Tower Invasion (2)
I echoed back, “A duel?” I hadn’t expected such a sudden proposal. When I tilted my head in confusion, he offered a more detailed explanation.
“We can’t just keep rampaging around like this indefinitely. On the other hand, if we simply gave in to every demand, it would be rather embarrassing for us as well.”
In short, he wanted to save face. If they got trampled and then hastily granted the demands, it was obvious the surrounding factions would look down on them.
“Even if you grant the demands after losing the duel, wouldn’t your dignity still get crushed just the same?”
“The two are different. First, it wouldn’t be yielding under threat from a rioter, but rather paying the price for an honorable, fair duel. And second—” He smiled faintly and continued. “If we win, we can demand compensation from your side instead.”
“Hah.” I let out a dry laugh. So they were seriously thinking about beating me. It was certainly one way to handle things. Whether it was actually possible was another matter.
“Fine. So what kind of duel did you have in mind?”
“It’s simple. We take turns—one attack and one defense each round. The loser is whoever gets knocked down first by an attack or surrenders.”
“Fair enough. You must be confident in a war of attrition, then?”
“I’m more confident in firepower than endurance.”
Well, that made sense. The Red Tower was known for its overwhelming offensive magic. Even Lily in our party had learned the most spells from the Red Magic Tower.
I nodded readily. I had more than enough confidence to win. I looked up and briefly checked the elder’s level.
Level: 76
As expected of a tower located in the empire, an elder’s level was no joke. Only a three-level gap between us. Even considering how high the average level was in this world, he was still in the quasi-strongest tier.
Technically my higher level gave me the advantage… but it wasn’t that simple.
Because he’s a mage.
I’d mentioned it before—level wasn’t an absolute value. Depending on compatibility and the opponent’s experience, the gap could be overturned at any time. And mages were beings who could unleash firepower far beyond their own level. They couldn’t be underestimated.
Moreover, this duel format was a turn-based exchange of single blows. It actually favored mages more than a hybrid like me. Their every strike carried immense weight.
Even so, the reason I accepted the duel was simple.
I trusted everything I had built up until now.
As long as I have Regeneration, I’ll be fine.
If I could just endure, victory would be mine. With that thought, I spoke to the elder.
“I’ll yield the first move.”
“Normally I would refuse… but since my opponent is the hero, I’ll graciously accept.”
And so the duel began.
“Crush him, Elder!”
“No matter how great the hero is, he needs to know his place right now! Show him who’s boss!”
Mages gradually gathered around us. Every single one of them was cheering for the elder. Their faces were filled with absolute certainty that he would win.
Surrounded by so many people and showered with jeers… it felt like I was being bullied.
“I’ll start lightly,” the elder mage said, drawing a magic circle in the air. He may have called it light, but he was a 5-star mage at minimum. Even basic spells from him operated on a completely different scale.
“Fireball.”
Whoosh!
A blazing orb of flame shot toward me. I wrapped myself in a mana barrier and used one arm as a guard. I had taken far stronger high-tier magic on my way up here, yet this one felt noticeably hotter.
Still, I managed to block it. Regeneration wasn’t even needed. The barrier had handled most of it.
I raised my sword and said, “So you want to test the waters first? Fine by me.”
“Think whatever you like.”
I closed the distance and swung down. Of course I had activated Bloodflow Acceleration and Mana Blade. I thought it was a fairly sharp strike, but it didn’t work on him at all. He had instantly deployed a barrier.
A translucent blue shield enveloped his body.
Ting!
My sword produced nothing but a clean, clear ring. Tsk. Not even a scratch. As expected, a normal slash couldn’t penetrate that solid defense. If I had the Holy Sword it might be different, but right now I was holding an ordinary iron blade.
“My turn again.”
The duel continued in that manner. The opponent gradually pressured me with increasingly powerful spells, while I simply poured strength into my sword and hammered his barrier. As expected of an elder, even that ordinary shield was on another level. He probably had even sturdier techniques available.
I couldn’t help feeling a bit disappointed. My attack power really was lacking. Outside of intense combat, I was just an average swordsman. Well, that was a problem I’d have to solve eventually.
Even so, I still had something to rely on. Even if it didn’t show, damage was slowly accumulating inside my body.
I just needed to endure one big, decisive hit. Fortunately, the opportunity came quickly. After throwing only mediocre attacks for a while, he seemed ready to end it.
“I was quite nervous after hearing you were the hero, but you’re not much after all. Your attack and defense skills are utterly basic. You do use some unusual dark magic, but that’s about it… Perhaps the Four Heavenly Kings were weaker than I thought?”
Convinced he had already won, he started taunting me. I shrugged and replied,
“I thought the Red Magic Tower would be stronger too, but I didn’t expect such weaklings. Guess it really is because you’re all so frail.”
The elder’s face twisted at my words. If he was going to get that upset, why provoke me in the first place?
“Prepare yourself!”
He shouted and drew multiple magic circles in the air—two, then three, all intertwining. Three circles forming a single spell. One for ignition, one for amplification, and one for compression. He compressed an enormous fireball again and again, condensing it into a single point. The resulting flame resembled a planet.
It wouldn’t simply burn. This was heavy flame. Controlling three circles simultaneously made it a fairly high-difficulty spell. It consumed massive mana and was difficult to manage. It seemed he intended to use this as his finishing move.
“Whoa, that’s one insanely strong spell. Even I might be in danger here.”
“Take this!”
After my brief nonsense, he hurled the magic. Whoosh!
The ferocious flames swallowed me. The barriers I had set up vanished instantly, and the fire engulfed my defenseless body. No matter how much I had raised my pain resistance, this was bound to hurt. My flesh burned and regenerated repeatedly.
But I endured. I restored the shattered barriers immediately and used Regeneration to heal the charred parts. They say the greatest pain a human can feel is from burns. Yet it was more bearable than I expected. The spell’s power was weaker than I had anticipated.
I had blocked a body slam from the Gluttonous Preta before—this was nothing. It was almost warm.
Congratulations!
The level of 'Mana Barrier' has increased!
Good news even came in the middle of it. After enduring a few more minutes like that, the magic finally began to fade. The mages who saw me standing there unscathed cried out in shock.
“No way!”
“He’s completely fine after taking the elder’s magic?!”
“How is that possible?!”
I ignored them and walked toward him.
“After receiving such warm hospitality, I can’t exactly hold back either.”
If he hit me with an insanely powerful skill, I had to return the favor in kind.
“This is bad!”
Perhaps sensing danger, he hurriedly began casting another barrier. This one was different from the ones I had seen so far. Square cubes interlocked endlessly, eventually forming a single membrane. A lattice structure—one of the most stable formations in existence. Countless interlocking cubes absorbed and dispersed the impact, reducing damage. The resulting shield boasted overwhelming efficiency.
But none of that mattered in front of me.
Because my skill was fucking insanely strong.
“Rainbow Reflection.”
"Using 'Pain Memory'!"
⟨ Rainbow Reflection ⟩
Kwaaang!
“Kughhhk!”
The meticulously built cubes collapsed. Blue fragments scattered in every direction, and the elder’s abdomen, hidden behind them, caved in deeply. He didn’t stop there—he flew backward for a long distance before slamming into the wall.
It was the accumulated damage I had stored since the imperial princess’s attack. No matter how sturdy his barrier was, there was a limit to what it could withstand.
And so the duel ended in my victory. As soon as one person was knocked down, it was over. The mages around us shouted in disbelief.
“Elder!”
“This can’t be!”
I looked at the elder and slowly approached him.
*
“Ugh… Just what do you want?”
When I drew near, he asked in a pained voice. Blood trickled thinly from his mouth—his internal organs must have been damaged. His eyes were filled with tension. He had no idea what I might demand or what I could possibly want. He seemed afraid I might ask for something too great.
His thoughts spiraled negatively.
What does he want…? The phoenix’s heart? The ancient golem’s core? Or perhaps our tower’s secret vision magic?
Every possibility was something difficult to grant. Each one was a treasure of the tower. Yet at the same time, they were things he would have no choice but to give if demanded. It was no exaggeration to say that the tower’s lifeline was now in my hands.
The tower master was away on business, and the other elders had all left to investigate something. In that situation, the hero now held an elder’s life in his grasp as well. If he wanted to survive, he would have to swallow his pride and accept whatever I asked.
The elder was certain I would demand something enormous. Otherwise there would be no reason to cause such a massive disturbance…
An eternity seemed to pass in a single moment. My red eyes pierced him like daggers. Finally, I sat down to meet his gaze and stated my demand.
“I’d like to repurchase the necklace that was refused for sale at today’s auction. Of course, I’ll pay the proper amount.”
“…Pardon?”
Upon hearing my request, the elder could only stare in bewilderment for a moment. All sorts of questions flooded his mind.
The auction…? The one held today? It was rare, but the tower had held it simply to raise funds because the items were awkward to use internally. Was there something that had been refused sale?
No, before that…
“You caused all this chaos just to demand that one thing?”
After half-destroying the tower lobby, causing numerous injuries, and even attacking an elder and a senior mage?
When he looked at me with an incredulous expression, I scratched the back of my head and said,
“I figured you wouldn’t listen to me unless I went this far.”
“……Hah.”
The elder clutched his neck. Even though the blow had landed on his stomach, it felt like his head was splitting.