Chapter 195

First class.

And I was guided to a private seat reserved exclusively for Hunters.

“Hoo.”

I sat down and let out a breath.

Shopping after such a long time……

No, to be honest, it was my first time really shopping like this, so I ended up splurging a little more than I’d planned.

Naturally, I used up the one billion won annual free limit provided by the Association.

And I think I spent about another billion on top of that……

‘Anyone else would say I’ve gone insane.’

To burn through two billion won on nothing but potions and food.

I guess that’s what happens when merchants swarm you and you start spending without hesitation.

‘Well, still.’

I had no regrets.

The account linked to the payment card belonged to the Guild in the first place.

And Kim Jina had said I could spend as much as I wanted on dungeon supplies.

Compared to what the Guild earns, about a billion won was like tossing a single cup of water into a river.

Even more so if you considered the future value.

But—

》You rascal, you’re the first person I’ve ever seen hoard that much food in my life.

The Elder, who clearly didn’t agree, muttered in a gruff voice.

》Tsk tsk, no wonder I was worried about the underlings serving you……. How can a man running an organization waste money like that from the very beginning?

Oh dear.

The Elder was nagging again.

Was he worried about his disciple overspending?

‘It’s fine. I’ll eat all of it. It stays fresh as long as it’s in my bag anyway.’

》You’re saying you’ll eat all that?

‘Of course. Think about how much I train or how often I run through dungeons. Honestly, with the calories I burn, I’d have to eat a hundred times more than a normal person just to maintain my body.’

Of course.

I didn’t actually eat that much.

But it was true that I ate more than most people.

‘Besides, as for the Guild’s money… Dmir and I earned it all ourselves in the first place, so who’s going to complain if I spend it? Money is meant to be spent.’

Someone once said this.

If you chase money, it runs away, but if you stay still, it comes to you.

If you set a goal and push forward, money will naturally follow.

When it came to preparing for dungeons, I was the type who would spend everything I had and even go into debt if I had to.

》Keuheum.

The Elder folded his arms, looking displeased.

But what could be done?

I’d already bought it, and the past was the past.

Wheee, drrrrr…….

Still, the Elder’s obvious dissatisfaction quickly faded.

Because the plane began to take off.

》Hooooo.

As if he had never been gruff in the first place, he began humming again, full of excitement.

》This heavy lump of scrap metal is taking off again!

He really did find it fascinating.

The Elder’s eyes had turned as clear as a child’s.

For quite a while now, he had simply stared blankly out the window at the clouds and the horizon.

Should I get some sleep too?

England.

When you arrive in Oxford, famous as home to one of the most prestigious universities in the world, the first thing that overwhelms you is its sheer scale.

Because it was formed over its long history from dozens of colleges, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call the entire city a university town.

Bustle, bustle.

The city was crowded with tourists, students, and Hunters.

It was the same in South Korea, but the United Kingdom was also one of the world’s top three hunter powerhouses.

And among them, the single greatest attraction was, without question, Oxford.

Why?

“Crazy.”

In the sky, directly above the center of the city, an enormous Magic Tower floated high in the air.

“Wow, this is my first time seeing it in person.”

I stared in admiration.

It was incredible.

The fact that a single building could overwhelm a person like this was incredible.

And the fact that such a massive structure floated in midair, completely defying the laws of physics, was incredible too.

》Heo.

The Elder clicked his tongue as well.

》What in the world is that thing? Your world truly is one endless chain of wonders.

“The funny thing is, I live in this world, and I’m just as amazed.”

Would Peach Blossom Land be able to give off an aura like this once it was complete?

I thought it just might.

The Dwarves of Stone, who bowed to no one when it came to craftsmanship.

And Dmir, who had risen among them to the level of an absolute being in that field, was grinding his teeth and preparing for it with great ambition.

Anyway.

I guess this was what it meant to be called one of the top groups in the world.

I felt like I understood why Kim Jina had insisted so strongly that I visit the Magic Tower.

It definitely carried an aura that exceeded my expectations.

“Oh, Hoon?”

Just then, I heard a familiar voice from afar.

“That mask, that’s you, Hoon, right?!”

It was Olena’s voice.

When I raised a hand and waved, she smiled shyly and came running over.

I’d been talking with her through the chat window on the way here.

We’d agreed to meet here.

“Waaah, is that the squinty-eyed mask? It really is cute.”

“Thanks for saying that. Someone else said it looked sly.”

“Hul, I don’t know who said that, but they have a really nasty personality, don’t they?”

She replied with a bright smile.

Meanwhile, the Elder standing beside me looked even sourer than before.

I quickly changed the subject.

“Here. This is the Magic Tower invitation I mentioned before. Can I go up there with this?”

The inside of the Magic Tower was never revealed to the public.

Everything about it was kept secret.

The only thing ordinary people knew was that it was full of magic Hunters sent from various countries.

“Ahahat, actually, you can come in without something like that, Hoon.”

“Really?”

I looked at her in surprise.

“Yes, if someone at professor level or above invites you. And a few days ago, I was officially appointed as a professor~”

Olena shrugged with a proud look on her face.

“Wow, you’re already a professor?”

Back in the early days of the trial, when we first met, she had said she was a student of the water attribute.

Now that she had become a Ranker, it seemed the Magic Tower was giving her the proper respect.

“That’s amazing. Top of your class when you got in, and now already a professor.”

“Haha, am I really more amazing than you, Hoon?”

Even as she said that, she seemed pleased, humming lightly as she started guiding me.

“Come on, follow me. I’ve gotten a bit busier since becoming a professor, but since a trial colleague came all the way here, I should at least show you around the Magic Tower. Phew, I already had mountains of work when I was still a student, but it’s even worse now that I’m a professor, you know?”

I followed Olena through the city.

Chatting with her while she spoke in an excited voice.

How long had we been walking?

The place we arrived at was directly beneath the very center of the Magic Tower.

“This is the magic circle used to enter the Magic Tower.”

Olena nodded toward someone who appeared to be an employee.

“Welcome to the Magic Tower.”

The man recognized her immediately and bowed.

Then, after exchanging a few words with him—

“Hoon.”

She walked over and handed me something.

It was a golden badge.

“Wear this. It’s a token proving that you’re a guest of the Magic Tower.”

“Ah, so this is how it works.”

As I accepted the token, I thought to myself.

This was probably exactly the kind of thing Kim Jina wanted me to report back to her.

The procedure for entering the Magic Tower was simple.

Following the employee’s guidance, you stood on the magic circle, light shot up from the floor—

And with a shreuk! my vision flickered.

After a short moment, the first floor of the Magic Tower, the Plaza, appeared.

It kind of felt like being inside a UFO from a science fiction movie.

‘Not bad.’

I thought it might be worth borrowing an idea like this.

Later, for a place of our own.

If we managed the portal into Peach Blossom Land this way, we’d be able to control the number of entrants nicely.

“Here, this is the Plaza. It’s bigger than you expected, right?”

“Yes, this is almost……”

It felt roughly ten times larger than the area of the Magic Tower I had seen from the city below.

“It feels like my backpack.”

A space that was far larger on the inside than it looked from the outside.

Countless staff members and magic Hunters filled the interior.

And a grand circular staircase spiraled along the outer wall of the space.

“How is it? Your first look inside the Magic Tower?”

“It’s cool. Cool enough that I want to pay you back by showing you Peach Blossom Land sometime, Olena.”

“Ah! Peach Blossom Land… that’s the place Capu and Maximilian were raving about, right?”

“Yes.”

Peach Blossom Land was cool, but this place was cool too.

Each had its own completely different charm.

As I looked around the Plaza, my gaze eventually rose toward the ceiling.

A ceiling so high that the end of it couldn’t even be seen.

“For your information, the Magic Tower has one hundred floors.”

“One hundred floors?”

“Yes. Each floor serves a different purpose… but I don’t know what the hundredth floor is for either. Even for me, as a professor, access is only allowed up to the seventieth floor.”

“Hmm, that’s strict.”

“Well, Oxford’s Sage set it up that way. I’m sure there’s a reason for it.”

“I see.”

Oxford’s Sage was the master of the Magic Tower.

If the owner wanted things done that way, who was going to say anything?

“The first through tenth floors are student dormitories and guest accommodations. If you go to the central counter and show them your gold badge, you should be able to get a room. Since you came all the way here to visit the Magic Tower, you’ll probably be staying a few days, right?”

“Umm, I suppose so?”

For the time being, it seemed I wouldn’t be returning to Korea until I found the Fragment of Ancient Magic.

“Then it’s best to get your room first. Oxford’s Sage will probably take some time because of the academic conference schedule… huh?”

Jiiiing!

Just then, the smartphone in Olena’s pocket vibrated.

“Oh no! My mind! The experiment!”

“Pardon?”

“Oh no, I had something scheduled and forgot. It’s a joint project with professors from the other attributes…! Hwaaa, I’m in trouble.”

Hmm.

She really did seem busy.

She already had another commitment so soon after meeting me.

“For now, get your room and look around! You should have access up to the fortieth floor, Hoon!”

Olena, who was anxiously tapping her feet, looked at me apologetically.

“Ah, yes. Don’t worry about me. You should hurry.”

“I’ll contact you later!”

Swoosh!

She shot off like an arrow.

People say university professors are murderously busy.

It certainly looked that way.

“Your VIP room has been confirmed. Please proceed to Room 5510 on the 5th floor.”

Just as Olena had said, when I showed the gold badge at the counter and asked for a room, the staff handed me a key.

Was that the power of the badge?

Even though I was wearing the black fox mask and keeping my face covered, they didn’t even ask to verify my identity.

I guess that meant a lot of private VIP guests came through here.

Swish!

I took an elevator-like magic circle nearby up to the fifth floor and pressed the key against Room 5510.

Click!

The door opened, revealing a luxurious suite.

“Wow.”

It was enough to put a five-star hotel suite to shame.

A spacious area of about a hundred pyeong, with a huge living room.

A bathroom so elegant it reminded me of a bathhouse, and a cozy bedroom.

“It really is nice.”

Nodding, I immediately opened the chat window and typed.

[Skeleton King: Floors 1 to 10 of the Magic Tower are used for accommodations.]

[Skeleton King: There are magic circles on each floor, so moving around is convenient.]

[Skeleton King: Looks like the rooms are graded by class.]

[Skeleton King: Very luxurious. About 100 pyeong?]

[Kim Jina: Nice! Great!]

[Kim Jina: Keep writing down everything you see!]

I was relaying everything about the Magic Tower to Kim Jina.

Then she, back at the site, would discuss it with Dmir.

She said that although the basic design was already drafted, it could still be modified continuously during construction.

Truly a superhuman ability unique to the Dwarves of Stone.

“Huh?”

Something suddenly caught my eye.

It was a pamphlet on the table in the center of the room……

Flip!

I walked over and opened it. It seemed to be a guide for first-time guests on how to use the Magic Tower.

‘Kim Jina will like this.’

Deciding to summarize it later and send it to her once I had time, I stepped back out of the room.

Well then, until Oxford’s Sage arrives.

Shall I begin my proper tour of the Magic Tower?

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