Novel Will Be Taken Down on 17 May or Earlier Chapter 39 - Performance Test (2)

20 senior mages of Mage Tower.

 

They were mages who represented each school.

 

Naturally, they didn’t get along very well.

 

Aren’t they already proud mages?

 

Not only that,

 

The senior mages competed for the position of chief mage.

 

The chief mage of Mage Tower.

 

Only one in each generation.

 

It was a position only the top mage could take over.

 

In that sense, the current generation of senior mages managed to get along well.

 

All thanks to their mutual enemy, Chief Mage Marcelo.

 

“Tsk. I knew he’d bring trouble someday.”

 

“His senses have become dull because he’s always stuck in the lab.”

 

“Wasn’t it all nonsense in the first place?”

 

Crystal Hall.

 

Twenty senior mages gathered in the place where the regular conference was held.

 

The reason why they were chatting while hiding their true intentions was simple.

 

“A joint research with an adventurer. What is that?”

 

Marcelo’s decision.

 

They took issue with that misjudgment.

 

To remove Marcelo from the position of chief mage and make that position vacant.

 

There were a lot of possibilities to make that come true.

 

Above all, the fact that he was with an adventurer.

 

“Whoop. He didn’t have a place to rely on.”

 

Back when Arcana was just a game.

 

In other words, before worldview interference occurred.

 

Adventurers were strange existences.

 

They had the power of immortality to revive when they died.

 

But here, in the world of adventurers, they no longer had immortality.

 

Even the possibilities of it had disappeared.

 

“Even if there was an incident like that at the regular conference. He still doesn’t know the truth, right?”

 

“That’s right. The floundering adventurer might have accidentally stumbled upon his hopeless research!”

 

“Above all, this is unbelievable. An adventurer being able to understand the subject of magic.”

 

Senior mage of the healing school, Belliere Yushia.

 

She remained silent.

 

Crystal hall.

 

Even though there was no wind blowing in that particular space.

 

Flutter–

 

For some reason.

 

Her loose light-green curls shook slightly.

 

Belliere was barely holding back her laughter.

 

‘Ah, that’s funny. Really, could anyone have stumbled into that?’

 

It wasn’t an appreciation for Adventurer Lee Hoyeol.

 

Belliere hadn’t trusted Hoyeol yet either.

 

But in the case of Marcelo, it was a different story.

 

Marcelo, founder of the theory of magic.

 

He didn’t discriminate against magic or schools.

 

Including magic that had been handed down outside of the Mage Tower.

 

Marcelo founded the theory of magic, in which vast magic could be organized into theories.

 

Thanks to his great achievement, Marcelo became a senior mage, and not only that, he immediately took the position of chief.

 

‘Even if they talk about it all day, would that put a scratch on that achievement?’

 

No matter how coveted the position of chief was.

 

They must have known it themselves.

 

No matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t take Marcelo’s place by normal methods.

 

That’s why they risked their lives on this opportunity.

 

Laughing, Belliere looked around.

 

‘…Of course, the worst of them all.’

 

Matis Dean Carl, the black mage school.

 

He was probably the one who gritted his teeth the most.

 

Matis was the one who brought black magic to its position today.

 

It was widely believed that if Marcelo hadn’t appeared like a comet, Matis would have been the current chief mage of the Mage Tower.

 

‘Well, yes. Only if.’

 

Belliere shrugged lightly.

 

It was almost time.

 

She heard a loud noise.

 

“I think it will be difficult for him to enter on time?”

 

Yeah, like they said the test had already begun.

 

Having a joint research with the chief mage.

 

Since it was the chief mage.

 

Strict tests were bound to follow.

 

Honestly, when it came to the adventurer.

 

She didn’t think he would pass the test.

 

‘They’re grinding their teeth like this.’

 

She could tell just by looking at that tightly closed door.

 

Sealing magic of different types was manifested threefold.

 

There were so many of them that even Belliere would have stuck out her tongue.

 

‘Marcelo might be a different story.’

 

Even most senior mages, including her, would take quite a while to unlock that seal.

 

In that sense, the test was a failure, and the results were already obvious.

 

Well, because the time for the appointment was running out…

 

Click–!

 

“…?”

 

At that moment.

 

The first seal was lifted.

 

No, the sound didn’t stop there.

 

Click–!

 

Click click–!

 

A series of sounds.

 

In an instant, the triple sealing magic was released.

 

The three senior wizards, who manifested that magic, were astonished.

 

“N-No way!”

 

“…He destroyed that thing so quickly?”

 

“…Don’t tell me. Is it Marcelo?”

 

The door opened.

 

But there was no Marcelo.

 

A shadow standing alone in the backlight.

 

At that moment, a memory came to Belliere’s mind.

 

‘…Don’t tell me?’

 

The story from a skilled mage of the healing school.

 

Klee’s story.

 

– Excuse me, Senior Mage Belliere. If. Seriously, if. If there was someone who could talk to me without an invitation… That means he’s seen through Tower Lord’s hallucination magic, right?

 

Klee wasn’t the kind of kid that would talk nonsense.

 

So Belliere asked back.

 

Did such a person exist?

 

– That silver hair… N-No! It was a slip of the tongue.

 

She didn’t finish her sentence.

 

That’s what the kid, Klee, had said.

 

Tap tap–

 

Soon, the man appeared in the backlight.

 

Belliere’s eyes widened.

 

“!”

 

His hair was definitely silver.

 

.

 

.

 

.

 

Crystal Hall.

 

This place where the regular conference was held.

 

I didn’t expect to find it again so quickly.

 

Just to prove my ability.

 

I looked around the faces of the gathering.

 

There were 20 people as written in the quest.

 

As expected of senior mages.

 

The atmosphere of each and every one of them was terrifying.

 

If I were to compare the pressure I felt…

 

‘Everyone is definitely above Harkon.’

 

Harkon’s level was 600.

 

So what’s the level of these wizards?

 

I once again realized the level of the Mage Tower.

 

However.

 

Tap tap–

 

Like it or not.

 

I moved to the center of Crystal Hall as if I enjoyed their gazes.

 

Then I opened my mouth.

 

“Someone must have played a prank on the door.”

 

Sounding very unpleased.

 

The cause of this annoyance was clear.

 

I want to get off work like crazy right now…!

 

The conference, the Yusra Island, and again in the Crystal Hall where the conference was held.

 

I did close my eyes for a while in the lab.

 

But it wouldn’t relieve the fatigue of my overworked body.

 

In the midst of that, a quest appeared.

 

No matter how familiar I was with demonstration tests.

 

Isn’t this schedule too informal?

 

Is there no labor law in Mage Tower?

 

“I am not free enough to suit your mischief.”

 

I’m sick and tired of working overtime…!

 

Perhaps my dissatisfaction got through them.

 

Some people seemed alarmed.

 

I continued, looking at them.

 

“If this kind of prank has wasted my time.”

 

I want to go home.

 

“I will formally ask you to take responsibility for that.”

 

I want to pour hot water on you.

 

“!!!”

 

That’s what I’m saying.

 

There were three people who responded exceptionally loudly.

 

Why am I here? I thought about it for a moment.

 

The quest window flashed.

 

– Demonstrate your ability. (In progress)

 

• Convince the majority of senior mages. (3/20)

 

Here was the answer.

 

“…We will withdraw our objection to Chief Mage Marcelo’s decision. In other words, Adventurer Lee Hoyeol’s qualifications for joint research will also be acknowledged.”

 

I took it for granted.

 

Yeah, you should’ve come out like that earlier.

 

*

 

[Someone has discovered the secret of the Yusra Islands.]

 

[Ancient kingdom, the Yusra Kingdom, appears.]

 

Who is ‘someone’ who made a mark in Arcana history?

 

The media had no other hot topic besides that.

 

Rather, there was no need to take responsibility because nothing had been revealed.

 

That meant it was something they could talk about at will.

 

For ratings.

 

As stimulating as possible.

 

“As expected, I think it’s Skal.”

 

“No.1 in player ranking. Are you talking about that Skal?”

 

“Yes, is Skal a great man who would be content with just one treasure on the island? He’s pretending not to know anything after catching the great evil so that he doesn’t break his mysterious man concept.”

 

As expected, Skal was the only possibility.

 

Many people thought so.

 

But there was a major blind spot in that argument.

 

“Hey, if Skal had knocked him down, his level would have gone up.”

 

Indeed.

 

Skal’s current level was 406.

 

The increase was too small to say that he had defeated Greed of the Seven Deadly Sins, which was close to level 650.

 

Then another possibility came to mind.

 

“I think there are only Knights of the Lionheart after all?”

 

That was the most likely option.

 

Furthermore, in the case of Lionheart, there were witnesses.

 

“It was like a flash of light? They just broke down the skeletons and moved forward!”

 

Level 650.

 

A monster with numbers that players couldn’t deal with.

 

However, if it was the Knights of the Lion Heart, which were called the strongest in the empire, it wouldn’t have been revealed.

 

Besides, they had a helper.

 

“Gaon and Berserker. Lastly, Lee Hoyeol. Doesn’t it make sense with that much power? Well, considering Harkon put all his energy into it.”

 

Speculation and debate were over.

 

Public opinion was narrowing.

 

The Knights of Lionheart and the players joined forces to topple Greed of the Seven Deadly Sins. However, knowing the actual truth was frustrating.

 

“Ugh. I can’t even show it to them. Seriously!”

 

He was frustrated.

 

Pat pat–

 

Nam Taemin hit his chest while watching the TV.

 

His brother was the only one who sympathized with him.

 

“Even if you spread out your imagination, it spread out in a strange way. Whatever we did, in the end, Hoyeol-ssi was the only one who knocked down the great evil.”

 

For Nam Cheolmin, the truth of the day remained as a video.

 

The battle of the day that he watched from Nam Taemin’s perspective.

 

It was shocking to see it again and again.

 

As soon as the great evil faced Hoyeol, he got agitated.

 

The skill bombardment on that guy.

 

It was an overwhelming battle that he’d never seen before.

 

Nam Cheolmin nodded.

 

“That feeling, I can understand.”

 

“Oh, that’s right! Because hyung was possessed by an imp.”

 

“Yes. I would have looked just like that. The imp guy was completely terrified at that time. Does that mean that great evil or an imp has no difference in front of Hoyeol-ssi?”

 

Lastly.

 

Putting a crown on the reawakened king.

 

An image of Hoyeol revealing the truth of the Yusra Islands.

 

Nam Taemin lowered his voice and copied Hoyeol’s lines.

 

“It is time to correct your mistakes. Unknown King. Oh, my.”

 

This is a drama, a movie!

 

When the video ended like that, Nam Taemin screamed again.

 

“…Ugh, it’s so epic!”

 

To think they were the only ones who could watch this.

 

He couldn’t help but listen to such non-verified information.

 

The reason was simple.

 

“I have to endure it even if it’s frustrating. In many ways.”

 

Above all, the video revealed Hoyeol’s power.

 

Such a video couldn’t be released without Hoyeol’s permission.

 

Nam Cheolmin continued.

 

“But just in case he needs it later. I’m going to keep the footage. In that sense, it was fortunate that not many people saw that.”

 

Except for the Knights of Lionheart.

 

Nam Taemin and Leoni were the only ones who had directly watched the battle between Hoyeol and the great evil.

 

Both of them had already ordered the guild members to retreat.

 

“I know. We shouldn’t be doing anything we’re ashamed of in the first place.”

 

He owed Hoyeol another big debt.

 

Whatever they did.

 

Hoyeol had given him a chance to participate in the rebuilding of the Yusra Kingdom.

 

Thanks to this, Nam Taemin and Gaon’s guild members received a valuable quest called [Rebuilding of the Yusra Kingdom].

 

Therefore, he had no choice but to repay that kindness.

 

“Let’s work really hard, hyung”

 

There was a give-and-take in everything.

 

He’d only been on the receiving end so far.

 

To be able to be in the giving position one day.

 

Nam Taemin, who was determined, suddenly murmured.

 

“…By the way, that kid will watch her mouth, right?”

 

.

 

.

 

.

 

“Ah, my ears are itchy.”

 

Scratch–

 

Leonie scratched her head.

 

Naturally, scratching her head didn’t solve her complicated mind.

 

Screw it.

 

Leonie nervously threw the remote control away.

 

“I’m not watching.”

 

Everywhere wasn’t fun.

 

So she turned on the channel.

 

Everywhere was all about the Yusra Kingdom.

 

The truth of that day.

 

The person who caught the demon.

 

Leonie slumped on the sofa.

 

The corners of her mouth crept up.

 

“…You don’t even know.”

 

She knew everything.

 

What had happened then.

 

It was an unconscious sense of superiority.

 

That sense of superiority was precious to Leonie in its own way.

 

“Unnie, are you really not going to tell me?”

 

“What?”

 

“No. You told us to leave, but what happened?”

 

“I don’t know. I don’t know.”

 

“Oh, that’s mean!!”

 

She didn’t even want to share it even with the guild members who were just like her real sisters.

 

“What the hell happened? You got a deal that even turned into a quest?”

 

Leonie just shrugged her shoulders.

 

However, her mind was still complicated.

 

As they proceeded with the quest, the influence and ranking of the Berserker Guild would naturally rise. Yes, as a guild master, it was true that she was genuinely happy with it, but…

 

“…Doesn’t this mean I am indebted to him again?”‘

 

Could she get a cup of that tea at this rate…?

 

Leonie, who was agonizing, murmured unconsciously

 

“…What are you doing right now?”

 

“What he’s doing right now? Unnie, look at the time. He must be sleeping.”

 

“…W-What? Who? Who’s sleeping?”

 

“What do you mean who. Aren’t you talking about Lee Hoyeol?”

 

“W-What?! It’s not him! What do you guys know?! Can’t you shut up?!”

 

.

 

.

 

.

 

Drip–

 

Dripping sweats.

 

…I hadn’t fallen asleep yet.

 

I was going to jump into bed right after washing up.

 

This body refused.

 

Because I had realized my weakness.

 

Even if I had knocked down a great evil by myself.

 

It would have been impossible without the help of the Knights of Lionheart and other players.

 

If I had been alone, instead of reaching the great evil, I would have been surrounded by skeletons and suffered mana exhaustion.

 

That fact.

 

The pride in my heart found it unacceptable.

 

– Train your weakened body. (Repeat) ▲

 

• 20KM run (Successful)

 

• 1,000 push-ups (Successful)

 

• 500 chin-ups (Successful)

 

• 300 burpee tests (Successful)

 

Only after checking the message.

 

Plop–

 

I collapsed to the floor.

 

…Damn you, black history.

 

I will die first trying to overcome you…!

 

[You’ve met the conditions.]

 

[You will be rewarded.]

 

I managed to open the status window.