Chapter 108
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 108
Chapter Title: Ivory Tower Preliminaries
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Center of Ur's bustling district.
A procession of cadets stretched toward the Ivory Tower, a colossal building that boasted unmatched size and presence even among the towering skyscrapers.
"Hoo... Hoo..."
"Just nail the presentation..."
"Please, no glitches with the magic activation..."
The cadets, faces taut with tension, glanced up at the approaching Ivory Tower bit by bit.
One cadet, too nervous to hold it together, bolted into an alley to hurl. Another just couldn't take another step forward.
Lee Se-hun, strolling along and taking in the spectacle, wore a faintly curious expression.
'Didn't expect it to be this much of a circus.'
He'd figured only the big names would show, but against his expectations, it looked like most cadets in the magic fields had turned up.
Not just the first- through third-years, either—even fourth-years, who were rarely seen due to active hero duties, were out in force. Lee Se-hun gave a slight nod of admiration at the sight.
'Guess the Ivory Tower carries that much weight.'
He'd thought of it as just a major sponsor before, but it seemed to hold even greater sway over those in the magic world.
'Which means Dawn has their hooks in deeper than I thought.'
With that kind of influence, there had to be at least a couple of executives—or board members—among them.
Lee Se-hun upped his vigilance a notch and arrived at the building entrance, where suited guards bellowed directions.
"Cadets here for the Special Cadet Selection Tournament, please use the right-side entrance!"
A line naturally formed at the entrance. As they filtered through one by one, it was Lee Se-hun's turn.
"There's a basic mana scan on entry, so no resistance—head right in."
Following the guard's instructions, Lee Se-hun stepped inside. A thin wave of mana brushed over his entire body, probing him thoroughly.
'Just checking for magi-laced items, huh.'
They poked around sensitive spots like subspatial storage pretty invasively, but Babel standards—or confidence in their gear—meant they stuck to basics before waving him into the lobby.
"Follow the guidelines straight ahead!"
The guards kept shouting nonstop. As Lee Se-hun moved to comply—
"Cadet Lee Se-hun!"
"Over here, just a quick look!"
Click-click!
Shouts and camera flashes erupted beyond the guideline barriers. Reporters, lying in wait for famous participants—precisely Lee Se-hun—pummeled him with questions.
"What's the story behind your entry into this Special Cadet Selection Tournament?!"
"Rumors say you're transferring from Forging to Magic Engineering—is that true?"
"The artisans who called your skills a fraud suddenly shut down shop. Any comment?!"
They seemed less interested in the tournament itself and more in scraping up dirt on him. Amid their frenzy, Lee Se-hun blinked in mild surprise.
'Guess I've gotten pretty famous. Even the press is swarming.'
Not that they were here just for him, but the hot reception felt good.
Meeting the reporters' blazing stares, Lee Se-hun pondered briefly before speaking.
"Mass-producing sword ki, you mean."
"...Pardon?"
"Is it really impossible?"
He tossed out the bombshell and strode past the guidelines. The reporters stared blankly at his back before grasping the implication, eyes bulging.
"W-Wait! What do you mean by that?!"
"Are you saying sword ki mass-production is possible?!"
"Just one word, Cadet Lee Se-hun...!"
"No crossing the guidelines!"
Desperate cries from the reporters and urgent shouts from the guards trailed behind. Lee Se-hun couldn't help a smirk at the chaos.
'What a riot.'
Soon his words would hit the net, spawning rumors he was researching sword ki mass-production—or had already succeeded. Perfect groundwork for his later plans with Myers.
As Lee Se-hun savored the satisfaction—
"Kid's got no fear."
A sigh-tinged voice came from behind.
A tall young man with steel-blue hair, his tone more pitying than mocking. Lee Se-hun shot him a puzzled look.
"No fear about what?"
"You know sword ki mass-production is something even Myriad Demons' Mire keeps a close eye on, right? Even if it's bullshit, suspicion alone could get you killed."
Not even fame-hungry industry types dared utter those words lightly. Spouting them outright like that? Safe inside Babel, maybe—but outside? Who knew.
"Better say it was bravado now. Might save you from real trouble."
Lee Se-hun paused at the earnest warning from the young man, Howard Grant, then asked:
"Who the hell are you to act like we're buddies?"
"..."
Silence fell. Howard stared in disbelief.
"You... don't know me? We're both department toppers—how?!"
"Department topper? Oh, you mean from Ur?"
His face screamed genuine bafflement. Howard forgot his plans to cozy up, standing there dumbfounded.
"What're you doing?"
Louise emerged from the inner corridor, spotting Lee Se-hun and narrowing her eyes.
"If you're competing, shouldn't you beat the assistants up there?"
"Got held up. Where's Lea?"
"She went ahead. Same floor as us—you'll see her up top."
"Got it. Let's head up."
He had pre-exam checks to run. As Lee Se-hun moved toward the elevators with Louise, he glanced back at Howard.
"Hey, Louise."
"Yeah?"
"You know that guy?"
"That guy?"
Louise peeked over his shoulder at Howard, then frowned in confusion.
"No clue... Just another contestant?"
"Huh. Weird."
Lee Se-hun eyed Howard oddly and muttered:
"Meeting all kinds of strange birds today..."
With nothing more to say, he headed inside with Louise. Howard watched their backs, taking a slow breath.
'It's fine... Within expectations. Maybe he's playing dumb to provoke me.'
He had to shine at this rare Special Cadet Selection outing. Calming himself, Howard headed in with a composed face.
"Hey. That guy's following us."
"Tell the guards?"
"..."
His eyes twisted at the whispering pair.
Ding!
[12th floor.]
The elevator opened to the 12th floor, home of Exam Room 3. Stepping into the hall with Louise, Lee Se-hun glanced downstairs.
'That guy from before... Who the hell is he?'
He'd seemed like a nosy busybody at first, but their chat revealed otherwise.
Every glance, expression, gesture—calculated to a tee.
'Can a cadet really pull that off...?'
Louise could hide her feelings and play coy too, but masking her face and actions like that? Unsettling.
Better watch out if we cross paths again.
Lee Se-hun scanned the floor. Rows of desks stretched out, cadets settling in and unpacking submissions.
Vrrr!
Complex magic circles abounded, alongside scrolls and gemstones—plenty of one-use items. Thick tomes, ominously glowing axes, even folks lugging bookshelf-sized crates. A real mixed bag.
After a quick sweep, Lee Se-hun checked the walls and ceiling.
'Space magic expansion.'
Roomier than it looked from outside, and the open layout right off the elevator was odd.
They'd probably shifted original facilities downstairs or used a subspatial pocket.
'Hmm... How far does it go?'
As he sized up the exam room mentally—
"Hm?"
Louise scanned the cadets, puzzled.
"Where's Lea?"
"Can't see her?"
"Yeah. She definitely came up first..."
At Louise's fluster, Lee Se-hun swept the area too—and narrowed his eyes at one sight.
"I'll be right back. Head to your seat."
Leaving Louise, he beelined for an empty desk and peered underneath.
"Whatcha doing down there?"
"Eek...!"
Thud!
Lea, peeking at a cloth-wrapped item, jolted and bashed her head on the desk.
"Urgh..."
Lee Se-hun rubbed his eyes at her writhing form, then deadpanned:
"You trying to make me laugh right now?"
"N-No, it's not... I mean..."
As Lea stammered—
"She's scared it'll blow again."
The voice from earlier echoed from behind.
"Back in first year, that 'Sphere' of hers caused a ton of trouble."
Howard, who'd tailed them. Lee Se-hun turned.
"Trouble?"
"If I remember right, it only links simple enchants to user-designated objects. But it went haywire, linking indiscriminately."
Result? Cadets' exam prep items got hooked up willy-nilly. Resonated power exploded in one go.
"No deaths thanks to barriers, but plenty got hurt. Some flunked out after—maybe unrelated, but still."
"..."
Lea's face darkened with each word.
Two years past, but her first time hurting people—not easy to shake.
"Anyway, water under the bridge. Bringing it back today means you're confident it won't repeat, right?"
"..."
"Big expectations. Lots of eyes on your submission."
Howard flashed a grin and headed to his seat. Lea clutched the cloth-wrapped item silently from under the desk.
Lee Se-hun sighed deeply.
"You saw it work fine yesterday."
"...Yeah."
"Tested it nonstop for days, just in case."
"103 times."
"Still worried?"
Louise clamped her lips, then forced out:
"This one's... still scary."
Head knew this enchant was different, but heart wouldn't follow. Lee Se-hun grimaced.
'So this was her slump trigger.'
He'd thought endless tests despite perfection were dropout nerves. Apparently old trauma.
Pondering how to handle the cowering Lea, he went simplest.
Whoosh!
"Huh?"
The massive desk lifted like paper. Lee Se-hun scooped Lea mid-lift.
"Eek!"
Slung over his shoulder, Lea got plopped atop the reset desk. He wrapped Black Spirit Thread around his waist multiple times, fixed it to the desk—
"Forced Binding."
Whoosh!
Word-engraved it into iron-tough rope.
"...W-Wait."
Lea was desk-bound in a blink, perched high. Her head poked out conspicuously, drawing stares.
"J-Junior, this ain't it. Not in our classroom—and at the selection tournament?!"
Even Lea, queen of antics and shamelessness, flushed crimson.
Lee Se-hun met her eyes steadily.
"You got this, senpai. Fighting."
Sincere cheer left, he returned to his seat.
"N-Nooo! Wait, junior! My bad—I'm pumped now... No... Seriously, you little—"
Some garbled yell followed, but Lee Se-hun ignored it, pulling out Hati.
"Our turn to prep. You got this, right?"
"Yeah... We practiced."
Louise took Hati to equip it, then glanced back.
"..."
Lea's pleading eyes begged rescue. Louise's gaze quivered—then turned away like she'd seen nothing.
"You know you're a real bastard, right?"
Her admiring exasperation drew a chuckle from Lee Se-hun.
"Blind to it, and you're the devil."
"...Fair point."
It hurts now, but it'll be good experience, Louise thought, cheering Lea inwardly.
"We now commence the preliminary round of the Special Cadet Selection Tournament! All cadets, remain seated!"
The announcer's booming voice filled Exam Room 3.