Project Oracle. Following the potion user, I was now planning to create a fictitious "prophet"—a figure with a Unique Ability to see the future, who would predict the various Disasters to befall the world.

At first, people would be skeptical, but as the prophecies continued to come true with perfect accuracy, they would come to trust this prophet's power. Humanity would then begin to prepare for the ultimate disaster, Nemesis.

They would move according to the prophet's words. Which meant all of humanity would be moving according to my will.

For now, the project's first step was accumulating information, so Seojin and Ea would be busy for a while. The potion business was stable, and everything was going smoothly. The time had come for me, and no one else, to level up.

'Time to go.'

I stood at the top of the third-floor staircase, the path to the fourth floor before me.

'Woooooosh!'

Instead of a door, a pitch-black, swirling vortex blocked the way.

[The magic of the Trial is encroaching upon the space.]

[To proceed to the next floor, you must pass the Trial.]

[Do you wish to challenge the Trial?]

The fourth one. I took a steadying breath. "I will challenge it."

Before the words had fully left my mouth, my body was sucked into the portal. I was used to this by now. I waited calmly for my vision to clear, then opened my eyes.

The world resolved into a vast, empty hall paved with something like marble. And someone was there.

'Huh?'

As I gathered my mana for battle, I froze. It wasn't a monster.

"I have been waiting," a man said.

He was an old man, his age impossible to guess. He wore a robe of a peculiar design, unlike any style on Earth, and held a wooden staff—the very kind of "magic staff" I had only ever seen in pictures in 'The Standard of Magic'. I was a little taken aback. This was clearly different from the trials so far. But since he was speaking, there was thankfully room for conversation.

I approached cautiously. "...Excuse me, but who are you?"

The old man laughed heartily. "Welcome, Fourteen."

"Huh?"

My mind raced. He called me Fourteen. Did that mean... could it be?

"That's right! I am the 13th Master of the Magic Tower," the old man declared, stroking his beard. "The one who came right before you. Ah, the translation magic felt a bit strange just now. Did it come across properly?"

"...It was more than proper; it was a flawless translation."

The old man chuckled good-naturedly. To think I would meet a previous Tower Master here. I did my best to calm my pounding heart. "It's an honor to meet you, my great predecessor. I am Kim Yusin, the 14th Master of the Magic Tower. But why are you in the trial...? Are you really him?"

"To be precise, no," the 13th Tower Master said, shaking his head. "I placed a certain spell on the fourth-floor trial."

"What kind of..."

"A spell that seizes control of space. I suppose you would know it as 'spatial magic'?"

I knew of it from 'The Standard of Magic'. It was a dimensional magic of extreme difficulty that drew an opponent into a world of the caster's own creation—a world where the very terrain could be designed to one's advantage.

Of course, building an entire world from scratch was no simple feat. I'd always heard that spatial magic was a realm of absolute, innate talent, completely separate from magical skill. And this old man could wield it.

"In other words, I am a phantasm, an illusion that exists only within this world of my own creation."

"…Ah."

So he wasn't the real Anton. The 13th Tower Master stroked his beard, his gaze distant, then suddenly spoke.

"My world… it was destroyed, wasn't it?"

His quiet words landed like a physical blow, and my heart sank.

'He knew?' I swallowed hard at his calm question.

"I haven't been able to confirm its destruction with absolute certainty. But one thing is clear: the Magic Tower is no longer in Erendel."

"Then from what world do you hail, lad?"

"A place called Earth."

"I've never heard of it. So the Magic Tower has drifted to yet another world." He closed his eyes, his expression steeped in regret. "Hmm. Mmm. I see. Yes."

He was too stunned to speak.

"Now I finally understand why I put myself here. Yes."

His words jolted me back to the present. This was my chance—a chance to dig for information.

"Do you know anything about what happened to your world, or why the Magic Tower was transported?"

"I'm afraid I do not. I am merely a construct of magic. The memories I implanted within myself are far too limited."

"Then why are you in this trial…?"

"Isn't it obvious?" The 13th Tower Master chuckled, a faint smile on his lips. "Do you truly not understand what my presence here signifies?"

I swallowed, my throat dry. Was this the classic, -You must surpass me! trope? More importantly, this was only the fourth-floor trial. They expected me to fight a former Master of the Magic Tower already? Wasn't that a bit extreme?

"Are you going to test me, predecessor?"

"Hmph, what nonsense!" he suddenly roared. "If I were to fight you with all my might, you'd be gone in a single blow!"

"…Heh."

"Instead," he said, extending an arm toward me. I felt something like a radar pass through my body. "The version of me from the time when I possessed the same amount of magic power as you will be your opponent."

"What?"

"It's called a handicap. Oh, I do like the sound of that word." He tapped his staff on the floor. A magic circle unfolded, and his body began to glow.

'Fshhh!'

Light exploded, and the wizened old man's frame began to grow. Was he returning to his youth? This felt less like a handicap and more like a power-up. Then again, it was common knowledge that mages grew stronger with age.

Then, just as suddenly, his height shrank, and the halo of light vanished.

"Greetings, Fourteen!" A tiny boy stood before me, holding a staff taller than he was. "From this moment on, I shall be your opponent! Ahem!"

To think his magic power as a child was equal to mine now. I knew the age at which one became a mage was a factor, but it was still a little humiliating.

"Ah, and just so you know, don't let your guard down." The boy who was the 13th Tower Master aimed his staff at me. "You might just die a few thousand more times."

A chill trickled down my spine.

"Ahem. Anyway, I'm the trial boss, so do your best. It'll be suuuper tough, but if you defeat me, I'll give you a present."

"…A present? You don't just mean unlocking the fourth floor?"

"That's what you get for clearing the trial, obviously. My present is separate."

"Sounds good to me."

The boy twirled his staff, then bowed low, placing a hand on his chest in a perfect aristocratic gesture. "I am the son of Nikas Aximus of the Hereld Kingdom. The greatest talent in history, the youngest to ever reach the pinnacle of the tower. The 13th Tower Master, Anton Nakas Aximus Jr."

So the 13th Tower Master was the Anton from the diary. I could feel a mountain of magic power emanating from the boy as he introduced himself. This was a mage from Erendel, the very origin of magic.

"I am the 14th Tower Master, Kim Yusin of the Republic of Korea."

"Excellent! Show me your magic, Kim Yusin!"

We took our fighting stances. My heart pounded in my chest. I had only ever fought monsters and hunters; I had no idea what a battle between mages would be like.

-Tower Master. Please state your directive.

'My opponent is an illusion created with spatial magic, so I can't even see his status window. We'll start with a probing attack.'

-As you command.

I began with the basics.

<Copy Magical Position>

<Fire Cannon>

Five fireballs swelled into existence above my head. Anton began casting at nearly the same moment.

'Tiiing! Tiing!'

Magic circles I had never seen before appeared. My Sage's Eye immediately identified them. They weren't attack spells, but support-type magic that aided in casting.

'What a strange structure.' It was a type of save-state magic circle, where formulas were stacked inside and could be deployed as needed. On top of that, there was even a magic circle that performed calculations by proxy.

'So this is how they increase casting speed in Erendel.' I felt my understanding of magic expanding before the fight had even truly begun. Even as a child, my opponent was undeniably a grand mage. There was a boundless amount to learn from him. I had come this far with only books and self-study; now, I could finally engage in a true practical battle.

After laying down four support magic circles, Anton finally prepared an attack spell.

'I'm faster!'

'Fwoooosh!'

The moment the Fire Cannons trailed smoke and closed in on Anton, his magic circle flared to life.

<Prometheus>

A giant of fire manifested from the circle and swallowed my Fire Cannons whole before swelling even larger and rushing toward me.

'That's…!'

-A fourth-order flame-type magic!

Fourth-order? At that age? I threw myself backward, escaping the blast range of Prometheus. Even from a considerable distance, I could feel a punishing, scorching heat. Where the fire giant had passed, only searing flames remained.

"It's simple arithmetic, Fourteen," the boy said with a smile, standing untouched in the heart of the inferno. "Higher-order magic is simply stronger."

It was a crisis, but for some reason, a grin spread across my face. My fighting spirit boiled over. I immediately doubled my formula processing rate.

<Ice Javelin> ×10

Ten Ice Javelins materialized and shot forth. Seeing this, Anton casually flickered his fingers in the air. The four support circles around him whirred to life, providing assistance. Those proxy-calculation circles functioned just like a homunculus, like Ea.

'Sharrrr!'

Finally, Anton's magic circle activated, emitting a brilliant light. But nothing emerged.

Just as I was beginning to feel a flicker of doubt, my ten Ice Javelins, which had been flying perfectly, suddenly crumbled into dust.

-Danger! Generating a shield to your front!

No sooner had a shield been erected before me than something slammed into it with a sickening thud. 'Thwack!' The shields were instantly shredded. Shrapnel flew, and blood trickled from a dozen small cuts.

'Ugh! What is this magic?'

-Third-order Frozen Needle. A rapid-fire magic that drastically increases power and casting speed by reducing the projectile's size.

'I've never seen anything like that in the Fundamentals of Magic.'

Anton placed his hands on his hips and grinned. "Oh, you reacted to that? You've got yourself a capable homunculus, Fourteen."

He fell silent.

"Try a little harder. I'm not the Tower Master anymore, so I don't have a homunculus or a Sage's Eye. If this is all you can do when I'm fighting with such a handicap, I'll be very disappointed."

He's taunting me.

-Tower Master. Let us overwhelm him at once with Devastar. Ea's voice was sharp, her indignation at the word 'disappointed' even greater than my own. I mentally reined her in.

'This is a trial. There are plenty of chances to try again. For now, we prioritize observing.'

-I will follow the Tower Master's directive.

Devastar was my original magic, my greatest trump card. I could definitely catch Anton off guard with it once. But revealing my full power in response to a taunt, before I'd even grasped my opponent's capabilities, felt wrong.

I continued to use elemental magic as I faced him. But if I used a second-order spell, he countered with a third-order one. If I used a third-order, he used a fourth-order. No matter what magic I used, Anton would pull out a higher-tier spell and effortlessly neutralize it.

'BOOM!'

'CRASH!'

"…Kegh!"

This was difficult. My Fire Breath was met with Prometheus. My Earth Claymore was met with an Earth Wall. He could have blocked my attacks more easily by using an element with a tactical advantage, but instead, Anton countered every single one with a superior version of the same spell. As if to show off. As if to demonstrate the sheer difference in our power. Even though I understood his intent, it would be a lie to say I wasn't frustrated.

I grit my teeth and unleashed an instant-cast spell from within the smoke screen of the fiery explosion.

<Wind Cutter>

I created two blades of wind in mid-air and sent them flying to capture his attention. Simultaneously, on the ground, I prepared an <Earth Claymore> via remote casting at maximum range.

'It'll hit!' I was confident in my speed. A third or fourth-order spell could never keep up.

The moment the sword of earth, completed with Accelerated Casting, was about to erupt from the floor…

'Craaaaaack!'

A colossal ground-sword erupted in front of Anton's feet, splitting my Earth Claymore in two as it rushed toward me. I hastily threw myself backward.

'Huff…!'

I could see the very earth itself soaring over my head. To attack instantly from that distance…

"The maximum range for remote casting varies for each spell," Anton explained. "Among them, earth-type magic has the longest reach." As he touched the ground, magic circles spread around me, my balance shattered from the evasion. "Casting speed isn't everything, Fourteen. If that's the best range you can get out of an Earth Claymore, you're going to need some practice."

-Tower Master! I have secured an escape route.

Reading the path Ea displayed in my Sage's Eye, I leaped into the air. Two rising swords of earth grazed past my abdomen and back as I hung suspended for a moment.

'Tsk!'

He was overwhelming. This wasn't a matter of using Devastar or not; we were simply on different levels.

<Entangling Roots>

'Kwoosh!'

As if waiting for me to lose my balance upon landing, plant roots shot out and coiled around me. He'd read my escape. No, I was lured into his trap. I couldn't move a single finger.

"This is your homework, Fourteen." Anton held out his palm. A magic circle, radiating a bone-chilling cold, formed before my chest. "Think carefully about why you lost."

A spear of ice pierced straight through my heart.

* * *

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