Chapter 130 – Empire (1)
Creating an artificial sun.
This was the dream of all Red Tower Lords.
Magic towers were gatherings of wizards.
They delved into the powers of elements, abstract concepts like protection and night, or the study of illusions.
Magic towers were built by wizards with shared aspirations.
The dream of the Red Tower was this:
To create an artificial sun.
And to make it beneficial for everyone.
A magic that could help those shivering in the cold and eliminate enemies.
That was the artificial sun project.
I had also observed it quite closely.
A sun that never set.
It was connected to a goal I had desired.
‘That phase has passed.’
That idea was quite helpful.
In fact, when three circles were formed, it drew its power.
The power of stars.
When I formed the third circle, I used its power.
A star of flames.
And a star frozen solid.
The black lightning that contained the destruction of everything transformed into the morning star of purification.
In any case, the meaning itself was good.
It gave light to those who could not receive the power of the sun, drove away the cold, and protected the empire from enemies.
That was the intention behind it.
But the Red Tower Lord committed something he should not have done for that purpose.
And what about this generation’s Red Tower Lord, the one I nicknamed ‘Woong’?
‘Have you changed?’
I hoped he hadn’t changed.
I didn’t want to kill him.
No, just don’t cross the line.
If so, I could correct it. With that thought, I headed to the floor where the Red Tower Lord resided.
Ding.
The elevator stopped.
The mage of the Red Tower quietly opened the door and guided me inside.
And then I saw it.
The Red Tower Lord of this era.
His skin had become wrinkled. His hair had turned stark white.
Though we both had white hair, mine felt different. If mine looked like a well-done bleaching, his was that of an old man.
‘He has aged.’
Truly.
A peculiar emotion tickled my chest.
My second life.
I had lived rather impulsively. The line between right and wrong was blurred.
Back then, I had achieved everything and lost everything.
A genius gamer showing peak world performance.
I was synonymous with that game, and I was the pinnacle of humanity.
I even had a girl I loved.
But I lost it all due to a mere traffic accident.
I wandered a lot.
If it weren’t for the Duke of Extermination, I might still not be in my right mind.
In that sense, my second life held quite a significant meaning for me.
“No, that has no meaning.”
I was a reincarnator.
Even if I died, I did not die. Thus, my death was not death.
Others might reminisce about me and remember me.
So, I was curious about what I would look like after my death.
The Duke of Extermination and the Heavenly Demon.
And the Emperor.
I feared meeting them.
“You are...”
Woong... no, the Red Tower Lord opened his mouth.
His eyes widened, then began to tremble slightly.
There was no magician of the Red Tower. There were many magical presences felt around us.
I did not feel their gaze.
“How, how...”
It seemed the Red Tower Lord recognized me.
Was it because I guided him from the level of a mediocre talent? Now, he had become someone who was called a genius.
I smirked.
I thought this was not my style.
I placed my hand on my waist.
I straightened my back confidently.
I opened the subspace.
I took out a bottle of liquor.
“It’s been years.”
“...Are you really, no, are you really the Purple Tower Lord... Han Seojin?”
“Well, that’s how it turned out.”
He said with a smile.
Purple.
It maximized two attributes.
The problem was that the two forces must have opposing properties.
Flame.
And ice.
The power obtained by repelling these two forces is extreme but strong.
However, it was unstable.
This was different.
Although it had less output than others, it possessed remarkable stability.
So, there should be no problem touching it...
[Unique Trait, Eternity, descends upon you.]
...Huh?
[The Young Dragon’s Heart (B) reacts.]
[Unique Trait, Eternity, sustains the Artificial Sun (S) of the Red Tower Lord eternally.]
[Severance (S) severs the connection between the Eternal Sun (S+) and the Red Tower.]
[Heavenly Martial Body (S) is influenced by the Eternal Sun (S+).]
[Vessel of the Archgod (Ex-) prepares to accept the Eternal Sun (S+).]
[The circle engraved in the Young Dragon’s Heart (B) covets the Eternal Sun (S+).]
..............................................................Huh?
The Red Tower Lord felt good.
He saw the Purple Tower Lord after a long time.
Han Seojin.
He thought it wouldn’t be him, but the moment he saw those blue eyes, he knew.
Heavenly Eyes.
Eyes that could even glimpse the secrets of the sky.
The eyes themselves didn’t have to be unique. There were many similar eyes.
But the moment he saw them, he knew.
Eyes that seemed to peer into everything about him.
The eyes of the Purple Tower Lord.
He was indeed Han Seojin.
So, they chatted.
About how the empire’s situation was after he died.
How the emperor was doing.
How the other tower lords were.
How the tower lord of the Yellow Tower, the Duke of Extermination, was doing.
They talked about such things.
Then the conversation drifted to the artificial sun.
And then.
He saw it.
An impossible scene.
“This, what is this...?”
The moment he touched it, the artificial sun began to stabilize.
As if this was the nature of Eternity.
The resources being absorbed by the artificial sun noticeably decreased.
It was almost permanent.
‘As expected...’
The Purple Magic Tower Lord.
His renown was not unfounded.
Even after time passed and he mastered martial arts.
The magical abilities he possessed did not decline.
No, they actually advanced.
‘I was a bit disappointed by the Heaven-Surrendering Martial Emperor.’
There was no helping it.
He was the hope of the academic field of magic.
Magic itself.
Calling him that would not be an exaggeration.
Han Seojin was such a being.
He said he would make him dream of magic, and he made an ordinary person like him stand shoulder to shoulder with geniuses.
It was not an overstatement to call him the real deal, the realest of the real.
That was Han Seojin.
After evolving the artificial sun, him faith strengthened.
And he thought.
‘The long years of contempt and persecution. It was tiresome.’
People said,
Magic and martial arts.
The power of divinity was stronger than those two.
The power of divinity was the first.
Next was the power of spirits used by druids.
Then came magic and martial arts.
Their magic was not something to be treated so lightly.
‘It’s a pity to rank those sword-wielding guys together.’
But they had Han Seojin.
With him, there was nothing to fear.
The Red Tower Master made this resolve.
Gulp.
“................................................................................................Huh?”
The artificial sun had evolved.
Han Seojin ate it.
“......................................................................................................?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?”
A bewildered Han Seojin.
And himself, unable to comprehend.
In that situation, the wizards of the Red Tower moved.
“That, that guy! That guy stole our artificial sun!!”
“Attack, take him down immediately!! No, capture him alive! We need to find the artificial sun he stole!!”
Han Seojin thought,
Life was really something else.