Seo Woojin kept tilting his head.
It was the same even now when he was facing the six Volcadores.
Ahhhhhh!
Their roar echoed.
But Seo Woojin didn't even pay attention.
He just…
Swung 'Rune Dea' horizontally.
Sssk!
All six giant monsters were split in half and laid down.
Green blood flowed out, forming a small stream.
And Seo Woojin remained lost in thought.
'Is it an illusion?'
He felt the faint magi in Baek Siwoo.
It was too familiar to be an illusion.
But he couldn't be sure.
Because it was Baek Siwoo.
It was unbelievable that he could sense demonic energy from that guy, even though other people might not have noticed it.
He found it more trustworthy to doubt his own senses.
"Th-Thank you for your hard work."
Gaius' confused voice came from behind him, but Seo Woojin ignored it and returned to his seat.
"Wow, did you just send them all to the lord's side with one shot? You didn't even use a skill, how did you do that?"
"Mister! You seem to have become even stronger than last time, right? That's right, isn't it?"
Everyone gathered around and bombarded Seo Woojin with questions.
"Um, I'll tell you next time."
After asking them to understand that he had something to think about, Seo Woojin looked at Baek Siwoo.
He was the same as always.
He was still handsome, his smile while talking to his friends seemed calm.
'I guess it was a mistake after all.'
Right now he didn't feel any demonic energy.
He wondered if his nerves had become a bit fragile after going through a series of troubles lately.
Seo Woojin thought the same and looked away.
'A guy like him possesses magi. It doesn't make any sense. Maybe it would be better if it were Sung Yura.'
Magi to a "Holy Maiden"...
Seo Woojin laughed inwardly at this silly thought.
As time passed, the training session for the Great Monster Battle came to an end.
Some were satisfied with their skills, others were not.
Of course, Seo Woojin didn't care.
This training didn't help him much.
"What should we do now?"
Lee Ji-ah asked.
"Let's eat and then do the training we missed yesterday! I've been waiting for this day, hahaha!"
The answer came from Gu Dong-hwan.
At the same time, everyone's attention turned to Seo Woojin.
"Let's do it. We promised yesterday…"
Honestly, he wanted to use the Summoning Stone alone in his personal training room to level up a bit.
But when he saw some of them looking at him with bright eyes, he couldn't put it off any longer.
When Seo Woojin nodded, everyone's face lit up.
In particular, Gye Suji and Gu Dong-hwan looked excited.
"I'll see you at the training ground later."
"What about lunch? Won't we eat together? You said something delicious would be served today."
Lee Ji-ah looked up and asked.
But Seo Woojin shook his head.
"I have to stop somewhere for a moment."
Leaving a disappointed Lee Ji-ah behind, he walked away.
Can I really go in?'
Seo Woojin, who came out of the academy, looked unsure of himself.
"Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained."
Shrugging, he comforted himself and hurried along the path.
"Is he a hero?"
"He's wearing the Academy uniform, so I guess so?"
"He doesn't seem that strong though."
The people on the street began to murmur as they looked at Seo Woojin.
It was the usual look he received when he stepped out of the academy.
From their point of view, the heroes were truly heavenly beings.
However, knowing that they had come to help them, the glances directed at Seo Woojin were filled with admiration.
'Ugh.'
Seo Woojin made an embarrassed face.
Although he had experienced this many times before, he still couldn't get used to it.
'I'm not even an idol.'
Outwardly, he didn't show any signs, but inside he felt embarrassed and didn't know what to do.
"Wow, that's a hero!"
"Hey, look over here!"
The little children shouted at Seo Woojin while brandishing wooden toy swords.
Of course, Seo Woojin's pace only quickened.
How far had he gone?
He arrived at the entrance of a building that could only be described as colossal.
"The Sky Tower."
For the people of the Imperial Capital, it was an object of reverence, so there weren't many people wandering around.
When Seo Woojin felt that the surroundings had become a bit quieter, he approached the entrance.
'Can I go in?'
He had the same concerns again.
After coming all this way, if he was turned away at the door, he would feel a bit embarrassed.
"Ahem."
Just as he raised his hand to knock, the tightly closed door slid open.
"Huh?"
Seo Woojin's eyes widened as someone peered out from inside.
"Ah, aren't you Hero Seo Woojin?"
It was a boy.
The same one who had guided him during his previous visit.
'He said he was a magician, right?'
Seo Woojin, not knowing the hierarchy of mages, didn't know what a mage was.
So he treated the boy like a normal child, smiled and asked.
"Can I come in?"
At his words, the boy looked confused.
"Do you have an appointment?"
"No, but…"
"You just came without an appointment?"
Now his look seemed to say, "Are you crazy?"+
Seo Woojin smiled awkwardly.
"I guess not, huh?"
Although he came with the thought of 'nothing ventured, nothing gained', he felt a bit foolish.
"No? Please come in."
"What?"
Just as he was about to turn back, the child swung the door wide open.
"Can I come in?"
He was so startled that he forgot to be polite.
"You want to come in."
The child nodded indifferently and continued speaking.
"The Sky's Tower welcomes guests. It means you can come anytime you want."
I didn't know that.
I thought there would be all sorts of complicated procedures, inspections and so on.
But it turns out that you can just walk in.
"Everyone in the empire knows this."
"For that matter, there was no one around…"
"It's a sign of respect for Sky's Tower. They don't want to disturb the magicians' research or make any noise."
Seo Woojin chuckled dryly when he saw the child muttering that there were noise-cancelling spells anyway.
"Come in quickly."
At the child's urging, Seo Woojin quickly entered the interior of Sky Tower.
Whoosh-
That strange sensation he felt before swept through his body again.
'What on earth is this energy?'
He had thought about it before, but it was different from magic.
While he pondered for a moment, the child turned and asked.
"What is the purpose of your visit today?"
"Oh, I wanted to meet Martes."
"Martes?"
The child's eyes narrowed.
"She's not someone you can just meet because you want to."
It was natural.
She was the owner of Sky Tower.
In earthly terms, it'd be like going straight to the headquarters of a large corporation to meet the chairman.
It wouldn't be accepted.
Nevertheless, Seo Woojin asked with a little hope.
"But you can still ask, right?"
The child sighed.
"Don't expect too much."
A blue light shone from the child's hand as he said this.
'Is that magic?'
He was not sure.
At first, Seo Woojin had no understanding of magic at all.
He just looked at it with curious eyes.
After a while, the light disappeared and the child turned to Seo Woojin with a strange look in his eyes.
"The tower master wants to see you."
"Oh, really?"
He wanted to rejoice in his heart.
He hadn't expected much, but he hadn't thought that he could meet her so easily.
"Follow me this way."
The child led Seo Woojin to one side.
Since it was a different direction than the last time, he tilted his head.
"The tower master is on the top floor right now."
Did the child notice Seo Woojin's doubt?
The child explained.
"The top floor?"
It was a tower with no end in sight.
How many floors could there be?
Seo Woojin suddenly asked out of curiosity.
"I don't know either. The number of floors in the tower is changing even as we speak."
It was a confusing statement.
But as if to say that he wouldn't explain any further, the child closed his mouth tightly and concentrated on guiding.
"Here."
Where the child and Seo Woojin arrived was a round, splendidly decorated room.
"It's a teleportation magic circle."
"Ah, I see."
Seo Woojin nodded his head.
It would definitely be impossible to walk up to the top floor.
Even if he took something like a lift, it would take an incredibly long time.
"There are countless teleportation magic circles installed inside the tower. Of course, outsiders can't use them."
As the child said this, he sent out magic power and the magic circle began to glow.
Whoosh!
In an instant, the scenery around them changed.
"The tower owner will be in there."
As if to indicate that this was the extent of the area allowed to him, the child pointed to one side without venturing outside the magic circle.
There was no need to turn his gaze.
There was only one door outside the magic circle.
"Thank you."
"Don't mention it. See you next time."
The child giggled and then disappeared.
"Phew-"
Seo Woojin took a deep breath to calm his quivering chest.
;How did I even get in here…'
Getting what he wanted was another story.
'Summoning stone.'
If possible, he wanted to get some more of it.
If he could get about ten, it would be a great help not only for himself but also for his colleagues.
Will it work?
Martes' personality was unpredictable.
Whether it was because she was a mage or because she had lived a long time.
It was unclear, but obtaining the 'Summoning Stone' seemed to be anything but easy.
'Let's give it a try.'
Seo Woojin went to the door.
Knock knock –
"Come in."
The door opened.
In an instant, a vast expanse unfolded before his eyes.
This wasn't just a simple metaphor.
In reality, there was a black space and countless stars in front of Seo Woojin's eyes.
'…What?'
He looked back.
The door he had just entered had vanished without a trace.
"It's magic."
Seo Woojin wasn't surprised.
He had experienced this kind of thing quite often.
Still, he was amazed, so he looked around.
A vast, endless universe.
Stars, each shining in its own colour.
It was a world so vast that just looking at it made everything seem far away.
"I'm not that surprised."
And at its centre, Martes greeted Seo Woojin.
Still small and doll-like in appearance, she smiled as if happy to see him.
"Nice to see you again."
Seo Woojin nodded politely and greeted her.
"I thought the day of our reunion was far away, but it's unexpected."
Marte's eyes sparkled as if she knew what he wanted.
Swallowing dryly, Seo Woojin spoke carefully.
"I've come because I have a favour to ask."
"A favour… Or do you need another 'Summoning Stone'?"
Martes asked as if she had been waiting.
Seo Woojin nodded.
"That's right."