The time had finally come to officially activate 'Project Oracle.' After holing up in the second-floor Great Library for several all-nighters, Yusin and his team had managed to compile a list of the Disasters set to occur over the next five years. While Seojin's 'Mana Coordinate Method' couldn't map every Disaster to Earth's geography, they focused on cataloging the dungeons with the highest risk and most reliable coordinates.

With the data ready, it was time to move. The core of this project, the prophet, was Ea. Her hacking skills, honed by years of collecting information from across the globe, had reached a phenomenal level. There was virtually no modern security system she couldn't breach, especially since she could augment her abilities with communication magic.

To ensure the emails weren't immediately deleted, Ea worked a little of her magic. She sent a list of twelve impending Disasters, each with over ninety-nine percent accuracy, to the Global Hunter Alliance and the Hunter Associations of the countries that would be affected.

[I am Oracle, a prophet. From this moment, I will prophesy the Disasters that will befall your lands.]

An uproar was inevitable. The individual identifying as 'Oracle' knew the direct, private contact information for key figures and organizations. The response was split: some ignored it, while others took action.

And then…

[Florida, USA. Disaster 'Glesis' Occurs. Seven Cities Begin To Transform Into Glacial Dungeons. <Confirmed>]

[Chengdu, Sichuan, China. Disaster 'Blackout' Occurs. After a Massive Power Outage, Numerous Rank-5 Lightning-Attribute Monsters Emerge From a Rift in the Sky. <Confirmed>]

[Rotterdam, Netherlands. Disaster, 'The Great Flood', Occurs. Widespread Flood Damage and the Appearance of a Rank-7 Frost Wyrm, Along With Two Hundred Subordinate Monsters. <Confirmed>]

…All twelve prophecies came true. The world was turned upside down, and nations scrambled to send messages to Oracle.

[Your prophetic ability is a blessing and a key for humanity. We implore you to come to the Global Hunter Alliance and lend your strength for the sake of humankind.]

[This is Louis Lovett, Secretary of Defense for the United States of America. We promise to pay three times any offer made by another nation. All procedures will be handled with the utmost security. If you are amenable, I would like to meet with you all or email would also be fine.]

[The Supreme Leader of the People's Republic of China wishes to meet you.]

It was the spectacular debut of the prophet, Oracle. The entire world was vying to recruit this unprecedented seer.

"What should we do now, Tower Master?" Ea asked.

Leaning back on the golden sofa in the lobby, Yusin thought for a moment before speaking. "Hmm. Send this as our reply."

Ea transcribed his words exactly and sent them to the world leaders.

[I, Oracle, firmly refuse to allow my power to be used for political, economic, or religious purposes. I will not belong to any organization and promise to maintain strict neutrality for the public good of all humanity. I will gladly share the future events I have foreseen with everyone.]

Project Oracle would not be bound by any power or authority. It would establish its own inviolable domain and present a path for humanity's survival. With this, the Magic Tower's influence over the world of hunters grew once more.

"Wow. Look at that smug face," Bora, who was passing by, said as she covered her mouth and giggled. A sudden wave of embarrassment made Yusin sit up straight.

"Yusin, what was that just now? It was a total 'The world is now in my hands!' kind of look."

"Ahem." He cleared his throat and took a sip of cold water. "If you see me getting into character, just pretend you didn't see anything."

"Ohoho! I wonder how the world leaders would react if they knew they were being played by a young man with a serious case of main character syndrome? I'm so curious!"

"…Hey."

Just then, light flowed from the magic circle elevator as Seojin and Eunsol appeared.

"Yusin!" As always, Eunsol came running over as soon as she arrived.

"Whoa there! Looks like someone had a big breakfast. Did you eat?"

"Yup! Ea brought me some!"

Seojin also greeted Ea warmly before approaching Yusin. "Tower Master. Have you made contact with the world leaders?"

"Yeah. I just sent the reply."

"What about the final Disaster, Nemesis…?"

"Not yet. I plan to announce that after Oracle has built more trust. If I carelessly reveal that the world might end, it could just add to the chaos."

"Wise, as always."

Yusin took a sip of water from the table. "From now on, Oracle will faithfully serve its role as a herald for the public good. It would be a problem if its credibility were to drop at a critical moment because some other motive got involved."

Seojin nodded vigorously and clapped. "As expected of the Tower Master."

Ea chimed in. "I hope the day comes when the ignorant people of Earth understand your noble intentions."

'Haah. All this flattery won't get you anywhere.'

"I'm not the only one cringing at this, right?" Beside him, Bora was making a gesture with her hands. "Oh, by the way, Yusin! The Cain Guild, which has a monopoly on our potion supply, contacted me. They asked if we could sell the cold resistance potions for five thousand a bottle…"

"What? Those bastards are at it again! No sale! Cut them off and contact the guild that made the second-highest bid."

Bora smiled sheepishly. "…Are you the same person who was just talking about the public good?"

"Public good is public good. Business is business." Oracle had to make a living, too.

Yusin looked around at everyone and said, "Since we're all here, shall we go check out the new floor together?"

"Yeah!" Eunsol's eyes sparkled. "I can't wait to see the fourth floor!"

By clearing the trial with Anton, the fourth floor was finally unlocked. They were now exactly halfway there.

1st Floor: Potion Brewing Bureau / [Potion Brewer: Jin Bora]

2nd Floor: Great Library / [Librarian: Jeong Seojin]

3rd Floor: Golem Workshop / [Chief Engineer: Eunsol]

4th Floor: Weather Design Bureau / [Bureau Chief: None] - 'Please assign a position.'

5th Floor: ???

6th Floor: ???

7th Floor: ???

8th Floor: ???

9th Floor: Master of the Magic Tower's Room / [Master of the Magic Tower: Kim Yusin]

They all stepped onto the magic circle elevator. When Yusin pressed the button for the fourth floor, he felt his feet lift off the ground as the world around them changed.

"Welcome to the fourth floor, the Weather Design Bureau," Ea announced, her knowledge base expanded by the new floor. "This way, please."

"Whoa! This is the most exciting part!" Bora hopped on the spot, buzzing with energy. Eunsol's head whipped back and forth, eagerly taking everything in.

They followed Ea to the center of the floor. To describe it in a sentence, it felt like walking into a global command center from a movie. In the middle stood a large, screen-topped operations table displaying a map, while holographic charts adorned the walls. Other items reminiscent of a war room, like command batons and magic screen boards, were scattered about.

"What do they do here?" Yusin asked.

"Since it's called the Weather Design Bureau, doesn't it feel like a weather agency?" Bora mused. "Observing the weather, forecasting, that kind of thing. Erendel would need weather forecasts, too."

"Sounds plausible."

They shared their theories and looked to Ea for the answer.

"Initially, it was used for that purpose," she confirmed.

"It's different now?"

"Yes. The current Fourth Floor is where 'field magic' is developed and managed, Tower Master."

They stood side-by-side before the operations table, which was about the size of four pool tables placed together.

"This is a map of Erendel," Seojin observed, carefully examining the display. "It shows not only the central continent but also the eastern and northern ones."

"Affirmative. As expected of the librarian," Ea said with a nod.

Seojin calmly pushed up his glasses as usual, but Yusin saw the corner of his mouth twitch into a proud smirk. "But it's in the Erendel style, so it can't be used as is."

Ea placed her hand on the screen and closed her eyes.

'Environmental change detected.'

'Changing system settings.'

'Fshh!'

The screen flickered, and a familiar world map of Earth unfolded before them. After Ea gave Yusin a brief tutorial, he quickly double-tapped the Korean peninsula. The map zoomed in, showing a clear view of Korea. Two more taps revealed Seoul, and a third showed the very Magic Tower where they lived in Sanggye-dong.

"Oh, Sol! Look, we can see you from up here! You should wave!" Bora exclaimed.

Eunsol giggled and waved at the ceiling. "Hey! Can you see me from up there?"

"Yup! Clear as day!"

"Hello, hello!"

They were having fun. Yusin studied the map for a moment, then looked at Ea. "So, what's the map for?"

"First, I must explain 'field magic'."

To summarize Ea's explanation, field magic was a type of wide-area magic applied directly to a region. Its effects manifested on a massive scale, making it the magic with the largest range in existence. Its maximum range was 'the entire planet,' and its longest duration was 'permanent.' Field magic truly had the potential to change the world.

"Now, if you look at the top right, you can see the field magic currently held by the Magic Tower," Ea instructed.

"Oh, you're right."

<Scylla's Beckoning>: [Mental] [Inflicts 'Fear'] [Range-Medium] [Duration-170 hours]

<Fog Labyrinth>: [Barrier] [Sets up a fog labyrinth] [Range-Medium] [Duration-3 years]

<Sanctification>: [Dungeon] [Removes dungeon area] [Range-Medium] [Duration-5 years]

"I can't really tell just by looking at this."

"Then would you like to try installing a field magic yourself, Tower Master?"

"Should I?" Yusin first selected Sanctification in the top right corner with his finger. When he dragged it to the map, the icon changed into a green, 10x10 grid.

"Now, you may place it at your desired location."

"What exactly is the effect of this Sanctification?"

"Simply put, it's a technique that removes a dungeonized area and returns it to its original state, preventing any more monsters from spawning."

Yusin's eyes lit up. "Really? Is that possible?"

"Yes."

Wait. If that was the case… He seriously contemplated the placement. He spread the field magic out in a straight line from the Magic Tower to the entrance of Sanggye-dong. "If I do this, then…"

"Yes. It is just as you think, Tower Master."

Without any further hesitation, Yusin pressed the confirm button.

[Confirm this location? The field magic <Sanctification> will be used.]

"Confirm."

[Field magic <Sanctification> has been applied.]

The Sanctification icon in the top right corner vanished, and in its place, the path from the Magic Tower outward was now marked with a bluish light. Was it really applied? Just like that?

"I'll be right back!" Yusin called out.

"Huh? Yusin!"

He took the elevator down by himself. When he stepped outside the Magic Tower, a forest teeming with otherworldly flora spread out before him.

'I can really see it!'

With Deva's Eye, he could perceive an artificial layer of mana stretching out in a straight line. He followed that path into the forest.

'Grrr!'

He came face to face with a gurma, one of the creatures native to the restricted area. It was a rank-1 monster, but a highly aggressive one. Yet, it didn't move even after seeing him. He continued walking. Other monsters saw him too, but they only growled warily, not daring to attack.

The first law of the restricted area: its monsters do not leave their territory.

The field magic was definitely working. 'Ea was right!' This area was no longer a monster-infested wasteland. It had been returned completely to the domain of humans.

'This is really…'

To say the fourth floor was a jackpot would be an understatement. If he wanted to make money, he could. If he wanted to gain honor, that was possible too. And above all…

'I could shake the very foundation of this world.'

The countless ideas flooding his mind refused to leave.

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