Which Tower Should We Enter?
Yoahim pointed at the tower on the right with his finger.
In the game, the right tower of the Twin Towers was where you picked up job quests, while the left was for buying magic items. Even now that it had become reality, things probably hadn't changed much.
Confident, Yoahim headed toward the right tower.
"Welcome to Tolstone Mage Tower. What is the purpose of your visit?"
Like Kalsara Tower in Barakan, Tolstone Mage Tower had guards at the door. Yoahim pulled out the letter stamped with Kalsara Tower's seal and showed it to them.
"I'm here to deliver a letter at Lilith's request. It's urgent."
"Hmm, this seal is definitely from Kalsara Tower. Go on in."
The guard stepped aside, and Yoahim's group nodded lightly as they entered the tower.
Unlike when they'd entered Kalsara Tower, there was no cheerful greeting from a guide here. In the large hall, mages gathered in small groups, engaged in heated debates.
"Ugh, what's that smell?"
The moment they stepped inside, Sasha wrinkled her nose and covered it with her hand. Sure enough, a foul odor hung in the air. Yet the people inside the tower seemed completely used to it as they went about their business.
Yoahim sniffed and said, "It's got a sharp, pungent bite to it..."
It was the kind of smell you often encountered in labs. What on earth were they researching here at Tolstone Mage Tower to produce such a stench?
Yoahim fanned away the irritating scent from his nose and walked toward the reception desk. There sat a guide with dull golden hair—Rami, whose name he already knew.
Talk to her in the game, and she'd give a simple repeatable quest with decent pay, earning it the nickname "money quest" among players.
"Hello. I'm the mercenary Yoahim, from Kalsara Tower. I need to deliver this letter to the Tower Master. Is he in his room right now?"
Rami, who had been sorting documents, looked up and replied, "Hello. I'm Rami from Tolstone Mage Tower. A letter from Kalsara? May I take a quick look?"
"Of course."
Yoahim handed over the letter, and Rami examined the wax seal closely. She nodded soon after and returned it.
"It's genuine, from Kalsara Tower. The Tower Master is in the lab right now—the floor directly above."
"Ah, so the second floor. Thank you."
Yoahim nodded and started to turn away, but...
"No, the third floor."
"Pardon? But the floor directly above is the second."
"Third floor."
"No, after the first floor comes the second..."
"Kyahaaah! It's the third floor! Third! There's no such ominous floor in Tolstone Mage Tower!"
Is this woman crazy? What's her deal? Flustered, Yoahim glanced at Leon and Sasha, who flinched in surprise at Rami's outburst too. Faced with the madness in her eyes, Yoahim nodded reluctantly.
"Ah, my mistake. So... third floor, right?"
"Yes, exactly. Just head to the third floor."
Rami nodded with a beaming smile. It was a startlingly quick shift from her wide-eyed screaming.
"...That gave me a scare."
Yoahim patted his chest and headed for the inter-floor teleporter. The third floor—er, second floor in reality—was right above, but in Tolstone Mage Tower, you could only move between floors using the teleporters.
He pressed the button, the doors slid open, and the group stepped inside.
"Whoa, there really is no second floor?"
The panel had buttons engraved with floor numbers—and after 1 came 3 directly. It felt similar to how some places in reality skipped the fourth floor due to superstition, calling it F instead.
Yoahim chuckled wryly and pressed 3. Though labeled as such, it was physically the second floor, so the teleporter arrived almost instantly.
The doors opened, and upon entering the lab, Yoahim's group froze in shock.
Boom!Kabooom!Rumble!
"...What the hell is this?"
Mages bustled about frantically in the lab. They wore armor and safety goggles—looking anything but like mages. But given the explosions and booms echoing everywhere, it made sense.
Fires flared, lightning crackled, and massive golems lumbered around inside. It was bizarre. Considering the tower's exterior size, there was no way something that huge could fit on one floor.
"My lord, they're making something intriguing over there."
At Leon's words, Yoahim turned. Some mages were assembling complex mechanical devices. Injecting mana into a transparent glass vial made the machine whir and activate noisily. Quite the spectacle.
He hadn't seen Kalsara's lab, but he knew they didn't research magic like this. And certainly not this kind.
Just from one glance, Yoahim grasped Tolstone Mage Tower's ethos. They pursued practical, efficient magic—not hoarded by mages, but shared for everyone's benefit. If Kalsara's magic was mystical, Tolstone's was technology.
"So where's the Tower Master?"
Yoahim had seen the man's face in the game, but with so many mages crammed in the lab, it was hard to pick him out.
"Shall I ask around?"
"Eh, might get caught in an experiment."
Boom! Boom-boom!
The constant blasts made it clear dangerous tests were underway. And those whirring machines exploded now and then—no thanks to getting close.
"Maybe we wait a bit?"
"Sounds good."
Yoahim's group kept a safe distance from the blasts, sightseeing the lab. The explosions ensured they wouldn't get bored.
As they stood there gaping, a raspy voice barked.
"Sneaking around like rats—what're you doing? Who are you? Spies here to steal info?"
Yoahim whipped around and spotted the source.
"You're the Tower Master?"
"Oh ho, you know me?"
A short old man. Bald head, long beard, gaunt cheeks—making him look even more eccentric.
Yoahim quickly offered the letter. "Messenger from Kalsara Tower. Here to see the Tower Master. Just to confirm—you really are him?"
The old man snorted. "Who else would be? Vincent Tolstone, Tower Master right here."
"Vincent Tolstone..."
Sasha tilted her head, and Vincent snapped, "I'm the lord of this Tolstone and master of its tower. Got a problem?"
"N-no, of course not."
Tolstone, but he's Shortstone. Yoahim recalled an old strategy site joke.
"Tower Master, shall we talk somewhere quiet? It's a grave matter."
"Grave matter? You think I should waste my precious time on a letter from Kalsara? Why? It ain't even a mage from there—some errand boy. Why should I bother?"
So whiny. Yoahim suppressed the urge to smack that shiny bald pate.
"It's about the demon Haellagos. If you're too busy, I'll head back to Kalsara. I thought you were a great mage, but if not—sorry."
Yoahim turned toward the teleporter without hesitation. Vincent grabbed his cloak.
"Wait. You can't just drop that and leave. Back to Kalsara? Idiot! The world's greatest mage is right here—where do you think you're going? The Storm Mage Vincent will make time himself! Come on!"
Storm Mage, huh? Yoahim stifled a laugh and followed.
"This is my room."
Up to the top floor via teleporter, they entered a vast chamber and let out gasps of admiration. Far bigger than the exterior suggested.
Hearing them, Vincent boasted proudly. "Bigger than you thought, eh? This tower's enchanted with space magic. It warps space to create more room than reality allows."
That explained the golem. Yoahim nodded—worthy of pride.
Vincent crossed the huge room to his desk. His short legs made it take forever.
"So that damn Gregorius is still kicking?"
Yoahim nodded. "Still reforming, yeah."
"Hmph, figures. Can't settle our score yet."
Vincent's rival was Gregorius, not Lilith. Made sense, given his age—no overlap with her.
"Whoa, so many trophies."
A glass display case held countless awards, mostly plaques for contributions to magic advancement.
Yoahim glanced at the top shelf. They seemed deliberately hidden up there.
While Vincent rummaged in a drawer, Yoahim opened the case and pulled one down.
"Let's see... King's Cup 22nd Magic Tournament... Tolstone Mage Tower 2nd place..."
"Shut it! It's runner-up, not second! Don't say that cursed number!"
Vincent's head snapped up, face beet red with fury.
"But runner-up is second..."
"Shut it! What do you know? Put it back now!"
Yoahim nodded and replaced it, eyeing the others. Top shelf: five trophies. All...
Five runner-ups in a row...
Fate? Inescapable destiny...
"Wait, only two teams entered, so second is just last place, right?"
"Gaaah! Shut up! There were other towers, you moron! And no more second or last!"
In the game, only two towers; now more existed. Good—saved Tolstone further embarrassment, Yoahim thought.