◈ Episode 103. The Way Forward

The Elder Mage.

Senios of the Ice Cap.

A high criminal, killed in action at Karimzeva’s disposal.

His memorial was conducted in secret.

“… … damn it.”

Someone gritted his teeth as he said it.

The elder mage of the Magic Tower had fallen.

A grand funeral was not enough.

No more than twenty people mourned him.

The Tower’s internal affairs.

Only the senior mages, and those above them, know the truth. They were the only ones who knew of Senios’s death. I know it was inevitable, but…….

“……I am sorry. Senios.”

In mourning, with mixed emotions.

Marcelo looked at Senios, who was frozen.

‘You seem to be smiling.’

In the midst of an ice cap that would never melt.

Senios was smiling.

As if he had lived a life without regret.

‘But those left behind won’t be able to smile like that.’

But Marcelo kept that in mind.

Senios had closed his eyes because of the demon.

And a demon worshipper.

So the moment the mourning for Senios was over.

Marcelo opened his mouth.

“This has done irreparable damage to the Tower.”

Senios is dead.

There is now only one Elder Mage left in the Tower.

But Senios’ sacrifice was not in vain.

“But now we know for sure.”

Marcelo’s voice was thick with emotion.

“Who our enemies are.”

The emotion was unmistakable anger.

Magic Tower had finally broken the shackles of contradiction and begun to move.

Senios’s sacrifice had given it a destination.

The night before the storm.

A silence that flows like water.

The senior mages didn’t need to speak.

Hadn’t they seen it in the rift they’d first entered?

The demons pouring out.

It was then that they realized that the demons had reached beyond the continent of Arcana and into this world. It was only natural that his mindset would change.

Now that I have a goal, a demon.

I shouldn’t hesitate.

“……I.”

Vanguard could not look at Senios easily.

He felt like a fool for clinging to something so useless.

As if that weren’t bad enough, he’d been tricked by a demon worshipper.

If only I had recognized the signs…….

If only I hadn’t been fooled and told the Tower about it…….

Senios would not have become this…….

Vanguard bowed his head.

For a long time.

It was a high-pitched voice that roused him from his reverie.

“Raise your head, Vanguard Tom, Senior Wizard.”

“……!”

“Excessive silence is also considered impolite.”

It was Ho-Yeol’s voice.

“……, Chief Ho-Yeol.”

Vanguard raised his head and looked at Ho-Yeol.

His gaze focused on Ho-Yeol.

He had been through more than any other mage in this position.

Facing Karimzeva was bad enough.

All the demons called Corps Commanders poured into the rift Hoyeol and Senios had entered.

On top of that, Ho-Yeol had witnessed Senios’ final moments.

‘You must be more traumatized than anyone else.’

‘Just dealing with a demon must have been enough to break his spirit.’

‘If it were me, I wouldn’t even be able to stand up straight…….’

It was natural to worry about Ho-yeol.

My worries were unfounded.

Ho-yeol was the same as ever.

He just stood there, looking at Senios.

There was nothing out of place about his mourning.

With formality and procedure.

Ho-yeol finished his mourning for Senios, unmoved.

The onlookers thought.

‘He must be desperately holding on to his emotions.’

Ho-yeol had always been the chief of the Tower.

Now there was a gap in the ranks.

He knows he must not be shaken.

Yes, Marcelo doesn’t dwell on his grief.

Just as Marcelo had shown him the way forward.

Vanguard sobered up when he saw that.

‘Even Chief Lee is putting up with it…….’

I’m the one who’s bossing him around.

Vanguard hurried over to Senios.

He kept his mouth shut and followed protocol to honor Senios.

“…….”

In truth, neither party said a word.

After Ho-Yeol’s appearance.

The senior mages of the Magic Tower felt a great responsibility.

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I couldn’t help but grieve.

How long have you known Senios?

We were close.

Aside from humanly grieving and blah blah blah.

I had witnessed his end.

My damned pride.

Because my damn pride says there’s no reason to grieve at all.

Because in the end, Senios proved his pride and died.

I remembered the look on Senios’ face. It was a pitiful look, that one. It was the last time he would ever be compared to Karimzeva, frozen in ugliness.

I looked at Senios once more.

I remembered his last words.

-“The last lecture of my life could not have been better.”

I don’t think I deserved that look of regret.

I knew it.

‘Senios, that man is a gluttonous mage.’

‘Considering the nature of his…….’

He’s a last-ditch effort.

He was most pleased, perhaps, that he had defeated Karimzeva with freezing magic.

But my condolences to him are more sincere.

You can’t do what’s not in your heart, even in death.

Because I was also a glutton.

“I’m afraid you’ve had little time to gather your emotions, my lord. Sir.”

Marcelo bowed to me.

No, you don’t have to apologize so politely.

Didn’t I just say that?

I’m a do-or-die kind of guy.

So I replied nonchalantly.

“Don’t mind me.”

Again.

I walked straight on, and my destination was simple.

The lobby of Magic Tower.

I quickly checked the internet to see what the fuss was all about.

Of course, common sense wouldn’t allow me to understand it.

I’m sure everyone guessed the name, right?

The [Broken Dimensional Rift] rift, level 900.

At the time, there were 11 rifts with the same name.

But within a few hours, all of them had been cleared.

“And the players didn’t even realize it.”

Why didn’t players step up?

Simple.

I stopped the portals from manifesting. The [Broken Dimensional Rift] was created in response to a situation inside the tower.

It wouldn’t do any good for the players to know about it.

“So in the end.”

Everyone is bound to be mistaken.

A senior mage in the tower.

No, they weren’t enough.

No one would think that even a senior mage had entered the Rift.

Naturally, their attention will be drawn to me.

“They think I’ve cleared all the rifts.”

There is no such thing as an overestimation or an overestimation like this, really… … !

No, it’s just common sense. That’s it!

Do you think it’s possible for someone to clear 11 rifts by themselves in such a short amount of time?

If it weren’t for the internal affairs of the Magic Tower, I wouldn’t have done it……!

But I knew his pride.

“Humility did not exist for Grandfell. Underestimation would require proof, and overestimation would require him to make it happen.”

I, for one, can blabber on without changing my face.

But with tired pride.

I could not make up words where there were none.

In front of a crowd of people at the Tower.

In the flashes of light.

I could only open my mouth to say

“I will answer only what I can answer.”

As brazenly as I could think of.

“If you have any complaints, please refrain from asking questions.”

*

Ho Yeol’s words are breaking news.

──────

[Breaking] Lee Ho-yeol, “I have entered the rift.”

[Breaking News] Lee Ho-yeol, “I have shut down the portal of the Magic Tower.”

[Breaking] Lee Ho-yeol, “I cleared the rift.”

──────

Lee Ho-yeol agrees to an interview!

Windfalls were pouring in that we didn’t even expect. Today, Lee was not his usual self. Would he answer any questions?

One reporter even asked a sensitive question.

“May I ask what happened to you in the rift?”

Of course, the answer was cold.

──────

[BREAKING] Lee Ho-yeol, “What happened in the rift? I won’t answer.”

──────

But is it because we don’t expect it?

Ho-yeol’s attitude wasn’t the problem.

The world’s reaction to the situation was not much different.

-Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! It’s hard to push and pull

-But he’s gotten a lot better at interviews

-Lol, sometimes he wouldn’t even let us talk to him.

-But isn’t it the reporters who have improved their attitude? I’ve never seen reporters so orderly before.

-Yes, Lee Ho-yeol’s demeanor is always solid.

It’s a rare opportunity.

The reporters were persistent.

Some of their questions piqued the public’s curiosity.

“What was the difficulty level of the rift?”

If we don’t know what happened inside the rift.

I’m going to get around it.

That was the intent of the question.

──────

[BREAKING] Lee Ho-yeol, “To me, any rift is the same.”

──────

Any rift.

In front of any demon.

His attitude never changed.

That’s what he meant.

It was not possible for the listeners to know Ho Yeol’s secret.

-Self-confidence.

-Ho-yeol deserves to say that.

-This time, he showed it with actions rather than words.

It was just an expression of confidence.

Comments updated in real time.

Leonie, who was watching, said in a small voice.

-Why don’t you ask him that???

“…… So why did they shut down the portal?”

The other players didn’t know.

Leonie, Nam Tae-min, and Hisagi. And for Jesse, it was an important question.

Yes, because, as the comments say, Ho-yeol showed more action than words.

‘……I wonder if I can’t even help.’

Why?

Jesse didn’t want to hear Ho Yeol’s answer to that question.

He didn’t want to hear Ho-yeol’s answer to that question.

Maybe he didn’t need her help.

I wonder if it’s no longer meaningful.

“Otherwise, you wouldn’t have shut down the portal.”

Actions speak louder than words.

The portal had been shut down, as if he didn’t need to be pursued, Jesse could guess.

If Ho-Yeol had shut down the portal for that reason, then…….

‘You will answer without hesitation… … ?’

It must be like drawing a line between herself and Ho-Yeol.

She couldn’t be more of a hindrance than a help.

Jesse wasn’t alone in his thoughts.

Everyone in the room was thinking the same thing.

The tension was growing, and the question was asked.

-“Did you have a specific reason for shutting down the portal?”

And without hesitation, the answer came.

-“I’m not going to answer that.”

“……!!!”

Ho Yeol didn’t answer.

We still don’t know why.

But at least it was enough for those who were frustrated.

“So you’re saying we’re going to put it on hold for now.

“Mr. Ho-yeol will keep an eye on it.”

‘…… I’ll catch up really quickly.’

The line hasn’t been drawn yet.

Depending on what we do.

We can either move forward with Ho-Yeol or we can’t.

Once I realized that, it started to make sense.

Tae-min, Leonie, and Hisagi looked at each other.

“……So, this is why you brought us together?”

“Yasss.”

“No, that’s not something you can just say.”

……Well, that’s a bit of a stretch, isn’t it?

Leonie thought to herself.

She couldn’t get the thought out of her head.

Why didn’t he say something?

Ho Yeol said actions speak louder than words.

So he didn’t keep quiet.

A short distance teleport.

Jesse, who had left before she knew it, lifted the brim of his pressed hat.

And then he pointed at the hat. No, he declared to the Master. It didn’t matter what the quest objective was.

“I’ll do my best!”

To be in the same line as Ho Yeol.

Just like the class quest said.

Really, he should be at least an [Archmage].

Was that because of Ho-yeol?

Just like the tower.

Those who set new goals.

And.

What awaited those players on Thursday.

It was the regular update of Arcana.

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『A new region is coming your way.

We are pleased to announce the addition of a new region, Muon, the Holy Land of the Goddess Church.』…….

*.

Goddess Church.

The Goddess Church was the most influential religion on the continent of Arcana.

In the Empire, there was a saying, “When three get together, one of them is always a jerk.”

A jerk.

That was a reference to a follower of the Goddess Church.

The doctrines of the Goddess religion are notoriously tight.

being one of the three at the same time.

It was also a reference to the enormous number of followers of the Goddess religion.

The holy place of the Goddess Church, Muon, had appeared in the real world!

The news of Ho-yeol’s exploits had barely sunk in.

The community was excited to hear the following updates.

-The Goddess Church is full of quests.

-Religions have always been a big chunk of quests.

-That’s a relief for players.

Back when it was just a game.

Religion played a significant role on the continent of Arcana.

In particular, players received a lot of help from the Church.

From basic buffs, to curing ailments, to switching to a healer class.

It wasn’t surprising that players were excited.

“Doesn’t it feel like something is coming together?”

“It is. to the magic tower. Frost in the Kingdom of Yusra. Even Muon.”

“An elite minority, but hey, it’s all there!”

Yeah, it’s weird.

After all those updates.

and you don’t have any reaction.

For example.

click-

Like Ho-yeol, who slowly sets down the teacup.

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I checked the update history.

Muon, the holy land of the Goddess Church…….

A decade and a few years of gaps shouldn’t make you unaware of the Goddess Church, which has been the most powerful religion since Arcana began its service.

And yet.

It’s strange.

The great Goddess religion.

‘Why.’

I stared at the flashing message.

A quest window, to be exact.

[Class Quest: Extermination of Akshan].

Exterminate Akshan and the Demon Hunters.

Last of the Demon Hunters.

Uncover the truth about the Holy Temple.

─Train your weakened body. (Repeat)

Identify the forces that participated in the Holy War. (Ongoing)

Encounter a saint of the Goddess Church. (Ongoing)

Is this related to the quest [Extermination of Akshan]?

As I said.

I have a gap of well over a decade.

So I don’t know what the Holy War is.

Or the truth behind it.

I don’t even know why the Goddess Church came up as a quest objective.

But it doesn’t matter.

Click-

I set my teacup down.

“A matter of procedure.”

Yeah, since the class quest came up.

I’ll figure it out as I goes along.

Just figure out where the quest objectives lead.

Well, maybe along the way.

I might have to dig into the Goddess Church.

“That’s just plain blasphemy.”

But it didn’t matter.

There’s one of the few things me and Grandfell have in common.

“I don’t believe in God.”

Of course, I don’t believe in God, but I do believe in levels.

I checked the status window.

I had a lot of points to distribute this time.