Make Dark Fantasy Great Again

Chapter 59: The Talk of the Tower (2)

Risir knew little about the Gray Tower. He wasn’t sure which elementals resided here, nor did he have a clear understanding of the types of mages who called it home.

Are they talking about me?

He could still vaguely sense that the ‘Mr. X’ and ‘Mr. Y’ Enna and Rassiel spoke of—the master of the mysterious elemental and the impressive 5th-rank young mage—were, in fact, none other than himself.

He wasn’t about to be all arrogant and go, “The only one impressive enough to be that person here is me, Risir, the man destined to become the greatest bastard in history.”

It was simply a matter of context and flow.

-Don’t seduce those two people.

Risir remembered Meltas’ cryptic words before the investigation started. He had taken them as recognition of his undeniable charm, but it turned out they meant, “Don’t reveal yourself,” for a situation like this.

So Risir kept quiet. Even if Meltas hadn’t said anything, it wouldn’t have been much different.

Here I am, the MAN you’ve been desperately searching for!

Oh yeah! I’m the very Mr. X and Mr. Y you’ve been completely ignoring until now!

So whatcha gonna do now?!

Risir wasn’t bold enough to enjoy creating such a provocative scene, especially when the other party wielded far more power and status than he did.

Above all, he felt an aversion toward those two.

Enna, the master from the Blue Tower, exuded a coldness that seemed to announce, “I am someone steeped in ice magic.” And Rassiel, the Green Tower master, carried an elven aura that seemed to advertise, “I am an elf.”

Did he even need to investigate them? Speaking with those two would be an investigation and interrogation all on its own.

But of course! Objectively speaking, it was an opportunity not to be missed. The interest of tower masters was no small matter. For anyone not a master of equal standing, it was an opportunity to be welcomed.

If any other students of the Gray Tower had found themselves in Risir’s position, they likely would have went, “I plan to stay here at the Gray Tower for life, but I’ll hear you out first.”

Nevertheless, Risir decided to decline their interest. Through his experiences, he had come to understand how conservative and exclusive tower mages could be.

Given his current state—where they wouldn’t even believe he was a 4th rank mage—revealing himself would undoubtedly lead to a repeat of that encounter with Gerhen.

What’s your family name again? What school did you attend? Who was your master? And you’re claiming to have such outstanding talents?

Gaaargh!

“Ah, what nice weather. Looks like it might rain.”

He had only just earned a ‘likeable’ level of favor with the Gray Tower. It wouldn’t be too late to build rapport with the other towers later.

With this in mind, Risir naturally played the fool.

Meltas, vaguely sensing his intent, smiled wryly to himself before speaking to Master Enna.

“Master Enna, I apologize for saying this after you’ve come such a long way to our tower, but I’m afraid I won’t be able to fulfill your request. The person in question is currently reluctant to meet with outsiders.”

“Even if that outsider is a master of the Blue Tower?”

Tower mages held an absolute pride in their affiliation, which often led to a sense of disdain toward outside mages. And in this context, outside mages referred to everyone except our own tower members.

In other words, mages from other towers were also viewed with contempt.

Enna’s behavior seemed to suggest, “This person interacts with your Gray Tower, yet would they refuse to meet with me, a master of the Blue Tower?”

The corner of her mouth subtly lifted, exuding a quiet, assertive confidence.

In reality, the Blue Tower held more influence in the world than the Gray Tower, largely due to Blue mages being more actively involved in external affairs.

While the Gray Tower was known for its academic strength, the Blue Tower was recognized for its more profit-driven, pragmatic approach.

Normally, Meltas would have taken the bait from Enna’s provocation, even knowing that it didn’t necessarily indicate superiority in magic or as a group. After all, even the Gray mages, who valued magic and knowledge above all, couldn’t be indifferent to social status completely.

But not this time.

“Yes. Even if that outsider is a master of the Blue Tower.”

Meltas spoke with satisfaction, recalling Risir’s earlier silence.

The two of them reached a stalemate, exchanging strange glances.

Then, Rassiel casually stepped in.

“That’s enough. Now, I’d like an answer to my question.”

He spoke as though the petty squabbles of humans were of no concern to him.

“...”

“...”

He carried himself with that typically haughty elven demeanor, a step above the arrogance of the tower mages.

The tension between the other two quickly dissolved.

“The person in question will think differently. Do not be stubborn and just deliver my message.”

With that, Enna left. Meanwhile, Rassiel gave Meltas another urging glance.

Meltas responded with a weary face.

“Is the mysterious elemental you’re referring to the blue wolf that’s been hanging around the Alchemy Wing?”

“Correct.”

“Then, I suggest you inquire with Master Didoa. That child Feryn listens to her quite well.”

Before Meltas even finished speaking, Rassiel had already turned his back and started moving.

And so, only Meltas and Risir remained at the scene.

Risir began speaking with a mirthless laugh.

“I guess tower mages don’t get along that well with each other?”

“As you’ve seen, each tower has distinct personalities and tendencies, so getting along harmoniously is quite challenging. Now then...”

Meltas paused before changing the topic.

“First, I want to express my gratitude on behalf of the tower for your cooperation with the investigation, despite the uncomfortable circumstances.”

“Oh, it’s nothing to mention between us, really.”

“...I earnestly request that you refrain from using such language in front of other masters. They might lose their heads.”

“...You sound like a guide giving precautions for a danger zone.”

“...Anyhow, it seems I’ve already bothered you enough, so I shouldn’t drag this out any longer. Let me get to the final point quickly.

Risir. As I’ve already mentioned, our tower wishes to appoint you as an honorary mage. What do you think about this?”

There was nothing to think about. The position of honorary mage was one that enjoyed maximum rights with minimum obligations.

For Risir, who felt he would die from the effort of fulfilling the duties of an official mage, this was the best possible position, a clear upgrade from the Supporter position he had originally hoped for.

“I think it’s exciting.”

“That’s an unexpected answer in a different sense. Well, I’ll take it as a positive response. The appointment ceremony will be prepared surprisingly quickly, so it would be good to prepare yourself mentally.”

Meltas offered a handshake before continuing.

“Risir. It’s an honor to have you become a member of our tower.”

“I’m honored that you consider it an honor.”

They shook hands and burst into laughter together.

***Back in my quarters, I was reviewing my future plans.

My previous goal of settling in Bondalles was now literally just a matter of time, given that my position as an honorary mage of the tower was confirmed.

Now my goal had entered a new phase.

With rights comes corresponding responsibilities. The position I earned from the tower was rooted in my magical abilities, yet I was suffering mana overflux...

To preserve my position and continue advancing, I needed to regain my magical power and growth rate as quickly as possible.

At the moment, they were all saying, “Oh, dearest Risir, you can do whatever you like,” because I had shown some promise. But what would happen if this went for a month or even a year?

It wouldn’t take long for dearest Risir to become nothing more than a stranger.

What I needed was to fully overcome the overflux and restore the foundation of my magic—essentially, to strengthen my body enough to support it.

Fortunately, I already had a solution prepared.

“Hah...”

I took a deep breath, recalling the moment when I had managed the sudden surge in magical power through Blue Breath.

I then assessed my body. Most of the increased magical power from that time had been absorbed, despite the injuries caused by the overflux and the fact that Blue Breath had only been a hasty temporary solution at the time.

So, what if I used the same technique, but this time with my injuries fully healed and Blue Breath already mastered?

“I can do it.”

I was confident I could perfectly control the rapid growth of magical power that would come after normalization.

With that, I reached one conclusion: I had to use my power as much as possible.

I didn’t know how much I needed to strengthen my physical abilities, nor could I predict how far my magical power would grow. So, I had to train my body to its absolute limit—beyond just enough, all the way to excess.

I set that excess to match the level of my magic. If my magic reached level 5, I would raise my martial arts to level 5 as well. Like a dual-class, if you will.

This approach would be far more inefficient than what Fienne and the others had feared. It would be a dual class in name only, the kind modern gamers would consider a trash build.

Splitting focus between two primary stats? May as well look for the ‘delete character’ button.

But since this was about my own survival, I was willing to embrace that inefficiency.

I mean, I was technically a mage, but I’d croak unless I raised my strength. So what I needed was as much normalization as possible.

Based on my experiences so far, growth in magical power always followed normalization. But there was one thing that bothered me: the case with Gerhen.

What puzzled me was that I hadn’t used the power of normalization when dealing with Gerhen. It seemed unlikely that normalization had taken place without my awareness.

After all, I hadn’t sensed any of that anomalous energy from him. Gerhen had become the son of a bitch he was purely through his own efforts, without relying on black magic.

So perhaps...normalization didn’t just apply to the ‘purification of anomalous energy’. What if it could also extend to the normalization of villains?

That was the conclusion I came to in my own way: the normalization of both anomalous energy and villains. The two concepts aligned in that they removed any factors that negatively impacted the surroundings.

And looking back, this applied to all the normalizations I had experienced so far.

Fienne, who had sought to make subordinates out of an entire noble house, took on the constraint of refraining from mind-controlling innocent people.

The desire demon, who had been manipulating others, was reduced to an ordinary human.

Tulan and the maid black mage, whose original plans had been thwarted, were now nothing more than prisoners A and B.

As I realized this, I nodded to myself, my thoughts falling into place. My future direction was becoming clear. I had to actively seek out targets for normalization, using my position as an honorary mage.

The first thing that came to mind with this newfound enthusiasm was none other than the bead Feryn had given (spat out for) me.

I rummaged through my neatly arranged belongings in the corner.

“Found it.”

It was a bead so clear it was almost transparent, like a bubble of air.

-Keh! Keh! Keh!

I suddenly recalled the wolf hacking it up like a saliva-soaked hairball.

“Hm...”

To be honest, I didn’t have high expectations. If anyone felt excited about something produced through that process, well, they’d be someone to watch out for.

Well, at least it came from the mouth. And since she went to the trouble of making it...

I took a deep breath and swallowed the bead in one gulp. Then, settling on the edge of the bed, I closed my eyes.

I focused all my senses inward, bracing for any changes that might come from ingesting it.

“...Huh?”

My eyes flew open as I hastily glanced down at myself.

“W-what the...?”

I was glowing. And it wasn’t just a faint shimmer—it was actual, full-blown luminescence. The kind that would make adventurers lost in dark dungeons sigh and say, “Damn, if only Risir were here...”

“...!”

I quickly shut my eyes again.

Something unusual was happening inside me.

***

[Title : bruh I couldn’t believe my fcking eyes lol]

Post : Is this really an elemental core?

It raises three whole stats? Lololololol

This is practically like leveling up three times lol

Now I get why they say to start stat farming when you hit a level cap