Chapter 16….
Promotion (1)
What would happen if, in the middle of a weekday morning, someone loudly shouted that the Earth was actually square?
Someone boldly making a statement completely outside of common sense.
Don’t we usually call such people one thing?
A lunatic.
When Gilhyun reported the gate disappearance incident, the looks on the faces of the staff toward him and his guild members were exactly that.
If not for a high-ranking Association officer who happened to pass by and defend him, they would have kindly recommended psychiatric counseling.
Honestly, most people still treated us like lunatics until the very end.
If those high-ranking officers hadn’t taken their words seriously, even an investigation wouldn’t have been conducted.
Gilhyun was fuming at the way people treated them, but at the same time, he bitterly smiled, knowing he wouldn’t have believed it either if he were in their place.
So he had planned to just collect the reporting reward and focus solely on his hunter work…
Was it because I skipped the ancestral rite, claiming I was too busy?
Perhaps his elders had been offended by a young brat shirking his duties.
As if it wasn’t enough to be up against the notoriously troublesome imps, the boss turned out to be a commander type.
Despair spread like wildfire.
At the very moment death loomed before them—
“Huh?”
“W–wait a second…!”
A familiar blue magic circle appeared before the gate.
Having experienced it once before, Gilhyun immediately understood, and his face lit up.
Fwoosh—!
Just like with the harpies, the gate vanished along with the magic circle.
The commander-type imp, who had appeared with a cloak of flames, flailed its arms in panic, and the sight was so ridiculous—
“Hahaha!”
Gilhyun laughed loudly as he leaped onto a dazed charging-type imp and swiftly slit its throat.
Another gate disappearance.
“No—rescue!”
Just before the gate vanished, Gilhyun had clearly seen it.
A vast plain, a towering blue spire at its center, and nearby, crimson-black gates opening.
This was no longer a disappearance.
It was salvation, coming to help us in our moment of crisis!
Such news couldn’t be kept to themselves.
Leaving cleanup to his subordinates, Gilhyun, covered head to toe in blood, rushed to the Association and shouted:
—That there was a Tower!
Like a pirate king who proclaimed he had found the world’s greatest treasure, his voice stirred the very souls of those who heard it.
Perhaps they were moved—
“There’s a madman here…”
“He’s covered in blood, that looks dangerous…”
“No, wait a sec!”
Guards armed with tasers rushed toward him while employees and civilians recoiled in fear.
Only then did Gilhyun realize he was no pirate king and had to desperately calm everyone down.
Indeed, the weight of one’s words depended entirely on social standing.
“Hunter Kim Gilhyun. I understand you were shocked by experiencing something unbelievable twice, but if you act like this again, it won’t end with just a warning.”
“…I sincerely apologize.”
Bowing deeply, Gilhyun made Oh Hana, the investigator in charge of the gate disappearance cases, sigh inwardly.
She was annoyed at being called in on her day off, but seeing an elder bow his head was also uncomfortable.
So she quickly changed the subject.
“You said you saw a tower?”
“Yes! I saw it clearly. It was glowing with a bluish light, and it was obviously no ordinary structure.”
“And around it, several gates were opening.”
“I didn’t see much since it was brief, but I’m certain all the gates were gray.”
“…Which means they were already conquered.”
Putting the testimony together, Oh Hana gulped down her iced americano. She needed it to calm her nerves.
A tower that devours gates and conquers them?
It sounded like a ghost story, completely absurd.
But Hunter Kim Gilhyun clearly believed it, and strangely enough, the Association higher-ups were showing interest as well.
And the fact that they specifically assigned me to this case… suspicious.
First the Santa man in Suwon, now this. The year-end was full of inexplicable events.
But Hana wasn’t the type to handle things sloppily, so she swallowed her frustration and spoke.
“For now, please don’t mention this to anyone until a thorough investigation has been completed. As you know, Hunter Kim, spreading false information could cause major chaos.”
“Then what about what I shouted at the reception earlier…”
“Well, considering the state you were in at the time, I don’t think anyone took it seriously. So you don’t need to worry.”
“Haha, true.”
Laughed off as a lunatic, Gilhyun let out a hollow chuckle.
Since it was partly his own fault, Hana ignored it and continued writing the report.
But when it came to writing about the “mysterious tower,” she paused.
“…How should I refer to the tower? We can’t just keep calling it ‘the mysterious tower.’”
She hadn’t expected an answer—it was more like muttering to herself.
But Gilhyun, eager to shake off his lunatic image, racked his brain and finally said—
“…How about ‘Magic Tower’?”
“Magic Tower?”
“Yes. Considering a magic circle appeared when it captured the gates, and the sight of the tower surrounded by gates… it looked just like something out of magic.”
Magic Tower.
To Hana, who had once devoured fantasy novels in hopes of learning magic, it was a familiar term.
Hearing it in reality felt oddly embarrassing.
But why?
A tower that devours gates… a tower of magic.
Thinking that way, the unknown somehow felt more approachable.
Carefully, Hana moved her pen across the report:
[This unidentified tower shall hereafter be referred to as the Magic Tower.]
And so, among a select few hunters, the existence of the Magic Tower became known.
Meanwhile, Shinwoo was busier than ever as the Master of the Magic Tower.
[Magician B is purifying and absorbing mana left by “Centennial Ice Crystal.”]
[Magician B’s body and mana are growing.]
“Good job, B~ Eat a lot and grow strong!”
Watching this, Shinwoo truly understood the feeling of a PC café owner who said just seeing his staff work hard filled him up.
Of course, his hunger was only emotional, so he grabbed some chips from the cupboard—one bite for every bit of B’s growth.
Crunch.
“Mmm, delicious.”
And so, Shinwoo spent his time as Tower Master, busy both physically and mentally.
When he started to feel a little bored, he opened the facility upgrade menu.
Since A and B are both busy, I’ll work on facility upgrades for now.
After all, wasn’t that the whole reason he’d been hunting?
Everything was for facility upgrades.
Well… except for when I got distracted by mana stone prices.
But a true man doesn’t dwell on past mistakes.
As long as he doesn’t repeat them, it’s fine.
Shamelessly thinking that, Shinwoo looked at the facility in question.
Arcane Engine Room Lv.1 – Produces mana.
A cube rotating at the center of the basement, surrounded by multiple magic circles.
That cube was the Arcane Engine.
I’ve always wondered… how exactly does it generate mana?
He had learned the basics of magic now, yet he still couldn’t fathom its principle. Truly a mysterious artifact.
And now, with facility enhancement—
Facility Upgrade – Arcane Engine Room
Adds “Facility: Black Furnace.”
Effect: Enhances Arcane Engine performance, converts mana stones into tower mana.
Materials: Logs 25/25, Stones 40/40, Harpy Feathers 20/20, Demon Horn Fragments 0/10.
“Hehe, I’ve almost got everything.”
Most of the materials were gathered, and Shinwoo felt proud.
Once either A or B returned from exploring the Imp Gate, they’d have everything needed.
And the result?
I’ll finally be able to convert mana stones into mana fuel!
He’d suffered from constant mana shortages, delaying research, even hesitating to summon new magicians.
But if mana stones could be used as fuel, that would all change.
The tower already has a decent stash of mana stones.
Collected bit by bit from conquered gates, now quite a pile.
If he used them all as fuel—except for a few reserved for enchantments—he could instantly refill the tower’s mana reserves.
“Then what should I research first…? Or maybe I should summon a new magician instead.”
It was a happy dilemma, and Shinwoo’s smile stretched wide.
As if fortune came all at once—
Ring ring~
“Hello~?”
—I just saw your text. You said you got a demon horn…?
“Haha! Got lucky. You saw the photo, right? It’s a solid one.”
—Hmph, a demon horn isn’t something you just stumble upon…
“Well, ever since the gates opened, the world stopped following common sense. What’s one little horn in the grand scheme?”
Shinwoo said as he polished the demon horn with a clean cloth. It was valuable, after all, and would soon become a key crafting material.
Thanks to his calm demeanor, Cheoljin absentmindedly scratched the back of his head.
—Who would’ve thought such a rare man would be living next door…
“You mean you, right, Mr. Cheoljin?”
Given Cheoljin’s cool reaction to crafting an A-rank item, plus the quiet news he’d picked up—
This guy’s not new to crafting A-rank gear.
An undisclosed master craftsman, hiding away.
And yet, he was calling Shinwoo the rare gem.
Little did Shinwoo know, to an outsider, both of them were extraordinary.
—Anyway, since we’ve got the horn, things will be easier. As I mentioned, I’ll be making it into a wand. And with such a large horn…
“W–wait, you’re going to use the whole horn? I thought you usually grind them up for parts.”
—That’s what penny-pinching fools do. Our goal is simple: create a one-of-a-kind wand in this world.
The conviction of a craftsman, the pride of a man!
Just hearing it made Shinwoo’s heart race.
“Then since you said you won’t be home tonight, I’ll bring the horn over tomorrow!”
—Good. I’ll be working on gathering the other materials.
“Yes, sir!”
Shinwoo decided he’d hand over all the mana stones to Cheoljin too.
Tossing the used cloth into the sink, he grabbed fresh ones and began polishing the mana stones, floating them with telekinesis.
Who knew? Maybe they’d fetch a higher price if they shone.
“Lalalala~”
Now using four telekinetic streams at once to polish mana stones.
It was the result of consistently practicing while watching Professor Kim Cheolsu’s lectures.
“The feeling of growth… I can’t stop.”
And then he thought—
If growth feels this good… what will it feel like to advance from Low-tier Apprentice to Full Apprentice?
What was the difference between the two ranks? How would it help him?
Pondering this, he placed down the final gleaming mana stone.
So bright!
“Whoever polished these, did a damn fine—”
[Magician A is being promoted. Acquired Traits: “Thinker Lv.1” and “Precise Flame Lv.1.”]
[Confirmed as talents not possessed by Tower Master Shinwoo.]
[“Master of the Tower” activates.]
“…Huh?”
In that moment, Shinwoo’s heart thumped hard.
He couldn’t explain it, but something was changing—like a flower blooming.
Potentials he never had before suddenly blossomed within him.
Thinker Lv.1
Increases research speed.
Increases chance of “Eureka” during research.
Improves intuition when acquiring information.
Precise Flame Lv.1
Increases damage to target.
Decreases damage to non-targets.
Increases power of fire-element spells.
Reading the descriptions, Shinwoo’s gaze fell on a fly that had snuck in despite the closed window.
Blankly pointing a finger at it—
Fwoosh!
The fly burst into scarlet flames and dropped lifelessly.
Right onto his blanket.
“Ahhh!”
Shinwoo screamed.
