Episode 11: Korean Magic Tower Federation

The Foundation on the first floor was unmistakably vast and enormous—large enough to swallow an entire city whole.

"It's going to be hard to hide."

At Monika's words, Yuri stared blankly at the immense sea.

"Right~ Is this even a possible scale~? How much Ether does this thing use? This is easily thirty-floor territory."

She looked uneasy and started tapping away at her handheld calculator.

"Haah~ At this scale, the observatories will have already detected it."

"Yeah, it might have sent ripples through the Abyss's wave patterns."

"So what do we do…"

The two of them were frowning and fretting, so I spoke up as if it were nothing.

"What is the matter, pray tell."

"Kid, we're worried that a Foundation this big is going to draw a lot of unwanted attention."

"I do not mind! I shall become a star, I shall!"

My words made Monika and Yuri exchange troubled looks.

"That's~ not actually as great as it sounds~"

Yuri grinned, showing off her pointed teeth.

"People following you around every single day, all sorts of strange folks shoving their opinions in your face like they have any right to~ and the whole country watching you like you're their personal entertainment~ You'd basically become the perfect thing to chew on over drinks~"

The specificity of that description made me furrow my brow.

"…Hm. Would it truly come to that, I wonder."

"There's always Lee Se-ra~"

Only then did I find myself nodding at this very practical example.

"That I would not want, I would not. Better to keep it hidden, it is."

"See, our little one is sharp, so she catches on fast. Fame is a double-edged sword."

"You might have to separate from Monika, you know~?"

At Yuri's words, Monika's eyes went wide.

"Wait, really?"

"Nay! That is a lie, it is!"

As I jumped up in protest, Yuri flicked her tail cheerfully.

"Think about it—Monika is American, when all's said and done."

For a moment, I pictured a plaza with both the Taegukgi and the Stars and Stripes fluttering in the wind.

"Ah…. What a headache, this is."

"The Magic Tower Federation might be fine, but the government and the Mage Association will never let it go~ They're very sensitive about nationality~"

Then the answer was simple.

"For now, I must hide it for as long as I am able, I must."

"So you'll be a hidden powerhouse, huh."

"Kim Sun-jin? Is that a person's name, it is?"

Yuri burst out laughing at my words.

"Ahaha. A community addict and an old soul in a kid's body—now that's a funny combination?"

"Hey. Who are you calling a community addict!"

"And who are you calling an old soul, I ask!"

"Alright, alright~ So how are you going to hide it, anyway."

"Well…"

Monika couldn't come up with an answer, so I gave a small snort and waggled my tiny finger.

"If we want to hide it, would it not be simplest to go straight to the very top, I ask."

"The top?"

"The head of the Magic Tower Federation."

Yuri's jaw dropped at my words.

"Whaaat? That makes no sense! Ugh~ How are you supposed to just meet the Federation President, that impossibly haughty woman~"

"I'm here, aren't I."

At Monika's words, Yuri blinked a few times, then slowly closed her gaping mouth.

"A 7-level mage… that might actually work~?"

"That is what I thought as well, it is."

"Still, there's no stopping information from leaking out bit by bit."

I smirked at Monika's concern.

"A needle in a sack."

"Needle in a… sack? What does a sack have to do with anything?"

I frowned at Monika's response.

"A needle in a sack will poke through! It means that one who is truly gifted cannot be hidden forever! Honestly."

"Oh, the kid's speech slipped."

"It did not! —I mean, it did not, it did not!"

"Ahahaha. Do you two play like this every day~? Let me join your training sessions sometime, ahahaha~"

I tossed the dagger into the air and watched it vanish, then spoke.

"In any case, I only need to hide it for a few years, I do. I intend to enter the Junior League at the youngest age on record, I do."

"I see…"

Monika thought for a moment, then fidgeted with her fingers.

"Well, our little one is a genius, after all…? A few more years of grinding and she'll have no equal in the Junior League."

"Oh come on~ There's Lee Se-ra~"

At Yuri's words, Monika and I spoke at the same time.

"I can beat her, I can."

"She'll win."

Yuri stared at us both like we'd lost our minds.

"The overconfidence is something else~ Lee Se-ra has been dominating the Junior League since she was five~ There are even rumors she's heading to the S3-tier pro league~"

"Hmph. Even so, she is nothing but a ten-year-old snot-nosed brat, she is."

"You're seven, you know? You little crybaby~"

"Who are you calling a crybaby!"

As I hopped up and down in indignation, Yuri seemed to brighten up, swishing her shark tail back and forth.

"Anyway~ Are you really going to meet Demon Flower—Lee Ha-ryeong?"

"If we don't meet her now, we'll be summoned eventually."

At Monika's words, Yuri thought for a moment, then nodded.

"True~ That relentless woman will definitely track us down and call for us."

"And by then, she'll have a grudge about it."

"Ugh, let's just go see her right now~"

"Um…"