Seven years had passed...
Ryan was ascending the spiral stairs of the Magic Tower, his footsteps echoing faintly against the stone walls as he moved toward the upper floors. At the moment, he was on the staircase connecting the second floor to the third.
He slowly climbed the stairs
When he finally stepped onto the third floor, he found himself standing inside the familiar training hall. The room was wide and open, reinforced with enchanted stone to withstand stray spells and explosive mana surges. Scratches, scorch marks, and faint cracks covered the walls and floor silent witnesses to countless hours of relentless training.
Ryan turned his head, letting his gaze wander across the hall.
So this is where it ends, he thought quietly. The days I trained here… they're really over, aren't they?
A faint sadness settled in his chest.
Seven years might seem like a short time to a thirty seven year old man, but for a nine year old child, it was practically a lifetime.
This hall had been his world his battlefield, his classroom, and his refuge. He had laughed here, failed here, bled here, and grown stronger here.
With heavy steps, Ryan headed toward the staircase leading from the third floor to the fourth. As he walked, he carefully took in every detail of the room, as if trying to engrave it into his memory. When he reached the stairs, he let out a quiet, bitter sigh and began climbing once more.
The staircase had roughly thirty steps.
When he emerged at the top, the atmosphere changed completely.
The fourth floor was crowded perhaps the most populated floor in the entire Magic Tower yet it was also the quietest. Not a single unnecessary sound could be heard. This was the library.
Endless shelves filled with ancient tomes, spell manuals, historical records, and forbidden grimoires stretched in every direction. Mages sat at long tables, deeply absorbed in their studies, their expressions solemn and focused.
Ryan walked carefully through the space.
As he passed by Stella, the librarian, he gave her a small wave, careful not to disturb the readers. Stella noticed him and returned the gesture with a gentle smile before going back to her book.
Ryan headed straight toward the staircase connecting the fourth and fifth floors.
He ascended once more.
The fifth floor greeted him with a sharp, acrid scent the smell of burnt metal and scorched reagents. This floor had always felt strange to him. He couldn't recall spending much time here during the past seven years.
The corridor was dimly lit, and at the far end, several brass manometers and pressure gauges were mounted on the walls, their needles trembling faintly.
Ryan glanced around.
He didn't know much about this place. All he knew was that it served as some kind of experimental chamber a place where failed spells and dangerous research were conducted.
Not wanting to linger, he continued upward.
Soon, he passed through the sixth floor, home to the alchemy laboratories. After greeting the elderly alchemist Anna, who was busy mixing a glowing solution, Ryan immediately made his way to the next staircase.
He climbed quickly now.
The seventh floor.
At the end of the long corridor stood the door to the Tower Master's chamber.
Ryan stopped in front of it, took a deep breath, and knocked three times.
One second passed.
Then another.
Finally, a calm voice responded from within.
"Come in."
Ryan opened the door, stepped inside, and gently closed it behind him. Standing straight, he bowed respectfully.
"You called for me, Master," he said.
Seated behind a large oak desk was the Tower Master himself Nathan.
The elderly mage lifted his gaze and studied Ryan for a moment before speaking.
"You've reached a sufficient level," Nathan said calmly. "Would you like me to assign you a task?"
Ryan froze.
For a split second, shock overtook him. Then excitement surged through his veins.
This would be his first mission.
Normally, novice mages received their assignments from the tower's ground floor.
But Ryan was being entrusted with a task directly from the Tower Master himself.
Suppressing his excitement, Ryan asked carefully, "What kind of task, sir?"
Nathan picked up a sheet of paper and examined it closely. Then, with a faint smile, he said, "Don't worry. It's a fairly simple mission."
Ryan felt his muscles tense.
That's bad, he thought.
Nathan's idea of "simple" was vastly different from that of ordinary people. As a powerful mage, he considered even life threatening situations trivial.
Ryan knew this all too well.
During training sessions, Nathan had often dismissed incredibly complex spells as "easy" and scolded Ryan whenever he struggled. Ryan took a quiet breath to steady himself.
Nathan smiled brightly.
"All you need to do is climb a mountain."
Ryan felt a chill run down his spine.
He already knew where this was going.
Clearing his throat, Nathan continued.
"We've received reports of a powerful mountain beast appearing near Blackfen Village. I want you to investigate and if necessary, eliminate it."
Ryan nodded in agreement, though anxiety stirred within him.
He had never faced a real monster before.
Nathan went on, "As you know, the kingdom struggles to protect villages located in mountainous regions. They've requested assistance from the Magic Tower. The reward is substantial, which makes this mission quite important."
Ryan's curiosity flared briefly, but he quickly answered his own unspoken question.
Mountainous terrain made troop movement difficult. Supplying large numbers of soldiers was costly and inefficient. On top of that, the kingdom couldn't afford to divert forces from its central territories due to internal conflicts.
As a result, villages in remote areas relied on the Magic Tower for protection.
For a young mage about to experience his first real combat, the lives of an entire village weighed heavily on Ryan's shoulders.
And Ryan was only nine years old.
According to Nathan's additional information, the beast had not yet attacked the village. Several villagers had reported seeing the same creature repeatedly in specific locations around the mountain.
That meant the monster might not even exist or Ryan might not encounter it at all.
Still, it had to be confirmed.
Nathan explained every detail of the mission thoroughly. Before Ryan left the room, the Tower Master added one final warning.
"Be careful."
Ryan smiled faintly and replied, "Of course."
After Ryan departed, Nathan remained seated in silence.
Though he hadn't shown it, he was deeply uneasy about this mission.
The creature described in the reports did not match any known records. Even more concerning was the note that it appeared to possess intelligence.
Did I place too heavy a burden on a child? Nathan wondered.
Originally, he had planned to assign a mage with five mana circles. But since Ryan would soon be leaving the tower, Nathan decided to make this mission his final trial.
It was a harsh test far too harsh for a nine year old.
Ryan was the only individual in the tower who had learned magic entirely from scratch.
And yet, the fact that he possessed three mana circles at such a young age marked him as a prodigy.
That thought brought a faint smile to Nathan's lips.
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