The first thing I did after returning was renovate the tower.
Dust rolled around, and cobwebs fluttered in the wind.
The tower, in its current state, looked like a ruin that hadn’t been cared for in a long time.
Before the classes started, I needed to tidy up this grim scene.
The first thing I focused on was the most urgent part: the tower’s exterior.
It was quite difficult to handle.
The powerful magic flowing through the tower formed a magical field that suppressed any surrounding magic.
This made it impossible to clean with magic.
The magic field was so strong that it prevented even flying.
Only someone like the professor could possibly overcome this barrier.
So, I created a specialized puppet designed to climb the tower’s exterior.
I was inspired by the cobwebs clinging to the walls.
The eight legs, modeled after those of a spider, moved, with their sharp claws gripping the tower as they worked.
The puppets wiped away the dust with rags and mops attached to their bodies.
The dust had built up so thickly that it had hardened into a solid layer.
The puppets moved delicately, peeling away each layer of dust, cracking through the accumulated traces of time.
After carefully cleaning the tower, I couldn’t help but be surprised.
All this time, I had thought the tower was a dull gray.
But it turned out that the color was simply a layer of dust and cobwebs mixed with the grime from the rain and wind.
As the puppets diligently wiped and scrubbed, the layers broke off, revealing the true form of the tower.
It was a pure white wall, glowing with a soft, milky light.
“Right, this is what it was like,” the professor commented upon seeing it.
‘How could I have forgotten something like that?’ Still, the professor seemed to be quite pleased with the color.
She, who rarely stepped outside her room before, started taking walks around the tower.
***
A week had passed, just spent creating puppets and cleaning the tower’s exterior.
The tower was massive, and the dust wall was so thick that it took longer than I expected.
Still, it was a rewarding task.
‘So, what should I do next?’ As I pondered, I noticed the overgrown trees and bushes around the tower.
Most magicians don’t pay much attention to things like flying, ‘but wouldn’t it be better if the place looked more presentable than this?’
With that thought, I decided to renovate the broken and twisted paths around the tower.
I leveled the ground and paved it with stones of a consistent size.
Now, anyone could walk on it.
And perhaps it would be a good idea to create a garden around the tower.
I used the boundaries of the monster’s territory I had roughly mapped out earlier to clear the area.
There were many monsters living halfway up the mountain, but near the top, where the tower was located, no creatures dared approach, so this was possible.
With simple growth magic, trees and flowers grew along the path.
They absorbed the mountain’s powerful magic and thrived.
Since I had guided them to absorb only the mountain’s magic, my own power wasn’t much needed.
The trees and leaves glowed with a vibrant green light from the magic they absorbed, and the flowers blossomed with brilliant colors.
These plants were grown quickly using magic, so they had no value as materials, but they looked magnificent in terms of appearance.
All of this growth was carefully directed by the magic I wielded, creating an orderly and natural arrangement.
The plants bloomed beautifully within the framework I had subtly orchestrated.
The trees stood at regular intervals, casting shade over the stone path, and the flowers that bloomed between them swayed like a wave in the wind.
Standing on the path, I took a deep breath.
The fragrance of the flowers, the scent of the trees, and the earthy smell of the ground—each of these blended together in harmony, with the magic enhancing the fragrance.
I had made it quickly, but I was quite satisfied with the garden.
It was a simple yet beautiful design that could offer a subtle sense of satisfaction to anyone who visited.
As I wandered through it, a magician flew toward the tower.
He noticed me and gently landed in the garden.
He carefully grabbed the turtle-shaped object hanging from his chest.
“Greetings. Are you perhaps Evron?” he asked.
“Yes. What is it?” I replied.
He reached into the small bag he carried and pulled out a letter, handing it to me.
“This is a letter from the Arcana General Association. If you are the recipient, please sign with your magic in this area,” he said.
He pointed to a small section of thin metal coating on the left side of the letter.
The Arcana General Association… it seemed that the owner of the place we had traded with had been decided.
Following his guidance, I signed my name on the marked area, and the thin metal absorbed my magic and shattered.
“This was Adelrin, from the Speedy and Safe Delivery Service. If you need any deliveries, feel free to request them,” he said, bowing before quickly rising into the air and darting away.
I watched his figure disappear into the distance, still in a daze.
His speed was incredible.
Based on his level, he must have been a powerful magician—strong enough to create complete trees, I’d say.
‘So, they make requests for deliveries in such a manner in the upper circles of the city?’
I learned something new.
I looked down at the letter in my hands.
I had almost forgotten about it while caught up in the tower’s renovation, but now the deadline for course registration was almost over.
I tore open the letter and checked its contents.
Two names were written there, and as soon as I saw them, I let out a low sound.
One was an unfamiliar name, but the other was all too familiar.
Hwaryoung.
Ah, so that’s why I kept running into him.
I scratched my head.
Now that I thought about it, it seemed quite likely that he was taking the position.
The woman who bought this place for me—her name was Hwaryoung, if I remember correctly.
She seemed to belong to the same family as Hong Ryeong.
Their magic and atmosphere were so alike.
It was only natural for a family member to support him.
Even in the university, bloodlines held a great deal of power.
Other families or groups must be doing the same, pulling each other up.
For someone like me, an outsider, it was something I couldn’t even imagine.
But, of course, I had the professor.
Even though I had to go through a lot of hardships, I ended up here in the tower.
It could be called fate.
There would be more struggles ahead, no doubt.
I tucked the letter into my coat.
Until the professor calls for me, I had to remain still.
Given her dislike for tedious tasks, it was clear she would call me to sort out the students soon.
There was no need for me to move until then.
‘Well, maybe I should work on decorating the tower some more.’
The exterior was about done.
Now, it was time to tidy up the inside.
Though I had been cleaning continuously before, the tower was still nearly empty since I hadn’t had time to furnish it properly.
Anyway, the areas where students would mostly be were the first and second floors.
If I focused on those, it should be fine.
***
I didn’t know what the previous layout had been, so I quickly started redesigning the first floor.
I didn’t touch the hallways or the central hall; I only placed a few chairs in the middle for resting.
The most important part was making each room distinct.
I planned for the first floor to be a resting area and a place to meet.
That meant I had to make each room as comfortable and welcoming as possible, giving it my all in furnishing everyone.
First, I needed to create the central room.
‘What form should I come up with?’ First, there had to be windows.
I demolished the tiny window that was there before and cut a large arch-shaped one.
The sunlight pouring in through it gently spread across the floor, warming the once cold space and enveloping it in a cozy embrace.
These windows lined the walls, brightly illuminating the room.
To prevent the sunlight from being too harsh, I laid a thick rug made from monster leather on the floor.
It was freshly made, so the fur was still stiff, but that only made it absorb the sunlight more powerfully.
In the center of the room, I placed a large circular table.
Magic lanterns hung from the ceiling, shining like stars and emitting a soft magical aura.
One wall featured a large fireplace, blazing with a fierce fire.
This pure flame, powered only by the tower’s magic, scattered strong magical energy throughout the room, creating a warm flow of air.
But even with all this, the space still seemed lacking.
So, I placed several large sofas around the room.
With the lack of materials, time, and magic, this was about the best I could manage.
To hide these flaws, I placed dolls around the room.
These dolls, created purely for hospitality, were minor copies of the housekeeper doll that served the professor.
If they managed to capture attention, the awkwardness of the room would be reduced.
It was the best I could do for now.
This layout would serve as the foundation for each room.
It wouldn’t simply be copied and pasted.
Each room would need to be rearranged to fit its own atmosphere, its own distinctive charm.
***
A week passed while I worked on decorating the rooms.
Having finished the first floor, I was taking a break when a soul approached and settled on my shoulder.
I almost screamed at the sight.
A bizarre, preserved ghost, melting and crawling on my shoulder—that was what I saw.
I quickly threw it off.
I glared at the squirming creature on the floor.
Its unusual appearance—it looked familiar
It had to be one of the creatures that slipped out of the professor’s doorbell.
If that’s the case, then the professor must be calling me.
I picked it up with my finger and headed for the stair.
I pressed the topmost button out of the ten on the staircase, and as I ascended, the professor’s room came into view.
This was the professor’s restoration of the tower’s function.
Pressing the button and climbing the stairs would take you to the desired floor—an incredibly useful feature.
I had been so anxious passing by the professor’s treasure room, so I was thankful not to have to go near it anymore.
The professor was lying on the bed, staring at a large mirror floating in mid-air.
I carefully approached her.
The mirror reflected the sixth floor, and the professor was using her magic to carve intricate magic circles into the air.
“Did you call for me?” I asked.
“You’re here. Take a look at this,” she said.
She opened a rift in the air and paper spilled out, cascading down like a waterfall, continuing until it piled up higher than her bed.
I picked up one of the papers that had flown to my feet and examined it.
The name of an unknown mage was written on it.
It seemed like someone who had applied for the professor’s class.
“They sent it by magic. You sort it out.”
I had expected it, but still, I didn’t anticipate hearing those words.
‘The stack of papers was enormous.’
‘How many people had applied?’ I couldn’t even begin to guess.
I nodded with a smile on my face.
“Understood. Is there a particular type of mage you’re looking for?”
The professor thought for a moment and then shook her head.
That was her way of telling me to handle it.
I gathered the mountain of papers using magic and stored them all in a spatial pouch.
Even getting them in took quite a while.
‘How long would it take to go through all of this?’
“I’ll select two hundred and present the list to you,” I said.
“Okay,” the professor replied, still absorbed in the mirror.
***
I bowed respectfully and left the room.
She remained silent, her focus completely on the magic.
I descended the stairs to the second floor.
The first floor was more or less set up, and it was time to start on the second floor.
The lecture would be soon, and I had to finish everything by then.
I arrived in the central hall and dumped the contents of my pouch onto a large table.
A mountain of papers spilled out.
As the papers stacked up, I instructed the dolls to start decorating the second floor, similar to the first. Actually, there wasn’t much for me to do here.
Since the professor had already fixed the magical enchantments on the rooms, I only had to bring in a few pieces of furniture to match each room’s atmosphere.
The dolls began to move.
I watched them for a while before turning my attention back to the papers.
They were still pouring out from the pouch.
Right, I need to select two hundred from all these.
I had to move quickly.
I rolled up my sleeves and started reading each document, one by one.
Each document contained the name, enrollment year, and current floor of the applicant.
The first paper I picked up had the name “Cassian” on it.
Enrolled in the year 7453 of Lumina, so one year ahead of me.
He was already on the second floor.
It usually took around five years to rise from the first to the second floor, so he was quite a talented individual.
I set this one aside for now.
I continued reading the papers, one after the other.
I couldn’t afford to skip even one.
These documents contained valuable information.
If I were to buy this information with points, it would be worth thousands.
Names represented identities.
As I went through the documents, I noticed many applicants with similar names.
Their enrollment years and current floors were also similar, indicating they were probably from the same family or organization.
These were people I had to eliminate.
If they all came in a group, our treasure hunt would be thrown off track.
I thought I’d pick only one from each group.
I would encounter many more situations like this.
I also paid attention to other details.
For me, the more recent the enrollment year, the better, and the lower the floor, the better.
Those who enrolled recently but were already on higher floors were set aside.
Cassian, the senior I had come across earlier, was the same.
These individuals were too talented.
They might unexpectedly steal the treasure.
Such people would require intense monitoring.
After sorting through all the documents, I finally selected the two hundred applicants.
It took two days and nights of concentrated effort.
In the end, about half of them had shaky resumes.
They were people who had recently risen to the second floor or were still stuck on the first floor but had shorter enrollment years.
They were likely to fail to get past the professor’s traps.
I would have preferred to fill the entire list with these people, but doing so would make our intentions too obvious.
I had to include some talented individuals to avoid suspicion.
At the same time, I made sure that these talented individuals wouldn’t be able to cooperate, selecting ones who wouldn’t likely recognize each other.
With the final list of two hundred ready, I took it to the professor.
The papers disappeared into the cracks of space, and the rest of the papers were neatly organized and stored in a corner of the fifth-floor dormitory, in case they were needed in the future.
***
And then time passed.
The day of the lecture was approaching.
It would take place exactly one month after the course registration ended.