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[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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Chapter 35: Classmate, Pharmacist, Alchemist, and Gaming Buddy, All in One.
I am a righteous hero.
Whenever I visit a friend's workplace or home, I always behave politely and respectfully.
After all, it's their place, not mine — I can't tarnish my friend's reputation.
I'm always mindful of my etiquette, but this time, I intended to be even more strict about it.
I made sure to greet the front desk staff and security guards on the first floor courteously, and I had no intention of causing any trouble.
Looking up at the tower, covered entirely with blue materials, I thought, Ah, so this is what kind of place it is — at least, until I got a feel for it.
"Oho."
Perhaps you could call it privacy protection mode.
Sometimes, to respect others' privacy, I would dampen my spiritual senses.
However, when visiting Seol Yeonhwa’s apartment, there were too many factors to consider, so this was not one of those moments.
In other words, my spiritual perception and aura detection had already spread widely, covering the entire surrounding area.
At this close range, I could read the very top of the tower as clearly as if I were seeing it with my own eyes.
There was Seol Yeonhwa, barely alive on an operating table, a sinister old mage exuding ominous energy, and a male mage beginning to unleash black magic.
It wasn't so much about the patient's safety; it was more like a battle could break out at any second — a volatile, high-tension scene.
It felt like they were fighting over a "treasure," so I quickly came to a conclusion.
Since it was obviously dangerous, better to intervene now and ask questions later than regret it afterward.
A little bit of rudeness seemed necessary.
If they were truly people concerned about the patient's well-being, they would understand a little chaos.
If not, then I wouldn't need to worry about being polite to them either.
[The goddess smiles warmly and clasps her hands together.]
Alright, time to crash the party.
Stretching my body a few times, I cloaked myself in dozens of layers of magical barriers.
Crunch — my foot sank into the ground.
"May the blessing of the gods be with me."
Target locked.
* * *
A tower is generally built by a high-ranking mage.
If they worked as hunters, they would boast the prestige of an S-rank hunter — a high-ranker.
The master of a well-known magic tower would have to possess both experience and unmatched skill, reaching the pinnacle of magic outside of "Archmages."
Such a mage’s tower naturally had airtight security.
A defense system meticulously designed over a long period by a top mage.
A maze-like structure for outsiders.
Subordinate mages whose strength rivaled that of elite guild members.
Located in the heart of the city, other powers couldn’t even think of openly invading it.
Unless you could break in and complete your objective in a single breath, you would quickly be caught by the public's attention and the tower’s intricate defense mechanisms.
There was no one who could penetrate such a fortress-like magic tower and its security system in a short time...
Unless, of course, they were a transcendent archmage or a monster of similar caliber.
Or so it should have been.
Boom!
Crash─!
KA-BOOM───!!!
In an instant, everything was pierced through.
Breakthrough.
The way a hero ascends a tower is simple.
With maze-like structures confusing the eyes of outsiders and the possibility that even the tower's own mages might become enemies, the only solution was to dash forward at a speed so fast that it was impossible to perceive.
Using aura detection, I mapped the layout of the tower and, anticipating possible traps invisible to the naked eye, chose paths that people had already traveled.
Mages, who relied heavily on magical perception and had weaker physical senses, couldn't even detect me once I disturbed the mana around my body.
KA-BOOM──!!
All they felt was a belated gust of wind.
I had already long since passed.
A strategy relying entirely on overwhelming physical abilities and masterful mana control.
For the hero, sheer force was the method.
He pierced through everything with strength.
Beep-
By the time the first level of alarms sounded, I had already passed the middle section of the tower.
WEEE-OOO-EEE-OOO──!!
When the entire magic tower blared with loud sirens, I was already there.
Elneor Grants, the tower master, frowned at the reaction of the security system she herself had designed — a system that had rarely ever been triggered before.
At the same time, Erneon, a high-ranking dark mage specializing in territorial control, was equally stunned, his gaze snapping to the operating table.
"I guess I made it in time."
At some point, a man was standing by Seol Yeonhwa’s side.
Next to the chilling cold, there was a dazzlingly radiant aura.
He gently brushed the woman’s forehead on the operating table and, visibly relieved, turned his head.
He met the gazes of the two high mages with casual indifference.
There was no trace of fear or tension in his eyes or expression.
Because of this, Elneor Grants and Erneon both felt an eerie sense of dissonance from the man.
Despite having entered the master's personal domain of the magic tower, the intruder showed not even a hint of concern about being attacked or defeated.
In just this tower master's chamber alone, there were dozens of interception spells and barriers.
They could be activated at a mere thought.
It was truly an unexpected situation, an odd intruder.
It was far too irrational a situation to simply blame it on the arrogance of a still unseasoned young man.
It might have been only natural to immediately drive him out or subdue him by force...
But neither Tower Master Elneor nor Erneon, who had lived long lives and possessed vast knowledge, were so thoughtless as to act rashly.
...Monsters are not judged by appearances alone.
An unfathomable atmosphere.
A peculiar sense of composure.
A magical barrier woven so densely around him that not even a sliver of a curse could penetrate it.
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[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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An overwhelming presence exuded as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"…From which great house do you hail, to dare come this high?"
Tower Master Elneor Grants asked, keeping a close eye on the man's movements.
Erneon, too, had shed his usual relaxed demeanor, his face stiff with tension.
He was already exuding black magic heavily, as if ready to strike at any moment.
The warrior scratched his forehead, briefly glancing at the thick, black mist-like mana.
"Uh, well, I'm not from any great house, really."
After quickly checking the condition of Seol Yeonhwa, who was lying on the surgical table beside him, to ensure she was stable, he continued.
"I'm here as a classmate, a pharmacist, an alchemist, and a gaming buddy? Thought I'd drop by."
"……?"
"She's been absent from the game for a while."
Shin Yuseong gave a faint smile as he looked at Seol Yeonhwa, whose face was not flushed with embarrassment but had turned deathly pale, as if she might collapse any moment.
"I'm here to treat her."
Without hesitation, he popped open a potion and forcibly poured it into Seol Yeonhwa’s mouth.
The golden liquid, imbued with the warrior's radiant magic, went down her throat in large gulps.
Proper treatment would take more time and effort, but for now, he needed her body to warm up, so he made sure she drank it first.
It was sweet enough that it would go down easily.
"……Huh?"
"Wha–what…!"
To any outsider, it was impossible to tell whether the liquid was poison or medicine.
Especially for the Blue Tower Master, Elneor Grants, whose very life depended on Seol Yeonhwa; she panicked and immediately began casting spells.
"Stop! Cease at once—!"
Regardless of what kind of monster the intruder was, now that he had touched her treasure, he had to be subdued.
Wuuuuung—!
The mana of a high-level mage, symbolized by six circulating rings, began to whirl.
The tower’s defense systems and the interception magic within the tower master's chamber resonated together.
Simultaneously, barriers sprang into activation.
Zzzzzkt!
A personal domain.
Frozen Prison.
The once civilized office instantly transformed into an ice castle filled with blue ice.
Everywhere was ice—transparent as a mirror, reflecting their own images.
Despite the sudden transformation, the warrior remained entirely unfazed, still focused on making Seol Yeonhwa drink the potion.
Elneor Grants bit her lip but continued to thoroughly take control of the space.
In an instant, the high mage’s mana coalesced into a powerful spell.
Multi-cast.
Blizzard.
Fwwwoooosh—a white powdery snow filled the space, turning the mirror-like world into a pure white blizzard.
Visibility was severely hindered.
Though one tried to pierce through the blizzard, only the transparent ice could be seen.
By then, both Elneor and Erneon had already vanished from view.
"Hmm."
However, the warrior, having experienced the tricks and traps of many mages and demons, understood the rough pattern.
With Seol Yeonhwa, now visibly recovering, slung over his back, he rolled his eyes.
Even if direct sight was blocked, his senses could pick up much through the flow of mana.
Dozens, hundreds of spells were layered all around.
From the ground, the walls, the ceiling—sharp icicles were poised, ready to strike at him.
"Tch, seriously scary."
Clicking his tongue, Shin Yuseong realized that Seol Yeonhwa, as she was, couldn't defend herself and so he drew his sword.
It was not a holy sword.
Nor was he particularly afraid.
He was simply annoyed and found the situation troublesome.
A small flame flickered to life atop the blade.
"Ignar."
In an instant, the blizzard receded.
The ice melted.
The destruction was so overwhelming that it seemed more like divine authority than mere magic.
It was precisely at that moment that the black mage Erneon made his move.
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[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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