Newspaper (2)
Newspaper (2)
What Raize was talking about was advertisements. I thought there was nothing to scoff at just because they were residents of a fantasy world, but they had already grasped the core function of the newspaper and thought to place advertisements in it.
'Is the Magic Tower different after all?'
But advertisements are business, after all. There should be something gained in return. It's not like digging a hole to do business, right? Shouldn't we receive compensation?
I asked Raize what the Magic Tower could provide in payment.
"If we grant your request, what can the Magic Tower do for us?"
"Nothing."
"......Then, what need is there for us to comply with the Magic Tower's request?"
"You can refuse if you think that. That's the Magic Tower's official stance."
With those words, Raize quietly sipped her tea. Glancing repeatedly, I could sense a feeling in her eyes looking at me, a sentiment hoping I would accept this.
'Why?'
Even while taking the attitude that they had absolutely nothing to lose, why was she looking at me with those eyes?
My head felt like it would split from spinning. But an answer didn't come easily. To begin with, I was terrible at this sort of thing. Originally, Deokgu should be handling matters like this......
'For this kind of thing, you should come out and accept it quickly......'
Deokgu was currently making the newspaper in his room. He wasn't accepting anyone, using the excuse that it would be a disturbance if someone entered his room.
Ultimately, solving the riddle Raize presented fell on me. Using my head wasn't my forte, but I tried to guess somewhat correctly using the experience and intuition I had built up so far.
'The Magic Tower's...... name, can we borrow it?'
That wasn't a bad condition. Even if we had the Saintess's backing, there's no guarantee she will protect us forever.
But if the Magic Tower is added to that?
'Mutual support. The Magic Tower doesn't even need to provide any help. Just having the Magic Tower's name attached...... means almost no one will dare to challenge us.'
If the Magic Tower's name is attached, there would be extremely few people who would mess with our newspaper. Since openly contesting something with the Magic Tower's name attached is akin to challenging the Magic Tower itself.
Having concluded, I slowly nodded my head.
"......Alright, the Magic Tower's request. I accept."
"Hmm, you're not a complete idiot after all."
"......I'm probably smarter than you. Kid."
"I'm not a kid."
Raize glared at me with sparks in her eyes. I didn't pay it much mind. Who would be scared of a little kid more than half their size?
"So, what does this magic circle do?"
"......I won't tell you."
"Where does that happen? No contract?"
"......It's a magic circle that only people with talent in magic can see."
Raize let out a light sigh and began drawing the magic circle. Letters formed following her finger.
[If you bring this newspaper to the Magic Tower, we will give you one silver coin!]
Seeing that, I was startled and asked her.
"No, won't this cause financial ruin? You're saying you'll give a silver coin just for bringing the newspaper?"
"......Can you see this?"
"Of course I can see it? You wrote it right in front of me."
"You have talent in magic."
"......Huh?"
Raize opened her eyes wide like crescent moons as if surprised and looked at me. Seeing that expression on her for the first time, I also stared back at her steadily.
Talent in magic.
Me?
"I'm back, Master."
"Good, what was the result?"
"They decided to accept...... but is there really a reason for the Magic Tower to get involved in such a thing?"
At Raize's words, her master, Meteor, stroked his beard and looked at her.
"To satisfy your petty curiosity, are you prepared to risk even your life?"
"Yes."
Seeing Raize answer without a moment's hesitation, Meteor burst out laughing. Thinking that finding such an interesting disciple was a blessing of his later years.
"Huhaha, good. We mages are a breed who risk our lives to comprehend the truth of magic. Of course, that's how it should be. Hmm."
"Master, so the answer is......."
"Ah, right...... there was a request from the Saintess."
"Saintess......?"
"Yes."
Meteor lightly flicked his finger and brought the letter on the desk over. It was a simple beginner-level spell, but it was as natural as breathing.
That meant his skill had reached a level of perfection, proof that he was an Archmage, of whom there were few even within the Magic Tower.
"A request to not bother him and his Earth Trading Company...... precisely, to show a little consideration."
"Why would the Saintess......."
"Who knows. If we are seeking the truths of the world, they receive oracles from beings who are practically truths themselves. Perhaps she received another interesting oracle?"
Saying that, Meteor flicked his hand to put the letter away and looked at Raize.
"And, if we can spread that sort of thing widely to people for free without spending a single penny, the leadership judged that lending our name is nothing."
Until now, the method of finding new mages was very crude.
It was unthinkable for those reclusive people to go around searching for talented individuals. Mostly, they discovered talented people very occasionally while traveling or performing commissions and brought them back.
Otherwise, it was entirely nobles or the wealthy coming first to check if their children had talent or to ask them to teach magic.
Therefore, the Magic Tower always suffered from a shortage of talent.
But from now on, it would be different.
"If that thing called a newspaper spreads nationwide, worldwide. That many people will come looking for the Magic Tower."
The fact that the newspaper was distributed for free was a big point. Being distributed for free meant even poor orphans living in slums could see the newspaper. That meant the probability of discovering talented people also increased.
"Prepare yourself, Raize. You might also take on disciples, you know?"
"......I am still very lacking. I have much more to learn from you, Master."
"I know. However...... if many new talents come in, we will need teachers to teach the basics of magic. That's not something we can do. Probably young mages like you will mainly handle it."
"Master, I am not young."
"Hoho, aren't you less than half of half my age?"
"Still...... I'm an adult."
"Sufficiently young."
At those words, Raize puffed out her cheeks and got angry, but to Meteor, it was merely childishness.
Really, it's fun raising a disciple in my later years. Meteor proceeded with the lesson for his disciple who had returned from her errand.
Dungeon.
Although floors 1 to 10 had been opened by Dojin's hand, originally that place was a space for novice adventurers just beginning their adventures.
From the 11th floor onward, where high-rank adventurers, whom the Adventurer Guild truly calls adventurers and treats with respect, come and go, it was still a dangerous area filled with a dark curtain.
A hellish space where you never know when or where monsters might swarm, and the monsters encountered by chance are horrifyingly powerful, forcing you to risk your life each time.
But now, Dojin's party was walking through that space as lightly as if it were their own living room.
Swwish─!
The charging Lizardman's scaly hide was stripped away, and it collapsed bleeding profusely. Before the blood that had spurted high toward the ceiling fell back to the floor, the Lizardman turned into a magic stone.
Dungeon monsters leave nothing behind when they die. Blood or flesh that touches weapons or bodies doesn't disappear, but the blood that spurted out toward the ceiling was absorbed and vanished by the dungeon.
"......Be careful."
Seoyun opened her mouth. Dojin inwardly exclaimed in admiration, wondering why she was doing all the worrying for once.
However, the next line she uttered caused that feeling to instantly cool down.
"You almost got blood on you."
"......Ah, right. Sorry."
Of course, that cold-blooded Seoyun wouldn't worry about others. Of course, she's human too, so she would worry. If a child less than half her size said they were going into the dungeon, she would stop them and worry.
However, that's not sincere worry but a rational judgment based on logical reasoning.
Even if a child enters the dungeon, they can gain nothing. The dungeon is a place where even adults struggle. With a child's physical abilities, they can't even fight the goblins on the 1st floor.
Similarly, since Dojin has no chance of getting hurt on this floor, Seoyun doesn't worry about her. She considers the act of worrying itself to be unnecessary.
Dojin averted her gaze from her and asked the other kids.
"What floor are we on now?"
"Ah, according to the map, Lizardmen appear around the 20th floor!"
"The 20th floor...... Then it's safe to say we're on the 20th floor, right?"
Saying that, Dojin looked around. Even swinging the torch burning vigorously with oil here and there, the light didn't travel more than 5 meters.
But she could somewhat discern the terrain. Based on the terrain she judged, Dojin located her position and, like she did on the 10th floor, found a location where the 20th-floor boss was likely to be.
"Hmm...... The place where a boss room should be from here......"
"......There isn't any? If this map is correct, it's packed tightly without any gaps."
But unlike the 10th floor, which had an empty space in the middle of the map, the 20th floor had none of that.
As if there was nothing on this floor.
"First...... Should we just break any wall?"
"As you wish."
Finishing her words, Dojin stood up and headed toward the stairs leading up nearby. Usually, the exit and the boss room are near each other.
In front of the stairs leading up, Dojin began smashing the surrounding walls indiscriminately. On the 10th floor, this required Hanyoung's help.
Now? Now Dojin could output destructive power similar to Hanyoung's.
Of course, since Hanyoung's super strength was always maintained, it didn't mean Dojin's muscle strength was better than Hanyoung's.
While breaking walls like that, Dojin intuitively sensed something strange. The wall was unnecessarily sturdy. As if there was nothing inside.
After breaking walls for a while, Dojin, seeing the tightly packed wall unlike the 10th floor, gave up on breaking it.
'Was the 10th floor...... unique?'
How was it on the 10th floor? Dojin recalled what happened on the 10th floor. Discovering a space on the map where something clearly should be.
Breaking it, a monster called the Ruler appeared inside. It was the boss monster. He thanked us. Thanks, why did he thank us?
'No, that's not what's important.'
I had to find the special characteristic unique to the 10th floor, something only the 10th floor had. What is it? The difference between the 10th and 20th floors.
Monsters? No. Monsters differed in appearance by floor.
The shape of the space? Certainly, there was a space on the 17th floor that looked like it had something.
But it wasn't neat. There was no mathematical correlation between 10 and 17.
If something with personality created the dungeon, it wouldn't have chosen such an unrefined method.
Isn't there a saying scientists who discover cosmic truths always say?
The universe moves with astonishing beauty.
The 17th floor being next after the 10th floor isn't very beautiful.
Then, what is the reason there is no boss monster on the 20th floor?
'On the 10th floor...... I leveled up.'
Then, that fact flashed through Dojin's mind like lightning.
Dojin leveled up on the 10th floor.
But on the 20th floor?
'The fact that someone who has achieved leveling up even once is treated as a high-rank adventurer......'
Is because you have to climb quite a lot of floors until the next level up.
As far as Dojin knew, that was the 30th floor.
'Just as there is no one who leveled up by hunting on the 1st floor their whole life. You need to pass floors like the 10th, 30th, and 50th...... for the possibility of leveling up to arise, right?'
If so, it's understandable that there is no Ruler on the 20th floor like on the 10th floor. If Dojin's prediction is correct, the next floor with a Ruler would be the 30th floor.
And her intuition matched up quite well. Always, every time.