"Kids! Be quiet and listen to their instructions," A man yelled. The chaotic scene of his class children on the bus made him panic. "ARE WE GONNA BE ABLE TO MEET HIM!" "I GOTTA DO NUMBER TWO!" "I'M HERE TO SKIP CLASS!"
The teacher sighed, looking helpless. It was his first year of teaching teenagers, a time of chaos and hormonal imbalance. "I can handle this," a kind-looking woman answered as she raised her hand. A rush of flames flowed through the bus roof from her palm, all along the end of the bus, silencing the students.
"Welcome to the Magisterium! I'm Alisha, your tour guide today! Now with the introduction done, please get off the bus so we can begin." The students exited the bus in an excited and messy order, before freezing at the sight before them. "Whoah" "wow" "I GOTTA POOP!"
"Welcome officially to the headquarters of the Magisterium, otherwise known by the public as The Tower." Alisha turned, her eyes falling to a boy shifting legs, "Toilets will be available in a minute as well." It was a fantasy-like tower that pierced the sky and continued onward, seemingly infinite in height. Nobody had seen its peak, even astronauts could not see the end. It was made out of a reflective metal, sculptured to resemble what most would see as a Manwha-esque tower. It has become one of the wonders of the world; an entire city was built around it. A perfect mixture of modern society and nature, the building seemed to be fused with wood and stone. Yet in the center of it, the Tower stood tall. "Now, let's begin the tour," Alisha extended her hand outward, touching the cold metallic gate of the tower. A massive human-like eye appeared above the door, the air paused for a second before the eye mechanically said, "Name: Alisha Henderson. Occupation: Tour guide. Scheduled for a tour with Kenderson High School. Approval given. Entry allowed up to the 21st floor."
The door swung open, dragging across the ground with a heavy clang as it revealed a majestic view. The students froze at the sight. The lobby was vast beyond comprehension; it seemed infinite. The ceiling stretched endlessly upward, revealing a living projection of the universe itself. Galaxies collided in slow motion. Stars ignited and died in brilliant flashes of light, constellations shifting as if time itself was on display. The floor beneath their feet was smooth obsidian, laced with pulsating white and blue lines. With every step, the light responded; faint ripples spreading outward like the building was aware of their presence. Towering pillars rose from the floor, seemingly holding the heavens in place. Each was lined with priceless artifacts: ancient weapons, shattered relics, sealed grimoires, every one humming with quiet power. Along the walls, moving tapestries played historical scenes: legendary hunts, fallen heroes, world-ending battles survived. "This is our lobby. Only reserved guests are allowed in. Any trespassers would be....rejected," Alisha muttered in the last part, remembering the horrific end of the last trespassers as she added, "Bathrooms are on the right." A student scurried past. Alisha smiled as the students wandered around, admiring the history displayed. "Hm? This guy is on every display?" A student questioned, staring at a painting where a tall man covered in a wizard-esque robe stood tall in front of millions, as another one insulted, "Well, duh, it's the anomaly otherwise known as Humanity's savior. He's the owner of this place, dumbass. Stop sleeping during history class."
"Fuck off," the student retorted, jokingly kicking the guy as the two entered in playful banter. However, the conversation is cut short, Alisha catching back the attention of everyone as the student scurried from the bathroom with a relieved sigh. "Now," Alisha said, clapping her hand as she continued, "the next stop is the Grand Atrium." A door appeared in front of Alisha as she opened it, beckoning the students to follow her. "So this place is full of magic?" The same student wondered. Magic, a newly discovered source of power that had appeared when dungeons appeared. "Again, stop sleeping in history class," The other student insulted again before stepping through the door. "Bitch."
The tour truly began.
The Grand Atrium was not a room. It was a city suspended inside the Tower. It was the location where all hunters and guilds interchanged from all over the world. The floor fell away beneath transparent platforms, revealing dozens of levels descending into a glowing abyss. Bridges of light crisscrossed the open space, hunters and operatives moving across them with purpose, weapons slung openly, armor still scorched from recent battles. Dungeon portals lined the air itself. Hundreds of them. Some were stable—perfect rings of light displaying forests, ruined cities, or alien skies beyond. Others flickered violently, distortion rippling outward as containment teams reinforced their stability with glowing runes and mechanical anchors.
Hunters emerged in squads. Some were bloodied, limping as medics rushed to meet them. Others walked calmly, dragging the corpses of creatures that should not exist, for god knows what purpose. One group passed carrying a sealed coffin-sized crystal, something inside it moving. Above them, colossal holographic rings rotated slowly, projecting live dungeon feeds, rank classifications, casualty counts, and global threat levels. Names flashed across the displays: guilds, operations, emergency summons updated every second. It was loud. Overwhelming. Metal boots against glass. Orders barked in dozens of languages, translated into one. The hum of magic, machinery, and raw power pressed against the air until it felt heavy to breathe. A hunter passed them. They were tall, cloaked, faces hidden behind a cracked mask. Their presence alone made the kids instinctively step back. Another walked by openly laughing, her spear resting on her shoulder, blood still dripping from its tip. No one stopped them. No one even looked twice.
"This," Alisha said, raising her voice slightly, "is the Grand Atrium." She gestured outward. "The central hub for all hunter activity. It is one of the Magisterium's sources of income, bringing hundreds of billions of dollars a month. Most guilds choose to participate as the Magisterium assures easy access, stabilized dungeons, and you could even keep dungeons even after taking the dungeon core for training purposes." Before anyone could respond. "Alisha." The single word cut cleanly through the noise. A hunter stepped forward from the flow of traffic. He was broad-shouldered, clad in heavy black armor etched with glowing runes, an A-Rank insignia burned into his pauldron. Several nearby hunters instinctively shifted aside. "Didn't know you were guiding today," he said, giving a sharp nod. "Thought you were off-grid after the Jakarta breach." "I was," Alisha replied easily. "Kids' tour. Try not to traumatize them." He snorted. "Wrong building for that." The man glanced at the students, then softened, just slightly. "…Welcome to the Tower."
Behind him, a group of F-Rank hunters hurried past. They were young, seemingly in their early twenties. Their gear was uniform but light, weapons shaking in nervous hands as they clustered together, eyes wide as they stared at everything around them. One nervously shuffled around, looking around, overwhelmed as his foot caught on a gap. Before he could hit the ground, a hand caught him.
The hand belonged to a woman in sleek white armor. An S-Rank crest gleamed on her chest. She didn't even look at him as she set him upright and continued walking, her presence alone causing conversations to die and pathways to clear.
S-rank. The rank that surpassed the threshold of humanity, each one had the power to destroy a planet single-handedly. However, a moment later, an SS-Rank team passed overhead on a descending platform—five figures, faces hidden, weapons sealed. The air itself bent around them, alarms briefly dimming as if unwilling to compete. No one spoke. They felt wrong, as if reality was trying to wish them away, but couldn't.
Alisha watched them go, expression unreadable. Soon, Lights across the Atrium dimmed a fraction, not a shutdown, not an alarm. An acknowledgment. Every high-ranking hunter felt it. Spines straightened. Jokes stopped. Even the SS-Ranks paused. "Permission acknowledged," a calm, omnipresent voice echoed through the Atrium, neither loud nor soft, but absolute. "Tour clearance maintained." Unknowingly, everyone releases a breath of relief.
The students didn't know whose voice it was, but they knew what it meant. A boy whispered, "W-Was that…?" Alisha smiled, gentle but reverent. "The Master of the Tower," she said. "If he notices you…That's already more than most people get." She clapped her hands once, the sound grounding. "Alright! Let's keep moving. Hunters are at work." As the group moved along the walkway, they passed a refit station where a handful of hunters were leaning against a railing, helmets off, sharing a meal while a portal was being re-stabilized nearby.
"Did the clearance flicker earlier, or was that just my HUD bugging?" one of them asked, a new hire, scrolling through his wrist display. A Veteran hunter shrugged, "Nah, that was real. Happens when he checks the board." The first snorted, "Figures. Every time he does that, the system acts like it's about to die." A newer hunter, B-Rank, judging by the patch on her jacket, tilted her head, "You ever notice he doesn't have a rank listed?" "That's because he's not in the system," the second replied, matter-of-fact. "Never was."
"What, like classified?" The new hire asked. The veteran laughed. "More like It's unnecessary." They shared a quiet momentum, letting the weight of his word settle before it's interrupted. "I heard he started running dungeons at four," the B-Rank said. "Not simulations or practice dungeons. Actual dungeons." "Yeah," the Veteran said. "Back when they were still figuring out what a dungeon even was. No protocols, no support teams. Just tossed him in and hoped he came back." "That explains a lot," the B-rank muttered. "Guy's got more field time than the rest of us combined." An A-Rank walking past added without stopping, "Rank caps don't apply to someone who's been clearing them longer than the ranking system's existed." A portal chimed, stabilizing. "Anyway," the veteran hunter said, standing up. "If he's paying attention today, it means something nasty's been trying to come through." The others nodded, calm but alert. Nearby, the students kept walking, only catching fragments of the conversation, unaware they'd just heard people casually discussing the reason the Tower existed.
"Can we meet him?" A student asked. The answer was obvious, impossible. Alisha smiled as she said, "I'll take you to floor 15, The Garden of Eve. Where the first statue of him was ever created by a collaboration of Japan, America, and Russia." A door appeared in front of Alisha, taking a step forward, urging everyone to step through. "The Garden of Eve," Alisha announced. "Originally named The Garden of Adam, but it was quickly changed by him." The students stepped out carefully. The air was warmer here, infused with a faint golden glow. The floor wasn't glass or metal. It was soft grass, impossibly green and thick, bending under their feet. Trees rose above them, impossibly tall, leaves shimmering as though dusted with starlight. Flowers bloomed in impossible colors, petals sparkling like crystals. At the center stood a statue. It was immense. Arthur Yeager, captured in a moment of quiet determination. He held a magic staff, shoulders squared, gaze forward as if nothing could move him. Light seemed to radiate from the statue, washing the garden in a soft, almost reverent glow. There was a plaque on the bottom: The one who carried the burden of Humanity since birth. Humanity's greatest. It was imposing yet gentle. Each student could feel the reverence it took to create the statue.
"But...what are these other statues?" A female student asked, standing in front of one. "Oh those," Alisha paused, taking a look at the hundreds of female statues as she continued, "Each one of these is a statue created after each of his wives. He made each one personally."
"...T-there are over a hundred of these statues?" A male student shuddered at the quantity of them. "Indeed. It's the reason why it's now named The Garden of Eve," Alisha announced as the students shared a blank stare. "Is that lucky?" A male student questioned. It was every teenage boy's dream to have women fawn over him. But reality was different. Women were people, not some inanimate toy, who lived for them. He couldn't see it as anything but a headache and an early grave.
"Now, let's continue the tour."
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Author Note: Tried to give him Aura, but I think I failed. I had to use some AI as I extremely suck at descriptive writing, but I tried to make it my own, so hopefully that shines through, as I hate when it's clearly all copied and pasted from AI. I decided to post it, and later I will post another chapter, to help you guys see if this is a story you're interested in seeing!