Chapter 103

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Chapter 103: The Tower Master (1)

If asked to name the three people he respected most, three names would always come up:

Gilbert Rosenbach.

Oscar Sage.

Ado Vail.

The first was the name of his mentor, a man who was like a father to him.

The second was himself.

It might sound like bragging, but he truly was the greatest mage of the past several centuries.

‘More than anything... I couldn't live like that again, even if I tried.’

There was a reason his past self was called the flawless mage.

Taking a step back and viewing Oscar Sage as a person, he seemed like a hero out of a storybook.

An icon of perfection, so impeccable that even a single flaw was unforgivable.

‘And the third... anyone in the White Tower would respect this person.’

Ado Vail, the first Tower Master of the White Tower.

He was someone Oscar genuinely admired—a genius, an eccentric, and a mage of peculiar specialties.

—This tower will become the birthplace of the greatest and most powerful mages in history.

Ado Vail had spoken these words and then built a 50-story cylindrical tower on an empty plot of land.

After the first tower was constructed, others quickly followed, and it was only then that the white tower began to be called the "White Magic Tower."

In other words, Ado Vail was the founder of all magic towers and the pioneer of the concept itself.

It was no surprise that one of his epithets was "The Prophet."

‘His foresight was revolutionary, but his abilities were downright extraordinary.’

Ado Vail possessed the rare art of spatial manipulation, an exceptional type of magic.

He took to remodeling his tower with this magic as a hobby.

That practice became synonymous with the White Tower, which otherwise lacked distinctive features aside from being the first of its kind.

‘But the expanded spaces were entirely designed to suit his personal tastes.’

While places like gardens or campuses—spacious, airy, and ideal for clearing one’s mind—were understandable,

there were areas so peculiar that their purpose was utterly incomprehensible.

‘I knew he was eccentric, but…’

Oscar hadn’t realized he was this peculiar.

His musings were interrupted by an irate voice.

"17th successor! Are you listening to me right now?"

"Ah, yes. I’m listening attentively."

"Then tell me what I just said."

"…The knowledge passed down from predecessors must be safely handed to successors?"

Truthfully, he hadn’t been listening at all, but that response was likely close enough.

Most of what Ado said revolved around that theme anyway.

"Hmph. So you were paying attention. As I was saying, when I was 32 years old—"

"Excuse me, Ado Vail."

Oscar cautiously raised his hand, interrupting Ado.

If he didn’t, this would go on forever.

"Your advice is invaluable and life-changing, but I don’t have much time left."

"Hmm? What do you mean by that? You don’t look like someone with a terminal illness."

"I promised to return by a specific date, and I need to reach Level 4 before I go back."

It had already been two days of scolding.

He honestly hadn’t expected it to go on for this long.

Even if he left the mountains immediately, took a carriage, and rushed back to Sirin, he’d barely make it in time.

‘Even if I train like mad on the way back…’

There was no guarantee he’d reach Level 4.

In fact, he had a sinking feeling he wouldn’t make it.

It didn’t take a genius to see that failure was far more likely.

At that moment, Ado Vail spoke in a bored tone.

"All this fuss… because of something so trivial?"

"It’s not trivial! This is a matter of whether or not I’ll see my precious disciple again—it’s extremely important to me!"

"Huh? Do you know who you’re speaking to?"

With a snap of his fingers, Ado sent a flick of energy that struck Oscar squarely on the forehead.

"Ow!"

Oscar quickly rubbed his reddened forehead.

It hurt.

He could feel the swelling.

‘How many times has this happened now?’

In the beginning, he had humbly accepted his guilt and willingly offered his forehead.

After all, he was the great sinner who had almost destroyed centuries of White Tower history.

But as the scolding dragged on, the strikes grew more painful.

‘When they started to hurt too much…’

He had tried to dodge.

Every single time, he failed.

Worse, he still had no idea how to avoid Ado’s attacks.

‘He hides his magical presence completely and releases it the moment he snaps his fingers.’

By the time Oscar realized what was happening, he had already been hit.

Even with his body shielded by magic, it still hurt this much.

To be honest, he never wanted to turn Ado into an enemy.

‘If those strikes weren’t just flicks…’

A shiver ran down his spine.

Even if Ado had only used 『Wind Cutter』, Oscar wouldn’t have stood a chance.

Now, he understood why Ado Vail was considered peerless in his era.

"You don’t need to worry about time." n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"I’m telling you, this is extremely important to me—"

"The flow of time here is different from the outside."

"…Pardon?"

When Oscar blinked in confusion, Ado chuckled.

"Roughly speaking, two days here would be about two minutes outside."

"…Is that true?"

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"17th successor, do I look like someone who would waste time joking with a greenhorn like you?"

"…"

Seeing Ado’s furrowed brows deepen, Oscar quickly replied,

"Of course not."

"Hmph. If you don’t believe me, say the word. I’ll send you outside immediately."

"…"

Was this man a master of push-and-pull tactics?

Oscar felt like he was being played but couldn’t nod carelessly.

‘If what he says is true, this is a golden opportunity.’

An incredible stroke of luck, one that couldn’t be bought with money.

Every second was precious to him right now.

Even during the two days of scolding, he had been practicing his breathing techniques, steadily building magic and stabilizing his circuits.

Resolving himself, Oscar grinned.

"Not at all. How could I leave before hearing all the valuable wisdom of the great First Tower Master? Please, keep enlightening this unworthy junior."

"…Don’t gamble. Your face shows it would ruin you."

Ado laughed dryly and then asked,

"By the way, 17th successor. Weren’t you Level 9 before you died?"

“Yes, that's correct.”

“Then how is it that you haven’t even reached Level 4 in your new body? Your growth rate is remarkably slow. Don’t tell me you’ve been slacking off, thinking that having a second life means you can laze around?”

“Absolutely not!”

Oscar protested as if that was the most unfair accusation he’d ever heard.

“If we’re talking about the intensity and efficiency of training, it should be several times faster than in my previous life. Since waking up in this body, I’ve hardly slept, constantly training. My personal cultivation technique has been running 24/7. But this body’s internal energy circuits were so hopelessly tangled that my progress hasn’t been as fast as I hoped.”

“Hmm… I see. Still, I don’t quite understand why you’re so slow.”

Ado tilted his head, reluctantly accepting the explanation, and then changed the topic.

“Fine, let’s put aside the small talk and start discussing space.”

“I’m listening.”

“First, Seventeenth. What is your understanding of spatial magic?”

Space.

A rare power even among unique abilities, its known information was scarce.

Oscar, after a moment of careful deliberation, cautiously opened his mouth.

“I understand it to be magic that allows one to store things or leap across space.”

“Well, that’s a simple answer, but not entirely wrong. Do you have any idea how that’s possible?”

Oscar shook his head.

Even though he had reached Level 9 in his previous life, he had no knowledge of spatial magic.

Magic involving high-dimensional concepts like time and space was impossible to wield unless one was born with the affinity.

‘If spatial magic were something that could be understood academically, humanity wouldn’t need to rely on trains or airships.’

Blink or teleportation—spatial magic exclusive to its users.

If everyone could use such magic, there would be no need to develop those modes of transportation.

Ado Vail began to speak.

“Listen carefully. The world is made up of invisible threads, constantly entangling, contracting, and expanding. Spatial magic is the art of manipulating those threads by pulling and pushing them.”

“...Threads?”

Oscar tilted his head.

Even though he could perceive the world down to its particles, he had never seen such threads.

“Don’t try to understand it with that clever brain of yours. ‘Space’ is closer to a sense than a science.”

“Closer to a sense…”

“From now on, I’ll share that sense with you. But don’t touch anything.”

Don’t touch anything?

Oscar was about to ask what that meant when his eyes widened in shock.

“...!”

Suddenly, the entire world appeared as threads.

The dirt floor they sat on, the weeds growing above it, even the wind drifting through the air.

Everything was composed of countless strands of threads.

“Ado, this is…”

“This is how those who wield space see the world.”

“It’s incredible.”

“...Is that so? To your eyes, it must seem wondrous.”

Ado Vail’s voice lost its playful tone, becoming solemn.

“For me, even after hundreds of years of wielding space, this sight still terrifies me.”

“...Terrifies you?”

Oscar looked puzzled.

Sure, it was a little strange that the entire world was made of threads, but it wasn’t frightening.

As if reading his thoughts, Ado smirked faintly before speaking.

“You won’t understand now. Experience it yourself—it’ll teach you more than a hundred words ever could.”

Ado grabbed about ten threads from midair and held them out to Oscar.

“Normally, pulling even this amount would require at least Level 7. But for now, I’ll assist you. Try pulling them.”

“...It’s just a few threads.”

“Stop talking and do it.”

“Like this?”

Without hesitation, Oscar grabbed the threads and gave them a light tug.

At that moment, an alarm blared in his head, and he instinctively sprang to his feet.

His eyes trembled as he stared at the now-empty space before him.

With just a small tug on a few threads, the half-built White Tower had vanished without a trace, as if it had never existed.

As Oscar stared into the void where the tower had been, Ado spoke.

“Always doubt, always be wary, and always fear. With just one wrong pull of a single thread, space could send you to a place where you’d never recover what’s most precious to you.”

“...”

What if, instead of the White Tower, it had been a person who disappeared so completely?

For the first time, Oscar began to find the sight before him terrifying.

“But don’t worry.”

Ado Vail placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

“I’ll teach you the basics to ensure you don’t repeat my mistakes before sending you on your way.”

Looking at the empty ground where the White Tower once stood, Ado’s voice was calm, but his expression carried an inexplicable sadness.

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