Magic Tower Invasion (1)
The Red Magic Tower was famous for its arrogance. It stood in the Imperial Capital under the direct protection of the imperial family, which naturally led to frequent interactions with high-ranking nobles. Of course, the Yellow Magic Tower was also built within the capital, but that was an exception. Lightning-attribute magic was notoriously difficult to learn, so fewer people pursued it. Thanks to that, only the Red Magic Tower overflowed with disciples.
Anyway, because of this, the Red Magic Tower had never lacked wealth or talent. The children of high nobles regularly visited to study magic. As a result, the tower's nose had risen so high it no longer knew the height of the sky. At one point, it even exceeded its own authority. And today, that same attitude was on full display with the senior researcher Richard, who was manning the counter.
"Damn it, the world's gone mad..."
The Red Magic Tower divided its ranks into six stars. One star was an apprentice researcher. Two stars meant a full researcher. Three stars indicated a senior researcher. Four and five stars were elders and high elders. Six stars belonged to the Magic Tower Master. Richard was a senior researcher with three stars. Though three stars might seem low, considering how few elders and high elders existed above him, he was clearly part of the executive class. With dozens or hundreds of disciples beneath him, power came automatically.
"No matter how scarce talent is in this world, accepting a black mage as the hero? Really?"
He couldn't accept the situation. A black mage becoming the hero? From ancient times, black mages had been a blight upon humanity and the Demon King's closest aides. Recently, some black mages had worked hard to improve their image, but their blackened hearts couldn't be denied. Richard belonged to the most hardline faction opposing black mages.
Yet not only was the hero a black mage, he had even entered the auction house of the very tower Richard belonged to. Of course his stomach would burn. Sometimes he wondered if the hero was even legitimate. The rumors from the banquet alone painted him as a complete scoundrel. Word was his relationship with his party members wasn't great either. And now he'd learned black magic on top of that. Maybe the gods had chosen the wrong hero. Or perhaps it wasn't the hero at all, but something else in disguise.
While he stewed in suspicion, irritation, and displeasure, another report arrived.
"What? That bastard bought a black magic tool for a huge sum?"
It reeked of something foul, at least in Richard's eyes. So he made a decision.
"Refuse the sale for now."
"Excuse me? But the auction has already concluded..."
"What if handing over a black magic tool causes a disaster?"
"Still, this violates procedure..."
"Are you refusing a direct order from your superior?"
He halted the sale outright. Of course, he hadn't made the decision blindly. If he stopped the transaction this way, the buyer would surely come to complain. Then they could talk. Why did he want to buy it? What did he plan to use it for? If the reason was acceptable, Richard would allow the sale again—while offering a nighttime discount. At least, that was how he saw it.
But he was mistaken about one thing. This was a clear abuse of authority. He had crossed the line. And the hero was not someone who could be reasoned with through conversation. Because of that, the tower would pay the price for his mistake.
As expected, the hero returned to complain. Just not in the way Richard had anticipated.
*
Since ancient times, violence had always been an excellent means of communication. Throughout human history, whenever great change occurred, violence was always involved. Why? Because there were plenty of bastards in this world who ignored words alone. So the only option was to open their ears by force.
And from what I could see, this magic tower belonged to that category.
Quang!
I bought a suitable iron sword from a nearby shop and swung it straight at the door. It wasn't reinforced with magic, so it broke through more easily than expected.
"Kuaaak!"
"Who the hell do you think you are, barging in here?!"
As expected of a magic tower, the place was crawling with mages. Some had combat experience and calmly tried to organize the others—mostly three- and four-star mages. I looked at them and spoke.
"Bring me your highest-ranking person in charge. And hand over my item."
"This lunatic is targeting the Magic Tower Master! We can't let him through!"
"He won't take another step forward!"
Of course, the mages tried to block me like the racist bastards they were. Magic circles began forming everywhere—a clear sign of hostility. In that case, there was no helping it. I had to force my way through.
I wrapped my entire body in mana, condensing the particle structure and hardening it as much as possible. I intertwined the particles to strengthen cohesion. It was my first time attempting this, so it was a bit difficult, but it worked. As I formed the thin barrier, an alert appeared.
Magic Barrier
So I'd finally obtained it. A defensive skill. It was close to a common skill, but it would be useful until I could switch to something better.
I trusted my new shield and charged forward. Magic flew at me from all directions, but it only stung a little.
"He won't stop!"
"Kugh! What the hell is his goal?!"
I shoved one of them aside and said, "I came to talk to whoever's in charge."
"Nonsense!"
"You think we'll just let you through?!"
They didn't listen, of course. So I kept moving forward, swinging my sword at them. I poured mana into the blade and slashed diagonally, sending shockwaves in every direction. Several weaker mages were sent flying. If I'd attacked directly, even a three-star mage might have died, but I had no intention of killing anyone. Even as the hero, murdering people walking around the empire would cause serious trouble. The line between a scoundrel hero and a mad murderer was thin. Though my actions seemed reckless, I was constantly measuring that line.
After swinging a few more times, the path to the upper floors opened. I saw some mages running upstairs to report the situation, but I left them alone. The higher and more important the person who heard about this, the better. It would reduce the chance of having to repeat this annoying process. I needed to make it clear that I was insane.
After a few more steps, a different kind of person blocked my way.
"Stop! You won't take another step forward!"
A four-star mage. An elder. A middle-aged mage in splendid robes drew a magic circle.
"It's done!"
"The elder himself has stepped in!"
"It's over now!"
The lower mages cheered, convinced the elder would stop me. Well, that made sense. Elders were on a completely different level no matter where you went.
Whoosh!
A blazing fireball gathered in the sky. I could see an enormous amount of mana swirling and pulling itself together in midair. Without hesitation, he hurled it at me. Even I had to prepare for this one. I raised my Magic Barrier to maximum strength, activated Bloodflow Acceleration and Combat Focus, and took the opening stance of Bright-style swordsmanship.
Bright-style swordsmanship was fundamentally defensive. If you could read the flow of mana and the timing, you could deflect even magic. Ting! Just like that.
"No way, how?!"
The elder's face twisted in shock. Without hesitation, I approached and drove Pain Imprint into him. The pain I granted was that of a bruise—ordinary pain anyone might feel in daily life. I went easy on him since he was a fragile mage.
"Kuhuk...!"
The elder groaned and dropped to his knees with the black sword embedded in him. The surrounding mages stared in horror.
"Th-that's black magic!"
"He really is a black mage!"
The elder, his face twisted in pain, asked, "You... what do you want?"
"Nothing much. I just came because I have a request. I'll talk to the highest-ranking person a few times and leave."
"A vile black mage like you... do you think we'll believe that?!"
"Believe it or not, it doesn't matter. What's important is that I've decided on this."
"Unfortunately... the Magic Tower Master is currently absent."
Absent? Apparently he'd gone on a business trip somewhere. Come to think of it, the Red Magic Tower Master often left the tower in the game too. But that was fine. I hadn't specifically planned to meet the Magic Tower Master anyway.
"That's fine. As long as it's someone high-ranking, it'll do."
"You can't... You mustn't..."
He kept repeating that it was impossible. He seemed unwilling to let me pass even if it killed him. What exactly had he seen in me to go this far? Even though I'd caused chaos and used black magic, I'd been speaking calmly. Still, I gained nothing from him. I tried to move forward again.
Then I heard another voice.
"I'll hear out your request."
It wasn't loud, but it was clear. The voice belonged to an old man rather than a sturdy adult male. I turned my head toward the speaker.
"I never dreamed I would meet the hero here."
A five-star mage. A high elder. Though his tone was calm, his face was stiff. Whether he was angry about the mess I'd caused or tense because of the ability I'd displayed, I couldn't tell. I didn't have mind-reading skills.
"Finally, someone willing to listen."
"You seem far less reasonable than I expected, Hero."
Maybe it was because of the curse. Still, conversation seemed possible. He also looked capable of fulfilling my request. I rested my sword on my shoulder and asked, "So you'll grant my request?"
"Yes, I will. However, there is a condition."
He raised one finger, as if to say nothing would happen if I refused. Then he spoke in a calm voice.
"How about a duel with me?"