Chapter 101: Pentagon’s Persistence and Seris’ Roar

It had been a full week since I officially became a mage.

I was never particularly fond of staying in one place for too long, but life at the Mage Tower wasn’t bad.

No, rather, I found myself wanting to stay even longer. There was simply so much to learn here.

The Mage Tower, being a place where numerous mages lived and gathered, was also a space where an immense amount of mana fluctuated constantly.

My sensitive body was gradually becoming accustomed to the mana of the tower as time passed.

I didn’t specifically seek out anyone to learn from.

I simply observed and absorbed knowledge from my surroundings.

With so many answers scattered all around, why would I need to seek guidance from others?

Today was no different.

As I wandered freely through the vast Mage Towers, my hands idly moved through the air, intoxicated by the surging mana around me.

That was when a sudden wave of heat brushed against me.

“You must be Seris.”

A voice accompanied the warmth from behind me.

I turned my head slightly to find a young man clad in a crimson robe looking down at me.

“Who are you?”

At my question, the man’s brows furrowed. He remained silent for a moment before finally responding.

“I’m Vermilion of the Red Tower.”

He said this as if boasting about himself. His self-assured demeanor and arrogant gaze, as if looking down on everything around him, made it clear what kind of person he was.

“And why are you looking for me?”

My voice dropped slightly.

My pleasant time had been interrupted, so it was impossible for me to respond in a sweet tone.

Though, in the end, I probably still sounded like a girl pouting adorably.

“Hmm, it seems you don’t know who I am.”

Vermilion didn’t seem particularly offended by my attitude.

He simply muttered that it was possible and gave a small nod. Then, he spoke again.

“I came to invite you to join Pentagon.”

“Pentagon?”

I tilted my head at his words. Vermilion gave me an incredulous look before speaking again.

“You mean to tell me you don’t know about Pentagon? Seriously?”

When I nodded in response, Vermilion began explaining.

According to him, Pentagon was a social group consisting of talented young mages with promising futures, as well as the disciples of the tower masters and vice masters.

Listening to his explanation, I couldn’t help but tilt my head once more.

If he had come to recruit me into Pentagon, that meant he himself was a member—implying he was also an exceptional mage.

However, from what I could see, Vermilion didn’t seem all that different from the ordinary mages around here.

Judging by his confident attitude, he didn’t appear to be lying.

The reactions of the surrounding mages also suggested that they were well aware of what Pentagon was.

“I’m not really interested in joining.”

“Hmm… It seems you still don’t quite…”

Vermilion, as if he hadn’t expected me to refuse, looked visibly flustered.

He quickly started listing the benefits of joining Pentagon, but none of it seemed particularly useful to me.

“I appreciate the offer, but I’m really not interested.”

“Well, this is unexpected…”

Vermilion made a troubled expression at my response.

After hesitating briefly, he let out a sigh and turned away.

I thought he might persist, but surprisingly, he gave up rather easily.

I resumed moving my hands through the air, feeling the faint blue mana wrap around my fingers in a pleasant sensation.

In that moment, a certain face flashed through my mind.

Could it be that Lane was also a member of Pentagon?

As I aimlessly wandered through the Mage Tower, my stomach started to growl, signaling that it was about time to head back. Just then, a group of mages began approaching me.

Their robes were of various colors.

In the Mage Tower, robe colors often indicated a mage’s affiliation and status, but since I hadn’t fully grasped the cultural nuances of the tower yet, I couldn’t immediately tell who they were based on color alone.

However, there was one person among them I did recognize—the man in the red robe who had earlier invited me to join Pentagon.

Vermilion and four other young mages stopped in front of me.

My gaze naturally shifted toward the man standing at the center of their group.

Judging by the way the others were waiting for him to speak, it was clear that he was the leader of this young mage group.

“Hmm…”

The man let out a low hum as he looked down at me. Then, he glanced sideways at Vermilion, who responded with a small nod.

“I am Lobstein of the Blue Tower.”

So mages introduced themselves by stating their affiliated tower? Picking up on this, I gave a polite nod and introduced myself as well.

“Seris of the Tower of Dawn. What is this about?”

“I heard you rejected Pentagon’s invitation, so I came to see for myself.”

“As far as I know, that conversation is already over.”

“…It seems you don’t quite understand the culture of this place yet.”

“Do I really need to?”

“Are you seriously asking that? Now that you’re a mage—”

I barely paid attention to Lobstein’s words, my brows furrowing in irritation.

Just as my hunger was starting to set in, these uninvited guests were making it even worse.

Why were they so insistent on dragging me into their little social club? Cutting him off mid-sentence, I asked,

“Have you all eaten yet?”

“Huh…? Not yet, but—”

“Perfect. Let’s talk over a meal, then.”

I wanted to outright refuse them, but since I was already part of the Mage Tower, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to get along with some of the other mages.

With that, I headed toward the dining hall within the tower, accompanied by the five mages.

Mages were free to dine at any tower’s facilities, regardless of their affiliation.

A small smile appeared on the faces of Lobstein and the other four mages.

It seemed they took my offer to eat together as a good sign.

Of course, my answer was already decided. But for now, I chose to keep my mouth shut.

As soon as Lobstein arrived at the restaurant, he began reciting the history of Pentagon in detail, even though I hadn’t asked.

Naturally, since I wasn’t interested, I didn’t pay attention.

“I think I need some time to think.”

Leaving those words behind, I stood up. Lobstein looked flustered and spoke to me.

“Wait, time to think…? I thought you agreed to join?”

“I need to consider it a bit more. But thanks for the offer.”

Seeing my reaction, Lobstein no longer insisted on recruiting me. He only asked when he could expect an answer.

“I’m not sure.”

I trailed off and left the restaurant.

About three days passed after parting ways with the Pentagon members.

While having a meal with Rain, I suddenly recalled that moment and spoke up.

“Hey, Rain.”

“Hmm?”

“Do you know anything about Pentagon?”

“Pentagon…? Wait, don’t tell me they approached you?”

“Uh, yeah.”

I nodded at Rain’s question. It seemed she was also aware of the so-called social club known as Pentagon.

“Are you part of it too, Rain?”

“No way… Those guys are a huge pain. You’re better off not getting involved with them. Wasting time with those idiots is just—”

Right as Rain was about to wave her fork dismissively and continue speaking, a group of mages noisily entered the quiet restaurant.

At the center of the group was a familiar face—Lobstein, from the Blue Tower.

Scanning the area, he quickly spotted me and began walking over. The number of mages accompanying him had more than doubled since our last encounter.

“…Seriously?”

Rain let out a long sigh as the approaching Pentagon members came into view.

“Nice to see you, Seris… and Rain.”

Lobstein casually took a seat across from us. The Pentagon mages accompanying him naturally found spots around us as well.

More than ten mages locked their eyes on me. Frowning, I set down the fork I had been holding.

Rain scowled.

“What the hell is this supposed to be?”

“What do you mean? We just came to hear your answer.”

“Answer? What…”

“Rain, this doesn’t concern you. Seris. You’ve had plenty of time to think, haven’t you?”

Rain and Lobstein didn’t seem to get along. Ignoring her completely, he focused solely on me.

I narrowed my eyes and subtly observed the mages around me.

The mana radiating from them wasn’t significantly different from that of ordinary mages.

Lobstein seemed somewhat stronger than the rest, but that was only in comparison to the ten others present.

In other words, there was no sign of the so-called “exceptional talents who would lead the future,” as Vermilion had described.

There was nothing more to discuss.

If this really were an elite mage society, as Vermilion and Lobstein claimed, I might have been interested.

Gripping my fork and knife, I rose from my seat.

“Rain, let’s head back.”

“Ah, yeah.”

Just as we turned to leave, Lobstein and the other Pentagon mages stood up, clearly intending to block our way.

“I still haven’t heard your answer.”

Lobstein’s words barely left his lips before I lightly clinked my knife and fork together.

Ching!

The metallic sound resonated, carrying my mana and forming a low-frequency vibration.

The expanding vibration met the surrounding mana, amplifying the sound.

Soon, the reverberation evolved into something eerily similar to a monstrous roar.

[3222…]

One by one, the mages surrounding us clutched their chests and collapsed, their faces drained of color.

The sight of them looking up at me, utterly stunned, was almost amusing.

“Guh…”

“Ugh…”

“Kh, kuh…”

Their gazes had completely changed. It was the same look adventurers had when facing a monster beyond their capabilities.

Some had even foamed at the mouth and passed out.

All I did was mimic the dragon’s roar, as my mana faintly remembered from Kalvain and Kashpa.

“W-What? What did you just do…?”

“Looks like they’re out of energy.”

Taking Rain by the arm, I walked out of the restaurant, leaving behind the weak groans fading into the background.