Ch.65Fun Competition (Interlude)

I stepped down from the platform and met an extremely excited Irina.

“How was it?!”

Irina asked with a wide smile spread across her face.

“Well, how do you think it went?”

The answer was already decided, but seeing her ask with such anticipation made me want to tease her a bit.

So when I gave a vague answer, Irina puffed up her cheeks stubbornly.

“Tell me~!”

“Hehe…”

I couldn’t help but laugh at how cute Irina looked as she shook my body vigorously.

What more needed to be said?

“You did well.”

“How well?”

“Incredibly well.”

I patted her head as I answered, and Irina smiled.

Most Blood Mages had improved tremendously after receiving the Blood Strengthening Art, reaching levels incomparable to before, but Irina was different. It reminded me of watching my own growth when I was traveling the world and steadily becoming stronger before defeating the Demon King. Watching Irina develop always felt fresh.

I wonder just how much this child can grow—that curiosity lingered.

“When did you become able to handle it so freely? I think it was after I directly applied the Blood Strengthening Art to you.”

“That’s probably it! Things became really comfortable after you did ‘that’ to me that day!”

I flinched involuntarily at the mention of ‘that.’

‘Ahem…’

It would be best to bury that memory.

As a True Ancestor, I no longer need to consume blood.

Nevertheless, the fact that I drank so much of Irina’s blood certainly means I can’t escape the derogatory nickname of being a blood-sucking mosquito… That’s the feeling I got.

I’ll make sure nothing like that happens again.

‘Come to think of it…’

Even before receiving the Blood Strengthening Art from me, Irina’s skill level was high enough to create rough forms and utilize them, just like today’s Blood Mages.

Of course, now even lower-level mages can do that much as standards have rapidly improved, but the fact remains that until recently, that was the case. So it’s also true that I didn’t have very high expectations for Irina.

No matter how much of a genius she might be, how much could she improve in just a few months—becoming more precise, increasing efficiency while simultaneously enhancing power and versatility?

This wasn’t something I could teach; it depended entirely on Irina’s talent.

‘And yet she did it.’

But she accomplished it anyway.

She proved herself spectacularly.

Though weaker than when I was Count Vladimir, less efficient, and with no particular advantages, she clearly reached a level of magical mastery that surpassed anything other Blood Mages had shown—a level where none of their magic could even compare to Irina’s claws.

She didn’t even learn it from me.

All I did was teach her the basics and carefully apply the Blood Strengthening Art to make her body as similar as possible to a vampire’s.

With just that, she accomplished this much.

I couldn’t help but feel impressed.

“Still, I’m a bit disappointed… I could have done better…”

However, Irina complained with a regretful expression, as if she wasn’t satisfied with even this much.

She accomplished all this and still feels regret?

I shook my head and placed my hand on her head.

“Sister?”

When I put my hand on her head, Irina looked up at me.

“Thanks to you, we didn’t place third. You did your best.”

“But still…”

I understand.

The competition between mages that awarded the highest points.

The highlight of the longest-running tournament—Irina fought with everything she had.

But… despite her winning streak, Irina ultimately lost to the highest-ranking mage of the Red Tower.

It couldn’t be helped.

The current highest-ranking mage of the Red Tower has exceptional talent, cherished by the Red Tower.

No matter how much difference in talent there might be, it was impossible for Irina—who had only recently corrected her misguided learning—to defeat a highest-ranking mage who had been researching fire magic for over ten years in just a few months.

And without understanding how to counter fire, victory was impossible.

“I’ll teach you how to deal with Red Mages later.”

If I teach her this, it will make facing Blood Mages easier.

I think it’s worth teaching, as it’s a technique I’ve developed over many years of fighting fire-users.

At least for Blood Mages.

‘It’s just difficult.’

It was a technique only I could use, but at Irina’s current level, she could utilize it with enough practice.

But the opportunity had already passed.

Our final ranking was 3rd place.

We clearly did well, but it was far from enough to elevate the perception of us throughout the Magical Kingdom.

There’s a saying that the world only remembers first place.

Obviously, for the Blood Tower to rise, we needed to take first place here.

‘I guess I have no choice but to step in myself…’

There’s only one competition where the Magic Tower Master can participate.

The battle between Magic Tower Masters to establish their hierarchy.

That was the only competition Eterna permitted for Tower Masters.

“For the sake of making the Blood Tower number one, I have to do this.”

I removed my hand from Irina’s head, said that, and started walking.

No preparation needed.

The preliminaries were today, and the semifinals and finals would be tomorrow.

‘I was hesitant for a while…’

In truth, even though my participation was confirmed, I had many concerns.

I am indeed the Tower Master, but unlike other Tower Masters, I’m a transcendent being comparable to Eterna in strength.

Blood Mages jokingly call me the Transcendent of Life for my ability to freely control blood and life, but knowing it’s true makes cold sweat run down my back.

Most people know I’m strong, but they don’t realize I’m as powerful as Eterna, which makes me feel a bit guilty.

When you think about it, it’s essentially the same as competing against Eterna, just with different opponents.

But that uneasiness didn’t last long.

The Blood Tower itself was more important to me than any guilt I felt toward the Tower Masters I would face.

‘They’ve allocated plenty of time.’

Battles between powerful individuals often take a long time, so they scheduled generously…

‘I’ll end it quickly.’

The process is just as important as the result.

If I, as the Blood Tower Master, overwhelmingly defeat my opponents, more people will become interested in Blood Magic.

That would be enough.

* * *

[Will the White Tower win or will the Black Tower win?]

Angel VS Demon (trying to destroy the world)

What an epic matchup lol

(Image of Purple Tower Master hiding in closet.jpg)

Ah, I like the Purple Tower Master

Comments:

– Stop fucking hating on the Black Tower!!!

ㄴ Yeah right lol There was a Demon King trying to devour the world a thousand years ago, but sure, it’s just hate lol

ㄴㄴ Can we stop bringing up thousand-year-old history?

– As expected, Black Tower haters are Average Purples lol

– Purple bastards are truly insane. At least Average Bloods are thousand-year-old grand-

ㄴ Finish your sentence

ㄴㄴ No, I’m sorry

ㄴㄴㄴ You fucking bitch

– Better fresh than a thousand-year-old grandma lol

ㄴ What the hell is wrong with you?

ㄴㄴ (Piercing cone with an awl made by Blood Magic)

ㄴ This level of slander is impressive when we don’t even know if it’s true or not…

[It’s really almost time now lol]

I’ve really been waiting a long time, you water-sprayers lol

How many chances did we give you before finally kicking you away lol

The Blue Tower guys are just stupid, honestly

The reason all the ancient magical beasts went extinct was because of the Meteor, and these guys still think water magic can defeat meteor magic…

These guys have no brains

Comments:

– Oh boy, here we go again (scratches head)

– Yeah, water puts out fire right away? Fire becomes useless when wet?

ㄴ Meteor magic is different, okay? lol Does water do anything to a rock? lol

ㄴㄴ But if it’s dropping rocks, isn’t that nature magic? Why is it fire magic?

ㄴㄴㄴ Shut!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ㄴㄴㄴ Sweetie, delete your post^^

ㄴㄴㄴ I heard analysis shows meteors are made of ice. Isn’t that ice magic?

ㄴㄴㄴㄴ Who is this guy?

– Water-sprayers are kind of hot…

ㄴ Whoa

ㄴ Please

ㄴ Blue Tower Master, mmm…

ㄴㄴ I really want to drown you

ㄴㄴㄴ That’s good too…

ㄴㄴㄴㄴ Ah

– What does ancient magical beasts dying have to do with fire magic and water magic compatibility?

ㄴ Idiot, wouldn’t some magical beasts use water attributes?

ㄴㄴ Ah

At that moment, the forum was burning with activity.

It was because of the upcoming battle between Tower Masters.

This was the moment everyone had been waiting for—literally the moment when the hierarchy among Tower Masters would be definitively established, so all mages from every tower were interested.

While everyone was discussing the upcoming battle and expressing their expectations:

[Oh, it’s starting]

[Is Eterna herself coming to watch? Wow]

[Is it true that after this, they’ll fight Eterna?]

[This is going to be so fun lol sexy lol]

The battle began.

“Welcome.”

With the appearance of Eterna, who had rarely shown herself until now.