Magic Monopoly: Reborn as the Sole Magic Tower Master-Chapter 193: Episode

As I listened to her story, I looked out at the sea. When I first saw this planet's ocean, my only thought was, 'Wow, it's the sea.' But after hearing her story, it felt different. Chilling. Frightening. It felt as if that dark ocean could rise up at any moment and swallow the world. The people here had not only monsters as their enemies, but the sea as well. They were surrounded by the ocean's malice, their lives under constant threat.

"It wasn't just one Disaster that made our world this way," Minerva began. "There were several complex causes."

"Complex causes?"

"Yes." She held up her index finger. "Our planet has polar regions, continents covered in glaciers."

"Ah, our planet has those too!"

"Then this will be easy to understand. A Disaster-class monster appeared in that remote region. At the time, the nations of the continent were in the midst of a fierce war, so no one paid any attention. It was a threat that should have been eliminated as a top priority, but they were all too busy passing the buck."

"Then…"

"That's right. The polar ice caps melted, and the entire western continent was submerged. But that was only the beginning."

It seemed the wealth gap between nations on this planet was quite severe. Unable to withstand the onslaught of disasters, people migrated to the more habitable central continent. The unchecked Disasters on the abandoned lands grew in power until they reached a point where humanity could no longer stop them.

"The Disasters were neglected, and the bloody wars between humans continued. Even in the empire with the strongest military, the prevailing opinion was, 'This isn't working. The only way to unite humanity is for the empire to quickly unify the continent.' They turned a blind eye, even though they knew what kind of hell was unfolding on the other continents."

"…Ah."

"In the end, the Disasters that had been left like unfinished homework threatened even the central continent. By the time a small Disaster from the southern continent became a great tidal wave and engulfed the empire, it was already too late."

I knew of a similar case: the taves. Most of the taves monsters I fought in Tanzania were weak enough to be taken down with conventional weapons, but after they integrated with the dungeon and I stole their future evolution list, it was a different story. There were fortress-type taves and even dragon-type taves. If we had just left them alone as those who advocated for the abandonment of Africa suggested, humanity might have paid a heavy price. But it seemed this planet, Sorata, had neglected numerous Disasters on the level of taves or worse, and had finally paid that price.

"The most frightening thing was… Ah!" She shot up from her seat.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry. Could you wait just a moment? My homunculus is contacting me."

"Yes. Take your time." I watched her stand there blankly and let out a small, wry smile. So this is how Jin Bora and Jeong Seojin feel when they look at me. As I watched her, I spoke to my own homunculus.

'She must be something of a senior to you, Ea.'

-The concept of a senior does not exist for homunculi, Tower Master.

'Hahaha.'

-Still, I would like to meet them.

A moment later, Minerva turned back to me with an urgent expression. "There's a problem. Get ready."

"What's going on?"

"The Disaster of the flood is coming. Right now!"

'What now? The continent was already submerged, and another flood was coming?'

"The Disaster is trying to sink the last remaining bit of land!"

"…How relentless."

"Let's go to the point. Follow me." I didn't know what was happening, but if I wanted to get through this trial, I had no choice but to cooperate. I followed her.

"Rowen!"

At the name, the administrator elf who had been talking with the others turned around. "Yes, Tower Master!"

"The Disaster of the flood is coming! Evacuate everyone! Right now!"

Everyone's face turned pale.

"Understood!" the elf shouted. "Everyone, move! Evacuate everyone in the kingdoms to the mainland!"

The elves quickly dispersed.

"Yusin, follow me."

"Right."

"I'm so sorry to get you caught up in this."

"Don't mention it. Of course I have to help!" Just being with her was motivating. Was I just smitten? No, I didn't think so. It was a testament to how powerful good intentions could be.

"This way. Can you use leap magic?"

"Of course."

She stepped on the wind, and I launched myself using Leap Boots. A single leap was enough to get from the mainland to Ruric's kingdom.

"Keep up!"

"Yes!"

We leaped from island to island like stepping stones, crossing from one kingdom to another with each bound. The people were already evacuating to the mainland by boat. They waved and shouted.

"We're sorry, Tower Master!"

"Good luck!"

Even in her haste, Minerva returned each person's greeting. The way she never lost her smile, no matter the situation, made her seem more like a hero than a Tower Master.

"This way." We arrived at the island that jutted out the furthest in the Sorata archipelago. "We'll stop the Disaster here."

"…This is just a thought, but wouldn't it be better to do it on the mainland, where there are more people?"

"I don't want to lose a single piece of territory to the sea, let alone the empire. I will protect it all." She took a deep breath and held her hands in front of her chest. "I'll impart the sixth-order magic to you after this is over."

"Then I just need to protect you until the Disaster is over. Underst—oh no."

The moment I looked ahead, I was at a loss for words.

'SHWAAAAAAAAAAAA!'

An indescribably massive tidal wave was bearing down on us, so large it hurt my neck to look up. No, it wasn't a tidal wave. It was a solid wall of water, like a colossal fish tank approaching. This absurd natural disaster simply bisected the world into a basement level and a ground floor. This wasn't a flood or a submersion; it was the world being scoured clean by water.

"We have to stop it."

Next to me, I felt a terrifyingly large flow of mana. The sheer amount she was drawing was enough to make my jaw drop.

<Wind Scale>

Her specialty was wind magic. The wind extending from her body formed a layer of air that enveloped the surrounding islands, coating them in a protective shell.

'So she's protecting them with that.'

It was taking a while to cover the empire. At this rate, she might protect the mainland, but we would be in grave danger.

"Minerva! We'll be swept away!"

Her pupils glowed blue with mana. She was deep in calculation, unable to hear my voice. In that case, I had to do something.

<Aiolos>

I layered several fourth-order wind spells to envelop myself and Minerva. Of course, I couldn't cover the entire island like she did, but it was the best I could do.

'SHWAAAAAAAAAAAA!'

"Here it comes!"

I held my breath and faced the great Disaster. The world dissolved into a torrent of bubbles as the wall of water passed through us. In an instant, the hot, sunny climate became a cold, underwater world.

'Ack! The pressure is insane!'

Far from protecting us, Aiolos was barely holding on. At this rate, we would both be swept away. I squeezed out every last bit of my concentration to add another layer of the spell, managing to create an oxygen pocket so she could breathe. The ground was slippery, and my legs were gradually being pushed back by the current. I hastily used the adhesion magic, Glue, to stick my feet firmly to the island and poured all my energy into maintaining Aiolos.

'It really hits you how different our levels are.'

The best I could do was shield two people, while Minerva had managed to protect all the islands with her wind barrier. The pressure and current were fierce, but her barrier, though swaying, held firm.

"Haah."

The worst of it passed, and I more or less adapted. With a bit more leeway, I took a look around.

'…Wow.'

The world of water, viewed from the depths of the sea, was enchanting. Schools of fluorescent fish swam by like a flowing river of starlight. Aquatic creatures moved leisurely through the sea, each at its own pace, in its own way. The quiet was so profound it felt like meditating with my entire being. I felt as if I had entered a primordial world, the very pinnacle of the surreal.

Though it was an artificial scene created by a disaster, it was undeniably beautiful. 'Oh, there's a whale, too.' A massive whale was cutting through the current, heading… right for us.

-Tower Master! I don't believe that's a creature from this world—it seems to be a monster!

'Ugh!'

The whale monster was approaching. I habitually tried to use Fire Cannon before realizing I was underwater. I quickly canceled the casting and prepared a new spell.

<Ice Javelin>

Spears of frost formed around me and shot forward, but they didn't get far before the current pushed them back. 'Crap. I don't have any specialized underwater magic. What do I do?' Even wind magic was useless; it just dissipated into the water. The whale monster opened its mouth, radiating clear hostility. Minerva remained motionless, still focused on her casting.

'…There's no other choice.' I gritted my teeth. It was a little early, but I had to try. Like her, I extended both arms and closed my eyes. Using remote casting, I drew a magic circle directly onto the body of the charging whale. It was the pinnacle of my technique, a method that explosively accelerated the cast by reducing a sixth-order spell to the difficulty of a second-order one.

<Flame Tauros>

A magic circle was engraved onto the whale's body, and then it activated.

'KABOOM!'

An explosion erupted underwater, and black smoke poured from the creature's body. The beast twisted in agony before turning to flee.

'I… I did it.'

While I was still dazed, the sea around me parted with a great roar, splitting as if by a miracle. A pocket of air formed, and a windless barrier enveloped our bodies.

"Hah, hah! You did great! You can turn off Aiolos now."

The blue light in Minerva's eyes had faded, returning them to their natural color. I dismissed Aiolos. My oxygen was starting to run low anyway.

"Will this hold?"

"Yes. It can protect us from most monster attacks, and I can keep generating oxygen."

I stared blankly up at the fish swimming by before speaking.

"Does this happen often?"

"Countless times. About three or four times a month."

"…That sounds exhausting."

She smiled quietly.

"It was a sudden disaster, so we were ill-prepared. I'm so glad you're here."

"…Ah, ahem. I'm glad I could help."

"And I saw you back there. You can already use sixth-order magic? To use it during the sixth-floor trial… that's incredible!"

"Haha, I was just lucky."

She smiled brightly and nodded.

"You've worked hard. I need to focus on managing the magic again, so you should rest."

"Right."

She closed her eyes again, concentrating on her spell. I stared blankly up at the sea once more.

'This is one for the books.'

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