LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 102
The morning greeted me just like any other at the Mage Tower. Just as I was about to leave my room, I spotted an envelope placed in front of the door.
[Regular Mission of the Mage Tower]
It seemed that my first mission as a wizard had arrived. I peeked around the empty corridor and quickly returned to my room.
The mission details looked pretty simple. All I had to do was retrieve one Mana Stone used outside the tower within two years. That was my first task. Since no specific location was mentioned, I could go wherever I pleased.
Haiven had kept his promise. It meant that as long as I set the departure date and informed him, I could leave the Mage Tower right away.
I started packing my things. There wasn’t much to gather since I hadn’t brought much when I arrived. I just stuffed the spare robe and hat that Rain had provided into my bag.
With my bag packed, I headed straight to Haiven’s room. His quarters were on the top floor of the Tower of Dawn and were always filled with a peculiar flow of mana.
Creeeak—
Just before I knocked on the door, it opened by itself, as if it already knew I was coming. Beyond the door lay a narrow, worn-down room.
I stepped inside slowly. At that moment, the space itself began to distort. It felt reminiscent of the instant teleportation I had experienced before.
The narrow, white flickering space expanded, revealing hidden furniture. There were tables, chairs, and a bookshelf packed against the wall, while a small fireplace crackled beneath a slightly detached wall.
It was hard to believe that I was once in such a cramped space; it now felt surprisingly spacious. The flow of mana around me made me frown. Blue mana was moving in strange currents, stretching the very confines of the space itself.
Suddenly, Haiven appeared before me. I was a little startled by his abrupt appearance, but considering his abilities as a mage, he could move anywhere within the tower. I stepped back a pace.
“Are you leaving already?”
“Yes, I think it’s time I got going.”
Haiven’s gaze landed on my bag before shifting away. He nodded slowly.
“If you grow tired of the mission, feel free to return anytime.”
“What happens if I miss the mission deadline?”
“Well, as long as you can report the current status to the Mage Tower, I might extend the deadline at my discretion… But it shouldn’t exceed a month, so keep that in mind.”
“And what if I go beyond that month?”
“Then search parties will be dispatched for you.”
“Um… They won’t just drag me back, will they?”
“Well, that depends on you.”
Does that mean they won’t let me leave easily once I’m affiliated? I nodded and turned to exit Haiven’s room just then.
“By the way, are you considering participating in the competition?”
“The competition…?”
“It’s a major tournament where all the mages of the tower participate. The winner gets to learn any spell they desire.”
I looked into Haiven’s eyes at that statement. His gaze was like a strange shape slowly spinning. He said it was a way of viewing the world, but it must be magic too.
“Aren’t you curious to see how your magic holds up in this tower?”
“Is it simply because you’re curious, Haiven?”
“Well, I won’t lie.”
Haiven smiled slightly at my remark and nodded. I frowned and asked.
“Can that eye be learned as well?”
“If you win.”
“Sounds good.”
I replied lightly, tilting my head a bit. Just like Haiven said, I was indeed curious about how far my magic could go in the tower.
“When does the competition start?”
“In about a month. It’ll commence once all the mages who went out on missions return.”
*
“You’re going too…?”
“Yes.”
I nodded calmly at Rain’s question. It was no surprise that news of my participation in the Mage Tower competition had reached her.
Since Rain loved to mingle with people, it wouldn’t be long before rumors spread like clouds about me joining the tournament.
“You’ll participate too, right Rain?”
“Ah? Yeah. I’ll join too.”
“When we meet, I won’t go easy on you.”
“Well… you, huh?”
Rain burst into laughter at my statement, then suddenly seemed to remember something and asked, looking a bit hesitant.
“Are you going to use that…?”
What Rain referred to must be the artificial monster made by clashing forks and knives. I recalled the sword lying in the room and nodded. I would use it if necessary.
“I-I should prepare earplugs…!”
Rain laughed with newfound confidence as if she had found a solution. I smiled back at her.
As time passed, the competition date drew near. The atmosphere grew heavier as the mages who had gone on missions began returning one by one.
*
The rules of the competition were very straightforward. Two mages would enter the designated ring and showcase their skills against each other. The winner would be determined by breaking the opponent’s mana shield.
Due to the rules allowing anyone to participate, numerous battles were ongoing simultaneously. The arena was filled with roaring flames and swirling ice, while blue mana drifted like smoke.
“Tower of Dawn Seris!”
It was my turn. While waiting for my number, I stretched lightly before stepping into the ring. With so many participants, I thought I wouldn’t attract much attention, yet it turned out many were watching me closely.
“Red Tower Vermilion!”
Was it mere coincidence? Or perhaps not…
I gazed at Vermilion coming from the opposite side. He wore a strange smile as he looked at me. The wizards entering the ring received a bit of preparation time, some checking their staves while others focused their mana to unleash strong spells from the get-go.
Vermilion was no different from the other mages. He pulled out a small earplug from his pocket, put it on, and began concentrating mana into his staff.
As for me, I did nothing. There was no need to.
“Begin!”
The moment the overseeing mage shouted, I launched myself from the ground. The mana circle briefly spun, sending starlight racing towards my limbs.
A burst of acceleration happened. The distance closed in an instant, filling my view with Vermilion’s startled expression.
As the starlight mana started at my heart reached my right hand, I extended it towards Vermilion’s abdomen.
Boom—!
With a considerable impact, Vermilion’s mana shield shattered. Almost immediately, starlight mana burst forth from my palm.
In the ensuing moment of eerie silence, the flames gathering around Vermilion’s staff flickered out, and his body shot backward.
I dusted off my hands and turned to the judge. He looked stunned as he alternated his gaze between Vermilion and me.
“Is it okay to step down?”
“W-Winner! Tower of Dawn Seris!”
As I lightly stepped down from the ring, I glanced around. The watching mages murmured about our battle.
“He looks young, but he’s amazing.”
“Didn’t they say he’s from the Tower of Dawn? His movements resemble a Battle Mage from Twilight Tower…”
“I heard he’s Haiven’s disciple.”
*
With so many participants, the tournament dragged on for a long duration. On the first day, about half of the competitors were eliminated, and the same happened on the second and third days.
Finally, day four of the tournament arrived. After easily defeating every opponent, I had gained a title as a wizard.
“Starlight of Dawn”
It was a title given for the brief display of starlight mana during my earlier attack.
Though rather embarrassing, it was far better than the fairy swordsman title I had acquired during my adventurer days.
“Have a good trip!”
“Yeah.”
Rain cheered me on as I headed toward the ring. She had already been eliminated before even meeting me. If she hadn’t, she would have been the opponent I faced today.
Today, I would be fighting against the opponent who had defeated Rain.
“Tower of Dawn Seris!”
Upon hearing my name called, I lightly jumped into the ring, just as the judge named my opponent.
“Twilight Tower Leonis!”
A familiar face emerged from across the ring. Leonis’s gaze towards me was completely devoid of emotion.
“Hello again?”
Since it was our second meeting, I attempted to greet him, but Leonis merely took out thin leather gloves fitted with mana stones and began putting them on.
A brief silence fell.
The moment Leonis enveloped himself in mana, I drew my sword from behind.
Swoosh—
The sleek blade, which had never been pulled out until now, glittered under the lights. Seven stars twinkled upon the reflection of the blade.
Though we were given preparation time to cast strong spells, neither Leonis nor I focused our mana.
“Begin!”
As the judge’s signal sounded, Leonis and I charged toward each other.
Clang—!
As we closed the distance, his fist collided with my sword. The blue mana and starlight mana mingled, creating a strong burst of wind.
As we remained in a brief standoff, I could hear faint murmurs from the audience.
“Is that… against the rules?”
“It’s not just a sword. Look closely. He’s embedded a mana stone into it.”
At that instant, blue mana began to rise around Leonis’s body. He created a whopping thirty of them. It was a significant increase compared to the last time we met.
The mana stone on Leonis’s leather glove glimmered. At once, thirty Magic Missiles flew toward me. Instantly, I stepped back and swung my sword.
Boom-! Bam-!
As I slashed at the incoming blue mana, I pondered. If it were the old me, I would have summoned countless starlight fragments to counter Leonis’s Magic Missiles. But now, that was unnecessary.
“Phew…”
I exhaled softly, striking smoothly with my sword as if guiding the incoming blue mana.
At that moment, the twenty Magic Missiles headed toward me began to trail along the tip of my sword. Leonis’s expression turned from calm to panicked as he lost control over the Magic Missiles.
I widened the distance while slowly rotating my sword. The Magic Missiles that had followed my sword began to stretch and join into a single line.
I then drew a circle with the mana line created. Just as I had formed the mana circle using Kashpa’s scale fragments once.
The mana circle formed from Leonis’s mana slowly moved behind me.
Kiiing—!
The mana circles created outside and inside began to rotate simultaneously. The sound of that rotation resonated, causing dozens of tiny stars to levitate around me.