Iron Tower Project!
The Iron Magic Tower's massive project!
The construction of a colossal blast furnace!
It had started as a large-scale endeavor commanded by Tower Master Beldora.
Given the sheer volume of labor it would require to shake the very foundations of the entire Iron Magic Tower, plenty of murmurs had already circulated among the mages.
Yet when Lee Dam proposed a method to extract steel of unmatched purity and zero impurities, the mages had no choice but to follow.
Of course, Lee Dam's true motive was solely to build Knight Armor.
It sounded as absurd as someone claiming they'd plow a field just to grow rice before cooking a meal.
But Lee Dam would never have started anything without that kind of determination.
Two weeks after the meeting.
A blueprint for a colossal blast furnace centered around Lee Dam.
Despite the insane workload and the strain on materials, the mages were stunned.
Lee Dam's solution for minimizing resource consumption was nothing short of fusing the blast furnace directly into the tower itself.
"We'll install the blast furnace right on the outer wall of the tower."
It was a mad suggestion, no doubt.
Yet it would slash material costs dramatically.
Since the base was the tower itself.
"If we do that, the entire tower will become a furnace."
Tower Guardian Theodore immediately opposed it, but Lee Dam declared boldly, "We can afford to sacrifice a part of the tower. After all, what's left over will be a research lab."
"......"
The empty, unused research lab was the dream stage for the mages who had been plotting to enter it one day.
Crushing such a place with that brazen declaration.
Surprisingly, Lee Dam's proposal passed.
It was because the mages' greed to handle truly high-quality steel outweighed any hesitation.
Thinking it was something anyone could handle, Lee Dam decided to let it slide.
"Haaah, haaaah!"
"Aaaah!"
"Haaah!"
So it was.
Every day in the Iron Magic Tower, the sounds of song and moans echoed endlessly.
Melting, moving, shaping, assembling the iron.
In her past life, everything had been standardized production.
But here, with no such system, it was only natural.
"Pump it in! Completely drain it!"
The mages were in constant use.
Every drop of mana, whether present or not, was pulled.
When they grew limp and deflated like a punctured balloon, Lee Dam would approach and gently place a hand on their shoulder.
Then the mana would recover.
"Charging complete. Filled to the brim."
'Crazy monster.'
'How much mana does this even have?'
'This guy's insane.'
Lee Dam possessed a mana reserve that seemed inexhaustible.
At first, naturally, there were those who resisted her tyranny.
But the moment they witnessed her mana capacity that far surpassed the tower's mages, all tails went limp.
Even an apprentice mage working right beside the Tower Master.
A rumor had even begun to quietly spread that Lee Dam might one day become the next Tower Master.
Under those circumstances.
Lee Dam and Beldora left the Iron Magic Tower and headed elsewhere.
They were, of course, at the Fire Magic Tower.
"Okay, do this."
Unlike the Iron Magic Tower, the Fire Magic Tower radiated a faint red glow and heat.
Just before entering, Beldora had been instructing Lee Dam in front of her.
"No accidents."
"......No accidents."
"No fights."
"......No fights."
"If you make a mistake, apologize."
"......"
"Quickly. If you don't, you won't get in. Especially since you're already in hot water because of what you did to Chiron last time."
"Haa, if I make a mistake, I'll apologize."
Seeing Lee Dam sigh, Beldora smiled in satisfaction.
Because she was the Tower Master of the Iron Magic Tower, she could cover for Lee Dam's accidents.
But in another Tower Master's tower, an accident would instantly turn into a major disaster.
Especially since the opponent was Lee Dam.
Though only a little over a month had passed since she entered the Iron Magic Tower, no one had dared to touch her.
To the Iron Magic Tower mages, Lee Dam was a pain in the ass.
A pretty pain in the ass.
They avoided her because she was filthy, yet her appearance was so beautiful that even her every action looked appealing.
But she far exceeded that level.
Right now, she was exploiting the mages like operating a factory while building a colossal blast furnace.
The two entered the Fire Magic Tower.
The Fire Magic Tower mages, upon seeing Tower Master Beldora enter, whispered among themselves.
Since it wasn't their own Tower Master, they didn't bother with formalities, and Beldora accepted it as a given.
"Is that her?"
"Whoa, damn."
"The crazy woman who punched Chiron?"
"What did she just say?"
Less than three seconds had passed since entry.
Lee Dam had already broken away from Beldora and strode toward the mage who had just spoken.
"Huh?"
The Fire Magic Tower mages, who had never personally experienced Lee Dam's charging power, looked stunned.
They had expected a crowd to gather and chatter, but pushing in there? They didn't even consider it.
That was for when logic still applied.
But the Fire Magic Tower didn't know that numbers, titles, and ranks held no meaning in front of Lee Dam.
"Say it again. Go on, keep going. I'm here."
Looking up at the male mage who had last cursed her, Lee Dam glared fiercely.
"You didn't make a promise with me, right?!"
Beldora shouted from behind that she was getting frustrated, but Lee Dam was already glaring at the mages, eyes blazing.
Her reaction and tone were enough to make anyone call her a thug.
If her looks hadn't been so striking, the atmosphere would have been twice as dangerous, yet it was nothing unusual.
"We made a promise. If I make a mistake, I'll apologize. Hey, apologize."
The mage bit his lip, stunned yet slightly offended.
No one in the Fire Magic Tower was unaware that its male mages were hot-tempered.
Especially since mages were highly sensitive to chaos within their own tower.
"This crazy bitch!"
"What the hell are you doing in our tower!"
"We'll burn every last bit and send you out naked!"
The Fire Magic Tower mages, boiling with anger, charged at Lee Dam.
"You idiots, calm down!"
The voice belonged to Lee Dam.
Beldora, glaring at them with a furious expression, and suddenly an array of Iron Spears filled the surroundings.
Lee Dam found the magic intriguing every time she saw it.
A spell that used mana to imitate iron.
It vanished the moment mana control faltered or the spell disrupted.
Its quality was superior to the iron used, but the fact that it disappeared over time made it unfortunate.
Thus it was only employed for simple attacks or experiments.
"No matter what, I lowered my head and came in, so you idiots think you're something special?"
Beldora stabbed a hand into her robe and glared.
She was often dismissed because of her short stature, but she was still a Tower Master.
She had tolerated the initial whispering, but more than that was impossible.
"I know you're part of this tower, but I am the Tower Master, and Lee Dam is my assistant I brought here.
Do you not understand that insulting Lee Dam is the same as insulting me? Because your concepts are still lacking?"
With Beldora's sharp rebuke, Lee Dam smirked and tilted her head in mockery, her momentum unstoppable.
"Consider yourselves lucky if my iron fist ends your lives before you finish."
Lee Dam held up her bare fists in warning.
Her appearance didn't seem particularly threatening at first.
But that might have been the blow to their pride.
Lee Dam took the boxing stance she had learned in her previous life for three months.
"Hey, look at this. Like this. Stand like this, one-two!"
She brought her hands together and assumed the boxing stance.
Her arms suddenly swung toward thick, burly chests.
"This shit, really annoying."
"......"
The Fire Magic Tower mages were beyond baffled.
She had come in angry, then punched the air.
Then she suddenly hugged her own chest with both arms and got irritated at her own breasts?
Honestly, it was hilarious.
Their anger had been completely deflated.
At that moment.
"What's the matter, Beldora?"
A red-haired man descended the stairs.
Fire Magic Tower Master Chiron greeted with a calm voice.
But the moment he saw Lee Dam standing beside him, his expression tightened and he sighed.
* * *
Chiron’s office in the Fire Magic Tower was unexpectedly clean.
It couldn't be compared to Beldora, who often left snacks and crumbs scattered around.
A subtle heat and the faint scent of flame made the office feel almost cozy.
To Lee Dam personally, working here seemed worse than taking a sauna.
"Ugh, it's so hot."
Lee Dam fanned herself with her hand while grumbling.
Since becoming a woman, she was especially vulnerable to heat.
"Haa, Beldora, are you seeking revenge by making me come to you uninvited last time?"
"There are a few reasons. One is that it was an urgent matter, so I wanted to discuss it quickly."
"Hmm?"
"I'll say it straight. I need ultra-high-temperature flames."
"Ultra-high-temperature flames? How high?"
"1,500°C."
Lee Dam, carrying a heavy backpack, chimed in while inspecting the office.
"What? That's beyond our capabilities."
"Make it possible. Magic is about challenges, right?"
Lee Dam smiled slyly.
Chiron glared at her with an irritated expression.
"That level of heat would suffocate anyone nearby and cause death.
Touching it would turn bones to ash.
The caster of the magic would die, of course.
Are you asking me to create a suicide spell?"
"Did I say kill people? And create a rock-and-roll fire in an empty field?
I'm creating an environment."
Her eyes flashed with a crazed glint.
Chiron facing her directly wondered why Beldora was being swayed by a mage who had only been here a month.
When others hesitated, the word "bully" fit Lee Dam far better than "strong-willed."
"Challenging the impossible.
That's what a mage is."
Lee Dam smiled.
She was called a mage in words.
But calling it a consumable made Chiron feel oddly uneasy.
* * *
"Think about it, Chiron."
"Sigh, the room's a mess.
I'll leave the gift here."
"Don't leave weird stuff!"
Thud.
Chiron watched Beldora and Lee Dam leave without a word and sighed.
Creating flames at 1,500°C was not only a new challenge for Chiron but also a test of the heat limits of the Fire Magic Tower.
'Honestly, it's tempting.'
Mages were those who explored and advanced.
If they succeeded, Chiron could claim the title of the hottest mage on the continent.
Moreover, such high-temperature research required the safest location.
Providing a blast furnace and separate site from the Iron Magic Tower was a huge advantage.
'But if we start, most resources of this tower will flow there.'
While Chiron pondered, the gift Lee Dam had left caught his eye.
"Knight Armor, was it?"
A scale model larger than a palm.
It was strangely fascinating and unique in design.
"Why is the Tower Master's office decorated with a model of armor?"
Chiron, unable to understand, reached out to pick it up.
Klunk.
"Hm?"
The arm moved.
"It's not just a simple model?"
He realized immediately.
Each tiny part had been made separately and then fully assembled.
Thanks to that, the joints moved, though not smoothly.
It was a fresh experience.
It looked like a masterpiece infused with the mages' delicate skill and sensitivity, more like a children's toy.
"A genius indeed.
Extremely detailed."
Chiron moved the parts around.
Then, lifting one arm as if directing, it looked plausible.
Even the cape Lee Dam had draped over it added a strange charm.
"......"
How to describe this feeling?
Chiron, a hot-tempered man whose speech differed, felt a strange emotion stirring in his chest.
And then one word.
"......Amazing."
It was impossible to deny that the design stimulated the chest of a hot man.
That was the moment Chiron fell for her.
