Magic Monopoly: Reborn as the Sole Magic Tower Master-Chapter 197: Episode

We battled our way through the swarming androids and finally broke free of the school.

"This way!"

Instead of the main gate, we ran toward the forest behind the back gate. Even at a dead sprint, she was shattering androids with precise shots.

"Bellica. There are five androids behind that wall."

"What?"

"I saw them."

To be precise, Ea had told me. She gave me a suspicious look but reached a hand into the air. A green portal opened, and something that looked like a bomb popped out.

'...Is that what I think it is?'

She hurled the bomb. It flew in a perfect arc and exploded behind the building. An alien blue current erupted, immobilizing the five androids. She immediately charged forward and finished them off with her gun.

Using Deva's Eye and Ea's detection magic to sense the others, I warned her, "More coming from the left and right."

"Ah, damn it! Seriously!" Bellica tossed her pistol to me. "You can shoot, right?"

"I'm a goddamn legend at the shooting range."

"...What the hell are you talking about? Anyway, just protect yourself!"

We ran, firing our guns to escape the onslaught.

'There's one!'

An android had its back to me, aiming at nothing in particular. I took aim at its head and pulled the trigger. As expected of a futuristic weapon, it had surprisingly little recoil, making for a pleasant shooting experience.

'Bang!'

The android was unharmed. I pulled the trigger again.

'Bang! Bang!'

Same result. Was this thing defective? Why wasn't I hitting it?

-Tower Master, your marksmanship is nothing short of miraculous. Miraculously bad, that is.

'This can't be right.'

The android, having pinpointed my location, immediately returned fire. Its bullet ricocheted off Ea's shield and fell to the ground, but my self-esteem fell with it. My pride took a hit, but there was no other choice. I immediately summoned a Rapid Arrow and planted it in the android's head. Magic with built-in accuracy correction was truly the best.

"Hah... hah..." Bellica panted, taking cover behind a rock. "Their response is too fast! The forest is crawling with them!"

"Looks like they knew we were coming this way."

Bullets slammed into the ground near her, and she flinched with a yelp. "I infiltrated perfectly! How did things get so screwed up?!" After taking down two more androids with a quick counterattack, she shot me a glare. "This is all your fault!"

"Sorry about that."

Mimicking her, I momentarily exposed myself and took a few aimed shots, but the android remained unscathed. I had no idea where my bullets even went.

"This bastard can't shoot for shit! Weren't you some legend at a shooting range or something?!"

"I'm just a little rusty!"

The androids were gradually tightening their encirclement, and her expression grew darker.

"Bellica, want to play a game of truth?"

"Did you actually get shot in the head?"

"I'll go first. You're the first-floor administrator of the Magic Tower, right?"

Her eyes widened as if they would pop out of her skull. "H-How did you know that?"

Just as I thought, the guns, ammo clips, and bombs appearing from her uniform, which had little storage space, meant she was using the first floor's subspace. The bomb's curved trajectory was the effect of her 'Potion Swing' trait. It must have been a type of potion, not a bomb. Bellica was the key, the link to this world's Tower Master. I'd found her.

"...Who in the world are you?"

The androids were closing in. I walked over to the stunned girl. "Hold on tight."

I immediately swept Bellica into my arms and dashed to the side as bullets rained down.

"Wh-wh-what are you doing?!" she shrieked in surprise.

I created a staircase of shields in mid-air and bounded up it. A hail of bullets flew at us, but Ea's shield protected us without a single gap.

-Confirming target locations based on bullet trajectories.

'Send them back.'

<Rapid Arrow>

Countless magic circles materialized around my body. A volley of arrows, vastly outnumbering the bullets being fired at us, shot out. All through the forest, hidden androids collapsed as arrows pierced their chests and heads. I sprinted across the shields before launching myself off a cliff.

"Aaaaaaaah!" Bellica screamed, wrapping her arms tightly around my neck.

I instantly created a cushion shield under my feet to absorb the impact, then landed on it. "You can open your eyes now."

She opened her eyes, her face pale with fright. "Which way do we go?"

"O-Over there, beyond the cliff..." Her voice had shrunk to a whisper.

I deployed another set of shields in the air and dashed across them.

"...You said a game of truth, right? Who the hell are you?"

I answered with a grin. "A Tower Master from another world."

* * *

Bellica and I entered a small, cramped building. It looked like an old, dusty bar. After seeing nothing but futuristic, flying structures, the old-fashioned atmosphere was a refreshing change.

"Th-This way, Mr. Jance," Bellica said, guiding me to the back of the bar.

Ever since I'd revealed I was a Tower Master, she had become drastically more polite. It was amusing to see her face flush with embarrassment after calling me 'Mr. Jance' herself.

"You don't have to try so hard. Just speak comfortably. I may be a Tower Master, but I'm not 'your' Tower Master."

Her face lit up. "Really? Okay then. Jance, you idiot."

"...Telling you to be comfortable wasn't an invitation to be rude."

"Don't be so petty. You look about my age anyway. Here, this is it."

A wooden wall, seemingly enchanted, rotated to reveal a staircase leading down.

"Where are we going?"

"Hehe, you'll see when we get there."

After descending the stairs with Bellica, I saw a small magic circle. It was one I knew well.

'A warp gate!'

My heart suddenly started pounding. There had been a few bumps along the way, but it seemed I would finally meet this world's true Tower Master. We stepped onto the magic circle together.

'Vwoom!'

With the sensation of my feet lifting off the ground, the scenery changed.

'Oh, this place is...!'

There was no doubt. We were inside the Magic Tower. This was probably the First Floor, the Potion Brewing Department. Perhaps because it was ruled by a Tower Master from another world, the atmosphere was different from my own tower. The golden lobby that symbolized my first floor was gone, replaced by what looked like an ancient stone structure.

'It feels like I've walked into a stock exchange.'

People sat crammed at desks, frantically tapping at holographic keypads. The strong smell of rum and cigarettes hung heavy in the air.

"This is our Magic Tower. The headquarters of the Resistance."

"The Resistance?"

"Yeah. A gathering of humans who want to reclaim their freedom."

So, given the times, the Magic Tower had become a rebel base. It made sense; there was no better hideout for rebels. The inside of a Magic Tower was absolutely safe.

"Who's that? Never seen his face before."

The voice startled me. A pot-bellied, middle-aged woman had suddenly popped out of thin air. She was floating, lying sensually on her side. Bellica immediately explained the situation.

"A Tower Master from another world? Hmm, now that you mention it, I think my darling said something about that."

Who was this person, and who was she referring to as 'my darling'? Was floating her Unique Ability?

"Ah, my apologies for the late introduction. This is the Homunculus, Lady Enlil."

A homunculus! I looked at her, shocked.

'Ea. Meet your senior.'

-Uh, um... Yes. Is she really the same kind of homunculus?

Puffing out cigarette smoke with a face jaded by weariness and scratching her thigh, she was the complete opposite of the mystical Ea. Seeing the first-floor administrator, Bellica, treat her with such deference, I decided to play along.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Kim Yusin."

"Ohoho! A polite young man." Enlil nodded, then paused. "Oh, my darling wants to see you. Head on up to the ninth floor."

"Thank you."

"This way, Jance." Bellica guided me to the magic circle elevator. "You go on up first. I can't go to the ninth floor."

"Huh? You're an administrator, but you can't go up?"

"Of course not! It's the floor of the great Tower Master! The only one who can freely go to the ninth floor is Lady Enlil."

For the record, my ninth floor had become something of a staff lounge where members would pop in and out whenever they felt like it to eat cup noodles together.

'...Ea. Do I really lack that much dignity?'

-It's just a difference in leadership style. I believe your approach of trying to build a friendly and equal relationship with everyone is better, Tower Master.

'Sniff.' You really are the best.

"Alright, I'm heading up."

"See you later, Jance. A-And..."

"Something else you want to say?"

She suddenly blushed and glanced at me. "Thanks for saving me earlier... Aah! Never mind!"

She blurted out the words and ran off. The Resistance men watching nearby chuckled heartily.

'That 'Aah!' was definitely just like Jin Bora.'

In truth, their personalities were polar opposites. The Jin Bora I knew was a cunning fox who would even use her shyness in front of men to her advantage.

I stepped onto the elevator and skillfully pressed the '9' button that floated in the air. In an instant, I arrived on the ninth floor.

"Ugh!" I instinctively covered my nose. The reek of stale alcohol was overwhelming. Empty instant food packages were strewn about in a chaotic mess.

'...Is this the future version of a living field?'

I removed my hand from my nose and took a deep breath. "Grand predecessor! Are you here?" I called out as I walked forward.

The structure of the ninth floor was identical to the Tower Master's room I knew. The only difference was that the view outside wasn't the Seoul nightscape, but a desolate, empty plain. It seemed I'd come to a place quite far from the city of Polis.

'That aside, this is a nauseating sight.'

I thought my stomach had gotten stronger after fighting grotesque monsters and seeing the living field in Tanzania, but this was truly foul. So much for the 'floor of the great Tower Master'; the empty containers piled up all over the office were making me dizzy.

"Huh, you're here?"

Just then, a thick arm rose from a pile of trash and waved. "Here, over here! Can you give me a hand?"

"Ah, yes, sir."

I grabbed his arm and pulled with all my might. The pile of trash cascaded down, revealing a middle-aged man. He had greasy brown hair, a face full of adult acne, and cliché-looking glasses. He wore a simple white t-shirt and shorts, and below them, his leg hair was as thick as a jungle. The beard covering his entire jaw was short but messily tangled. But what truly captivated my attention was his overwhelmingly protruding belly.

"Whoa! Welcome. On your sixth-floor trial, I see? I'm the tenth Tower Master, Winslow!"

...Miss Minerva. I miss you already.

"Where are you from?"

"I'm from a planet called Earth. I am the fourteenth Tower Master, Kim Yusin."

"Right, right." As soon as he stood up, he grabbed a nearby container and slurped up the congealed instant noodles inside. His cheeks bulged as he ate with gusto. "Who'd you meet before me?"

"The sixth master, Roist, and the eighth master, Minerva."

Winslow's eyes lit up. "Ooh, Miss Minerva! Isn't she a goddess incarnate? Such a beautiful woman!"

I agree.

"I think she was totally into me. A shame we lived in different eras."

I absolutely do not agree.

"Anyway, I get the situation." He let out a loud burp and finally stood up properly. With every step, his belly fat jiggled like a video game graphic. "You have to complete the trial I present, and if you succeed, I'll pass on my magic to you. Then you'll go to the fourth and final world. Right?"

"Yes. That's correct."

He placed both hands on his jiggling stomach. A magic circle flashed from his palms.

'What is he trying to...?'

Centered on the magic circle, Winslow's stomach began to suck inward. The multiple layers of his neck fat disappeared, and a jawline emerged. The forest of hair was neatly trimmed, replaced by toned legs. In the blink of an eye, a handsome, well-built blond man stood in his place.

"Surprised, junior?" he asked, giving a thumbs-up and flashing his teeth. A glint of light sparkled off their dazzlingly white surface.

"Wh-What kind of magic is that? Diet magic?"

"It's a type of transformation magic. An original technique of the great Winslow!" He stretched out his arm, and a shirt and pants flew out of thin air. He casually put them on and fastened his belt.

I crossed my arms with a wry smile. "So there was a reason you didn't let other people up to the ninth floor."

"Hahaha. A Tower Master needs his privacy too! Right?" He winked, showing off the teeth on the other side. I really wish he'd stop with those cringey gestures. "Then I shall now reveal the details of the trial you must undertake in our world!"

"Oh? What is it?"

"Don't worry too much. My task is very simple!" He pointed his index finger at my chest and said, "Destroy the android 'Eve'!"

...You crazy bastard!

"Isn't that just telling me to kill the final boss of this world?!"

"Yeah. Is that hard?"

"If it were easy, you guys wouldn't be playing at being the Resistance, now would you?!"

"Whoa, calm down. Calm down," Winslow said, holding up both hands. "It's not as difficult as you think. In fact, we've secured the perfect opportunity to take down Eve."

I crossed my arms and stared at him. "...The perfect opportunity?"

* * *