◈ Chapter 81. A Simple Problem

A proper level 900.

No, a thousand later.

No ordinary rift.

It had to be a bug.

“What kind of rift would suddenly pop up like that!”

“Are you sure it’s not because of that missing senior mage?”

“If we go in there, we’re going to get killed.”

So the moment Ho-yeol enters that rift.

It was only natural that the world would turn upside down.

“I can’t believe it when I see it…….”

What is the role of a host of a program?

In any situation, you need to fill in the silence.

But the host was at a loss for words.

The silence stretched from seconds to minutes.

It was obviously a broadcasting error.

Not to mention the viewers.

Even PD Hyun Yong-seok sympathized with the host.

“……What are we watching?”

“Senior, this isn’t a dream, is it?”

“No, it’s not. Even if it’s Lee Ho-yeol, it’s not.”

Ho-yeol’s performance so far?

It was amazing enough.

No, it was a series of surprises.

From Count Ascura to Demon King Decarabian.

Even compared to top-ranked players.

Ho Yeol was used to defeating enemies with overwhelming advantages.

But this was a different matter.

That rift looked sudden and dangerous to anyone.

But Ho Yeol didn’t hesitate.

He entered the rift as boldly as ever.

The image of Ho-yeol was broadcast on the airwaves.

The host’s voice came from the TV.

A step toward peace for mankind.

That’s a noble attitude.

A hero of mankind beyond the player.

Rox shrugged as he listened.

“That’s great, Lee Ho-Yeol.”

His experience in the [Quernberg Machine Tower] rift.

He’s at least level 900.

Rox had estimated his level.

“However, this is nothing to him.”

So when he heard that Lee Hoyeol had entered the proper level 900 rift, he wasn’t surprised.

He just thought, “He’s good.” That was it.

There was one surprise, though.

“Jesse? Are you crazy?”

Jesse said he was going to follow Ho-Yeol into the rift.

Camilla was stunned.

“You just said it yourself, there’s no way you’re going to get involved with something that involves the senior mage in Magic Tower, so why would you go to……?”

I trailed off.

He recognized the cold look on Jesse’s face.

Nothing he could say would break her stubbornness.

“Under normal circumstances.”

I wouldn’t have bothered to stop him.

A business relationship, not a coworker.

Technically, Jesse could have left the Shining Guild at any time.

But it was clear to me that Jesse was mistaken.

It was time for some business partner advice.

“You’ll only get in the way.”

“……what?”

“What do you think of Lee Ho-Yeol, Jesse?”

Someone to worry about.

Plus.

“He’s not alone.”

“!”

“I’m sure you know better than I do, Jesse, what it’s like to be the Chief Mage of the Magic Tower, the best of all those great Senior Mages?”

Chief Mage, Marcelo.

As Rox said.

Jesse knew his abilities better than any other player.

The top hat on his head was another reminder.

-Yes, it’s a relief to have Marcelo with you, isn’t it?

He wasn’t saying this to ease his pupil’s worries.

Marcelo, if it’s him.

Even if the senior mage is hostile.

He could easily subdue him.

But that begged the question.

-I don’t know how he came to be with us.

The tin foil hat is familiar with the futile discipline of the tower.

He also knows that Marcelo, the skinny kid, knows the contradictions of the rules and doesn’t break them. But Marcelo broke the rules and went outside the tower. …….

-The tower will be shaken for a while.

Is change coming to the unchanging Magic Tower?

Only one person has changed.

There is only Ho Yeol.

Indeed, this is the man who piqued my interest.

“I know.”

Jesse relaxed his clenched fists. How hard he’d clenched his fist. His knuckles were white and pale from lack of blood.

“I know, but…….

You know what Rox said, that you can’t be of any help?

Did she realize her own weakness?

That I’ll never see the magic of Ho-Yeol again?

She couldn’t answer those questions now, even if she thought about it.

This moment.

Because all she could see was the rift in the screen.

Of course, the wait wasn’t long.

Steady stride.

The same outfit.

The same interview.

-“I’m not taking any questions. It’s an internal matter.”

Literally unharmed.

As if nothing had happened.

Ho-Yeol reappeared.

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Yeah, this guy’s internal affairs aren’t over yet.

A portal appears.

Back to the tower.

Me, Marcelo, and Vanguard ascended the stairs of the tower.

“I apologize. Because of me…….”

“It was not your fault, Vanguard.”

“Ask forgiveness from the audience, who have been waiting for you to speak.”

Wow!

What a difference in response to the same words!

As Marcelo consoled him, Vanguard was not at fault.

His muzzle never uttered a single word.

But.

“Of course. I’m not about to pass up a second chance.”

I wondered if this was the same Vanguard that tried to bribe me.

It’s like he’s changed.

I don’t know why, but it’s not me.

“So take that unnecessary strain off your neck…….

Like I said, all I did was spout venom at Vanguard.

And then, in the midst of it all, I ranted about conferences.

“Vanguard. Your safety is the most important thing.”

I checked the quest at Marcelo’s words.

─Secure Vanguard Tom, the senior mage who is tangled up with the chief of the Tower. (in progress)

Yes, the quest was still in progress.

That means it’s not over yet.

Marcelo was thorough in that regard.

Thud.

Marcelo’s magical power hit.

A giant door opened, revealing a panoramic view of the Crystal Hall.

The Crystal Hall, including Vanguard.

All the senior mages were gathered.

Each of the senior mages stood by and spoke.

“Vanguard, you’re safe!”

“I apologize. I’m sorry for the inconvenience.”

“I don’t speak English, but I’m glad to hear it.”

“Chief Marcelo, what’s going on?”

By the looks of it.

Marcelo had invoked his seniority.

He had summoned all the senior mages.

Well, I could guess why.

It was only natural that the seniors would need an explanation.

“For the protection of Vanguard, and to avoid unnecessary suspicion. Please stand by for a moment. I’ll return with a definitive answer, or send a signal.”

Indeed, Marcelo.

There were twenty senior mages in the room.

If anyone was going to threaten Vanguard’s safety.

It would be impossible to harm Vanguard under their watchful eyes.

It made sense to me to avoid unnecessary suspicion.

‘Suspicion will be directed upwards.’

Up there, at the top of the tower.

It wasn’t enough that I put a status ailment on Vanguard. It was none other than the elder mage who directed him to the rift, and to the rift from which the devil came out.

I knew that.

And Marcelo wasted no time.

He climbed the stairs once more.

“I knew the Elders were hiding something, but I didn’t think it had to do with demons. It’s disgraceful to show up like this to my lord.”

I hadn’t imagined it either.

I never thought a demon could have reached the top of the tower.

But it’s still just speculation.

“Until I saw it.”

Until you check it yourself.

It’s just a speculation.

Though it’s very possible.

I turned to a somber-looking Marcelo.

“You’re not the one who should bow your head. Chief Marcelo.”

“……?”

“They’re the ones who should be bowing, not you.”

The top floor of the steeple is finally here.

The people I’m talking about are, of course, the elder mages.

Noblesse oblige.

With greater status comes greater responsibility.

Even if you say you didn’t know, it’s only an excuse.

It is the pride of Grandfell that they cannot tolerate the incompetence of their elders.

……It’s so bright, by the way.

The light shining down from the tower’s ceiling.

The backlighting makes it hard to see their faces.

I could make out the number of Elders by the number of shadows.

Four.

Yeah, that means there’s a demon among them.

Not just involved, but perhaps possessed.

Based on the flow of the conversation, there was enough potential for a battle.

‘It’s my own man, but he’s fierce…….’

They say it’s a comedy from afar, a tragedy up close.

I’m a mage.

A position equal to that of a senior mage.

I want to show this to those who envied me.

Magic Tower.

As it turns out, there’s no such group of peasants.

Heck, even the shadow mercenaries who live for money aren’t this corrupt, really.

They don’t say the waters are clear at the top for nothing, do they?

It’s not like the senior mages didn’t get along for nothing.

“Are you trying to make up for the experience you didn’t get for missing the demon?”

If that’s what he meant, I wanted to refuse with all my might.

He was an elder mage.

I was just facing him.

The feeling of intimidation was overwhelming.

But as long as my pride is in motion.

No fear, no trembling.

Even if I sink and drown in pride.

I have no choice but to face it.

Besides, I thought of the worst case scenario from the beginning.

So I’ve made my own preparations.

The elder mages gathered in the Crystal Hall.

By now, Vanguard should have explained the situation.

-I will return with a definitive answer, or I will send a signal.

Yes, Marcelo’s signal is the start of all-out war.

But it didn’t turn out to be catastrophic.

“!”

It was because Marcelo opened his mouth.

snap.

with a grinding sound.

“Why are there only four of you?”

……What, there weren’t four of them to begin with?

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The roundtable is postponed.

Vanguard Tom goes missing.

The moment he realized that the demon was involved in this case.

Marcelo considered every possibility.

Even an all-out war against the elder mages.

But he hadn’t thought of this.

“If you’re talking about the senior mage, Vanguard Tom, I know.”

“I am deeply sorry for your loss, Marcelo.”

“I had no idea there was a demon worshipper among us, and by the time we had proof, it was too late. The honor of the tower was at stake. We tried to go after him, but as you can see.”

Demon worshipper……!

I can’t believe the Elders brought that up first.

Marcelo swallowed dryly.

This was a reaction and development he hadn’t anticipated.

His mind was in turmoil.

“Where do I begin to believe this?

In his head, he knew.

“I can’t trust anything they say!

There was no shortage of contradictions from the elder mages.

Even if they weren’t involved with demons.

Their words were utterly untrustworthy.

That alone was daunting enough.

Now the demons were involved.

Marcelo’s head felt like it was going to explode with thoughts.

” …… Can I be sure that there is really, truly one worshipper?”

But what if I can’t be sure?

If the Elders have come out with this attitude.

Do I have any reason to sway the elders?

‘Damn it.’

Marcelo gritted his teeth.

He looked at the tower lord floating in the sphere.

‘Doesn’t the Tower Lord know!’

Even though he knew there was no answer.

He wanted to shout in frustration.

“Well, that’s true.”

…… But then the answer came.

Not from Lord, but from Ho-yeol.

Ho Yeol, who had been silent, spoke up.

“This place smells like a Demon Worshipper, but that’s strange, because according to your words, the Demon Worshipper should have already left the Magic Tower.”

“……!”

On such a favorable face.

There was nothing complicated or disturbing about it.

There was only conviction.

“I can simply smell it. Either because a demon worshipper has been here for so long, or because another demon worshipper dares to still be here.”

“!”

“What are your thoughts?”

At that question, Marcelo looked at the elders.

He couldn’t see their reactions.

The backlight made it impossible to see their expressions, and none of them answered.

But Ho-Yeol seemed to expect it.

He continued.

“If this is a difficult question to answer, I will rephrase it.”

It was a punchline that even Marcelo hadn’t thought of.

“Who is the majority that authorized Vanguard’s departure?”

……It was!

Senior Mage Vanguard.

A decision like that required the approval of the majority of the Hierarchy.

I wonder if the Elder Mages understood the implications of such a gesture.

“!!!!”

The four shadows immediately split in two.

An odd air current flowed between them.

“Three, plus the one who fled. Now we have a clear majority.”

Ho Yeol looked at Marcelo and said.

“Isn’t that right, Chief Mage Marcelo?”

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[Quest: The Truth of the Magic Tower] .

There are contradictions in the Magic Tower.

Uncover the contradictions.

Set the tower and the truth straight.

─Secure Vanguard Tom, the senior mage who is tangled up with the chief of the Mage Tower. (Success)

Identify a devil worshipper among the elder mages. (Ongoing)

It’s simple, I’m a cube.

If not now.

I would never succeed in this quest.

On top of that, the difficulty level didn’t make sense.

Mages of the Tower.

Elder mages, too.

Under normal circumstances.

I can’t even see their faces.

And even if I did, the problem would still be the same.

Even if we were face to face, it would still be a problem.

If they were stronger than Marcelo, they were stronger.

I felt like I could never be weak.

And if that’s not enough, what is?

They’re demon worshippers?

This guy was no joke, not even at the level of a tangled demon. This is a guy who could take a blow with all of my magic and run away with only one arm.

So, to summarize.

This was not a quest that was meant to succeed!

It’s too big to begin with.

Once you’ve grown to the point where you can face an elder mage.

Why not just do the quest?

How could he say that after what he’d done today?

Your plan for Vanguard has failed.

Next time, they’d have a more thorough plan.

And then you thwarted it all.

Leveling up and growing?

I could have sworn it was impossible.

But.

It is possible now.

Now that I had prepared myself.

I didn’t have to say why.

Marcelo understood what I meant and sprang into action.

Yes, it was a signal.

The top floor of the tower.

A manifested portal.

Coordinates to the Crystal Hall.

Soon, in a swarm of light, they emerged.

Twenty senior mages.

So what if the opponent is a elder mage and a demon worshipper?

There are two elder mages here.

One senior mage.

Twenty senior mages.

And then there’s me, Lee Ho-yeol.

Yes, this is more than a bodyguard.

Knowing that.

I could not be more shameless.

“Time to pay for your deception. Foolish worshipper.”
*** Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version) ***