บท 34: Meeting the Tower Master
By now, the crowd around the library had gotten a lot larger. A friend told a friend who told a friend that a genius five-year-old kid was beating up the mages at Reborn chess.
They all came to the Magic Tower, flooding the second floor just for a chance to see one of the games.
"Woah, who's that old dude?"
"He looks weak. Why do the other mages let him be the next one in line?"
From what they saw, the old man had just arrived and didn't even participate in the previous chess tournament. There were plenty of other candidates who hadn't gotten their chance.
But strangely enough, the competitive mages meekly stepped aside and let the old man approach the table. Silence was their only response.
As the normal people tried to wonder about the real identity of the old man, one of the more knowledgeable citizens had a glint of recognition in his eyes.
"I recognize him…that white beard flowing down to his waist, that peaceful smile on his face, the white pointy hat…That's the Tower Master!"
The spectators gasped. Nobody had ever seen the rumored 8-star Tower Master of Kingsbridge out in the open. They heard he stayed at the top of the Magic Tower at all times and only bothered to come down during important events.
They didn't think this would be considered as one.
He's the Tower Master? Michael thought. I thought he was just joking about knowing an 8-star magic spell.
The Tower Master kept his smile as he sat down opposite Michael at the chess table.
"How about it kid? Do we have an agreement? If you beat me, I will perform one of my best spells in front of your very eyes."
Michael pondered for a second. "And what if I lose?"
The Tower Master smiled, impressed that a five-year-old kid had the presence of mind to worry about consequences.
"If you lose, you'll join our Magic Tower as my apprentice."
The Tower Master's declaration sent the mages into an uproar. Becoming the apprentice of the 8-star Tranquil Blazing King of Fire was an intensely coveted position that most prodigies fail to even qualify for.
They were confused as to why that was the losing condition. It was a prize for the five-year-old kid rather than a punishment.
And even then, they couldn't understand why the Tower Master offered such a prestigious honor to this child.
Sure, he was—by all extents—a prodigious talent in chess, but that wasn't enough to become the Tower Master's apprentice.
"Who is this kid anyway?"
"I thought he was just a normal child…but is there something special with him?"
Even the spectators above couldn't help but gossip about Michael. Most of the people here were fans of mages, so they knew about the best talents and upcoming geniuses of the younger generation.
But none of them recognized Michael. He wasn't from the famous Magic families or the talented Knight families.
This intrigued them. If Michael was talented enough in magic that the Tower Master was offering him an apprenticeship, they should have known about him by now.
But Michael's identity was still shrouded in mystery.
They would have never thought that the youngest son of the Vanderbilt family, a lineage known only for their business acumen, would bring the most talented up-and-coming magician of the current times.
"What's wrong? Don't like the conditions?" the Tower Master asked, stroking his long white beard.
Although Michael wasn't worried about losing, he didn't like the idea of being forced to stay in the Magic Tower for his entire life.
"Are you perhaps scared of losing?" the old man teased.
And that was enough reason for Michael.
"Let's play then," Michael said as he moved the white pawn.
…
…
…
Immediately, Michael realized that he was playing with an opponent unlike anyone he had ever played before. It was as if he was playing against someone from his previous life, who knew all the tricks and openings established through a thousand years of chess history.
He had to think longer about making his moves or else he would find himself on the losing side.
He had to get serious.
The rest of the mages and spectators observed the high-level battle between the two of them with nothing but silence, reigning in their gasps of surprise whenever one of them made an amazing move.
Time passed as Michael and the Tower Master engaged in a close battle, exchanging captures with each other.
Slowly, their pieces lessened, with each side playing with nothing but their pawns, a bishop, and their King.
"Woah…the two of them are head to head! I don't know who's winning."
"Nobody had ever lasted this long against the kid. Has he met his match?"
"I think the Tower Master will win. He's a world-class 8-star wizard after all!"
The moves continued, with Michael's only bishop getting cornered by two pawns.
He had a choice to make. He could choose to save his bishop, but risk his King at an unfavorable position, or let his only bishop be captured, turning the tides on their battle for the Tower Master.
Either way, it looked like the old man was about to win.
It was a delicate situation.
[Would you like me to show you a checkmate win in 7 moves?] asked ChatJK1.
There's no need, Michael replied.
Although he looked like he was in trouble, Michael had seen enough late-game moves from some of the pros back in his previous life to know exactly how to win this game.
"It's your move next," said the Tower Master, with a bit of haughtiness in his voice. He thought he had the game in the bag.
But as Michael reached for his move, he chose to pick up a pawn on the opposite side of the board, completely surprising the crowd and the Tower Master.
They gasped, thinking that the five-year-old boy finally made a blunder.
But the more knowledgeable chess players considered Michael's move and tried to play it out in their heads.
And they quickly realized that this was a killing move.
A frown formed on the Tower Master's face as he too realized the significance of that seemingly blunder-like move.
After a few seconds, a smile broke out on his face, continuing with a raucous laughter that filled the library.
"HAHAHAHA! I lost!"
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