Come to the Rooftop!
“Yo!”
The word “yo” could trigger migraines worse than anything else in this world.
Theodore found himself unconsciously glaring at the sky.
I never thought I’d be cursing out a god one day.
Magic users didn’t believe in gods, after all.
Lee Dam had marched in here boasting that she’d “thrash the Fire Magic Tower,” dragging a bunch of mages along like some vengeful goddess.
Now, watching her stride back into the blast furnace again, Theodore’s stomach twisted with dread.
She’d always been a nightmare of a person—poking at everyone, starting petty fights, the same old routine.
But today she looked ten times more dangerous than usual.
And then:
“All hands, halt! Shut everything down!”
The shout tore out of her like it could level the whole tower.
“……What?”
“Did I hear that right?”
“It sounded weird because of the workshop noise, right?”
The entire blast furnace froze.
The mages who’d been grinding away suddenly looked panicked.
Lee Dam had designed and built this monster blast furnace herself—obsessed with steel, the same way she was obsessed with Gundams.
She’d warned them more than once: “Stop work and I’ll cut your throats.”
“Keep going!”
She roared now, voice raw.
“Halt! Stop everything!”
Everyone snapped into perfect stillness, tools dangling in the air.
They hadn’t obeyed her—she’d just accidentally won the argument.
But Lee Dam flashed a satisfied grin and carried on like nothing happened.
“Fuck, hammer and scythe. We’re not slaves—prove it with your actions. You dumbasses, just—!”
Theodore stepped in before the situation could spiral further, embarrassment burning his face.
“Only you would see us as slaves, Lee Dam.”
“What the hell are you talking about? When did I ever call you slaves?”
“You’re serious?”
“Yeah, you’re just spare parts.”
“……”
That was somehow worse.
Theodore’s face went blank. Lee Dam shrugged.
“Jokes, man. Don’t take it seriously.”
Was she even joking?
Theodore didn’t press. He already knew the answer would be bullshit.
“Anyway…”
“Why the fuck are you so pissed? You went out to ‘put the Fire Magic Tower in their place.’ Right?”
He’d expected a clean victory. Instead she came back looking like a Seong-un cult fanatic who’d just seen the light—or rather, seen her own dick.
Her eyes were always crazy, but today they were straight-up insane.
“No! Those Fire Tower assholes made really good blades! They had to add some extra line to piss each other off, right?!”
“Yeah, so?”
“Yeah, but they said this thing can’t be used—!”
As her rant went on, Theodore’s face drained of color.
The other mages behind him looked like they’d seen ghosts.
“So—!”
“We’re going straight to the Archmage to explain—!”
“Everyone, back to work! Ignore this idiot!”
“What?!”
Theodore pretended not to notice her glare and the others rushed back to their stations.
Normally they would have hesitated over her foul temper, but the situation was too serious—and the way Theodore had blocked her with crossed arms helped.
“Yo! This isn’t right! We poured our sweat and blood into these designs, and some Archmage line is gonna throw it all away?!”
“Lee Dam, that’s just the way it is. We’re allowed to experiment here because the Archmage keeps the balance.”
“Balance my ass. Dragging wars out so people keep dying—that’s balance?”
“If our research leaks, rivers of blood will run. Magic is power.”
“Then why the hell are we even doing research, you idiot?”
“……”
“Yo, so just don’t make it at all from the start—problem solved!”
“Lee Dam, you said it yourself. Let’s keep moving forward. We don’t stop advancing. But we’re not doing it to kill someone.”
“Shut the fuck up. You really think world peace comes from everyone holding hands and smashing everything?”
Peace is…
Lee Dam’s eyes went wide, glittering with that unhinged smile that made it clear she’d seen the future.
“Just need insane power. One strike and I can shut every buzzing fly on the planet up.”
“……You’re completely fucked.”
“Yeah, but the world still spins. The guy who said that back then probably got called crazy too.”
She flashed a sharp grin.
“The Towers already have the power to end this war tomorrow. You really believe the Archmage is protecting balance?”
“……”
“She’s protecting chaos. So the Towers can survive. You dumbass.”
Theodore couldn’t answer.
He just watched her storm out, helpless.
“If no one’s doing it, I will. Let’s see who wins.”
Wait… what?
What was she planning?
Theodore felt a brand-new kind of panic clawing at his chest.
She was going to do something dangerous.
Whatever it was, it was bad.
He swallowed hard, ready to stop her, but he couldn’t even remember what he was supposed to yell at her about.
He just watched her leave.
***
“Is it… is everything all right, Archmage?”
“What do you mean, all right? I’m surrounded by total assholes!”
Lee Dam stood outside the blast furnace, grumbling, already heading toward her private room.
The finished Knight Armor blueprints were stacked on her desk—every model’s specs, quirks, warnings, the works.
The very last page had one single line: Project X.
The final evolution of the Knight Armor—her ultimate giant robot.
She rolled the entire set and tucked it under her arm, then marched straight to Beldora’s research lab.
Beldora was already clutching her head, headache radiating off her in waves.
She’d been the most enthusiastic supporter of the Knight Armor project—now she just looked drained.
“Lee Dam?”
The moment Beldora saw her face, she knew something was wrong.
She was right.
“Here. These are the concepts I was thinking for the Knight Armor. The frames are already locked in—shouldn’t be too hard to finish.”
“This… wait, why the hell are you giving this to me?!”
Magic users only ever entrusted their research to someone else when they were about to die.
Beldora felt a spike of dread.
Lee Dam just scowled.
“I’m not dying. Not until I see the real Project X.”
“Y-you mean… you’re not gonna die?”
“Of course not. Thank fuck.”
Beldora nodded stiffly, staring at the blueprints.
“Ugh… you really haven’t given up. It’s useless, but… if this can even spark some of your old fire—”
“I’m leaving.”
Lee Dam walked out without another word.
Beldora tried to grab her, but she was already gone.
Why does this feel so wrong?
She was too worried.
If she didn’t stop her now, something terrible was going to happen.
But the realization came too late.
She chased after her… and Lee Dam had already slipped out of the tower.
Beldora’s chest started pounding with uneasy tension.
***
They called it the Magic Tower, but it was so much more than a few spires.
This place was a city, a nation in miniature—purely a mage paradise.
Outside it was always war, yet the unbreakable rule of “no battle inside” made the Towers feel like heaven.
Now, inside:
“Ahem. Mic test. Fuck, is this thing even working?”
A woman’s irritated voice boomed across the entire complex.
“Working? You can hear it? Good. Don’t make such a big fuss, shithead.”
The mages all looked around, startled.
Someone had projected a voice across the whole tower through raw mana.
Who the hell had invented that? It sounded like something from a mad scientist’s garage.
“Not just volume boost. Using ambient mana—amazing.”
“Mana vibration, right? Incredible.”
“Whoa, I’m impressed.”
The mages gasped in awe.
Then the voice dropped.
“Archmage.”
The entire tower went dead silent.
Who did she just call?
Archmage? What the hell?
“Keeping up appearances by dragging out the war? You fucking idiot! Half those corpses could’ve been saved if you’d stepped up earlier!”
The air inside the tower turned ice-cold.
That Archmage was supposed to be untouchable, holy, perfect—and this crazy woman was talking to her like that?!
“Control of technology? For the sake of war balance? You’re the one who started all this war and sells the weapons, you lunatic!”
“You’ve been coasting too long. It’s really starting to taste like iron-rod porridge, huh?”
Hah!
Lee Dam took a deep breath, flashed a grin, and taunted right back.
“You fight so well?”
“Fuck you. Come to the roof. I’ll show you what a hard-on gives you.”
“You old ED grandpa.”