RMTBGM 05

Chapter  005….

Raising the Magic Tower to Become a Grand Magician – Episode 005
A Small Gift for a Capable Subordinate (2)

Sometimes in life, misfortune comes one after another.

It’s a day that makes you feel as if heaven itself has abandoned you. For Oh Hana, this Christmas was exactly such a day.

“-Excuse me, I came because I heard a gate appeared, but there’s nothing here. Are you sure this is the right place?”
“-Huh? According to our observations, it should be mid-mountain at Chilbo-san… uh? Where did the gate go?”
“-Please just tell me—was this a miscalculation, or did someone get here before me?”
“-Uh, I think it was our mistake. We’ll transfer the deployment fee immediately. Sorry for the inconvenience…”
“-No, it’s fine. The gate predictions aren’t 100% accurate, so this can happen.”

Still, Oh Hana had overheard the association boasting that their accuracy had reached nearly 97%, so of course, she hit the unlucky 3%.

‘At least it was a low-tier gate, so it’s not too bad.’

It was a minor gate where only goblins appeared. If it had been anything stronger, she would have had to scour the mountain searching for it.

Sighing, Oh Hana dealt with the situation, unaware that a mage had already conquered the gate. Because she lost a bet with her companions, she had to work herself to the bone until Christmas the next day.

‘Why is it that everyone else is enjoying Christmas while I’m working?!’

So, after work, she tried to enjoy Christmas belatedly, only to be seen by civilians. Normally, she would have played it cool, but her stress levels had reached their limit, and she ran away immediately.

She felt her stomach twist at the thought of an internet controversy erupting over her behavior.

To make matters worse, the moment she reached home, her phone erupted with the loud siren of an emergency alert.

Wheeeooong!!

[Emergency Disaster Alert]

• A gate has appeared near ○○ Road.

• Citizens receiving this message should immediately stop what they are doing and evacuate to the nearest emergency shelter.

• Evacuate promptly. No asset is more valuable than life.

An emergency alert.

And for those holding a hunter license, an additional message arrived:

[Emergency Support Contact]

• Analysis of the gate near ○○ Road indicates a high probability of a Steel Predator.

• Hunters receiving this message are requested to deploy immediately.

“Ah…”

Oh Hana stared blankly at the sushi, chicken, and canned beer in the envelope before quietly placing it by the entrance. Then she quickly changed into combat gear.

Muttering to herself:
“…Chicken is still tasty even if it’s cold. It’s okay, yeah.”

Was it melting snow or tears running down her cheeks?

Rising in her chest was a blind, murderous intent toward the monster.

‘I will kill it with my own hands.’

Fortunately, she had flight magic, allowing her to reach the scene first. She quickly spotted the activated gate—but the Steel Predator that had emerged was nowhere to be found.

“Where did that huge thing go?!”

Moreover, given the Steel Predator’s nature, it should have made a lot of noise while eating metal, yet there was no sound at all.

‘Did it go back into the gate?’

The possibility was slim, but she decided to check inside the gate anyway.

Then…

[“Scrap Alley (D)” has been conquered.]

“Huh?”

The gate disappeared right before her eyes as the message popped up. Oh Hana blinked in disbelief, feeling like a dog chasing a chicken.

The hunters who arrived on the scene only made things worse.

“Where’s the gate?!”
“Uh… did Oh Hana already conquer it?”
“You caught the Steel Predator without a single helper?”

All eyes turned to her. She replied, putting 200% of her true feelings into it:

“I have no idea…”

It was truly the worst Christmas she’d ever experienced.

Meanwhile, this year’s Christmas turned out to be one of the best for another reason.

[Gate Conquest by a Mage of the Magic Tower Confirmed]
[Rewards for conquering “Scrap Alley (D)” granted.]
[By conquering a gate higher than one’s level, the body and mana of Magic Tower Lord Shinwoo greatly increase.]
[1 Mid-Low Grade Magic Stone awarded.]

“Wow!”

Shinwoo exclaimed at the messages before him. The Steel Predator sent to the tower had been killed by A.

It was unbelievable that A, who even struggled against goblins, could defeat a Steel Predator—but the combination of a gas canister and fire magic made it possible.

‘Precisely, the Steel Predator went crazy after inhaling the butane gas we sent, and it bit into it immediately.’

With only stone towers and plains around, the predator, blinded by hunger, had chewed through the reinforced butane gas. As A unleashed full power fire on it—

Boom!

Even the steel-skinned Steel Predator couldn’t withstand the internal explosion. Smoke poured from every hole as it collapsed.

It was a victory born of modern science combined with the Magic Tower Lord’s ability to enhance transported objects.

“Though I feel like the cost was huge too…”

[Due to excessive transportation, the tower’s mana is depleted!]
[Mage A suffers “Mana Overload” and “Exhaustion.”]
[Mage A moves to “Meditation Room.”]
[Estimated time: 4 hours]

“…I’m sorry.”

She had been doing enchantment research, rushed out, nearly eaten by the Steel Predator along with the butane canister, and projected fire beyond limits with a bucket—no wonder her body was in this state.

“Hmm, seeing it this way, A being alone is the problem.”

If another mage had been present, one could go to the meditation room while the other continued research.

Ah!

“Wow, I was being such a ruthless boss just now.”

No matter how important efficiency is, one mustn’t abandon humanity.

Sure enough, evidence appeared right there.

• “So a man rescued a civilian?”

• “Yes! I went blank when the gate appeared in front of me and couldn’t do anything, but that man helped me…”

• “You saw the monster appear?”

• “Yes… it was terrifying. When I saw its teeth as big as my thigh, I thought I was going to die, and then I passed out. I only realized later that I fainted.”

Recalling the event, the woman took a small, deep breath. A reporter waited until she calmed down before asking:

• “Do you recall the man who handled the monster?”

• “Not at all… I want to remember, but I can’t. So I want to take this chance to say thank you…”

“Not at all.”

Shinwoo bowed with a bright smile to the grateful woman. She might have experienced short-term memory loss due to extreme stress, but he hoped she could forget the bad memory and move on happily.

[Weakness: “Reenact what you remember from that moment.”]

“Pay attention, will you?”

His skill reacted only to the woman on TV, not others—how ridiculous.

“Well, it’s still helpful.”

Shinwoo decided to let it slide; worrying about it wouldn’t give him any insights. Better to focus on the present.

“Ah, Oh Hana, the hunter. And that’s a police officer beside her?”

• “Can we check nearby CCTV?”

• “The site was in a CCTV blind spot, and some cameras were damaged by heavy snow afterward.”

• “I see. Then, did Oh Hana, who arrived first, see anything?”

• “…Unfortunately, no. I tried to enter the gate, but only got a message saying it had already been conquered.”

• “Can magic help track it?”

• “As far as I know, the only one with psychometry is Hunter Stella in the US.”

• “That’s unfortunate.”

• “Yes, truly unfortunate.”

She was sincere. If she knew the identity, she’d have thanked him as a citizen but also repaid him for the trouble caused…

[Curiosity]
[Weakness: “Post anonymously on the association board complaining about Hunter Oh Hana’s negligence.”]

“…Teacher, what did I even do?”

Grateful as she was, Oh Hana’s small desire for revenge stirred Shinwoo’s mischievous urge.

“Calm down, Shinwoo. Didn’t I just say don’t abandon your humanity?”

But while he tried to remain humane, the TV reported something that couldn’t be ignored.

• “Who is the man that suddenly stopped what could have been a Christmas disaster? On the internet, he’s been nicknamed the ‘Suwon Santa Man.’”

• “Wait, Santa Man?”

• “He appeared in Suwon and protected Christmas peace, hence ‘Suwon Santa Man.’”

• “Ha!”

“Ha!”

Oh Hana and Shinwoo chuckled awkwardly. But while Oh Hana restrained herself, Shinwoo did not.

“Who came up with that name?”

Frustrated, he quickly checked online articles:

[White Christmas: The Hero Who Stopped a Potential Disaster!]
[Heroes Are Always Among Us? The Identity of the Citizen Who Defeated the Steel Predator!]
[Active Hunters speculate that this individual is likely a high-tier class—]
[Hope for S-Class Jobs Returns to Korea!]

“Ugh!”

Shinwoo rolled on the floor in agony. The overly flattering articles twisted his stomach. Praise has its limits.

Originally:

“I am the Suwon Santa Man. How do I even reveal this…”

Even “Steel Man” sounds cool in English, but this remains cringy:

I’m Suwon Santa Man.

“Shit…”

The thought alone was a generational humiliation. Shinwoo vowed:

‘I must never be discovered.’

But the world had no intention of leaving him alone.

At that time, in the office of the head of the Hunter Association Suwon Branch:

The director solemnly declared to the gathered officials:

“We must exercise extreme caution regarding the Suwon Santa Man.”
“Isn’t he just another do-gooder?”
“Or a delusional kid who thinks he’s a dark hero.”
“Come on, the director wouldn’t say this without reason. Let’s hear him out.”

The young executives nodded and listened carefully. The director continued:

“Investigations show that from Christmas Eve to Christmas Day, two gates occurred that Aegis could not predict. One of them disappeared.”

Murmurs spread among the executives.

Aegis: the modern gate prediction system.

Even if it wasn’t 100% accurate, failing twice in two days was odd.

“So, you believe it’s related to Suwon Santa Man?”
“At least, that’s my assessment. Judging by his actions so far, I don’t think it was malicious.”
“Understood. We’ll definitely monitor him closely.”

Similar conversations occurred in other branches and guilds.

Meanwhile, Shinwoo, at the storm’s center, casually thought:

“Ah, I was supposed to fix the meditation room.”

Cough!

A’s cough echoed from the partially destroyed meditation room.