Chapter 3

　　"That sounds rather grand," I chuckled. "So, how do I actually use this magic?"

　　In response, she simply raised an arm and pointed upward.

　　"First, we must proceed to the ninth floor. The answer lies there."

　　"The ninth floor?"

　　"Yes. The Tower Master’s personal office is there. This way, please."

　　I followed Ea while I scanned our surroundings. Even seeing it again, the place remained an utterly otherworldly and unfamiliar space. It had the sterile feel of a chemical research lab, though I doubted any laboratory on Earth could claim to be this shamelessly fancy. The walls and floors gleamed with gold, and the central lobby was furnished with plush sofas and cushions. Scattered cups and other miscellaneous items served as the only proof that people had once lived here.

　　"People used to live here, didn’t they?" I asked.

　　"Indeed. Though for the past ten years, I have been its sole occupant. This way."

　　She led me to a magic circle inscribed on the floor, its design different from the one that had been activated on my hand.

　　"How does this one work?"

　　"You need only step onto it."

　　The moment I did, the circle flared to life. A panel of buttons materialized in the air before me, just like in an elevator, numbered one through nine. We were on the first floor. The buttons for floors two through eight were dark, but the one for the ninth, the top floor, was lit. In fact, it blinked insistently, as if begging to be pressed. I obliged.

　　Vwoom!

　　A strange weightlessness washed over me, and in the blink of an eye, my surroundings dissolved and reformed. The floating button for the ninth floor now glowed a steady, brilliant blue, signaling our arrival. Ea appeared beside me, bowing gracefully.

　　"Welcome to the ninth floor, the office of the Tower Master."

　　If the first floor was a lavish hotel lobby, the ninth was a sleek, private office. I took a slow look around. What immediately captured my attention was the breathtaking night view of Seoul, visible through a wall as transparent as glass. I couldn’t help but gasp.

　　The view is absolutely stunning, I thought, a wry smile forming. In all those dramas, this is where the powerful CEOs stand, hands clasped behind their backs, gazing down upon their city.

　　As I mused, I caught my reflection in the glass and froze. My right eye was glowing with a brilliant blue light—the very color of mana. The azure iris continued to shift in strange and abstract patterns. At times they seemed like waves surging and rolling, at others like a typhoon caught in its furious whirl.

　　"Ea, what happened to my eye?" I asked.

　　"That eye is the symbol of the Tower Master. It is the Sage’s Eye."

　　I see. So this is the true nature of my Unique Ability. It was incredible, but also incredibly conspicuous. I made a mental note to buy a colored contact lens later.

　　After a quick survey of my new office, I settled awkwardly at the desk. It had an antique design, yet it felt as comfortable as if it had been custom-made for me.

　　"Please, rest well." With that, Ea vanished into thin air, presumably to give me some privacy.

　　I took a moment to catch my breath and gather my thoughts. Hmm.

　　Magic, huh. I was on the ninth floor, but I still had no clue how to use it. Modern players used mana for two things: activating their Unique Abilities and Mana Coating to reinforce weapons and armor. If you suddenly told one of them to cast a spell, they would be utterly bewildered.

　　Then, a thought struck me. Could it be like in the movies? You just chant an incantation and poof something happens?

　　I began searching the office for a spell book. Tucked away on a bookshelf in the corner, I found a promising-looking book titled The Fundamentals of Magic, written by an author named Ruin Kailus. The title was oddly reminiscent of a legendary high school math textbook that had dominated the curriculum for thirty years.

　　Is this what Ea was talking about?

　　I opened it. The pages were filled with an incomprehensible, otherworldly script, yet somehow, I could read every word. It had to be a function of the Sage’s Eye.

　　I focused on the author’s opening line: [What is magic?]

　　I devoured the book, utterly engrossed. It wasn’t that the content was thrilling, but rather that I felt like an adventurer secretly uncovering the secrets of a new world. About a third of the way through, a realization dawned.

　　Wow. I think this might actually work.

　　An unbearable urge to try casting a spell washed over me. I’d started reading half-jokingly, but the more I read, the more I understood that magic was a legitimate, structured discipline, not some pie-in-the-sky fantasy. My heart pounding with excitement, I flipped back to the first page.

　　"Let’s see… The methods of classifying magic vary from mage to mage, but this author uses three categories based on their activation conditions: incantation magic, command magic, and magic circles…"

　　The author recommended choosing one of the three and focusing on it. After some deliberation, I chose magic circles. The reason was simple: they were the fastest. There was no need to chant incantations; you simply drew a specific diagram with mana, and it would transform directly into a magical effect. With enough practice, one could even stamp magic circles into the air, allowing for rapid activation in the heat of battle. Its adaptability made it perfectly suited for the fast-paced monster fights of the modern world.

　　I should start with something easy.

　　I decided to learn Gauntlet, one of the three fundamental magic circles. The Fundamentals of Magic broke down the process into easy-to-follow steps, perfect for a beginner. All I had to do was follow along.

　　[First, select a location to draw the magic circle and spread your mana wide, as if unfolding a flat canvas. Mages from the other world apparently called this the base.]

　　I laid a two-layered base on the desk and touched it with my finger. A blue dot appeared where I made contact, as if I were holding a brush. Focusing mana into my fingertip, I read the next instruction.

　　[Now, to construct the field, draw a perfect circle.]

　　Stuck already, I thought with a grimace. Drawing a perfect circle freehand was no easy task.

　　But to my astonishment, my finger moved with the precision of a compass, tracing a near-perfect circle on the shimmering base. I stared at my finger for a moment, bewildered, before moving on. Next came the runes—characters that held magical power. By drawing them with mana, one could produce a magical effect. I carefully inscribed a single rune from the book into the center of the circle.

　　Whoa…

　　This was my first time doing anything like this, yet my hand moved with the confidence of long-practiced skill. In an instant, I had drawn a character nearly identical to the one in the book.

　　[Now, write the activation formula along the circumference of the circle.]

　　Creating a magic circle was surprisingly less difficult than I’d imagined. It felt strangely similar to the work of an electronics engineering student in a lab, carefully placing components on a circuit board and soldering the connections.

　　Ten minutes later, I leaned back. It looks pretty convincing.

　　I gazed at the first magic circle I had ever created. I’d always pictured them as hexagrams with ornate patterns, but this was more like a set of complex mathematical formulas organized within a circle. I was skeptical it would work, but I was also buzzing with anticipation.

　　Time for the final step. I placed my finger on the central rune and injected a stream of mana.

　　Fwoosh!

　　The mana I channeled breathed life into the rune before scattering, flowing freely along the intricate formulas. It activated the various components before reaching the edge of the circle, moving with a predictable rhythm, like water finding its course. Finally, mana circulated smoothly throughout the entire diagram, causing its blue light to intensify.

　　This was incredible. I savored the feeling of immense satisfaction. It felt as if I hadn’t just drawn a diagram, but created a living, breathing ecosystem.

　　Now, it was time to test it. I slowly lifted the magic circle off the desk and let go. It hovered in mid-air, its coordinates seemingly fixed in space. Then, with a silent prayer, I pushed my right hand into it.

　　Please work! Please…

　　Swish. Pushing my hand through felt like slipping it into a soft, fur-lined glove. The two-dimensional circle became three-dimensional, warping to accommodate my fingers. I pushed my arm in further.

　　Whoosh!

　　My hand finally broke through the other side, and the circle’s mana enveloped it, causing it to shimmer with a brilliant blue light.

　　[You have completed the Gauntlet magic circle for the first time.]

　　[Intelligence has increased by 1.]

　　[Focus has increased by 1.]

　　It worked!

　　The moment I completed my first spell, a thousand emotions crashed over me. My cursed affinity stats. My useless Unique Ability that never grew stronger, no matter how much magic I had, and all the suffering I had endured just to raise my stats by a single point. In that instant, I felt completely vindicated.

　　I need to test its power.

　　According to the book, Gauntlet was a striking-type spell. I looked around for a suitable target and settled on the wall. The tower was said to have withstood military bombardment, so a little punch should be fine. I took a fighting stance, extended my leg for balance, and thrust my mana-wreathed fist forward with all my might.

　　SMASH!

　　An explosive crack echoed through the office as my fist recoiled from the sheer force of the impact. The Gauntlet spell dissipated upon delivering the massive shock, leaving a deep, fist-shaped crater in the wall.

　　"It actually works!" I exclaimed, a wide grin spreading across my face. This kind of power wasn’t something you could achieve just by gathering mana in your fist. This was real magic.

　　"Hahahaha." An uncontrollable laugh bubbled up from my chest. In this forgotten tower, the world’s first magician had just been born.

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