Chapter 46: Mage’s Tower (1)

The entrance to the Mage’s Tower.

Han-seong stood before the wide open massive doors, momentarily lost in thought.

‘Should I just go in?’

Or would it be better to wait for the Tower Administrator J had mentioned? As he was hesitating, his dilemma was unexpectedly resolved quickly.

Someone walked out from inside the tower.

‘That person…’

A figure slightly smaller than Han-seong, wearing a dark blue robe. As the person approached, they bowed politely to Han-seong.

“Welcome, Mage.”

A clear, melodious voice.

It sounded like a woman in her early 20s.

After finishing her bow, the person facing Han-seong began introducing herself.

“I am Aewin Umbra, the administrator in charge of this Mage’s Tower. I would be pleased if you called me Aei for short.”

“Uh…”

Normally, this would be where Han-seong should introduce himself in return. But he couldn’t. Because of Aei’s appearance up close.

‘She has no face.’

A hooded head.

Where a face should have been, there was nothing. It was just empty, showing the inside lining of the hood.

Did she notice his gaze?

Aei let out a soft laugh.

“Hehe, no matter how much you look, you won’t be able to perceive my face right now. Perhaps when you reach a higher realm someday, it might be different.”

Well, if she had no head at all, they wouldn’t even be able to have this conversation. Han-seong nodded in understanding. Aei then turned around.

“Let’s discuss the details after we enter the tower. Please follow me carefully so you don’t get lost.”

“Ah, yes. Understood.”

Though he doubted there was any way to get lost.

Han-seong immediately followed behind Aei into the tower. Soon after, an endless darkness spread out beyond the entrance.

‘This feels a bit tense.’

Han-seong swallowed hard.

But having come this far, there was no reason to hesitate, so he took another step forward.

Towards the Mage’s Tower.

Right after entering the tower.

After walking for a while through a dark passage, they arrived in a space bathed in light. The scene that unfolded next was a completely different world from before.

“Wow…”

First of all, the tower’s interior was so vast it was hard to believe it was inside a building. The ceiling was as high as the sky, and the surrounding space was as wide as a plain.

A scene utterly different from what he had seen from the outside. Han-seong stared in awe. Just then, Aei’s voice suddenly reached his ears.

“Mage?”

“…Yes?”

“Before I guide you through the tower, I’ll first show you to the reception room. We can have a simple drink there.”

Aei snapped her fingers.

Suddenly, a room appeared in the empty space. Opening the door and entering, two spacious sofas came into view.

“Please sit wherever you’re comfortable, Mage.”

“Ah, yes.”

Han-seong quickly sat on the sofa.

Aei reached into thin air and pulled out a teacup. As Han-seong watched this blankly, he suddenly realized he hadn’t introduced himself yet.

So he immediately opened his mouth.

“Ah. Um, my name is…”

“There’s no need to introduce yourself. I already know about you, Mage.”

You know about me? How?

Han-seong looked at Aei with a half-doubting expression. Then familiar information flowed from her lips.

“Kang Han-seong. Level 43. A Mage blessed with Remote Support from the stars. I know everything, from the magic you can use to your current contracted vassals.”

“H-how…”

“Well, we’ve been watching you since before the Apocalypse engulfed the world.”

Along with this meaningful answer, the word she had heard from J earlier was mentioned again.

Apocalypse. At the time, J said he couldn’t talk about the Apocalypse and told him to ask the Tower Administrator. And now, the Administrator was right in front of him.

Han-seong cautiously asked.

“…What exactly is this Apocalypse?”

With a visibly tense expression.

And contrary to his worry, a quick answer came back.

“The Apocalypse is the phenomenon you call the Upheaval, a cosmic disaster, and also a collective term for the invaders from other dimensions.”

“Invaders from other dimensions?”

“To summarize, it’s as follows.”

Aei waved her hand in the air.

Following her gesture, letters began to appear in the empty space. It was writing Han-seong could read.

《Chaos that Swallows Stars》

《Mutants from Corrupted Dimensions》

《Fallen God’s Creations》

《Watching Abyss》

Names that looked extraordinary at a glance.

Aei explained that these four were the invaders from other dimensions, and the cosmic disaster including them was collectively called the Apocalypse.

He understood what the Apocalypse was now. But a new question arose.

‘Why exactly…?’

Why did the Apocalypse suddenly come to the peaceful Earth? He voiced this question, and quickly received an answer.

“Mage, do you know about Aether?”

“No.”

Han-seong shook his head.

It was a term he was hearing for the first time. Aei nodded silently and began explaining.

“Aether is one of the substances that make up the universe and the source of life. It exists without exception on stars where life forms exist.”

Aether. After engraving the glowing letters in the air, Aei pointed to the four forces, the invaders from other dimensions, that she had written earlier.

“Aether is the Apocalypse’s favorite prey. You can think of it as their staple food.”

“Ah…”

Just as predators hunt their prey, the Apocalypse attacked Earth targeting the substance called Aether that existed there.

“By the way, the being that first attacked your world was ‘Chaos that Swallows Stars’.”

“…Chaos.”

“It swept through your world in an instant and disappeared into the far reaches of space. As a result of the attack, many people turned into remnants of chaos.”

Remnants of chaos? What’s that?

Han-seong tilted his head and asked. Then came a shocking answer.

“They are the monsters you call zombies.”

It was the moment the reason why people suddenly turned into zombies after the Upheaval was revealed. Aei continued her explanation, looking at Han-seong’s surprised expression.

“However, people with high Aether adaptability unknowingly overcame the effects of chaos.”

“Aether adaptability?”

“It literally means beings who show no abnormalities even when exposed to Aether. In your world, it refers to all ‘Chosen Ones’, or those who were granted jobs.”

Hearing this, something came to mind.

In the early days of the Upheaval. Shortly after zombies appeared, a message saying he had been chosen appeared, along with a notification that his job had been determined.

‘At the time, I was too flustered to think about it, but to think there was such a backstory.’

Doubts being resolved one by one.

Han-seong found Aei’s explanations intriguing. As he was quietly listening to her story, suddenly an unexpected number came out of her mouth.

“And so, there are currently 89,134,725 survivors on the star where you reside, Mage.”

“What? 89 million?”

“That’s correct. To add and correct my answer, seven people just decreased.”

Han-seong’s eyes widened again.

If what Aei said was true, it meant that only about one-hundredth of the original population remained on Earth now.

‘So many people were sacrificed?’

Of course, he had expected some level of damage. But hearing the numbers made the cruel reality finally sink in.

Meanwhile, Aei placed a teacup in front of Han-seong as if she had finished saying everything she needed to.

“What would you like to drink?”

Han-seong couldn’t answer.

Though he appreciated the gesture, he wasn’t in the mood for tea right now. He was also feeling overwhelmed by all the new information he had suddenly learned.

‘I have so many questions.’

Aei seemed to know a lot.

So he wanted to resolve the doubts he had been harboring all this time. Just then, Aei spoke as if she had read his mind.

“You look like you have a lot of questions.”

“Ah, well…”

“Don’t worry. I’m taking questions for those visiting the tower for the first time. If you have any, I’ll answer them gradually.”

Hearing those words, he finally felt his mind settling. As Han-seong let out a sigh of relief, Aei spoke to him again.

“What would you like to drink?”

“Um, do you happen to have cold cola?”

“Of course.”

Aei tapped the table three times.

Then a glass, ice, and cola appeared in order. Soon, following her gestures, the cola began filling the glass with ice.

A truly magical sight.

As he watched this in a daze, the cola Han-seong had ordered was suddenly ready.

“Here you go. Let me know if you need more.”

“…Thank you, I’ll enjoy it.”

Han-seong grasped the glass with trembling hands.

The coldness of the ice felt through the glass. He gulped down the cola. Soon, an icy sensation so cold it made his head ache enveloped his throat.

“Whew.”

The refreshingly cold cola he hadn’t tasted in so long almost brought tears to his eyes. Then he suddenly realized something unexpected.

‘Even as a consciousness form, I can still taste things.’

I thought I wouldn’t be able to feel sensations without a physical body, but this is unexpected. Anyway, I’m satisfied that I could enjoy a refreshing cola after so long.

As he was smiling like that.

“Every being who visits the tower is given one chance to ask the administrator a question.”

Suddenly, Aei spoke up.

Raising her hand wearing a pure white glove, she held up one finger, then spread out a second finger.

“However, the very first visitor to any tower is allowed an additional question.”

“Then I…”

“Yes, you can ask me two questions, Mage. Let’s exclude the answers about the Apocalypse and Aether from earlier.”

That was at least some good news.

Coincidentally, there were two things he wanted to ask Aei. Han-seong finished his cola, then recalled in his mind what he wanted to ask.

Soon, he moved his lips.

“I want to know if my family is safe.”

The day before the Upheaval, Han-seong’s family had gone to Daejeon for his maternal grandmother’s death anniversary. But other than that, he knew nothing about their situation.

Han-seong waited for Aei’s answer with a visibly tense expression. However, the response he got didn’t meet his expectations.

“I’m sorry, but that’s not something I can answer.”

“What? Why…”

“The answers I’m allowed to give are only about you personally, magic, and the Mage’s Tower. I’m sorry.”

Aei bowed apologetically.

Though he felt quite disappointed inside, if it wasn’t possible, there was nothing he could do. Han-seong let out a sigh.

Then he asked another question.

The first doubt he had after the Upheaval.

“Then I’m curious about why my job was determined to be Remote Support Mage.”

There are various jobs in the current world.

Alchemist, Shadow Assassin, Necromancer, and so on.

Are these determined randomly?

Or is there some criteria that exists before the job is determined? To these questions, Aei gave an answer without hesitation.

“What you call jobs are determined by combining your talents, potential, tendencies, and so on. Talent usually has the biggest influence.”

“Talent?”

“For example, you have excellent talent for magic, Mage. Your potential for magic is also limitless. That’s why you became a Mage.”

He understood the general meaning.

But a new question arose.

“But magic didn’t exist in the world I lived in, did it?”

“No, it does exist.”

“Are you saying magic existed even before the Upheaval?”

“That’s right. It’s just that no one had discovered the existence of magic. It’s natural since research on Aether hadn’t been conducted.”

Hmm, this is another new fact.

Han-seong looked surprised. Meanwhile, Aei added further explanation.

“Anyway, talent has the biggest influence on determining jobs. That’s why even among Mages, not everyone is the same.”

Just as not all soldiers have the same shooting skills or physical abilities suitable for combat performance despite having the same job.

Han-seong nodded silently at Aei’s detailed explanation. It meant that even with the same job, differences arise depending on talent and potential.

“On top of that, if you received a blessing from the star you were born and raised on, like you did, Mage, the gap widens even more.”

“You mean the Blessing of Remote Support?”

“That’s right. Usually, blessings are only granted when two conditions are met.”

Environment and job.

Aei added an explanation.

“For example, the blessing granted to you, Mage, only becomes eligible for bestowal after staying at fixed coordinates for 10 years.”

Only then did Han-seong realize why he had received such a blessing. After all, he had lived in seclusion in his room for 10 years after his lower body was paralyzed.

‘But that’s not just me.’

There must be others who have spent more than 10 years in the same place besides Han-seong. In extreme cases, like patients who have been hospitalized long-term without consciousness.

So just as he was about to ask with doubt.

Aei’s answer was one step ahead.

“This is where job becomes important.”

“Job?”

“Yes. After all, the Blessing of Remote Support is only granted to Mages.”

Han-seong’s eyes widened again.

In other words, you could only receive the Blessing of Remote Support if you had talent for magic and stayed in the same place for 10 years.

“Additionally, no more than one of the same blessing exists in a single dimensional system. So it means you are the only Remote Support Mage.”

So you should be proud.

Aei said that to Han-seong. Meanwhile, Han-seong wore a slightly dazed expression.

Honestly, he felt bewildered.

‘To think I had talent for magic…’

If he had heard such a thing before the Upheaval, he would have scoffed. But now that he had actually become a Mage, it didn’t sound like a joke.

“Has your doubt been somewhat resolved?”

“Yes, thanks to you.”

“I’m glad. Then let’s move on.”

Aei folded one finger.

Only one question remained.

Han-seong quickly thought of what to ask.

If the question about his job was a doubt he had harbored since the Upheaval, what he just thought of was a more recent question.

“I’d like to ask if there’s a way to raise my grade faster than now.”

It was a question about promotion.

It felt like almost a month had passed since becoming 3rd Tier, but he hadn’t even gathered half of the Rank Experience needed. Han-seong looked at Aei with desperate eyes.

Hoping his concern could be resolved.

Then Aei’s voice came back.

“Grade is a kind of realm. If it’s hard to understand, you can think of it as proficiency related to your job.”

“…Realm.”

“That’s why generally, the only way to raise proficiency is to train diligently. Repeating meditation and magic manifestation.”

Han-seong’s eyes sparkled at those words.

The use of the word ‘generally’ implied that there might be unconventional methods as well.

This proved to be accurate.

“Then occasionally when you gain enlightenment, proficiency increases greatly. This is what you call Rank Experience.”

“How can one gain enlightenment?”

“Well, that differs for each person so I can’t explain it specifically… But generally, everyone gains enlightenment by passing the tower’s trials.”

“Trials? Ah…!”

Suddenly Han-seong’s eyes widened.

He recalled the notification message that had appeared when he briefly left the officetel in the past, as the Blessing of Remote Support disappeared.

‘It definitely said I could secure additional bases if I passed trials in the Mage’s Tower.’

Those trials mentioned then were probably the same as the trials Aei was talking about now. Having found a clue, Han-seong’s eyes shone like stars.

Meanwhile, Aei continued her explanation.

“The Trial Room exists at the top of the Mage’s Tower. If you take on and pass the trial there, you can almost certainly gain enlightenment.”

Passing the trial would grant enlightenment along with a large amount of Rank Experience. After finishing her words, Aei folded her second finger as well.

“That concludes the questions I’ll take.”

“You don’t have to look so disappointed. If you pass the trial, I’ll specially give you a chance for additional questions.”

Aei laughed, once again reading Han-seong’s expression. At this, Han-seong repeatedly mulled over the word ‘trial’ he had heard from her.

‘I must pass the trial no matter what.’

That way he could raise his grade quickly, and also gain the skill to expand his base.

Plus he could get a chance to ask more questions.

As he was quietly making his resolution.

Aei spoke to him again.

“Then would you like to take on the trial right away?”

“Hmm, about that…”

Han-seong fell into thought.

It wouldn’t matter if he took on the trial right away. After all, that’s why he came here.

‘But…’

He still lacked information.

He hadn’t even been guided through the Mage’s Tower yet.

So it would be better to dig for more necessary information first. There might be things he needed to prepare before taking on the trial.

“Could I look around the tower first before deciding?”

“Of course. I’ll guide you.”

Aei turned around.

Han-seong followed behind her.

To examine the interior of the tower.