episode_0425

After the graduation ceremony.

Now that we had finished organizing our luggage, it was time to head to the gate terminal.

“Are you visiting the association?”

[yes]

But I had somewhere to go. When I mentioned that, the eyes of those packing their bags immediately turned to me.

“Ah, Mr. President. Well… I don’t mind you going, but I wonder how long it will take… ”

Lee Ji-yeon, as the representative, spoke in a voice filled with concern.

[That’s okay. I’ll be back soon. I’ll be back before departure. If I’m a little late, just meet me at the arrival gate terminal.]

“That’s true, but… ”

Lee Ji-yeon’s expression became strange. What was certain was that her expression was filled with distrust.

… Other people were no different. Their expressions were filled with distrust and anxiety.

I was about to pout, but then I realized I wasn’t qualified to do it and put it back in.

“Oh, well then~ The acting president of the association is doing official work, so who would dare say anything else?”

[I’m doing it…]

“I’m sorry to hear that. No problem! Please hurry up and come back.”

Baek A-rin covered her mouth with her hand and laughed, then patted my butt.

I took a deep breath and stroked the head of Seo-Yul, who was sitting on the sofa with her luggage packed.

[Dad, I’ll be back soon. Don’t worry. I’m waiting with the others.]

“… Are you sure it’s coming right away?“

[Graham…]

… Even Seo-Yul’s eyes were filled with doubt.

He nodded heavily, feeling despair at the fact that he was not even trusted by his own children.

After that, he turned his gaze away from the worries that were not going away and entered a room to manifest the power of space.

The waves of the rippling space engulfed my body and I flew into the connected space.

The destination is a place that still retains the name Washington DC.

The headquarters of the association was established there.

“I’ve been waiting.“

My legs, which had been floating for a moment, touched the ground.

A room without windows. Maxwell, who had been waiting in advance, bowed his head.

[Yes, it’s been a while.]

As we bowed our heads, Maxwell opened the door with a silent smile.

“We have placed an illusion at the entrance to the dungeon you entered a while ago. We are also operating observation equipment and have personnel on standby to prepare for a runaway.”

[thank you]

I followed his guidance, walked, watched and listened.

A level 1 dungeon. This is a must-do dungeon as it contains the Jewel of Attention.

However, the level of difficulty is 1st class. It is a dungeon with a terrible internal magical power concentration and scale.

Since I put in a clone, I prepared insurance in case I had to force myself to come out with only the jewel of caution.

[What’s the other side?]

“Nothing special has appeared. The closed hole cannot be seen with the naked eye, and there are no monsters flowing back or erosion phenomena.”

Several months have passed since the rebellion was suppressed.

I feel reassured about this part.

In the original work, the line has never been blocked like this.

I was nervous because I had never crawled inside and completely destroyed someone’s will, but fortunately, it seems this was the right answer.

‘It’s a space where the will has disappeared, so I should try to use it later if I can.’

This is a space that far surpasses the first class in terms of scale. If you can use it, it will be of great help.

The power of space has also made great progress, so it’s worth visiting next time to try it out.

While I was thinking like that.

The gaze of a man walking across the hallway caught my eye. He was dressed in his association uniform, and his lips were quivering, indicating that he was talking on the phone.

“─Process it and decide on the future plan at the scene… Huh… Huh.”

The man’s gaze fell on me.

The man’s eyes widened as he held his breath for a moment, and then his waist folded in half in an instant.

“Ah, hello! Mr. President!”

[Oh, yes yes… Thank you for your hard work.]

“It’s an honor… !“

It is an extremely burdensome treatment.

Even if you wave your hand tremblingly, the man’s waist doesn’t seem to move.

Finally, as I passed the man who had shown his true colors and was about to disappear from sight, the man’s head finally rose again.

That scene was repeated every time I encountered someone.

Every time I awkwardly greeted him and passed by, Maxwell let out a small laugh.

[What are you laughing at?]

“Because the reaction is similar to what I expected.”

[Similar?]

“Yes, didn’t you suddenly run into the acting president of the association, who had returned to the cradle after showing his face for the first time in the back, in the hallway?”

… Thinking about it that way, I guess it’s right to be confused.

I had forgotten what it felt like to be acting president of the association.

He nodded and snapped his fingers. The spell of cognitive impairment covered his body. He turned his robe inside out and went out onto the ground.

As I left the main gate of the association headquarters, a spacious park unfolded before my eyes.

It was a park with a green brick road, statues of many great people, and lush lawns and trees.

Among the people walking in the park, there were not only association staff but also some civilians.

“Because the site is so well-developed, civilians often visit. It was also built with the intention of reducing conflicts between superhumans and ordinary people in the past.”

[Aha, I see]

I followed Maxwell’s explanation and took a quick look behind him.

The headquarters of the association that I just walked out of is the twin towers… twin buildings.

I heard that they made it that way with the idea that there would be two association presidents in mind.

The security and defense are also terribly strong. The castle itself was built by pouring in all the materials and manpower that could be mobilized.

Although it looks like just a thick and tall skyscraper, it is an impregnable fortress that no defense facility can compare to.

‘I couldn’t stop it the 11th time though…’

That couldn’t be helped.

It’s a kind of natural disaster.

How can we stop the vice president from destroying the cradle of poetry, invading the territory of the three major families, and physically destroying the pagoda?

[I’ll start from the Tower of Space]

“Yes.”

Maxwell urged him to walk faster.

The city that came into observation was extremely wealthy.

Washington, D.C. is playing a leading role as an economic center with branches of various powers located there.

The reason for this is that the headquarters of the association is located there, but it is also because it is the location of the five towers.

He stopped walking. Maxwell stepped aside without saying a word.

A building located in the front.

A height that soars beyond the sky and shows off its majesty. A surface with a mixture of dark and light gray.

It was the Tower of Space, one of the five towers.

‘There is a tuning tower over there.’

There is a tuning tower a little distance away. It is within walking distance. It is also in Washington, D.C.

‘I understand that the Tower of Tuning was installed later.’

The original tower that rose in Washington, D.C. was the Tower of Space.

However, it is said that the association was established, its headquarters was set up, and the coordination tower was also moved nearby.

It is a triangular structure, with the headquarters of the association, the tower of space, and the tower of coordination located at each vertex.

A safe zone where not even a single monster can enter, let alone a dungeon. It is an environment where public safety is bound to be good.

I shook off my thoughts and approached the Tower of Space.

The enormous size is even more noticeable when seen right next to you.

‘There is no entrance.’

Unlike the Tower of Growth or the Tower of Knowledge, the Tower of Space had no entrance.

‘The Tower of Growth is for the entrance. The Tower of Knowledge had to be entered at least once according to the plan.’

The Tower of Growth can achieve distinct growth through periodic entry into the tower.

After hearing the general story from Ariel at the Tower of Knowledge, I was taught magical skills to the level of a wizard.

The rest of the towers aren’t like that at all.

There’s nothing special I can gain by joining. I heard that they didn’t even have the capacity to let me in in the first place.

The Tower of Space and Observation grants me power and takes on my duties, while the Tower of Attunement is in charge of the status window.

… Of course, the status window is a bit strange, but the correction is working correctly.

Even when you’re currently using the Tower of Purgatory to grab the ward, the status window provides a large amount of power that is adjusted accordingly.

‘hmm.’

I lightly placed my hand on the top. The gray surface was smooth. Instead of a tactile sensation, it gave me a strong sense of space.

‘It’s thick, after all.’

The tower is a kind of subspace. Although its scale is absurdly large, it is a space independent of the world.

A wall dividing space from space. The Tower of Space had a wall that was particularly thicker than that of other towers.

Is it because the name itself is the Tower of Space? The defense is no ordinary thing.

‘Still… it’s not to the point where I can’t put it in.’

It would have been impossible if I hadn’t recently received training from Sierra.

He nodded and raised his hand.

He manifested the power of knowledge. He took out a book from the library that was located in his mind.

-Clang!

Magic and records intertwined, and a book appeared out of thin air.

The book had a black cover and was thick enough to be difficult to hold with one hand. I picked it up and placed it against the surface of the tower.

‘Manifestation, the power of space.’

I put strength into the hand that was placed on the tower. The spatial security function applied to the tower. I know well how to solve it.

-Wooow!

The tower that touched the book rippled. The ripples in space rippled the surface of the tower like waves.

The change was visible to the naked eye. There was a commotion around them, but they trusted Maxwell and the association staff and did not lose focus.

The book was buried in the tower little by little. As the surface rippled up and down, the book was slowly swallowed.

-Swoosh…

‘Okay.’

At the point where half of it was finally buried, the remaining half was immediately immersed. The book that had left my fingertips seeped into the tower of space.

-Phew…

I let out a slightly exhaled breath, trying to gather my strength.

I thought it would be successful, but the remaining tension melted away along with the success.

Either way, it’s a success.

I smiled faintly and took a few steps back.

Then, Maxwell came in, talking to the association staff in charge of security for the Space Tower area.

“You succeeded. Congratulations.”

[Yes, that’s good. But how did you know that?]

“Your complexion was bright, so it seemed like you had succeeded.”

Is that an insult to say that someone’s expression is easy to read? It wasn’t malicious, but it sounds strange. He shrugged his shoulders with a strange expression.

[Then let’s go back…]

I tilted my head for a moment.

[Uhhh… No. Since I’m here, I’ll go check out the Tower of Harmony]

“Okay.”

Maxwell took the lead without saying a word. I followed, adjusting my robe that I had turned inside out.

Even though it was the same city, there was still some distance, but with a superhuman pace and a quick hop, we arrived in no time.

‘Hmm.’

The Tower of Tuning looked similar to other towers.

A tower soaring high into the sky. A tower thicker than you can imagine.

The overall color is sky blue.

The color was very familiar. I could easily find the answer by comparing it to observation.

‘It’s a holographic color.’

A hologram output from a smartwatch, etc. The basic color is sky blue, and it matches that exactly.

He placed his hand on the top and swept it down.

‘Security is… incredibly thick.’

No matter how much you squeeze out of the power of space, it’s still difficult to get in and out. I measured the space tower from earlier, but it was the same.

Of course, if you put in every effort, you can make room for it…

‘Because I don’t know how the restrictions on the top players will work.’

It is something that could easily cause harm to the owner. So it is not something that can be attempted recklessly.

I came here just in case, but as expected, there was no solution.

He turned around, feeling the intrusion again.

-Tiring!

‘?’

At that moment, an alarm rang in my ear. My hand, which was trying to operate the smartwatch, naturally stopped.

The place where the alarm sounded was different. It didn’t come through the bones in my wrist, but rang directly in my head.

‘Status window?’

-Tiring! Tiring! Tiring!

The alarm sounded repeatedly as if confirming the thoughts that had come to mind. I took my hands off the top of the tower and tilted my head back in a normal posture.

I haven’t been crying much lately, but why is it suddenly like this…

‘…Tower of Tuning.’

The tower of drying rate that constitutes the status window. The tower that I am currently holding is also the tower of tuning.

‘signal?’

I don’t know English, but I rolled my head while touching it.

Ring ring ring ring… How many times did the alarm ring?

I blinked. I felt a tickling sensation on my palm.

‘Space…’

The surface of the tower rippled. At first glance, it seemed like a similar phenomenon to the tower in space earlier.

I could sense it with the power of space and know exactly what the phenomenon was.

The wall becomes thinner. Only in very small parts does the wall collapse, and cracks appear as if a door is being made.

This is exactly the part I’m working on.

-Gigg…

The moment of change stopped. The gold that had been almost drawn stopped trembling.

‘Is this… trying to get me in?’

I couldn’t think of anything other than that intention. But in the meantime, it seemed like he was struggling as if he was exhausted.

Soon, I felt like the wall was starting to get thicker.

‘Ahhh.’

I looked at the situation and clapped my palm on the tower.

‘Should I just go in?’

I don’t know exactly, but I can’t miss the opportunity to get in and out.

He invoked the power of space. He opened up space, as if attaching it to the trembling gold.

-Swoosh!

The hand that had been holding the top went in. The suction force took effect. The body was buried inside.

“Lee Ha-yul!?”

[Oh! Don’t worry!]

Maxwell and the association staff, who had been approaching with a flag, stopped in their tracks.

[I’ll just go in for a bit. It won’t take long…]

“Yes?”

Maxwell asked back with a look of incomprehension, but there was no time to explain in detail.

I opened my eyes wide but didn’t resist the suction. Soon, my body fell into the Tower of Tuning.

.

.

.

It’s a familiar feeling.

It’s similar to being underwater, but it feels more muddy and heavy.

The feeling of floating through empty space. My body was naturally drawn to the flow. It was a stagnation of suction.

‘Where are you going?’

I blinked and observed.

Inside the Tower of Tuning.

It was different from the Tower of Growth.

Inside the Tower of Growth, it is divided into several levels, and countless levels can be observed, like stars embroidered across the universe… but the Tower of Tuning is filled with darkness.

-Wow!

Take a moment to observe the space and be led by the flow.

The strange and eerie sensation unique to space jumping. As I was climbing up the bridge, my legs touched the ground.

“Gyaaaah! It worked! It worked! It really worked! I made it! I really got it! ”

[Wow]

At the same time, a woman’s voice struck my ears.

I turned around in surprise at the sound of a voice piercing my eardrums from a close distance.

A woman was jumping up from a chair and jumping around.

A woman who is now familiar with the gods.

Every time he jumped, his slightly wavy, light blue hair swayed and his large chest shook.

[…Lord of the Tower of Tuning?]

“Yeah! Hello! Hello! Finally! It’s our first time meeting! ”

The question I asked just in case got an answer.

The woman, the top of the tuning tower, smiled brightly and waved both arms above her head.

***