Chapter 77 : Chapter 77

Chapter 77: Exchange Event (7)

“I’m sorry, but I can’t do that, Your Highness.”

I rejected the Third Prince’s offer.

It wasn’t that I wasn’t anxious.

Even Labella, who rarely used harsh words, had called the Third Prince unhinged.

Facing him directly, her words didn’t seem exaggerated.

His inorganic gaze felt as if he weren’t looking at a person.

No, even though he was looking at me, his focus seemed to be somewhere else entirely.

Only after I rejected his proposal did the Third Prince meet my eyes.

It wasn’t for long.

He glanced at me briefly, then turned and left the auction hall as if nothing had happened.

There was no second offer, no threat.

He left as if he’d lost interest.

Kretzbalt followed the Third Prince out of the auction hall.

The Third Prince had offered a staggering 500,000 pel for the Tune.

That amount wasn’t comparable to the budget of a small village like Gullok for a few years—it could rival the operational budget of a mid-sized territory.

But no matter how vast the sum, it couldn’t match the value of that Tune.

It was one of the most powerful Tunes among those possessed by Adjak, with an exceptionally high potential.

As the situation settled, the mages who had rallied around me began to disperse.

Some grumbled as if they’d gotten worked up for nothing, but I expressed my gratitude to everyone.

“Come by the Flame Tower sometime.”

“Yes, thank you. I’ll definitely visit.”

Anselm, the Flame Tower Master, left a parting word before exiting the auction hall.

The other Tower Masters also offered their farewells and left.

‘Phew, at least it ended well.’

After the mages departed, I let out a sigh of relief.

Only Labella remained by my side.

She murmured with a slight frown,“This isn’t good.”

…It seems it didn’t end as well as I thought.

Labella spoke with a hint of concern.

“The Third Prince is really unhinged.”

* * *

Leaving the auction hall wasn’t easy either.

It seemed that rumors about termination had spread widely during the auction.

Mages, obsessed with knowledge, had filled the plaza to catch a glimpse of me as I exited.

There was only one way to escape the throng of people.

“I’ll make appointments and visit each tower in turn.”

Too much had happened in a single day.

From the Exchange Event, to finding Adjak’s Tune at the auction, to the encounter with the Third Prince of the Empire.

I had received help from Anselm and other tower mages, so I would repay them.

But not today.

It wasn’t just because I was tired.

I was itching to test [Gravity Manipulation] right away.

“Ugh, you better come!”

“Yeah, come to the Thunderstrike Tower first!”

The mages still expressed their reluctance, but as I continued to decline, they had no choice but to back off.

Among the crowd was Eidon, who stared at me with wide eyes and said,

“Polarin, the Frost Tower comes first.”

“…I’ll contact you later. You worked hard today.”

“The Frost Tower first.”

“Haha, go on inside.”

There wasn’t a hint of jest in Eidon’s voice.

‘Phew, looks like I’ll have to visit the Frost Tower first.’

I decided to think about the order of visits later.

For now, I quickly moved my feet to escape the plaza.

* * *

The place I reached after fleeing was the Magic Research Department’s demonstration hall.

I could have practiced the Tune in an open field near Ostrum as usual, but today, I felt like people would follow me wherever I went.

I needed time to focus without any interruptions.

Thankfully, the mages of the Magic Research Department, having seen Termination plenty, didn’t make a fuss.

“Is this your first time here?”

“Yes, if I’d known there was such a great space, I would’ve trained here.”

The demonstration hall was located in the basement of the research department.

A large magic circle on the floor glowed faintly, and sturdy pillars at each corner of the square were densely engraved with magic circles.

The floor’s magic circle absorbed the power of magic, while the four pillars protected the hall.

This meant I could unleash high-intensity magic here without worrying about the space collapsing.

Though I knew the protections were sufficient, just to be safe, I asked Labella again,“Is it okay to use a Tune here?”

“Yes, it’s designed to withstand most impacts, not just magic, so you don’t need to worry.”

“Well, if anything happens, you’re here, Labella-nim, so it’ll be fine.”

“…What do you mean by that?”

Labella frowned slightly, realizing I was treating her like a shield, but she didn’t leave.

“Then I’ll leave it to you.”

“Alright.”

Labella was also very interested in [Gravity Manipulation].

Her favored magic was telekinesis, born from overcoming gravity, so she seemed naturally drawn to [Gravity Manipulation].

I carefully took the [Gravity Manipulation] Tune out of its box.

It looked like a glossy black gem with no sheen, surrounded by a mystical ring.

I gripped the Tune tightly.

Light flowed from my fist, and information about the Tune was imprinted in my mind.

[You have acquired the ‘Gravity Manipulation’ Tune.]

[You can use ‘Gravity Manipulation Lv.1’.]

The method of use, the targets it could affect, and its range were etched into my brain.

I decided to test the ability without hesitation.

“I’ll demonstrate it.”

I told Labella.

She sent a piece of stone floating into the air.

It wasn’t an ordinary stone.

It was a fragment of a meteorite called Etherial, extremely rare and known for absorbing magic, earning it the nickname “miracle stone” among mages.

The Etherial, almost entirely absorbing Labella’s telekinetic magic, floated in the air.

Focusing on the target, I reached out my hand.

With familiarity and a higher level, I’d eventually be able to manipulate gravity without touching, but not yet.

“I’ll start by increasing the gravity.”

As the gravity on the Etherial intensified, the stone, which had been floating under Labella’s telekinesis, plummeted straight down.

Labella quickly added a magic circle to prevent the Etherial from crashing into the ground.

“It’s heavy. The mass hasn’t changed, but the weight feels significant.”

“Can I increase the gravity further?”

“Go ahead.”

I amplified the gravitational force on the Etherial.

Labella inhaled sharply, adding more magic circles, layer upon layer.

I was only manipulating intent, but Labella had to draw additional strokes on her magic circles and infuse them with mana—a much more complex process.

So far, it was still within Labella’s ability to counter.

But I had more to give.

I could increase the gravity even further.

“Want to see how far I can go?”

This time, Labella made the suggestion first.

But was it safe?

The Etherial’s surface was already trembling.

Adding more force might shatter it.

But the Etherial was far too valuable to break in an experiment like this.

“Maximum output. Let’s do it.”

Labella was completely engrossed in testing the limits of my gravity manipulation.

She had already drawn a sizable magic circle, ready to activate with a single focal point.

I nodded and applied maximum gravity.

Boom!

Labella’s telekinetic magic couldn’t withstand the strain and shattered.

The Etherial buried itself deep into the ground, and the shock-absorbing magic circle on the floor warped out of shape.

Bang bang bang bang!

The sound of angry footsteps echoed down the stairs.

“What’s going on? The whole building’s shaking!”

Mumbel stormed into the hall, shouting irritably.

When our eyes met, both Labella and I were sprawled on the floor, carefully lifting the buried Etherial.

Fortunately, the Etherial wasn’t damaged.

But the floor of the demonstration hall was completely shattered.

Labella brushed the dust off her clothes and spoke in a tone striving for calm.

“Polarin-nim, from now on, conduct Tune experiments outside.”

* * *

A month had passed since the Exchange Event ended.

During that time, I stayed in Ostrum without taking on any missions.

The task of tracking demons for Tello, which I’d been assigned, had been on hold since my battle with Nagelmayer.

I asked Nofen what missions I should take on next, but he replied firmly,

- Honestly, Polarin-nim, your probationary period ended long ago! From now on, you need to find your own path, not just follow the missions I assign.

“I’m still lacking. I have so much to learn from you, Nofen-nim.”

- Haha, no way! You’re a full-fledged Tello agent now. Look at everything you’ve accomplished in such a short time!

“It was all possible because you showed me the way.”

- Think for yourself. What information do you want to find? What path should you take to get it? If you ponder it, the answers will come.

“Yes, Nofen-nim. Thank you for everything. I’ll keep monitoring the demons. I’ll likely need your help in the future too.”

- Haha, sure thing! If I need your help, I’ll reach out too, so let’s stay in touch.

Nofen said he’d give advice whenever I needed it and told me to contact him if I had any concerns.

‘Hah, I need to visit Gullok again sometime.’

I was starting to understand why agents rarely returned to their hometowns.

There were no more tasks for me in Ostrum as a Tello agent, but as a member of the Magic Research Department, I still had plenty to do.

I visited the magic towers, demonstrating my magic and receiving advice from their mages.

Recently, I've been working with the Flame Tower to explore ways to raise the temperature of [Flame of the Spirit] to match Black Ember.

The integration of Tunes and magic, inspired by the research department, was progressing.

In my spare time, I took on solver missions at the agency to earn merit points and continued training with [Gravity Manipulation] and my other Tunes.

After my call with Nofen, I needed to sweat to calm my restless mind.

I headed out of Ostrum.

Since destroying the research department’s demonstration hall, I’d been conducting most of my training outside.

As I made my way to my usual open field, I noticed someone following me.

It has been happening often lately.

They didn’t approach closely, but kept their distance, trailing me whenever I moved.

I quickened my pace.

Showing that I’d noticed usually made the pursuers back off.

But today was different.

I sensed three presences from a distance.

The pursuers were also speeding up, closing in on me quickly.

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