Magic Monopoly: Reborn as the Sole Magic Tower Master

"I'm from the academy," I said, leaning in close. "Is there any other support coming?"

"…N-No."

"Then how do we request backup?"

"Communication is impossible inside a dungeon," he stammered, his expression still vacant. "The only way is to go outside and…" He suddenly shot to his feet, a mana thread forming in his hand. "I-I'll go request support right now!"

"Bullshit."

'Thwack!'

I smacked the back of his head, hard, then hauled him up by his collar.

"Get a grip, you damn fool! If you leave, everyone here dies! You're a certified hunter, and you're just going to run away?"

His eyes wavered as he rubbed his head. At least he had a shred of a conscience. I let him go and closed my eyes.

'Ea, can you hear me?'

-Loud and clear, Tower Master.

'Send a rescue email to the Hunter Association's emergency disaster control team. Tell them an Irregular has appeared in the Lava Cave dungeon in Yeoju.'

-Accessing the system now. However, it requires a login to send a message…

'Use mine.' I mentally relayed my ID and password. A moment later, Ea confirmed.

-Rescue email sent.

I turned back to the bewildered hunter.

"I just requested support."

"…Huh? H-How?"

"I have my ways. That's not important. What's your Unique Ability?"

"Pa—"

"Paralysis," I finished for him, seeing it in his status window. "A restraining-type ability? You've got to be kidding me."

"H-How did you know that?"

He stared at me, wide-eyed, but I ignored him. I didn't have time to explain my abilities. To think that our strongest asset was a support type… The bald one should have survived.

"There's no other choice," I said, my voice firm. "We'll do the fighting. You just focus on binding the boss. If I see you even think about running, you're dead. Understood?"

"Y-Yes, sir!" he snapped, his posture suddenly rigid.

Then, a look of confusion crossed his face.

"E-Excuse me. You don't seem to be faculty, and if you're an academy student, then I'm technically your senior…"

I shot him a glare so sharp he flinched and took a step back.

"Get your head in the game! Is this really the time to be worrying about seniority?"

How a clueless wreck like him ever earned a hunter's license was the mystery of the century. I knew restraining types were rare, but this was ridiculous. I strode back toward the fight.

'BAM!'

'CRUNCH!'

Seojin was fighting valiantly. A few guild members provided occasional support, but he was taking the brunt of the assault alone. He was dodging and weaving, drawing the monster's attention as I'd instructed, but he was clearly nearing his limit.

'WHAM! BAM!'

"GAAAH!"

And the bigger problem was the lava golems emerging from the molten sea. As large-type monsters, their blows were devastating, and they were difficult to take down. A few players managed to defeat one, only for another to immediately take its place. They were causing more casualties than the Irregulars themselves.

I had to cover Seojin 'and' deal with the golems. This was going to be tough.

'Ready, Ea?' I asked.

-Ready, Tower Master.

Here I go.

Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and let my concentration sharpen to a razor's edge.

* * *

"Everyone, listen to me! I am Kang Hyeon, a certified rank-5 hunter!" The hunter had climbed a small hill and was shouting to the crowd. "The enemy you face is no simple rank-2 boss! We believe it to be an Irregular!"

A wave of murmurs swept through the players as all eyes turned to him.

"To survive, I need every player here to cooperate! I will restrain the boss with my ability. When I do, I need you to focus all your firepower on it!"

His instructions were met with confusion.

"The hunter is playing support? Wouldn't it be better if he just fought it himself?"

"His ability must be a support type."

"Still, it's a hunter's order. We have to follow it."

"Everyone, get ready! We have to try something!"

With a hunter taking charge, the chaos began to subside. We were all trapped here together, a community bound by fate. To survive, we had to fight as one, not flee as individuals. As this understanding settled and the players began to rally for a counterattack, two more lava golems clawed their way out of the molten sea.

"But Mr. Hunter! If we all focus on the boss, what about them?"

"He's right! They're more dangerous than the boss!"

In response, Kang Hyeon pointed to me, where I sat cross-legged in the distance.

"Th-That person said he would handle it."

"What?"

'Don't look at me like that,' Kang Hyeon thought, shaking his head. 'He still wasn't sure why he was obeying a mere academy student. The only thing he knew for certain was the memory of his piercing, ice-blue right eye. The moment their gazes had met, he'd felt a pressure so intense he couldn't breathe. All he could do was nod frantically at my commands.'

My casting began. I sat with my eyes closed as magic circles unfolded around me, bathing the area in a brilliant blue light. As their forms solidified and their glow reached its peak—

With a thunderous roar, a spear of ice shot forth. It struck the lava golem that was trampling a group of players squarely in the head.

'RUMBLE!'

The golem clutched at the spear embedded in its face, roaring in agony before slowly collapsing back into the lava. I didn't stop there.

With each crisp, resonant blast, another of the golems surrounding our island fell. As soon as a spear was launched and its magic circle vanished, a new one formed in its place. Firing and reloading occurred with the flawless speed and timing of a machine.

'Is he really going to fight them all by himself?' Kang Hyeon wondered, staring at my face. 'My expression was cold and hard, my pupils half-dilated. An eerie chill ran down his spine. It was an inhuman level of concentration.'

'This is no time to be standing around.' Kang Hyeon snapped himself out of it and ran toward the boss. 'Fortunately, there were a few other surprisingly strong players here. He would have to bet on them.'

'BAM!'

"Ugh!"

Seojin grunted as he barely blocked another attack, stumbling backward. He was following my orders, minimizing his defense and focusing entirely on evasion to keep the boss's attention. But he was running on fumes. Even the Iron Man ability wasn't invincible; every blocked attack drained a massive amount of his mana.

'RAWR!'

The boss monster was striding toward Seojin when black vines erupted from the ground, instantly ensnaring its body. The monster struggled, but the vines seeped into its skin like a stain, turning it dark.

"Now!" Kang Hyeon roared, having unleashed his Unique Ability. "While the boss is weakened, pour everything you have into it!"

"WOOOAH!"

"FIRE!"

A symphony of Unique Abilities and ranged attacks lit up the temple. Weakened by the paralysis, the boss couldn't dodge effectively and was hammered by the barrage.

"Take a break! We've got this!" a group of tanks yelled, forming a wall of Shields in front of the monster.

Seojin used the opportunity to retreat and catch his breath. 'But this won't be enough to kill it,' he thought grimly. 'It's wrapped in a mana coating. The strength and elasticity are too much for these attacks to break through…'

'Clink!'

A potion bottle bounced off his face. Covered in red liquid, he turned his head.

"…What was that for?"

"What? It's a healing potion," Bora said with a sly grin, waving from behind him.

He couldn't argue, as his wounds were already closing, but the gesture was still irritating.

"AAAAARGH!"

The new tanks didn't last long.

"Alright, ace tanker, break time's over! Get back in there!" Bora shouted.

"…I am not a tanker. I am a strategist who uses his intellect from the rear."

"Oh, come on! Anyone can see you're a tank!"

'CRASH!'

The front line of tanks was sent flying. The boss monster broke through, its eyes fixed on Seojin with undisguised hostility.

"Aah! It's coming! Go, go, go!" Bora shrieked.

'Useless,' Seojin sighed, rising to a combat stance. The boss charged, swinging its twin blade. Seojin met the attack head-on, extending his arms with all his might. The two colossal forces collided, making the very air tremble.

'Grrrrrrrr!'

The hunter's ability was truly remarkable. Seojin could feel a distinct drop in the blackened monster's power. The problem remained: he could hold it off, but he had no way to land a finishing blow.

Suddenly, the monster shrieked in pain. A spear of ice had materialized and embedded itself in its side.

-Tower Master!

Seojin looked up to see me descending from the hill, unleashing a relentless barrage of Ice Javelins.

I didn't even glance at my surroundings. My focus was absolute, my attention fixed solely on casting as I fired spears of frost at the lava golems in a 360-degree arc. A golem's massive fist swung at my back, but a Shield materialized to block it perfectly, followed instantly by a retaliatory spear of ice. Offense and defense in one seamless, deadly dance. On top of that, I was engaging the boss and the golems simultaneously. I was a walking artillery unit.

"WOOOOAH!"

"He's incredible!"

Naturally, all eyes turned to me. I walked toward the boss.

"Everyone, focus on the lava golems. We'll handle the boss."

With the immediate threat contained, I was ready to take over. The boss, which had been locked in combat with Seojin, suddenly changed direction and charged at me.

"…Where do you think you're going!" Seojin roared, exploding mana from his legs to launch himself in front of the monster, cutting it off.

"Yusin!"

Blue Elixirs rained down from the sky. I held out my palm, and they landed in it with perfect precision. I quickly downed one, wiped my mouth, and fixed my gaze on the boss.

"Alright. Let's dance."

Seojin flinched, looking back at me. My voice was cold, my aura as chilling and detached as a machine's. I was a different person.

"Ugh, here we go again," Bora muttered, shaking her head as she joined them.

"Bora, about the Tower Master's state…" Seojin began.

"Yep. Looks like he's in immersion mode again."

"Immersion… what?"

"I saw it at the inn yesterday. Honestly, it was creepy. He had that exact same expression when he was making those four hundred pieces of heat-resistant gear."

Seojin could only stare in bewilderment as I calmly approached the boss.

* * *