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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
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Chapter 170: The Floor Guardian of the Upper Tower (2)
After the Commander of the Crazy Mage Squad left, Agouro cautiously gauged Mahon Sirius's mood, feeling as if he were walking on thin ice.
Despite his usual boldness in speaking his mind even to his superiors, Agouro couldn't afford to do so now.
Who was the person before him?
A Magic Scholar leading the world of magic, one of the three Floor Guardians residing in the highest tower of the White Magic Tower, the pinnacle of all Magic Towers.
Mahon Sirius, the man standing before him, had likely never in his life encountered such disrespectful remarks as those uttered by the Commander of the Crazy Mage Squad.
"..."
The silence stretched on.
Though Mahon maintained a playful smile amidst the quiet atmosphere, Agouro couldn't relax his tense shoulders.
Mahon slowly met Agouro's gaze.
"Official Agouro."
His voice was devoid of any emotional inflection.
Agouro gulped and replied,
"Yes, Tower Head."
"I heard the magic sphere broke?"
"Yes. Yes?"
Caught off guard by the unexpected question, Agouro reflexively echoed the words.
However, he quickly realized his blunder and continued,
"Ah, that's right. Ruin Samael, who just left..."
Mahon lightly patted Agouro's shoulder and said,
"Are you nervous, by any chance?"
"...No, sir."
A playful smile bloomed on Mahon's face once more.
"Then why are you so flustered? Just be yourself. I already know that the Commander of the Crazy Mage Squad broke the magic sphere. Did you check it?"
"Yes. I personally visited the property team a few days ago."
Agouro briefly wondered how Mahon knew about the broken magic sphere, but then he thought it was natural for a Floor Guardian of the Upper Tower to be aware of such things.
"It's very rare for a magic sphere to break. Were there any unusual findings?"
Agouro shook his head.
"There were no signs of exceeding the threshold."
"Did you use a detection device?"
"Yes. I also found that part questionable, so I used a detection device. Strangely, only low-grade mana, the kind found in those eligible for low-level entry permits, was detected. It seems likely that the magic sphere was faulty..."
Mahon interrupted Agouro.
"You might not know because you've only been in the Administrative Office, but it couldn't have been faulty."
"Would you like to check it yourself?"
"No need. If you've used a detection device, then it's certain."
Thud—
As Mahon headed out the door, his enigmatic murmur barely reached Agouro's ears.
"This is interesting... Could it be that the lineage of Mages has reappeared after all this time?"
***
After leaving the Alliance headquarters, I contemplated returning to my temporary lodging but decided to stop by Hote's tavern.
"Brother Ruin, would you like a bottle of moonshine?"
"Thank you."
I poured the moonshine Hote gave me into a glass and reflected on the events that had just transpired.
'Mahon Sirius...'
He was an elusive old man.
Usually, after exchanging a few words, you get a feel for someone, but this old man was different.
I couldn't grasp his true intentions at all.
No matter how much I looked, there was no trace of him having formed a Circle or a Core. However, something felt subtly off.
A Floor Guardian of the Upper Tower.
A Magic Scholar of the White Magic Tower.
First, Hector mentioned him, and then I heard about him from Parin.
As I reminisced, I suddenly remembered what that crazy bald guy from Khaoto had said.
What was it again?
He definitely mentioned something about the Baekga's mental barrier and showed hostility towards the White Magic Tower.
What was certain was that the old man named Mahon seemed to know something.
—I'd like to talk about incantation magic.
His tone, his manner of speaking, his gaze.
He wasn't speaking carelessly.
The White Magic Tower existed 300 years ago and is the only Magic Tower that still stands today.
There had to be a reason why he said such a thing to me.
"Brother Ruin, try some of this."
"Huh?"
Hote suddenly appeared with a plate piled high with something deep-fried.
I picked one up with my hand and took a bite. With a crunch, a savory, juicy flavor filled my mouth.
"Is this fried chicken?"
"That's right. How is it?"
"Delicious."
I immediately took a swig of moonshine and said,
"It would be amazing if you teamed up with Brother Donkey."
"Who's that?"
"A man who dreams of becoming the best chef on the continent."
Hote's eyes widened as he asked,
"Oh, there's someone like that?"
"There is. From what I've seen, it's definitely possible. He's just not well-known yet."
"I'd love to meet him, too."
I shook my head.
"He's in Khaoto, in the eastern part of the continent. It'll be difficult to meet him."
"Is that your hometown, Brother Ruin?"
"It is."
"Then let's go on a trip there sometime. I'm also very interested in cooking."
After finishing my last drink, I casually replied,
"If you two opened a restaurant together, you'd do well."
"Would you like another bottle of moonshine?"
"No. I'm going."
I left the tavern and headed to my temporary lodging.
As I walked, I organized my thoughts about the old man from the White Magic Tower.
Mahon Sirius.
I was willing to meet him again, but I had no intention of being submissive.
As soon as I returned to my temporary lodging, my subordinates, who were meditating in the courtyard, opened their eyes wide and looked at me.
Perhaps due to the effects of the Ascending Dragon Elixir, the flow of mana blooming around them was noticeably denser.
I said to my subordinates,
"Time to go hunting, you fools."
***
The day before the high-level demon realm opened.
After arriving at the regular branch and completing the simple registration process for the Level 1 demon realm, I gathered with my subordinates at a lavish inn in the heart of the city.
"High contribution points are really something."
Zion gave a satisfied smile from the spacious room's bedding, which could easily accommodate fifteen people without feeling cramped.
Indeed, achieving a two-digit ranking made a difference in how we were treated.
Not only was the senior administrator of the regular branch exceptionally courteous, but the registration process was also completed in mere seconds.
The inn we were staying at was also provided free of charge by the regular branch.
Although we had more time than expected, I didn't plan to do anything else today. I ordered my fools to rest for once, instead of training.
The next day, after a good night's sleep, I woke up early and headed to the regular branch. The senior administrator was already there to greet me.
"Head straight towards the barrier with the White Magic Tower in view."
I glanced at someone who greeted me and saw it was the rookie administrator, Bao.
It seemed he had been transferred after Porter was dismissed, and his expression was quite bright.
"Be careful, Commander of the Crazy Mage Squad. No tricks this time!"
I responded briefly and slowly headed towards the western barrier, noticing the sky gradually darkening.
"It's a bit gloomy."
"It's getting darker."
I thought it might be because of the barrier.
Unlike the translucent barrier of the eastern district, the color of the barrier became more pronounced as we moved westward.
As we walked for a while, we started encountering other figures, and at some point, we came across an area with a considerable crowd.
"We're here."
A large branch of the Alliance was established at the entrance of the barrier.
In front of it were various groups waiting to enter the demon realm.
Throughout the vast open space, temporary barracks with the flags of various families and mercenary groups were set up.
Among them were emblems I recognized.
On one side, I also saw mages from the Red Magic Tower.
"Amazing. It seems like everyone has been training here. It looks like a good place for running as well."
Makan said, examining the traces of battles left in various places.
"It does seem like a good place to eat, sleep, and train."
Zion responded.
"Why the hell are they training here? Is it for show?"
Arin replied,
"People often prepare for high-level demon realms well in advance."
I also looked around and nodded.
"They set up their base in front of the barrier, train, and wait for the demon realm to appear. It's a good way to prepare in advance."
There were quite a few people, but not all of them seemed to be waiting to enter.
It was as if spectators had flocked to the news of the high-level demon realm opening.
At that moment, Zion narrowed his eyes and looked at a certain spot.
"There's another guy with a mask."
"What?"
I wondered if that punk Haengsu had come, but there were people wearing completely different kinds of masks.
"Why are there masked guys everywhere we go?"
It was closer to a face covering than a mask.
It seemed like they were wearing it to hide their origins.
After observing the surroundings and assessing the number of people for a while, I happened to look towards the White Magic Tower.
A white skyscraper soaring through the clouds and reaching the end of the sky.
And the barrier extending from the skyscraper.
Within the barrier, which was almost the color of dirt, I could see a small, shimmering gap.
'That's it.'
The demon realm mentioned in Kant's report.
"Ahem. It's a restricted demon realm."
Turning my head at the sound of the voice, I saw an unexpected person standing there.
"Chano?"
Why was he suddenly here?
Chano, who kept clearing his throat with an embarrassed face, finally spoke,
"I apologize."
"Where were you? I couldn't find you."
Chano replied with a flushed face,
"After that day, I was too ashamed to hold my head up high. I'm the leader of a mercenary group, but I apologize for showing such a pathetic side."
Zion looked at Chano with disapproval.
"Hmm."
Chano met Zion's eyes.
"I'm sorry. Samael's investor."
Zion's expression suddenly softened as he looked at Chano.
"That's right, I'm the investor. It's okay, Brother Chano. It's alright to run away. It's actually the right thing to do when things aren't going your way."
"..."
"I mean it."
Makan patted his chest and looked at Chano.
"That's right. No need to hang your head. It's commendable that you came back. The courage to be ashamed is also a great courage."
Chano replied with a touched expression,
"Thank you all."
As I silently looked back towards the barrier of the White Magic Tower, Chano spoke as if he had been waiting for this moment.
"...It's a demon realm more dangerous than a special-grade one. It's a demon realm that the White Magic Tower officially declared off-limits. It's been open for a while. After the dispatched investigation team was completely wiped out, the White Magic Tower blocked it off with a barrier. I heard it's an incredibly powerful barrier, on par with the one in the northernmost part of the continent. Where did I hear this, you ask? Well, I heard it when I was with the LA mercenary group, and..."
A group from the Alliance was walking towards us from the direction of the regular branch.
The man at the forefront was the head of the regular branch, the red-bearded mage from the Red Magic Tower I had seen before.
At the same time, the Ki of the groups waiting in twos and threes in the open space changed.
"It seems like it's about to start."
The head of the regular branch stopped in front of the demon realm.
Meanwhile, the groups about to enter gathered in the center with solemn expressions.
After receiving the final report from the investigation team leader and checking the barrier, the branch head nodded and raised his hand high.
"Entry is permitted. Those registered on the list, please come forward one by one."
This time, I was the first to pass through the barrier.
After the identity verification process and presenting my entry permit, I stepped inside. Once again, I was greeted by an ash-gray sky.
At the entrance of the tomb in front of me, a dark black crack swirled.
At first glance, it didn't seem much different from a low-level demon realm.
"Commander, why the long face?"
But as we got closer, I could instinctively feel it.
A burning sensation as if a mark was being etched onto my heart.
Here, it was clear.
The presence of demonic energy could be felt.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
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