Magic Monopoly: Reborn as the Sole Magic Tower Master-Chapter 256: Episode

My loud coughing drew stares from the people around me. I hurriedly wiped my mouth and the floor with a tissue, then fixed my eyes back on the TV.

’So, Na Daeyong is the next Tower Master, huh?’

Personally, I had expected Jeong Seojin to take the position, but I was wrong.

Then again, he was in charge of the entire 2nd Floor administration as well as the Tower’s business division. If he became Tower Master, there would be no one to take over his role.

And Jin Bora, with her personality, probably wouldn’t be interested in the position herself.

Na Daeyong, on the other hand, was not only the most skilled member of the Fourth Floor Team but also possessed leadership, charisma, and a boundless drive to bring people together.

Above all, he had the “Over-Immersion” trait, so there had always been talk of him being my successor.

’But Doyeon and Daeyong never seemed to get along that well...’

I put the straw back in my mouth. It was strange. These were the same people who had insisted on staying on the 4th Floor, turning down administrator positions because they worked so well together. Now, they were waging a media war against each other.

Was this just a difference of opinion between the Minister of Magic and the Tower Master? Or had something else happened?

Either way, five years had clearly been a long time.

’I wonder what everyone’s up to...’

I missed them. I wanted nothing more than to rush straight to the Tower, see their faces, and hear their voices.

However, the fact that one of them was a "Demon" gave me pause. I was the only one who knew this, and until I figured out who it was, I had to avoid revealing that I was alive.

’Of course, I am kind of enjoying this freedom.’

I sprawled out on the floor.

Just thinking about the grueling schedule from my days as Tower Master was enough to make my head spin.

Still, I had no intention of running away. Power came with responsibility, and I knew exactly what role I had to play.

It was just that, for now—for a few days, at least—I wanted to enjoy this brief respite and do the things I’d always wanted to do.

’Normally, this is when I’d be hearing Ea nagging in my ear.’

I had been trying to contact her ever since I got here, but there had been no response.

Just in case, I opened my Territory Window to check. It seemed certain she was safe. I still needed to find a way to reconnect with her.

’Don’t rush. One thing at a time.’

I watched Cha Doyeon, the Minister of Magic, on the TV as she passionately addressed the reporters.

I wondered if she knew that I was lying in the corner of a jjimjilbang, watching her.

* * *

“Good morning!”

“Good morning, ma’am!”

A woman climbed the stairs, receiving polite greetings from everyone she passed.

Her long, purple hair cascaded down to her waist, and she was dressed in a light, casual outfit. In one hand, she carried a basket filled with fresh towels and various perfumes.

She was none other than the administrator of the 1st Floor of the Magic Tower, a woman who moved the world itself. She was also known as the source of all potions: Jin Bora.

“Administrator, you’re here!”

The guards snapped to attention and saluted. She was heading for the sealed library on the 2nd Floor—the most heavily guarded area in the entire Tower, accessible only to the Tower Master and the administrators.

She nodded, walked up to the door, and pressed her palm against the magic circle engraved on its surface.

Whirrr!

The security magic verified her identity and deactivated. She stepped into the library and closed the door behind her.

“Yusin, I’m here.”

She spoke as she rummaged through the basket.

“How about this one today? It’s cherry-scented, and apparently, it’s great for moisturizing. Your skin looked a little dry last week.”

Muttering to herself, she sat down and unfolded a towel.

“And I bet you told them to use some weird herbal body wash again, didn’t you? Sometimes it’s good to try something new...”

Her arm, reaching out to wash Yusin, froze in midair.

For the past five years, his body had always been right there, without fail. Now, it was gone without a trace.

“Aaaaaah!”

At Jin Bora’s bloodcurdling scream, the guards burst into the library in a panic.

“Administrator!”

“What happened—?! Oh my god!”

Jin Bora looked as if she might collapse at any moment, tears streaming down her face.

“Where is he?”

Her voice trembled.

“Where is Yusin?!”

The guards frantically searched the library, but there was no sign of his body.

He had vanished from a locked room.

The head of security stammered, “W-we’ve been standing guard outside the whole time! For the past month, the only person who has entered was you, Chief Alchemist! No one else has been allowed—”

“Shut up!”

Her voice turned deadly, and the guards went rigid.

“How can you be so incompetent and still collect a paycheck? You’re all fired!”

Tears poured from her eyes, smearing the makeup and mascara she had so carefully applied to see him.

“Find him! Find him right now! I don’t care if you have to tear apart the Tower, Seoul, or the whole damn world—find Yusin!”

“Y-yes, ma’am!”

The guards bolted, shouting into their radios to broadcast the news of Kim Yusin’s disappearance.

Jin Bora staggered, a hollow look on her face, then collapsed to the floor.

“Yusin...”

* * *

After my jjimjilbang expedition, I found myself in a very interesting place.

The "Kim Yusin Museum."

And just to be clear, this wasn’t a museum chronicling the achievements of General Kim Yusin from the Silla era.

It was a museum about me.

’...I’m going to lose my mind.’

After my battle with the Sky Castle Lord, I had died saving the world, becoming a hero and a legend in the process.

A neatly manicured garden, a modern building towering over a prime piece of Seoul real estate, and a big sign that just said "Kim Yusin Museum." It was unbelievable.

If I walked in there with my current face, I’d be recognized instantly, so I used Water Veil to alter my appearance before heading inside.

Admission was two dollars. The ticket featured a picture of me striking a dignified pose. My face burned with embarrassment.

“Take this! Black Kick!”

Right at the entrance, a group of kids cosplaying as me were running around, wearing navy robes over their T-shirts with greatswords strapped to their backs.

“Then I’ll use Volcano Ground!”

“Black Kick is faster than Volcano!”

“No, it’s not! The fire from Volcano would stop you from using Black Kick!”

My head suddenly started to throb. Never mind everything else—were they seriously still calling it "Black Kick"?

“You two! If you keep fighting, our class will be the only one that doesn’t get to go inside.”

“Nooo!”

A teacher appeared, grabbed the two kids by the hands, and dragged them away. I sighed and walked in.

’What does it even feel like to visit a museum about yourself?’

It was definitely an experience not many people could have. I passed through the well-kept garden and stepped into the building.

It was filled with children. Located in an accessible part of Seoul, it seemed to be a popular field trip destination for elementary schools and kindergartens.

Each screening room showed different footage of my exploits. The one I was watching now was my battle with Blackjack.

“Oh, this one.”

“I’ve watched this at least five hundred times.”

The two guys in their early twenties who said that were wearing T-shirts with my face printed on them.

A quick internet search had told me that adults also came here frequently to buy the limited-edition Kim Yusin merchandise that changed every month.

The fact that I had become content for people to obsess over... It really felt like the end of the world.

Doing my best to keep a straight face, I wandered through the museum. A random section of wall was on display, caved in with a large skull mark painted on it.

The plaque said it was the actual wall I had smashed using Devastar.

On the opposite side, the reference books I had studied from were neatly lined up in a glass display case—the ones I had left behind when I moved out of the dorm.

’Why would you even put this on display...’

The disconnect was unreal. I was still alive and perfectly fine, yet this museum laid out my life like some grand heroic saga.

I couldn’t take the cringe anymore, so I decided to just do what I came for and get out.

I checked the museum map to find my destination.

’Right end of Hall D, huh.’

Since it had become one of the top-ranked places to visit in Seoul, the museum was quite large. The highlight, Hall D, was definitely more crowded than the other sections.

I lifted my head and looked up at the greatsword displayed behind glass at the top of a stone monument that rose to the second floor.

[The magic sword frequently used by Kim Yusin. Classified as an SS-grade relic. No one but Kim Yusin can wield it.]

There was even a "photo zone" where people could take pictures with Specter in the background.

People were snapping photos in front of my sword, and students in school uniforms were lined up in a long queue.

’You been doing okay?’

I slowly reached a hand out toward Specter. I considered reclaiming it right then and there but quietly lowered my hand.

There were more people than I had expected. If I wanted to retrieve Specter without causing a scene, I would have to wait until the crowd thinned out.

Deciding to take a short break, I walked over to a vending machine.

’Oh, nice! They even have Pine Needle’s Bud!’

The historical accuracy was surprisingly decent. I felt like I could maybe, just maybe, love the Kim Yusin Museum a tiny bit.

I bought a can of Pine Needle’s Eye, plopped down on a nearby bench, and took a sip. I had missed this crisp, natural flavor so much it made me shiver.

She stared at me in silence.

The girl sitting next to me glanced my way, then turned her eyes back to her phone.

After I finished the can, I got up and went back to the vending machine. I bought another and returned to the bench.

As I started on my second Pine Needle’s Bud, the girl sneaked another look at me.

’Has she never seen anyone drink this before?’

With a blank expression, she lifted her gaze to the students in the same uniform as hers who were taking pictures in front of Specter.

Then she let out a deep sigh, as if the sight was pathetic.

I suddenly felt an urge to talk to her.

“Aren’t you going to take a picture?”

She turned her head and looked at me, then gave a small shake of her head without answering. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

“Why not?”

“I hate Kim Yusin.”

I was speechless.

Ouch. That stung.

Seeing people who liked me here hadn’t felt bad at all, but of course, there would be people who hated me, too.

I was suddenly curious.

’This is getting interesting.’

It would be weird to ask, ’Why do you hate me?’ so instead, I said, “Same here.”

I decided to start with empathy. Her eyes turned curious as she looked back at me.

“Why?”

“He seems kind of arrogant, don’t you think?”

She narrowed her eyes and pouted a little, as if to say, ’What kind of answer is that?’

“Then why do you hate him?”

“...I don’t know.”

She turned to look out the window with a strange expression. Her eyes were deeper than one would expect for someone her age.

“It’s not the kind of story I should be telling some random old man I just met.”

...That was the second emotional blow I’d taken today.

The first time in my life I’d been called an "old man," and it had to be in my own museum.

“Do I really look that old to you?”

“No, it’s not that, it’s just...”

She extended a slender finger and pointed at the can of Pine Needle’s Bud in my hand.

“Anyone with that taste in drinks is definitely an old man.”

...What’s wrong with my drink?! I’d rather she just insult me to my face!

“Everything in life comes back to you. One day, kids will be calling you an old lady, you know.”

She burst out laughing.

Well, she was still too young to be worrying about that.

I let out a wry chuckle and took another sip of Pine Needle’s Eye. Since she kept staring, I asked playfully, “Want me to buy you a can? You can try a new flavor.”

“How about I go tell my teacher there’s some weird old man who keeps talking to me and trying to make me drink a suspicious liquid?”

“...Hey.”

“Haha, I’m kidding!”

The last thing I wanted after returning for the first time in five years was to get hauled off to a police station for harassing a minor.

After downing two cans in a row, I needed to use the restroom. I went, took care of business, and was on my way back when—

A heavy impact shook the building. Feeling the ripple of mana, I sighed and scratched my eyebrow.

’Some things never change. Rifts still pop up out of nowhere like they own the place.’

"Emergency! Emergency! A rift has appeared in the surrounding area! Please evacuate to the shelter on Basement Level 2 of this building!"