Lesson (1)
“!”
I could clearly see the exclamation mark pop up in her eyes, so this time it had to be Jessie Haynes.
But if anyone's surprised, it should be me. Somehow, Jessie looked way more shocked.
“Fancy running into you here after so long, Chief Lee Hoyeol!”
At least she didn't seem to remember what happened in the Spacetime Salon. I bowed back instinctively at her perfect ninety-degree greeting.
“Looks like the aftereffects of your mana exhaustion have improved.”
Asking after my health? That's fine. But there's a limit to being direct!
Didn't I just say she doesn't remember the salon? We've never even met before.
How does she know I suffered from mana exhaustion? What if she asks? What if she looks at me weird?
“Mana exhaustion...? As expected of you, Chief! You could tell my mana flow was unstable. Thank you for worrying. I'm fine now!”
...Who knew my backlog of karma could come in handy like this.
Anyway, I looked at Jessie. Even so, wasn't this place a bit too dangerous for her?
Lv. 500 early to mid-range, right?
I could say it with confidence. This battlefield was too much for Jessie.
And the evidence was already visible. Her shoulders trembled faintly.
Jessie had emerged from a portal. The farther the destination, the more mana it consumed to manifest one.
She was visibly steadying her breath. She'd probably burned through a ton of mana just to get here.
She couldn't have tracked the Tower Master's mana trace. So, as expected.
She must have followed her class quest.
I glanced around subtly. The Tower Master still hadn't shown herself.
Time to exchange info with Jessie. The more enemy intel, the better.
In that sense, she was solid backup.
Or more like, she's the one directly involved.
I knew some of the story behind this mess from talking with the Tower Master. But not the specifics.
The quest was too vague.
(In Progress)
● Confront the Tower Master's body. (Failed)
● Slay the rampaging Tower Master's body. (In Progress)
Just “slay.” That's all it said.
But Jessie wasn't one of the scheming grand archmagi.
My guess was spot on.
“As expected, you knew! Yes, it's my class quest. I can't match you, Chief... but I've been working hard too!”
I nodded sincerely. Not because Jessie was commendable. Because I, Lee Hoyeol, was.
Me, busting my ass every damn day!
Take today. Say I somehow cleared the emergency update and returned. What awaited me back at Yusra or the Mage Tower? Obvious.
Improving [Tenacity] by abusing my body to its limits.
And that was just the start. Now that I knew the realm of the anomalous had competitors like upper demon kings.
I couldn't slack on anomalous research either.
Just thinking about it tires me out.
Yet His lofty pride wouldn't whine in front of others.
I spoke calmly to Jessie. “I know.”
The Tower Master had told me. And even without that, I'd collapsed from mana exhaustion.
Speaking of which, one more thing.
I continued shamelessly. “However, above all, do not falter.”
“...Ah, you mean the mana exhaustion!”
“Indeed.”
Not just words—I meant it. She should stop pushing till she collapsed.
My luck had run dry long ago. No telling what grand archmage personality might pop out of that pointed hat.
“Got it! I'll keep that in mind!”
While Jessie answered with her own exclamation mark.
I cut to the chase. The grand archmage class quest's goal. The Tower Master's plan was...
“This class quest is [Lesson]!”
...Lesson?
The moment I heard that word, the scattered puzzle pieces started fitting together.
From when the Tower Master summoned Jessie to the tower, up to now. Bringing her to this overwhelming space.
Even after nesting in the pointed hat, the Tower Master had left her body behind.
To teach the next grand archmage, Jessie.
Jessie was an adventurer. Barely a speck of magical knowledge.
Yet essential to thwart the grand archmagi's conspiracy—a being from another world.
To impart vast magical knowledge to her required a special method.
Jessie gripped her staff with both hands and said, “The quest goal is to encounter the previous grand archmage's body! I'm a bit nervous but excited too! It's my first time seeing the body, not the hat!”
I compared our quest goals.
...Mine: Slay. Hers: Encounter.
Quite the difference in nuance.
Of course. Unless I told her, Jessie wouldn't know my quest.
So her excitement made sense.
But I knew.
“Jessie Haynes.”
“Yes, I'm listening, Chief!”
“This lesson will be anything but easy.”
Why? Even before the real lesson began, the Tower Master's body had unleashed ten Meteor Strikes at Earth.
After so many damn situations, I'd developed a sense for this.
As if answering my hunch.
Beyond the shifting illusion magic landscape.
Amid the churning waves of mana.
The Tower Master's body appeared.
“Looks like class is starting.”
At my words, Jessie's eyes finally left me.
The Tower Master's body emerged from the opaque mana sphere.
Male? Female? Hard to tell—genderless features.
More striking were the vacant, unfocused eyes.
Soon, Jessie's urgent voice rang out. “...Chief!”
I knew without her saying. “Quest goal updated! But...”
“Speak.”
“It says, 'Survive this lesson'!”
Survival? Impossible for Jessie.
But I could guess why she got such a quest already.
Clearly, inside that pointed hat.
Amid the grand archmagi's consciousnesses.
Something ominous was happening, Tower Master?
Time was short. No more leisure to linger in the hat and watch over Jessie.
So she thought of me.
If I, who could form circles, joined her.
Especially me, the creator of the anomalous.
She must have judged it time to start provisions for Jessie's future.
To sum it up in one phrase.
...Feels kinda like I'm just observing class?
With body and consciousness separated, the Tower Master couldn't control her own flesh.
What if it rampaged and targeted Jessie? She was telling me to handle it.
No, seriously like a department head.
Forcing a subordinate with quest goals? What the hell?
But no time to gripe.
Every spell the Tower Master was manifesting now was for the next grand archmage, Jessie.
Ultra-high-tier magic like Meteor Strike, unseen even in spellbooks.
So, eyes wide open.
Change your mindset, Hoyeol. Not observing—learning alongside her.
Innate magical talent allowed imitation of most spells just by sight.
I had—Grandfell had—the talent to absorb everything witnessed.
Good. Let's begin the real lesson, Tower Master.
I declared shamelessly. “I hope there's something to learn.”
*
Mage Tower.
Yugweed looked at the assembled senior mages.
Then she kindly lifted the corner of her mouth.
“Thus, the Mage Tower's shame is exposed to the world.”
Chief, especially to you, I have no face.
From Karim Jeba's elder rebellion.
To protect the tower.
To rebuild it.
Hoyeol had drawn all attention to himself.
Yet that sacrifice was made meaningless.
“Unleashing ultra-high-tier magic right away. Overflowing with energy, aren't you?”
The Tower Master herself, embodiment of the Mage Tower.
Our Tower Master had spectacularly backstabbed us.
Of course, Yugweed and the seniors gathered here didn't know the full situation.
But one thing was clear.
“I see why the Chief stayed silent.”
“He couldn't bring himself to say it.”
“Matis.”
Senior black mage Matis spoke.
“The Chief always put the Mage Tower first.”
His silence in the Crystal Hall was consideration too.
If the Tower Master showed hostility, the tower would have to stop her.
No one here would welcome that.
However.
“We must decide.”
Who the Tower Master bore ill will toward didn't matter.
What mattered: her actions threatened adventurers' world greatly.
“We can't dump it all on the Chief.”
“I agree, Elder Yugweed.”
“Ah, Senior Bellie.”
“Me too.”
“Oh ho, Nasrow?”
Led by them, all twenty senior mages agreed.
Yugweed smiled again.
Seemed her worries were unfounded.
“Good. No need to go alone.”
Then her eyes changed.
The mild giant, Yugweed.
Not a moniker from magic like Karim Jeba or Senioris.
It came after entering the tower, rising through senior, chief, elder.
The reason was simple.
“Shall we step up properly, then?”
Cold judgment beneath a kind smile.
Yugweed had resolve.
Once a giant stepped forward, none could stop her.
She never backed down from her decisions.
A chilling joke followed.
“Strictly speaking, this is rebellion against the Tower Master? Not bad. Since we're here, maybe I should claim the seat myself. Heh heh.”
Yugweed immediately tracked mana traces.
Easier to track the Chief's than the Tower Master's...
She let out a hearty laugh.
“...You're no ordinary man, Chief?”
Couldn't even track the mana trace.
Was this the [anomalous]?
You were right. Circles were mere stepping stones for you.
“That's why you sent the Tower Master's Meteor Strike back to the sky.”
An anomalous beyond even Elder Yugweed's guess.
Brief admiration at the fresh shock.
Yugweed spoke. “If this old fool hasn't lost his mind, the Chief's mana has reached a realm we mortals can't track. Right, Matis?”
“The elder is correct.”
“Banggrit, your take?”
“Yes, yep! Just a sec!”
Senior pure mana mage Banggrit.
Top-tier mana sensitivity among seniors.
Chosen by mana itself.
That blessed talent elevated a commoner without proper education to senior.
“Seems Elder Yugweed is right.”
Even for Banggrit, it was too much.
“No helping it.”
Yugweed shrugged.
“Guess we need Chief Marcelo's help.”
“Marcelo...”
“Come to think, he's missing?”
Marcelo, walking the anomalous path with Hoyeol, could track traces easily.
Yugweed sent telepathy to Marcelo.
Or tried.
“Oh dear.”
Bellie flinched. “What is it, Elder Yugweed?”
“Seems we dawdled.”
“Pardon?”
“No telepathy to Marcelo.”
“You mean...?”
“Chief Marcelo's probably in the same space as the Chief. Entered the mana vortex the Tower Master manifested. Chasing two chiefs might be too much for this old body?”
Of course, exaggeration. The giant had already stepped forward.
Yugweed tracked Marcelo's mana trace.
Manifested a portal.
“Late, but let's diligently follow our two chiefs.”
…
I looked at Marcelo standing opposite.
“Chief Lee Hoyeol. I cannot trust you.”
Marcelo raised his mana as he spoke.
Seriously, but to me, nothing funnier.
Why? In private like now, Marcelo always called me “sir.”
Didn't I tell you, Tower Master? The Mage Tower you knew has changed.
So ditch this childish illusion.
“Too light for a lesson.”
I continued sincerely. Like the venom in Topaz Hall before validation.
“Don't disgrace the Mage Tower. Tower Master.”
A voice replied. “I agree.”
This time, real.
“You wouldn't know, but you call me just Marcelo. No needless 'chief' title. Same for elders.”
...Feels like he's calling me illiterate.
Anyway. Welcome, real Marcelo.
But Marcelo's reaction was off.
His eyes, which should wistfully gaze at the Tower Master...
Seemed to burn fiercely...?
I realized why soon.
Marcelo was a mage too.
Yes. That burning gaze was like perennial snow Senioris.
“Well, that's you.”
Me. “No, your consistency is refreshing.”
Apparently.
“Makes breaking you worthwhile, no?”
I'd badly misread the Tower Master-Marcelo dynamic...!