Chapter 648. The One Who Left But Hasn’t Left (1) #PART 1
Right after the special episode of Today Arcana featuring Lee Hoyeol ended.
“Wasn’t Lee Hoyeol insanely cool today?”
Players who watched the broadcast live began returning to the Magic Tower one by one.
Hoyeol confidently faced numerous lingering questions.
Someone might ask.
Why waste time idly at the Magic Tower when the excitement of the broadcast was still fresh?
Then the answer would be simple.
Just think about Lee Hoyeol’s insignificant class!
“It wasn’t even a hidden class—I never imagined he’d actually be a Demon Hunter.”
When demons first emerged on a massive scale during the early days of the Great Cataclysm, the existence of the [Demon Hunter] class had briefly attracted players’ attention.
“Wasn’t their unique skill called [Natural Enemy]?”
“Yeah, it drastically boosts combat power against demons.”
“If it’s a drastic boost, we’re talking several times stronger at least…”
Considering the high-level nature of demons, who were growth-type monsters, Demon Hunters who could gain an overwhelming advantage against them should have become highly valuable at the time.
However, the hype quickly faded.
Akshan.
Because testimonies from players who personally experienced its brutal reputation emerged one after another.
“Do you know where Akshan’s base was located? Back then, it was at the peak of an extremely high cliff! The first class-change quest was climbing that cliff, and if you tried to take any shortcuts, you’d immediately get kicked off. And even after climbing, it wasn’t the end…”
It was so traumatic that even now, players shivered at the mere mention of Akshan. That’s precisely why Hoyeol’s prestige only continued to rise.
“To be honest, at first, I thought he simply leveled up by hunting demon monsters due to his Demon Hunter class. I assumed that’s why he appeared so overwhelmingly powerful…”
“Didn’t you hear what I said? The class itself has fundamental limitations.”
“Exactly. Demon Hunter is notoriously flawed.”
Levels for a Demon Hunter?
Sure, for most players, higher levels were always beneficial.
But there was no other class that benefited less from level-ups than the Demon Hunter.
No one sane would invest in [Luck], so that was out of the question. As for [Strength], [Agility], and [Magic], there was practically no synergy with the Demon Hunter class, making leveling meaningless.
This was why players now flocked to the Magic Tower.
“How did Lee Hoyeol manage to reach the pinnacle with such a garbage class? The answer is obvious. He approached Arcana Continent Chronicle from a completely different perspective.”
“Magic that isn’t just skills. Sword aura that isn’t just swordsmanship.”
“Wait a second. Didn’t Hoyeol tell us all of that from the start? I thought he was just exaggerating, but it turned out to be true!”
“I should’ve just listened earlier.”
Thanks to the confession from Hoyeol—the pioneer of the Anomaly—players began to grasp the value of Anomaly phenomena and headed to the Magic Tower and Arcana’s continent in droves.
“Why are there so many people here?”
As a result, the Magic Tower’s lobby quickly filled up with crowds. However, there was no need for anyone to remind them of the Magic Tower’s first rule, “Silence,” because the Tower soon became enveloped in a heavy atmosphere.
“…Hey, aren’t those the Senior Mages?”
Players cautiously climbing the stairs of the Magic Tower stopped in their tracks.
It was a rare sight.
The Senior Mages, normally difficult to meet even individually, were collectively heading somewhere.
One of the apprentice mage-ranked players spoke up.
“Huh? What’s happening? There’s no academic conference scheduled.”
“What would an apprentice like you even know?”
“Hey, even apprentices get quests notifying them of basic events in the Magic Tower. If all the Seniors are moving together, it should be a significant event showing up as a quest…”
However.
The fact that Senior Mages were all moving together wasn’t the main concern.
The real issue was their unusually tense expressions.
“…Isn’t it rare to see Senior Vangrit with that expression?”
Even Vangrit, known among the seniors as being mild-mannered, wore an extremely solemn expression. It wasn’t just players who noticed this tense atmosphere.
Linne, an Adept Mage, quickly stuck close to Jibril.
“Miss Jibril, what’s happening in the Magic Tower right now?”
“Quiet down, Linne.”
“So cold. If only Miss Cle were here, I’d feel less ignored…”
Jibril was deep in thought, barely responding to Linne. Left feeling ignored, Linne searched around for Cle.
“Of course, Miss Cle must be exhausted from treating the seriously wounded Senior Bellier day and night, so I can’t expect her to pay attention to this commotion. But it’s hard for me to handle Miss Jibril’s coldness all by myself—”
“Alright, Linne.”
“Miss Jibril, does that mean you’ll finally include me?”
Not at all. Jibril had simply come to a conclusion on her own.
“It appears Chief Lee has made an important decision. One serious enough to have the entire Tower—and all the Seniors—on the move.”
“…Pardon?”
“Linne, remember the Q&A Chief Lee had?”
The Floating Garden.
Jibril, Linne, and several Adept Mages had watched Today Arcana live on an apprentice mage’s tablet.
“Of course! It was literally just a few minutes ago!”
Jibril smiled faintly at Linne’s reply.
“It pays off that I’ve continuously studied the Unusual.”
“Did Chief Lee’s words give you the answer, Miss Jibril?”
“To be precise, it was his final answer.”
His final answer…?
Hunting even the “Source of All Evil.”
Was that it?
Jibril nodded.
“All of the Senior Mages moving suddenly is evidence they’re officially preparing to hunt down this ‘Source of All Evil.’”
“Oh, that makes sense!”
“It’s obviously a target worth going to such lengths for.”
Indeed.
Everyone thought the situation was merely on that level.
The position everyone in the Magic Tower aspired to reach—Chief Mage.
Nobody could have imagined that Hoyeol himself would willingly step down.
However, according to Magic Tower rules, the fact soon became known to everyone.
Messages appeared to all apprentice Mage players belonging to the Magic Tower.
Even Jesse Heinness, the sole Skilled Mage among players, was no exception.
“…A quest?”
Jesse’s expression twisted as he read the message.
[Affiliated Quest: Vacancy]
Chief Mage, an influential position within the Magic Tower.
With the Senior Mage voluntarily stepping down, the position is now vacant.
The Magic Tower will select a new Chief Mage.
After Marcelo became Tower Master, the Magic Tower had only one Chief Mage.
The system, which could not lie, stated clearly.
The Chief Mage who voluntarily stepped down was none other than Lee Hoyeol.
Thud.
The strength left Jesse’s hands.
The magical books he’d borrowed from Emerald Hall fell scattered onto the floor.
“The Chief Mage position…vacant?”
Even the Tower Master hidden beneath the pointed hat immediately reacted.
– Lee Hoyeol, isn’t this joke going a bit too far?
*
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