Chapter 45
Chapter 45
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: Wind Wings
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Rios sank into his chair and squeezed his eyes shut.
He wanted to cover his ears, too, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it, well aware of the eyes on him.
Kenyon’s gaze, colored with cold fury, was fixed on him.
“You people have no sense of business ethics. No matter how much you despise our Senior Magic Tower, how could you do this? You give us only one betting ticket, and then you try to slander our one and only ace? And you call yourselves the leaders of Granada’s foremost powers? You’re nothing but thugs.”
Normally, some would have sneered at his coarse language as undignified, but now, they were all as silent as if they’d eaten honey.
The moral high ground they had held due to Isabelle’s blunder had, with this incident, shifted completely to Kenyon.
Still, someone had to quell Kenyon’s anger. Mars, the chairman of Wasp and a Pig-kin, spoke up cautiously, his pig-like nose flaring.
“Lord Kenyon, please, calm yourself. We don’t even know who the culprit is yet. We can take our time to sort out the facts and then determine who is responsible…”
*CRASH!*
Kenyon slammed his fist on the table, shattering it and sending fragments flying in all directions.
The nearby VIPs who were struck by the debris suffered the misfortune in silence, not daring to protest as they quietly moved away.
None of them had the nerve to provoke a beast that was practically seething with venom.
“Take our time? Sort out the facts? Ah, so you mean you’d like to handle this after the selection trial is over, after I’ve been played for a fool at your hands. Is that it?”
“Th-that’s not what I meant…”
“Mars. I know what you’re trying to say, but please, know your place. Do you really think the chairman of some mediocre mercenary company is qualified to speak with me? Generals with generals, pawns with pawns. A man who doesn’t even understand such a simple principle has no business… tsk, tsk.”
Like father, like daughter. Once Kenyon’s temper flared, he didn’t hesitate to spew insults.
Having been humiliated for pointlessly intervening, Mars’s face flushed red, his pig-like nose flaring, and he stormed out of the room.
In truth, Kenyon wasn’t wrong. Mars, being merely a member of the Dongbanhoe and not its chairman, was of a lower standing to be conversing with Kenyon, the head of a magic tower.
It was just Kenyon’s cruelty in pointing it out to his face that stung.
And so, as one of Granada’s most influential figures became Kenyon’s emotional punching bag, no one else dared to step forward.
That included the masters of the other magic towers.
They knew instinctively that if they stepped up now, they would suffer a humiliating fate at the hands of Kenyon, who was clearly a cut above them.
In the end, with no one else speaking up, Rios let out a faint sigh and opened his mouth.
“Kenyon, what is it you want from us?”
As if he had been waiting for Rios to step in, Kenyon replied.
“Cancel the selection trial and reset everything. Wouldn’t that be fair?”
Rios cursed inwardly.
*Does he have any idea how much money was poured into that ruined city?*
The wind spirits filling the city for the broadcast, the weather-control magic circles to regulate the climate, and several other systems yet to be revealed—the ruined city was a work of art that had cost an astronomical sum.
And he wanted to cancel the trial and reset everything?
It was an offer he couldn't accept even if he died and came back to life, a fact Kenyon surely knew as well.
“Kenyon, as the organizers of this selection trial, I will admit that the fault lies with us. So why don’t you tell us frankly what you want? Surely you don’t actually wish to cancel the trial, do you?”
As the chairman of the Dongbanhoe, which held sway over Granada’s corporations, Rios’s influence was arguably greater than that of the tower masters. Even Kenyon could not easily dismiss his words.
Besides, he knew it too.
Canceling the selection trial at this point was an overreach.
It was merely a smokescreen to get what he truly wanted.
Kenyon scoffed lightly and said.
“Frankly, you say… Very well. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Since someone tried to harm my person, I must move to protect my person. The current number one on the kill score ranking is Lee Si-woo, correct?”
“That is correct. Lee Si-woo is leading by an overwhelming score.”
A cold smile played on Kenyon’s lips.
“I will decide this round’s reward.”
Rios’s expression turned troubled.
“Kenyon, surely you don’t intend to create a second Medusa Phyllis?”
Medusa Phyllis, the first-ever sole winner of the selection trial and the ace of the Senior Magic Tower.
She had killed all the other survivors before the Top 10 were even decided, and as a result, the established powers, excluding the Senior Magic Tower, had to endure a severe ordeal.
They had been on the verge of having to concede all of Granada’s interests to the Senior Magic Tower.
Of course, after a series of heated meetings, they had agreed to determine the Top 10 by the order of death and divide the interests, but it was still a painful memory of having to yield the largest share to the Senior Magic Tower.
As if determined not to repeat the mistake, Rios drew a clear line.
“Although I have acknowledged our fault as the organizers, I cannot allow you to provide Lee Si-woo with a rule-breaker class magic treasure or artifact.”
With the shares of interests being determined by the Top 10 rankings, Rios’s reaction was sharp.
As if he had anticipated Rios’s response, Kenyon took an artifact out of his inventory ring.
“I have no intention of demanding anything excessive. So, I plan to give him this. What do you think? This shouldn’t disrupt the balance too much.”
Seeing the artifact Kenyon produced, Rios’s eyes twitched.
While the artifact Kenyon held might not be able to break the rules, it was a masterstroke that would at least ensure Lee Si-woo wouldn’t be bound by them.
*‘That old fox. Class is permanent, I suppose. Even at his age, his mind is still as sharp as ever.’*
Rios pressed the palms of his hands against his temples, which were throbbing with stress.
*‘To think our little scheme would backfire so spectacularly. Heh, what an utter humiliation. And this Lee Si-woo, where in the world did this unfathomable fellow come from?’*
Lee Si-woo.
The more he observed him, the less he understood.
From possessing an ability akin to a high-level spell like Invisibility, which was clearly not from an artifact, to his incomprehensible magic application and combat experience.
He was an illogical existence from top to bottom.
*‘I heard he had ties to Wasp at first… Tsk, they say fate is decided by the heavens. When things are meant to go wrong, they really go wrong… Ugh, does this mean Lee Si-woo making it into the Top 10 is a foregone conclusion?’*
If this artifact were given to Si-woo, even if he didn’t win, securing a spot in the Top 10 would be no difficult feat. The thought left a bitter taste in Rios’s mouth.
He had intended to use this opportunity to marginalize the Senior Magic Tower, but things had not just gone awry; they had become a complete mess.
*‘Heh, to think a move intended to pressure the Senior Magic Tower has instead given them wings. The situation has become utterly filthy. But Kenyon, you’d be mistaken to think this is over. As long as our ace is in the game, there is not a chance in hell that Lee Si-woo will win.’*
Rios hesitated for a moment, but realizing he had no grounds to refuse, he sighed and spoke.
“…I accept. The reward for the number one spot on the kill score ranking will be the ‘Wind Wings.’”
***
Ten days had passed since the selection trial began.
Considering the trials usually lasted from twenty days to a month, they were now past the halfway point.
However, the trial was unfolding in a direction no one had anticipated.
And for most, save for a select few, it was a form they had never wished for.
“Haa… Haa…”
A Lizardman mage, breathing raggedly, leaned his back against a wall.
He was out of breath, his stamina completely drained.
His mind was consumed by fear, and his mana churned chaotically, mirroring his unstable psyche.
*‘Just how far does this demonic bastard intend to chase me?’*
When he first received the offer from the Wilderness Magic Tower, he felt like he could fly.
An offer to be a quota participant in the selection trial for a wandering mage like himself, who roamed the outskirts of the city?
He felt like an employee of a small company who had just been scouted by a major corporation, and the situation was indeed quite similar.
Was that why?
The thought that he might die was crushed by the hope of “what if it’s me?” and vanished like a speck of white buried in black.
*‘Me, in the Top 10 of the selection trial? Heh, what a foolish, arrogant decision…’*
But this utterly foolish decision was one that countless wandering mages made every two years.
Some, tired of a nomadic life with no future. Some, weary of an endless, repetitive cycle.
And some, driven by ambition.
And so, hundreds of moths had flocked to this city of capital, Granada.
With their lives as collateral.
*‘Ten out of hundreds. I just had to be one of the ten. But… how could it be this hard? I thought if luck was on my side… it might be possible… How futile.’*
*Whoosh.*
As the sound of wind brushed past his ear, the Lizardman mage let out a bloodcurdling scream, the veins on his neck bulging.
It was a battle cry—or perhaps a scream—forcibly expelling the fear lodged deep in his lungs.
“Lee Si-woo—!”
[1st Circle Radiance Magic: Orb of Light]
Orbs of light bloomed from the Lizardman mage’s hands and spread out in all directions.
A blinding flash erupted from the orbs.
It was an intense glare that could burn out one’s optic nerves if faced without preparation.
Perhaps because every single one of his spells had the characteristic of damaging the optic nerves, most unprepared mages were reluctant to face a radiance mage. That was precisely why the Wilderness Magic Tower had chosen him.
Unfortunately for him, however, this kind of debuff magic didn’t work more than once on his opponent.
“To think the same trick would work multiple times… isn’t that a bit too naive?”
Lee Si-woo flapped the translucent wings on his back, his entire body gleaming with a golden luster.
A blue aura swirled in his eyes; he had focused his Mana Shield on them to protect his optic nerves in response to the Lizardman mage’s radiance magic.
It was a variation of ‘Shield Control,’ an enhancement of Mana Shield, and an effective counter to debuff spells like Orb of Light.
Despairing at the fact that his radiance magic was completely ineffective against Si-woo, the Lizardman mage shrieked.
“Why! Why are you chasing me! I-I didn’t even attack you when you were hit by the Orb of Light, I’ve only been running away!”
He never had any intention of fighting Si-woo from the start.
Ten days into the trial, the power structure of the ruined city had been completely established by four mages, and Si-woo had distinguished himself as the ruler of the western region.
Si-woo of the west, Kakan of the north, Wiridia of the south, and Yuryung of the east.
These four had proven themselves to be on a different level from other mages of their class. They were guaranteed a spot in the Top 10 and were contenders for the top prize. Mages who would dare to stand against them, including the Lizardman, were extremely rare.
*‘Damn it, a 1st Circle mage who can use Shield Control at will? Why is a monster like this tormenting me? I heard he was some weirdo who gathered up other oddballs to protect them, so why me…’*
Not daring to challenge Si-woo, the Lizardman mage had managed to shake him off during their first encounter using Orb of Light and had been on the run from him for over two days since.
What was driving him crazy, however, was that Si-woo, who was clearly a stranger, was chasing him as if they were mortal enemies from a past life.
“Do you want to know?”
“…Yes.”
“Well, if you must know. I just don’t like the way you look. You’re ugly.”
“……”
Killing someone because they were ugly?
The injustice and sorrow were so overwhelming that rage boiled up inside him.
“You son of a bitch, is being ugly a crime?! And I’m a Lizardman! Our sense of beauty is different in the first place! I-I’m actually considered quite handsome among my own kind!”
For someone who claimed to be handsome, the tremble in his voice was rather unconvincing, but Si-woo paid it no mind.
After all, not liking his face was just a pretext. There was a real reason he had to die.
*Swoosh!*
Si-woo’s body became a golden arrow, flashing past the Lizardman mage who had turned his back to flee.
As the Lizardman collapsed like a dead tree, his neck broken at an unnatural angle, Si-woo spoke.
“Isn’t it about time you came out?”
As soon as Si-woo finished speaking, a burly man over 2.5 meters tall emerged from the deep shadows of an alleyway.
With blood-red tattoos on his face and massive fangs, etched with black flame patterns, that were visible whenever he opened his mouth, the man had a striking presence.
His appearance was more beast than man, with a muscular body that looked as if it were sculpted from a boulder.
He was a warrior who brought to mind the word ‘barbarian’—the Half-Ogre, Yuryung.
Yuryung spoke in a voice so gruff it was grating to the ears.
“You, me, same goal. Kill the rest, we ally. Ten of us enter together.”
His speech was clumsy, like a child just learning to talk, but his intent was clear and direct. Si-woo’s eyebrow twitched.
*‘I’m not certain, but based on my deductions so far, Yuryung is most likely the corporations’ ace. So, if our goals are the same… Heh, did the corporations decide it was too difficult to kill me and pivot to killing the other magic towers’ aces instead?’*
A strong conviction made Si-woo click his tongue.
As expected, getting entangled with corporations over matters of interest was always a headache.
They were the kind of people who would stop at nothing for the sake of business.
When Si-woo remained silent, Yuryung turned his back as if he had said all he needed to.
“Alliance, but I not trust you. Do not come east. I will fight. You have wings. Hard to kill. I no like tired. So I let you live.”
Yuryung seemed wary of the Wind Wings that Si-woo had received from Kenyon as a kill score ranking reward.
For a Half-Ogre like him, Si-woo, with his flight-enabling artifact, was a tricky opponent.
However, from the sound of it, he didn’t seem too concerned about Si-woo’s other abilities.
It was a confidence that seemed to say he was certain of victory against a wingless Si-woo.
Si-woo’s eyes gleamed as he spoke.
“Very well. I accept.”
Upon hearing his answer, Yuryung left the scene.
Left alone, a cold glint flashed in Si-woo’s eyes.
*‘Same goal? No, not at all. My goal is to make them understand one thing very clearly. Just what a grave mistake it was to mess with me.’*