Chapter 163: Yellow Magic Tower (3)
Two years ago, when Harang was first freed from the village, he truly knew nothing.
It was only natural. Having spent most of his life confined in a restricted space, trained only to kill, it was obvious his worldly experience was lacking.
But that wasn’t the case now.
He had explored various places with Sheratiya Viyan.
He had built social skills by meeting all sorts of people, including the Eddy Mercenary Corps. Thanks to the talkative Beggar Old Man, he had gained the knowledge and common sense of his peers, so he didn’t expect anything to surprise him on a journey to a slightly distant region.
“…Wow.”
But the Magic Tower’s autonomous territory was different.
First, its scale was on another level.
Its size, like ten Marzens combined, gave the illusion of a massive natural wonder rather than an artificial structure.
The walls were incomparably tall, and the buildings inside were so high he had to crane his neck painfully to see their tops.
That wasn’t all.
‘What… is that?’
Harang stared blankly at a structure he’d never seen before.
It looked like stairs.
But they were moving, not stationary.
One side moved upward, the other downward. Like wriggling waves, it made him stop in his tracks.
‘Can I step on that?’
‘Is it magic? Magic, right?’
‘Why bother doing this to stairs? Can’t you just climb them?’
All sorts of thoughts flooded his mind.
But he couldn’t stand there pondering forever.
“Hey, never seen an escalator before? Hurry up and get on!”
“Don’t block the way! Ride it or move!”
“Ah, yes!”
Startled by the commotion behind him, Harang quickly stepped onto the moving stairs, the so-called escalator.
He realized he was moving without walking.
“Ooh…”
It felt strange.
Not good or bad, but definitely fascinating. He rode the escalator to the top, then hopped onto the descending side.
“Ooh, ooooh…”
“What’s with that guy? First time on an escalator?”
“Looks like it. His clothes scream southern country bumpkin.”
The residents of the Magic Tower territory mocked Harang as he enjoyed the escalator.
But he didn’t care.
He was thick-skinned about such things, and being a southern country bumpkin wasn’t exactly wrong.
More than that, he was captivated by the wondrous sights of the Magic Tower territory.
‘Alright. What other interesting things are there to see?’
Thus began his exploration of the Yellow Magic Tower’s autonomous territory.
It brought new excitement to Harang’s monotonous life.
First, something similar to the escalator, called an ‘elevator,’ piqued his curiosity.
Looking at a building that seemed over 20 stories tall, he thought, ‘It’d take forever to climb to the top,’ but the elevator mocked his concerns, swiftly delivering people to their desired floors before indifferently moving to the next passengers.
The giant screens on the top floors also caught his eye. They endlessly played advertisements for various products, likely created and displayed 24/7 with magic.
‘If videos like that keep playing from the top of such tall buildings… the advertising effect must be huge.’
Indeed, Harang was tempted by one.
A place called ‘Parfait, a chocolate dessert shop sweeter than honey’ intrigued him to no end. Even he, who didn’t usually enjoy sweets, was salivating, proving the screens’ incredible impact.
But something even more astonishing appeared.
Vrooooom-!
“…!”
It was called an ‘automobile.’
He didn’t know exactly how it worked.
But that didn’t matter—it looked incredibly cool, and he wanted to ride one. He’d never imagined a giant hunk of metal could move faster than a horse, and his eyes sparkled like a child’s.
“Excuse me.”
“Hm? What’s up?”
“That… it’s called an automobile, right?”
“…Yes. Why the sudden interest in automobiles?”
“It’s my first time seeing one, and I’m really curious… How much would it cost to buy one?”
“You can’t afford it.”
“What? I have quite a bit of money…”
“Not enough. Those are incredibly rare… I heard it takes a dozen high-ranking Yellow Magic Tower magicians working sleeplessly for a month to make one top-grade Magic Tool. Considering their labor costs… you’d need enough to buy a castle, at the very least.”
“…Sorry.”
“Haha, it’s fine to not know. First time in the Magic Tower territory? Experience as much as you can. It’s full of once-in-a-lifetime sights.”
The resident left after concluding the conversation.
Harang, watching him go, thought with a slightly deflated expression.
‘If an automobile is that expensive, the price of a top-grade sword from the Magic Tower must be astronomical…’
Of course, he hadn’t planned to buy it with money.
But earning it with points was no different.
How many quests would he need to complete?
Ten? Twenty?
That wouldn’t even come close.
The daunting thought crossed his mind that he might be stuck in the Yellow Magic Tower territory for over a year.
Not that he disliked the place.
Everywhere he looked was filled with wonders, and the quality of life seemed high.
With enough money, he could live more comfortably than anywhere else. If this had been the first place he’d come to after leaving the village, he might’ve stayed forever.
But the current Harang couldn’t.
He had the Eddy Mercenary Corps.
He had Sheratiya Viyan.
He had Hagio and Philip Portville.
The Magic Tower’s items were dazzlingly fascinating, but they weren’t worth abandoning the bonds he’d formed.
Thus, Harang resolved once more to quickly earn points and leave.
‘Right. Let’s dive in. Who knows? There might be a huge quest that lets me rack up points in one go.’
The odds weren’t high, but there was no need to think negatively.
Nodding, Harang stopped sightseeing and headed swiftly toward the tallest building, the ‘Yellow Magic Tower.’
Ziiiing-!
“Oh, the door opens automatically.”
He passed through the magic-powered automatic door.
Wiiiing-!
“So cool. Even the second and third times are cool.”
He rode the moving escalator.
Finally, Harang arrived at the fourth floor, where adventurers and mercenaries could obtain quests.
He looked around.
‘…I don’t understand any of this.’
Magic Tools were scattered about, with adventurers manipulating them with their fingers.
Sneaking a glance at a rectangular screen, he saw a quest list. Some swiped away uninteresting quests, while others selected and pondered over desired ones.
Of course, Harang couldn’t do that.
‘Normally, I’d grab someone and ask questions…’
But he didn’t have the mental leeway now.
He wanted to earn as many points as possible, as quickly as possible!
Muttering to himself, Harang strode toward the central counter.
A trainee magician greeted him with a polished professional smile.
“Hello. Is this your first time at the Magic Tower Quest Center?”
“Yes. Magic Tools? Magic screens? I don’t know how to use them, so I thought I’d ask here.”
“I see. People from other regions often find the kiosks difficult. I’ll assist you today. But if you plan to keep using the Quest Center, I recommend learning how to use them with this manual.”
“Thank you.”
Harang took the thin booklet labeled ‘Magic Tower User Guide’ and thanked the trainee.
He had no intention of reading it now, so he slipped it into his bag. Looking at the trainee again, he said, “I want the quest that lets me earn the most points the fastest.”
“I see. Most adventurers make that request. But it’s a broad question, so it’d help if you could be more specific. For example… page 61 of the manual lists popular Magic Tools you can obtain with points. If you have something in mind, let me know, and I’ll do my best to advise.”
“No need to check the manual. I want the finest sword available from the Yellow Magic Tower. I want to know the fastest way to get it… Is that possible?”
“…I’m sorry, adventurer, but are you saying you want an Artifact-grade sword made by the Yellow Magic Tower?”
The trainee’s voice grew slightly louder and clearer.
It was polite, but Harang sensed slight discomfort.
He wouldn’t have noticed before. But as mentioned, observing Philip Portville’s swordsmanship had honed his ability to read emotions.
‘The emotions in his eyes… disdain, pity, annoyance.’
He was probably right.
Not just the eyes, but the slightly upturned corner of the trainee’s mouth confirmed it.
“What’s that?”
“That kid’s throwing a tantrum at the counter for an Artifact-grade sword?”
“Wow, that’s crazy. Never seen such a nuisance.”
“It’s the end of days. Now any riffraff waltzes into the Magic Tower demanding quests.”
“Why so harsh? It’s kind of fun, isn’t it?”
It wasn’t just the trainee who looked down on Harang.
The surrounding adventurers who overheard shared similar attitudes—mockery, sarcasm, disdain, ridicule. In a normal situation, such reactions would’ve crushed his spirit.
“Hm.”
But Harang wasn’t the type to be hurt by such things.
Still, he felt the need to set the mood straight.
Hadn’t Sheratiya Viyan told him?
He needed to show his strength a bit. It would reduce unnecessary conflicts.
‘This seems like that moment.’
Nodding, he drew a dagger from his waist.
And then.
He powerfully manifested an Aura Sword.
Wooooooong-!
“…”
“…”
“…”
The surroundings fell silent instantly.
It was only natural.
A massive grayish-white beam of light erupted from a 20cm dagger, unbelievable in its grandeur.
It wasn’t the imperfect Aura of an Expert but the complete, flawless Aura Sword of a Graduate.
“Hm.”
Fwoosh.
Harang glanced around and withdrew his Aura Sword.
The room remained quiet.
Not bad. His voice would carry better, and his intentions would be clearer.
Looking at the trainee again, he repeated his question.
“I want the finest sword available from the Yellow Magic Tower.”
“…”
“Is there a quest suitable for that?”
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