I'm the Only Wizard Climbing the Tower - Chapter 88

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Hydrogen B.

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 88: 088

──────

I gave the Black Mage a vicious beating.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

I swung my staff and whacked the Black Mage over the head.

"Aaaagh! Stop!"

"Have you decided to tell me where your secret base is?"

"Secret base?! There isn't one!"

"Then how about somewhere you keep valuable stuff? Anything like that? I want a Unique-grade artifact too."

"There's no way a lowly subordinate like me would have anything like that!"

"Yeah, I don't believe you. If I keep hitting you, something will come out eventually."

"Aaagh! Stop!"

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

The Black Mage had taken so many blows to the head that blood streamed down his face.

But eventually, I had no choice but to stop the interrogation.

"Uuugh... Ngh..."

He hung limply, groaning as blood dripped from him.

At this rate, he really looked like he might die.

I clicked my tongue.

"Wow, you're stubborn. You still won't talk after all this?"

"Jiho, isn't that too much? Wouldn't it be better to just kill him cleanly?"

"No, no. Throughout history, this has been the best medicine for idiots with shit for brains. I need to hit him more."

"Still, I feel bad for him."

"A woman... talking back?!"

"?"

"Ah, Hyeji, you haven't read Ham Seongmo comics."

Was it because I'd finally gotten physical and committed some violence for a change?

It reminded me of those old gangster noir manhwa where men were brutes and women wailed.

Hoo. No, this wouldn't do.

An intellectual, refined wizard like me couldn't become a thug.

But...

"Urgh... I am disappointed...! To think a great mage of the seventh tier would behave in such primitive, coercive ways! How can one who stands at the peak of the ivory tower act like this?! You should be ashamed!"

Whenever I paused my staff for even a moment, he perked right back up like this.

How was I supposed to stop beating him?

"That's the problem with mages. Their egos are too strong. Well... the moment someone becomes a mage, their soul grows and everyone around them starts looking insignificant, so I suppose it can't be helped. They're all full of themselves, convinced they're the greatest, with a few screws loose in their heads, making fools of themselves every chance they get. Tsk, tsk..."

"Jiho, why are you suddenly introducing yourself?"

"That's me."

The reason this guy couldn't communicate and only said whatever he wanted was because he was a mage.

Mages were basically socially maladjusted assholes who thought they alone were amazing.

The moment they became mages, the "rank" of their souls rose.

And since every being other than mages who could handle mana like themselves looked insignificant, they instinctively looked down on everyone around them.

The Black Mage before me had lived in that state for decades.

His habit of looking down on and dismissing others had continued for his entire life.

That was why, instead of holding conversations and interacting with people, he had developed a habit of simply announcing whatever he wanted to say.

"O noble mage of the seventh tier. Now is the time to abandon the Empire and join our Black Mage Tower...! With you, we can change this rotten world! We shall conquer the Empire and the Federation, and we Black Mages shall become the true masters of the world!"

"What the fuck are seventh tiers, Black Mage Tower, the Empire, and the Federation, you nerd?"

"Ah, of course, it must be regrettable to abandon the heights of white magic that you have built up until now. But don't they say all paths ultimately lead to the same destination? If someone like you, who has reached the seventh tier through white magic, were to practice black magic, which allows for faster growth, then you could reach an even higher realm..."

"God, this bastard is only saying what he wants again."

That was how they became self-absorbed people who didn't care at all how others felt and only said what they wanted.

Hoo.

I needed to be careful not to become like that.

Anyway, I organized the information I'd gathered so far.

'So there's a war between Black Mages and other mages in the world inside the Tower.'

While beating the Black Mage, I'd pieced together the things he said and the terms he used.

I had gained a rough understanding of the setting.

First of all, this place was called the Empire.

And the Empire was currently in the middle of a civil war.

The Black Mages had contributed to the war against the Federation, but once it ended, the Empire had tried to get rid of them.

Furious over that, the Black Mages had started a rebellion.

"We Black Mages devoted thirty whole years to the Empire! For thirty years, we served as war mages, dedicating ourselves both on the battlefield and behind the lines!"

"Mhm, I see. So?"

"But the moment the war ended, they tried to dispose of our Black Mage Tower...?! After borrowing the power of us Black Mages to win the war against the Federation? We cannot allow that! This rotten world must be overturned! We suffered the most in the war, so why are only those arrogant noble White Mages treated well?!"

Just hearing it, they did seem pretty wronged.

They had worked themselves to the bone during the war, only to be discarded afterward.

But there was no reason to pity these bastards.

"So you killed people indiscriminately and turned them into Ghouls. Is that it?"

"That is correct!"

"Don't you feel sorry for the people who died after getting caught up in the civil war?"

"They were nothing more than vermin incapable of handling even a speck of mana."

"They were people."

"Are all people the same? Commoners are nothing more than livestock that can speak. Humans who cannot handle mana are only useful as labor and sacrifices."

"..."

"I do not understand why you care about commoners. Ah, could it be! Was there perhaps a woman in this city whom you fancied? How pathetic! How can a mage who should pursue truth indulge in carnal desire?"

"What are you talking about? I've never even dated. Stop making up stories."

That was why these guys were also enormous pieces of shit.

They had turned thousands, even tens of thousands, of ordinary commoners into Ghouls just to vent their anger.

Maybe that was why they had been purged in the first place.

Anyway.

"Enough. Let's get some magic now."

I'd probably gotten all the information I could.

It was time to learn his next spell, Curse magic.

I picked up the staff that had been rolling around on the ground and handed it to him.

"Here. Take it, Black Mage."

"What is this? Why are you giving me my staff...? Are you going to release me?! You have made the right decision! You truly are a noble mage of the seventh tier!"

"What is wrong with this guy?"

I'd only picked up his staff and handed it back, yet his eyes sparkled with renewed hope.

I had no intention of letting him go.

I continued.

"Hold that staff and cast magic on me."

"Magic...?"

"You have Curse magic, right? Use it on me."

"?"

The Black Mage stared at me as though I were completely insane.

What was with that look?

It was kind of irritating.

"You are asking me to... place a curse on you? You, a White Mage, wish to experience black magic with your own body?"

"Yeah."

"I see... So that is how it is. Does one need that level of obsession, passion, and inquisitiveness to reach such a realm?"

"?"

"A White Mage should surely feel an instinctive aversion to black mana. Yet you do not even spare your own body for the sake of research..."

"What is this?"

"How admirable. Though you are a treacherous and wicked White Mage, you are a true mage... Regardless of our factions, I cannot help but feel sincere respect for you."

"What are you saying? Shut up and fire the curse already."

The Black Mage muttered on for a while.

Then he closed his eyes for a moment.

Flash!

He opened them wide and spoke with a solemn expression.

"Very well! Though I am certainly doomed to die soon...! If it can further illuminate the horizons of humanity's magic, I have no reason not to cooperate with your experiment!"

"Jiho, what is this person saying? He looks so serious and dramatic."

"He's just crazy, so you don't have to pay attention to him."

"Omm..."

He began chanting.

Gripping his staff tightly with his eyes closed, he concentrated and began operating his Curse magic.

-Hummmmmm...

Blue Motes flowed from his body and assembled over his staff.

The blue dots soon darkened to black and formed a certain arrangement.

I watched the arrangement with eager eyes.

'Definitely. This seems like much more advanced magic than Magic Bullet. The structure is far more complex.'

The arrangement he was creating had a more advanced structure than Magic Bullet.

In fact, it was more complex than most of the magic I used.

That was because...

'The arrangement... is taking on a three-dimensional shape? Is this magic version 2.0?'

The magic I'd used so far, Fireball, Air Bullet, Wind Cutter, Earth Manipulation, all of it had been made from flat dotted shapes.

They were extremely simple arrangements, completed by placing Blue Motes one after another, like putting dots into a drawing program.

Even Railgun, which was somewhat more complicated, did not go beyond a flat arrangement.

It simply operated two kinds of magic at once and triggered them powerfully at the right time.

But the Curse magic the Black Mage was using before me was different.

It was a mana arrangement that went beyond a flat plane and formed a three-dimensional shape.

In other words, he was arranging mana in a 3D world instead of 2D.

I swallowed dryly.

'As expected. Since Curse is such a strange supernatural power, its structure must be more complex. Still, a three-dimensional arrangement...'

I examined the structure closely.

Overall, it was a cylindrical arrangement.

But its layers rotated while interlocking like gears, and its volume narrowed as time passed.

It was a structure that gradually constricted its target's soul.

That was the nature of Curse magic.

Once his arrangement was complete...

"...The Curse magic is complete. I will activate it!"

"Come at me!"

Swoosh!

I tensed up a little and took the Curse magic he fired at me head-on.

Whoosh!

Black mist engulfed me.

Something like a chilly curtain tried to interfere with my soul for an instant.

But...

-Fwoosh...

The black curtain that tried to cover me soon lost its power and vanished.

I raised my gaze and looked at the Black Mage before me.

"Hoo... How is it? It should feel as though your soul is freezing."

"Hmm."

"If you need it dispelled, tell me. Of course, someone like you should be able to dispel it yourself, but forcibly breaking a curse could cause spiritual damage. I will remove it safely for you. It would be nice if you let me live in return."

No, it hadn't even affected me in the first place.

Still, Curse magic.

I'd learned a three-dimensional arrangement for the first time, magic version 2.0.

Since I'd learned a new spell, I should test it.

"You wicked Blood Cult bastard! How dare you place such an evil curse upon this martial artist of the orthodox faction...! Urgh!"

"...What are you suddenly talking about?"

"I can't just take this lying down. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth! I'll pay you back in kind!"

"???"

I cast the Curse magic I'd just learned on the Black Mage before me.

I formed a cylindrical arrangement by stacking mana layers shaped like gears.

The moment it was complete, I fired it at him.

-Whoooosh!

The black curtain I sent out, a cylindrical arrangement of Blue Motes, constricted his soul.

The Black Mage's face soon turned pale.

"Gasp, gasp... This is... Curse...!"

"Oh. It was my first time handling a three-dimensional arrangement, but I succeeded right away, huh? As expected of me. The Extreme Lunatic Hell Magic Genius that I am should be able to pull off magic version 2.0 right away. Of course."

"C-Could it be that you! You are also proficient in black magic! No. That cannot be. A human body cannot handle black mana and white mana at the same time..."

"That's me. ...But it seems this guy can't see me gathering mana and completing the arrangement. Don't tell me he can't see Blue Motes? Even though he's a mage?"

Judging by the Black Mage's reaction, it seemed mages could not visually observe the Blue Motes I controlled.

In other words, they could not see mana with their eyes.

That would explain why they struggled so much with pointless chanting whenever they used magic.

And why he only watched blankly without any particular reaction even while I openly copied his arrangement and used it.

Could the mages of this world be unable to see mana even when they used magic?

It seemed my eyes were pretty special.

And just like in that ninja manga from Japan where everyone fought with their eyes, having special eyes was proof that you were ridiculously overpowered!

Maybe someday, I would awaken the Sharingan and become a Copy Ninja.

No, come to think of it...

Wasn't I already copying everyone else's magic?

"Ah, I've realized it. I was actually Kakashi. I suddenly want to use Chidori...!"

"Jiho, why are you acting crazy again?"

"Hyeji, I had a huge misunderstanding. I thought I was a martial artist from the central plains, but I was actually an elite ninja from the Leaf Village. From now on, please call me Copy Ninja Baek Jiho."

-Iing Iing!

"Iing Iing, you don't actually have to call me that."

While Hyeji and I were talking...

"Gasp. Gasp. Ugh...!"

The Black Mage was slowly dying.

His face had gone pale, his lips were turning purple, and his eyes had lost focus.

He was gradually losing his life while wasting away from the Curse magic I'd cast.

Even so, a strange joy had appeared on his face.

"I suspected it, but...! You truly are a Black Mage. A seventh-tier being has emerged among the Black Mages! Heh. Hehehe. Hahahaha! What a magnificent occasion this is! The true savior of us Black Mages, oppressed for a thousand years, has appeared on this continent at last!"

"That's me."

"You! Use me as an experimental subject! Though I am only a lowly second-tier being, I can still handle mana, however feebly! I shall offer this one body and become even the slightest help to your magical path!"

"Um."

This Black Mage bastard had seen me use black magic and was so happy because he thought I was a fellow Black Mage.

He had even volunteered to be an experimental subject.

Should I call his sense of belonging impressive?

Mages really were crazy bastards.

The truth was, I wasn't a Black Mage.

This had been my first time properly using black magic.

But he looked so happy, so I decided not to explain.

It would be nice if he could go on his way feeling satisfied, right?

As I watched the Black Mage, an idea suddenly flashed through my mind.

'But this is magic that slowly pressures the soul as the arrangement rotates. What would happen if I rotated it in reverse?'

It was a simple idea.

The current arrangement was Curse magic, which rotated clockwise and gradually constricted and weakened the Black Mage.

But if I reversed it and made it rotate counterclockwise, would it have a different effect?

'Should I try it?'

There happened to be an experimental subject in front of me who had volunteered for self-directed human experimentation.

There was no reason not to try.

So I adjusted the mana arrangement and began reversing its rotation.

The method was simple.

I only had to project strong spiritual resonance into the Curse magic I'd cast, then force its direction to change as if turning a gear backward.

But...

"Oh."

-Kwaaaaaaah!

The resistance was enormous.

The instant I reversed the arrangement's rotation, I felt an incredibly powerful spiritual backlash.

And on top of that, the amount of mana it consumed exploded.

I clicked my tongue.

"No, I'm only turning the arrangement backward. What's with this insane mana consumption? The mana for dozens of Fireballs just vanished in an instant."

In just a few seconds, enough mana for dozens of Fireballs had disappeared.

Maybe reversing it wasn't a good idea after all.

Well, doing anything backward was bound to meet massive resistance.

It was easy to fall down a waterfall, but climbing against it was incredibly difficult.

But then...

"Uh... Jiho?!"

"What?"

"That Black Mage... His body is glowing."

"?"

At Hyeji's words, I turned to look at the Black Mage again.

Then I saw it.

'What? Why is that guy glowing?'