Book 2: Chapter 546
Redrun.
The lowest-ranked among the Seven Magicians, the Red Wizard.
He joined the Truth Seekers about 50 years ago. Despite his relatively short career, the fact that he was appointed as one of the Seven Magicians signifies that he possesses exceptional talent.
His magic primarily involves fire and ice.
Among “The Five Qualities of a Wizard” defined by The Beginning Wizard, his strongest is ‘Observational Skill’.
* * *
Lukas looked around.
It was a place akin to a dark altar.
A giant magic circle engraved on the floor, complex patterns written on the walls, icicles on the ceiling, and the positioning and number of candles set up as if to conduct a ritual.
What does this all mean?
He nodded once and spoke to the man sitting in the center.
“Is this field meant for you?”
“Yes.”
Redrun responded and stood up from his place.
There were no signs of excitement or disturbance as seen from outside.
A subdued demeanor, steady breathing, and a face that only showed calmness.
[Things have gotten tricky.]
Residue succinctly diagnosed Redrun’s condition, and Lukas agreed.
Redrun alone now was more troublesome than when he was outside commanding around a hundred wizards.
“First, I will ask. How does the trial on the 11th floor proceed?”
“The trial on the 11th floor is……”
Redrun suddenly fell silent.
His eyebrows lifted in puzzlement.
“…Please wait a moment.”
“……?”
Lukas was perplexed, but soon realized that Redrun was communicating with someone, seemingly in another dimension.
[It seems he’s in contact with a wizard from a ‘different floor". Interesting. Establishing a communication network that transcends dimensions is quite a complex task…]
“…Has the ‘prelude" occurred?”
A voice came from Redrun.
It seemed that it was a type that couldn’t be conveyed by thought alone and needed to be vocalized.
Lukas didn’t pretend not to hear; instead, he focused more on that voice.
“But… There should have been more time, right? It was the lord himself who said so, wasn’t it? Yes. Still, we should prepare. That"s what the Magic Tower is for. …Understood. I will relay the message to the Truth Seekers up to the 10th floor. Harun nim, please be careful too.”
Thud, the communication was cut off abruptly.
His expression was seriously complicated. Redrun seemed to be deep in thought as he glanced at Lukas.
“Has some trouble arisen?”
“…It is not for an outsider to interfere.”
Outsider.
Redrun repeated that word again.
This man showed a particularly hostile att.i.tude towards Lukas among the wizards of the Magic Planet. By now, he knew that. It wasn"t just Altata; he had met several wizards on his way here.
They were amazed at the talent Lukas possessed and were awestruck, and that was it.
They didn"t harbor outright disdain just because he was an outsider.
Only Redrun did.
“So, the trial?”
He reconnected the conversation that had been interrupted.
“What"s there to make a fuss about?”
The flames from the candles around brightened, and cracks formed on the icicles.
Then, flames and ice surged from both hands of Redrun.
“Defeat me.”
* * *
The trial was to defeat Redrun,
And so, Lukas did just that.
He fought Redrun, one of the Seven Magician, and defeated him. It didn"t take long.
“……”
Unexpectedly, Redrun did not explode in anger.
He just lay sprawled on the floor, looking up at the ceiling with a blank face.
“To be defeated so miserably… I’m not even filled with resentment.”
That"s right. Redrun’s magic hadn’t even left a scorch mark on Lukas’s clothes.
Lukas had already experienced his magic. Although he had seen it only once, that was enough. Unfortunately, Redrun"s magic was neither complex nor impressive enough to warrant a second look.
The dull voice continued.
“How can this be? Aren"t you mostly sealed in terms of power?”
“That"s right. However, my greatest weapon is not restricted at all.”
Lukas tapped his temple lightly.
“…Ha.”
Redrun let out a laugh that sounded more like self-mockery.
“…My trial is over. Go up.”
“Will do.”
“The difficulty will increase from the 12th floor. The ‘tutorial" is over. Don"t expect it to be the same as before.”
“Is that advice?”
“…It’s a curse. d.a.m.n you.”
Lukas almost let out a snicker.
He was about to ascend to the next floor but then stopped.
“What is it. Do you still have something to see?”
Redrun, who was lying on the floor, spoke.
Lukas turned around to face him and asked.
“Is arrogance really the most important quality for you guys?”
“What?”
“…….”
Without asking again, just looking quietly, Redrun clicked his tongue and answered.
“…Yes. To use stronger magic, to remain unshaken by any crisis, we need to maintain our arrogance at all times.”
“Unshaken?”
“You must know by now. That everyone in Magic Planet is aware of the Apocalypse.”
“…….”
“Some religious people overcome their fear of death through cultivation. Our context is similar. We hone our arrogance to endure the inevitable end.”
Redrun smiled faintly.
“What"s there to hide now? The first condition to become a Truth Seeker of the Magic Planet in the past was not to fear the Apocalypse, knowing full well about it.”
“…….”
“Do you understand? We do not fear the already determined future because we believe in ourselves. That is how we can cherish each day we live.”
…The Beginning Wizard,
told Lukas that there was a way to prevent the Apocalypse.
But Redrun seemed unaware of that.
It was not the only thing Lukas realized.
He felt an odd dissonance in Redrun’s words, but hesitated before speaking.
What he was about to say could just be meddling.
Do I really have the right to say this, or would bringing this up cause a positive change for Redrun?
“Do you know what form the Apocalypse takes?”
“Isn"t it the end of everything?”
“Not the conceptual part. I"m asking if you truly comprehend how terrifying the Apocalypse is.”
Redrun"s gaze shifted.
“…What are you trying to say?”
“The Truth Seekers of Magic Planet. I thought they were commendable in some aspects, but if what you say is true, aren’t they just a bunch of fools who have given up?”
“What did you say?”
Redrun stood up. Perhaps he hadn’t been fighting with full effort. That would make sense. His mission wasn"t to engage in a life-or-death battle with Lukas.
The recent fight hadn"t deviated from the form of a trial.
“Maintain arrogance to strengthen your inner self? You"re wrong. What you guys are doing isn’t anything grand like tempering. You don’t know. You don’t know anything. That’s why you can casually talk about overcoming and such.”
Now he understood.
The wizards of Magic Planet he had seen outside,
The reason they could live so carelessly.
…They minimized the fear of the Apocalypse within themselves. They refused to think deeply about it.
It was the opposite with Diablo. He had thoroughly investigated the Apocalypse. Although his interpretations were incorrect, he came to understand the terror of the Apocalypse better than anyone.
“…I’m not talking about right or wrong.”
As a result, Diablo, who was overwhelmed by fear, lost direction and went on a rampage. The conclusions he could accept were extremely harsh, and they led him to death along with those around him.
In contrast, those living in Magic Planet, because they shunned deep knowledge about the Apocalypse, were able to find mental peace. They harmed no one.
Ethically, Diablo was in the wrong.
However, to Lukas, Diablo seemed more like a true wizard because he delved into the Apocalypse despite the fear, reaching a conclusion he could accept by himself.
“Are you aiming to be a mountain or a pebble at the end of your arrogance?”
“……”
“Are you proud to be unshaken by the stream’s currents? Is that all you think the ‘Apocalypse" is?”
From a certain point, Redrun neither spoke nor retaliated.
Lukas continued.
“You should think of it as a tsunami. Learn more about the Apocalypse, research it. Even in the face of the impending terror, maintain your self. Then maybe your so-called arrogance will truly solidify.”
It was uncertain what change this would bring to him.
Perhaps nothing would change.
Thus, this was meddling.
“Wait a moment.”
Redrun stopped Lukas as he was about to leave.
He was hesitating with an expression Lukas had never seen before.
“That is, I mean.”
It seemed to take great courage, but Redrun finally forced out his words.
“…I have more questions I want to ask.”
“……”
Seeing his face, Lukas couldn’t help but laugh this time.
There was at least one wizard-like aspect to him.
Curiosity came before pride for Redrun.
* * *
Magic Tower.
A s.p.a.ce completely disconnected from the outside.
There are only eight places within it that can observe the ‘outside".
Firstly, the ‘Room of the Beginning Wizard" at the top,
And the ‘Twin Floors" managed by the Seven Magicians, from floors 11 to 77.
The higher one is, the broader the view.
Naturally, the room of the Beginning Wizard has the farthest view, followed by the 77th floor.
─The actual top of the Magic Tower, the 77th floor,
The master of that world.
The strongest of the Seven Magicians and practically the right hand or successor to the Beginning Wizard.
‘Harun" murmured to himself after finishing communications with all the Seven Magicians.
“Why is the prelude happening already… My lord, what exactly is going on?”
At that moment, Harun’s eyes sharpened.
“Who"s there?”
A tense voice permeated the surroundings.
His enhanced senses scanned meticulously around, but nothing caught on. There was nothing visible to the naked eye.
…Was he being too sensitive?
This was the 77th floor after all.
A place that could be called the top floor,
The only ways in were the ‘stairs" connected above and below.
It wasn"t a place where outsiders could secretly infiltrate.
Sssrrk…
Such rational a.n.a.lysis and a moment of complacency.
Death occurred all too simply when these elements overlapped.
Plop─
Something dropped on his cheek.
“……?”
Harun wiped it off with his finger. It was a black liquid, the composition of which he couldn"t identify.
From where, did it fall from above?
Harun looked up at the ceiling, and he could see nothing.
And that darkness was the last scene Harun ever saw.
A liquid-like darkness stuck to the ceiling engulfed Harun"s entire body.
It happened so swiftly that the strongest of the Seven Magicians in the Magic Tower couldn’t respond at all. He couldn"t even make a sound.
The darkness squirmed after engulfing Harun"s whole body.
It was as revolting as the movement of a stomach digesting food.
Click─
Eventually, the movement in the darkness ceased.
The darkness that had lingered there for a while began to move again.
Sssrk, sssrrk…
It seemed to crawl, leaving a slimy trail as it moved downward.
─Heading towards the lower floors.
*****