse muted.
Hans was nearly dead.
One more tower shot would end him.
'Gotta kill before I die...!'
He closed for the auto.
But Charles skilled first.
Bam—
Slowed, Hans ate the tower shot and died.
— Charles (Mundo Doctor) (All) Hahahahahahaha! — Hans (Atlux) (All) Uwaaaaaah! Charles cackled at Hans's death.
— Hans (Atlux) (Team) Hey, what're you doing, jungler! — Yas (Amumu) (Team) ... Huh? I came earlier? — Hans (Atlux) (Team) No. Ugh...! Jungler diff! — Yas (Amumu) (Team) What do you— Suddenly yelling "jungler diff," Hans overextended and botched his lane afterward.
That one juicy miss made staying calm impossible.
Defeat—
Hans's team lost.
"Hans, what the hell! We win just by AFK-ing!"
"Yeah, you fed their bot ganks but whiffed the kill?!"
"Mid won at least."
"Jungler diff, seriously. Catch that and I don't int!"
"? I ganked early tons. Enemy jungler only hit bot."
"F*** no! Bullsh**. Ugh, one more! Quick, log in! Swap teams! Balance sucks!"
"Can't play and talks balance..."
"Champ issue. Sword fighters suck... Need mage top."
"Dude, no mage goes top. Just play Garen."
One month before the COL Arcane War.
Mages from each Tower played COL daily, gradually discovering its... fun(?).