Chapter 686 – Crossing Paths, Interlocking (2) #PART2
Flash.
“……My lord!”
Marcelo abruptly sat up in bed. Urgent footsteps echoed from afar.
“Y-You’ve awakened?”
In that brief moment, Marcelo quickly grasped the situation.
‘The Healing School’s private ward.’
So I lost consciousness and ended up being taken care of here. Marcelo opened his mouth.
“Is it Cle?”
“Yes, I am Adept Mage Cle Odia, Tower Master.”
“There’s nothing to worry about.”
“B-but…!”
“No, truly. I’m fine.”
The flow of mana felt unfamiliar, but his body was uninjured. So it wasn’t just an illusion after all. That last moment—Lord Hoyeol’s reversal magic—
‘…To reverse the flow of mana through the body…’
Marcelo added as Cle began to retreat.
“You’re already overburdened filling in for Senior Bellier, and now I’ve added even more to your plate. I’m sorry, Miss Cle.”
“N-no, please don’t say that!!”
Cle blushed shyly at the unexpected compliment. After confirming Marcelo was safe, she promptly closed the door and left.
Thud.
Only then did Marcelo speak his true thoughts aloud.
“You’ve really given me quite the puzzle, My lord.”
A riddle so complex, its very nature remained a mystery.
But Marcelo was never one to give up when faced with uncertainty. That very trait had led him to become the founder of Theoretical Magic, Chief Mage, and eventually Tower Master.
Facing the anomaly, Marcelo smiled.
“Even so, I’m glad.”
Though he couldn’t yet understand it, he could still feel the unwavering warmth of the light. But this wasn’t the time for contemplation. Marcelo intended to rise from the bed immediately.
‘I must confirm the seniors are safe.’
With the Tower Master collapsed, the Magic Tower likely ceased functioning as normal. He needed to stabilize things quickly… but Marcelo couldn’t quite bring himself to stand.
Spin.
His vision spun from the aftereffects of the mana reversal.
“…It’s still too soon, I see.”
Bellier, if you saw me like this, you’d have scolded me for sure. Marcelo lay back down, deep in thought. Maybe it was just his imagination…
‘Wait a moment—what if this reversed mana flow could be applied to reversal magic?’
Defeat. Another crushing loss after the Dragon Magic War. And yet, he didn’t feel entirely bad.
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“Oh my god.”
Schreig muttered in a dazed voice.
At Gaon Guild, not far from the Magic Tower, Nam Cheolmin and Schreig sat face-to-face in the Master’s Office.
Nam Cheolmin opened his mouth heavily.
“We’re the only two who know about the Magic Tower’s situation.”
“…Right. Since we overheard it through the crack in the door.”
“It’s not like Jesse Heiness would go blabbing about a case involving Hoyeol. So if word gets out, it means it was one of us.”
“Are you crazy? I’d never tell anyone about this! But why are you excluding Jesse Heiness? Sure, I know she’s tight-lipped, but still…”
“You’re better off not knowing.”
“Huh?”
A battle had broken out between Hoyeol and the upper ranks of the Magic Tower. And Hoyeol had won—overwhelmingly so.
“Normally, I’d have dismissed that as a ridiculous rumor.”
Even though he had stepped down from his position as Chief Mage, considering the influence Hoyeol had built in the Magic Tower, the idea of him clashing with them was unthinkable from the start.
“I knew he was amazing, but…”
And yet, the opponents were none other than the Magic Tower’s leadership.
But they had proof—system messages. Which meant there was something else they had to talk about.
Schreig shook his head.
“It’s not a bug, but some of the message text isn’t even displaying.”
“Same here.”
“Don’t tell me something happened to that bastard, Raymon Sean.”
You never realize how important something is until it’s gone. Now that system messages were showing broken characters here and there, it felt like his chest was tightening.
Schreig panicked.
“What if, later on, stuff like HP and MP starts showing up broken too? Then how are we supposed to fight monsters? We’d have to rely completely on our senses…!”
Nam Cheolmin, now irritated by the growing chaos, took decisive action.
“You really are different from Taemin, even though you’re both Rankers.”
“…What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I mean, Taemin doesn’t worry about stuff like that. Hoyeol’s said it from the beginning. Stats are just numbers. That’s not the essence.”
Schreig immediately changed his tone.
“Ha ha, yeah, I was just saying. You’re too serious.”
“Yeah? Then that’s fine.”
“…By the way, what are you thinking about so hard?”
Scratch, scratch
Schreig peeked over, craning his neck. Nam Cheolmin, seated on the couch opposite, had been scribbling nonstop for a while now.
In times like this, a player’s superhuman senses came in handy. He could see the densely written words on the white paper.
──────
Defeat of the Magic Tower. Magic Tower lost to the Supreme Commander. What can be gained from this loss? For what purpose? The Magic Tower’s functions have been suspended…
──────
Schreig sighed inwardly.
‘It must’ve really hit him hard.’
The Nam brothers, Taemin and Cheolmin, were the players closest to Hoyeol. So when Hoyeol acted in a way they couldn’t anticipate, it was only natural that the shock would hit them harder than anyone else.
Trying to comfort Nam Cheolmin, Schreig opened his mouth.
“I totally get how you feel. I mean, after the Miracle of London, I felt like I’d gotten really close to the Supreme Commander too. But then, ever since, even when I text him, all I get are one-word replies…!”
That must’ve been the reason.
…Scratch—
But Schreig didn’t get to see the final sentence Nam Cheolmin wrote.
──────
Defeat of the Magic Tower. The Magic Tower in ‘Seoul’ was defeated. Weakening of the Magic Tower’s ‘influence’ over Seoul. The ‘land of anomaly,’ Seoul… Then right now, Seoul is— Wait, don’t tell me this is about ‘that operation’?
──────
The Lord of Seoul…!