The real hunt would begin tomorrow, so team captain Cha Ilwoo led his team out. There was much to prepare, from taking their suit measurements to coordinating schedules. Meanwhile, Bora and I returned to the Magic Tower.

"When are you bringing your apprentices to the tower?" Bora asked, draping her coat over the sofa.

"In about a month, I think. I plan to keep them close and observe them for a while, then bring them here once they've earned their official rank-5 certification."

"I see! And you're going to give the fourth-floor administrator position to whoever completes the second circle first, right? That's a great idea!"

They were the most talented magic prospects in South Korea, and I had high hopes for their future. I found myself wondering which of them would become the next administrator.

"Yusin!"

Eunsol must have heard I was back, because she came down on the magic circle elevator holding something in her hands.

"Huh? Sol, is that…!"

"Yep! It's the new wing golem!"

The last one had been damaged during my fight with Armin Walter, so I'd asked Eunsol to make me a new one. I took it from her as if it were a priceless piece of pottery. After all, the materials alone cost a fortune.

"Don't break it again!"

"Sorry, sorry. I'll be careful."

I clipped the wing golem onto my back and activated it. Wings of pure mana unfurled with a 'snap', and my body effortlessly floated more than two meters into the air.

"Perfect. Now that the wing golem is restored, I should get back to it."

Bora looked up at me, her expression anxious.

"You're going to challenge the trial?"

"Yeah. Helping the rookies grow is important, but I need to keep growing, too."

According to Anton's diary, the fifth-floor trial was related to flight. It supposedly required absolute mastery of flight magic to clear, but I figured I could manage with this high-performance wing golem and Devastar.

I deactivated the golem and landed back on the floor, but Bora rushed over and grabbed the hem of my shirt.

"Yusin."

"…Bora?"

She hesitated, which was unlike her.

"Um, could you maybe postpone the trial for just a little while? We haven't even chosen the fourth-floor administrator yet. It feels too soon."

What was this all of a sudden? I stared at her, confused, as she planted her hands on her hips.

"I-I'm worried, okay! The trials are too dangerous!"

So that was it. I gently patted her shoulder.

"It may be dangerous, but it's a wall I have to overcome eventually. Besides, trial or not, when have things ever 'not' been dangerous?"

She pouted.

"Saying that doesn't make it any less dangerous!"

"…Haha. Alright, fine. I'll just get a taste of it today. If it seems too difficult, I'll pull out."

"Liar!" she shot back instantly. "We all know what you're like! The moment you enter a trial, you get tunnel vision and ditch everything else until you clear it!"

…She wasn't wrong. This girl knew me far too well.

"Yusin! Don't go!" Eunsol joined the effort, grabbing my right arm while Bora clung to my left.

"Sol! Pin him down!"

"Okay!"

"What?"

Overpowered, I was wrestled to the floor. Bora hugged my arm tightly.

"Are you going or not?"

She was being surprisingly firm. I grinned.

"How about we all go out for dinner in Sanggye-dong tonight?"

"Don't change the subject!" Bora was an immovable fortress. I glanced at Eunsol, who was practically drooling at the mention of eating out, but she quickly shook her head and latched onto my leg.

"Nooo!"

Haaah. Eunsol always made my heart melt. She was so adorable, I just wanted to pinch her cheeks.

"Seriously, Yusin! If you go in there, you'll be completely absorbed! Just give us three weeks! At least stay in your right mind long enough to teach the apprentices the basics!"

"We'll see."

My lukewarm response made Bora's eyes harden. She released my arm and sat properly in front of me.

The mood had suddenly turned serious. This was no time for jokes. I straightened my expression and sat up.

"Yusin," she said, her voice low and somber. "You know the Magic Tower has gotten huge, right?"

"…Huh? Oh, yeah."

"Alchemia is turning an unbelievable profit, and countless guilds are desperate for our status-ailment potions. Oracle has enough influence to move world leaders, and legions of aspiring mages look up to you."

"Th-that's true."

"But do you know what the most unstable part of our Magic Tower is?" She stared directly into my eyes. "It's you, Tower Master."

I was speechless.

"If you're gone, it's all over. Everything we've built together will crumble. You're always pushing yourself to the limit on the front lines, putting your life on the line… As an administrator, I'm grateful, and I respect you for it, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't terrified. Is the final Disaster, Nemesis, the reason you're in such a hurry? That's a burden for all of humanity to bear, not something you should carry alone. We still have plenty of time! So please, just… a little slower, a little safer. Okay?" she pleaded, her eyes welling with tears. My resolve was crumbling fast.

"…Alright," I finally said after a moment of thought. "Three weeks. I won't even look at the trial before then. And if I feel I'm not ready after those three weeks, I won't force it. I'll use the time to prepare. Deal?"

"Really?"

"Yes."

"You promise?"

"I do."

The girl who had been sniffling pitifully suddenly shot her arm into the air.

'Slap!'

Eunsol ran over and gave her a high-five. Bora wiped her eyes with her sleeve and beamed.

"Yes! We did it!"

"You were great, Bora!"

…What just happened? At that moment, Ea appeared in a shimmer of light.

"I was on the edge of my seat watching that."

"Hehe, I told you I could do it," Bora said.

I stared blankly as the three of them celebrated their victory. 'Ugh, I've been had.' For Bora, turning on the waterworks was probably second nature.

"Yusin!" she said, her voice returning to its usual affectionate tone. "You have to keep your promise, okay?"

But that one sentence melted away any frustration. I'd been tricked, but I wasn't angry. Everything she'd said was for my sake. Tears or not, who else would go to such lengths for me?

If anything, it helped temper my recklessness. There was no need to rush. I could prepare more thoroughly for the trial instead of just throwing myself at it and hoping for the best, only to return injured.

"Thanks."

"We should be thanking you!" Eunsol cried, running over and burying her face in my chest. "Yusin… so are we going out to eat now?"

I laughed and gently pinched her cheek.

* * *

The next day, we were training in an empty lot behind the Garam Management Training Ground.

"Na Daeyong, pick up the pace."

"Yes, sir!"

Daeyong was practicing applying his Over-immersion trait to his mana. He took a deep breath and began to rapidly circulate the mana within his body.

"Normally, you shouldn't even be able to hear my voice. You're still not immersed enough," I said, waving a hand in front of his face. He squeezed his eyes shut in concentration. 'That's not going to help.'

I clenched my fist, activated my gauntlet, and jabbed it toward his face.

"Whoaack!"

He tumbled backward. I chuckled and lowered my arm.

"Focus."

"S-sorry!"

Nearby, Cha Doyeon was training. She held a deep squat with her legs shoulder-width apart, with her hands held out neatly before her. Beads of sweat dotted her forehead.

"Are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine!" she yelled, her voice strained.

"Alright, let's practice laying the base again."

"Yes!"

She'd been doing fine, but the moment she tried to transition to the second circle, her field had started to waver. I had her reset and start over, focusing on firmly establishing her base and field. Once in position, she would lay the base ten to twelve times in a row. 'She's doing well.'

I turned my head. Seo Simhee and Kim Sarang were practicing the stamping method. Simhee's slow casting speed could be somewhat offset by this technique. Her balance was exceptional, so I had her start at a slightly faster pace. Sarang, on the other hand, was fast and versatile enough to deploy all three types of magic circles, but she lacked precision. She was endlessly writing and erasing the formulas on her gauntlet.

"Sarang, how's it going?"

"Ugh, it's so weird! My head is spinning! I don't know if I've become the magic circle or if the magic circle has become me!"

"Ah, then you're doing great."

Sarang was dumbstruck.

Next was Jo Yonghee. He was controlling his mana while doing a handstand, his legs propped up on a horizontal bar.

"…I think all the blood is rushing to my head." A puddle of sweat was forming on the ground beneath him. I checked my watch.

"Just three more minutes, then you can rest."

He was a special case—his magic only activated when he rotated the circle in the opposite direction. His mana flow would stop, change direction, or bend at will. He was a fascinating research subject. I was trying every method I could think of to find a solution. Circulating mana while upside down seemed to work, so I had him repeat the exercise. It looked like Yonghee and I were in for a long road together. He was a good apprentice and an excellent test subject.

And I was conducting all this instruction while my wing golem was active.

"Master! I'm done!" Daeyong had started calling me Master on his own, and I had gotten used to it.

"Good work, Daeyong. Ten-minute break."

"Master, are you training as well?"

I nodded.

"Killing two birds with one stone."

"Amazing! To not neglect your training even after reaching such a position! I shall do my utmost to follow your example!"

It seemed Daeyong's Over-immersion was more potent when he was talking to me than when he was using magic. Even as we spoke, my eyes scanned the training ground.

"Sarang. I told you to repeat the output formula two hundred times. Why did you move on after only one hundred twenty-seven?"

"Aack! H-how did you—? I have committed a grave sin!"

"One more time, and you'll be doing squat-based training without mercy. Speaking of which, Doyeon, straighten your back and get your hips up. Jo Yonghee, if you fidget with your legs again, I'm hanging you upside down from a rope."

"Ah!"

They all looked as if they'd seen a ghost. I was watching everything. With Deva's Eye, I could even read the flow of mana from their hearts during circle training.

"It's only the first day, and frankly, I'm a little disappointed," I announced to all of them. "Where's the grit you showed me in your interviews? Where are the tears you shed when I showed you second-circle magic? Don't let a little pain and exhaustion make you forget why you started."

Slowly, a fire ignited in their eyes.

"If you thought passing this interview meant I'd roll out a red carpet and whisk you straight to the top like Prince Charming—well, you've got it all wrong. I'm not the one climbing up here. You are. And if there's a thorny path right next to the mountain trail, I'm the kind of person who'll gladly drag you down that way instead."

The corners of my mouth lifted into a smirk.

"But if you just follow me, I promise you this: I will grab you by the scruff of the neck and haul you to the top. If you can't take it, fine. Go back to the life you had two days ago."

That was all I needed to say. A surge of magic rippled through the air, punctuated by shouts and grunts of exertion.

Just as I thought, these people could become so much stronger.

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