The Tower Master, realizing his inevitable defeat, chose to surrender rather than play out the game. No matter what move he made, Michael would have cornered his King either way.
There was amusement on the 8-star Wizard as he looked at Michael.
He had heard a lot about the Vanderbilt boy but thought that they were too far-fetched to believe.
He heard from his previous student, Lylia, that Michael created running water without the use of magic, created a mechanism to keep accurate track of time, and even made a hot spring in their backyard.
Knowing about Lylia’s tendency to become too proud of her son, the Tower Master thought that she was exaggerating.
But after witnessing him up close and personal, he was convinced. This child was brilliant—plain and simple.
He too had become one of the mages addicted to the game of Reborn chess and played it nonstop ever since it was invented. It even led to a rumor that he stayed in his room all day like a hermit.
But in truth, he was busy playing Reborn chess with other intellectuals at his level.
It came to a point where he thought he was the best player in the game.
He was proven wrong.
The Tower Master wanted Michael to be his apprentice just for his chess talents alone. That way, he could have someone to play Reborn chess with every day.
But the Tower Master noticed something else within the boy.
Even when the child was busy concentrating on the game, the elemental mana particles continued to be absorbed into his body. It wasn’t being ‘sucked’ into his body, the more proper explanation was that the mana particles shot themselves toward him, as if he was deeply beloved by the universe.
It was as if he was in a state of perpetual meditation, continuously gathering mana and improving his cores at all times.
It took the Tower Master two decades to master that technique, yet a five-year-old child was able to do it flawlessly.
Michael’s level of genius was simply absurd.
When he heard that Michael had a quadruple mana mastery, he wanted to teach the child personally and lead him to the peak of mystic arts.
But, he quickly realized that Michael was too talented. All magic came naturally for the child, and any guidance he would teach him could have the opposite effect.
After all, just like every mage in the world, he was stuck as an 8-star mage with no way of advancing.
He didn’t want Michael to become like him.
Perhaps, it was better to let Michael grow naturally, just like the previous legendary heroes of old who reached the mythical 9-star realm.
“I haven’t introduced myself,” the Tower Master said. “I am Seberus Augindore, the 10th master of the Kingsbridge Magic Tower.”
Michael accepted his hands and introduced himself as well.
“I’m Michael. Michael Von Vanderbilt.”
And when the crowd heard his surname, they went into an uproar.
“Vanderbilt?! He’s the youngest son of that family?”
“Woah! A Vanderbilt was able to beat the Tower Master in Reborn chess…”
“Who knew they birthed such a talented young child!”
Seeing the rowdy spectators, Seberus invited Michael to a more private location.
“Let’s talk in my chambers,” he said before snapping his fingers.
And suddenly, Michael found himself in a completely different room, away from the noisy library and the chess-hungry mages.
Instant teleportation? ChatJK1, tell me you were able to analyze that.
[Analyzing magic…]
[Magic theory acquired.]
[Translocation]
— ★★★★★★★
— Light and Dark element
— This magic allows the user to teleport to any location that the user has visited before.
Just learning a 7-star teleportation spell was enough for this whole trip to be worth it.
“Where are we?”
Michael looked around and saw a huge dome chamber with a clear window overlooking the skies. Complicated magic circles floated all around the room along with different mundane objects like pens and globes acting without gravity.
“This is the top floor of the Magic Tower, my solace, my sanctum, and the only place that I call home,” Seberus said, spreading his hands.
Michael wouldn’t have guessed that answer. This chamber didn’t look like a room, but a space observatory instead. There wasn’t even a bed in sight for anyone to sleep in.
“What’s that?” Michael asked as he pointed at the center of the room, where a large collection of floating light points were connected through intersecting lines.
It looked like one of those virtual projections of neural networks that he saw in sci-fi movies back in his previous life.
“That is a library,” Seberus explained. “Every book, scroll, and knowledge that the Magic Tower has accumulated throughout all the years is contained here in this place.”
Michael couldn’t help but stare in wonder at the Magic Tower’s library.
This must have been the equivalent of a computer in this fantasy world, which was probably even more complicated since magic was more complex than a bunch of ones and zeroes.
“I promised you the presentation of an 8-star magic spell, but I’ll give you the chance for something better. You are planning on learning about better spells, right? Well, it’s better to start at the beginning.
I can give you access to the best magic spells this world can offer from the easiest 1-star spell to the very complicated 8-star spell.
In the future, you can visit this Magic Tower and access this magical library to learn and get better at casting the mystic arts.”
Seberus’ proposal was a lot better than their original deal, so Michael was inclined to accept.
Since this magical library contained all the spells that this Magic Tower accumulated throughout its entire history, Michael would gain more spells in the long run.
But then, a thought popped up in his head.
The thought was so shocking that it sent a bolt of electricity running through his spine.
His idea was so bold and enticing that his body couldn’t help itself and moved entirely on its own.
Michael walked forward, his eyes staring at the moving points and lines of the library.
He raised his hand and touched one of the floating points.
As soon as his skin made contact with the network, a ripple in reality propagated through the magic library like a serene pond being touched by a bird’s beak.
Suddenly, all the information in the Magic Library transferred from the tip of his hands, all the way over to his brain.
[Connecting to the Magic Library…]
[Downloading its contents….]
[WARNING! There is an overload of information surging through your mind.]
[Emergency shutdown of your body engaged for safety purposes.]
Michael saw the world turn dark as his body slumped down on the floor.