Chapter 199
On top of the bookshelf where the hidden room was located,
Sonya sat there in a daze.
Her thoughts were tangled like shards of broken glass.
‘So that Black Fox Mask….’
Sitting blankly, Sonya replayed what had just happened.
The handsome Korean man taking off his mask and greeting her, and the heavenly Magic Tower Lord receiving that greeting as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
‘He wasn’t a professor’s guest… he was the Magic Tower Lord’s guest…?’
The appearance she had only glimpsed briefly.
The special Skeleton he had summoned.
And considering his nationality, all signs pointed to one conclusion.
‘The Skeleton King, Joo Donghoon.’
World Rank 69.
The man rewriting Hunter history as an impossibly fast-rising High Ranker.
And recently, after the great war with the Russian mafia, a hero some had begun calling a living Archangel.
‘This is insane, absolutely insane.’
Dumbfounded,
Sonya’s jaw dropped open.
Drool even dripped from the corner of her mouth.
‘Then all this time, I was basically having an adventure with the most famous person in the world….?’
Thump-thump.
Her heart pounded.
They had talked. Bickered.
The person she had explored the Magic Tower’s secrets with.
Turned out to be a celebrity.
And not just any celebrity, but the hottest one in the world.
A wave of regret suddenly washed over Sonya.
‘I should’ve at least asked for an autograph.’
But at the same time, a wave of worry followed close behind.
Because she had broken the Magic Tower’s rules.
And not in some minor way, either.
She had rummaged through a place clearly marked as restricted and had even been caught by the Magic Tower Lord herself.
‘Damn it.’
Sonya bit her lip.
‘What happened to him?’
Ten minutes had already passed since she came out here.
No sound came from below where the hidden room was.
There were no fluctuations of power, nor any signs of movement.
‘…I’m curious.’
What kind of conversation would the Magic Tower Lord and the Skeleton King be having about the Magic Tower’s secrets?
Swoosh.
Sonya lowered herself slightly.
Then, sneaking into a lying position, she pressed her ear against the top of the bookshelf in case any sound leaked out from the hidden room below.
It was a ridiculous posture.
But true to her nature as a mage, she instinctively couldn’t resist her curiosity.
“….”
Right at that moment.
Perhaps because of the strange silence around her, a chill suddenly ran down her spine.
Flutter!
She sensed a presence behind her.
“My, my, what do you think you’re doing?”
“Eek!”
As Sonya turned around with a scream, her eyes landed on
“…”
the Magic Tower Lord, staring straight at her.
“Hic.”
Sonya let out a hiccup, as if she had just seen a ghost.
“My, my.”
The Magic Tower Lord smiled with her eyes.
To Sonya, that smile was more frightening than anything else in the world.
The Magic Tower Lord was always kind.
Always kind, yet strict.
Anyone who hadn’t experienced it for themselves wouldn’t understand how terrifying that could be.
“Y-Yes, ma’am!”
“Do you know what you did wrong?”
“Th-That… I broke the Magic Tower’s rule against prying into its secrets. I’m sorry.”
“And do you understand how wrong that action was?”
Magic Tower Lord Sophia’s voice was soft, yet sharp.
Like a dagger lightly pressing against her chest.
‘The Skeleton King….’
Sonya rolled her eyes, glancing around her surroundings.
For some reason, he was nowhere to be seen.
It felt like she had been abandoned alone in enemy territory.
And she realized the only person who could save her now was herself.
“…Yes, Magic Tower Lord.”
In the end, Sonya lowered her head deeply.
Then, in a resigned voice, she recited,
“History teaches that groups without rules collapse easily…. I will humbly accept whatever punishment is given.”
“Good.”
The Magic Tower Lord gave a faint smile.
“Then you are suspended from the Magic Tower for the next two months. During that time, reflect on yourself and do some volunteer work outside.”
“…?”
Sonya’s eyes widened as she raised her head.
‘Volunteer work’ was one of the Magic Tower’s lighter punishments.
Because the Magic Tower was responsible for maintaining order, narrowly within Oxford City and broadly throughout the UK, students who committed minor offenses were sometimes sent out to help under the name of volunteer work.
In simple terms, it meant assisting citizens suffering from things like Dungeon Breaks.
“R-Really?”
Sonya asked, unable to believe it.
She had expected at least probation, or even outright expulsion.
The punishment was much lighter than she had imagined.
“Yes. What you did was wrong, but you also hosted a precious guest.”
“A precious guest….”
“Perhaps someone who could lead our stagnant Magic Tower toward revival.”
Sophia’s quietly spoken words carried a strange blend of anticipation and excitement.
“However, remember this as a warning. If you break the rules again next time, you will be expelled without exception. And as for what you saw earlier. The restricted target, the worst Magic Tower Lord in history.”
“Yes….”
“Forget it all. And even if you cannot forget it, live as though you have. Do you understand?”
“Hic, I-I understand.”
How could she not understand what that meant?
Spoken while radiating such a terrifying aura, even a fool with poor comprehension would understand immediately.
But still, Sonya grew curious again.
“Um… Magic Tower Lord.”
Ah.
Were mages truly a race that could not live without curiosity?
“Hmm?”
“By any chance, where did that person go…? I don’t see him.”
It had only been a short time.
But because it had been such a thrilling and memorable adventure, she had grown attached.
It bothered her that he had disappeared without even saying goodbye.
So despite her fear, she asked.
“That man?”
Sophia smiled faintly.
“He has already left.”
“….”
“Why? Do you miss him?”
“…A little?”
“Ah, right, I almost forgot.”
Just as the Magic Tower Lord was about to draw a teleportation magic circle, she handed the staff she was holding to Sonya.
“He asked me to give this to you.”
It was a staff with a simple yet attractive design.
“This is…?”
Sonya’s eyes widened.
Who wouldn’t recognize it?
Wasn’t this the famous B-grade Dmir Supply Set, the one every student in the Magic Tower had been talking about?
[Item: Dmir’s Supply-type Staff]
[Grade: B]
[Type: Staff]
[Description: A weapon hastily crafted by the blacksmith ‘Dmir’. It boasts decent performance for its grade.]
[Effect 1: All Stats +10.]
[Effect 2: Energy +20.]
[Effect 3: Skill Power +30%.]
Though mass-produced, its production quantity had been so limited.
And these days, it wasn’t even available on the market anymore.
The Dmir Supply Set was exactly that kind of item, sold at a premium well above its original price of 20 million won.
And it was also the number one weapon Magic Tower students dreamed of getting.
“Hehe, he said it was a token of thanks for helping him when you first met. He wanted to give it to you personally, but something urgent came up.”
“Huh? Something urgent?”
“Something like that. Anyway, since he gave it to you, make good use of it. My role ends here.”
“…”
Sonya carefully accepted the staff Sophia handed over so casually.
==
“Phew.”
After seeing Sophia off, I lowered my gaze to the item I had taken out.
An S-rank medium.
The Diary of a Magical Dropout.
[The owner of the ‘Fragment of Ancient Magic’ (SS-Rank) has granted permission for its use.]
[The conditions have been fulfilled!]
[The item is being activated.]
A slight chill ran down my skin.
Who would’ve thought I’d need the Magic Tower Lord’s permission just to open a Special Dungeon?
If not for several coincidences overlapping just right, this would’ve been the highest hurdle yet.
Vrrr!
The diary in my hand began to glow.
It felt a little early to enter the dungeon right away, but strangely enough, the moment the Magic Tower Lord’s permission was granted, the medium reacted, forcing me to wrap up the conversation in a hurry.
“But you.”
The Elder opened his mouth.
‘Yes?’
》Why didn’t you tell her about that Ancient Magic?
‘Ah.’
Ancient Magic (SSS-Rank).
The existence like the genie in a magic lamp that had appeared from the [Wish-Granting Scroll].
Thanks to it, I had at least managed to hold my own somewhat against the dragon.
‘I thought about telling her, but first of all, I don’t know much about that being myself.’
The Magic Tower Lord was a follower of Ancient Magic.
How complicated would it become if I had to explain that Ancient Magic was actually a sentient being?
‘Besides, the more information you keep in reserve, the more power you have, right?’
The Magic Tower Lord had revealed some of her secrets.
But that was all.
There wasn’t anything in there that was directly useful to me.
The only real help I got from her was access to the Fragment of Ancient Magic (SS-Rank).
In that situation, I didn’t think there was any reason to volunteer information she hadn’t even asked about.
》Still, be careful.
The Elder muttered quietly.
》That woman is no ordinary fox.
‘You think so?’
》Yeah.
The Elder spoke in a low voice.
》Maybe, for now, she trusts you. Whether it’s because of that woman Delilah or because she thinks highly of your potential. For now, she may just be going along with it. But she’s definitely not the sort to give favors without expecting anything in return.
‘That may be true.’
Still, she was the world’s 4th-ranked Hunter.
She wasn’t some pushover who showed kindness for no reason.
She was only showing me favor because I was useful to her as well.
‘Still, don’t worry too much. You know what I’m like.’
》You mean giving back just as much as you receive?
‘Yes.’
I nodded.
‘I won’t shamelessly just take and take without giving anything in return.’
This was a win-win for both sides.
I got a chance to attempt Bone Five’s Awakening.
And the Magic Tower Lord could expect the secondary benefits that would come from that.
‘For now.’
Vrrr!
I began channeling my power into the old diary and activating it.
As always,
‘Since I got the chance, I should focus on the dungeon first.’
[‘Diary of a Magical Dropout’ is being activated.]
[Soon, the dungeon ‘Magic Dropout’ will open.]
[Warning!]
[This dungeon is a single-player dungeon.]
When our eyes met, the Elder nodded and grinned.
》Keke, you’re living a busy life, aren’t you. The war hasn’t even been over for long, and already you’re heading into another dungeon.
‘You’re saying that, but you look pretty excited.’
》Then quit talking and get moving already, you brat.
‘Yes.’
I stared intently at the diary as it unfurled with a shhhk.
Another ‘opportunity’ that all Rankers desperately sought: a special dungeon.
What kind of trial would unfold here this time?
‘This time.’
I really needed to be careful.
The Special Dungeons I’d faced so far had only gone up to A-rank.
But this one was S-rank.
The first challenge of its kind.
Since Special Dungeons were already far more difficult than ordinary dungeons,
I could feel a thrilling tension rising inside me.
A warm heat circulated through my body.
‘Shall I go, then?’
Step.
Just as I was about to walk toward the growing light,
‘Ah.’
Something suddenly flashed through my mind.
‘Kim Jina!’
I had no idea how long this would take.
If I disappeared again without telling her, she’d really be furious, wouldn’t she?
‘I wish messages worked inside Special Dungeons too, but…’
It felt doubtful.
There was a high chance they wouldn’t work.
If, like Delilah’s trial or the previous bone dungeons, I was being sent to a completely different world again this time, then I’d be outside Capu’s range.
[Skeleton King: Hey.]
[Skeleton King: I have to go somewhere urgently.]
[Skeleton King: I don’t know how long it’ll take this time either.]
That should be enough, right?
With a faint smile on my lips, I felt the light grow stronger.
Right at that moment,
flash!
A blinding light filled my vision.