Seeing the instructor’s incredulous gaze, Lyn paused briefly, then said as if suddenly realizing, “Instructor, don’t misunderstand. I wasn’t talking about you. I meant dogs that bark wildly without their masters around.”
Hearing Lyn’s explanation, the instructor’s expression darkened further.
Just then, another voice rang out.
“Instructor, I did it.”
The tall guy, who’d been straining hard to control his magic earlier, had successfully made the sensing stone light up.
“Can I enter the tower now?”
The instructor glared coldly at him, but before he could speak, the tall guy added, “Instructor, are you really going to eat that stone?”
“Your teeth might not even crack it!”
The tall guy scratched his head.
At those words, the instructor’s face turned ashen.
Before Lyn arrived, he’d mocked this tall guy for failing to activate the sensing stone after half an hour. He’d sneered, “If you make it light up, I’ll eat this stone.”
Who’d have thought the big fellow wouldn’t slink away in shame? Instead, he kept straining here—and actually succeeded!
The instructor wanted to explode, but seeing Lyn watching him with a faint, mocking smile, his face twitched. He took a deep breath. “Go in.”
Joy lit the tall guy’s face, but he worriedly asked, “That stone… you won’t really eat it, will you?”
“Are you entering or not!?” the instructor snapped. “Whether I eat it—or how—is none of your concern!”
Stared at by the tall guy’s sincere gaze, the instructor nearly lost his composure. Worse, he felt pitied by someone he saw as a fool.
He didn’t dare vent his anger on the big guy. He knew Lyn would seize any excuse to escalate things—and Lyn indeed had that thought. Seeing the instructor hold back, Lyn sighed as if bored and walked into the Sage Tower.
Some dogs bark endlessly, but if they’re smart, they won’t bite recklessly without their masters’ command.
Dogs that bite wildly usually get beaten to death later.
Lyn was just a student, but his sister Beryl wasn’t. Favored by the Empress, she could easily send someone to kill a minor instructor like him—even from inside the tower.
The instructor might be foolish, but he understood this logic.
Humiliated instead of gaining the upper hand, he watched the two disappear with a dark frown.
Inside the tower, the tall guy found Lyn and sincerely said, “Thank you.”
Lyn glanced at him in surprise. This guy didn’t seem as dumb as he acted?
“You don’t owe me thanks. That instructor was aiming at you but really wanted to insult me. I was just hitting back,” Lyn explained, eyeing the guy’s honest face. But doubt crept in—was his judgment off?
“What does ‘aiming at you but wanting to insult me’ mean?” The tall guy blinked, utterly confused.
Lyn paused. “…Roughly, he targeted you to provoke you into insulting me. Don’t thank me—I can insult him freely, but if you side with me, he’ll hold a grudge. He can’t touch me, but he’ll sabotage you behind the scenes.”
“And don’t you even know who I am?” Lyn added, glancing at him again. He hadn’t expected anyone to approach him willingly with his reputation. Few in the academy dared associate with him—they’d likely be ostracized.
He noticed the guy wasn’t nobly dressed. His uniform looked ill-fitting and worn thin from washing.
“Did you say your name earlier?” the tall guy asked anxiously. “Sorry, I’m too dumb—I probably forgot. I’m A Dui. My sister named me that ’cause I look silly.”
“I don’t get all that, but I know you’re good. So I thank you.” A Dui grinned honestly, flashing bright white teeth.
Lyn was already stunned by his thought process—and the name nearly made him laugh. But seeing that earnest face, he found it amusing, not mocking. “I’m Lyn. If that instructor troubles you and you can’t handle it, find me.” He didn’t want this silly guy dragged into his mess.
“Lyn—I’ll remember it. Next time, I’ll bring fruits from my family’s farm,” A Dui said earnestly.
Lyn nodded dismissively and walked deeper into the tower. It was just a chance encounter. Getting the Meditation Technique mattered most.
The Sage Tower’s hall was a vast circular plaza. Stone doors lined every wall. No stairs existed—the only way to the book-filled rooms was through these stone chambers.
Lyn entered one at random. The heavy door rumbled shut behind him. Dim light filled the cramped space.
No decorations adorned the chamber. Only a display stand stood in the center, holding a stone book. Its open page was completely blank.
Lyn knew the tower’s rules: activate the stone book with magic, memorize the runes that appeared, and engrave them back within a short time. The engraving’s completeness would trigger teleportation to different levels.
The process sounded simple, but Lyn sensed hidden tricks. Otherwise, anyone could spend time copying runes—yet only prodigies ever reached the highest levels.
After channeling magic into the book, seven ancient, pictorial runes glowed on its surface.
The moment Lyn saw them, his blood pulsed with inexplicable longing.
The feeling vanished quickly. He focused, trying to memorize the runes.
A minute later, as their glow faded, Lyn was shocked to find his mind utterly blank—as if he’d seen nothing at all.
He couldn’t remember a single rune.
