Sitting in the train compartment, I organized what I’d gained over winter break.

[New Skills/Traits]

▷[Movement Command]

▷[Sailboat]

▷[Diamond Freeze]

▷Invitation

▷[Dipper-Shifting Star-Transposition]

Strictly speaking, [Sailboat] and [Dipper-Shifting Star-Transposition] were copied, but it wasn’t wrong to say I’d acquired them.

And I was planning to use a [Fixed Pin] on [Dipper-Shifting Star-Transposition] anyway.

[Rank Increases]

▷Twister (B+→A+)

▷★Blink★ (B→A)

▷Sylphid (B+→A+)

▷[Movement Command] (F→C)

▷[Featherstep] (B+→A+)

▷[Destructive Gale] (C+→B+)

▷Space Fold (D→B)

Stuff like [Featherstep] and Space Fold was just me updating what Seo Ye-in had already grown.

And the slot that used to hold [Destructive Gale] was currently occupied by [Dipper-Shifting Star-Transposition], but...

If I copy it again, it’s mine.

We’re not strangers, are we?

I decided to think shamelessly.

[Items]

▷soul-summoning bell (A+)

▷[Greedy Material Selection Ticket] (C→A)

▷meteoric iron(??)

On top of that, I’d absorbed a ton of the Yin-Yang Blood Jiangshi’s poisonous energy, which had given me an effect similar to downing a huge pile of elixirs.

In other words, I’d shortened the time it would take to reach an S-rank core by a lot.

All together...

You could say I raised my overall rank a ton.

Several of my skills and traits had reached A-rank, and most of the rest hovered around B.

But I still couldn’t really call myself “A-rank” without it feeling off.

Because my build isn’t complete.

Whether it was wind magic or freezing magic, there were still holes all over the place, so I couldn’t produce proper synergy.

Compared to the Twin Heroes of the Dang Family, Ahn Jeongmi, or the Blood Cult elders, sure—but even compared to Dang Gyu-young and Zhuge Soso, who were barely in the A-rank entry range, I was lacking.

If I had to trade blows with one of them until one of us died, my odds probably wouldn’t be that high.

Of course, that also meant—

If I finish the build, I’m A-rank.

If I learned four or five more core skills and traits and pushed their ranks up, I figured I’d at least have the skeleton in place.

As I was thinking that, my gaze drifted out the window.

In the distance, a single tower stood tall, casting a red glow.

Looks like we were almost at Ruby Mage Tower.

I should keep the goal modest.

Just making up for Hong Yeonhwa’s missed training would already mean I’d achieved what I came for.

And if possible, copy one or two things.

That artisan? elder? No. 3? was the Ruby Mage Tower master.

Most of their skills and traits were fire-based, so they didn’t match my build, but their rank was high enough to be worth grabbing.

I was still getting plenty of mileage out of [Chain Explosion], the one I’d copied during the Fix Zone tournament.

As for the other hidden pieces—I decided I’d take them if the conditions lined up, and if not, I’d drop them without hesitation.

A little more time passed, and the Ruby Mage Tower—small and blurry before—finally came into clear view.

The train gradually slowed, then came to a full stop.

I stepped onto the platform and swept my eyes around, and immediately spotted two redheads.

The Hong sisters had come to meet me.

“......!”

Hong Yeonhwa kept scanning around with anxious eyes.

Their gaze didn’t stay on any one place for more than two seconds.

Like they thought if they lost me for even a moment, they’d never see me again.

Then, as if something had pulled them, they snapped their head this way.

“......!”

Hong Yeonhwa’s face lit up.

They started to jog toward me, then hesitated and pulled out a small wand.

They focused for a moment—and then, shhk, they appeared right in front of me.

I nodded in satisfaction.

“You’ve improved a lot, ★Blink★.”

“I practiced a ton......!”

The distance—only one or two steps before—had increased dramatically, and the casting time seemed much shorter, too.

If they polished it just a bit more, they’d be able to use it in real combat.

The gap between them and that useless Song Cheonhye just got wider.

Sure, she probably practiced too, but I was skeptical about how much she’d actually improved.

Anyway, I offered my belated greeting.

“It’s good to see you again.”

“M-me too! ......I missed you!”

Hong Yeonhwa answered with an even brighter face.

It felt like an invisible tail was flapping like crazy.

Next, I exchanged a polite greeting with Hong Yehwa as well, and we left together.

After walking a while, the Ruby Mage Tower—which had already been huge—now filled my entire view.

It really is big.

It was as thick as a bunch of skyscrapers bundled together.

And its height was impossible to judge by eye.

No matter how far you tilted your head back, you couldn’t see the top.

And on top of that, that gigantic structure was studded with countless ruby gems the size of boulders, with dense magic formulas carved all over it.

In wartime, it would move as a massive fortress and turret.

While I was admiring it internally, Hong Yehwa seemed to make a few calls, then looked at their younger sibling.

“......Dad and Mom stepped out for a bit.”

“When are they coming back?”

“Later. We’ll eat dinner together. You keep him with you—show him around.”

“Okay!”

Hong Yeonhwa accepted happily.

They clearly loved the idea of wandering around with me while leaving their older sister behind.

For a moment, a vein popped on Hong Yehwa’s forehead, but they shook their head and looked at me.

“Then I’ll see you at dinner.”

“Yes, Senior.”

With that, every restraining factor on Hong Yeonhwa was gone.

They looked even more excited than usual as they asked—

“Where do you want to start? Our lab is really nice, and the library is huge! There are tons of places to hang out too!”

“We can tour slowly later. For now, let’s go somewhere you can train.”

I needed to check how much they’d improved—and also spin up the cooldowns on things like [Austerity] in advance.

Hong Yeonhwa nodded again, readily.

“Yeah! I # Nоvеlight # was gonna show you anyway! I kept researching while doing [Austerity]! I’ll show you ★Blink★ again too!”

“I’m looking forward to it. Let’s go.”

Hong Yeonhwa took the lead and started guiding me.

They couldn’t control their excitement—dashing ahead, then realizing they’d gotten too far, then trotting back.

Then dashing ahead again, then trotting back again.

After repeating that a few times, we entered a wide space that felt like an arena.

Hong Yeonhwa faced me and pulled out their staff.

They asked carefully.

“What do you... want to see first?”

“Let’s start with this.”

The moment I activated the skill, Hong Yeonhwa’s eyes widened.

Then they traced the air, reading whatever had appeared there.

“In...vi...ta...tion?”

“I learned a few new skills too.”

[The Sovereign’s Invitation has arrived.]

[Will you accept the invitation?]

[Accept/Decline]

“If I accept... what happens?”

“You go somewhere else for a bit. Obviously you’ll come right back.”

“And when I go... what do I do?”

“I’ve got someone there. They’ll treat you well—and they’ll probably look at your skills too.”

They might even look at them better than I could.

I had a rough idea of who would show up.

“......?”

Hong Yeonhwa still looked like they didn’t understand a thing.

Sending them somewhere out of nowhere, telling them to meet someone...

Still, my explanation didn’t sound dangerous, so they selected “Accept.”

*****

“......?”

Hong Yeonhwa froze in panic.

The instant they accepted, they were standing in a completely different place.

Judging by the walls and floor, it looked like the corridor of some royal palace.

And straight ahead—just as expected—was a gigantic door.

KUKUKUNG!

“!?!”

The sudden boom made Hong Yeonhwa flinch and hunch up.

The door in front of them was opening on its own.

KUKUKUNG.......

What was revealed beyond it was, likewise, a gigantic great hall.

And inside, countless silhouettes stood lined up.

Hong Yeonhwa’s eyes darted around.

F...friend......?

They’d expected one or two people...

This was way too many... wasn’t it...?

And each “friend” was radiating an overwhelming presence.

Even though they seemed friendly to Hong Yeonhwa, it was still suffocatingly oppressive.

Hong Yeonhwa kept reading the room, then tried to inch backward.

I-I’ll just go......

They didn’t even know where they were supposed to go, but anywhere that wasn’t this great hall sounded fine.

As if they’d read that thought, the “friends” reacted immediately.

CLICK!

CLICK!

CLICK!

They all stepped back at once, opening a wide path.

And on top of that, a few near the door subtly made gestures like they were blocking off the retreat.

Hong Yeonhwa thought, near tears—

Why is it only me......?

Things were good until just now...!

But they had no choice.

So Hong Yeonhwa clutched their staff, hunching up tightly, and shuffled forward in stiff, hesitant steps.

Before they’d gone far, someone stepped out from among the “friends.” 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

A woman in a robe, holding a staff.

Hong Yeonhwa’s eyes widened as something clicked in their mind.

Ruby Mage Tower......?

HSSSSSSS......

As if confirming it, flames surged up from beneath the woman’s feet, then vanished.

Fire magic out in the world came in countless forms, but what she’d shown just now was a Ruby Mage Tower signature method.

She might’ve even served as tower master in the distant past.

So “a friend” means......

This was who Kim Ho meant.

And it was obvious what Hong Yeonhwa was supposed to do after meeting her.

Kim Ho’s words from just earlier surfaced in their mind.

They’ll treat you well—and they’ll probably look at your skills too.

Just as Hong Yeonhwa suspected, the woman—who seemed like one of the Ruby Mage Tower masters from far, far, far back—waved a hand.

Like she was telling them to come in.

Hong Yeonhwa spoke in a careful but respectful tone.

“P-please... take care of me...!”

Then, after one deep breath to calm down, Hong Yeonhwa began chanting.

In the blink of an eye, a red magic circle formed, and a pillar of fire shot up.

CRACK-CRACK-CRACK—!

The rising pillar then converged into a single point, creating something small—like a quail egg.

It trembled, cracked, and a tiny chick the size of a quail hatched from it.

Hong Yeonhwa waved the staff again.

CRACK-CRACK-CRACK—!

Several more pillars of fire surged up, and the chick began to grow at a terrifying speed.

From quail to chick—then to a full-sized chicken—and finally, it transformed into a massive phoenix.

Wrapped in flames from head to toe, it sliced through the air and dove at the opponent.

CRACK-CRACK-CRACK—!

But the response from the woman—who seemed like a Ruby Mage Tower master from far, far, far, far, far, far back—was simple.

Right before impact, she wrapped herself in a round barrier of flame.

The next moment, the phoenix was swallowed whole.

Hong Yeonhwa let out a small, helpless sound.

“Ah.......”

It was a spell they’d researched and trained hard for, and it got erased without dealing any damage. Of course it felt empty.

But oddly, the opponent seemed satisfied.

It even looked like she was praising Hong Yeonhwa for doing well, and Hong Yeonhwa’s expression—about to darken—brightened a little.

Soon, that Ruby Mage Tower master stepped forward.

Then she raised her staff and began chanting.

HSSSSSSS......,

Magic circles filled the entire area in an instant.

Next, flames in countless shapes bloomed—and then poured down, targeting only Hong Yeonhwa.

“......!”

Normally, Hong Yeonhwa would’ve looked wronged and wilted.

But now there wasn’t even a trace of that.

Like they were entranced, Hong Yeonhwa stared, capturing every last fire spell rushing toward them without missing a single one.

HSSSSSSS......!