“Waaaah!”
At that moment, I actually brought Jin Bora to the Mage Tower.
…Did she really just follow me?
Is she fearless? Or does she just not think things through?
If a guy you recently met suddenly tells you he’s taking you to a restricted area, shouldn’t you at least be a little cautious?
As we headed toward the Mage Tower, I voiced my doubts, and she just grinned and replied:
“Senior, you seem too clumsy to do anything weird.”
I can’t tell if that’s a compliment or an insult.
Anyway, to enter the Mage Tower, one must have the tower’s emblem inscribed on their body. I explained the restrictions to Jin Bora in advance, and she agreed without hesitation.
And so, I brought her inside. She excitedly looked around the golden lobby before abruptly turning her head.
“Can I take a picture?”
“No.”
“Why noooot!”
I can’t just say, “Because you’re addicted to social media,” right to her face.
“You’re not officially affiliated yet.”
“Then I will be! I’ll accept your proposal, Senior! I’ll work here!”
Internally, I cheered.
Recruitment successful. Honestly, I figured as long as I got her inside the Mage Tower, it was game over.
“You mentioned potion crafting, right? Leave it to me! I’ll even enchant them and make them into perfect products!”
She saluted, pressing her hand to her forehead, and winked.
…Jeez, that was obvious, but I have to admit, it’s kind of cute.
“A new guest has arrived.”
At that moment, light gathered in midair, and Eia appeared.
I had already mentioned her to Jin Bora, but I expected her to be surprised when she actually saw Eia. Instead, she beamed and ran over, clasping Eia’s hands.
“Eia, right? I’m Jin Bora, and I’ll be working with you from now on! Looking forward to it!”
“Yes. Likewise.”
…She’s adapting way too fast.
Compared to how flustered Seojin and I were, this is almost ridiculous.
For some reason, I felt drained and collapsed onto the couch.
“Jin Bora.”
“Yes, Senior!”
She snapped to attention.
“Just so you know, for the time being, all information about the Mage Tower is strictly confidential. That includes the restrictions. Posting pictures on social media or anything like that would be a huge problem.”
“Oh, of course. Do I look like someone who wouldn’t know how to handle myself?”
Sorry, but yes.
“But it’s not going to stay confidential forever, right?”
That took all of a few seconds.
“Not forever. Once we’ve built enough power to prevent other factions from taking over, we’ll reveal it.”
By then, I should be able to adjust the restriction magic as well.
“In that case, I’m totally on board! Timing is everything for things like this!”
She left the subject vague, but I had a good idea of what she meant.
The moment the Mage Tower’s existence is revealed and its reputation peaks, she’ll probably flood social media with selfies and hashtags like #WorkingAtTheMageTower!
Still, as long as she’s motivated to hold back until then, I’ll take it as a positive.
“Senior! Senior! Then I’m the first founding contributor, right?”
“…Founding contributor?”
“It’s just you, me, and Eia in the Mage Tower right now, right?”
“Ah, actually, there’s one more person.”
She pouted.
“Aww, that’s disappointing. I thought I was enough on my own… Who’s the other person?”
“I’m disappointed too.”
Click.
The door to the back room opened, and Jung Seojin walked out, yawning.
“I heard that the Tower Master was bringing in a talented recruit for potion crafting, so I was looking forward to it, but hmm…”
Why does he look so antagonistic already?
With dark circles under his eyes, as if he pulled an all-nighter, Jung Seojin approached and muttered in a low voice:
“Just my personal opinion, but isn’t she a bit too young for an important position? Shouldn’t we bring in someone more mature and experienced…?”
“Excuse me!”
Jin Bora snapped.
“You don’t look much older than me, so what’s with the ageist remarks?”
“I’m twenty-one.”
“We’re the same age!”
“I’m an early-year birth.”
“Shut up!”
…Why are they even fighting?
I decided to explain things to Jung Seojin.
“Jin Bora is an enchantment specialist. She can nearly double a potion’s effectiveness, which will be a huge advantage for our business.”
“Ahem, did you hear that?”
She crossed her arms smugly.
Jung Seojin adjusted his glasses with a disapproving frown.
“Ultimately, potion sales are a matter of volume. We can’t possibly enchant every single potion, so her ability will have limited impact.”
“What are you even saying? We can just sell enchanted potions at a premium!”
“It’s more efficient to spend that time producing an extra potion instead.”
“Do you not understand the concept of scarcity? And you keep talking about mass production, but when it comes to high-end potions, the difference in value with and without enchantments is—”
I gave up trying to stop them. Instead, I asked:
“Do you two know each other?”
“No.”
“Not at all.”
“Then why are you fighting?”
They answered simultaneously.
“Because they’re annoying!”
…I give up trying to understand.
—Humans of Earth are fascinating.
Eia, now beside me, chimed in telepathically.
Agreed.
“Enough arguing, both of you. Come over here. I’m giving you administrator privileges.”
Displayed in my estate window was the list of floors and their administrators.
As the Tower Master, I had the authority to assign administrator roles to others.
Administrators of a floor gained control over that floor and received three unique traits related to their role.
Since both of them were, in a way, the tower’s founding members, I figured this was a good chance to test the feature.
Besides, I could revoke the positions anytime if necessary, so there was no real risk.
I called Jin Bora over first, as she would be managing the first floor.
“Alright, here we go.”
“Yes!”
I opened my estate window.
〈Erendel’s Mage Tower〉
Lord: Kim Yushin
Development Level: Low
Total Population: 2
Mana Reserves: 7,980,074
1st Floor: Potion Brewing Department / [Potion Crafting Officer: None] – Assign a position.
2nd Floor: Grand Archive / [Scribe: None] – Assign a position.
3rd Floor: ???
4th Floor: ???
5th Floor: ???
6th Floor: ???
7th Floor: ???
8th Floor: ???
9th Floor: Tower Master’s Chamber / [Tower Master: Kim Yushin]
〈Territory Unique Abilities〉
- Mana Engine: The mana generator operates permanently, maintaining a constant supply of mana within the tower.
- Shape Memory Alloy: The walls of the Mage Tower are made of a special alloy that restores itself over time after taking damage.
- Natural Regeneration: Those affiliated with the Mage Tower recover stamina and mana faster while inside.
I pressed the “Assign a position” button next to the first floor.
[Select a candidate to appoint as Potion Brewing Officer.]
[Privileges: Potion Brewing Officer Lv.10, Potion Crafting Lv.10, Potion Swing Lv.10]
As soon as I lifted my hand from the inscription, a bluish emblem of the mage tower appeared on my fingertip like a stamp.
It seemed that, just like when admitting students to the tower, I needed to imprint this emblem somewhere on the body. Its shape was different from the entry pass emblem.
“You need to get a new emblem imprinted. Where do you want it?”
“Hmm.”
Jin Bora pondered seriously. No, was this really something to think about…?
“Just put it on the back of your hand.”
“Ehh, but that’s too boring.”
She kept thinking, then suddenly flashed a meaningful smile.
“Is it okay if it’s somewhere a little… indecent?”
“……Hey.”
“Oh-ho-ho! I’m joking. I’ll just put it here.”
She rolled up her sleeve, revealing her arm.
As I brought my finger to her skin, a blue light flashed, imprinting the emblem.
“……!”
I had only expected the emblem to be applied, but her reaction was unusual.
Her eyes widened, and her shoulders trembled slightly before she suddenly collapsed onto the floor.
It was similar to my own reaction when I first became the mage tower master.
“Are you okay?”
“…Ah, yes.”
She was sweating, but she forced a smile.
“I just suddenly felt a strange sensation… It startled me a little.”
Jin Bora seemed to be checking her status window, staring into the air.
A series of expressions crossed her face—surprise, confusion, doubt, and finally, pure joy.
She suddenly let out a high-pitched squeal and started hopping around the lobby.
“Wow! No way! I just got three Level 10 traits!”
“That’s the benefit of becoming a mage tower administrator.”
I immediately checked her status window.
Name: Jin Bora
Unique Ability: Enchant
Personal Traits: [Structural Understanding Lv.4] [Sniper Lv.3] [Versatile Lv.3]
Main Stats: [Agility 78] [Magic Power 45] [Stamina 24] [Strength 10]
Special Stats: [Charm 20] [Adaptability 3] [Leadership 2]
Total Stats: [185]
New Traits: New! [Potion Brewer Lv.10] New! [Potion Making Lv.10] New! [Potion Swing Lv.10]
Hmm, not bad at all.
It wasn’t on the same level as the perks I received as the mage tower master, but all the new traits were perfectly suited for potion-making.
With her unique ability Enchant and now her potion-related traits, she had become the perfect potion-focused player.
As she squealed in delight over her status window, she suddenly approached me and placed a hand firmly on my forehead.
“I pledge my loyalty! Mage Tower Master! This trait won’t disappear somewhere, right?”
“Not unless I take it back.”
“Yahoo!”
Next to us, Jung Seojin silently watched the scene unfold.
He wasn’t saying anything, but he looked quite envious.
“Shall we head to the second floor now?”
“What’s on the second floor?”
“You’ll see when we get there.”
We took the magic circle elevator and ascended to the second floor.
“Whoa!”
The entire floor was packed with books. No matter where you looked, there were books.
Bookshelves were built into the recessed walls, filled to the brim. Books were even floating in the air, seemingly part of an organized system.
This was the Grand Library, the second floor of the mage tower.
If the first floor symbolized potions, the second floor symbolized information.
Jin Bora carefully pulled a book from the shelf, blew off the dust, and checked the title.
“Huh? All the books are written in some weird language.”
“Looks like it.”
Jung Seojin, who had been examining other books, adjusted his glasses with a troubled expression.
“It looks like an otherworldly language. With this, even if we have all these books, we can’t read them…”
“It says The Origin and Habits of Kobolds.”
Both Jin Bora and Jung Seojin turned to stare at me in shock.
…Hey, guys. I’m the mage tower master here.
“Eia, you can read them too, right?”
When I turned to ask, she nodded.
“Affirmative. Language proficiency is a basic function.”
“By the way, anyone who takes the scribe position should also gain the ability to read otherworldly languages.”
At my words, Jung Seojin flinched but quickly regained his composure.
“…Knowledge and data from another world… It’s fascinating, but now’s not the right time.”
“Hmm?”
“Unlike potions, which can only be made inside the mage tower, knowledge is different. Even with restricted magic, there’s a risk of information leaking outside. I understand my own position and background. If I can prove myself more trustworthy…”
“What are you even saying at this point?”
I opened the Territory Window and lifted my finger.
“If I didn’t trust you, I wouldn’t have brought you here.”
“…Yushin-hyung!”
Jung Seojin trembled before suddenly shouting the exact same words as Jin Bora.
“I pledge my loyalty!”
…What’s with everyone today? This is embarrassing.
Well, honestly, if I were in their shoes and someone gave me three Level 10 personal traits, I’d probably lick their boots out of gratitude.
Traits were everything to a player.
Managerial perks were like a Cinderella magic spell, turning an ordinary person into a master of a field in an instant.
I imprinted the administrator emblem on Jung Seojin’s wrist.
A moment later, he checked his status window, his eyes widening. A grin spread across his face—one he couldn’t hide.
It had been a while since I last saw him smile like that.
Name: Jung Seojin
Unique Ability: Iron Man
Personal Traits: [Excellent Businessman Lv.4] [Management & Administration Lv.3] [Perfectionist Lv.3]
Main Stats: [Stamina 75] [Strength 46] [Magic Power 30] [Agility 27]
Special Stats: [Intelligence 9] [Insight 2] [Swiftness 2]
Total Stats: [191]
New Traits: New! [Scribe Lv.10] New! [Bookmaster Lv.10] New! [Information Processing Lv.10]
“Hmph, I’m a little jealous, but I still like managing the first floor more!”
Jin Bora crossed her arms and continued.
“Potion-making is directly tied to money! Compared to that, a bunch of books from another world…”
“You don’t understand.”
Jung Seojin pulled out a book.
“This book is titled The Baphomet Incident of the Kingdom of Arland.”
“So?”
“Don’t you see? It’s the same as the Baphomet Incident that happened in Melbourne, Australia.”
Jin Bora’s jaw dropped.
“If this Overlay phenomenon is making the two worlds align, then these books might let us predict the future.”
“…Oh.”
“Not only that, but there’s information on unidentified monsters and magic knowledge that money can’t buy. This isn’t just any library.”
“Ugh! Are you looking down on the first floor?”
“I’m not dismissing the first floor—I’m dismissing your ignorance.”
The two started bickering again. I just sighed and looked away.
“By the way, Eia. What happened to the continent of Erendel, where the original mage tower was?”
Everyone turned their attention to Eia. She closed her eyes for a moment.
“There are no remaining records, but if I were to speculate… The Emergency Seal function activates only when the tower’s survival is impossible. However, there were no forces in Erendel strong enough to overthrow the mage tower.”
“Which means?”
“It suggests an unforeseen catastrophe. It’s possible that the world collapsed in a short period.”
A heavy silence fell.
If Erendel fell to ruin, wouldn’t Earth eventually meet the same fate?
But worrying about it wouldn’t change anything now.
If anything, we needed to grow stronger to prepare for that possibility.
“Seojin, investigate Erendel’s history when you have time between managing potion distribution.”
“Understood.”
It was too soon to assume the two worlds were following identical paths. We needed more data.
“And Bora, after finishing your academy work, stop by the mage tower to learn the potion recipes.”
“Yes, senior!”
Having more people really made things feel like they were finally running smoothly.
I parted ways with them and returned to the top floor—my personal domain, the ninth floor.
“Now, let’s get started.”
I stretched, opening The Principles of Mage Towers.
There were still many second-stage spells I hadn’t learned yet.
It looked like I wouldn’t be getting much sleep tonight.
