Chapter 205: Episode 205

Episode 205

Anton led me to the mansion’s vault, a place as complex as a maze.

“This mansion doubles as my personal vault, protected by thirty-seven layers of security magic. I’ve extended an open invitation to every thief and treasure hunter in the world.”

’He opened his vault to thieves? What is he on about?’

“Th-then what happens to the ones who try and fail?” I asked.

“The lucky ones escape crippled. Most die.”

Anton burst into hearty laughter at my blank stare.

“Think of it as a game with my entire fortune at stake! Of course, my reputation has become so notorious that hardly anyone dares to challenge me these days. A bit disappointing, really.”

So the madness of his youth hadn’t faded one bit. Reading his journal, I often thought, ’He really did try every insane thing imaginable.’

I watched quietly as he dispelled the security spells one by one.

He had essentially built a full-blown dungeon, complete with classic traps like spears shooting from the floor and arrows firing from hidden slits. Some chambers were even filled with monsters—undead, specifically, so they would never starve no matter how long they were confined.

Eventually, we reached our destination.

“Whoa…!”

Gold glittered from every direction. Countless gold coins and ingots formed literal mountains, while priceless paintings, relics, and artifacts lined the walls.

The sight was so breathtaking that blinking felt like a waste of time.

“What is all this?” I asked.

“These are the treasures I’ve collected over a lifetime of wandering the world. To be honest, I was quite greedy in my youth,” Anton replied with a dry chuckle. “As you know, it’s easy for a Tower Master to rake in money.”

“I suppose I’m not struggling to make ends meet,” I admitted.

“You’re a modest one!”

Anton guided me deeper inside. We climbed over a hill of clinking gold coins and ventured further in.

’This place…?’

Unlike the dazzling chamber we had just left, this room was deceptively simple. The weapons and artifacts hanging on the walls, however, were anything but ordinary.

Even someone like me, who knew nothing about equipment or relics, could tell that each item was of astronomical value.

“It’s often said that mages are less dependent on equipment than other professions, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t dependent on it at all,” Anton remarked.

“I agree,” I replied.

If I hadn’t been wearing this force-field suit, I might have lost an arm by now—or worse, ended up a corpse.

“There are many mages in our Tower who obsess over magical skill while neglecting their equipment. They seem to think it’s some kind of virtue to wear a single, plain robe and defeat their enemies with bare-handed spellcasting. It’s foolish—nothing more than a lack of foresight. There is no easier or faster way to increase one’s combat power than through equipment. Refusing to use good gear is the same as sealing away your most effective method of empowerment.”

Anton, who had been rambling, glanced at me and grinned.

“Pick one. It’s yours.”

My jaw dropped.

“…A-are you serious?” I stammered.

“Would I go back on my word? It’s the least a senior can do for his successor.”

My mind went blank. Every single item was an SS-rank artifact. On Earth, you could count the number of people who owned gear like this on one hand.

“But if I take one of these, then you…” I began.

“All the equipment I actually use is at the Magic Tower. I don’t use these pieces often, so I keep them stored here. But rest assured, each one is valuable enough to buy a small kingdom. I doubt you’ll find them lacking.”

I stared at Anton in a daze.

“Sunbae Anton.”

“What is it?” he asked.

“This may be our first time truly meeting, but I think I love you.”

Anton roared with laughter.

“My wife wouldn’t be too pleased to hear that! Now, hurry and choose. I told you my greed was immense in my youth, didn’t I? You’d better pick something before I change my mind.”

At that, I rushed toward the weapons in a panic.

’Ahhh, what do I pick?’

Thirteen SS-rank artifacts. I scanned them quickly.

A mace, a suit of full plate armor, a massive helmet… For a mage, they were either too cumbersome or simply inefficient. That was likely why Anton had them sealed away here. I immediately ruled out anything I simply couldn’t use.

Then there were the items a mage could actually use.

Two staffs, a wand, a robe, a cloak, and a pair of winged boots.

“That wand is enchanted with Memorize. Care to give it a try?” Anton suggested.

“Yes, sir!”

Following his instructions, I cast Rapid Arrow. A light flared at the tip of the wand, absorbing the magic circle.

“Now, activate the stored spell,” he said.

I pointed the wand, and Rapid Arrow fired instantly, slamming into the wall without any incantation.

“Whoa!”

“How is it?” Anton asked.

“It’s amazing! I want to see the others too!”

“Take your time.”

This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I carefully examined each artifact, even trying some of them on.

Every single one lived up to its SS-rank reputation. No matter what I chose, my combat power would skyrocket. However…

’But when I think about it, couldn’t I find replacements for most of these eventually?’

I could learn the Memorize spell myself down the line. As for mana amplification or complex spell calculations, I had Ea, so those weren’t major issues.

If a great archmage like Anton didn’t use these in the field, he had his reasons.

What I wanted was a piece of equipment that could do something I absolutely could not do on my own.

’Like this necklace.’

I lightly grasped Anton’s necklace, the one containing the Water Veil, and walked around the room.

“Hmm.”

There was also a sword. It was a broad greatsword, but its length was on the shorter side, so it didn’t seem designed for wide swings. I drew it.

“Urgh!”

It was incredibly heavy. The moment I lifted it, it slipped from my grasp and crashed to the floor with a loud thud.

“That sword is called Specter,” Anton explained. “It’s enchanted with a weight-reduction spell that attunes to its wielder. Try channeling your mana into it.”

I nodded, poured mana into the blade, and lifted it again. It became light enough to hold with one hand.

“Are you any good with a sword?” he asked.

“No. I’m hopeless.”

I flailed, swinging the sword a few times. I tried to mimic the diagonal slash I remembered seeing from Hong Yeon, but my attempt was pathetic. I’d never had an affinity for swordsmanship; I had absolutely no talent for it.

“What does this sword do?” I asked.

Anton let out a low chuckle.

“You have a good eye. Its second function is ‘Transfer.’ You can teleport the sword to any place within your line of sight.”

Following his explanation, I activated the teleportation trigger I could feel within the blade. The sword vanished from my hand and reappeared at the far end of the wall.

“Oh!”

“And its third function is ‘Conduit.’ You can manifest any spell you cast directly from the sword,” Anton continued.

I immediately tried Rapid Arrow. It was a strange sensation. The high-speed magic circle I imprinted on my palm was instantly copied onto the distant sword.

I teleported the sword back into my hand, then sent it to the opposite wall again. At the same time, I activated Rapid Arrow, and a volley of golden arrows fired from the sword.

“This is great!”

—It is quite good, Tower Master, Ea remarked.

Remote casting normally lost power, speed, and stability with distance. With this greatsword, however, I could cast instantly even at long range. I could even affix spells to the blade, giving it a built-in Memorize effect of sorts.

It didn’t strengthen my magic itself; rather, it created a second point of deployment. In a way, it was like having another me on the battlefield.

“And its final function,” Anton added, “is ‘Eternity.’ It’s indestructible.”

“I love this one.”

Even its final ability was perfect. I summoned Specter back into my hand.

“If you’ll allow it, I would like to take this sword,” I said.

Anton burst out laughing.

“Are you sure about that one? As you’ve felt for yourself, it’s one of the most difficult weapons to wield.”

“But its versatility is top-tier, which makes it perfect for my style.”

Since my fighting style revolved around creating variables, I was confident I could make good use of a weapon like this. I slung the sword across my back.

“Ohh.”

Anton, who had been watching, let out a sound of admiration.

“It suits you as if it were made for you!”

The ashen blade and the navy robe really did look like they came as a set.

Pleased, I spun around once.

“Do I look like a swordsman now? Ready to pull a few feints.”

“Even with a disguise like that, your build still screams mage.”

I laughed.

Just then, my laughing form blurred again without warning.

I’d cleared the mission and received my reward. There was no reason for me to remain in this world any longer.

The trials of the sixth floor were finally over.

“So you’re heading back now.”

“Yes. Thank you, truly. You’re my benefactor, Great Senior.”

When I bowed once more to express my gratitude, Anton gave me a gentle smile.

“Even after you return to your world, don’t forget the lesson you learned in the trial of the sixth floor.”

“Of course.”

I clenched my fist tightly.

“Oh, that reminds me, there’s one thing I never got to ask about.”

“What would that be?”

“About Erendel.”

From Anton’s description, Erendel sounded like a paradise.

If Machinatio was a world where science had developed to an extreme, then Erendel was a world where magic had advanced just as far. It had produced no fewer than three Tower Masters.

The 11th, 12th, and 13th Tower Masters had all come from Erendel, and the world possessed an enormous body of knowledge and a systematic magical process to match that history.

It was a world with the most mages and the strongest Tower. Why would a place like that have been destroyed? I couldn’t even begin to guess.

Anton closed his eyes.

“It’s far too early to tell you. You’ll learn the truth naturally when you reach the Tower’s final trial.”

“…Understood.”

I decided not to press him. If a great sage like Anton was deliberately choosing not to tell me, there had to be a reason.

“I can at least offer you a bit of advice, though.”

Anton opened his eyes as he spoke.

“If you give too much of your heart, you’ll only suffer for it later.”

“Sorry?”

With that baffling remark, my vision went black.

A weightless sensation washed over me as my body was sucked back into the black vortex.

[Congratulations! You have cleared the trial.]

[The Magic Tower’s 6th Floor, ‘Mana Mine,’ has been unlocked.]

[You have acquired a portion of the ‘Mine Warden’s’ traits.]

As I watched the system messages appear, my body continued to ascend. In the space filled with nothing but darkness, a single point of light appeared.

The moment I broke through it—

FWOOOOSH!

The world changed in an instant.

I was back in the Dungeon.

“…It really worked.”

More precisely, I’d arrived at the Dungeon’s core. The boss monster was already gone, taken down by someone else, leaving me alone in this empty space. It was exactly the situation I had read about in Anton’s journal.

It took a while, but things went according to plan in the end. I took a light, steadying breath and placed my hand on the ground.

“Let’s get started, Ea.”

—Yes. Initiating synchronization for Dungeon domination.

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