Magic Monopoly: Reborn as the Sole Magic Tower Master-Chapter 192: Episode

The darkness that had veiled my vision lifted, and I opened my eyes. The air, the terrain, the world—everything had changed. Bright sunlight streamed down through fluffy clouds. I could feel the soft touch of the ground on the back of my head. Lying there, I saw countless trees stretching out before me. The beauty of this world aside, I couldn't shake the lingering horror of what had just happened.

'What the hell was with that guy…?'

-Tower Master. Are you alright?

My head felt like it was splitting open. I grimaced and sat up. "Yeah. I'm fine." I didn't know Roist's true intentions, but for now, as long as I didn't touch that horrifying research he'd planted in my head, there shouldn't be any immediate problems.

This was no time to be dazed. Hong Yul was trapped in that dungeon, her life on the line. I had to get to her as quickly as possible.

'For now, I need to focus on the world I'm in.'

Coming to my senses, I looked around again. I saw vibrant, fluorescent plants I had never seen on Earth, shaped more like coral than trees. I was in a forest somewhere. Being dropped in the middle of a forest wasn't exactly something to be thankful for. Forests are inherently dangerous, and I had no compass or landmark. The thought of how I was supposed to find this world's Tower Master was daunting.

Getting out of this forest was the priority, so I started walking. The grass brushed against my legs, feeling soft and squishy, just like sea coral.

'First, find a village. If I ask around about the Tower Master, I might find a clue…'

-Tower Master. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

I stopped at the sound of Ea's voice.

-Someone is approaching.

'Yeah. I sense it too.'

I stood still and waited. Soon, I sensed a presence in the bushes. It wasn't the sound of a monster's footsteps.

"Who goes there? Identify yourself!"

A human voice. The inhabitants of this world were speaking from the cover of the trees. In any case, it was lucky to have met people I could communicate with right from the start.

"My name is Kim Yusin." I revealed my identity immediately, just as I always did.

"A strange name. What is your business here?"

"I wish to see the Tower Master."

"…What is your relationship with them?"

Oh, they knew the Tower Master! I had a feeling things would go very smoothly in this world. I replied with a grin. "I am a disciple of the Tower Master."

A deep silence fell over the forest.

"Ha, a disciple? If you were a true disciple, you would at least know your master's name."

'…I'm screwed.'

"It's an intruder. Fire."

Arrows flew from the bushes and the treetops, all imbued with mana. Each archer was on the level of a certified hunter.

-All projectiles detected. I will guard.

Ea deployed a tiled shield around my body. The incoming arrows struck it with sharp clangs and fell to the ground. Occasionally, a crack would form or an arrowhead would pierce through, but none penetrated completely. I spread my arms like a conductor.

<Rapid Arrow>

Golden arrows materialized in a 360-degree radius around me and shot outwards. Screams erupted from all around as people fell from trees and others dropped to the ground.

"Mana arrows!"

"…How, without even drawing a bow?"

A few of them stared at me, horrified.

"Are you going to continue?" This was another world. I had no intention of threatening its inhabitants or causing a commotion. But if they kept trying to kill me, that was a different story.

"How arrogant for an intruder!"

Just then, the voice that had been interrogating me emerged from the bushes. A tall woman with dark brown skin and pointed ears aimed her bow at me.

'An elf?' A race that was a cornerstone of Erendel's history. It seemed this time, I really was in Erendel. A magic circle formed on her arrow, and mana condensed with murderous intensity.

"I won't go easy on you any—!"

"Wait."

'Whoooosh!' A green gust of wind scattered leaves before me. From within that wind, another beautiful elf appeared. She wore a laurel wreath on her head, her dazzling blonde hair flowing, and she was taller than any other elf present. And above all else…

'…Wow.'

I was in the middle of a fight, yet I found myself completely captivated. She had beauty that made it unfair for every other being. It was a beauty crafted by the gods, enough to mesmerize anyone, man or woman, the moment they saw her.

"You said you're the Tower Master's disciple?"

"Yes."

"I see. It's about that time." She smiled warmly and gestured behind her. All the elves who had been aiming at me lowered their bows. "My name is Hara Shiond Minerva."

She continued, her smile as bright as the sun. "I am the eighth Tower Master."

I silently shouted, 'Thank you, God.' I had been praying that this person was the Tower Master. I knelt on one knee and showed my respect, just as I had with Roist.

"It is an honor to meet you. I am Kim Yusin, the fourteenth Tower Master."

She chuckled. "Welcome to our planet, Sorata, Kim Yusin."

* * *

"You truly are a great senior!"

"Oh-ho-ho! How embarrassing. Please, just call me Minerva."

Minerva and I walked side-by-side along the forest path, talking. With her gentle personality, soft voice, and kind heart, she seemed like an ideal goddess straight out of a fairy tale. My conversation with her felt like a dream, and the unsettling feeling from the previous world vanished completely.

"I apologize for earlier," the dark-skinned elf who I had almost fought said, bowing her head. "I never imagined you were truly the Tower Master's disciple…"

"Haha. Don't worry about it. It's an easy mistake to make in that situation."

"Thank you for your understanding. That aside, your skills were magnificent." Her eyes sparkled. "If I have the chance later, I'd like to formally request a sparring match…"

"Now, now, that's no way to treat a guest," Minerva playfully chided her. The elf blushed and lowered her head.

"I-I'm sorry, Tower Master. My apologies." The elf quickly returned to the others.

Minerva looked at me. "I'm sorry. She's my administrator, but she's just overflowing with fighting spirit."

Wow. Even her voice was impossibly sweet.

'Ahem, get a grip.'

"It's nice that your world seems so peaceful, Minerva. The last world I visited was a place without dreams or hope."

"Oh my, where have you been?"

It felt so good to meet someone I could talk to. We shared many stories as fellow Tower Masters—stories about each floor, our administrators, and how we were chosen by the Magic Tower. She said she had also gone to Roist's planet during her sixth-floor trial. When I asked what happened, it seemed she had simply received the magic impartation without any incident. It was likely that Roist hadn't revealed his true nature to her, as she had no aptitude for dark magic.

"The world of the sixth master… it was frightening." She shivered slightly as she recalled the past, then smiled at me. "But we're nothing to laugh at either, you know."

"Pardon? But it's so peaceful here."

She simply smiled.

After walking for about ten minutes, we exited the forest. The sight that lay beyond was…

"It's the sea."

"Yes. The sea."

A vast, endless ocean stretched out before us, dotted with small islands like stepping stones. I had thought I'd been dropped in a continental forest, but it turned out to be a rather small island.

"Where are we?"

"The Pike Empire mainland. It's the largest territory on our planet."

'…Is my translation magic working properly?'

Just then, an old man emerged from a house on the small island in front of us. Minerva waved and greeted him. "Your Majesty Ruric! Good morning!"

'Your Majesty?'

"Oh, Tower Master! Good morning. And who is this young man? I don't believe I've seen him before."

"He's my junior!"

"Ah, hello." I bowed to the old man.

Minerva explained with a beaming smile, "That is the king of the Ruric Kingdom. Their specialty is carrots."

'Of course it is,' I thought, eyeing the garden in front of his house, which contained nothing but carrots.

"That over there is the Line Kingdom, and that one is the Deress Duchy."

The absurdity of it all was enough to give me a headache. These people lived on islands smaller than a studio apartment's parking lot, yet each one was a kingdom?

"It's strange, isn't it?" Noticing my expression, she gave an embarrassed smile.

I snapped back to reality. "S-strange? Haha! They may be small, but they seem like kingdoms overflowing with happiness."

"Thank you for saying so. It might look strange, but… I'd like you to think of it as everyone's own way of forgetting the pain."

"A way… of forgetting the pain?"

She smiled silently, then came around behind me and hugged me from behind.

"M-Minerva?"

"Now, my junior. Face forward and stand at attention." She gently turned my head forward. The sudden physical contact made my whole body stiffen. She smelled of flowers—not the artificial floral scent of perfume, but the fragrance of real, living blossoms. "Could you look at the Deress Duchy? The place with the big palm tree. Yes. From there, turn your head slightly to the right and look at the sea. That's right, you're doing great!"

Her elegant hand gently covered my face. "Close your left eye, and keep only your right eye open. That's it."

I did as she said. The world was visible between her index and middle fingers.

"Now, don't blink. Ready?" A single magic circle unfolded between her fingers. My right eye was now looking ahead through her magic circle.

Whoa!

Suddenly, it felt like my body was being sucked deep into the sea. My vision descended frantically into the ocean before stopping at a certain point.

The bottom of the sea. There was a city there, not much different from the ones we lived in. It was full of skyscrapers and tall buildings, now covered in moss and seaweed. There were roads and fountains. The buildings had become shelters and homes for fish.

'What in the world…'

A brown entity that I had thought was a building suddenly opened its maw wide, crudely shoving passing fish into its mouth. The monster's pupils stared fixedly at me.

"Did you see?"

At her single phrase, my vision rapidly rose from the depths and returned to normal. I panted and nodded.

"Minerva. Don't tell me that pain you mentioned is…"

"That's right." She came to my side and gazed at the sea with sad eyes. "Our planet, Sorata, was submerged by a great Disaster. Over ninety-nine percent of its surface is now underwater. This is all that's left."

So that was it. This time, it was a flood, a Disaster that submerges.

* * *