26 – Party (7)
There may be many factors that contribute to the downfall of a gallery, but I know very well which one is the most fatal.
It’s the camaraderie among the users, or in other words, the clique.
While I tend to be lenient when it comes to nicknames and sniper attacks in running the gallery, I generally prefer anonymity.
If I see cliques forming or individuals trying to cross the line to the point where it bothers other people, I would discreetly intervene using a secondary account and sow discord among the members to the extent that they would permanently block each other.
I absolutely cannot stand seeing them giggling among themselves without including me.
It was a brilliant move to hold the gallery against those who thought the Location Note was a dating app for insiders.
“There was no mana movement that the spirits could detect.”
“And it wasn’t even a ghost island…”
“We’re the only ones around here. If we’re treating something outside my detection range, it must be at least five floors above.”
That thought still held true, and I wanted to avoid getting too close to the Paddocks and becoming overly friendly.
No need to ask for their names, where they live, or their schools of thought.
They say that worthless people are happy just by looking at each other’s faces, but when I saw their faces, I had enough pride as a judge to throw it away and perform a bow right then and there.
“You all seem to get along well. I haven’t even heard your introductions yet.”
“……!!”
At my words, the three people who had been whispering fell silent at the same time.
Then, they cautiously placed their Location Notes on the table.
Now I could check their IDs.
The women who took the form of a wolf, a deer, and an owl were respectively named Lightning Brain Thunder Emperor, Blessings to You, and Hoot Hoot Hoot.
“I, I am Kaleidos of…”
“Brain Cell.”
“What, what did you say?”
I immediately cut off the words of the first person, Lightning Brain Thunder Emperor, who was about to introduce herself.
It was too long and unnecessary.
In reality, even if we met, we would only be awkwardly avoiding each other in the cafeteria, as if we wanted to dock but were just 10 floors apart.
I moved on right away.
“Brain cell, what about the one next to it?”
“I am Cecily…”
From Noble mtl dot com
“Bless you.”
“Th-thank you….”
Even so, “May blessings be upon you,” who seemed to have some sense, immediately agreed.
There was no need to introduce the last concept warrior.
“And even the owl. Thank you for coming all the way here.”
“No way! I’m Chi-“
“Owl.”
“Why, why?”
“Bang!”
“…What?”
“You should call yourself Owl.”
The frozen owl rolled its eyes with a whimper.
It seemed to be contemplating whether it was the concept in the gallery or its own self in reality.
At first, it was the most hostile towards me among the three, but after Marie fell asleep, it seemed somewhat disheartened.
I looked at her intently and asked.
“Do you dislike it?”
“Kuk…O-Owl.”
After hesitating for a while, she finally raised her white flag.
The owls couldn’t hide their surprise as they watched the trembling owl obey my words.
“Wow, I never expected to see Lyn… an owl bowing its head like that.”
“For a spirit like me, acknowledging a hierarchical relationship with someone who hasn’t even made a contract is absurd.”
Was the owl part of the spirit faction? Anyway, they must have all introduced themselves, so the introductions were over.
I decided to move on to the main topic, which was the main purpose of this gathering.
“We will continue to hold such gatherings in the future, but there is only one reason why I called you all here today.”
I didn’t plan on bringing up anything from our current lives, but I wanted to address this one thing.
I pointed to the location notes on the table and asked, “I know you’re all busy, but don’t you have any plans to pay more attention to this?”
Why don’t you guys manage the forum?
*
Claudia Anescott, the elder of the Kaledos faction and a former Seven Sage.
Claudia, who was currently conquering the 117th floor, which could be considered the top floor of magic tower, followed Judak’s gaze with her eyes.
Despite being nicknamed “Brainless,” she had experience with demons as well.
The dusty fragments that emerged were originally the gate to the realm that summoned the dead.
Judak’s intention to present it as a table to them was clear.
“It seems you didn’t even know that demons have entered magic tower.”
Initially, both the owl and the badger expressed doubts and affirmations about whether Judak, who no one knew the identity of, was truly the owner of the tower.
Only Claudia had expressed reservations, but now her question confirmed it.
Judak was asking.
Why are you allowing these demons to settle in ‘my matap’?
“I’ll take care of it.”
“Don’t just say it, do something about it.”
“Implement it as soon as you leave this place. I promise on my name.”
“Are you going to create another sub-account?”
To think that she, who had stepped down from her position as a Seven Sages due to the pathetic matap administration and those beneath her, would receive criticism.
Even if she had to pause her ascent for a moment, she was determined to thoroughly investigate the mastermind behind this incident.
When Claudia decided on the route, a person who had initially thought to occupy the top seat from the beginning stood up with a pleased expression.
“That’s right! Actually, I’ve been a bit careless up until now. I’m planning to temporarily halt the expedition and focus on defense!”
Congratulations, Cecilia Page.
With a warm smile, she quietly moved to the opposite side of Mariel, only to be stopped by Judek’s prohibition.
“If there’s an urgent matter, it’s fine to leave for a moment. And Cecilia, can you step back a bit?”
“W-Why, don’t you like me, Administrator?”
“You’re making a fuss because of your horns. Go and take a seat.”
“….”
It was because of the curse that her appearance had changed, and it happened to be that of a deer.
Although it wouldn’t be difficult to undo it, she hesitated, wondering if it would disturb Judek’s state of mind, and wandered around aimlessly.
To think that even the Holy Maiden of the Empire would be struggling to solve the labyrinth’s fog, seeking help from the sacred scholars.
Startled by Judek’s words calling her, the Seven Sage of the Elemental School, Lynge Stribling, let out a small laugh.
Me? Suddenly?
In front of the three wizards who had reached the edge of the magic circle, there was an absolute presence without any hesitation and a mysterious magical power.
She couldn’t bring herself to oppose his words, despite her ambivalence about those two things, and she got up.
As she cautiously approached, Judak’s hand reached up above her head.
At that moment, all the spirits that had permeated her body began to scream as if they had been electrocuted.
Spirits are more sensitive to the death of life than anyone else.
The more blood they have on their hands, or the more they are tainted by the outside world, the more difficult it is to make a contract.
That’s why the spirit faction had the strongest influence among all the factions in the Tower, especially the pure-blooded families.
Because they carefully raised wizards who hadn’t been touched by the world from the cradle.
“In old movies, they always had one of these animals next to them when they received a letter.”
When his hand came down from his ear and stroked her neck, she couldn’t help but tremble.
When the spirits all hid inside the pattern at once, Linji felt as if her shoes had been taken off.
“You will continue to be by my side.”
She no longer had the thought that Judak wouldn’t be the Topjoo anymore.
No, she’d rather believe he was the Topjoo.
“Hoo, hoo…!”
Even the Grand Dukes of the spirit realm, representing the six attributes, were tense and holding their breath facing the opponent.
She didn’t want to think about what kind of creature he had killed.
*
Although the preparations were somewhat inadequate, the first banquet ended successfully.
In contrast to their appearance in the gallery, filled with brain-dead vending machines, mask-wearing maniacs, and concept enthusiasts, they turned out to be pleasant individuals with whom I could communicate well.
A good first impression often leads to a desire to continue seeing someone.
Knowing that they must be tired from spending so much time in the labyrinth, I bid them farewell, suggesting that we meet again next time.
After the two left, as I was about to carry Mariel and head towards the exit, Braindead interrupted me and asked, “Hey.”
“Yeah?”
“What does the gallery mean to you?”
It was a serious question from this guy, unlike the other two, so I felt bad about brushing it off casually.
Currently, the gallery, engraved in my location note, was a kind of status window that I obtained in my previous life.
Before entering the Tower, I used it to communicate with my adventurer companions.
The reason why I had accumulated 9 billion points was probably because of that.
Even I couldn’t accumulate that much in just five years.
“It’s the most precious thing to me.”
“I see.”
Having heard my answer, Braindead pondered for a moment and then asked something different.
“What about the Tower?”
“….”
Today marked the third day since I entered the Demigod Dungeon.
On the first day, I couldn’t distinguish between humans and monsters, and from the second day, I started hearing hallucinations.
Soon, my vision would go blind, and even though I had Freyna’s doll, it would be as if darkness had descended upon the world.
Even now, when I look up at the ceiling without light, a beloved voice would echo in my ears.
“The Lord has ascended. It means that the torches that protect the adventurers have gone out.”
“We must usher in a new era. Although there are no longer any individuals qualified as masters on the continent, we still have to do it.”
“I’m sorry, Clark.”
“I’m sorry for burdening you with such a harsh responsibility.”
‘Gunshot’ could only be used as a means of communication through writing, so this was all ‘Flash’s’ doing.
Right after I stabbed the spear into the heart of the dragon. It was what the magician I loved the most said to me.
At that time, I was a novice in magic and didn’t understand difficult words, but I knew exactly where I should go after leaving her.
“It’s everything to me.”
If I keep holding the spear like this, it points beyond the dark ceiling.
It was the top of a massive tower that was erected hundreds of years ago, as if out of nowhere.