I blinked, momentarily pausing as I rubbed my forehead.
Soon, under the guidance of the Tower of Knowledge's master, I sat across from her at a table.
The first floor of the tower was bare, except for the chair she had been sitting in.
“Please excuse me for a moment.”
But when she snapped her fingers, a table and chairs appeared nearby, as if they had always been there.
Next, a beautiful water bottle and cups appeared on the table.
‘...She didn’t just pull this from a spatial pocket?’
I couldn’t help but be amazed as I closely observed the Tower master’s movements.
She didn’t bring these objects from another space. There was no process of taking materials and crafting them.
It seemed to be magic... but it wasn’t the kind of illusion that disappears when mana runs out.
It was a complete, real object.
In other words, it was a form of creation, albeit in a small, fragmented way.
“I apologize for bringing you to such a humble place.”
[No, it is not humble at all.]
Creation. It was something different from mere imitation, and it felt like I had been taken off guard by the divine skill. It was as if I had glimpsed a part of her abilities.
For some reason, the state of my powers also felt weird. Could I escape with this? I couldn’t get a clear estimate...
As I gingerly sat down, the water bottle floated up on its own and filled my glass.
Other than that, no sounds could be heard. The sound of water filling the glass echoed in the silence, and my mouth began to dry out.
The Tower master sat across from me, her hands resting on her knees. She seemed to be giving me time to relax, with her eyes gently closed.
‘What is this?’
I didn’t feel relaxed by her actions. Instead, an odd sense of discomfort kept poking at my mind.
My power of observation was acting strangely within the tower. This wasn’t an issue—nothing I couldn’t adjust.
But the Tower master herself couldn’t be properly observed.
Even though I was focusing, my power of observation kept slipping into irrelevant information. It felt as if the Tower master was just another background element, something I could dismiss as natural and pass over casually.
As I tried to focus on this odd feeling...
‘!’
Suddenly, the Tower master moved her hand, and I flinched. She, too, trembled when I moved, and the awkward atmosphere hung between us for a moment.
“Hmm hmm...”
She cleared her throat to break the tension and, with a small gesture, opened her eyes, taking a sip of water.
I followed suit and quietly drank from my glass. The cool water seemed to wash away some of the tension.
In the midst of this, the Tower master glanced around, her gaze scanning the edges of the room before she spoke.
“The Tower of Knowledge is less restricted than the other towers. As a result, the rules of silence are more flexible, and I can share more truths with you.”
Fewer restrictions. More truths to be shared. Her eyes sparkled with anticipation.
“However, there are still limitations. It’s not possible to reveal all truths, and for that, I must first offer my apologies.”
The gleam in her eyes dimmed, and she seemed to shrink slightly, as if she were unsure of how to proceed.
...
This 𝓬ontent is taken from fгeewebnovёl.co𝙢.
[May I ask a few questions?]
“Of course, I will answer anything, to the best of my ability, within the limits of what I can share.”
She nodded calmly.
Questions. There were so many, I wasn’t sure where to start. From the time I arrived here to now, there were countless doubts in my mind.
[Why do you refer to me as the ‘Savior’?]
The Savior. Someone who rescues people in distress and danger.
[Did you... did you intend to bring me here?]
Savior. A term I had become familiar with, used in the games I used to play back in my previous world.
Her white, snow-like eyes captured my frozen expression. The Tower master, who had been sitting like a stiff statue, nodded slightly.
“Yes, we intentionally brought you here, to this world.”
[For what purpose?]
“Before I answer that, it might be easier for you to understand if I explain our situation. May I have your permission to explain?”
She continued with another question, but her tone was calm, polite. Despite the sharpness of my inquiry, the Tower master answered without hesitation.
[Yes]
[Please go ahead.]
“Thank you for your kindness.”
She lowered her head and glanced at the confession necklace before lifting her gaze. Taking a deep breath, she began speaking, preparing for the long explanation.
...
The Great Change. It was a disaster and a transformation known to everyone in this world.
Family, lovers, friends. Even distant relatives you rarely meet, strangers. Countless people from all walks of life met their end in innumerable ways.
Some were killed by monsters, others became food for a single meal. Some were swept away by rampaging dungeons, and others were mercilessly murdered by their fellow humans in the chaos.
Moreover, countless artifacts, relics, and historical records, mixing gold and blood, were destroyed in the aftermath.
The Great Change. The confusion that followed was a catastrophe that left those living in that time unable to predict the future.
“But the real disaster has yet to come,” the Tower master said, shaking her head.
The Great Change wasn’t trivial. It wiped out much, and brought much new into the world. The world we live in now is built from the elements that emerged from the Great Change, so it’s undeniable that it was an unprecedented event in history.
“But...” she trailed off, “...as masters of the Tower, we believed we could manage the Great Change.”
Growth, space, observation, adjustment, and the powers of knowledge. The functions of the Tower. And, alongside those, the many powerful forces and factions emerging in response.
Given that, we thought we could overcome the Great Change.
“But,” she continued, “we were far more concerned with an even greater disaster that was about to strike.”
[A greater disaster?]
“The invasion of the Tower Masters.”
I clenched my fists tightly, my body tensing up at the mention.
The Tower master, having noticed my reaction, continued.
“When each of us had achieved growth, filled with hope for the recovery from the Great Change, we received word that the Master of the Tower of Observation had died with a blackened face. Moreover, this enemy was one we could not hope to stop with our current strength.”
[The Master of the Tower of Observation...?]
“The powers we wield are not always as straightforward as they seem. Although the power gained from the Tower is external, it can be used differently by each user. The Master of the Tower of Observation focused on range and foresight, which allowed her to detect the invasion ahead of time, in collaboration with the Master of the Tower of Space.”
With their current strength, they couldn’t block the invaders.
Still, they hadn’t given up, and had tried to find ways to fend off the invasion. But they faced limitations.
“The invasion came too quickly. Even before we became Tower Masters, they were already approaching, and we didn’t notice in time. So, we had to impose restrictions to slow them down and buy some time. We searched for strategies, but...”
The Tower master shook her head.
“There were no immediate solutions. The invading Tower Masters were too strong, and their military forces overwhelming. No matter how much time we bought, the gap was too wide to overcome.”
[Can there really be such a large difference between Tower Masters?]
“Being a Tower Master is not solely determined by strength. The Master of the Tower of Adjustment, for example—well, she’s rather ‘eccentric’... no, she was only a mid-level hero when she first became a Tower Master.”
[The Tower Master... was mid-level?]
It was hard to believe that someone of such strength could be so weak.
“The Tower is somewhat like an artifact. Much larger and more functional, but like the artifact you’re wearing, it grants powers if the right conditions are met.”
I touched my left arm. The Proof of Protection. The condition, I guessed, was probably for someone with a pure-hearted inclination. Why it was a fit, I wasn’t entirely sure, but it worked well enough.
“If the conditions aren’t met, no power will be granted. You must have experienced it in the games you played. Even after conquering an untouched tower like the 11th, if you don’t meet the requirements, you can’t become a Tower Master.”
I remembered the 8th round failing to conquer the Tower due to the unexpected interference of the cold Tower Master and Baek Arin’s betrayal, but the 11th round succeeded and gained the Tower’s wish.
With the wish granted, his dormant potential had been drawn out, amplifying his already exceptional physical abilities.
“Though he wasn’t qualified, he did conquer the Tower. Instead of granting powers, the Tower granted him a wish within the limits of its own strength.”
[Really...?]
“And I think the interference from the cold Tower Master was... —%#$)*#$)(@”
[?]
Her voice abruptly cut off, and the strange, garbled continuation was incomprehensible.
“This part is restricted,” the Tower master said, furrowing her brow.
“Returning to the main story, we spent the remaining time searching for ways to stop the invasion. Thanks to the efforts of the Master of the Tower of Observation, who used her powers to foresee different futures, we found a solution.”
[What was it?]
I expected an answer, but I still asked, hoping there might be something new.
The Tower master paused for a moment.
Her white eyes stared at me, her deep, serene gaze making it impossible to tell what she was thinking.
“We discovered your body in a certain region, Lee Ha-yul.”
I had guessed the answer, but the complexity of the expression that crossed my face startled me.
[What? My body...?]
The term "body" struck me as odd.
My body was found, but why call it my “body”?
In the expression on my face, the Tower master seemed to understand and nodded.
“To be exact, it was an empty shell, devoid of a soul.”
[What?]
I couldn’t understand. My head tilted in confusion.
The Tower master’s words left me speechless, my head still spinning with confusion.
[What?]
The term "empty shell" stuck in my mind. My body, but with no soul.
Her words didn’t make sense, and I couldn’t help but tilt my head even further, trying to understand the meaning.
The Tower master nodded in acknowledgment of my confusion.
“To be more precise, it was a body with no soul, an empty vessel.”
[What...?]
I stared at her, still struggling to grasp what she meant.
My body? An empty shell? I had a hard time wrapping my mind around it.
[Player Correction System: Favorability]
Lee Ha-yul → Tower Master (?)
●●●○○○○○○○ (31/100)
“Complexity” “Confusion” “Suspicion” “Miscommunication” “Gratitude” “Resentment” “Is she crazy?”
▽Change▽
Lee Ha-yul → Ariel Segnis Ternovcia
●●●○○○○○○○ (31▷32/100)
“Tower Master” “Complexity” “Confusion” “Suspicion” “Gratitude” “Resentment” “Is she crazy?”
...
[Player Correction System: Favorability]
Lee Ha-yul → Adjustment Tower Master (?)
●●●○○○○○○○ (30/100)
“Mid-level” “Complexity” “Confusion” “Suspicion” “Miscommunication” “Gratitude” “Resentment”
[Adjustment Tower Master is shocked by your words.]
As I processed the information, a strange sense of disbelief flooded my mind. Why would she say that? Was I truly just an empty shell? Was this all just another part of the twisted game I was part of?
This revelation shook me, and I had no choice but to try to understand it, no matter how strange and impossible it seemed.
The Tower master’s calm and polite manner only made things more unsettling. She’d told me that I was the "Savior," yet what did that really mean? What purpose did they have in bringing me here?
I could feel that there was so much more to this story, but the answers were buried deep, wrapped in layers of mystery that I couldn’t peel back just yet.
In this vast and complex world, I realized that even the most unassuming moment could be hiding something profound—something that would change everything once I truly understood it.