“W-What is that?!”
Thaddeus could not believe his eyes at the sight before him.
A bizarre pillar stood where a Thunder Lightning Strike had struck.
It was a tower made of weapons. From daggers the size of a palm to long spears.
Dozens of weapons were joined together to create towers about 100 meters in height, rising conspicuously throughout the knight’s camp.
Moreover, the ends of the towers split into four or five branches, as if to block the sky like an umbrella without a canvas.
Crackle.
The cluster of lightning bolts that seemed to decimate the knights was drawn towards the weapon towers and flowed into the ground with a blue light.
It was a brilliant response from Raul, utilizing the principles of a lightning rod.
Of course, some of the lightning, imbued with magical energy, escaped the lure of the lightning rod.
“Hah!”
However, the lightning clashed powerlessly with the temporary aura manifested by the three top-class experts, Philip, Jake, and Raul.
“No, it can’t be!”
In terms of level, it was of the 7th circle.
In terms of destructive power and range, it was equivalent to the 8th circle.
This secret technique of the magic tower was thwarted without dealing with a single enemy. Thaddeus, unable to believe it, shook his hands in disbelief.
Perhaps due to the shock, he failed to issue the appropriate next order, leading to a fatal consequence.
“Fire a volley, excluding the front line!”
The First Knights, who had already drawn their crossbows, fired bolts in unison, as if they had never worried about the enemy’s magic.
Given that they had already entered within 50 meters of the enemy, the destructive power of the mana-infused crossbow bolts was beyond imagination.
Pshu! Kwangkwang!
The shield bearers of the Skyler Magic Tower, who had formed a shield line, fell like straw. Some bolts even pierced through the unprotected mages.
But that was not the end.
“Switch the frontline!”
The knights used their inventory to swiftly change their weapons to lances for the charge. Then, Raul and the knights in the rear accelerated and passed through the frontline knights, starting a lance charge towards the enemy.
“With everything, take them down!”
With Raul’s shout, a wave of golden mana-clad lances struck the shield bearers of the magic tower.
Bang! Crash!
“Ahh!”
“Rghrgh.”
The shield formation, already disrupted by the crossbows, lost its balance as superhumans intervened. With the knights crashing down upon them, the result was clear.
The magic shields, painstakingly supplied by the magic tower, were trampled under the horses’ hooves without fulfilling their purpose.
“Ugh, ughh!”
“Spare me!”
When the shield bearers were swept away, the mages, exposed before the knights, turned pale. Even veteran mages who had fought countless mock battles had never experienced knights charging directly in front of them.
Whack. Splat!
They were neither trampled by horses nor stabbed with weapons. Mages who collided with the knights’ charging veil were literally pulverized into bloody pulp and disappeared.
Of course, some quick-responding mages managed to cast shield or defensive spells to survive….
“Futile.”
The lance, imbued with a mana spear, easily pierced through defensive spells below the 4th circle as if tearing through paper. There was no exception for the mages.
Splat! Thwack. Crack.
There was no need to swing the weapons or change direction. Raul and the knights continued their charge, crushing the mages’ formation underfoot.
“Gasp, I’m alive, cough!”
Some high-level mages of the 6th circle or higher evaded the knights’ charge using Blink (short-range teleportation) magic, but it was meaningless.
One mage who fled to the treetops had their ankle grasped by a branch like a snake, and a bolt that flew in soon pierced their neck.
Superhumans, with eyes wide open like hunters stalking prey, immobilized the mages, and the knights finished them off.
‘It’s an easy victory. But that was expected.’
Raul forced himself to reflect on the battle simply. Having already penetrated the enemy line and entered the forest with his horse, his senses detected something.
‘Well, he didn’t seem like the type to stay loyal to the battlefield.’
He sensed three or four mages fleeing hurriedly about 100 meters away in the forest.
Bzzt.
Raul raised his hand to the sky as if there was no need to chase after them.
Swoosh! Crackle.
Hundreds of weapons, charged with electricity and receiving the lightning, flew into the air above the forest.
“Go.”
As Raul gently waved his hand, the hundreds of weapons shot forward like arrows.
Bang!
Part of the forest was crushed and set ablaze, as if a bomb had exploded.
“Tch, I’m a step too late.”
Jake, who arrived stepping on tree branches, grumbled in disappointment, which implied that the enemy power armor users on the right flank had all been taken care of.
Jake and the First Knight Order would not have had any problems dealing with these middle and lower-ranked knights.
“The left flank is also cleared.”
As Philip revealed himself, a magic screen appeared in front of Raul’s eyes.
– The enemy has been annihilated. The mock battle has concluded.
Time until return: 30 seconds
Thus, the mock battle between the First Knight Order and the Skyler Magic Tower concluded.
300 survivors to 0.
An indisputable, overwhelming, and perfect victory.
*
Bang.
“With this, the Perido Magic Tower is officially under the control of the First Knight Order and the Viscount Raul.”
Dario, the head of the Magic Society, pressed the seal firmly and said with a big smile.
“The debt matters are completely settled as well, right?”
When Raul asked comfortably, Dario nodded and turned his eyes.
“Isn’t that right, Elder Thaddeus?”
“Mm. Yes, it is. If everything is done, I’ll take my leave.”
Thaddeus Skyler, frowning as if he’d bitten something bitter, left the room without looking back.
“In the end, the master of the Skyler Magic Tower didn’t show his face.”
When Bernard spoke with a slight smile, Raul also smiled.
“His state of mind wouldn’t allow him to show up at such a defeat confirmation meeting. He wouldn’t want to come out just to lose face, would he?”
It wasn’t bad for Raul either. A 7-circle user was a superhuman equivalent to a Sword Master.
There was no benefit in meeting face-to-face and getting into a dispute. Thus, the takeover of the Perido Magic Tower concluded, and Raul achieved all the purposes of his visit to the Leslie Kingdom.
Bernard and the administrators would handle organizing the vacant magic towers and establishing a branch of the First Knight Order.
The guild branch established there would continue to recruit capable mages and send them to Raul’s territory.
‘It’s about time to return.’
It had already been a month since he arrived in the Leslie Kingdom. Although he had given instructions through video conferences and guild communications from time to time, it was time to return and handle the accumulated tasks.
Knock, knock.
Someone visited Raul’s office.
“Welcome, Vice Tower Master.”
The visitor was the former master of the Perido Magic Tower, now the Vice Tower Master of the First Magic Tower.
“Is the relocation proceeding well?”
“Yes, thanks to the generous provision of guards and personnel, we are managing it smoothly.”
Perido seemed to have regained his previous vigor. His complexion brightened, and with renewed enthusiasm, he looked much younger than his seventy years.
After chatting briefly, Perido cautiously changed the topic.
“By the way, aren’t you curious how the situation with the magic tower happened?”
Raul answered comfortably, as if it were nothing.
“I think the future is more important than the past. And if it’s an uncomfortable story for you, you don’t have to tell me.”
Perido, grateful for Raul’s thoughtfulness, nodded slightly and then straightened his posture.
“There is something I must tell you. But before that, I’d like to introduce someone, if that’s alright?”
With Raul’s permission, Perido called someone.
Creak.
‘Huh…?’
The door opened, and a frail-looking boy with a pallid complexion entered. He seemed to be about twelve or thirteen years old.
The boy, hesitating, scrunched his eyes shut and bowed deeply.
“Ah, hello. My name is Cory, Master.”
“Alright, nice to meet you.”
When Raul acknowledged his greeting, Cory, seemingly shy, hurriedly walked over to Perido and hid behind him. At Perido’s questioning glance, Raul gave a slight nod.
“You may leave now.”
With that, Cory made a clumsy bow and quickly exited the room.
‘… Good heavens.’
Raul involuntarily swallowed as he watched the retreating figure of the boy with his golden eyes.
『Name』: Cory (13 years old)
『Level』: 51
『Occupation』: Mage (4th Circle Beginner)
『Affiliation』: First Magic Tower, Viscount Raul’s Territory
『Stats』: Potential Ability (SS Grade)
『Strength 15』 『Agility 13』 『Endurance 9』 『Intelligence 81』 『Willpower 21』 『Magic 77』 『Perception 78』
*Unique Traits:
Friend of Mana (SS), Prodigy of Magic Circles (S+), Chantless (A+), Unstable Mind (E), Glass Body (F)
A potential ability of SS grade, the first time since Niki. Just looking at the stats and traits, one could easily see he was no ordinary talent. Yet, like Niki, Cory was a name Raul had never heard of in his previous life, nor was there a similar figure.
‘That means…’
A rational suspicion arose in Raul’s mind. And at that moment, Perido, the vice tower master, began to speak.
“Hoo, he might seem a bit clumsy, but he is my youngest disciple. Due to some circumstances, I am only now able to introduce him to you.”
The subsequent story was not particularly special—rather, it was a conventional narrative. An abandoned orphan. Perido, who recognized his talent at a glance and took him as a disciple. And once he joined the magic tower, the boy grew at a frightening pace.
A senior disciple felt threatened by this rapid growth. Moreover, if this boy exhibited extraordinary talent and provided a clue to the ‘multi-core magic circle’…
‘It sounds like a cliched story where a disciple betrays his master.’
In his previous life, Cory would probably have fallen into the hands of his senior disciple, Deroizen. Considering Cory’s clumsiness, he might have lived as a slave in the magic tower until his death, or met an untimely end at the hands of Baedoheon.
But now, such an unfortunate future would not unfold.
“I understand. Continue to care for him as you have. I will also keep a close eye on him.”
“He’s a clumsy child, but he has the most brilliant talent I’ve ever seen. Please cherish him.”
“Of course. Ah, now that I think about it, I know someone who would get along well with Cory.”
Raul suddenly thought of Niki. Having endured years of suffering and recently rediscovered a smile, niki might be able to look after the unstable Cory well.
He hoped the two children, who suffered due to their god-given talents, could find happiness in this life.
*
It had been two months since Baedoheon first passed the Tower of Graduation. During that time, quite a few players, besides the Purple Guild, had also passed the Tower of Graduation and left the confines of the City.
However, it didn’t take long for them to feel disillusioned.
“Where is this merchant caravan heading?”
“To Baron Zeld’s territory.”
“Where on earth is that? I hope it’s not another disappointment…”
Due to its nature, the Free City had no powerful noble families nearby. It was established in a place without strong forces, and territories of a certain size were reluctant to extend their domains near the Free City.
For this reason, players found themselves in a very awkward situation.
“What kind of village is this, so tiny?”
“I went to the barony, and it was just a rural village. Couldn’t even find a decent place to stay.”
“Oh my, a half-day walk to the hunting grounds? So, we’ll have to camp out for sure?”
Exactly. Leaving the Free City, which had the bare minimum of facilities for players, everything became inconvenient.
Towns without proper lodgings or restaurants. Rural areas without hunting grounds. Areas where, if you took a wrong turn, you could end up in the domain of gate monsters that hadn’t been subjugated yet.
Attempting to tackle a dungeon (a stabilized gate) without infrastructure was a daunting task. A high-level survival life awaited, where they had to procure food, clothing, shelter, and consumables all by themselves.
One might wonder if they couldn’t just use a portal to go straight to a big city, but as explained before, unless a player had visited and received entry permission, it was impossible to use portals to travel.
‘It’s not a survival game. Staying in the Free City would be much better.’
For this reason, even after two months, the advancement of players onto the continent had made little progress.
(To be continued…)