"What is your name?"
The old man’s voice echoed across the square. Not loud, not commanding, but the moment it was spoken, it was as if space itself had stopped to hear the answer.
Hundreds of mages.
Dozens of Grand Mages.
All the Divine Mages present.
And even Heavenly Mages, whose presence was rarely seen in public.
Those gathered here could be considered the greatest collection of mages in the world. This many Heavenly Mages being seen together in one place was practically impossible under normal circumstances.
They were beings at the pinnacle of the world’s magic, above any other power in the world.
And above them all was only the Supreme One, the sole survivor of the six founders of the magic tower who was still alive.
All were waiting.
Daniel looked away from the purple tablet. The deep cracks on the stone surface still glowed, a sign whose meaning was the same for all present.
Someone had fully received the legacy.
One hundred percent, without any deficiency. He then calmly turned toward the Supreme Council members.
"Daniel Noir."
A few seconds of silence followed. At first, nothing happened, not even a noticeable change in most people’s expressions.
But then... one of the Supreme Council members quietly raised an eyebrow.
"Noir?"
Another old man frowned. The name sounded familiar to him.
"I’ve heard that name before..." One of the Divine Mages suddenly remembered something.
His eyes widened slightly.
"Wait..."
"Noir..."
"Daniel Noir?"
Simultaneously, several others showed similar reactions. Like dominoes, a name that initially seemed insignificant was slowly being searched for in the memories of those present.
And then...
"Everlight Moon guild." One of the Heavenly Mages whispered.
This was one of the few otherworldly guilds with which they had a friendly and business relationship, so they didn’t easily forget things related to it.
The silence deepened.
"The Myriad Devourer operation?"
"That’s right..."
"He was with Serys."
"The same Otherworldly Climber..."
This time, even some Grand Mages lost color from their faces.
Because the matter was simple: this boy was an Otherworldly. Now the problem was how they were going to deal with this.
Would they let go of someone with the potential to become one of the greatest mages in the world, if not the greatest, and give up on recruiting him?
That would be a huge loss, and they didn’t want that.
But breaking traditions wasn’t that simple, and breaking them could provoke protests from mages who were fiercely loyal to those traditions.
His eyes fell on the crowd. In everyone’s gaze, there was awe. Awe for the genius who had managed to comprehend the tablet one hundred percent.
According to ancient writings and the direct words of the one who created this tablet, a genius who could comprehend the tablet was destined to become the most powerful being in the world.
Naturally, not everyone accepted those words. But what if they were true?
Who would want to take the risk of losing such a genius because of old traditions?
One of the Supreme Council members gave Daniel a long look, then at the cracked tablet, then back at Daniel.
"Interesting." And finally said quietly.
There was no hostility in his gaze. On the contrary, that was what made the situation more complicated.
If Daniel were just a genius, the decision would be easy. If he were just an Otherworldly Climber, there would still be a clear path.
But now... he was both. And on top of that, he was the first person to have achieved one hundred percent comprehension of the tablet. Though there were rumors of others, there was no evidence to prove them.
One of the Heavenly Mages finally broke the silence.
"This is not a decision for us to make." His voice was quiet, but the entire square heard it.
"The tower’s leader must personally speak with him." Several others nodded.
There was no objection, because everyone knew the matter had gone beyond the scope of their authority.
Daniel was no longer an ordinary guest, not even a genius. He had become a matter that only the tower’s leader had the right to decide about.
At that very moment, hundreds of meters away, in the highest floors of one of the central towers... a young man stood by the window.
With calm eyes watching the central square from a distance.
Lioran.
After his work was done, he had returned to his personal tower but had witnessed something special.
Like every day and every day before, to solidify his reputation among the novice and ordinary mages, he spends hours talking with them and gives them as much training as he can.
Today was like any other day, until he saw that light.
He had observed all the events from the beginning of the incident: from the tablet’s color change to the appearance of the Supreme Council. And now, his gaze was fixed on Daniel.
"Twenty years old..." He murmured quietly.
"One hundred percent comprehension of the tablet." He paused for a few moments.
"Otherworldly Climber."
No anxiety could be seen on his face, no anger or jealousy. Only thought, analysis, and calculation.
Years of his effort... would they really be destroyed because of this? Just because someone is a bit more talented than him? So what if he’s more talented?
He was sure that if it came down to power and combat ability, he could crush that boy...
He had been hiding his true power for a long time, and when he reveals it... everyone will tremble in shock and terror.
No one will ruin his goals.
"Interesting." But behind that calmness, his mind was working at a dizzying speed.
If the Supreme Council leaned toward this person... if the tower’s leader personally showed interest in him... if this boy entered the succession competition...
The balance of power he had built over the years would change. Perhaps not today, perhaps not tomorrow, but it would definitely change.
For the first time since the succession competition began, a new name had entered the game board.
And Lioran decided to personally investigate him. He couldn’t let his game board be disrupted so easily.