NOVEL NEXT Chapter 54
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Luka: Is today the day the bulletin board closes? But it still looks fine.
Jun: Ebron has already left.
Luka: Oh, the boss. That guy’s already gone? Then it’ll probably cut off soon.
Nadia: You were on the bulletin board. It’s been a week already—why haven’t you given out the scores yet?
Nadia: If you lost the duel, you should accept it. You can’t just run away like that.
Luka: Ah, I think it’s cutting off now. I can’t see anything.
Nadia: Such an obvious lie in your eyes.
Nadia: Hurry up and enclose the scores and apologize to our ‘Safe Hiking Club.’
Nadia: Hello? A response… (signal cut off)
I passed through the cave and reached the underground. The view opened up, and an upside-down city began to appear.
The city looked exactly the same as before. Yet, it felt slightly new.
When was the last time I visited this city? I pondered, recalling my memories. I hadn’t visited since I went to Professor Heisen’s last lecture, so it had been nearly six months.
Memories of my first visit flooded back. I was in awe at the bizarre sight of this city. Though I mostly wandered around the lower levels and hadn’t really seen much.
A temptation to visit the upper levels stirred in my heart. But I shook my head, forcing that thought away.
Although I had plenty of scores now, I had no clue how much the necessary items would cost. It was better to save points whenever I could.
Thinking about the scores, the Mirror Bug in my pocket came to mind. It displayed the points I had.
18,021 points.
It was an enormous sum I had never had before. Though, honestly, it didn’t feel that real. Points didn’t exist in physical form like gold or precious stones.
Still, it was undeniably a huge number. Once I built the structure to earn points, they started pouring in.
This was just from dealing with a couple of hundred people; I couldn’t even imagine how many points the city operators must be raking in.
18,000 points. Surely a big score. But even that didn’t feel sufficient. I worried that it might not be enough.
I couldn’t even figure out what I actually needed. Something to hold the information about the Shadow Tree? No one in the Tower could answer that question.
Except for Professor Ilian. She said she had something quite useful. Then she pulled something out of a crack in space.
Seeing that made my mind blank, and I couldn’t remember anything else. The only thing that fleetingly passed by was her looking at me with disdain.
Thinking back on that shape made my head throb.
Let’s not dwell on that anymore.
I shook my head to clear my thoughts. Anyway, it was this situation that made me think something might be found in this city, prompting my visit.
I fiddled with the medal in my hand. There was a swirling pattern engraved within it.
This was the medal left behind by Hwa-ryeong. After trading for Professor Ilian’s lecture spot, she gave this to me, saying it would signal when she would come.
I remembered her keen ability to grasp all my intentions from our first encounter. Surely she could tell me the materials that would meet my desired conditions.
Besides, she was a person related to the powerful Hongryeong family, so maintaining this connection could only be beneficial. That was why I brought this along.
Just then, I felt the wind carry me up, lifting me into the air. The magical energy flowing towards the city gently wrapped around my body. There were still many people queuing at the city entrance.
I stood in that line, observing those around me. I saw many who seemed stronger than me. But there were also quite a few beneath them, sporting somewhat awkward expressions.
Oh, could it be the time for new students to arrive? After estimating the date, indeed, it had been over a month since the twelfth lecture ended.
This marked the third time I was seeing new students since my own enrollment. I hadn’t even thought of such things before. I barely managed to look after myself.
It meant that they would soon register for classes. They would pour all their points into the professors with open lectures, just like I had.
Thinking about it, more than half the lectures were already over. Only eight more lectures remained. Once those were done, the students would all leave.
As I contemplated that future, the line quickly shrank. I passed through the checkpoint and entered the city. The underlying darkness and dampness of this city still remained unchanged after all this time.
I headed straight towards the center of the city. The flow of people originating from the pier continued all the way there. I gazed up at the colossal sign reading Arcana General Meeting.
This was my first visit since I sold the lecture spot. Even when I needed something, I usually just stopped by a street vendor or private shop, so I hadn’t been compelled to come here before.
Swallowing hard, I slowly made my way inside. The building was divided into paths for buying and selling. Last time I had entered the selling path.
So what would the opposite side be like? Considering that, I stepped into the buying side. At that moment, the space shifted, and everyone vanished.
Simultaneously, the medal shone, sending magic somewhere.
I glanced around. It was a small room with just one desk. It looked very much like the place I’d visited last time.
Is everything like this? The upper levels might look different. With that thought, I walked forward and sat in the chair placed in front of the desk. Since the medal sent a signal, someone would appear.
Soon, a woman opened the door and entered the room. Upon seeing me, she beamed with a bright smile, though her eyes still held a sharpness.
“It’s been a while. I am Hwa-ryeong from the Customer Service Department, Level 2 of the Arcana General Meeting. Thank you for calling me.”
She bowed her head. I reciprocated with a nod and a greeting. As I casually glanced at her chest, I noticed a golden name tag attached that hadn’t been there before.
Level 2 Employee, Hwa-ryeong.
“You’ve been promoted since I last saw you. Congratulations.”
Last I remembered, she was just an intern; her position had changed significantly. At my congratulatory words, she covered her mouth and laughed.
“Oh, it’s mostly thanks to Ebron. I’m just grateful.”
I didn’t quite understand what she meant by that. Blinking in confusion, she poured me a cup of tea.
Seeing that surprised me. A flower had bloomed inside the teacup. It was a little rough around the edges, but it was undoubtedly the magic of my ‘Perfect Tea.’
“This is all the rage in the city these days. It’s magic created by Ebron. The structure is pretty simple, so I could easily grasp it. I even marveled as I had some myself.”
She poured tea into her cup while smiling. Savoring its aroma, she continued speaking.
I felt my face stiffen.
My magic had spread this far, throughout the city. It had clearly leaked from the Tower. Since it was cheap magic listed on the bulletin board, it naturally flowed into the city. I had anticipated this.
But that wasn’t the important part. There had to be a reason she was showing this to me intentionally. I couldn’t guess what it was.
For now, I forced a smile back on my face. I tucked all my worries to the side of my mind. I could think about it later. For now, let’s focus on Hwa-ryeong in front of me.
“I’m glad to be of help.”
She rested her chin on her hand and stared at me intently. Her eyes sparkled with interest.
“I’ve been hearing amusing news coming from your side lately. Like this magic, and the intriguing rumors about events happening at the Tower. Stories about how my sister was chased by the first-floor Mage, for instance.”
“Is that so.”
That was about Jun. I understood why that spread. A vagabond defeating a powerful family’s Mage? What an enticing story!
“He’ll be picked up by another organization afterward. After successfully accomplishing such a difficult task, it’s only to be expected.”
She continued after that.
“Of course, at the Arcana General Meeting, we’re more interested in Ebron than him.”
“You mean me?”
A massive organization ruling this city showing interest in someone like me? I was shocked and couldn’t help but ask.
“The Mirror Bug you created, Ebron, is quite a useful item.”
She laid down a piece of paper on the desk. Then she took out a pen and started writing several numbers.
“Actually, we’ve done research on things like that ourselves. We have some decent results. But then there’s the cost problem. Magic and materials are both issues. So most end up giving up because they can’t bear the costs.”
She smiled. The numbers written on the paper seemed to indicate points. Most of them were over ten thousand.
Next to that, the cost for making a single Mirror Bug was noted. 25 points, the total for the materials needed.
“In that regard, you’re quite special, Ebron. I’ve examined that Mirror Bug doll, and it’s structured in a way most Mages find difficult to create. I believe it’s due to a unique magic.”
My body stiffened. Had they figured out my doll so thoroughly? It had only been four months since I made the Mirror Bug. And yet, they had even seen through my unique magic. I had completely missed that.
Noticing my tension, she responded with a gentle smile. Her eyes sparkled with intrigue.
“That has actually happened quite a few times before.”
She flipped the paper over and drew a huge circle. Then she marked several small dots inside and connected them.
“Once upon a time, this paper represented a connection that spanned across all towers and cities of the university, transcending spaces. That was due to a person’s unique magic.”
“But why is that no longer the case…”
I trailed off, wondering. Could there have been some problem? She flashed a smile as she continued.
“The person graduated.”
“Graduated?”
I repeated in confusion. That was an unimaginable reason.
“Yes, it’s unfortunate. If that hadn’t happened, everything would have been so much easier. Haven’t you seen the teleportation gates across the continent?”
“Ah.”
I recalled the massive teleportation gate in the university city. It transported people and goods across the entire continent. So it originated from the university?
“That was the result of that person graduating from the university. Thanks to that, humanity made significant progress. And it became easier for Mages to come to the university.”
That made me reflect for a moment. The first appearance of teleportation gates on the continent was over ten thousand years ago, and they had endured even longer than the current emperor.
And just as Hwa-ryeong mentioned, they continued to emerge.
I had always assumed they were made within the empire. However, to learn that a Mage who had lived for over ten thousand years was maintaining them was beyond my imagination.
“People with such interesting magic often come to the university. So it’s only natural that there would be interest in you, Ebron.”
I could only blink in response. I couldn’t quite grasp their intentions, but one fact was clear.
These people understood me better than I understood myself.
I felt a tad bewildered. I had just come here looking to obtain something that could help with my magic, yet I was hearing all this.
After briefly scanning the surroundings, she leaned in closer to me. Then, she whispered quietly in my ear.
“So be careful. A powerless pig never knows when it’ll be eaten.”
Once she finished that, she smoothly pulled away as if nothing had happened.
“Let’s end this conversation here. Shall we discuss the transaction now? Could you share what you need that made you come here?”
With a new piece of paper in hand, she looked at me and smiled brightly. I had no choice but to awkwardly smile back.
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