"Are you saying today's shipment still hasn't arrived?" Seojin asked into his phone, his face still heavy with sleep.

"Yes," the store manager replied. "We open in thirty minutes, and there's a long line, but we have no products. I'm getting anxious…"

"I'll look into it right away and call you back."

Seojin immediately called Bora.

"The phone you have called is turned off. You will be connected to voicemail."

Her phone was off.

Seojin's expression hardened as he called the Alchemia office and connected to the driver in charge.

"I'm at the factory now, but there was no shipment today," the driver said. "The ingredients are still in the warehouse. I was just waiting, thinking the work was delayed."

His face now terrifyingly serious, Seojin called the security manager of the association's research site. Just then, Eunsol came down to the lobby on the magic circle elevator.

"Mr. Glasses! Is something wrong?"

"It's nothing, Eunsol."

Seojin tried his best to maintain his composure, but the perceptive girl could tell immediately that something was wrong.

"There's no record of her entering? Hmm, I understand." After ending the call, Seojin ground his teeth and swept his bangs back.

"Is Bora gone?" Eunsol asked.

Seojin looked at her for a moment, then sighed lightly. "...It's too early to jump to conclusions, but it seems that way. For this to happen right when the Tower Master has gone into the trial…"

He shouted into the air, "Ms. Ea! Are you there? If you are, please answer!"

Eunsol called out as well. "Ea! Ea, are you there?"

No answer came. When Yusin began a trial, Ea focused all her attention on him. She wouldn't appear on standby in the Magic Tower as she usually did.

'...Stay calm.'

He had to take every possible measure before I returned. First, he assumed the worst-case scenario.

'The cornered Healer's Union could be behind this.'

Seojin grabbed his coat and handed his second phone to Eunsol. "I'm going to look for Bora outside. You wait here and call for Ms. Ea from time to time. If she responds or the Tower Master returns, call me immediately."

"Okay! I will!"

Seojin ran out of the Magic Tower. The situation was taking a grim turn.

* * *

Fourth Floor Trial. Twenty-second attempt.

Let's organize what I've figured out through trial and error.

First, Anton has no memory of our previous battles.

Second, though he has no memory, he can roughly guess which attempt this is based on my actions.

Third, Anton adheres to his own set of phases. He wears two necklaces, each providing a one-time absolute defense or nullifying magic within a 500-meter radius. They break after one use.

In the first phase, with both necklaces intact, Anton counters my magic with superior versions of my own spells, focusing more on teaching than fighting. The strategy here is a battle of attrition using Rapid Arrow. I can overwhelm him with sheer numbers regardless of what he throws at me.

After he uses the first necklace, he switches to his specialty, water magic. At this point, he seems to think my skills have improved and focuses on practical combat. The strategy for this second phase is Devastar. Since he has no memory, if I time it right, I can close the distance and break the second necklace.

But the problem is the third phase, after both necklaces are destroyed.

At that point, Anton forgets all about educating his successor and tries to kill me with a murderous look on his face, using his full power. Approaching with Devastar to break the second necklace is fine, but it leaves me at close range for phase three, where I'm usually swept away by a torrent of water immediately.

'...Isn't there some other way?'

"Ahahaha! What are you thinking so hard about, Fourteen!" Anton yelled, riding a tidal wave as he unleashed a torrent of water projectiles. I was desperately running, stepping on shields in mid-air to escape.

"Seeing you rack your brain like that, you must have broken the second necklace but gotten stuck after that, right?"

Tsk. Perceptive old man. It was a mistake to let him read my hand.

"So what are you hesitating for? Come on!"

Anton spread his arms, and the tidal wave surged upward, the water churning and beginning to take shape.

<Aqua Cannon>

-Tower Master! Evasion impossible! Guarding impossible! A super-high-risk spell is activating!

I crouched, facing the tidal wave as it transformed into a giant cannon. I didn't want to die. There was no other choice. I brought both hands to the soles of my shoes.

'Fwoooosh!'

Faster than the high-pressure jet of water could fire, my body shot forward, appearing right in front of Anton. The Aqua Cannon fired, annihilating the spot where I had just been.

He was too stunned to speak.

Seeing Anton's surprised face, I rotated my torso.

'Thwack!'

A perfectly executed roundhouse kick attacked his face. A black wave of energy exploded, shaking the air, but Anton only tilted his head back slightly, looking at me without a single scratch.

'Crack.'

The second necklace fell to the floor.

"Dark magic? So you had a trick like that."

Fortunately, since he had used an entire tidal wave as ammunition, he couldn't grab me immediately. I created distance and prepared for his next attack.

"Then it's time for the final lesson!"

Anton flew into the sky, immense magic power swirling around him.

-Tower Master. The thirteenth Tower Master is activating a forced Rampage spell! A large-scale offensive is expected!

An alien, massive magic circle appeared behind him. Through my Sage's Eye, I could see its peculiar structure. Just as Ea said, it was a magic circle for a Rampage—a secret technique that activated mana by 300%, pushing casting speed and control beyond one's normal capabilities.

This was the real beginning.

My tension heightened, I equipped Light Devastar to both feet.

"Meshara. Meshara."

-...Huh?

A strange voice echoed in my ear.

-What is it, Tower Master?

"It's nothing."

'Rumble!'

In his rampage mode, both of Anton's pupils glowed blue.

"No time to think, Fourteen," he said. "If you want to live, run."

Large magic circles unfolded one after another around him.

< Aqua Cannon>

<Aqua Blast>

<Aqua Burst>

'Swoooosh!'

Water bombs rained from the sky. They were all original spells of 3rd or fourth-order, impossible to block with a normal Shield. I used the Devastar on one foot to leap to the opposite wall. The several-hundred-meter radius where I had been standing was completely annihilated.

It was dizzying. Chills ran down my spine—the primal fear all living things feel in the face of overwhelming power. My body moved on instinct, trying to survive. To replenish the spent Devastar, I prepared magic circles on my arms and under my feet.

"Aaaaaaaah!"

Sparks flew from Anton's head as if he were processing an immense number of formulas. The sky was a chaotic mess of magic circles as water bombs fell in succession.

'Booooom! Swoooooosh!'

With each spell, the trial space began to fill with water. When I landed, it was already up to my knees. As I dodged the next attacks, I saw the water level had risen to my chest. My room to maneuver was vanishing.

My feelings could be summed up in one sentence.

'There's no way I can win this!'

I didn't dare approach with Devastar. Even if I got incredibly lucky and dodged every water bomb, his body was protected by a veil of water. Using one Devastar to get close and a second to break the veil would be the extent of my attack. All I could do was run and hope he made a mistake.

-Tower Master! In three seconds, a volley of Aqua Cannons will come from the 12 o'clock direction!

I gritted my teeth, equipped a Light Devastar on my right foot, and activated it. The moment my body launched, the cannons exploded behind me. The spells crashing into the water sent up continuous splashes, raising the level ever higher. The entire space had become a sea.

"Hah! Hah!"

After traveling the maximum distance, my momentum died, and I fell. I landed on a shield I'd placed on the water's surface. Above me, the sky was a maelstrom of water bombs, leaving no room to escape. I used Devastar again.

This was the first time I had used Devastar purely for evasion. It was frustrating that this was all I could do.

'Booooooom!'

"Ugh!"

-Tower Master!

The instant I moved, a spell exploded from the wall right next to me. The wall caved in, debris plunging into the water below. It was a dizzying sight.

'That old man…!'

I gritted my teeth and looked up. Anton was floating there with a triumphant smile. He was in rampage mode, yet still managed to use predictive shots! Isn't a Rampage supposed to mean you lose control? How can he have increased casting speed and still maintain precise control?!

"Fourteen, didn't your homunculus tell you? It's fine in here, but in a real fight, overusing dark magic will have side effects!"

Still nagging, even in a Rampage. Who 'is' this guy?

-Water Blast detected ahead!

-Water Bomb detected ahead!

Without a moment to complain, I used Devastar again and again to dodge. I knew firing off spells like that wasn't normal. He would surely hit a limit. If I could just aim for the backlash after this ridiculous rampage ended, I had a chance.

'Thud!'

Just then, as I was moving, my body was crushed by an immense pressure, and I fell straight into the water. A predictive shot had found its mark.

'Gurgle!'

The world was a mass of bubbles. I covered my mouth, holding my breath. The exploding magic had raised the water depth to over ten meters. My body slowly sank. Through the churning surface, I could see Anton floating in the air, pouring down more spells.

'...Haa. This is all so tiresome.'

Submerged in the water, it felt as peaceful as another world. Was this what they called a moment of tranquility?

"Meshara. Meshara."

The phantom voices returned, accompanied by a headache.

Immersed in that brief peace, my body sank almost to the bottom. Above, the spells continued to rain down.

'Should I just stay here? I don't think I'll get hit by all of that if I stay here.'

In movies, soldiers jump into water to dodge bullets. I'd heard that water is over 800 times denser than air, so you can dodge a bullet by diving just two meters deep. So I should be safe, right?

...I wanted to smash my own head for thinking that.

As a Water Blast entered the water, it absorbed the surrounding liquid, its size and scale growing exponentially. In an instant, a torrent that filled my entire vision rushed toward me. Anton's water magic was designed to have its attack range expand underwater.

'Of course, a cheap trick wouldn't work against a grand mage.'

Resigned, I lifted my right foot toward my chest. I placed both hands on the ongoing Devastar magic circle, added to the formula, and completed it.

Devastar

'Swooooooosh!'

The jet-black wave shattered the Water Blast, tearing a massive hole in the aquatic world. The sight of the water parting to reveal the sky was spectacular. I brought down my leg, stepped on the 'Leap Boots' Ea had set up, and launched myself into the air.

'Think. Think. How in the world can I win?'

* * *

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