Fire Mage

"An Expert Alchemist in under fifteen years? Impressive." Runeth nodded in approval. "If she's got a Keeper's Watch, we don't need to worry. And didn't you say the World's Will guided you to her? That means she's even more protected."

"I hope you're right," Charles said solemnly and decided to remain in the Tower a while longer.

Meanwhile, the outside world descended into chaos as Charles focused on research, cloning, and the eye transplant.

…

4th Layer, Tower of Curses, Miracle City

January 20, Year 0001, Chaos Era

It had been twenty days since Charles and his allies had invaded Griffon Territory and eliminated the rebel forces in the Iron Kingdom.

Afterward, Jessie had hurried back to Miracle City and entered seclusion in the Tower of Curses.

Surprisingly, the incident in Griffon Territory had stirred no attention. The reason? The sudden appearance of Gates—and even larger, towering structures called Dungeons.

The entire world of Edhen had been thrown into turmoil again.

Monsters, magical beasts, and even low-tier demons poured out, causing destruction everywhere. What was more alarming was that several Legendary powerhouses took notice of the unusually high number of dungeons. They issued a warning—it wasn't a standard Planar Invasion that occurred every 400 years.

The United Council declared it a Global-Level Threat and officially named this age the beginning of the Chaos Era.

Inside her chamber, Jessie flipped through the pages of a newspaper and sighed.

Reports of undead sightings in Rogue Throne... she thought grimly. I know so little about necromancy. If I can gather enough information, maybe—just maybe-I can restore Titus. He's changed completely... If only I'd seen the signs earlier and helped him grow stronger, this wouldn't have happened.

She clenched her fist. The memory of his dead lover and unborn child still haunted her.

And now he's come back as an undead. Damn it... what do I do?

She slammed her hand on the table, frustration bubbling to the surface.

"I can't change the past. But I won't lose him forever either. I'll find a way to return him to his human form."

A knock interrupted her thoughts.

"Come in," she called out.

A young woman in her twenties entered the room. She had long black hair, deep brown eyes, and pale white skin. Clad in a dark robe and holding a book in her left hand, she looked composed yet concerned.

"What is it, Isabella?" Jessie asked, noticing her friend's expression.

"I just received word—Sylvia left the Sun Tower a while ago. She's headed for the airport in a carriage."

Jessie's eyes narrowed. "So, they're finally making their move? Did you see the owl with her?"

Isabella shook her head. "No sign of it. I also did a little digging—turns out she booked an airship ticket under her name two days ago. I have no idea how she managed that without alerting anyone."

"Where's she going?" Jessie asked, intrigued.

"Azure Federation. More specifically, the capital city of Mist Province." Isabella handed her a detailed report.

"Hmm... She seems to be in a hurry. But why? And where did Anangu go?" Jessie frowned, then made up her mind. "I'm going after her. Book me a seat on the same airship."

"But what about your duties as the new Tower Master? The mages in the Tower of Curses are already pushing back. If this continues, the other elven Tower Masters will make things hard for you at the next council meeting."

Jessie let out a weary sigh. Though Anangu had appointed her as the temporary Tower Owner, she held no real authority here. And even worse—she couldn't access the Sun Tower without Anangu's approval.

"Don't worry about the council," she said, waving her hand. "As long as Anangu holds the Core Access Card, they can't touch me."

"I'll book the ticket right away. Be at the airport before 12:30 PM. The airship departs at 1:00," Isabella said and left the room quickly.

"It's 10:00 now," Jessie murmured. "I'll swing by the Amber Bank's local branch and exchange some coins before I leave."

She headed out.

River Cave, Miner's Den Outskirts, Twilight Land, Morris Fire Elemental Plane

A grey-skinned female goblin sat alone in a dim cave, eyes fixed on an emerald-gem-like leaf embedded in the stone wall.

It was Myl.

A month ago, she had been plagued by dreams of her hometown's destruction. The unease grew unbearable, so with Zera's permission, she left Edhen World to investigate.

Using her skills, she slipped into the Miner's Den unnoticed and searched for any signs of danger.

Nothing.

Relieved but cautious, she had made her way to the cavern to return—only to find herself trapped.

"Something's blocking me from entering the Edhen World," she muttered, frowning as she touched the bracelet on her wrist.

Thankfully, she had packed everything she needed for study inside her artifact.

The bracelet—Keeper's Watch—was designed by Runeth for top-tier students of the Rebirth Tower. Only ten existed, awarded only to those who demonstrated exceptional talent.

It had five core functions: analytical scans, space storage (10x10 meters), encrypted communication, auto-map generation via spiritual scan, and a storage library—a miniature illusory archive.

Thank the Tower for this library, she thought as she activated the artifact.

A blue holographic screen materialized above the bracelet, displaying her personal data.

…

[Name: Myl]

Age: 32

Race: Night Goblin

Class: Blaze Sorcerer (Rank-4)

Sub-Class: Hawkeye (Rank-4)

Pathway: Alchemist

Attributes

Strength: 24

Dexterity: 24.5

Constitution: 23

Wisdom: 98.1

Class Spells

Infernal ChainsEmber TouchInferno EnchantmentBlazing ShieldFinger of Destruction

Subclass Skills

Marksmanship InsightForecast ShootingSteady Grip

Additional Skills

None

Affinities

Fire: GeniusArchery: Average

…

Over the past twenty years, Myl had trained under Zera and reached peak Rank-4 as a dual-class Mystic.

"But surviving on my own still isn't easy," she muttered.

She couldn't remain hidden in this cave forever.

Her top priority: gather the necessary resources and ascend to Rank-5 as a Pyromancer.

The only silver lining? This plane overflowed with wisdom essence.

There's more than double the essence here than in Edhen World...

Without wasting another second, she sat cross-legged on the cold floor, closed her eyes, and guided her consciousness into the void.

Slowly, shimmering white wisps began to swirl around her, drawn toward her presence, one particle at a time.

…

23rd Floor, Rebirth Tower, Iron Kingdom.

A blond-haired youth, around sixteen or seventeen years old, stood in the hallway, staring down at the letter in his hands.

It was an invitation, sent by a higher-up from the Magic Tower.

Just looking at it made his palms sweat and his heart race.

He stood at roughly 170 centimeters tall, with fair skin, sharp emerald eyes, and a hawkish nose. Dressed in a black surcoat over a white shirt and pants, and wearing a black hat, he looked clean and composed—but inside, he was far from calm.

He was Zephyr Silvercrest.

It had been nearly two years since he'd joined the Rebirth Tower. Back then, he was just a Rank-1 [Blade Wielder] and had barely scraped through the entrance exam—his only saving grace being a 'High' affinity in an unknown element.

Out of curiosity, he'd tried asking various professors about it. None gave a clear answer.

Left with no choice, Zephyr settled in as an ordinary student and spent the past two years attending swordsmanship classes. Though his rank hadn't advanced, his swordplay had grown sharper, more refined, with each passing day.

As long as I keep training… I might reach Rank-2 in under a decade.

It was a distant goal. In truth, nine out of ten swordsmen with 'Average' affinity never made it past Rank-1 and died as beginner Mystics.

Fortunately, the professors in the swordsmanship department were generous. They even distributed High-Rank Techniques to all students.

Thanks to that, I've improved far more than I expected.

But something strange had happened just yesterday—and since then, his heart hadn't settled.

During class, a professor from the Divination Research Department—Addison—called him in for a private meeting and offered him a job as his assistant.

Then, Addison handed him a sealed letter and told him to head to the 23rd floor to meet someone important.

When Zephyr had asked why, the professor said something that made his whole body go rigid.

"Someone high up in the tower is experimenting with a new pathway. They need a subject."

At first, he'd refused outright. Who would volunteer to be an experiment?

But then came the offer.

Keeper's Watch!

A reward only a handful of people in the entire tower had ever received, granted to those who achieved something truly great.

If he agreed to the offer, that artifact would be his.

And I… couldn't suppress the desire. I took the gamble.

More than the reward, it was the memory of the young man who had once saved him that tipped the scales.

Still deep in thought, Zephyr soon arrived at a tall wooden door painted red and knocked twice.

"The door is open. Come in," came a cold voice from within.

Swallowing hard, he drew a slow breath, pushed open the door, and stepped inside.