Chapter 132
I had announced the following regarding the Tower of Trials.
Until I return to the Academy, students who clear the 10th floor will be awarded one wish voucher!
And the results were as follows.
1. Alexon / 10th Floor Clear / Clear Record 1 Day 15 Hours 2 Minutes
Professor Alexon, who excitedly jumped into the playground created for the kids and smashed everything while having a blast, ranked first. However, since he wasn’t a student, his clear reward was not recognized.
“Delete record.”
From here on are the students’ records.
1. Bennett Party (Bennett, Tara, Niolle, Selvier) / Reached 9th Floor / Clear Record 21 Hours 37 Minutes
The Bennett team was an exceptionally well-rounded party. Looking at their battle records, they demonstrated overall decent clear times.
During the time when it was just Bennett, Tara, and Niolle, they showed strength in one-on-one battles but struggled in crowd control, causing their clear times to stretch or sometimes fail at specific points.
For instance, at the 7th Floor, Sleeping Princess in the Forest. She had a pattern of summoning plant monsters every cooldown; these plants would bind you and reduce your stats by a percentage.
So if you ignore the minions and charge in, you eventually get overwhelmed and head straight for the defeat ending.
After Selvier joined, their weakness in crowd control was alleviated, and their clear records improved significantly. Their strategy was as follows.
In crowd-control floors, Selvier spends all her mana projecting firepower.
In the one-on-one floors, the trio handles the cooking. While they’re beating the boss, Selvier recovers her mana. Once her mana is fully charged, she projects firepower again in the next crowd-control floor── what follows is omitted.
However, this tactic had the problem of creating a time stall because Selvier needed time to recharge her mana.
The detailed clear records are as follows. (Seconds omitted)
1st Floor Orc // 1 Minute (MVP: Bennett)
2nd Floor Ogre // 3 Minutes (MVP: Tara)
3rd Floor Jenny of the Chain Scythe // 3 Minutes (MVP: Bennett)
4th Floor Whip Witch // 1 Hour 40 Minutes (MVP: Selvier)
5th Floor Jay of Sword Art // 7 Minutes (MVP: Bennett)
6th Floor James the Gunslinger of the Wilderness // 11 Minutes (MVP: Tara)
7th Floor Sleeping Princess in the Forest // 3 Hours 20 Minutes (MVP: Selvier)
8th Floor Open Arch // 4 Hours 40 Minutes (MVP: Bennett)
9th Floor Combat City De1-ETe // 11 Hours 32 Minutes (Clear Failed)
What exactly was going on in the 9th floor that they couldn’t break through?
Simply put, it was a mildly gimmicky, hostile futuristic city. You had to find a key card, board an orbital elevator, and destroy the AI ruling the city from the space station to finish.
Even in Cthulhu, I felt these guys… they get thrown off by subtle hints. Every time the city’s gimmick activates, there’d be a flash of light from outer space, or the openly towering orbital elevator reaching up to the sky.
If they had any sense, they would’ve thought, “Ah, we need to go there!”
The boss mob was floating above, while they were running amok through the wide futuristic city, only pulverizing the buildings.
Isn’t it a bit unreasonable to expect such capabilities from people in a fantasy world? However, I must say, Alexon immediately caught on to things and rushed towards the center as soon as he entered!
Abraham, who was supposed to be guarding, didn’t and instead wandered off the other way.
Despite that, his sheer high specs devastated the lower floors, giving him the top student record. Had he just hopped on that orbital elevator swiftly, he could have even led them to a clear…
Below them was the Golden Faction and the Rose Emblem Faction competing with each other.
2. Golden Party (Gordius and 23 others) / Crossed 8th Floor / Clear Record 2 Days 3 Hours 37 Minutes
3. Rose Emblem Party (Princess Baekryeong and 17 others) / Reached 8th Floor / Clear Record 1 Day 12 Hours 11 Minutes
While the clear records significantly spanned out, the Golden Party managed to cross the 8th floor, whereas the Rose Emblem Party had a shorter clear record but couldn’t break through the 8th floor.
The notable difference between the two factions was the leaders’ temperaments.
“Build barricades and stall for time! Blow yourselves up with explosives to buy time! Even death in a space where one doesn’t die is a gamble!”
“Uwaaaaa—!!”
“They’re making them self-destruct as if it’s not their life at all, oh no!”
One side was determined to somehow take on the 8th floor.
“Let’s end the challenge here. Further fighting seems pointless… our bonds have already grown strong enough.”
“Uh-huh, as expected of the princess…!!”
“Our abilities fell short, and we couldn’t escort you to the 10th floor. If we don’t apologize with our bare bodies…!!”
On the other side, they felt there was no need to act like a villain.
Though their battle powers were somewhat similar, the outcomes differed dramatically. Moreover, analyzing the clear records in more detail revealed interesting differences.
The Rose Emblem Party had better records in crowd control, while the Golden Party excelled in one-on-one battles.
The largely noble composition of the Rose Emblem Party, led by Princess Baekryeong, maintained a solid formation without wavering. When mobs approached, they calmly held their formations and pushed through. However, they were a bit too focused on protecting the princess.
Also, since the party was a good mix of knights and mages, their stability was incredibly high. They showcased a textbook example of combat methodology—tanks blocking while damage dealers project firepower.
In contrast, the Golden Party, with its high ratio of commoners, found themselves in utter chaos during crowd control, yet they did excel at piling on attacks when facing a singular enemy. Their aggro management was superb; they dealt precise damage while the aggro was drawn by someone else.
Their lineup was a mix of all types—trash mob fighters, archers, and swordsmen, all having different classes, with the Golden Tower’s top graduates reinforcing their specs with artifacts, instead of maintaining formations, they opted for surviving as individuals.
When aggro was on someone else, they’d dodge, and if it wasn’t their aggro, they’d lash out, and the rest just did their own thing.
Besides that…
There was one student worth noting.
7. Luna Steery / Crossed 4th Floor / Clear Record 36 Minutes
What makes the 4th floor so special, you ask? The sheer number of attempts and the overwhelming time reductions. Ever since I returned to the Academy, she spent every bit of her free time meticulously grinding the Tower of Trials.
She even discovered a bug where if you sit halfway during Jenny’s second pattern and take three steps back in a duck walk, the pattern would skip.
1st Floor Orc // 0 Minutes (MVP: Luna)
2nd Floor Ogre // 2 Minutes (MVP: Luna)
3rd Floor Jenny of the Chain Scythe // 2 Minutes (MVP: Luna)
4th Floor Whip Witch // 32 Minutes (MVP: Luna)
Her records were far more efficient than Bennett’s party.
Of course, the Bennett Party was aiming for higher climbs, which is why they regulated their pace, handling things casually when they could manage it solo, and conserving their condition as they progressed.
Nonetheless, being able to shave down this much time without having achieved a myth… deserves some applause.
If she had the ability to reverse time, she would be a gem!
“………….”
I salivated. And something, within my heart, started to gnaw at my soul, an ominous urge. A four-character word kept swirling in my mind.
Graduate…
If only I could use her… as my teaching assistant…?
If I could have her meticulously test the mechanics for my session in advance…?
No, that would be premature. I know nothing about her.
Let’s try fishing with the hidden ending bait of the Tower of Trials. If she bites the bait… if she tries to seduce me like this…
I would invite her to my lab.
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The mad magician did not close the entrance to the Academy after returning, and Envers, thankfully, could continue learning.
Since the deadline for the promised ‘wish voucher’ had ended, most students had halted their steps towards the Tower of Trials. Though some occasionally used it to sharpen their senses, the enthusiasm was nothing like before.
So, after some time had passed, the number of exceptional species climbing the Tower of Trials could be counted on one hand.
For example, this girl staring at Envers with her mouth in a straight line—Luna Steery. A terrifying individual who would spend the whole day in the Tower of Trials if no one else was around.
Envers responded to her gaze.
“Are you meaning to say it’s time to come out? Understood. I’ll finish up short this time.”
“………….”
Luna pointed to her vocal cords with her finger, then her lips, and held her finger to her temple before twirling it. That was an expression questioning if I had lost my mind.
Envers chuckled awkwardly.
“It just stuck to my mouth…”
Luna commented bluntly.
“Fool.”
“Ahem, cough….”
Envers Redburn had been studying under the Beggar for quite some time now.
The duration had been quite long, and perhaps due to being deeply influenced by his martial art, his speech had long since become tainted with martial arts lingo.
However, among the students, there were also sword artists and gunslingers from the wilderness, so his martial arts corruption wasn’t too striking.
“I’ll head in now.”
Luna tapped her wrist with her finger and made a slicing motion across her throat. It meant if he didn’t come out soon, he’d be in trouble.
Envers chuckled as he entered the Tower of Trials.
He went straight up to the 8th floor through the back door, where he saw a small cabin built on the mountain. As he walked up the path, he found the Beggar chopping wood.
“Master.”
“Just in time, help me chop some wood.”
“Yes, understood.”
Envers nodded without asking further. He took the axe from the Beggar and began making firewood.
He positioned himself correctly and swung the axe. That way, even with minimal force, he could easily split the wood.
THUNK!
The wood split in half and fell to either side. Envers picked up the split wood and stood it up again before swinging the axe once more. He repeated this process.
It wasn’t boring. Envers felt filled with anticipation.
Once he finished his chores, the Beggar would call him inside the cabin. After a brief chat about the martial world, he would begin his rigorous training.
Envers found joy in the entire process. He could even enjoy the waiting.
SMACK!
With the passage of time, a log was split.
While sitting cross-legged and learning about the martial world, Envers Redburn suddenly asked the Beggar.
“Master, if the Heavenly Demon is chasing you across dimensions, does that mean he is here?”
“…………Yes.”
“The professor said that he had reached the end of the floors but claimed there was a demon on the 10th floor. She was said to be an evil witch with white hair. Is she the Heavenly Demon?”
“No. The Heavenly Demon I chased is a man, a muscled giant with a bushy beard and hair. He is hidden in the crevices of the Tower. All those banished to the Tower combined their powers to isolate him.”
Isolate.
Curiosity sparked within Envers, prompting him to ask again.
“Can I see him?”
“I would rather not encourage that. Why do you covet such things?”
“I want to witness his skills. Since you said that seeing a master in action is greatly beneficial, wouldn’t it be even more advantageous to behold the skills of the Heavenly Demon?”
The Beggar was indeed a truly great martial artist. Envers found it challenging to keep up with his profound teachings. Naturally, curiosity would erupt within him.
The one they had fought against, a person whom the Beggar and numerous righteous sect leaders risked their lives to expel beyond the dimensional rift. The Heavenly Demon. How powerful could he be?
And how beautiful would the trajectory of his martial arts be?
The Beggar gazed at Envers, filled with anticipation in his eyes, and then said with great concern.
“Here, in this hell where one can be resurrected even after death, there is no death threat, yet the Heavenly Demon can dismantle all of humanity’s martial skills just by facing them.”
“……Demolish them?”
The Beggar nodded. His severity indicated it was no jest. He then continued.
“Thus, if you wish to observe him, even from a distance, you must possess basic skills. I will give you tasks, and if you accomplish them all… I will grant you the opportunity to see him.”
“What tasks are they…? I, this disciple, will prove my abilities to you, Master!”
“Those are──”
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[Challenges for the First Half of the Tower]
[Moonlit Orc: Clear the 1st Floor with a Clear Time exceeding 12 Hours]
[An Eye for an Eye: Encounter the Dwarf hidden in the forest and clear the 2nd Floor using only a Ballista]
[Walking in the Rain Without Wetting My Clothes: Survive over 10 minutes during Jenny’s 2nd Phase Opening Pattern to clear the 3rd Floor]
[The Whip Comes Back: Defeat the Whip Witch with her own attack to clear the 4th Floor]
[Sealing Sword of Light: Clear the 5th floor while preventing Jay from drawing his sword]
