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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: The Magic Tower Genius Descends into the Labyrinth
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Screeech...!
The grand main gate of the towering Magic Tower swung open, and a young man was unceremoniously hurled outside.
"Ugh... that hurts..."
The young man roughly brushed back his silver-white hair peeking through the dirt-caked robe.
His youthful, handsome face—still boyish around the edges—featured striking purple-tinged eyes that glared fiercely at the main gate.
"I told you I would leave the Magic Tower of my own accord!"
He shouted loudly, but the high mages who had expelled him only clicked their tongues in disapproval.
"Sylbian. No matter how much you protest, we can't indulge you anymore. You've already gravely violated the Magic Tower's unwritten rules."
"Tsk, tsk... Didn't I warn you to be careful?"
"You're a full-fledged mage now, so you must take responsibility for your actions..."
Their faces, gazing at the stigma etched on Sylbian's neck, showed a mix of varied emotions.
Yet those emotions were all that surfaced.
Not a single one among them objected to casting him out.
"I'm not saying I won't take responsibility...!"
Boom!
Before Sylbian could even counter, the main gate slammed shut.
Staring at the firmly sealed gate, he let out a hollow chuckle in disbelief for a moment.
"After all, I spent ten years in the Magic Tower..."
It felt like those ten years had been utterly denied in this instant.
Pat. Pat!
Sylbian quickly brushed the dust from his robe and stood up.
Then he blankly gazed at the Magic Tower before him.
The imposing majesty of the Western Magic Tower, soaring endlessly skyward, seemed even grander today.
'Is it really all over?'
From this moment on, he was no longer a mage of the Western Magic Tower.
"..."
Sylbian let out a deep sigh as he gently touched his face.
Tremble...
He tried to stay composed, but the fingertips brushing his cheek trembled faintly.
[Your innate mana affinity is at an absurd level. It's no wonder a genius emerged from the Blanc Family! Congratulations!]
Suddenly, the voice of a mage who had once visited his family echoed in his mind.
Those few words from that mage had upended his entire life.
They had been the biggest catalyst for his entry into the Magic Tower.
That's why he still couldn't forget that time.
From that moment, the way his family looked at him had done a complete 180.
But now, it was all ruined.
"So this is the price of responsibility..."
He gave a bitter smile and lightly patted his own cheek.
Ten years was enough time for an eight-year-old child to learn a thing or two about the world.
Whether for better or worse.
And what he'd achieved in the Magic Tower was far from insignificant.
Among those accomplishments was becoming the youngest 'Setara' mage in the tower's history—a feat that even the lofty high mages had praised him for effusively.
However.
All of that was now in the past. It no longer defined the current him.
Step, step...
Sylbian walked aimlessly, lost in thought.
'I can't go back to the family now.'
A mage branded with a stigma.
He now bore the irreversible dishonor of being an 'Exile.'
And he knew full well that no family would accept an exile.
Even if he could return, he doubted he could endure the scornful gazes.
Stroke.
As he gently touched the nape of his neck, the Magic Tower's stigma felt all the more vivid.
A mark that might remain his lifelong shame.
"..."
A faint breath escaped through his slightly parted lips.
'I knew this would happen.'
He knew exactly how outrageous his actions in that magic experiment had been.
How gravely they had tarnished the Western Magic Tower's honor.
He had known it all and acted anyway.
That's why he didn't resent the Western Magic Tower for expelling him—not bitterly, at least.
But...
"I still don't understand."
The countless mages of the Magic Tower.
Even though he was one of them, he now felt utter disgust toward all of them.
[Sylbian, stop this now! If you go any further, you'll bear a responsibility you can't possibly handle!]
He still clearly remembered the mage who had tried to dissuade him so vehemently back then.
Yet he had brushed off the warning and acted on his own convictions.
'I couldn't just stand by and watch those magic experiments any longer.'
In a way, it had been a rebellion against the kind of mages he'd witnessed over the past ten years.
Countless human experiments, and whenever they deemed it helpful for magical advancement, unspeakable atrocities on magical beasts and animals alike.
He had been forced to participate in those experiments as well.
Because that's what a mage must do, they said.
Thus, he had endured countless irrationalities and incomprehensible injustices.
And so...
It had all built up until it finally exploded.
"...Yeah, I was bound to get kicked out of the Magic Tower eventually."
A wry chuckle slipped out.
The cause and effect were crystal clear, and he even thought it was something that had to erupt someday.
He was utterly fed up with himself for having watched all those experiments in silence, staying complicit.
"..."
As he gently touched the corner of his mouth, he felt his lips twisted in a smirk.
Why on earth was he smiling?
Was he so dazed by this hopeless reality that he'd given up on everything?
'A reality with no answers.'
Just half a month ago, he had been hailed as the Western Magic Tower's most promising genius mage.
His future had seemed so bright that high nobles and even imperial family members sought him out to spend time together.
Yet he had ruined it all with his own hands.
All that remained for him now...
Was the stigma proclaiming him an exile, with his mana sealed.
Lost in endless rumination, he mumbled blankly at his lips.
"...Status Window."
Even to his own ears, the tone was utterly emotionless.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ 📝 Name: Sylbian Blanc 🧬 Race: Human (18) 📏 Height · Weight: 178cm 63kg 📊 Stats ⚡ Strength: 8 💨 Agility: 8 💪 Stamina: 7 🧠 Intellect: 71 ✨ Magic Power: 500 ⭐ Unique Traits (3) [Mana Interference (S-Grade)]
- Can interfere with and distort the flow of mana. [Mana Affinity (S-Grade)]
- Greatly boosts magic acquisition speed and mana recovery. [Ancient Magic Understanding (B-Grade)]
- Provides correction when comprehending ancient magic. 🔒 Restrictions (1) [Stigma] - Due to the Western Magic Tower's stigma, 90% of mana is sealed.
The status window representing him was concise, in a sense.
It quantified his entire life over the past ten years.
'The only ability in this world that only I can see.'
The people of this world knew nothing of status windows.
He himself wouldn't have thought of it without his memories of his past life.
As he closely examined the status window, he steeled his resolve.
'In a way, only my mana is restricted.'
All that he had built as a mage.
Mana was undoubtedly vital to a mage, like blood itself, but his achievements weren't solely tied to mana.
Whoosh!
As if struck by sudden realization, Sylbian looked northward to the sky, his eyes gleaming.
"I've heard the labyrinth holds elixirs that heal the disabled. And mysteries beyond common sense..."
If so, it might be possible to remove the Magic Tower's stigma.
There was at least a chance.
"No choice but to head to the labyrinth."
The decision crystallized in an instant.
Above all, he didn't want to give up like this.
Giving up felt worse than dying.
After enduring ten grueling years in the Magic Tower through bone-deep effort.
Was he really going to abandon it all overnight?
"...A fresh start. I'll adapt."
Thinking it over, there were some positives too.
As a Magic Tower mage, he had enjoyed many privileges.
Which also meant bearing the heavy responsibilities that came with belonging to the tower.
Now, he was free from all that.
Whoosh―!
Suddenly, a blue aura of energy swirled around Sylbian's form.
Flutter...!
His pristine white robe billowed fiercely against the erupting mana from his body.
Moreover, his distinctive purple eyes glowed with infused mana, shining all the more mysteriously.
If the Magic Tower mages saw him now, they would doubt their eyes at the sheer volume of mana.
-A mage branded and mana-sealed.
One whose mana flow should be unstable at that, freely wielding mana to manifest magic.
"Hesente!"
⟨ Hesente ⟩
The moment he intoned the resonant magic incantation, a miraculous transformation occurred.
'The usable mana is limited.'
Compared to his original mana, over half—enough to make him shiver—was sealed away.
But.
His true power lay in his 'traits.'
⭐ Unique Traits (3) ⚔ [Mana Interference (S-Grade)][Mana Affinity (S-Grade)][Ancient Magic Understanding (B-Grade)]
Even with limited mana, they ensured he could manifest perfect magic without any shortfall.
Shoooo―!!
Sylbian kicked off the ground hard, his enhanced physical abilities surging.
"I'll definitely reclaim my mana."
His voice, slicing through the air, carried unwavering resolve.
If he could remove the stigma via the labyrinth, he could leave the Magic Tower and behold a greater world.
'Above all.'
Witnessing the antics of the current Magic Tower and most mages, he never once thought his choice was wrong.
Thus, his heart remained unshaken.
-The path the Magic Tower offered was not his to walk.
Now, he intended to forge ahead on the path he believed was right.