– Clank! Clank! Clank!
‘Ugh…’
Perched on my staff, I gazed at the ground with a bewildered expression.
It’s tough to find dirt or green grass on this floating island.
After all, this island is an artificial creation of Shio-ram Mansion, making the material itself completely different.
– Thud! Thud! Thud!
The ground was packed tightly with golems, like a bean sprout steamer.
The golems, igniting their magical eyes, formed an orderly formation and fiercely pursued me.
‘How long are they going to keep coming?’
When I first faced the golems, I unleashed a barrage of magic, indiscriminately pouring firepower even using beastmen, blasting away the golems that tried to regenerate.
But just when I thought I cleared them, new golems kept popping up from the ground.
‘There are too many.’
It wasn’t just the hundreds I first faced; I was genuinely stunned by the sheer numbers filling the ground.
– Smash, clank!
Suddenly, a gloved arm shot up from the ground and placed itself down.
Just like pulling out itself from mud, the golem joined the ranks of the pursuers.
‘The ground texture is the same. They’re being generated in real-time.’
No matter how much I destroy, they just keep increasing.
After over an hour of brawling, I realized that if this continued, I’d get stuck in a rut.
The floating island was sufficiently vast.
Everywhere I went, more golems that were on guard rushed to join the chase.
Others emerged from the ground, eager to cling onto the tail of the line.
The result? A giant game of tag.
– Thud!
That was when it happened.
A squad of golems simultaneously stomped the ground and came to a halt.
Then, as if on cue, they all pulled their hands back.
Crack…! As magic manifested, complicated magical lines raced over the weapons they grasped.
Then, without delay, they forcefully launched the weapons they were holding.
– Fwoosh!
The air sliced as the sound intertwined chaotically.
I swung my hand, observing the countless weapons shooting into the sky.
– Whooooooooosh…
With a heavy rumble, beams were emitted.
The straight beam shot down incoming attacks, and then, not missing a beat, I swept the beam horizontally, slashing at the ankles of the golems.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Golems with severed ankles flailed on the ground.
Behind them, some golems stumbled, while most ignored it and continued to pursue.
I observed the magic as it manifested.
Without wasting time, I formed hand seals and wrapped myself in dozens of layers of defensive barriers.
– Crackle-crackle!
The pressure that caught me ruthlessly crushed the barriers.
The sound of being crumpled and torn from the outside sent shivers down my spine.
‘What is this? Space magic? Or wind magic?’
The attacks were not just from the golems, but the floating island also launched strikes against me.
From the spells trying to slam me into the ground to attacks like just now aimed squarely at me.
Quickly clearing the broken barrier, I wrapped myself in a new one.
I intercepted the attacks flying from below, buying myself a little time.
‘Hmm…’
For a moment, I fell deep in thought, checking the swelling number of golems and the periodic attacks coming from the floating island.
‘They’re definitely watching me.’
The golems, this floating island… It seems the Master of the Tower of Knowledge is keeping an eye on me.
I scrutinized the inscriptions etched on the golems.
The body and armor of the internal golems, their materials and components, and the engraved incantations were noted and stored in my memory.
There were also things I couldn’t understand.
Advanced techniques that I definitely couldn’t decipher with my current level.
Even though I couldn’t interpret everything, I did catch on to some magic’s functions.
One thing was clear: the golems were currently not using all their capabilities.
They were holding back, deliberately allowing me to survive.
It was suspicious.
The golems created by the Master of the Tower of Knowledge shouldn’t be this weak.
The golems I faced in the original work weren’t this pathetic.
Sure, they crumbled easily after some light attacks in the 11th round, but it was bizarre that my casual magic was tearing through them.
And the floating island was no exception.
‘This floating island is the workshop of the Master of the Tower of Knowledge.’
A workshop.
An area colored by a mage’s influence.
It was something I hadn’t figured out in the original work but realized now as I observed the floating island.
This island is made of magic.
The surface may consist of metals and stones, but it’s a magical construct designed by the Master of the Tower of Knowledge.
Moreover, the ground is intricately inscribed with complex and three-dimensional inscriptions without a single gap.
Magical expressions that would be hard to guess at my level, truly insane magic.
It all belonged to the Master of the Tower of Knowledge.
Designed by the master, it was magic built for the master.
This place was basically the workshop created by the Master of the Tower of Knowledge.
Also, the fact that I was executing my pathetic magic without any issues was proof that the master was looking out for me.
‘Hah…’
A floating island like this as a workshop… and it’s just floating in the sky?
While I was simply amazed and floored by it, I felt it might cause enchantment-induced fainting for those deeply enthralled by magic.
I was also curious about what reaction 바이제, who would later dabble in true magic, might have if I showed this to him.
‘The Master of the Tower of Knowledge isn’t as crazy as I thought… or maybe he is?’
While there’s still suspicious behavior, his intentions to turn me into a pancake didn’t seem genuine.
If his goal was really to kill me, the golems wouldn’t be flailing their arms but raining down deadly magic bombardments instead.
‘Should I head to the Tower of Knowledge just like this? Or perhaps train a bit more before going?’
I pondered for a while.
Realizing the Master of the Tower of Knowledge was watching over me alleviated a bit of my strange sense of crisis.
‘…Just a bit more practice, then I’ll go.’
The conclusion came quickly.
I was in good condition to head to the Tower of Knowledge straight away.
I wasn’t torn up enough that I couldn’t heal my limbs, nor was my core about to decay.
Since I wasn’t particularly tired, it was time to keep pushing my body and mind.
After all, I came alone to train, leaving Seo-yul behind.
If I didn’t bring back clear results, I’d feel awkward facing Seo-yul.
Resolving that, I leaped off the staff I had been sitting on.
– Whoosh…!
The sensation supporting my butt disappeared, and a dizzying feeling of floating overwhelmed my whole body.
The strong wind whipped my clothes and hair.
I clasped the staff tightly with both hands, raising it above my head.
The staff I gripped was trembling as if it was about to break.
‘Harden!’
Crack… The magic lines etched over the staff extended further.
The shaky vibrations ceased.
I activated magic in succession.
‘Shockwave, Earthquake, Diffusion…’
I layered new incantations over the staff.
It wasn’t about expanding abilities.
I was simply cramming several spells temporarily into the staff.
While doing so would significantly shorten the staff’s lifespan, I didn’t care since I was going to toss it soon anyway.
My body fell straight down.
Falling towards the center of the golem formation below, I slammed the staff down with all my might.
– BOOM!
As the staff struck down with a loud crash, the incantation was unleashed.
The shockwaves emanated were rippled across the ground like waves.
For a brief moment, my ears rang from the explosion.
– Rumble…
The powerful shockwave staggered their formation, sending many golems tumbling to the shaky ground.
[Executing Suppression Command]
Even amidst that chaos, some golems rushed at me.
A golem, clad in heavy armor, charged at me wielding a massive shield.
With the feeling of a building closing in, I dropped the now useless staff and cautiously extended one hand.
‘Huff…’
I sharpened my focus.
I couldn’t afford to make a mistake.
Carefully manipulating my magic, I felt a jolt in my outstretched hand.
The circuits twisted, making my hand feel as if it would snap.
I focused on tuning it.
Having practiced in secret several times before, I initially suffered setbacks where my hand broke, but now I could manage it.
I let the circuits that mustn’t twist stay stable while forcing the ones I needed to manipulate to bend.
I prevented magic from circulating to anywhere else, tightening it down.
– Grrr…
My arm’s surface swelled up as if magma was boiling, glowing bright red, then deep purple, and contracting.
It was a reaction from inside my body.
‘Grr…’
The magic that was supposed to escape got stuck and ran wild in my arm.
Clenching my teeth, I quickly opened up one side of the blocked circuits.
The magic that had gone wild burst forth through the newfound outlet.
– KA-WHAM!
My eardrums felt like they might shatter.
For an instant, all sound disappeared.
The surge of magic that erupted from my extended right arm obliterated the golem, leaving no trace.
The golems swept away by that torrent faced similar fates.
In the wake of that turbulent flow, nothing was left behind.
It looked as if a large spoon had scooped out a chunk of the ground.
[……]
[……]
[……]
The golems seemed to realize the overwhelming power and started to tremble in unison, their gazes fixed on me.
‘Did the 5th round use that like it was breathing…’
In that moment.
I cursed as I observed the state of my drooping right arm.
The special trait selected in the 5th round was the unique ability “Magic Manipulation.”
In some ways, it was a simple and boring unique ability but it later transformed into “Advanced Magic Manipulation,” becoming unmatched in controlling magic.
‘Magic affinity and magic manipulation…’
Both received substantial boosts in handling magic, but their focuses were slightly different.
If one were to nitpick, magic affinity was the superior power, though magic manipulation shouldn’t be overlooked.
Magic affinity is an all-around unique ability regarding magic.
It alters the properties of magic, governs and intervenes in other types of magic, and applies enhancements to all phenomena caused by magic.
However, magic manipulation, as the name implies, hones in solely on ‘manipulation.’
It cannot masterfully conquer magic or instantly interfere with the magic of other entities like magic affinity does.
But when it comes to handling my own established ‘magic,’ it is exceptional.
The sheer difference in time and experience plays a big role.
It would be a tall order to easily replicate what the 5th round accomplished.
‘But I’m getting the hang of it. If I keep practicing, I’ll improve.’
In the beginning, my arm felt like it might split in two.
Later, even when I just released magic, my arm felt like it would fall off.
But now, it was merely a matter of getting a bit bruised.
If I keep practicing, I could handle magic artfully and transform into a pretty capable mage.
‘Alright…’
Nearby, there were some sandbags waiting to be used.
With that thought in mind, I nodded while treating my right arm, and from the golem formation that had been hesitating, one golem clanked up to me.
‘Huh?’
I was about to swing at it right away, but something felt off.
There was a strange quiver in its gaze.
Then, the approaching golem suddenly knelt on one knee and bowed its head.
[Th-the trial has concluded]
[Please do not harm the body any further]
[I will guide you to the tower]
‘?’
A question mark floated above my head.
‘What is this guy doing?’
I couldn’t help but blink, activating the confession necklace.
[…You attacked first, didn’t you?]
[…I shall guide you]
The golem—or perhaps its master beyond—remained silent and slowly turned away.
‘Seriously, what is this guy doing?’
The Master of the Tower of Knowledge might just be the wildest nut out there.
As I treated my deflated right arm with a grim face, I followed behind it.
*
[Unique Ability “Magic Affinity” is growing.]
[The Master of the Tower of Knowledge is flabbergasted.]
[Ah! What the heck, why…!]
[The Master of the Tower of Growth jeers.]
[The Master of the Tower of Harmony jeers.]
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
