Chapter 64: This tower is no longer safe.
I headed to the cafeteria, trying to organize my thoughts.
Perhaps I was becoming a little anxious.
But it was still a controlled anxiety.
It made me more alert.
It didn’t interfere with my reasoning.
I picked up a tray, walked over to the main cauldron, and selected a good cut of meat from the leg of a magical horse.
I sat down at one of the more secluded tables.
I brought the first bite to my mouth.
The meat practically melted.
Tender.
Juicy.
Far better than any ordinary horse meat on Earth.
—Magical horse meat really is delicious.
The voice came from beside me before I could respond.
I slowly turned my head.
A young man wearing a white robe had just taken a seat.
My eyes widened slightly.
—Toral...
[Bip!]
[Name: Toral Grast]
Level: Level II Acolyte
Sex: Male
Age: 15
[Physical Status]
Strength: 2.90
Agility: 2.70
Vitality: 3.10
Mana: 5.0
[Low-grade magical artifacts detected on the target’s body.]
[Assessment: Dangerous.]
I continued chewing calmly.
Inside, however, my memory was already at work.
Toral...
He was one of the first acolytes I had crossed paths with when I arrived at the Tower.
Back then...
Leon had gotten into a fight with him.
All because of a small item abandoned in a hallway.
At the time, Toral was merely an arrogant boy from an extremely wealthy family.
Without much skill.
Leon defeated him after nothing more than a teenage scuffle.
But...
Leon had won the wrong battle.
Toral possessed peak five-star talent.
Not long afterward, he began receiving support from influential figures within the Tower.
His growth was frighteningly fast.
Now he was already a Level II Acolyte.
A full five points of mana.
That placed his magical capability above mine.
Comparing the current Toral to the current Leon...
The difference was absurd.
Like comparing the Sun to a stone lost in space.
My expression remained calm.
Mentally, I gave another order.
—Biochip.
—Calculate my chances if I fight Toral right now.
[Simulation initiated.]
[Without Mechanical Armor and Golem.]
[Estimated probability of victory: 70%.]
I subtly raised an eyebrow.
Seventy percent.
Higher than I had expected.
But far from guaranteed.
His magical artifact clearly increased his danger considerably.
Then another simulation appeared.
[With Mechanical Armor.]
[With Mud Golem support.]
[Estimated probability of victory: 100%.]
Even though he possessed more mana than I did...
His direct combat ability was still inferior to mine.
The difference most likely came from experience.
Naturally...
Those were still only projections.
A real battle would never follow statistics perfectly.
Even so...
It was an excellent reference.
I looked up.
—Toral.
—It’s been a long time.
He obviously had no idea that, in less than a second, I had analyzed nearly his entire physical condition.
He sat beside me as naturally as if nothing had happened.
As he adjusted his white robe, he picked up a spoon and sampled the soup on the tray he was carrying.
He seemed satisfied.
—I’ve been keeping my distance from people.
—Ever since I started studying under Master Mary...
—My routine has become meditation... experiments... studying... then more experiments.
I slowly nodded.
—Sounds exhausting.
—It is.
—But it’s worth it.
We remained silent for a few seconds.
Then he spoke again.
—I heard you’re doing very well under Totil.
—I can’t deny it, but...
—I basically build a few devices and trade them for resources.
My reply was deliberately modest.
There was no reason to reveal anything.
Toral continued watching my face.
Then he smiled.
—Interesting.
—But I remember seeing you talking to Leon when you went to buy your first spells.
His eyes became slightly colder.
—Are you thinking about joining that bastard’s group?
I blinked once.
So that was it.
There was still resentment.
Apparently, that old fight had never been forgotten.
I breathed slowly.
Then answered with complete composure.
—We’ve known each other for a while.
I gave a slight shrug.
—He tried to convince me to join an expedition outside the Tower.
—I refused.
I cut another piece of meat.
—I have no need to associate with useless beggars.
It was an arrogant remark.
Deliberately arrogant.
I knew Toral’s psychological profile.
Proud.
Ambitious.
He liked people who looked down on the weak.
At that moment...
Playing the role of a wealthy, conceited engineer was far more useful than showing humility.
I discreetly observed his reaction.
The Biochip issued another notification.
[Mana fluctuations detected.]
[Analysis spell cast by the target.]
Interesting.
He was checking whether I was lying.
I continued eating normally.
A few seconds later...
The spell ended.
Toral smiled with satisfaction.
—I like the way you think.
He casually pointed at me.
—You’re intelligent.
—Cautious.
—Staying with Leon will only hold you back.
His smile widened.
—Only by entering a higher circle will you obtain resources.
—Prestige.
—Protection.
—And perhaps...
—Your very survival.
He finished his meal.
Slowly stood up.
Before leaving, he spoke once more.
—I’ll give you a piece of advice.
His voice became much more serious.
—Perhaps one day I’ll need an engineer in my group, so I’ll warn you now.
—The school is no longer safe.
—Run while there’s still time.
I immediately frowned.
—Wait.
I partially rose from my chair.
—What are you talking about?
—Can you explain?
For a moment, I thought I was finally going to hear something important.
But...
Toral merely smiled.
Turned his back.
And walked away without answering.
I watched his figure disappear among the cafeteria tables.
Then I slowly sat back down.
Crossed my arms.
—What an irritating guy...
Acting like some mysterious character.
Speaking in riddles.
Hinting that he knew great secrets.
Trying to stir up curiosity.
Did he really enjoy doing that?
Or did he sincerely believe he was the protagonist of some epic story?
Even so...
Toral wasn’t just any acolyte.
He possessed five-star talent.
He was considered one of the most promising candidates to reach the rank of Mage.
People like him usually had privileged access to information.
Long before everyone else.
My smile disappeared completely.
Perhaps...
He really did know something.
That only made me even more anxious.
.
.
.
.
Without wasting any time, I spent the rest of the afternoon visiting various alchemy shops scattered throughout the Tower’s commercial floors.
I needed useful supplies.
I bought bottles capable of neutralizing body odor.
Others temporarily altered the composition of the air around the user, masking their scent.
I also purchased several auxiliary potions for cleaning alchemical residue, stabilizing mana, and other minor effects that could save my life in unexpected situations.
As I stored the bottles in the pouch fastened to my waist, I mentally organized my next objectives.
I needed to test the Golem I had created.
After that...
I needed to find a quick way to leave this Tower.
I didn’t like the direction events were taking.
Something big was approaching.
I could feel it.
And I had no intention of staying there waiting to find out what it was.
.
.
.
.
.
Hours later...
Night had finally fallen over the entire region.
My room remained shrouded in darkness.
I carefully closed the curtains.
Then I removed a small yellowish crystal from the pouch at my waist.
My first Golem core.
Even so...
It radiated a gentle glow, imbued with its affinity for the Earth element.
I carefully examined its surface.
The four energy nodes I had engraved remained perfectly visible.
Two of them shone brightly.
The others remained dark.
Two-thirds of its capacity.
That was enough.
Not for a prolonged battle.
But enough to conduct tests.
I put the core away once more.
Then slowly approached the door.
I carefully opened it.
Stepped outside.
And closed it again without making a sound.
At that hour, practically all the apprentices were already asleep.
The corridors were empty.
I crossed the Tower without encountering a single person.
.
.
.
.
.
Fifteen minutes later...
I was already walking along the old rocky trail leading to the swamps.
That path was beginning to feel familiar.
The moon dimly illuminated the terrain.
As I advanced, I noticed several corpses scattered across the ground.
The deformed bodies of Mud Ghosts.
Some were still partially submerged in the mud.
Others were charred.
Others had been torn apart.
The recent offensive by the acolytes had practically wiped out the creatures inhabiting that region.
I stopped for a few seconds.
All this time, I had only seen them as monsters.
But now...
Looking at so many bodies scattered across the ground...
My perspective shifted for a moment.
These demons terrorized travelers.
They hunted careless acolytes.
Yet...
When they faced organized groups of spellcasters...
They were slaughtered with almost no resistance.
Like animals led to the slaughterhouse.
Perhaps...
From their point of view...
We were the real monsters.
We invaded their territory.
Killed their leaders.
Destroyed their nests.
Sold their corpses.
I smiled bitterly.
Cruelty always depended on which side of the story was being told.
I continued walking.
I kept the Biochip operating at maximum alert.
Every movement.
Everything was being monitored.
Before long, I reached my destination.
The great muddy swamp.
Everything there remained silent.
Brimy was dead.
Her overwhelming presence had disappeared completely.
Magaly had undoubtedly taken her head as a trophy.
A leader like Brimy possessed enormous commercial value.
Her body would be worth many magic crystals.
Without a leader...
The remaining Mud Ghosts had completely lost their organization.
That was exactly why I had chosen this place.
It was the perfect testing ground.
I slowly took the core out of my pocket.
Held it between two fingers.
Then gently tossed it onto the mud.
The small crystal landed with barely any sound.
The instant it touched the ground...
Hummm...
A deep vibration spread through its structure.
I didn’t need to recite any incantations.
Nor perform any complicated gestures.
The bond forged during its creation was enough.
I channeled only a small amount of mana.
The core responded immediately.
A yellowish mist began escaping from within it.
It was not ordinary smoke.
It was condensed Earth mana.
It slowly spread across the surface of the swamp.
Then...
The mud responded.
First came small ripples.
Then...
The entire ground began to tremble.
As though it were alive.
From every direction, large masses of mud slid toward the core.
The mud slowly swirled.
Rose upward.
Compressed itself.
Arms began to form.
Then legs.
A sturdy torso.
The outline of a head.
The creature remained motionless for a few seconds.
Then...
Its shoulders trembled.
Its muddy fingers slowly curled into fists.
Its head lifted.
Standing before me was a humanoid figure roughly two meters tall, shaped entirely from dark, damp mud.
Its body was broad, heavy, and devoid of any human features beyond its basic shape.
...
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