Chapter: 136
[Walking in the Rain Without Getting Wet: Clear the 3rd Floor after withstanding Jenny’s Phase 2 Opening Pattern for 10 Minutes]
It was due to something worth protecting that a child, who should have been playing in a playground, ultimately grasped a weapon.
The incompetent adults hadn’t stopped her because the situation was urgent enough that they needed to borrow her delicate hands, and they also respected her will.
Even if it was mingled with childish impulsiveness, she was already prepared to embrace death.
She fought valiantly, standing shoulder to shoulder with the adults, dying a warrior’s death. She had no regrets about that fact.
However, in the afterlife, if she had something to lament about, it would be the future she had lost. “If only I had just a bit more time…”
What kind of adult would I have grown up to be?
================================================================
The 3rd Floor of the Tower of Trials was a desolate urban landscape, filled with shattered and crumbling buildings. It had once been the battlefield of superhumans, leaving behind traces of the devastation.
Burnt asphalt, frozen and cracked exterior walls, the soot marks where lightning had struck.
For those unfamiliar with the bizarre concept of modern superhumans, it would make sense to think that a large-scale magical battle had taken place. It wasn’t too far from the truth.
At the center of it all…
In a playground covered with sand, a creaking noise echoed. Creeeak, creeeak.
A blonde girl was swinging on a swing. But upon closer inspection, it was no ordinary swing.
It was a peculiar swing made by wrapping a chain sickle around a protruding steel structure from the building debris. As soon as the girl saw an outsider stepping into this place, she leapt from her bizarre swing to reclaim her chain sickle.
Chachachack!
Lightly spinning it, she began to accelerate. A blade-like wind began to howl in a five-meter radius around her.
Fwoosh, fwoosh, fwoosh!
Amidst the noise reminiscent of buzzing bees, the girl addressed the visitor.
“Nice to meet you, big brother. You’ve made it all the way to the 3rd Floor of this tower. But this is where it ends. I, Jenny of the Chain Sickle, will be your opponent.”
Hehe.
“?”
……….
Whiwhiwhiwhiwhi!
“With my little feet, evasion is possible.”
“………!”
“Headstands? Possible.”
“………!!!”
Luna was having a blast. The 3rd Floor was her favorite level. Was it the thrill of dodging, or perhaps it had a nice rhythm to it?
She had tried countless times and indulged in various “games” unrelated to clearing time. For example, attempting to clear without using her hands or doing it while wearing just her underwear.
The cool skills she developed attracted gazes of wonder, prompting Selvier to sit amidst the debris, cheering as she watched occasionally putting in her own requests.
“Can you do it with your eyes closed?!”
“Possible.”
“Wow!!”
“No, for real, how can you do it with your eyes closed…?!!”
After about three more minutes of enjoyment, Luna defeated Jenny using her fifth strategy. She had prepared ten different methods to clear Jenny.
Stretching as if relieved, Envers asked Luna, “What… should I say, is the reason for trying various attempts?”
“For fun.”
“…You’re quite the oddball.”
Luna stared at Envers with wide eyes before sticking her tongue out at him. It was as if to say, “You’re not the only one!”
There was a reason the trio wasn’t following the suggested strategy and was dawdling on the 3rd Floor. They had hit a dead end when it came to revealing Jenny’s true form.
They had tried burning her, dragged it out in turns for about three hours, and even managed to disarm her of both chain sickles, but she showed no sign of transitioning to Phase 2.
(At this point, the mad magician was howling while holding his handkerchief, crying, “Please talk, you crazy fools!”)
The only clue they had was time.
“Her death speech has always been the same…?”
“Yep.”
“Right. She died saying, ‘If only I had a bit more time…’ So that’s why we had been dragging things out for three hours, huh? No results, though.”
“Argh, what on earth is this nonsense?! It’s giving me a headache.”
Selvier scratched her hair in frustration. While the challenge on the 2nd Floor was clearly defined, and the goal was concrete, the 3rd Floor was maddeningly unclear about what needed to be done.
She was seriously contemplating skipping to the next Floor.
Envers crossed his arms and pondered silently before coming up with an idea.
“What about training?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“She didn’t ask for time. So let’s give her two days or three while we train. But we can’t afford to waste that time, so we train.”
There’s nothing better than more time. Envers had bluntly declared he wanted to spend the time training.
“…Are you joking?”
“Not joking. There is no end to the path of the void.”
“…Fine, Envers. That might be true for you, but Luna won’t do such a simple-minded thing?”
“I will!”
Playing around in the Tower of Trials was Luna’s job after all. This time, she was excited at the thought of figuring out Jenny’s pattern on all fours.
Selvier wiped her face with a dry towel.
“…Okay then, I’ll step out for a bit. You two try to figure it out and let me know.”
“See you later!”
“Bye.”
Selvier exited the 3rd Floor of the Tower of Trials. Stepping out of the crumbling city and into the view of the academy brought back a flood of memories. She took a deep breath and thought about going back to the dorm for a little rest.
She also wanted to ask Niohrey about the mystery of the 3rd Floor. Though it was questionable if she would find him as he seemed busy lately.
Outside time and inside time had a tenfold difference. If she closed her eyes for just an hour, she would be able to receive the results of Luna and Envers’s reckless training meta…
“Wait a minute. If it’s tenfold different…”
Does that mean she’s saying to just wait it out inside…?
“Does that mean I’m supposed to wait outside?!”
With a sudden inspiration, Selvier discovered the answer. The standard strategy was to subdue Jenny and then preserve her life to exit the tower, and later re-enter after some time had passed.
The waiting time could be acquired through a conversation with Jenny. In twenty hours ahead, there was a line about her past birthday.
For those who hated conversations too much, a journal with the same content had been placed in one of the nearby ruins.
In other words, if she waited outside for just two hours, she’d be golden…!
Selvier rushed back up to the magical circle to share this incredible idea, but…
[Another player is already using it, so you cannot enter.]
“………!!”
It was too late.
※ SYSTEM_INFO ———–
[Chain Sickle Jenny]
Health: Normal
Mana: Not Used
Strength: 1 / 10 (Lower tier among students)
Agility: 4 / 10 (Upper mid-tier among students)
Intelligence: 2 / 10 (Lower tier among students)
Traits: Growth
=> As she ages, she evolves into [Awakened Chain Sickle Jenny].
※ —————————
================================================================
Inside the 3rd Floor of the Tower of Trials: 5 hours have passed.
Far from Jenny’s perception range, Envers was carefully reproducing the techniques he learned from a beggar. Luna followed awkwardly beside him.
“As if a bird of prey is soaring through the sky, like this!”
“Like this.”
“Like a waterfowl snatching fish, like this!”
“Like this.”
Swish, swoosh—!
Unlike Envers, whose movements sliced cleanly through the wind, Luna’s fingertips merely produced a hollow sound. When deeply considered, it was quite odd.
It seemed she perfectly remembered the techniques, yet why was she so poor at executing them?
If it was due to clumsiness, that would make sense, but that brought up another wrinkle in logic. Then how on earth could she successfully evade attacks with those dance-like movements?
He was at a loss with his meager knowledge. But perhaps his master might know…
Envers resolved to ask his teacher about this bewildering phenomenon when they reached the 8th Floor with Luna. His master might see through her peculiar nature instantly.
“This is fun.”
“…That’s a relief.”
Despite the lack of achievements, Luna seemed to be interested in martial arts.
After passing on all he knew to her, Envers took a thorough moment for his finishing stretches before taking a break. Lying side by side with Luna on a rather flat piece of asphalt, he pondered.
“Teach me.”
“What about?”
“That, the dance-like movements. How did you avoid attacks with your eyes closed? Other things can be honed through repetition and practice, but that one, I just can’t grasp.”
“Feel the gaze.”
Envers raised his upper body and looked down at Luna. She was lazily sprawled, eyes closed like a cat basking in the sunlight.
“What does feeling the gaze mean?”
“You’re looking. At my face.”
“………!!”
“Now to my neck. My chest. Hurriedly at my hands. Back to my face.”
Envers was taken aback. He’d squinted to see if her eyes were open, but he found no visible pupils, and neither was there any movement to suggest it was a detection through mana.
It was Gaze Insight.
An amazing skill. Envers immediately knelt down, bowing his head. If she could read gazes without seeing, the potential was tremendous.
“…Teach me!”
“With your bare mouth?”
“If there’s something you want, I’ll get it for you.”
“Just buy me food.”
Envers agreed to the informal contract. Whenever she wanted, he would have to cover her meal expenses. He was grateful that Luna didn’t eat much.
Thus, the temporary Gaze Insight teaching practice commenced.
================================================================
With his eyes closed, Envers settled into a lotus position as Luna slowly circled him, beginning her lecture.
“People, have. A sense of feeling gazes. Everyone.”
“………Really?”
“Especially contempt. Hatred. Bad things.”
“………”
He recalled the days he spent scrutinizing the illegitimate children of the Redburn family. He could feel their scornful eyes even without seeing them.
If that was the extension, he could roughly understand. Envers nodded his head. Luna, seeing that he understood, smiled satisfactorily.
The sensation of being watched by someone. If he could recognize that sensation, all that was left was repetitive training. The functions of the human body become more sensitive when stimulated repeatedly.
“Repetitive practice. Make the senses sharper.”
“………Please tell me what I should do.”
“I’ll look at you. You match it.”
“You mean I have to guess where you’re looking? Well, I’ll give it a shot, but…”
Envers focused. With his eyes closed and vision cut off, his other senses had certainly sharpened.
Swish, swish.
He could hear Luna spinning around him.
Was it the scent of her presence? Some kind of fragrance like grapes wafted through the air.
No, he shouldn’t be distracted by such things. Envers disciplined himself, clearing his thoughts to feel the gaze.
Luna contemplated. Feedback should be precise. Random guesses clutter experience. Thus, for training to be meaningful, she had to look at places that Envers absolutely wouldn’t expect.
Ziiing. Luna focused her gaze.
“………”
“Can you feel it?”
“………Head? Is it my head?”
“Lower back.”
“???”
In an instant, a flood of distracting thoughts crashed over Envers. He clenched his teeth, forcing concentration. Now was… training time…!
He had to engage in training to feel the gaze, while simultaneously performing meditation to rid himself of distractions.
“Leg, is it my leg?”
“Left? Right?”
“………Right?”
“Fool.”
His accuracy was steadily improving.
“………Left ear?”
“Yep. Next.”
Envers hadn’t been damaged in his martial traits, even though he had suffered an impediment in his mana function from his childhood. His talented body swiftly awakened its senses.
“Nape… The carotid artery.”
“Good. Take a break for a moment.”
Rest, awaken the senses, then repeat. To someone else, it might have felt like a boring repetitive task, but for them, it was a different experience.
By the time fifteen hours had passed since they entered…
“Left… Pinky finger.”
“Next is the last one.”
Envers squeezed his eyes shut and shouted out his answer.
“………It’s the lower back.”
“Well done.”
Swoosh, swoosh.
Luna patted Envers on the head in praise. He relaxed, rolling forward. He couldn’t roll backward. If he had gotten the previous answer wrong… he would have suffered social damage…
“Thank you…”
“V!”
He did it. The boiling sense of accomplishment thrilled his entire body. He had become a bit stronger.
The ability to read gazes would surely help in many ways. He didn’t have confidence to dance with the same expertise as Luna, but if he could at least follow her by half…
He would be able to evade even rapid-fire rapier attacks.
Gaze Insight, obtained!
================================================================
Inside the 3rd Floor of the Tower of Trials: 25 hours have passed.
Luna and Envers took turns blindfolding themselves and engaged in simple sparring. The one with their eyes open used their fingers as weapons to slash and poke. The blindfolded one identified the gaze and dodged.
Pok!
“Oof! No way, that’s cheating! Just now, I clearly saw you looking at my side, not my ball…!!”
“You did it first, cheating!”
“That had to happen because there was a convincing reason leading my gaze there… Argh!”
“Quit talking so long.”
Just when they were repeatedly training to use Gaze Insight in an actual combat situation, Envers threw off his blindfold to switch roles and noticed something unusual.
“………?”
“What’s wrong?”
“I mean, Jenny. Doesn’t she look… a bit bigger?”
From a distance, Jenny’s figure seemed larger. It might have been an illusion, but it was clear that her head had grown at least a size.
They were observing Jenny’s Phase 2 at the five-hour mark.
Fwoosh, fwoosh, fwoosh!
“I won’t lose against the hero anymore! The Chain Sickle Jenny has awakened…!!”
“As expected, investing ample time was the correct answer.”
A large and vicious chain sickle swung through the air, carving the space. Envers and Luna briefly locked gazes before leaping into the storm together.
“Whoever lasts less than ten minutes pays for the meal!”
“Get ready to pay up.”
Swooshhhhh—!!
The match was decided at the seventeen-minute mark, with Luna emerging victorious.
Clear of the 3rd Floor of the Tower of Trials—!
================================================================
[The Whip Returns: Defeat the Whip Witch to clear the 4th Floor]
The 4th Floor of the Tower of Trials was easily cleared.
The Whip Witch had a gimmick of summoning shadow minions by slamming her whip into the ground, but the Red Tower magician Selvier incinerated the summoned mobs, rapidly lowering the difficulty.
Thanks to Luna’s repeated attempts, they could calculate the required damage. After dealing about ’30 Luna-kicks,’ the Whip Witch would fall into a near-death state, after which Envers counter-attacked to complete the challenge.
The mad magician’s established solo clear strategy was as follows.
The whip also had a function to un-summon shadow minions, so they handled all of the Whip Witch’s attacks by parrying and eliminating the oncoming minions while engaging in battle.
Each time they countered the Whip Witch’s attack, a stroke of the tattoo engraved on her face would lessen. Strangely, there were no shadows cast on her body.
From this information, they realized that “Ah, the Whip Witch is actually a shadow minion born from the whip!” If they successfully countered as many times as the strokes on her tattoo, the witch would fade into shadow, clearing the challenge… but.
The gimmick had long turned to ashes before accurate damage calculations and area attacks.
The tale of the exiled princess who had to make her shadow into a shadow minion quietly faded into the background.
……….
In a rain-soaked field, a man with a katana at his waist looked up at the sky.
The katana’s name was Oni Hundred, a cursed sword that once drawn, could not be sheathed without drawing blood. Such weapons were commonly referred to as demonic swords.
The 5th Floor was a boundary.
Unlike previous floors where brilliant ideas, appropriate gimmicks, storytelling, and tricks flourished, the vast plain of the 5th Floor held nothing.
Only the enemies remained.
What was required was skill. His swordsmanship was swift and powerful. If one couldn’t cope, then they had to die. Many students had been crushed here, giving up on climbing or increasing numbers.
They chose to sacrifice and ascend.
[Sword of Light’s Sealing: Clear the 5th Floor while preventing Jay from drawing his sword.]
However—those who confronted the challenge would find that even that was not allowed. They must clash and topple him based on their martial prowess.
And the party now faced ‘Jay, the Swordsmanship Master’—.
