Magic Monopoly: Reborn as the Sole Magic Tower Master

Gwak Chanhee was a veteran scout. Though he'd been fired from the Grimoire Guild for failing to secure Yusin, he was now aiming for a second golden age at a hunting ground management company.

'Yusin again? Fate really seems to tie me to this kid.'

Surprising news had come in. The very same guy he had failed to recruit had now acquired the operating rights to an entire hunting ground. And not just any hunting ground—a grade-3, a rarity in the country. It was close to Seoul, and its primary monsters had clear weaknesses, meaning its value was enormous. It was prime real estate. He had to win the management contract.

'This time, you won't be able to refuse!'

Chanhee knew Yusin's route to school. Just as expected, the bus he often took stopped, and Yusin stepped out.

"Kim Yusin!" Chanhee called, rushing forward.

Yusin looked at him with an expression that screamed, 'You again.'

"I'm still not interested in joining a guild."

"Hahaha! That's not why I'm here. I have a new proposal for you today."

"A new proposal?"

"I heard you recently acquired the operating rights to a hunting ground."

Yusin flinched. Seeing that reaction, Chanhee was one hundred percent certain the rumor was true.

"That's incredible! Your recent moves have been nothing short of meteoric! First your performance in the Lava Cave, and now resolving a dungeonization disaster!"

"…Ah, yes."

"But as an industry veteran, let me offer some advice. This hunting ground will require a lot of your attention. May I ask how you plan to manage it?"

"Well, I can't be there all the time, so I'll have to hire a company."

"Oh my! Then you must hurry! The Association only gives you a two-week grace period, and it takes at least a week for a management company to set up even the most basic infrastructure. In reality, you only have about two or three days to decide!"

"You're right."

"If the system isn't established after two weeks, the Association will deem it too risky for an individual and revoke your rights. It's infuriating, but what can you do when lives are at stake? Haha!"

Seeing Yusin's expression harden, Chanhee felt he was eighty percent of the way there. They had already passed the school gate and were walking across campus. Yusin maintained a brisk pace, and Chanhee, though panting, struggled to keep up while delivering his pitch.

"Now, for my proposal. I am Gwak Chanhee , a scout from Hwaseong Planning." He held out a new business card. "We specialize in proxy management for hunting grounds. You know the Berad Hunting Ground at Chungju Lake, right? That entire area is under our jurisdiction."

"I see."

As they entered a building, Chanhee continued his lengthy explanation. "If you entrust your hunting ground to us, we will have it perfectly prepared within the one-week deadline."

"So you want to exclusively manage my hunting ground?"

"Yes!"

"Then come on in."

'Click.'

Yusin opened the door to a seminar room. 'Finally, we're getting to the contract,' Chanhee thought, about to pull a pen and contract from his bag at lightning speed.

'Murmur, murmur!'

But the room was already filled with people.

'What is this?!'

Chanhee looked around in bewilderment. Their rival, Metro Cube, was there, along with Songjeong, P&B, and even Vanzev, the hottest dungeon management company on the market. He awkwardly slid the contract he'd started to pull out back into his bag.

"Looks like everyone's here," Yusin said, taking a seat at the head of the table. Beside him, Seojin, wearing sunglasses, stood at attention. "Shall we all discuss the terms of the contract now?"

Before he even finished, people with flushed faces were shooting their hands up, shouting out massive contract terms and signing bonuses.

"Seven-year guarantee, an eighty-twenty split!"

"Hey! What kind of hunting ground do you think this is, throwing out numbers like that? Seventy-thirty!"

"We'll offer seventy-thirty, and we'll cover all operating and miscellaneous costs!"

"There they go again, those vultures!"

Chanhee stared around, dazed, before hanging his head. The proposal he had brought wasn't even in the same league.

'F-Failed again…'

His new job was already on the line.

* * *

Korea Hunter Academy Student Council Office

"Doesn't the school feel a little chaotic lately?" a female student mused, painting her nails on the sofa.

A male student sitting opposite her replied, "It's because of that second-year, Kim Yusin." The guy, Seunghyun Kim, a third-year and head of the General Affairs Department, was chuckling at a game stream on his tablet. "First it was scouts at the front gate, now it's hunting ground management companies? What on earth is that guy up to?"

"How should I know? More importantly, don't you think he's a bit arrogant?" said Seulah Yoon, the head of the Operations Department, blowing on her nails. "It's not like we're his personal assistants. Lending him a seminar room, issuing parking passes, providing refreshments… He should really handle that stuff off-campus."

"Hup!" A broad-shouldered man doing core exercises on the floor sat up. It was Oh Ho-seung, the fourth-year head of the Athletics Department. "Meeting with outsiders is a duty of the student council. Besides, there's nothing wrong with one of our students making a name for himself. Think of it as a good thing."

"Hmph." Seulah turned her head away, and Seunghyun smirked.

"Our dear head of Operations is just salty that a mere student became a dungeon owner. You're just jealous."

"Shut up!"

As they bickered, the door clicked open. All three turned simultaneously. A female student with striking red hair walked in.

"Ms. President!"

"Welcome back."

"We trust your long-term dungeon expedition was a success!" Hoseung rushed over to take her coat and hang it up.

She took her seat. "The conversation you three were having…"

All three of them stared, wide-eyed.

"…has piqued my interest."

The student council president—a woman so cold she was practically a sociopath—was 'interested' in something?

"Ah, well, what happened was…" Seulah began to tattle, eagerly recounting the story of Yusin.

As she listened, an unreadable expression on her face, a faint smile touched the president's lips. "I see." She turned her gaze. "Head of General Affairs."

"Yes, Ms. President."

"This Kim Yusin… I would like to meet him as well."

* * *

"Okay, success so far!"

I maintained an incredibly serious expression as I held a magic circle floating in the air. Ea was diligently assisting me by my side.

"Geez, Yusin! Are you doing this again in the middle of a meal?"

In stark contrast to our intense atmosphere, Bora and Eunsol were slurping down freshly cooked jjajang ramyeon nearby.

"Just this one last thing. I'm in the zone right now," I replied, refocusing. "I'm letting go. Maintain this form."

"Understood, Tower Master."

I cut off my mana flow, and Ea took over sustaining the circle. With the burden lifted, I took a breath and examined its overall state.

"By the way, Yusin, what kind of magic are you developing that requires so much effort?" Bora asked.

I smiled and pointed at the circle. "Take a look at the structure. How many circles do you see?"

"There's one big one with two smaller ones inside, so… a third-order spell! Right?"

"Exactly."

I had already mastered most of the essential first and second-order spells. It was time to challenge a new realm. Hearing my explanation, Bora tilted her head.

"Is third-order magic that difficult? In theory, it's just drawing three magic circles, isn't it?"

"I wish it were that simple."

Creating an ecosystem with two orders versus creating one with three were on completely different levels of difficulty. For one thing, I had never once succeeded with a third-order spell.

"Alright, here I go."

I began to interfere with the magic circle Ea was maintaining.

Output formula: nominal. Operational formula: nominal. Currently, the three orders were functioning as independent formulas. My task was to integrate these separate output formulas into a single, cohesive magic circle. I manipulated my mana, modifying the formulas within the circle one by one. This was an extremely delicate process. In magic, changing a single rune could turn an attack spell into a support spell.

'Alright, stay calm.'

Focusing as hard as I could, I completed the formula and issued the 'execute' command to the waiting circle. It erupted in a brilliant blue light as the three formulas connected into one.

"Yes! It worked!" I clenched my fist. Bora and Eunsol cheered.

"So cool! The letters keep attaching and detaching!"

"Is it all done now?"

"This is just the beginning." I wiped the sweat from my brow, about to move on to the next step when—

'Crackle!'

A spark erupted from the circle. A problem had suddenly occurred in the very fusion I thought had succeeded. Magic Circle A and Magic Circle B had merged perfectly, but in the process of fusing with Magic Circle C, they had instead devoured its domain. For a third-order spell to work, all three had to maintain a perfect balance. As it was now, it was a defective product—worse than even a second-order spell.

In the end, the bloated magic circles A and B overloaded. With a shower of harsh sparks, the entire construct scattered into the air—the inevitable fate of a system whose balance had collapsed.

"This marks your 1,572nd failure, Tower Master."

"Ugh," I groaned.

This was the core of the problem. No matter which method I tried, combining three magic circles always resulted in at least two of them clashing violently.

"Yusin!"

Eunsol came trotting over, handing me a bowl of jjajang ramyeon.

"Cheer up!"

I patted her head, took the bowl, and sank down at the table.

"I guess I'll just have to get a feel for it by challenging the Trial," I sighed.

"Oh, so you're finally going to open the next floor?"

"Yeah."

I'd been putting off the third floor because I already knew its restrictions from Anton's diary.

'All currently possessed third-order or higher magic will be sealed.'

The setup seemed similar to the last one. It wasn't a ban on third-order magic itself, just the spells I already possessed. The solution was obvious: I'd have to fight with second-order magic, develop a new third-order spell 'during' the Trial, and use it to clear the challenge.

I had hoped to master the basics before going in, but at my current skill level, that was impossible. To break through to the next order of magic, I needed a direct epiphany, and an insight like that wasn't something I could find just by holing up in the tower and practicing endlessly.

"Yusin! You're doing it again!"

Crap. Bora's nagging snapped me back to reality. I was frozen, chopsticks in hand, a mouthful of noodles halfway to my lips.

"Jeez, what kind of focus is that? No, wait, isn't that a problem in itself?"

"Sorry," I mumbled, offering a weak excuse. "I was just lost in thought." I quickly slurped down the noodles. 'Damn, this is delicious.' I devoured the rest of the bowl and stared up at the ceiling.

"Forget studying ahead. Starting today, it's time for some serious level-grinding."

"Ooh! I heard your stats go crazy inside a Trial! I want to come with you!" Bora exclaimed.

"Sorry, it's exclusive to the Tower Master. No one else can enter."

Bora pouted. "Ugh, I'm so jealous! A private hunting ground… The Tower Master gets all the best perks, doesn't he?"

I chuckled, leaning back and lacing my fingers behind my head. "You wouldn't be saying that if you'd ever been turned into a human pincushion by a volley of arrows."

"…What?"

I decided it was best to offer no further comment.