“Rest for now. Since you’ll be staying for a while, take a look around. If you have any questions, feel free to ask,” said the woman, and with those words, the other magicians dispersed.
Taesan followed her advice and began exploring the tower.
The tower was vast and high, with no visible end in sight, and countless rooms spread across its structure.
Each room had its own unique characteristics. Some were filled with all kinds of experimental tools, like a laboratory, while others were covered with hundreds of magic circles.
There were many magicians in the tower.
At a glance, there were over a hundred of them. Most of them ignored Taesan, focused solely on practicing their magic.
Taesan wandered through the corridors. A man with red hair, walking from the opposite direction, scowled when he saw Taesan.
This was the man who had muttered an annoyed greeting when they first met. With a look of disdain, he brushed past Taesan.
“Even if Zervand accepted you, we do not acknowledge you. Don’t act recklessly.”
He whispered the warning as he passed. Taesan watched him for a moment before continuing his stroll through the tower, not paying him any mind.
[They can’t see me. It’s not like the old man at the center could either.]
Taesan felt several pairs of eyes on him.
The magicians weren’t approaching; instead, they were using their magic to observe him. Most of them were curious, or indifferent.
Of course, some displayed hostility.
Taesan paid it no mind and spent the day leisurely exploring.
“What is this place?”
He had arrived at a library filled with countless magical books. It was significantly smaller than the vast library he had seen before, but still, there were enough books here to last a lifetime of study.
“Oh, hello there.”
A woman appeared, smiling brightly from a ladder atop a bookshelf. She was the only one of the magicians who had shown any friendliness toward him.
“Whew.”
She jumped down from the ladder, and a host of dolls gently caught her. As she descended and smoothed her robes, she asked, “Have you had a good look around? What do you think of the place?”
“A few showed hostility, but most were indifferent.”
“Right?”
The woman sighed.
“I don’t know why they can’t just accept a new magician with some grace. We’ll be here together for a long time, right? They’re just being stubborn.”
She grumbled for a moment before smiling again.
“So, what brings you here?”
“I was just wandering around. What is this place?”
“This is the library. It’s filled with many magical books. Some are cursed or contain magical consciousness, so be careful.”
“I see.”
Taesan looked around the library. As the woman said, some books radiated special power, but they didn’t seem that remarkable.
“Well, this works out. Guys, help me out.”
The woman clapped her hands, and at the same time, a wave of mana scattered in the shape of threads.
The dolls, infused with mana, moved and began flipping through the bookshelves. In no time, dozens of books piled up in front of Taesan.
“These are well-organized books that are great for learning. Take a look.”
“...Thank you.”
There were so many books.
Just reading them would take quite some time. Taesan didn’t plan on staying here long.
After briefly skimming through some of the books, Taesan asked, “You’re a puppeteer, aren’t you?”
“Correct.”
The woman smiled and snapped her fingers. The dolls started to pair up and gracefully danced a waltz.
“I handle specially crafted puppets. I can control over a hundred at once. It’s fun, right?”
“That’s unique.”
A magician who controlled puppets—Taesan had never seen one before. The woman shrugged.
“Here, we learn Zervand’s magic. Most of the magicians are focused on that. But a few of us, including myself, are different. Instead of relying on Zervand’s magic, we’re creating our own. The eight magicians who will test you are all like that.”
“Isn’t it unnecessary to create your own magic?”
Zervand was the God of Magic. His magic was flawless and perfect. The woman scratched her cheek with a sheepish expression.
“Well, it’s a bit awkward to say, but we’ve hit a wall.”
She waved her hand, and with a surge of mana, a large blue spear materialized.
“An intermediate-level magic,” Taesan noted, recognizing the magic from the aura alone.
“Yes. Did you catch on? I thought it might be hard, but you’re quite sharp.”
The woman shook the spear in the air.
“This is the level we’re allowed to use, but... anything beyond this, Zervand doesn’t approve of.”
She gave a wry smile.
“I see. Advanced magic?”
“Yeah. We think we’re qualified for it, but Zervand doesn’t agree.”
Because of this, they were creating their own magic rather than relying on Zervand’s.
“Well, you see, some of the magicians who are going to test you... They’re pretty jealous of you.”
Having spent a long time here, learning magic but still not being allowed to use advanced magic, Taesan, an outsider, was immediately granted access.
It wasn’t strange for them to show hostility.
“Are you one of those?”
“No. I just thought it looked interesting, so I joined in. And I wanted to help you a bit. The guy pretending to sleep over there is a magician who specializes in plants. He’s one of the seven magicians. He’s a sly one, so be careful.”
The woman whispered while glancing at the man lying on a sofa. From his direction, a voice filled with annoyance echoed.
“Selling other people’s information? What are you trying to do, Elia?”
“What’s wrong? You’ll find out soon enough.”
“Don’t talk about the other magicians. The one taking the test has to figure out how to deal with us and how we operate.”
“That’s too harsh. This much info should be given upfront.”
Elia muttered, and the man groaned as he got up from the sofa.
“Anyway, don’t talk about the others from now on. The one who has to figure that out is him.”
“Mm... Fine.”
Elia reluctantly nodded.
‘That’s not it.’
But Taesan had already known everything about the magicians when he entered.
He could see their mana flow and how they manipulated it. Even though they had placed protections around themselves, it meant nothing to him.
While he didn’t know the exact magic they were using, he could tell their direction and affinity.
“By the way, I never introduced myself.”
The woman cleared her throat dramatically and proudly placed her hand on her chest.
“I’m Elia Magatri, the head of the Marionette School and one of the eight magicians chosen by the God of Magic, Zervand.”
“I’m Constria Veriel, the head of the Rokest School, also one of the eight magicians chosen by Zervand.”
Constria, who had been silently watching, asked, “What’s your name?”
“Gang Taesan.”
“Gang Taesan. Leave this place immediately.”
“Constria?”
“This isn’t a warning, it’s advice. I feel nothing from you.”
Constria spoke bluntly.
“You were recognized by the God of Magic, which means you have far superior talent than us. I can’t argue with that. But you’re too weak.”
Taesan stared at him quietly.
The silence seemed to have hit the mark, and Constria continued.
“Elia here is a special case. Most of the people here don’t allow outsiders, especially if they’re weak. All of us here have reached a certain level. No matter how much talent you have, someone as weak as you can’t learn anything.”
With those words, Constria turned and began to walk out of the library.
“Leave now. Live your life. That’s my advice.”
The door closed behind him. Elia scratched her head awkwardly.
“Well... he’s a bit harsh, but he’s not completely wrong. But don’t worry! I’ll help you!”
Elia clenched her fist.
“If you’ve been approved for advanced magic, then Zervand must have recognized your talent. After a few years of hard work, the other magicians will acknowledge you too!”
“I see.”
It dawned on Taesan why the conversation had felt off.
They didn’t truly know anything about him.
Though he had been granted access to the advanced magic, they thought it was because he had the talent to learn it, not realizing that he was hiding his strength.
Taesan was currently using the Authority Seal, hiding all of his power. To them, he appeared as an ordinary human. That’s why Elia thought she could help him, assuming he’d be spending a long time here with them.
‘This is troublesome.’
There was no reason to stay long.
Releasing the Authority Seal would probably go against what Zervand wanted.
After deciding this, Taesan asked Elia:
“Can I take the test whenever I ask?”
“Hmm, yeah. Since it’s Zervand’s will, we don’t have the right to refuse. But right now, it’s impossible to pass, so you should train slowly and—”
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“No.”
Taesan shook his head.
“I’ll take the test right now.”
“Huh?”
Elia’s eyes widened.
---
**The Trial Begins**
“Already? What’s the hurry?” one magician grumbled. Inside the tower, there was a room for duels. The eight magicians and Taesan gathered there.
“Elia, you said you
’d take care of this. What are you talking about?”
“No, I tried to stop him...” Elia scratched her cheek awkwardly.
When Taesan insisted on taking the test, she tried to stop him, saying it wouldn’t matter now.
But Taesan was resolute.
Since he had come to this place by Zervand’s will, Elia had no choice but to give in.
“So, who’s going to do it?”
“...”
“I’ll do it.”
A man stood up.
It was the man with red hair, the one who had shown the most hostility toward Taesan. He grinned as he walked toward Taesan.
“Why is he so enthusiastic?”
“He’s always whining about wanting to learn advanced magic. He probably hates that Taesan got it so easily.”
They had no expectations. Since they’d detected no power from Taesan during their first encounter, they all knew he had nothing to show.
“Why did Zervand bring someone so weak? He seems talented, but he’s too weak.”
“Do you think he’s weak?”
“Huh?”
The old man, who had been silent, spoke up. The magicians, surprised, asked him.
“Of course. I can’t sense anything from him.”
“Elia, you’ve been close to him. What do you think?”
“Well... I don’t know. I feel like he’s hiding something, but it doesn’t seem that impressive.”
Elia shook her head. Even though she had tried to sense Taesan’s power up close, she had felt nothing.
“I see.”
The old man observed Taesan quietly.
“Interesting. How did he hide everything so perfectly?”
“Huh?”
“We’ll see.”
The red-haired man arrived in front of Taesan. His eyes were filled with hostility.
“Scum.”
His voice was filled with hatred and antagonism.
He had dedicated his whole life to magic.
Literally, he had abandoned his family, friends, lovers, and even his own life, all for magic.
With that obsession and his results, he was recognized by the God of Magic and entered the Tower.
He was proud of himself. He was one of the very few magicians acknowledged by the God of Magic.
But then Taesan, someone with no apparent power, had been granted access to advanced magic.
He couldn’t accept Taesan’s existence.
Just by being here, Taesan was tarnishing his authority. He couldn’t allow someone like him to contaminate the air of this place any longer. The man decided to exclude Taesan from the tower.
But expulsion wasn’t possible. Zervand himself had granted Taesan permission.
So, he would make him leave on his own.
The man grinned widely.
“I am Butler Raven! The founder and sole magician of the Butler School! I will test you!”
Butler called upon his mana.
Immediately, the space around Taesan twisted.
Butler specialized in spatial magic. He could fold space to leap great distances, twist space to prevent attacks from reaching him, or distort it to directly attack his opponents.
Butler’s first action was to seal Taesan’s movement.
Then, he applied pressure.
The space around Taesan tightened, restricting his movement. Slowly, slowly, the pressure intensified, making it hard for him to breathe and causing his muscles to ache painfully.
Taesan didn’t show any signs of movement.
Butler sneered. Taesan was surely feeling the agony of being bound, as if he were being tortured.
Elia, watching from behind, frowned.
“That’s too much.”
She stood up, but a staff blocked her path.
“Grandfather?”
“Watch closely. There won’t be a problem.”
The old man stared at Taesan with calm eyes.
The pressure increased further.
Butler was preparing to finish this. Any more pressure could risk Taesan’s life.
‘This should be enough to intimidate him.’
When he released the magic, Taesan would instantly change his expression and collapse. And with fear, he would look at Butler.
Butler was eager to release the spell.
“Is this...?”
Taesan murmured.
He reached out and gently touched the spatial pressure.
“Certainly unique. It’s a magic I can’t manipulate.”
“What!?”
Butler’s eyes widened.
He had completely bound Taesan’s body, preventing him from even moving or changing his expression.
But Taesan, as if strolling, calmly manipulated the distortion of space.
“What is this...?”
“This is a magic test. So, using magic is only natural.”
[You have activated Magic Overlap.]
[You have activated Distortion.]
[You have activated Distortion.]
[You have activated Distortion.]
Mana was concentrated.
Those watching held their breath. From Taesan, a massive surge of mana suddenly erupted.
It was a high-level magic, one they could hardly understand.
With just the condensation of mana, the sphere of space began to crack.
The old man’s eyes widened with surprise.
[You have activated Magic Liberation.]
[You have activated Partial Magic Calibration.]
The spatial distortion shattered the sphere.
---
“Cough!”
Butler fell, spitting blood. The recoil from trying to handle magic beyond his limits had caused it.
“This... What...”
Constria groaned.
Intermediate magic—distortion—was something they could all use.
But the power Taesan had displayed was on a level they could never reach.
All the magicians, except the old man, were left speechless at the scene before them.
“Who’s next?”
Taesan’s voice echoed through the silence.
