◈ Episode 23. No Objections (1)

“From now on, the regular meetings of the Wizard’s Tower will resume.”

The symbol of Korea, the Wizard’s Tower.

More than just a portal.

I had decided to pay it a visit sometime.

The reason was simple.

“There’s not [skill] there, but [magic].”

Like a portal.

There’s a magic that can properly utilize the talents of Grampel.

But a regular conference?

Not to mention the ten-year gap.

Even though I’m mostly using magic now.

My class has always been demon hunters.

“What’s a regular meeting?

The workings of wizarding society, of course.

That information was scarce.

But it didn’t matter.

“Good, I was just about to drop by.”

It’s not like I’m the kind of person who’s going to go and poke around, is it?

Even if it was a strange wizard’s tower.

Like a model on a runway.

I could feel myself strutting around.

A regular conference.

I don’t know what I’d get out of it, but I’d certainly have nothing to lose.

“His innate magical talent was such that he could mimic any spell he saw.”

Count Ascura.

Number four on the list, Jesse Heinness.

Looking at them, he realized his own inadequacies.

I’m not in a position to cover up a hot meal with a cold one.

“I must prepare.”

From now on.

It wouldn’t be strange if the regular meetings started at any time.

I live and die by formality and procedure.

To me, tardiness was an unacceptable behavior.

I immediately began preparing to go to the pagoda.

Well, I guess you could call it preparing…….

Dalgrak─

“Procrastination is a bad habit.”

Aside from washing the dishes.

*.

Wizard’s Tower.

Klee, a journeyman mage, pressed her robes together.

It was to hide her excitement.

“My heart is pounding……!

Ever since the Wizard’s Tower was summoned to the Adventurers’ World.

He focused on figuring out the cause.

The tower was not rolling properly.

In the meantime, the regular meetings have resumed.

It was the decision of the tower’s owner and other higher-ups, and as an adept mage, she couldn’t figure out why.

“I wonder if they’ve figured something out? I’m excited.

But she is a mage in a pagoda.

The pure exploration of magic is her first priority.

She couldn’t wait for the regular meetings.

Klee’s role today was that of an adventurer, or more precisely, a guide to the invited adventurers.

It wasn’t a particularly difficult task.

“Everyone, you know enough to know.

It’s a regular meeting of the Magic Tower.

A conference where at least adept mages could present their thoroughly tested research.

Naturally, not just anyone could get an invitation.

“……But the tower is crowded today.”

On a staircase in thin air.

Klee looked at the crowd gathered in front of the portal.

Most of them were adventurers.

He hated the noise, but…….

It was unavoidable.

“The Yusra Islands have been discovered.”

The Yusra Islands.

The name had appeared a few times in old magical texts.

It had been a very wealthy kingdom in the past.

“I hope they brought some decent magic tools with them.”

The legendary Treasure Island.

But not Klee, the wizard of the Magic Tower.

It was natural for her to be more interested in tools than gold and silver treasures.

Anyway, it was almost time for the regular meeting to begin.

“Not much to do, after all.”

All thanks to illusion magic, right?

Klee shrugged innocently.

The players couldn’t see her like that.

As she said, it was thanks to the illusion spell cast on the tower on the day of the regular meeting.

Matap’s regular meeting.

Its reputation is as great as its results.

Its confidentiality is essential.

This is why only those who are invited are allowed to attend.

“If I didn’t have an invitation, I wouldn’t be able to walk up these stairs without being noticed, let alone be recognized.

Of course, there were special rules for that.

If anyone saw through this illusionary magic.

A stipulation that one could attend regular meetings without an invitation.

But that was a mana rule, wasn’t it?

‘It’s a pagoda master’s illusionary magic!

It didn’t make sense that someone who had reached such a level shouldn’t be invited to the conference.

Klee’s shoulders slumped even more.

I feel like I just became a great mage for nothing…….

“They won’t even hear my voice.”

I should take this opportunity to talk to myself a lot.

Silent stupor.

Sometimes I felt like I had cobwebs in my mouth.

Another time.

It was then.

“……?”

The sound of heels.

Or, more accurately, the sound of stairs.

Klee’s robe-clad head tilted.

“……I assume all the invited adventurers are here?

Including Jesse Hynes.

The invited adventurers were escorted to the location of the conference.

And Cle, of all people, would be the one to lead the way.

So, who is this guy?

“……Maybe you can tell by looking at his face.

Maybe he’s not an adventurer.

Klee tipped back her robe and looked at the man.

Silver hair.

Black eyes.

And a long, flowing coat……?

No, he was definitely an adventurer.

Klee, who had been relaxed, began to panic.

“What, did I make a mistake?!

Did I check the invitation list wrong?!

Klee pulled a parchment out of her robes and checked it.

“……No new adventurers have been added!”

Then who the hell is this, that……?

Then the man spoke to Klee.

“I wish to observe the conference.”

“That……. Can you show me that invitation?”

“I’m afraid I don’t have that with me.”

“You have ……, neh neh neh?!”

Wait, that didn’t make sense.

He walked up the stairs and talked to me without an invitation?

That was tantamount to saying he’d gotten a glimpse of her illusionary magic!

Klee shook her head inwardly.

‘Even if I did, I wouldn’t be able to recognize illusionary magic.

Yes, that was the brilliant…….

“More than that, it’s excellent illusion magic.”

“……Heh, heh, heh!”

Klee was stunned again.

Excellent illusion magic?

Isn’t this guy overestimating the pagoda master’s illusion magic?

“Indeed, he deserves praise.”

Tah, you say that the pagoda master deserves praise……?

“No, you’re kidding, right?

Klee looked at the man who was now almost in front of her.

His expression could not have been more serious.

A gaze that seemed to take him, and everything, in.

That’s where she knew for sure.

This was no joke.

“An adventurer like this?

Why did this person just now……?

An unexpected turn of events.

Panicked, Klee’s eyes rolled back in her head.

But a job had to be done.

Klee could barely speak.

“I will take you to the place according to …… regulations.”

.

.

.

Really, a regular meeting of the Matap?

That entrance process is no joke……!

I marveled as I climbed the stairs.

‘Illusion magic, but not just any illusion.

Another angle.

As you can see.

I could actually step on the stairs and climb them.

What a level of magic this is.

If it weren’t for the setting of the Grand Prix of Rare Talents.

I would never have realized it.

You can tell by the words that came out of my mouth.

“Indeed, it deserves praise.”

That was the highest praise, that was the highest praise.

To compare it to Jesse’s [Heavenly Punishment] would be a shame for this staircase.

But it was always a matter of horsepower.

I did a quick mental calculation.

‘If I had 1,000 hp, I’d be able to use…….’

I should be able to do something similar.

And then I saw it.

Probing, interfering, manifesting.

I knew exactly how this illusionary magic worked.

Of course, it came with the ridiculous premise of 1,000 levels of magic.

“You’re supposed to be level 1,000, right?

But I wasn’t discouraged.

The regular meeting was about to begin.

I followed Rob, who was still squirming from earlier.

“Maybe I can make up for my weaknesses at the conference.

With such hopes.

*.

Crystal Hall.

It was the room inside the pagoda where regular conferences were held.

Its vast size made it hard to believe that it was inside a pagoda.

The floor, the walls, the ceiling.

Even the observation seats.

Everything was made of crystal, which only added to the magical mystique of the place.

But that’s just for a day or two.

“……I’m bored.”

Jessie Hynes complained in a small voice.

And then her brimmed hat tipped.

-Disciple. Don’t doze off, at least not at conferences.

“……I’ll try. Ughhhhh-”

-You must be patient, at least until Marcelo’s turn!

The tin foil hat master’s nagging.

It’ll be a day or two before he’s scared.

Jesse spoke in a sleepy voice.

“To be honest, I don’t really understand.”

Magic was just a skill.

A skill that could be learned, expended, and triggered by chanting.

But probe, interfere, whatever.

Why do they have to make it so complicated?

“It’s a quest or I’ll skip it.”

Jessie was the wizard of wizards among the players.

Even for her, the level of the tower was too high to keep up with.

She just didn’t intervene.

The level of the Matriarchs and their mages was such that they could be called the strongest in Arcana.

Jesse stretched.

“Even Marcelo. That’s what you said, right?”

Marcelo.

I knew who he was.

He’d been in and out of the magic tower on his mage class quest.

Except for the Lord of the Tower and the Elders.

It was Marcelo, the senior mage, the real power in the tower.

“He’s the real genius, not me.”

The genius.

One of the many ways to describe Jesse Hynes.

But Jesse didn’t like the label.

What kind of genius is it to not be able to understand a presentation at a conference?

I’ve been poring over skillbooks and spellbooks every day.

It wasn’t easy to pick up unfamiliar knowledge.

-It’s just a different concept. Someday I will understand.

His hat bobbed in a comforting way.

Finally, the long-awaited presentation by Marcelo began.

Long legs.

A lean face.

High cheekbones.

A crystal hall.

A man standing at the center.

Marcelo began to recount his findings.

“Matap was summoned to the Adventurers’ World for some reason. He’s not the only one, and it’s only the beginning, as worldview interference is happening even as we speak.”

Worldview interference.

That’s what they called the new update.

Jesse’s eyes sparkled as he listened.

“It’s going to take a lot of time and focus to figure out why, but we’re not giving up, and I hope today’s announcement is a sign of that.”

The announcement was titled Convergence.

The content was equally shocking.

“A science. A new concept in the world of adventurers. I see possibilities in that science, possibilities to take magic even further.”

Science.

Jessie was stunned.

Magic and science were not supposed to coexist.

He’d unknowingly held such a prejudice.

In that sense, Marcelo was clearly a genius from the start.

He was also an excellent presenter.

Science.

When he presented a concept that he knew, the players, including Jesse, fell in love with it.

“But you have to be careful how you approach that fusion, because you don’t know what variables you’re going to bring to the table, whether it’s easy or hard to fuse two completely different concepts.”

And with that, Marcelo said.

He manifested his magic.

A sphere of flame rose from his palm.

I recognized it.

That was advanced magic, a fusion of magic and science.

“Of course, I will need to ask for your cooperation, adventurers, in the process.”

At the sound of that, the players roared.

“……What, isn’t that a quest?”

“Wow, boring is rewarding. Really!”

“Quests are so rare these days!”

Unperturbed by the commotion.

Marcelo continued.

“And now for the last question.”

Silence.

Who would dare ask a question?

Not the wizards of the tower, not the players.

No one had a question for Marcelo.

Magic and science, that is.

Two completely different concepts, so it’s no wonder he has no understanding of them…….

Chuck-

“?”

……Huh?

Jesse doubted his eyes.

Someone raised a hand.

Then he said.

“May I ask a question?”

The dignity in his tone.

It was a voice she would never forget.

“A very strange magic……, no, Mr. Ho-Yeol Lee!”

Yes, it was Ho-yeol who raised the question.

Ho-yeol and Marcelo’s gazes met in the air.

When Marcelo nodded, Ho-Yeol asked.

“I suspect that there is a gap in your search. What do you think, Chief Mage Marcelo?”

“……!!!”

…… Isn’t that a bit of an accusation?

I mean, the actual head of the tower, the chief mage.

The atmosphere instantly froze.

But, for some reason.

Marcelo’s reaction was strange.