Chapter 402: 81st Floor, Advanced Magic (2) |
“Take it easy for now. We’ll be staying here for a while, so feel free to look around. If you’re curious about anything, just ask anytime.”
With those words, the mages dispersed.
Taesan followed her advice and began exploring the Magic Tower.
The tower was incredibly vast and tall. Its end was nowhere in sight, and it held an uncountable number of rooms.
Each room had its own unique characteristics. Some resembled laboratories filled with experimental tools, while others were packed with hundreds of densely drawn magic circles.
The number of mages in the tower was considerable.
There were easily more than a hundred of them. Most paid no attention to Taesan and were focused on honing their magic.
Taesan strolled down the corridor. A red-haired man walking from the opposite direction frowned upon seeing him.
It was the same man who had grumbled irritably toward Taesan earlier. With an expression of discontent, the man brushed past him.
He whispered the warning as he passed. Taesan glanced at his back momentarily but chose to ignore him, continuing to explore the tower.
“They don’t seem to see you.”
[Because I’m a being of the labyrinth, they can’t see me. Though it doesn’t seem to be the case for the old man at the center.]
Several gazes were directed at Taesan.
Instead of approaching him, the mages used magic to observe him. Most seemed either curious or indifferent.
Of course, there were some who showed hostility.
Taesan pretended not to notice and spent the day leisurely.
“What’s this place?”
He had arrived at a library filled with countless magic books. Although it was significantly smaller than the Library of All Things, it still held more books than one could read in a lifetime.
“Oh my. Hello!”
A woman appeared with a cheerful smile, sitting atop a ladder propped against a bookshelf. She was the only mage who showed friendliness toward Taesan.
“Whew.”
She jumped off the ladder, and a swarm of dolls below caught her gently.
After stepping off the dolls, she straightened her clothes and asked, “Did you look around enough? What do you think of the atmosphere?”
“Some have shown hostility toward me, but most seemed indifferent.”
“Right?”
The woman sighed.
“You’d think they’d at least make an effort to welcome a new mage. We’re going to be spending a long time together, after all. But no, they just have to be stubborn.”
After a brief grumble, she smiled again.
“So, what brings you here?”
“I was wandering around and found this place. What is it?”
“As you can see, it’s a library. It holds countless magic books. Be careful, though; some are cursed, and others have a will of their own.”
“I see.”
Taesan surveyed the library. As she said, there were books imbued with special powers, but none seemed particularly impressive.
“Well, this is perfect timing. Hey, everyone, let’s work a little.”
She clapped her hands.
At that moment, a wave of mana spread out from her, scattering in threads.
The mana-infused dolls moved and began rummaging through the shelves. In no time, dozens of books were piled up in front of Taesan.
“These are well-organized books, great for building knowledge. Give them a read.”
“…Thank you.”
It was a lot.
Just reading them would take a significant amount of time. Taesan didn’t intend to stay here that long.
After skimming through the books, Taesan asked,
“You’re a puppeteer, aren’t you?”
“Correct.”
The woman grinned and snapped her fingers. The dolls paired up and started waltzing gracefully.
“I handle specially crafted dolls. I can control over a hundred at once. Isn’t it fun?”
“Quite unique.”
A mage who controlled dolls—Taesan had never encountered such a person before. The woman shrugged.
“In this place, you can learn Zelbando’s magic. Most mages here are studying his spells. But a few of us, myself included, are different. Rather than relying on Zelbando’s power, we’re creating our own magic. The eight mages who tested you are all part of this group.”
“Is it necessary to create your own magic?”
Zelbando was the god of magic. His spells were flawless and perfect. Elia scratched her cheek with a hesitant expression.
“Well, it’s awkward to say, but we’ve hit a wall.”
Elia waved her hand, and with a massive surge of energy, a blue spear materialized.
“An intermediate spell.”
Taesan didn’t know the spell, but he could tell just by its energy. It was on par with Frozen World or Starry Arrows.
“Oh, you noticed? Impressive.”
Elia marveled, twirling the spear.
“We’re allowed up to this level… but beyond that, we’re not permitted.”
Elia gave a bitter smile.
Taesan didn’t know exactly what she meant by “beyond that.”
“Advanced magic?”
“Yep. We believe we’re qualified, but Zelbando doesn’t seem to agree.”
That was why they were creating their own magic instead of relying on Zelbando’s.
“So… among the mages who said they would test you, there are quite a few who are jealous of you.”
Taesan, an outsider, had been immediately granted permission to learn advanced magic, something the others had spent years pursuing without success.
It wasn’t surprising that they harbored hostility.
“Are you one of them?”
“No? I just joined because it seemed fun, and I wanted to help you a bit. See that guy pretending to sleep over there? He’s a mage who specializes in plant magic. One of the seven mages. Be careful, though—he’s a sneaky one.”
The woman whispered while glancing at a man lying on a sofa. A grumpy voice came from the man.
“Are you selling me out? What’s your deal, Elia?”
“Oh, come on. He was going to find out anyway.”
“That may be true, but we’re examiners. This guy is supposed to figure out what magic we use and how we handle it as part of the trial.”
“That’s too harsh, don’t you think? Giving him this much information in advance should be fine.”
The woman, now identified as Elia, grumbled. The man sighed and sat up.
“Either way, stop talking about the other mages from now on. Figuring it out is part of his job.”
“Fine, fine.”
Elia reluctantly nodded.
‘That’s not true.’
But Taesan had already figured out what type of mages they were the moment he entered this place.
He could see the flow of mana they possessed and how they manipulated it. Though they had placed protective barriers to hide their abilities, they were practically meaningless to Taesan.
While he couldn’t discern their exact spells, he had already grasped their general direction and attributes.
“Now that I think about it, I haven’t introduced myself.”
The woman cleared her throat, placing her hand on her chest with a proud expression.
“I am Elia Magatri, master of the Marionette School and one of the eight mages acknowledged by the God of Magic.”
“I am Constria Veriel, master of the Locrest School and one of the eight mages acknowledged by the God of Magic.”
Constria looked at Taesan silently and asked, “What is your name?”
“I’m Kang Taesan.”
“Kang Taesan. Leave this place immediately.”
“Constria?”
“This is not a warning—it’s advice. I can’t feel anything from you.”
Constria spoke bluntly.
“If the God of Magic has acknowledged you, you must have talent far beyond ours. I have no argument there. But you’re too weak.”
Taesan looked at him silently.
Taking the silence as a sign he had hit the mark, Constria continued.
“Elia is an unusual case, but most here don’t welcome outsiders like you. Especially if you’re weak. Furthermore, everyone here has already reached mastery. No matter how talented you are, someone as weak as you can’t learn anything.”
With that, Constria turned and left the study.
“Go back now. Live your life. That’s the best advice I can give you.”
The door closed, leaving only Taesan and Elia in the room. Elia scratched her head awkwardly.
“Uh… his words were a bit harsh, but he’s not completely wrong. Still, don’t worry! I’ll help you!”
Elia clenched her fist with determination.
“Being granted advanced magic means Zelbando acknowledged your talent. If you work hard for a few years, the other mages will recognize you too!”
“Is that so?”
Taesan finally understood why their conversation seemed slightly off.
They didn’t really know anything about him.
They thought he was someone who had no strength but had been granted access here because Zelbando acknowledged his potential to learn advanced magic.
In truth, Taesan had activated his Seal Authority, hiding all his power. To anyone who wasn’t his equal, he appeared as an ordinary human. That’s why Elia kept saying she would help him and assumed he would stay here for a long time.
‘What a hassle.’
There was no reason for him to stay that long.
And undoing the Seal Authority was likely not what Zelbando wanted.
After finishing his thoughts, Taesan asked Elia,
“Can I take the trial if I request it?”
“Uh… yeah, technically. Since it’s Zelbando’s order, we can’t refuse. But it’s impossible to pass right now, so why not train slowly…”
“No.”
Taesan shook his head.
“I’ll take the trial right now.”
“What?”
Elia’s eyes widened.
“He’s already taking the trial? What’s the rush?”
One of the mages grumbled. Within the Magic Tower, there were rooms designed specifically for duels. In one such spacious room, the eight mages and Taesan had gathered.
“Elia, you said you’d handle him. What did you tell him?”
“Well, I tried to dissuade him…”
Elia scratched her cheek with an awkward expression.
When Taesan insisted on taking the trial, Elia had initially refused. She told him it was meaningless at this point.
But Taesan remained steadfast.
Since Taesan had been brought here by Zelbando, Elia ultimately had no choice but to concede.
“So, who’s going to go first?”
“Ugh, such a bother…”
“I’ll go.”
A man stood up.
The man with red hair, who had shown the most hostility toward Taesan, smirked as he walked toward him.
“Why is he so eager?”
“He’s always whining about wanting to learn advanced magic. It’s understandable that he’d dislike him.”
No one expected anything. From their first encounter with Taesan, they had probed him and knew he had no power at all.
“Why would Zelbando bring someone so weak here? He might have talent, but he’s far too weak.”
“Do you all think he’s weak?”
“Huh?”
The previously silent old man spoke. The other mages responded in confusion.
“Of course. There’s nothing to sense from him.”
“Elia, you’ve been closest to him. What do you think?”
“Hmm… I don’t know. He does seem to be hiding something, but it’s not anything impressive.”
Elia shook her head. She had also tried to sense Taesan’s power from up close but felt absolutely nothing.
“I see.”
The old man stared at Taesan with curiosity.
“Interesting. What method could hide it so perfectly?”
“What?”
“You’ll see.”
The red-haired man arrived before Taesan. His eyes were filled with hostility.
“Filthy worm.”
His voice dripped with hatred and animosity.
He had devoted his entire life to magic.
Literally, he had abandoned his family, friends, lover, and even his own life to pursue magic with obsessive dedication.
Through that passion and effort, the man had been acknowledged by the God of Magic and allowed into the Magic Tower.
Once inside, he took immense pride in himself. As one of the few mages acknowledged by the great God of Magic, he saw himself as extraordinary.
But then, Taesan entered the Magic Tower.
Someone who showed no visible power. Yet, despite that, he had been acknowledged by the God of Magic and permitted to learn advanced magic.
The man could not accept Taesan’s existence.
To him, Taesan’s mere presence here diminished his authority. He could no longer tolerate Taesan polluting the air of this place. He was determined to eliminate Taesan.
However, expulsion was impossible. The God of Magic had directly allowed Taesan’s presence.
In that case, he would force him to leave of his own accord.
The man smirked and declared,
“I am Bartler Raven! Founder and sole practitioner of the Bartler School of Magic! I will test you!”
With that, Bartler gathered mana.
The space around Taesan began to distort.
Bartler specialized in spatial magic. He could fold space to leap great distances, twist it to make attacks miss entirely, or directly use it to attack his opponents.
The first thing Bartler did to Taesan was seal his movement.
And then, he applied pressure.
Crack.
He blocked Taesan’s ability to move within the distorted space. Gradually, the pressure increased, causing difficulty in breathing and crushing his entire body to the point of pain.
Taesan showed no reaction.
Bartler’s lips twisted. Right now, Taesan should have been feeling pain akin to torture, unable to move a muscle. Watching from behind, Elia frowned.
“This is excessive.”
She started to get up, but a staff blocked her path.
“Elder?”
“Observe. There will be no issue.”
The old man continued to watch Taesan with calm eyes.
Crack.
The spatial pressure grew stronger.
Bartler was ready to wrap things up. Any more pressure could be life-threatening.
‘This should have been enough of a warning.’
He was sure that once the magic was released, Taesan would collapse, his expression contorted in fear, and look at him with terror. With anticipation, Bartler prepared to lift the spell.
“So this is how it works.”
Taesan muttered.
He moved his hand to touch the spatial pressure around him.
“Certainly unique. At least, it’s not a magic I can use.”
“W-What?!”
Bartler’s eyes widened.
Right now, he had completely restrained Taesan’s body. He shouldn’t even be able to change his expression, let alone move.
Yet Taesan was casually inspecting the spatial distortion as if he were on a leisurely walk.
“What is this?!”
Bartler hastily drew more power.
A massive sphere of warped space formed around Taesan. The very space itself twisted into an environment where life could not survive. The surroundings warped, and the scenery blended together.
But amidst the distortion, Taesan remained completely unaffected.
As if untouched by the chaos.
“This is…”
“This is a magic trial, so using magic is only appropriate.”
[You have activated Magic Overlap.]
[You have activated Distortion.]
[You have activated Distortion.]
[You have activated Distortion.]
Mana condensed around him.
The observers held their breath. From Taesan, who had seemed powerless, a massive wave of mana suddenly erupted.
A form of advanced magic they could barely comprehend.
The sheer concentration of mana caused cracks in the spatial sphere.
The old man’s eyes glimmered with intrigue.
[You have activated Magic Release.]
[You have activated Partial Magic Adjustment.]
The spatial distortion shattered the sphere.
“Cough!”
Bartler collapsed, coughing up blood. He had pushed his magic beyond its limits and suffered a backlash when it failed.
“What… is this…”
Constria groaned.
Intermediate magic. Distortion. It was magic they could use as well.
But the power Taesan demonstrated was on a level they could never hope to reach.
All the mages, except for the old man, were left speechless by the scene.
“Who’s next?”
In the silence, Taesan’s voice echoed.