Chapter 164

The Oxford Magic Tower Lord.

The platinum-blonde woman’s majesty was immense.

Just looking at her made the hair on my entire body stand on end.

My instincts and intuition screamed danger in my mind.

‘Crazy.’

I clicked my tongue inwardly.

Putting the Berserker aside.

After the Spear King, now a Sage.

Wasn’t this a veritable parade of ultra-high rankers?

“How could the Tower Lord herself come to a place like this…?!”

Olena exclaimed with a moved expression.

“Ahem…!”

The Spear King lowered his spear with an embarrassed look.

“Huh?”

Jang Dae-woong, who had been dripping with madness, reined in his aura and muttered.

“Gotta admit, the British hag is something else. Tsk.”

At the same time, he smacked his lips as if in disappointment.

“Hey, still, that’s a relief.”

White Boar let out a sigh of relief.

“Looks like his reckless, crazy behavior doesn’t extend to the 4th-ranked, huh?”

“It can’t.”

It was then that Ki Parang muttered from behind in his characteristically emotionless voice.

“What?”

“Well… I guess you guys can’t feel it yet? This entire island is already in the Magic Tower Lord’s hands. What she wants is to stop the fighting. If anyone were to defy her will…”

“……”

Gulp.

White Boar swallowed his saliva.

“The moment they do, the magical power controlling the island would mercilessly rip their bodies apart. No matter how crazy the Berserker is, he’s not suicidal enough to do something pointless.”

His words sent a chill down my spine, as if my heart had turned to ice.

At that moment.

A faint smile.

Sophia, floating in the air, smiled gently.

“See? Isn’t it so much better when you’re all standing still like this? The new year is just around the corner, so let’s get along as fellow humans. You know?”

Her platinum-blonde hair cascaded down to her waist.

Her blue eyes, like looking into a cerulean sea, were filled with a dizzying charm.

‘In fact.’

Though her current appearance was beautiful.

Before her awakening, she had looked like a white-haired old woman.

One who was over 80 years old, at that.

‘It’s incredible.’

It’s not easy to attain such an appearance through some power.

In various media outlets.

They had praised her, saying it was impossible without possessing incredibly profound magic.

In terms of martial arts, would it be the state of returning to youth?

Of course, she wasn’t in the form of a complete child.

‘The Elder was right.’

I muttered inwardly again.

Actually.

Even when Sophia Silverstone appeared.

I wasn’t that surprised.

Why?

Because when the Spear King appeared, I had already called the Elder of Ten Thousand Arts.

– Do not act rashly, and stay still.

– Someone is watching.

– A truly tremendous being. Powerful enough to subdue those morons before you in an instant.

Because the Elder had already informed me of the Magic Tower Lord’s presence.

“Keh!”

The Elder, who was watching the situation, gave a thumbs-up.

His eyes were twinkling—filled with interest.

– “This world you live in, called Earth, is certainly amusing! Amusing, very! The powerful are scattered about like pebbles on the ground! Yes, this is what makes it worth conquering!”

‘To conquer it, they are ridiculously strong, though.’

Honestly, I was amazed.

The Spear King was surprising, but the Magic Tower Lord was truly beyond imagination.

The top 10.

The Berserker’s words that the gap between each rank was almost equivalent to the gap between Hunter grades was now hitting home.

Trying to get a taste of conquest, I was more likely to get my tongue cut off.

– “You brat, it’s only been half a year since you started learning properly. It took this master over 300 years to become the strongest on my world, so what kind of absurd greed is that? Ten Thousand Arts is something where if you climb slowly, without rushing, you can reach the summit.”

‘I know, I know. Don’t worry too much. As I’ve said before, my ultimate goal is already to be rank 1.’

– “Indeed, with you, it seems more than possible now without me even having to say it. Hehe.”

‘No, but why have you been grinning like that since a while ago?’

I looked at the Elder with an uneasy expression.

Ever since he was talking with the Spear King.

His pleased smile was making me extremely uncomfortable.

– “You brat. Hahahaha! Seeing the state of that fellow, the Spear King, how could I not laugh!”

‘Yes…?’

– “It’s obvious his expression is sour because he failed at raising his disciple. Tsk, tsk, to be so needlessly proud of such shoddy spearmanship. Even with a decent talent, his heart is full of wickedness.”

‘What does that mean…’

Was he boasting about his own disciple… me?

– “Look at that gaze.”

‘Hmm.’

The Spear King’s cold gaze.

– “Human greed is endless, so they tend to want to deny what they cannot have. Tsk, tsk, how can one who cannot even control their own heart learn martial arts? In our world, we call that Qi Deviation. It literally means that the devil has filled his insides. It seems to be in the early stages, but he’s going to cause big trouble soon.”

“……”

I did not avoid Chen Ziyi’s gaze.

Without blinking an eye, I met it.

World rank 10?

‘So what.’

I had already learned that this world called Earth was so feeble it wouldn’t even amount to a speck of dust, and I had experienced the infinity of the universe.

Besides, I was the man who would become the future world rank 1.

Would I be intimidated by something like that?

My mindset was similar to the Berserker’s.

Even if my skills weren’t there yet.

Even if I was still a greenhorn.

It was a promise not to lose in my heart.

Sssst!

“Oh my? At it again, are we?”

The Magic Tower Lord, noticing this, moved her body through the air.

Between the Spear King and me. Right in the middle.

“Fine, fine. Fighting. It’s all good, but.”

She glanced at the Spear King.

“Spear King.”

“……”

“One of my Magic Tower’s children is here, and I also have some business with that child over there. Are you still going to continue?”

Her voice was extremely polite and gentle.

However, the will contained in the surrounding aura was not.

Back off while I’m asking nicely.

Otherwise, there will be blood.

“Ahem.”

The Spear King cleared his throat.

“Hey, greenhorn.”

Greenhorn.

The Spear King’s term for me.

“I apologize if you felt it was rude. I merely wanted to show you the essence of the Pear Blossom Spear my disciple spoke of, but the situation escalated and I made a mistake. Please understand.”

I sensed his intention in those words.

It wasn’t a genuine apology.

I could feel his desire to simply wrap up the situation quickly.

‘Well, I don’t care.’

That feeling was mutual.

First of all, my mind and body were exhausted from the repeated trials.

I wanted to quickly return to South Korea and rest.

“Hmm. Well, I understand. Since your disciple has a good character, I’ll let it slide.”

Of course, that said.

I, too.

Was not so meek as to respond politely to an insincere apology.

“Let it slide? You have quite some nerve.”

“Well, I’ve been through many situations that forced my nerves to grow?”

“Hahaha, is that so? Fine, that composure… I will remember it.”

Ssk!

The Spear King, as if displeased, gave a short laugh and turned his back.

“Zhang Wei, let us go.”

Then he gestured to Judgement Spear.

However, Judgement Spear.

“My friend, I am sorry. I’ll apologize later…”

“Hurry, did I not tell you to go!”

ROAR!

The roaring Spear King and Zhang Wei being dragged away with no other choice.

“The Spear King wasn’t originally that bad. How did he end up like that? Tsk. To think he’s already going senile when we’re aging together.”

Sophia Silverstone watched them, shaking her head.

Then, soon after.

“By the way, that thing.”

Smiling faintly, she looked at me.

Pointing to one of my pockets.

“Pardon?”

“That stone. You received it?”

“The stone… Ah.”

The Dungeon artifact.

The gift Delilah gave me in Theme 6.

“Wow, I couldn’t believe it. She really gave you that?”

Soon, the Magic Tower Lord’s eyes widened.

“That Delilah…! When I asked her to trade, she was sweating bullets and hiding it so carefully! And she just went and happily handed over a top-grade one? This looks two grades better than mine, doesn’t it?”

“……”

“Sigh. Well, anyway. I just came by to take a look since Delilah praised you so much. And to pick up our head mage, too?”

“Is that so…?”

I broke into a bit of a cold sweat.

My opponent was a big shot, ranked 4th.

Honestly, I didn’t know how to react.

It felt like a celebrity from TV I admired had suddenly started talking to me.

The Magic Tower Lord’s gaze swept over my body.

Whoong!

A gentle energy and fragrance spiraled around me.

“Well, so-so. Just as she said. You do seem promising.”

‘Wow.’

I clicked my tongue in my mind.

‘The Magic Tower Lord said I’m promising.’

Putting aside whether it was rude or not, I just felt good.

Unlike with the Spear King.

I could tell just by looking at her eyes that it was pure curiosity.

“I’d like to see more, but.”

She rested her chin on her hand in mid-air and smiled brightly.

“I have to get going, too. The Magic Tower also has to participate in the New Year’s event.”

“A New Year’s event…”

“You’re Joo Donghoon, right?”

The Magic Tower Lord met my eyes again.

“I’m leaving for now, but come visit the Magic Tower sometime later.”

“To the Magic Tower?”

“Yes. Since Delilah helped you, maybe I can be of some help too?”

“Uh…”

An invitation from the Magic Tower Lord.

That’s a tremendous honor, but.

Why is she being so nice all of a sudden?

I was a bit bewildered.

“It’s not a secret that Delilah told me to get in line early.”

The Magic Tower Lord laughed.

“You have to remember this, okay? That I was the one who chased away that old Spear King? Surely, you don’t have a bad memory, do you?”

Ah.

Could it be.

Is she not looking at my present, but at my future?

‘If that’s the case.’

I grinned.

‘I can respect that.’

My ambitions were already at the very top of the sky.

“Of course. I will be sure to hold the Magic Tower Lord’s kindness in my heart.”

“Hahahaha! I like how straightforward you are!”

Sophia burst into laughter.

Then, soon after.

Whoong!

She took out a staff from her robes.

It was a top-quality staff that looked incredibly expensive at a glance.

“Olena?”

“Yes, Tower Lord!”

“Come here. Let’s return to the Tower. We can talk a lot about your story at the Tower, so will you forgive me for neglecting you for a moment?”

“Ah, o-o-of course!”

Olena answered boldly.

She exchanged a brief glance with me, then stood next to the Magic Tower Lord.

And then.

Sssst!

The energy that had dominated the space vanished in an instant.

The two figures disappeared as if they had never been there in the first place.

A spatial art that would make Vladimir weep…

“Hooah!”

Yoo Sang-don let out a breath.

“I thought I was going to suffocate to death.”

“Khaha! What would you have done if I hadn’t come to get my little bro? The skewering old geezer and the British hag! Did you get a good show thanks to your bro?”

“Good show, my ass. I just took a brief tour of the afterlife.”

“Hahahaha! Isn’t it boring to only see this life all the time! You have to take a peek at the scenery of the afterlife every now and then to make life three-dimensional!”

“…You crazy bastard.”

“Thanks for the compliment!”

The bickering Berserker and Master Archer.

“King! It’s been a while. As expected, I knew you could do it.”

Lee Seon-ah, who seemed to have cooled her boiling anger, had found her lively smile again.

“You came back alive. And… it seems you’ve grown to a point where even I can’t ignore you anymore? Your aura is quite something.”

And even Ki Soyul, who was smiling at me in relief.

Ah.

Right, it was finally sinking in.

I’m really back.

A great wave in my life has passed.

“I kept my promise.”

I grinned as I looked at the Five Stars of Seoul.

They who showed me the kindness of a ‘recommendation’ when I had nothing.

And who even risked their lives to fight a powerful enemy for me.

My benefactors.

“Thanks to all of you, I learned, experienced, and grew a lot.”

A proper thank you.

I remembered my past self promising to give it after I returned alive.

So I bowed my head politely towards them.

“I am sincerely grateful.”

* * *

At that same time.

“Ha, he’s really not coming?”

Kim Jin-ah, sitting in front of a TV on the third floor of Dmir’s Workshop, grumbled.

“He’s not even showing his face when it’s almost New Year’s? Is he actually dead in some remote corner of the world?”

Wearing simple training clothes.

Behind her, who was crossing her legs in a comfortable posture as if it were her own home…

Beer cans formed a small hill.

“Ha, I can’t go on vacation. Can’t rest. Can’t even leave work because of that skeleton.”

Grind!

She ground her teeth.

“He should at least let me have a vacation for the end of the year! Ugh, I’m so stressed!”

A hollow shout.

The responsible Kim Jin-ah hadn’t rested once since the workshop master disappeared.

Was that all?

She couldn’t even go home and was living at the workshop.

She thought it would be a bigger headache to clean up the mess if the skeletons, which she couldn’t say were under complete control yet, caused an accident.

Bang! Popopobang!

The sound of fireworks exploding could be heard.

The sun was already setting.

The outside was in a festive mood, but she alone felt gloomy.

Is this right?

Really?

“Shiiiit.”

She let out a refreshing curse, then, pssht! cracked open another can of beer.

Well, what could she do?

She had to drink as much as she was stressed.