Climbing the Tower with Multidimensional Avatars - Chapter 108

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 108. The Magician of Sephiroth – The Murderous Clown (2)

“Are you sure it’s alright for you to take on direct mentorship duties?”
Andromallius smiled faintly at my question.
“It was already decided the moment you said you’d join us. No matter how talented you are, this work is dangerous, so shouldn’t I take responsibility for recommending you join?”
Thinking back on it, I realized I didn’t actually need to join the Andromallius Family.
Andromallius had been favorable toward me for saving his life, and though I didn’t know it at the time, the money he gave me as the price of that life was something even a Grade 4 or lower—or even a Grade 3 citizen—would struggle to earn in a lifetime.
The claim that it was an average of ten years’ salary wasn’t a lie.
It was just that Andromallius himself fell within that average.
The department at S University with the highest average starting salary wasn’t from the College of Engineering or the College of Science, but rather the Department of Oriental History from the College of Humanities.
Do you know why?
Because among that department’s graduates was a major conglomerate chairman.
In other words, it was a classic case of the average being misleading.
Of course, that didn’t mean Shadow members’ salaries were low.
In fact, compared to other mercenaries, it was a considerably well-paying position.
Depending on which commissions you took and how many you completed, the figures varied wildly, but on average it seemed members took home around 300,000 dollars annually.
Every commission had assigned points, and members fundamentally had a quota they needed to fulfill each year.
But since those points weren’t set that high, if you were lucky, completing just one extremely difficult mission would let you coast for an entire year.
Of course, taking on such a mission was essentially suicide, so Andromallius himself handled those personally.
In reality, there were no members who actually lounged around after fulfilling their point quotas.
In this dystopian city, materialism rivaled even magical absolutism—when people completed commissions and wanted to earn more money, they earned more rather than resting.
Especially those with families worked commissions with relentless determination for their loved ones’ sake.
With money, they could provide their families better meals, better clothes, better living conditions.
Even if they hadn’t received proper education themselves, they could enroll their children in good magical academies and teach them proper magical systems.
Of course, I didn’t regret joining even after realizing I’d received money most people would never touch in their entire lives.
I understood well how crucial a reliable backer like Andromallius was in this crumbling world.
“So what’s the mission I’ll be receiving?”
A junior mentor originally had no right to choose missions.
It was purely a period of learning by tagging along on the mentor’s assignments.
Of course, even as a tagalong, I’d receive commission compensation.
“Since it’s your first commission, I brought something simple. Now that you’re in this city, you should visit the Underground at least once.”
My first mission was to eliminate the mutant monster “Murderous Clown” that appeared on Underground Level 3.

* * *

Andromallius simply explained how I should move, then left the rest entirely to me.
Changed into combat gear, I donned the mask that served as my official Shadow credentials.
This mask, which I’d worn when I first arrived in the City, was enchanted with cognitive interference and duplication prevention magic, making it invaluable for covert operations.
I first authenticated myself using my Shadow credentials through a magical communication device resembling a smartphone, then downloaded a map of the City.
The map was classified as military intelligence, so civilian distribution was strictly limited.
Of course, it wasn’t controlled as rigorously as weapons—slip enough money as a bribe and you could obtain one easily enough.
But downloading the map with special credentials like Shadow identification was free, and the map was more detailed and regularly updated compared to what civilians could acquire.
Since the City was so densely packed and buildings constantly materialized, vanished, and warped due to magic, anyone working within it needed periodic map updates.
To accommodate so many people in such a confined space, spatial distortion magic had been essential from the city planning stage itself.
“Let’s see… The closest Underground City entrance from here is the New Milano Station entrance in District 27-32.”
The mission zone was Basement Level 3.
There were numerous entrances to the Underground City, but they were primarily built alongside subway tunnels.
This dystopian metropolis had exceptionally developed public transportation—the subway network sprawling across the entire city was a transit method frequently used by both Underground and Surface residents.
The Surface City saw the wealthy, middle class, and working poor all commuting to their jobs, yet everyone who actually *resided* on the Surface was uniformly wealthy.
In an age where even sunlight had become a luxury, even the most dilapidated outer districts commanded astronomical prices simply for being above ground.
As you moved deeper into the city, prices skyrocketed beyond reason.
Consequently, those typically called the middle class primarily resided in Underground Level 1 or Level 2.
Most members of the Andromallius Family maintained residences on Underground Level 1 or 2.
Thanks to this, the City’s Levels 1 and 2 reportedly enjoyed relatively good public safety.
However, that safety only extended through Levels 1 and 2; from Basement Level 3 onward, security deteriorated noticeably.
From Level 3 downward, working-class residential areas increased, and from Level 5 onward, there was nothing but slums and factories.
“The taxi number is… Ah, I can summon one through an app too.”
While riding a flying bike would have posed no problem, Shadow operatives aimed to remain inconspicuous, so I called a mercenary-exclusive taxi instead.
Honestly, it was far faster to ride in a taxi driven by the Knight Commander—someone who could navigate the entire city with eyes closed—than for me to personally wrestle with the map and find my way through the labyrinthine streets.
After arriving at the subway station by taxi, I immediately descended via escalator into the Underground City.
The view of the Underground City revealed during my descent down the vertiginously tall escalator was breathtaking.
Piercing through the thick bedrock, I found myself in a vast, seemingly endless space with a ceiling height of roughly a hundred meters, packed densely with a sprawling metropolis.
Massive roads cut through the urban landscape, with automobiles and buses moving between them.
It genuinely felt like a middle-class city not fundamentally different from the Surface, and scattered throughout were towering structures that reached the ceiling—impossible to discern whether they were buildings or support pillars holding up the city itself.
The Underground City’s ceiling radiated brilliant magical light, and illusion magic had been used to recreate the Surface sky, complete with blue heavens and drifting clouds.
Seeing that the sun’s position matched the Surface exactly, I wondered if the light’s movement changed with the time of day as well?
“Wow, if I didn’t understand magic, I’d have thought it was no different from the Surface at all.”
At my words, Andromallius interjected.
“Isn’t it the opposite for Credit?”
“Actually, you’re right about that.”
I could perceive that illusion magic precisely because I’d learned magic; without it, my intuitive perception would see only a luminous reinforced concrete ceiling structure.
Not being an architecture student, I couldn’t say for certain, but the reinforced framework appeared to form arches with weight distribution expertly managed.
I could even spot places where magic had been used to reduce the load.
After descending the massive escalator, I boarded the subway directly from the platform without exiting, heading toward Basement Level 2.
The subway system consisted of circular lines that looped through each level, as well as ascending and descending lines connecting upper and lower floors.
Besides the subway, there were elevator-type transportation systems, but since I needed to go to the opposite district, taking the subway was faster.
As I descended back to Basement Level 3 on the subway line, a question nagged at me, so I asked Andromallius.
“As members of Shadow, shouldn’t there be some kind of special exclusive transportation? I mean, normally it wouldn’t matter, but going to work like this—commuting by subway—is that really how it’s done?”
“Such transportation does exist. However, every time we use it, we need approval from the City Government and the Magic Tower, so moving like this is far more convenient and faster.”
Spatial displacement magic-based transportation did exist, but since this city was so thoroughly saturated with spatial magic, spatial displacement magic was heavily restricted.
Approval was rarely granted in the first place, and when Shadow needed to be mobilized urgently, the authorization for spatial displacement magic would come down along with the initial contract.
Likely, only the thirty-three Magic Tower Masters who ruled the city and a select few other privileged individuals had constant authorization for spatial displacement magic.
Still, the train car we rode in was a dedicated car for mercenaries like us, so it wasn’t crowded.
This insane city divided citizens by rank, so even the subway had segregated spaces depending on citizen classification.
Lower-class citizens commuted packed like bean sprouts in a steamer, just as if they were riding a train in India.
“Basement Level 2 doesn’t seem all that different from Level 1?”
The view of Basement Level 2 visible through the window was no different from the upper levels. The ceiling was filled with illusory skies and densely packed buildings.
“From Basement Level 3 onward, things will be quite different.”
True to Andromallius’s word, when the subway arrived at Basement Level 3, there was a definite change.
The ceiling height had noticeably decreased, and above all, there was no illusory sky projected on the ceiling.
The city itself wasn’t much different from Levels 1 and 2, but the absence of even a fake sky dramatically altered the atmosphere of the place.
“Even a fake sky is part of welfare, and welfare costs money.”
Living in such a densely packed urban environment was stressful enough, and without even a fake sky, I felt suffocated.
I had thought of hell, but to see such glimpses of it already.
“It must be even worse below this, right?”
The Community on the intranet I accessed had little information about the deep Underground City.
That was only natural.
Those barely scraping by day to day couldn’t possibly obtain the magical artifacts needed to access the intranet, so they had no way to share their information with the outside world.
Even if they did, the city would censor it, claiming it disturbed social order.
At my question, Andromallius nodded silently.
His expression was hidden behind his mask, but his magical power subtly shifted to a somber tone.
For someone of Andromallius’s caliber as an Archmage, even the slightest emotions were so integrated with their magical power that they influenced it.
In truth, it was nearly impossible to discern emotions from magical power without actively using magic. Perhaps it was strange that I could sense it.
I decided to accept the fact that I deviated slightly from the standard.
Upon arriving at my destination, I spoke as I stepped off the subway.
“In an environment like this, no matter how much the city suppresses mutations, I’d think mutant monsters would inevitably emerge.”
Even if the city suppressed mutations, it couldn’t completely prevent them.
That’s why the city utilized mercenary groups to deal with flora, fauna, or humans that had transformed into mutant monsters.
“But what exactly is the structure that suppresses mutations? I couldn’t find any information about it.”
At my question, Andromallius pondered for a moment before answering.
“…I don’t know the exact details either. All I know is that it’s being suppressed by some kind of massive spiritual presence.”
A massive spiritual presence, I see.
It certainly made sense—far too many people living in such a confined space.
In an area the size of Gyeonggi Province, at least 250 million people lived, perhaps even 700 or 800 million.
The sheer unconscious emanations from such an enormous population would be absolutely staggering.
I suspected that this underground city structure—nine levels deep, extending to ten if you counted the Surface City above—might also be connected to magic in some way.
“Let’s head straight to the outbreak zone.”
I opened the navigation app and entered our destination.

(To be continued in the next chapter)

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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