Chapter 330 : Chapter 330
Chapter 330. The Mage Tower Master’s Request (2)
The opportunity came sooner than expected.
It was around the time when the laborers of the Magical Beast Dissection Area were beginning to wrap up their work.
“Rookies, if you’re done, come over here.”
Supervisor Vargas’s blunt voice echoed through the dissection hall.
At his call, the rookie laborers—including Radel—approached him hesitantly.
When they gathered, Vargas jerked his chin toward the mountain of bundles piled nearby.
They were neatly packaged magical beast materials, carefully processed and sorted by part.
“Your job today is to deliver these to the research laboratories.”
“W-We’re delivering them ourselves… sir?”
One of the rookies asked in disbelief.
His voice was filled with barely suppressed excitement and anticipation. The others’ eyes began to sparkle as well.
Mage Tower laborers.
They were nothing more than servants attending to mages.
Yet most of them had come here carrying a small hope in their hearts.
Their magical power was too weak to become proper disciples, but perhaps—just perhaps—one day they might catch a mage’s eye and receive instruction.
Stories of people who had started as Mage Tower laborers and risen to become great mages were the only comfort that let them endure the grueling work.
To do that, they needed to seize any chance to meet mages face-to-face.
And now, they were being sent directly into the mages’ laboratories.
‘So this kind of chance really does come if you live long enough!’
‘I can’t mess this up. I have to make the best possible impression.’
The rookies clenched their fists, swallowing the cheers that threatened to burst out.
As if he could see straight through their excitement, Vargas poured cold water on them.
“This isn’t a job normally entrusted to greenhorns like you. But there’s been a surge in orders. You’ll have to help out just for today.”
Then his tone sharpened into a cold warning.
“Do not relax under any circumstances. The mages will not tolerate even the smallest mistake. If even a single hair falls in a laboratory, your head might roll. Remember this well—if you offend a mage, you can disappear from the Mage Tower without anyone ever noticing.”
The rookies straightened instantly.
“Y-Yes, sir!”
“We understand!”
Vargas scanned their stiffened faces and continued.
“There’s one more thing to keep in mind. Do not lose your way. The Mage Tower is far more complex and dangerous than you think. Especially…”
He paused, then lowered his voice as if speaking a forbidden word.
“If you linger near the upper levels, you might get caught in a mana field and be transported all the way to the highest level.”
The highest level.
A forbidden realm known only through rumors, where laborers were never allowed.
At the word alone, the rookies swallowed hard.
“That place is the most dangerous area in the Mage Tower. High-ranking mages’ experimental spells have run amok there, twisting space and time, and ancient wards that turn unauthorized intruders to dust are still active. One wrong step, and you could be trapped in a barrier forever, wandering endlessly.”
Every piece of information Vargas shared about the highest level was terrifying.
Unbreakable iron doors, living weapons of destruction from ancient kingdoms, and unidentified shadows roaming the corridors.
He did not forget to add stories of laborers who had once been curious about the highest level—and had never returned.
The rookies’ faces drained of all color.
Their admiration for mages was quickly replaced by the fear of losing their lives.
“Hic!”
At last, one rookie couldn’t handle the tension and began hiccupping.
“I trust you understand.”
With his final warning delivered, Vargas spread out a parchment listing the delivery zones.
‘Is this really the right thing to do?’
Even now, he hesitated.
His gaze drifted unconsciously to Radel, standing among the laborers.
No matter how much that person had asked for it, this rookie had been in the Mage Tower for less than a month.
Vargas wavered—then steeled himself.
That person had chosen him personally. There was nothing to do but trust that judgment.
Suppressing his emotions, Vargas unfolded the parchment.
“……”
A brief silence followed. No one stepped forward.
Especially not for the delivery routes near the top of the middle level, close to the upper floors.
The rookies whispered among themselves in hushed voices.
“You go.”
“No way—you go. I don’t want to die yet!”
A cowardly struggle began, each trying to shove the dangerous task onto someone else.
Then, in the midst of the chaos, a calm and refreshingly light voice rang out.
“I’ll go.”
It was Radel.
He removed his bloodstained apron and spoke as casually as if he were heading out for a stroll.
All eyes turned to him at once.
The laborer who had first picked a fight with Radel whispered in disbelief.
“You’re going there? Are you insane?”
“No matter how much you want to impress the mages, your life’s only one!”
“What if you really get dragged to the highest level by mistake?”
Listening to them, Radel grinned.
“That’s exactly what I’m hoping for.”
Vargas watched the scene in silence.
Then, without anyone noticing, a faint smile touched his lips.
‘As expected… that person truly has an eye for people.’
***
At the very moment Radel stepped into the unknown, leaving behind his stunned coworkers—
In the deepest, most abandoned space of the Mage Tower, a strange stillness filled the collection area, broken only by the cries of beastified plants.
The old gardener, picking ripe red tomatoes from the vegetable patch, spoke quietly without even straightening his dirt-stained back.
“You’ve come.”
His voice was dry, devoid of moisture.
Yet it carried an undeniable weight.
Behind him now stood a man casting a deep shadow.
A mage with violet hair and crimson eyes.
His first disciple—Aaron Daryu.
“…Why did you summon me here?”
Aaron asked as he looked at the diminished back of his once-great master, who had ruled the entire Mage Tower.
A darkness he could not hide seeped into his voice.
“Master.”
A heavy silence settled between them.
Instead of answering, Helio calmly snapped off a tomato vine and tossed it into a basket.
Thud.
That dull sound alone seemed to speak for the decades of time and conflict lying between them.
Aaron glared at his master’s frail figure, no longer able to restrain himself.
“You still haven’t recovered your mana.”
There was no sympathy in his words—only the cold finality of confirmation.
“Of course not. It will never return.”
Helio replied casually as he added fresh cucumbers to the basket.
His movements were those of a seasoned farmer, nothing more.
“An old man’s time has come. It’s only natural.”
Aaron clenched his fist.
Mana.
A mage’s everything—his pride.
Just a few years ago, his master had possessed the greatest mana in the Mage Tower.
A never-ending spring of power that inspired both awe and envy in all mages.
But now—not a single trace of mana could be felt from his body.
An empty shell.
That was all that remained of the man who had once been Aaron’s idol.
It was also why Helio had secluded himself in this abandoned lower level.
With his ruined body, he could not endure the raging mana currents of the highest level.
When he gestured, raging seas calmed.
When he stepped forward, the earth held its breath.
Such was the greatness of his master.
‘If only that day had never happened…!’
Aaron’s crimson eyes flared with suppressed rage as the memory from five years ago resurfaced, devouring his reason.
Perhaps sensing the murderous intent rising behind him, Helio’s calm voice cut through it.
“Do not act rashly, Aaron.”
The old man still had his back turned.
Yet despite having lost all his mana, an absolute authority still resonated in his voice.
“For now… I am still the master of the Mage Tower.”
***
- No doubt about it. This is the highest level of the Mage Tower!
The Spirit of the Library whispered, his voice mixed with excitement and tension.
Radel nodded. He had finally stepped into the forbidden domain Vargas had warned them about.
The moment they cautiously peeked past a bent corridor—
Wiiiiiing—
A low, steady mechanical hum echoed as a massive shadow emerged from the far end of the hallway.
A giant guard golem, its entire body encased in pitch-black armor.
The Spirit of the Library cried out urgently.
- That’s the golem that dissection laborer mentioned! A weapon of destruction from an ancient kingdom! It erases unauthorized targets without leaving a trace!
Radel silently held his breath and observed the golem’s movements.
It patrolled the corridor in a fixed pattern.
Yet something felt off. It wasn’t scanning for intruders—it seemed to be staring intently at the floor.
Following its gaze, Radel noticed the marble floor, polished to a flawless shine without a speck of dust.
- This is when you use one of your items! That invisibility potion—use it!
The spirit urged him on.
But instead of a potion, Radel pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket—the wrapping paper from the beast materials he had delivered earlier.
He crushed it into a small ball and tossed it toward the golem’s feet.
Tap.
The scrap rolled silently across the marble floor.
Even that tiny sound made the Spirit of the Library shriek.
- Are you insane?! If the golem notices you, we’re done for!
What happened next was even more astonishing.
Wiiiiiing—
Beep?
The massive golem halted. Its head tilted downward with mechanical precision, fixing its gaze on the scrap of paper.
A moment of silence followed.
Then it bent over.
Its enormous steel fingers delicately picked up the paper.
In its other palm, a small flame spell ignited, incinerating the scrap without leaving even a speck of ash.
Crackle!
A smile formed on Radel’s lips. His guess had been correct.
The golem left the area spotless—without a single grain of dust.
Its true duty was not destruction, but cleaning.
Radel crumpled another piece of paper and tossed it toward the right end of the corridor.
Beep, beep?
The golem lumbered after it.
Using that opening, Radel slipped into the shadows on the left side of the corridor.
While the golem burned the scrap, Radel casually tossed the next piece in the opposite direction, leisurely crossing the hallway.
The Spirit of the Library, who had witnessed everything, stammered in shock and confusion.
- Th-this… what is this…? Why would that be on the highest level of the Mage Tower…?
Reaching the end of the corridor, Radel answered calmly,
“Because no matter where you are, cleaning is important.”