Otherworld TRPG Game Master-Chapter 325: The Tower of Illusion

[Empire National Defense Agency: Report on Dangerous Individuals]

Name: Tower of Illusion / Yuna Yurensto Violetiris

Grade: Undetermined (Estimated Level 0, potential national disaster if not addressed early)

Active Period: End of Year 453, Lion’s Calendar – Ongoing

#1

The phenomenon suddenly manifested, consuming part of the academy grounds and the Mad Magician’s research lab entirely. Though it takes the form of a tower, its interior is an entirely separate world.

From here on, it will be referred to as the Tower of Illusion.

The Tower of Illusion exhibits the following characteristics:

It blurs the boundary between illusion and reality. Within its vicinity, phenomena occur such as the spontaneous creation of previously nonexistent entities or the disappearance of existing objects.

(Do not send individuals without sufficiently strong mental barriers into the tower. Their very existence may dissolve and vanish.)

As an extension of the above, hostile entities are frequently generated within the tower’s influence. While each creature’s strength is below that of the lowest-ranked academy students, the frequency and volume of their creation are rapidly increasing.

(It is presumed that as more information is reduced to illusion within the area, the entities become stronger. If casualties occur, their strength may increase significantly.)

Its influence is expanding. Initially, it consumed a quarter of the academy, but it now encompasses 50%. The faculty members are defending the central forbidden zone, but their efforts are unlikely to last a week.

Based on these observations, it is clear that the Tower of Illusion poses a severe threat.

The academy’s forbidden zone is said to contain the Source, which guarantees the academy’s continued growth. While its exact nature is unknown, it likely holds immense power.

We must remain vigilant against the moment the Source is absorbed by the Tower of Illusion. I need not elaborate on the disaster that would follow.

#2

When the tower appeared, students within its range were sucked inside. Concerned that their deaths could increase the tower’s output, a rescue operation was undertaken.

With the cooperation of some faculty, the rescue mission is underway and progressing well. Fortunately, the current class of academy students has exceptionally strong mental barriers.

The tower’s first floor is a space reconstructed from resources used in the Great Labyrinth (refer to appended academy team competition records). Additionally, it is highly volatile.

Trap placements change every minute, meaning that even previously explored paths cannot be guaranteed safe. Teams must consist of skilled individuals capable of immediate adaptability.

Although we discovered stairs to the second floor, priority was given to rescuing the students, and further exploration was postponed.

Most rescued students had parts of their bodies “illusionized.” This condition drastically lowers resistance to illusion magic, leaving them susceptible to erasure upon impact.

It was also confirmed that this “illusionization” is contagious.

We are working with Saintess Tara to find a cure. It has been revealed that divine power slows or eliminates the progression of illusionization. However, this process is akin to amputating an infected limb—the afflicted area will be permanently lost.

Dormitory Building A for male students has been designated a temporary medical ward, where infected individuals are quarantined and treated. Please maintain magical shielding when in contact with patients.

#3

The Tower of Illusion may become a more dangerous labyrinth than the eastern front. While the Empire’s power is formidable, it is not infinite. A two-front war is something no nation should endure.

Based on this danger, I request the deployment of the Empire’s Sword Saint and the Captain of the Capital Knights.

Their purpose is to collapse the Tower of Illusion and eliminate Yuna Yurensto Violetiris.

#4

Thus far, I have written as Yuri Ranster, a former Defense Agency agent. From here on, I write as a woman engaged to a certain man, addressing this to you, Prince Irid.

Soon, the Mad Magician will return from the Purple Tower.

He will try to save Yuna Yurensto Violetiris. And he will succeed, as he always has.

I understand.

I know the risks if he fails. If the Mad Magician were to die in the Tower of Illusion, and the “It” he has sealed were unleashed... the Empire could potentially be erased.

From a rational standpoint, deploying the Empire’s sublimation forces to eliminate him may seem wise. If Yuna’s death enrages the Mad Magician, I could console him, explaining it was unavoidable. He would accept it, because he loves me.

Though he might live with guilt for the rest of his life, we could avoid the threat of a fully unhinged magician turning against the Empire. This is certainly the “safer” option.

However...

You know well what it feels like for a man to lose the woman he loves. And you know how he has succeeded in the past.

You know what kind of person he is.

If agents are dispatched from the Defense Agency to investigate the Tower of Illusion, they will likely produce a report similar to mine, proposing nearly identical solutions.

That is why I am writing to you first—so I can include this final plea.

Despite the risks, grant him a chance. Do not cast his future into darkness; let him seize his joy with his own hands. Please, make a deeply personal and emotional decision.

If you do so, the Mad Magician, myself, Yuna, Aisha, and perhaps even one other...

Our family will repay you and those you cherish, as well as the Empire, a hundredfold.

Yuri Ranster, to His Highness, Second Prince Irid.

===============================================================

Wisps of cigarette smoke curled upward.

Yuri Ranster, looking utterly exhausted, leaned against a red brick wall as she munched on a cloud-like confection.

She glanced at me sideways, exhaling a deep breath of smoke before speaking with her usual calmness.

“You’re here.”

“Yuri, what happened?”

“As you can see. Yuna rampaged, and her sublimation ability consumed the area. I... just finished rescuing the students who were sucked into the tower. Praise me already.”

Yuri made a double peace sign.

Her playful gesture brought a small smile to my lips. Right, even in grim and dire situations, there’s still room to smile. I needed that.

“...Thank you.”

“That doesn’t sound like praise. But... fine, you’ll praise me soon enough.”

She handed me a simple envelope with no seal or signature. I opened it and unfolded its contents.

It was... a letter from Irid.

He promised to buy me time, saying I should resolve the situation before his stress made all his hair fall out. He even joked that I’d be repaid with a gold bar dropped on my head after everything was done.

Good. I was prepared to fight the Empire if it came to that.

The academy, filled with brilliant talents regardless of noble or commoner status, is undeniably a critical institution. And Yuna’s sublimation ability is incredibly dangerous. I feared the Empire might intervene, even fight me to resolve this.

But thanks to Yuri and Irid, I bought some time.

“Do you have a plan?”

“...I’ll try using the Extra Module and Sublimation Suppression to control Yuna’s ability. But first, I need to ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) reach her.”

“You’ll climb the tower. Let’s go.”

“Don’t you need more rest? You look exhausted.”

Yuri flicked her cigarette butt aside and replied.

“I’ll rest luxuriously on a queen-size bed with a man and a woman at my side, once all this is over.”

“I’ll do the same. Two women at my side, living it up all day.”

“I’m in front; you’re in back.”

“...You mean combat positioning, right?”

For the first time in a while, we were a two-person team.

Together, we trudged toward the Tower of Illusion. The first floor, a warped version of the Great Labyrinth, was manageable.

Blurring the line between illusion and reality meant illusion magic was greatly enhanced. A mere gesture could move the world.

Yuri’s chains bought time while I dismantled obstacles. Even without words, we understood each other, leaving no delay in our coordination.

Without much trouble, we reached the first floor’s exit.

As we stepped onto the landing to ascend to the second floor...

“‘Minus.’”

“...!”

Thunk!

Yuri Ranster stomped the back of my knee, forcing me to kneel. At the same moment, a beam of light that erased all information grazed the top of my head.

“‘Haze Disruption,’ ‘Magic Mirror.’”

Instinctively casting defensive illusion spells around me, I looked up to see a shadow hanging upside down from the ceiling. For a moment, I panicked, thinking Yuna was attacking me.

The figure wore a pointed hat and held a staff. Their twin-tails were familiar, but their size was different. So was their gaze—devoid of any affection in their eyes.

...A different person?

Yuri commented.

“If Yuna ate and slept well, she might look like that. Her chest size is also quite impressive. Not as much as mine, though... not as much as mine.”

“Was that really necessary to emphasize?”

“Self-promotion is always important. Mima, you go ahead. I’ll follow shortly.”

“No, we should stick toge— Gah!”

With a kick, Yuri sent me flying up the stairs. The door slammed shut behind me with the sound of locks clicking into place.

I guess she didn’t want me arguing. She could have just said so...

Through the door, her voice came.

“If I’d asked nicely, you wouldn’t have listened. You’d bring up how I charged into the Succubus Queen alone and worry about me falling victim again, wouldn’t you?”

“...”

“I have pride and feelings, you know. I didn’t come to be your burden. So just go quietly. Before I change my mind.”

“Don’t get hurt.”

You, too.

The last thing I heard before the door was muffled by the sounds of intense battle.

That thing resembling Yuna... I didn’t know what it was. But I figured I’d find out by moving forward.

I ascended the stairs.

And at some point, I felt myself being pulled into a different dimension as the world shifted entirely. freewёbnoνel.com

2nd Floor

The Tower of Illusion... had manifested after consuming my laboratory.

That meant all my simulation devices, session logs, NPC data, and everything related to my sessions were now inside the tower.

Perhaps that’s why.

The surroundings felt familiar. A dilapidated back alley at night.

Although the moon hung in the sky, deep shadows blanketed everything, making it difficult to discern anything. The disordered, cluttered buildings and obstacles blocked out the moonlight.

Looking up, I saw tattered clothes hung on lines strung between buildings. The windows were either shattered or boarded up, and the ground was littered with dirty puddles and rats scurrying about.

This was the opening scene of Session S2: A Star’s Resentment.

But it wasn’t exactly the same. The space was heavily rearranged based on the session’s data. Just as the Great Labyrinth had been twisted into something more extreme, so was this floor.

I hadn’t expected my own creations to come back to haunt me.

In the original session, cultists and monsters began to swarm the world only after Abraham’s death. So, was my objective here to reach Abraham’s mansion and prevent that tragedy?

What were the clear conditions...?

Did I have to navigate something resembling this session on my own?

As I was lost in thought, a sharp squeak signaled the death of a rat.

I turned toward the sound.

There, a grotesque bipedal creature resembling a dog was staring at me, drooling profusely. Its vicious left paw, tipped with razor-sharp claws, crushed the rat against the asphalt, grinding it into the ground.

Already, monsters were roaming. What was the timeline here? No, it wasn’t the same story—it was based on my session’s data but entirely different.

Stay calm. This wasn’t the time to think.

I felt its killing intent. No problem. According to its settings, it wasn’t that powerful. I could handle it with a bit of illusion magic to disorient it.

“‘Phantasmal Harpoon,’ ah, ah...?!”

The spell didn’t activate.

“Graaaah—!!”

Suddenly, the creature’s arm expanded. No, it didn’t grow larger—it just swung toward me so fast it seemed to have already closed the distance. I braced myself and curled up to absorb the impact.

Crack-! Snap-!

I felt the bones in my shielded left arm fracture into three pieces. A sharp, numbing pain shot through me as I was flung three meters into a pile of garbage bags.

Even mid-flight, I tried to cast magic again. But nothing happened. There wasn’t even a trace of mana—I couldn’t gather or manipulate it at all.

I quickly assessed the situation. Just like in the Succubus Queen’s dream world, I’d been given some sort of restriction.

“Guh...”

Gripping my grotesquely bent arm, I stood up. No magic? Without it, what does a magician even do?

Wait... it wasn’t just that. I should be an information-based lifeform, but I couldn’t repair or alter my body. Clenching and unclenching my fist, I realized my physical stats had been nerfed to slightly below the average adult male.

A civilian.

I’d been reduced to the level of an ordinary civilian.

The monster growled, stepping closer. It intended to crush my throat and feast on me.

Stay calm.

All I had was a broken arm and a regular human body. Could I evade this monster?

Impossible. Its mobility far outstripped mine.

Then... could I kill it?

Yes.

Even with my stats nerfed, I still had my brain. I could think, and I could act. That was enough.

I’d been startled earlier by something resembling Yuna attacking me and by Yuri leaving, but I was fine now.

I had modeled this monster myself, crafted its traits and settings, and programmed its behavior. I could see its every move coming.

I grabbed an empty bottle near the trash can, flipped it over, and smashed it against the wall.

Crash-!

An improvised weapon with sharp, jagged edges. If I dodged all its attacks and landed all of mine, I’d win. Even without magic. Simple.

I’d cut its carotid artery and let it bleed out.

“Come on, bastard... Even without magic, I’m still the Mad Magician. Bring it!”

“Graaaah—!!”

The dog-headed monster charged, leaping toward me. It felt like slow motion as it moved, the moonlight between the buildings glinting off its foul yellow eyes.

And then.

Buuuuuung, buuuuuuung—!

An engine?

Brrroooom—!!

Out of nowhere, a massive motorcycle burst from an alleyway and rammed into the monster’s side. The bike and the creature flew together, tumbling to the ground.

What the hell was that?

While I stood there wide-eyed in confusion, the rider gracefully balanced in midair and landed. The monster writhed on the ground, coughing up blood—it seemed to have sustained internal injuries.

The rider, clad in a black coat, drew a shotgun slung across their back and aimed it at the creature.

“Farewell.”

Bang!

The gunshot rang out, accompanied by the acrid smell of gunpowder and the clink of a falling shell. The monster was dead.

The mysterious rider holstered the shotgun and wheeled their motorcycle over to me. Their heavily tinted helmet obscured their face, but they were tall, around 180 cm, and appeared older.

Their right arm was a heavy, black metallic prosthetic, emitting a low hum with each movement.

In a deep, resonant voice, they asked, “Are you alright?”

“Ah, yes. Thanks to you. But... who are you?”

“Oh dear, I forgot to remove my helmet. The world is so dark whether I wear it or not, I often forget it’s even there.”

The rider lifted the helmet with both hands, revealing wiry white hair spilling out. I couldn’t hide my shock.

I knew that face.

Of course. Since the simulation had been swallowed whole, “they” must have been dragged into the Tower of Illusion as well!

“Creator, you’ve come just in time. Are you ready to save the goddess?”

“Abraham...!”

I wasn’t alone.

Inside the tower, the NPCs who had gained self-awareness were here too!