Hm, hm.
I overdid it a little.
At first, I planned to keep it moderate and just leave, but the guys whispering behind my back, irritating me on purpose, got on my nerves. More than anything, once I started, it was fun, and I wanted to push myself to the limit.
On top of my new innate ability, Sage’s Eye, the training I had been doing—moving mana to create magic circles—seemed to have paid off.
I returned to my seat and slung my bag over my shoulder.
“…….”
“…….”
Honestly, my image at this school was nothing more than a loud-mouthed, non-combat weakling.
But now, the gazes of my classmates had completely changed—180 degrees, in fact.
Every single one of them had the same expression: What the hell is that?
When I turned my head slightly, they flinched and quickly looked away.
Huh. I guess a day like this was bound to come eventually.
“Hey! Kim Yushin!”
A brown-haired girl rushed toward me noisily, her face filled with shock.
“Are you really Kim Yushin?”
…What’s with this girl now?
“You ignored my texts for three days straight, didn’t answer my calls, and now you show up like this…! What the hell happened to you?”
Oh, right. She was the one who sent me those messages.
Her name was Han Yoon-jung. Since she also had a non-combat innate ability, we had bonded over our shared struggle as weaklings.
“I had my reasons. I’ll explain outside.”
At that moment, the students who had been watching us suddenly swarmed toward me.
“Hey, move aside! Yushin, about that technique you used earlier—”
“I saw it again. How did you do it?”
“Can’t you teach us too?”
“We’re heading out for lunch by car. Wanna come?”
With people coming at me from all directions, Han Yoon-jung was quickly pushed to the background.
…Do these guys have no shame?
The same people who looked down on me all this time were now flocking around, hoping for scraps.
Not that I hated it.
So this is what power feels like.
After a lifetime of chewing on bitter grass, the sudden taste of sweetness on my tongue was a bit overwhelming.
Anyway, I told the buzzing flies that we’d talk later and slipped away from the crowd.
I called Han Yoon-jung out to a quiet café on campus, and we sat across from each other.
“…Your innate ability changed?”
“Yeah.”
I removed the lens from my right eye. When she saw my pupil shimmering with blue light, she gasped and clapped a hand over her mouth.
“Wh-what? It’s real? What kind of ability is it?”
“Simply put…”
I raised my palm and formed a shield magic circle above it.
“I can create things like this with ease.”
“…Wow!”
Han Yoon jung’s eyes widened as she examined the magic circle from different angles. Her reaction was amusing, so I showed her two more spells.
As she chattered in excitement, her expression suddenly turned bittersweet.
“You once said mana is like a flashlight, and innate abilities are the lens. A good lens lets you create things like this with mana, huh…”
Not quite.
I wasn’t convinced by that theory.
It had only been a day since I became a mage, so I couldn’t be sure yet, but I had a hunch—magic was separate from innate abilities.
A skill that anyone could use, as long as they had mana.
A technique that didn’t depend on innate abilities and could be improved through effort.
If the true nature of this power were revealed, wouldn’t the entire hunter world be turned upside down?
“What’s with that serious look?”
“Nothing. Just thinking.”
Shaking off my thoughts, I looked up—only to be startled.
Name: Han Yoon jung
Innate Ability: Coordinate Tracking
Personal Traits: [Precision Calculation Lv.3] [Collector Lv.1]
Base Stats: [Mana 16] [Stamina 10] [Agility 6] [Strength 4]
Special Stats: [Intelligence 5] [Endurance 5]
Total Stats: [46]
…I could see someone else’s status window.
I assumed my detection ability had vanished when my innate ability changed, but I was still able to see it. An unexpected bonus…
“Hey, Kim Yushin.”
Han Yoon-jung suddenly crossed her arms over her chest, her expression frosty.
“Where exactly are you looking?”
“Your status window.”
“You just said your ability changed! You perverted piece of trash!”
…But I’m serious.
She glared at me in disgust, then let out a deep sigh and chugged her coffee.
“Anyway, congrats. If you improve your grades, you can finally go on dungeon expeditions.”
“I’m planning to graduate this month.”
“…Huh?”
She frowned as if she had misheard.
“Wait. You’re not saying—”
“Yeah. I’m taking the early graduation exam.”
“Hey! Kim Yushin!”
She shot up from her seat.
“Do you even know what kind of test that is—”
Murmurs.
Before she could finish, the café suddenly grew noisy.
People were hastily gathering their belongings and hurrying out.
Han Yoon jung checked her wristwatch and gasped.
“Ah, I’m late! We’ll talk later! And don’t do anything reckless, okay? Promise me!”
With that, she rushed off to prepare for her next class.
Left alone, I headed to the student council office.
I took a form and began filling it out.
The early graduation exam application.
I felt a little bad for Han Yoon jung, but staying here for another two years was a waste.
I would graduate this month and get my hunter license.
Once I finished writing, I stepped into the student council office to submit the form. Since it was lunchtime, the room was empty except for a young-looking girl.
“H-hello! This is the student council! How can I help you?”
A first-year, huh? Guess she got stuck with the short end of the stick.
I felt a slight sense of sympathy as I handed over the document.
“Is this the right place to submit it?”
She took my document and, upon reading it, looked utterly shocked. Then, she glanced back and forth between the document and my face.
“Is there a problem?”
She flinched and turned red.
“Oh! S-sorry! This is a request for early graduation, right? I’ll let the administrative assistant know when they arrive.”
Her reaction was understandable.
Seeing the words ‘2nd year,’ ‘non-combatant,’ and the fact that my total physical attributes, excluding mana, didn’t even reach 20—anyone would think I was insane for applying for the early graduation exam.
She must be wondering if I’m out of my mind.
“Well, I’ll leave it in your hands.”
Of course, I had no reason to care about others’ opinions.
Right now, my confidence was at its peak.
I returned to the Mage Tower.
The dazzling golden lobby on the first floor and the various experimental equipment still felt surreal.
While magical research was important, I first needed to understand exactly what this place was for.
Now that I thought about it, I had been too focused on magic circles without considering the bigger picture.
“Eia.”
At my call, a swirl of light gathered in the air, soon forming into the figure of a beautiful silver-haired woman.
“You summoned me, Tower Master?”
“Tell me more about this Mage Tower.”
She let out a small sigh.
“You finally ask.”
“…I know I got my priorities mixed up.”
I tend to get completely absorbed in something once I dive in.
Before diving deeper into magic research, I figured it was time to learn more about this place.
“I have no personal memories, but based on the recorded data, I can explain. As I mentioned in the initial introduction, the Mage Tower was the central governing body for magic on the continent of Erendel.”
“The continent of Erendel, huh?”
The core of the Overlay phenomenon—where monsters from another world began appearing—was that Earth had overlapped with some other dimension.
Could that other world be this “Erendel Continent”?
“The Mage Tower’s influence once spanned the entire continent, including empires and kingdoms. Even an emperor would not dare to defy the Tower Master. Magic was the foundation of economy, military power, and culture itself.”
“Hmm.”
“The Mage Tower was both the birthplace and cradle of magic. Countless spells and magitech advancements originated here and evolved into different forms over time.”
“So, all of that knowledge still exists within this tower?”
“Correct. While I cannot guarantee a perfect recreation of Erendel’s magic on Earth due to differences in mana properties, a significant portion should still be possible. In fact, the fact that you successfully reproduced the three fundamental magic circles is already a promising achievement.”
Heh. No need to flatter me—I don’t give out rewards for that.
“So, what was this first floor used for?” I asked, glancing at the tangled tubes and experimental tools.
“The first floor primarily served as a potion-making facility.”
“Potions?”
This is starting to feel more and more like a game.
Though, given that mana, superhumans, and mages already exist, it’s not that strange for potions to be real too.
But the real question was this—
How valuable would potions be?
As of now, Earth had nothing like a magic liquid that healed wounds when consumed.
There were a few ‘healers’ with recovery-type abilities, but they were extremely rare.
Most players only carried emergency medical kits, and larger guilds typically employed professional medical teams.
Only the most powerful guilds had healers among their ranks.
Now, if I started selling potions in this situation?
‘It would be an instant jackpot.’
Just imagining the money rolling in made me grin.
Plans for how to monetize potions were already forming in my mind.
I even thought of the perfect person to handle the business side of things.
But I decided to put that aside for now.
Today’s priority was learning more about this Mage Tower.
“Now that I think about it, this place is structured like a tower. If the first floor is for potion-making… does each floor have a different purpose?”
“As expected of the Tower Master. That is a correct deduction. Each floor of the Mage Tower serves a distinct function.”
That made my eyes light up.
With a total of nine floors—including the top floor where the Tower Master resides—that meant there were eight other magical technologies waiting to be uncovered.
Just the potion-making alone could earn me enough to last generations.
So what kind of treasure trove did the other floors hold?
“What about the second and third floors? What are they used for?”
“I do not know.”
“…You don’t know? But aren’t you the homunculus that manages the entire tower?”
“The floors above the first are currently sealed. My data and management functions for those areas are also restricted.”
Sealed?
I thought all the tower’s restrictions were lifted when I became the Tower Master.
“Please allow me a moment.”
Eia placed her hand lightly on my forehead, and a new screen appeared before my eyes.
〈Mage Tower of Erendel〉
- Lord: Kim Yushin
- Development Level: Low
- Total Personnel: 1
- Stored Mana: 7,550,000
1st Floor: Potion Brewing Department / [Potion Brewer: None] – Assign a position.
2nd Floor: ???
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: A perpetual mana generator keeps the tower’s mana supply stable.
- Shape Memory Alloy: The walls of the Mage Tower are made of a special alloy that returns to its original form over time, even after sustaining heavy damage.
- Natural Regeneration: All inhabitants of the Mage Tower receive enhanced stamina and mana regeneration while inside.
“This isn’t a status window, is it?”
“It’s something similar. It’s a management interface that provides an overview of the Mage Tower’s status.”
“Ohh. That’s interesting.”
I examined the interface.
Just as Eia said, the second through eighth floors were all marked as “???”.
“Then how do I unlock the seals on the other floors?”
“Rather than hearing an explanation from me, it would be better to check the Mage Tower’s records. Let us go to the ninth floor.”
Eia and I moved to the Tower Master’s chamber.
I used the magic circle elevator to ascend, while she appeared in a swirl of light.
She guided me toward the bookshelves—the same ones where I had found The Fundamentals of Magic.
I browsed through the books, then came across something unusual.
It wasn’t a book but an old, worn notebook.
It looked more like… someone’s journal.
