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Ricir didn’t know much about the Gray Mage Tower.

He wasn’t exactly sure what spirits resided there,

nor did he have a clear understanding of which mages were present.

‘Could they be talking about me?’

Still, he could faintly grasp the concept of the mysterious spirit’s master.

At a young age, ranking at level 5 and whatnot.

He couldn’t help but think that the names Kim and Choi, mentioned by Enna and Latsiel, referred to none other than himself.

– In this tower, there’s only one person who’s so exceptional; I, Ricir, will become the greatest bastard in history.

It’s not that he was trying to boast.

You know, there’s a context and a flow to things, right?

– Don’t tempt those two.

Before delving into his investigation, Ricir recalled the significant words Meltas had shared.

He thought Meltas was in awe of his deadly charm, but it seemed that in the current situation, it was more of a warning to not say, ‘Hello, why are you doing this?’

So, Ricir chose to keep quiet.

Honestly, even if Meltas hadn’t said anything, it wouldn’t have made much of a difference.

Hey, the person you all are desperately searching for is right here!

Yeah! I’m the Kim and Choi you’ve been disregarding until just now!

So, what are you going to do now!?

Ricir wasn’t bold enough to create such a provocative scenario.

Especially when his opponent had power and status far surpassing his own.

Most importantly, those two were awkward.

“Hi, I’m the master of the Blue Mage Tower, and I’m all about cooling magic,” Enna stated, as if promoting herself with a frosty demeanor.

“And I’m an elf,” Latsiel chimed in, as if branding herself with an elven air from the Green Mage Tower.

Was there even a need for an investigation?

Conversing with those two felt like an interrogation in itself.

Of course!

Objectively speaking, it was a golden opportunity that mustn’t be missed.

The interest of the Mage Tower Masters.

Unless you were of equal status, you couldn’t help but feel honored.

If other students from the Gray Mage Tower found themselves in Ricir’s situation, they would undoubtedly say, ‘I plan to dedicate myself to the Gray Mage Tower, but let me at least hear them out.’

Still, Ricir decided to decline their interest.

Through several experiences, he learned just how conservative and exclusive the mages of the tower were.

At a time like this, where they’d refuse to even believe he’s ranked level 4, it was clear that an encounter would unfold like, ‘Hey, who’s your family? Which academy are you from, and whose master do you study under? Yet you say you possess outstanding talent?’

Ugh.

“Oh, what lovely weather we have. I guess it might rain soon.”

He had just raised the favorability of the Gray Mage Tower to a ‘Like’.

Raising the favorability of the other Mage Towers could wait until later.

Having made that decision, Ricir naturally began to feign distraction.

Meltas, vaguely catching on to Ricir’s psychological state, smirked inwardly and spoke to Master Enna.

“Master Enna, I apologize for saying this after you made the long journey to our tower, but I don’t think I can fulfill that request. The person in question is currently reluctant to meet with outsiders.”

“Even if that outsider happens to be the Master of the Blue Mage Tower?”

The mages of the tower carried absolute pride in their affiliations, leading to a certain disdain towards mages from outside their own.

Here, ‘outside mages’ meant ‘all others besides our tower.’

Which included other Mage Towers as targets of disdain.

‘You’re someone who exchanges with that Gray Mage Tower; do you truly think the Master of the Blue Mage Tower would turn down a meeting with me?’

That was the implication behind Enna’s actions.

The corner of her mouth subtly curled up, radiating an aggressive nonchalance.

In reality, the public perception placed ‘Blue’ above ‘Gray.’

Blue mages were more active in external affairs than Gray mages were.

If it were any other time, Meltas would have acknowledged that this didn’t necessarily mean superiority in groups or magic, but he would have still fallen for Enna’s provocation.

No matter how much they valued magic and academia above all else, they couldn’t be completely indifferent to social status.

However, Meltas was different now.

“Indeed, even if that outsider is the Master of the Blue Mage Tower.”

Recalling Ricir’s earlier behavior, Meltas felt a sense of satisfaction in relaying that.

Just then, while they exchanged peculiar looks, Latsiel casually interjected.

“Let’s settle that and hear the response to my inquiry now.”

As if to say that the petty squabbles among them were of no concern.

“…”

“…”

With an elitist demeanor elevated above the arrogant mages of the tower.

The tension swirling between the two dissipated.

“The party involved may think differently. Don’t be stubborn; relay my message.”

With that, Enna left the scene.

Then Latsiel pushed for more with a glance.

Meltas responded wearily.

“Are you referring to the mysterious spirit that lingers near the alchemical apparatus, the Blue Wolf?”

“Indeed.”

“In that case, consult with Master Didoa. That child Perrin follows her closely, you know.”

Before Meltas had even finished speaking, Latsiel had already turned away and was departing.

Thus, only Meltas and Ricir remained.

Ricir let out a chuckle and said, “Seems like the mages of the tower don’t get along that well, huh?”

“As you can see, each Mage Tower has distinct personalities and tendencies, so jolly camaraderie doesn’t bloom easily.”

Well then.

Meltas broke the tense atmosphere and spoke to Ricir.

“First, let me express my gratitude on behalf of the tower for your willingness to cooperate in this uncomfortable situation.”

“Oh, we are close friends, after all?”

“…I must earnestly request that you refrain from that manner of speaking in front of the other masters. They might lose their composure.”

“…You sound like some kind of safety guide about precautions in risky areas.”

“… Regardless, I think I’ve disturbed you enough, so we shouldn’t prolong this any further. Let’s get to the final core matter. Ricir, as I’ve already mentioned, our tower seeks to appoint you as an honorary mage. How do you feel about that?”

There was no need to ponder.

The position of honorary mage came with minimal obligations and maximal rights.

A position far superior to the supporter role he had hoped for, especially for Ricir, who would rather not face the grueling duties of a full-fledged mage.

“I think that sounds great.”

“That’s an unexpected answer in a different way. But I’ll take it as a positive response. The ceremony will be prepared swiftly enough that it may catch you by surprise, so be ready.”

Meltas shook hands with Ricir and said, “Ricir, it’s an honor to have you as a member of our tower.”

“I’m honored that you feel that way.”

Both chuckled as they shook hands.

—

When I returned to my lodging, I began reviewing my future plans.

The previous goal of ‘settling down in Bondales’ was now merely a matter of time, with the honorary mage position of the tower firmly within grasp.

Now, my objective had entered a new phase.

‘Overload…’

Rights come with corresponding responsibilities.

The position I acquired from the tower stemmed from magical prowess.

To maintain and even elevate my current standing, I needed to regain my magical abilities and growth rate as quickly as possible.

Right now, they might be supporting me with, ‘Oh, you can do whatever you want, our Ricir,’ but what happens when this situation persists for a month or year?

Turning our Ricir into your Ricir wouldn’t be a problem at all.

Thus, what I needed now was to completely conquer the overload and restore the foundation of my magic—

That is, substantially enhancing my physical capabilities.

Fortunately, I already had a solution formulated regarding this matter.

“Phew…”

I took a deep breath, recalling the moments when I managed the sudden surge of magical energy through my blue breath technique.

Then, I checked my body.

Most of the magic energy I had amassed during that time had already absorbed into my body.

Even now, the overload injury lingered, and though I’d hurriedly learned the blue breath technique as a temporary fix, it wasn’t the perfect solution.

So now, what if I did the same thing when my injuries were completely healed, and after mastering my blue breath technique?

“I can do this.”

I felt confident about controlling the drastic expansion of magical energy that follows normalization.

Thus, I arrived at a single conclusion.

‘Normalization… I need as much normalization as possible…’

I had no idea how much to enhance my physical abilities.

I didn’t know how far my magical prowess could grow either.

Therefore, I had to push my body training to the utmost limits.

Beyond adequate—overly so.

I set the threshold of ‘overly’ to match the level of my magic.

If my magic were at level 5, I’d raise my martial arts to 5 as well.

Some might call it dual-classing.

What others like Pamon feared was even more inefficient than they imagined.

Despite the fancy name, in the current scene, this was what they’d call a broken character.

Leveling up two main stats? Someone bring the reset button.

But since it was a matter of my personal safety, I was willing to endure that inefficiency.

‘I may be a mage, but if I don’t raise my strength, I die!’

Thus, I needed as much normalization as possible.

Drawing from my past experiences, after normalization, magical growth had always followed.

But there was one thing that had been bothering me.

‘What happened during Gerhen’s encounter?’

I hadn’t utilized the power of normalization when facing Gerhen.

It seemed improbable that normalization came into play without my awareness.

That made sense since I hadn’t sensed any strange possibilities with Gerhen.

Gerhen was a purebred brat who grew up without the aid of black magic.

So, perhaps—

This normalization might not solely pertain to the ‘purification of anomalous energy.’

‘Normalization of villains…?

That was my tentative conclusion.

Purification of anomalous energy.

Normalization of villains.

Both concepts aligned in their core idea of eliminating negative influences.

Additionally, reflecting on past instances of normalization also supported this notion.

Pamon, who sought to integrate a clan under her control, had the restriction of not using mental interference on innocent people.

The charming succubus turned into an ordinary human.

Tulan and her maid, the dark sorceress, also found their original plans thwarted and were reduced to mere prisoners A and B.

‘That’s it.’

Nodding, I finalized my thoughts.

I seemed to have gained clarity regarding my future direction.

‘I need to leverage my status as an honorary mage to actively seek out targets for normalization.’

Filled with burning motivation, the first thought that popped into my mind was—

None other than the bead that Perrin had given me (spat out) earlier.

I rummaged through my neatly stacked belongings in the corner.

“I found it.”

It was a bead so clear it appeared transparent.

As if it were a droplet of air rising in the atmosphere.

-Cough. Cough. Cough.

Suddenly, the image of a wolf throwing up a saliva-soaked hairball came to mind.

“Hmmm…”

To be honest, I didn’t expect much.

Anyone who felt optimistic about that production process might be in for a big surprise.

“Well, at least it’s something that came out of my mouth.”

Still, since someone made it for me—

With that in mind, I so resolved and swallowed the bead in one go.

Then, I sat on the edge of my bed and closed my eyes.

Focusing my whole attention on my body.

To prepare for any potential changes the bead’s consumption might bring.

“…Huh?”

In that moment.

My eyes snapped open wide.

I quickly glanced down at my body.

“Wh-what is this…?”

My body was glowing.

Not just glowing, but shining to the point of radiating light.

As if adventurers exploring dark dungeons would be lamenting, ‘Damn it, if only Ricir was here!’

“…!”

I soon closed my eyes again.

Something extraordinary was happening within me.

—

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[Title: No way, I doubted my eyes, lol]

Content: Is this really the Spirit Core?

How the hell is it raising three stats? lol

Isn’t this pretty much a three-level-up? lol

Now I understand why they say to level up in those stretches of the game.

-: The name alone screams core;;;

-[Original Poster]: Was that the core? lolololololol

-: No way, how’s a core raising three stats?

-[Original Poster]: Intermediate Earth Spirit Duba’s core ㅇㅇ

-: Seriously; rather than raising the favorability of wind, water, or tree spirits, you went with Earth Spirit.

-: Excuse me, but do you interpret the uses of the male sexual organ in various ways?

-[Original Poster]: Come on, it’s all about stat-boosting, damn it.

-: But isn’t an intermediate spirit at least level 40?

When it comes to spirits, you need to be 20 levels higher to unlock dialogue keywords.

-[Original Poster]: That’s why they say to level up in those stretches, right? ㅇㅇ

-: Spirit Summoners unlock dialogue keywords at the same level ㅇㅇ

-: Whoa, but this intermediate core raises three stats!

-: How much does a high-level spirit core raise?

-[Original Poster]: Does a high-level spirit core even exist?

-: In this game, high-level spirits equate to either being dead or becoming a boss.

-: Argh, lol.

-: If you eat that, you’re asking for trouble, ㅇㅇ;

-: Isn’t that boss Sylph to the south of Bondales, a high-level spirit?

-: ㅇㅇ

-: Is that the ‘Howling Wind’ given for taking down Sylph?

-: Must be? Eating that raises agility by 5, right?

-[Original Poster]: Ooh, I’m headed there now.

-: If you just leveled up, you won’t be able to take down Sylph!

-: Sylph’s level is 63.

-[Original Poster]: Argh, damn it!

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[Title: F*ck, this is ridiculous, lol]

Content: What the hell is this End of Days Wolf, lololololol

-: You ate it, didn’t you? lolololololol

-: Cough, lolololololololol

-[Original Poster]: What the hell is this useless piece of crap, lololololol

-: See? Who told you to just pick up whatever others give you?

-[Original Poster]: But you said to eat the core that drops after defeating Sylph!

-: Dude, that’s not Sylph; it’s the End of Days Wolf.

-[Original Poster]: No way, it’s the same spirit-shaped boss monster that comes after Sylph.

-[Original Poster]: Obviously, I thought the core it dropped would boost my stats too.

-: Still, you really have no clue about this game?

-[Original Poster]: ugh.

-[Original Poster]: Is there any way to restore this?

-[Original Poster]: Losing all stats by 5 is seriously infuriating.

-: Of course, you can restore them.

-[Original Poster]: How?

-: Boost the favorability of other spirits for stat enhancement.

-[Original Poster]: Alright, I’m quitting.

-: But if the End of Days Wolf hadn’t fallen to corruption, what would have happened?

Would that spirit core raise all stats by 5?

-: If high-level spirits grant single stat increases of 5, that might be the case.

-: Going by their descriptions, that could hold true.

────────────────────

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[All status ailments are removed]

[All resistances are greatly increased]

[All abilities are significantly enhanced]

[New traits acquired]

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As the Mage Tower slowly soaked in twilight.

The high priest, Barodros, along with a group of priests, arrived at Ricir’s dwelling.

To check on his health one last time.

“…Come in. Please don’t be alarmed.”

The response to the knock.

The priests’ expressions turned serious.

Could it be that something had gone wrong in the meantime?

They hurriedly opened the door and entered the room.

“…Oh, oh Lord.”

The moment the priests laid eyes on Ricir, they all placed their palms over their left chests and murmured a prayer.

 

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