Lets think about it again.
Did I say something in that line?
I understand your pain.
That was just a greeting.
Yes, the Head of the Tower might have something to do with this.
And to think that Im the only one who knows about something that big.
Every day must have been agony, stressful.
Marcelo was not without reason.
You finally realize the weight of your position.
Being a chief is not for everyone.
The next line was meant to be a spitball.
But then.
Its been a while since Ive been out.
Marcelo followed me out the door.
The Mages of the Tower never move.
Among them, Marcelo, the chief mage.
He was accompanying me!
True story.
It was a different kind of problem from the Lionheart Knights and the Shadow Mercenaries.
Unlike them, the mages of the Tower had been inactive even when Arcana was a game.
Even the Emperor of the Empire was satisfied to maintain friendly relations with the Magic Tower.
I wonder if this isnt just a first for players, but a first for history?
For a moment, my mind raced with excitement.
I realized the gravity of the situation.
Yeah, there must be a reason for Marcelos move.
In other words.
[Quest: The Truth About the Magic Tower]
There are contradictions in the Mage Tower.
Uncover the contradictions.
Set the Tower and the Truth straight.
Secure Vanguard Tom, who is tangled up with the Chief of the Magic Tower. (Ongoing)
Youre probably thinking this quest isnt going to be easy.
It certainly looks that way.
After all, the quest objective is to capture Vanguard Tom.
Whos Vanguard Tom?
A senior wizard of the Magic Tower.
Imagine, if you will, his uncooperative demeanor.
I cant do this alone.
Regardless of my talent and knowledge of magic.
Im only level 296.
Because of that, my absolute magic power was terrible.
Theres no way [Natural Enemy] could be triggered.
I would be crushed by Vanguard due to the magic weight difference.
Once Id gotten a grip on the subject, the past flashed through my mind like a beacon.
I remembered how I used to kick the crap out of Vanguard, citing manners!
I cant even blame myself if Im accused of rudeness, thats for sure.
In that sense, it was a relief.
Marcelo, I couldnt have asked for a better ally.
Theres still an audience.
As we made it down to the lobby, I saw the players.
I can tell theyre surprised to hear me whisper something.
I cant blame them.
Id been shocked myself.
Of course, I didnt show it like I do now.
Are you okay?
I didnt care what anyone thought of me.
But Marcelo wasnt.
But maybe I was worried for nothing.
The moment I came down here, I expected it.
Of course.
Now Marcelo is the chief of the Magic Tower.
It was like going head-to-head with them.
Who cares what the players think?
Well, Im no different.
I didnt realize it was so complicated.
The head of Magic Tower and Marcelo.
I was riding Marcelos line between them.
Its hard to swallow. Society, no, Magic Tower life!
Besides.
Wasnt my pride as the organizer of a regular society at stake?nÊw st𝒐ries at n𝒐/vel/b/i/n(.)co𝒎
Even if Marcelo hadnt come forward.
His pride.
Hed have to put Vanguard in the lecture hall.
While I was thinking about it.
Marcelo spoke up.
Besides, we cant remain indebted to you forever.
Indebted?
He owes me money?
Well, I wondered if there was a credit card attached to the floating garden without my knowledge.
Its free in the first place. More than a senior mages.
Besides, with all the money Im going to be making in the Magic Tower.
I didnt care if it was an unknown debt.
That way, Id be able to take what I needed without compromising my integrity.
Never mind.
?
Theres a reason for everything.
And of course, there is give and take in everything.
Its a kind of declaration of war, a declaration of intent to pull the pillars out of the leaning tower.
I wonder if he realizes what Im saying.
Marcelo frowned and said.
Ill keep that in mind.
Reached the portal.
The small talk was over.
From now on, its all about securing the vanguard.
Only one goal in mind.
So where did it go, Vanguard Tom?
Marcelo answered.
Suddenly, a surge of mana shot through Marcelos body.
A manifestation on a scale that would give you goosebumps!
A vast amount of magic was spreading out in an instant.
It wasnt even a spell to attack someone.
It was enough to make my skin crawl.
In that sense, I felt it again.
Thank God. Marcelo is on my side.
At least Ive got one stomach.
It took me a moment to realize.
Marcelo snapped back to reality.
Vanguard does not exist in this world.
A moment to witness.
Grandfells gift for understanding the structure of magic.
Thanks to him, I had just realized what magic is.
Yes, Marcelo, that moment.
He had tracked Vanguards location in this world, on Earth.
More precisely, he was searching for Vanguards magic.
Interfering with a vast area of the world.
It was a manifestation of tracking magic.
Its unimaginable.
I knew he was a monster, but I didnt expect this.
Interfering with the entire world.
How much magic power does he have?
Of course, I wasnt surprised.
Well, that answers your question.
That it doesnt exist.
You got the answer? What are you talking about.
Does it seem like we were in vain? Thats not even a password!
If its not in this world, where is it?
Unlike the players, I know very well what they mean.
Vanguard is not in this world, not on the continent of Arcana.
Its a space of [Anomaly].
In the rift.
*
A voice rang in Marcelos head.
-Never mind. Everything happens for a reason.
It was Ho-Yeols voice.
No matter how many times he repeated it, Marcelo couldnt understand it.
How can I not care?
He owed a debt to the Demon Hunter and to Akshan that he could not repay.
But instead of telling him to repay the debt, Ho-yeol said it was natural.
I dare not fathom it.
How far is Ho-yeol looking ahead?
How can such a past be considered as simple.
Marcelo couldnt help but feel pure admiration.
At the same time, he felt greedy.
I want to witness that future.
He didnt know if that was possible, but.
Thats why he had to hurry.
Thats why Marcelo accompanied Ho Yeol.
This was definitely a handshake.
The words were directed at the elder mages.
Its purpose is unknown.
The Elder Mages pushed Vanguard Tom out of the tower.
It could not have been of his own will.
No mages in the tower could leave the tower without the approval of their leader.
The Vanguard I know is not like that.
Yes, it was an assurance of a colleague.
A man whose self-esteem was so low in relation to his abilities, breaking the rules of the Magic Tower?
Because it was unthinkable.
So I could assure him.
I will shake your hand and wring your neck.
To do so, the priority was to secure new recruits for Vanguard.
First and foremost, he needed Vanguards testimony.
But Marcelo knew the elder wizards well.
Theyll never let him live.
Marcelo wasted no time.
He cast a tracking spell.
He pinpointed Vanguards location.
But as expected.
Its planned.
Seoul, no, in the world of adventurers called Earth.
I couldnt sense Vanguards mana.
Especially a senior mage of pure magic.
Wasnt Vanguard known for his delicate control of magic?
He hadnt even left a trace of his magic that could be a clue.
There was only one answer, then.
Vanguard is in the crack.
Then we have our answer.
As expected, Ho-Yeol didnt need an explanation.
But apart from that.
If youre in a crack, time will inevitably be delayed.
The Crack.
It was a space of [Anomaly] where even Marcelo had only just taken his first steps.
To find Vanguard in such a crack?
Impossible even with magic.
So thats where you were. Vanguard Tom.
Could it be ?
No way, Lord Ho-Yeol had found his location!
As I said, it would be impossible for even Ho-Yeol to detect Vanguard in the crack with magic.
How could he possibly know where Vanguard is?
Marcelo is stunned.
But then he hears Ho-Yeols calm voice.
How to deal with a Giant Anomaly.
.
.
. . .
Entering the portal.
The landscape reversed.
I sighed.
Hes just so good at talking, so pretentious.
I just got a text, thats all.
How did I know where Vanguard was?
It was simple.
I got it from Nam Tae-min.
Or more precisely, AAUs information passed to me via Nam Tae-min. The message contained a new update and the location of the crack.
I dont know about anything else, but thats fast.
After the Cataclysm.
It was mankind who suffered from cracks.
And finding the location of the crack?
It was only natural that it was faster than magic.
Why, satellites can take pictures of peoples faces these days. Finding a crack, its not that hard.
Thats the power of science.
How to deal with a Giant Anomaly.
So in a way, hes not wrong. This?
Of course, its because I said it with a lot of force.
A different manifestation from the last time you mentioned it!
Marcelo exclaimed.
Thats amazing. I was a frog in a well after all.
And by last time, I mean when we were having tea.
At the snap of a finger.
What you need arrives at your doorstep.
I was preaching the greatness of rocket delivery.
I just opened another app.
To Marcelo, it appeared to be a new manifestation.
I said smugly.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask.
Im glad no one is listening to this.
The least I can do is show him how to use a smartphone.
Im a huge blusher. Really.
Of course, this wasnt the time for small talk.
My vision shifted.
Then, a crack.
Marcelo opened his mouth to speak.
Thats the anomaly, the crack.
Yes, there is Marcelo in that crack.
Im sure of it, and the reason is simple.
The new update.
And the moment I approached the crack.
The message that popped up.
Any player could have guessed.
*
Except Ho-yeol.
Jesse Heinness was the only one who realized the gravity of the situation.
It wasnt about the quest.
Vanguard Tom, the senior mage in the tower.
If, by any chance, he started to go on a rampage!
No one would be able to handle him.
I couldnt let the players stimulate Vanguard.
Jesse thought about using The Shining to convey the situation.
But it wasnt necessary.
New update? What, its not Thursday?
The unexpected update history popped up.
It wasnt a scheduled new update.
It was simple and straightforward.
Holy sh*t. What the hell?!
But the ramifications were unimaginable.
Adds a new Crack, Broken Dimension.
Recommended level: Lv.900
has a proper level of 900?
Isnt that an error, a typo or something?
Well, yeah, maybe they got the 9 and 6 backwards?
Thats what players thought, not yet realizing the gravity of the situation.
But for those who were aware of the events that had transpired in the Magic Tower, the update was impossible to ignore.
Wait, Im not imagining things, am I?
A senior mage in the Magic Tower, and that monster is inside that crack?
No wonder the appropriate level is 900?
Level 900.
An overwhelming number indeed.
It was enough to make even the most determined players give up on the quest.
No, it wasnt just players.
Even guilds couldnt afford to take such a big risk.
The natural next thought was.
But what about that crack?
Or even worse, what if that crack collapses?
What would happen?
Thats when the news broke.
Mr. Ho-Yeol?
Lee Ho-yeol.
He was the head mage of the Magic Tower.
The news that he had appeared with Marcelo.
Nam Tae-min could feel it in his gut.
that Ho-Yeol was thinking of entering the crack.
So he texted him.
I dont know if I can be of any help there.
He said hed be there in a heartbeat.
Nam clenched his fist.
Wasnt his life worth it?
After all, without Ho-yeol, he would have died in the Frost, or at least lived in a state worse than death. No, if I went back further, if Ho-yeol hadnt saved my brother.
he wouldnt have survived himself.
Still, Ill do what I can.
At that moment, Nam Tae-min stood up from his seat.
Jiaying
A vibration rang out.
?!
A reply came back from that sounded like a long time ago.
Im in trouble.
It was only two characters longer than the one I received back then.
The message was the same as before.
-Internal affairs.
Internal?
A question mark appeared on Nam Tae-mins face.
.
.
.
This is an internal matter.
In a way, its a family fight.
Of course, the more reinforcements we have, the better.
But that wasnt the case, at least not in this situation.
Who cares about level 900?
Theres a senior Mage in that crack?
So what am I supposed to do?
Ive got Marcelo, the Chief Mage, beside me.
Yes, this is well-founded confidence.
Its a fancy way of saying escort.
[Broken Dimension]
[Recommended Level: Lv.900]
[Crack Collapse Rate: 4.8%]
I straightened my clothes and opened my mouth.
My voice was as shameless as ever.
Lets make this quick.