The spirit and flesh are often compared to the contents and the vessel that holds it.
The soul is the essential essence of existence.
The body is merely the vessel that contains and anchors it, a puppet that allows for action.
Most living beings consist of both soul and body.
However, there are exceptions.
Spirits or ghosts that operate solely on soul without a body.
Races like spirits or fairies that take on bodies through magic.
“To put it more precisely, the flesh is nothing but an empty shell without a soul.”
But for humans, both spirit and flesh are essential.
When the soul is wounded, the body feels the impact.
When the body dies, the soul, which lacks a vessel, also disappears.
A dead body means… a corpse that’s already long gone.
“……”
I once heard Professor Riana say, “Are you even human?”
Now, I’m hearing the Master of the Tower of Knowledge say, “I found you as nothing more than a dead corpse…”
What a complicated feeling.
So complicated, in fact, that my mask slipped, revealing the turmoil on my face.
“…I held no malicious feelings. Just stating facts… and I’m not a corpse.”
Seeing my expression, the Master of the Tower of Knowledge flustered slightly, quickly adding more.
[How can a human body without a soul still be alive…?]
“The circumstances surrounding that body were different. The soul departed, but the body remained alive, and strictly speaking, the soul existed in another world.”
[Another world?]
A ‘different’ world from this one.
Reacting instinctively to the ominous phrase that stuck in my mind during the Master of the Tower of Knowledge’s statement, I asked back.
“The soul of that body fell into another… a similar world where no cataclysm occurred.”
[…Could that soul be…?]
The smoothly flowing words came to an abrupt halt.
Then the Master of the Tower’s gaze studied my complexion.
“…As you guessed, that soul belonged to Lee Ha-yul.”
[What the…?]
Surprise overtook my expression without my permission.
[The soul and body are in different worlds? How… does that even make sense?]
“We haven’t grasped the precise reason. However, we cautiously speculate it may be due to a clash of racial reasons.”
[Race?]
“Have you perhaps become aware of your own race, Savior?”
Race.
The word made my mouth mumble.
[…Am I aware that I’m a quasi-fairy…?]
“If you have not realized it yet, I would prefer to withhold further comments on that topic.”
[Huh? Is there a restriction or something?]
“There’s some restriction involved, yes, but there’s a personal opinion as well.”
The Master of the Tower of Knowledge shook her head once and continued speaking.
“The trait of race functions as a unique attribute. For instance, fairies have an inherent affinity for magic and attributes, which can be seen as a racial uniqueness.”
[Yes.]
“The Savior has not yet recognized their own race. The moment I forcibly reveal it, there may be complications in the changes that come with that recognition.”
[Hmm…]
Questions heavily floated above my head.
‘Recognition of race? I’ve at least pinpointed that I’m a quasi-fairy, right? Or am I literally a fairy? Is there something deeper here?’
I came to resolve questions, but new inquiries arose again.
Observing the Master of the Tower of Knowledge with a peculiar feeling, she slightly bowed her head apologetically.
‘Sigh…’
Honestly, I don’t really know.
Is she really apologetic, or does she just not want to look at me…?
Observing emotions and psychology in such matters ultimately falls within the realm of analysis and prediction.
It’s possible I’m way off.
[…Yes, I understand that part.]
Dammit, I don’t get it.
Restrictions and all this recognition nonsense…
Whatever it is, it seems too much to unravel here at once.
“Yeah, understood.”
The Master of the Tower of Knowledge nodded, took a graceful sip of water, and opened her mouth once more.
“At that time, there was no one privileged enough to spare for observation.”
According to the explanation from the Master of the Tower of Knowledge, finding the original soul meant to be housed within the flesh—that is, me—was quite a challenge.
Between managing the catastrophe, delaying the invasion of the towers, preparing against it, and getting accustomed to the tower…
“In those circumstances, even if it was close, projecting observation to locate a soul in a completely different world proved exceedingly difficult.”
As the Master of the Tower of Knowledge seemed to reminisce about that time, she shook her head.
“In the end, we ceased reckless observations and instead sent a sort of terminal directly to that world.”
[Terminal?]
“…Yes, we provided a dedicated observation device solely for that soul and sent a terminal to locate it.”
[Could it be that the Master of the Tower of Growth was among those who sent the terminal?]
“The Master of the Tower of Space temporarily connected it, and only the Master of the Tower of Growth, who excels in the avatar technique, sent the terminal.”
[The Master of Growth…]
Master of Growth.
The portrait I observed in the library.
The figure of the person I had pushed away to save back then.
The Agapanthus flower…
One day, a user randomly messaging me out of the blue.
…
[So, the terminal… found me?]
“…Indeed. We ultimately located the Savior’s soul and were looking for ways to bring it back into a body. Until then, the Master of the Tower of Observation processed foreseen information into game formats to indirectly convey details about this world.”
[So that’s it…]
“Should you have felt discomfort with our approach, I sincerely apologize.”
[No, it’s fine.]
I shook my head at the sight of the Master of the Tower bowing deeply as if it might touch the table.
[It wasn’t unpleasant. Just… a bit complicated and frustrating.]
“My apologies.”
[Your apology is truly fine. You don’t need to apologize. Plus, I can talk to the concerned party directly later on.]
“…Thank you for your mercy.”
[The conversation has been delayed once again, could you please proceed?]
The Master of the Tower of Knowledge raised her head slightly and nodded.
“As previously explained, we felt sure about finding the Savior to block the invasion.”
[You were confident that I alone could stop it? What did you see in me?]
“Your potential.”
[Potential?]
Just that? You were confident you could block the impending invasion of the world based on merely that…?
“I can hardly express it as merely that. The moment the Master of the Tower of Observation observed your body, her scream of discovering the unfathomable potential embedded in your flesh is still etched in my memory.”
Crushed under pressure, the Master of the Tower of Observation had bounced around sharing the news, claiming they had found a way out.
“The reason the game is designed for players to become whatever they wish to be is that your potential is unprecedented; if you desire, you can become anything.”
[Ah…]
“This world is an incredibly unjust place.”
An unjust world.
The Master of the Tower of Knowledge, who had been on the receiving end for a long time, rambling on.
“A powerful individual can entirely crush the lesser crops beneath them, and it’s not uncommon.”
It’s quite frequent for a high-ranking monster to send a couple of nations crumbling to the ground.
Seemingly small nations can fall remarkably easily, and even those once known as powerful empires can struggle but still face the same fate.
“The invading tower masters were such. They had remained as masters for an overwhelmingly long time, having invaded countless worlds while building tremendous power. The accumulated strength is a reality that those lesser cannot handle.”
But…
The Master of the Tower’s gaze turned to me.
Her eyes holding the reflection of complex emotion.
“If there exists a being stronger than them and support to back that being, we felt that we could sufficiently fend them off.”
[Are you saying that you think I can become stronger than those masters? Based on my potential?]
“Yes, precisely.”
[That feels strangely off.]
[Even if I have potential, drawing it out is an entirely different issue, right?]
“That is precisely why Shio-ram was erected.”
‘Huh?’
An institution established by the Master of Growth.
A place solely for growth.
“Shio-ram was created purely for the sake of the Savior.”
[For me…?]
“To cultivate a hero to uphold the world. That is the nominal cause, and though countless cadets are enrolled yearly, that’s merely a subsidiary goal. The fundamental purpose is solely for the growth of the Savior.”
Just for me… Those words felt profoundly overwhelming.
“Shio-ram is safe. It has been fortified against any external incidents, allowing you to focus solely on growth. Even if the avatar of a master and his forces were to invade, we would be able to fend them off.”
A cradle indeed has symbolic meanings, but fundamentally, it refers to a place where a baby is placed and put to sleep.
Since it’s a delicate gem to be cared for, the cradle must be absolutely safe.
“And we established the Association.”
A world peace organization founded by the Masters of Harmony and Space.
“The Association exists under the guise of managing the world’s safety, allowing the Savior to resolve any overwhelming threat during their growth.”
Connecting language and space for cooperation.
The Association places bounties on notorious criminals, tracking them down and eliminating them.
Also, they collaborate with local powers to eliminate high-rank monsters if they appear, and they mediate disputes among factions, dedicating efforts to maintain peace.
“The Observation Tower now keeps an eye on the bomb-laden Magical Realm and occasionally uncovers the malicious within.”
The Observation Tower was built by the Master of Observation.
The Observation Tower continues to monitor and predict the surge of dungeons, the appearance of dangerous monsters, and the circumstances of the Magical Realm.
With the establishment of the Observation Tower, casualties due to dungeon surges have dramatically decreased.
“As the Master of Knowledge, I intend to inform the Savior about everything as you grow, assist in your growth, and to preempt unforeseen circumstances, I built this floating island above Shio-ram… and established the Magic Association in order for the immature and short study of magic to spread widely.”
[So, that’s why there’s a floating island and the Magic Association… Magic Association?]
I trembled slightly as I listened, staring blankly at the explanation.
The Magic Association.
The most reputable and powerful magical force in this world.
I also use materials from the Magic Association whenever I access magical documents.
They say the first founder of the Magic Association has long since hidden away… or so it is known.
“Yes, I am the founder of the Magic Association. Although my identity and appearance are false, I directly led its establishment.”
Now, the so-called hidden leader, bowing their head right in front of me.
[I see…]
I nodded in a highly confused manner.
My head has been aching since earlier. Some questions may have been resolved, but I’m still quite bewildered.
“…What I’ve conveyed up till now isn’t all I wanted to say.”
Around that time.
The Master of the Tower of Knowledge gave me her gaze.
Her white pupils reflected slight tension and worry as they fixed upon me.
“We have made numerous preparations, including many that remain unexplained, for you, Savior.”
[Yes.]
[I’m truly grateful for all of those.]
“Thus, you should not needlessly expose yourself to risk by venturing outside before graduating from Shio-ram.”
My body flinched at the calmly delivered words.
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