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The mansion known to the students as the [Director's Mansion] on Kueraoria Island was actually the [Tower of Training], where the butlers stayed like at home while training.
Jonnas entered the control room, the 5th special facility of the Tower of Training, after a long time.
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Director’s Mansion (Tower of Training)
50F – Control Room
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In the control room: You can check the challenge status and number of people at the floors you have climbed.
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2F (Layer of Wooden Dolls) – Mob (48 mins), Jaku (44 mins)
3F (Layer of Arrow Rain) – Ppyoi (1 hr 5 mins)
…
9F (Layer of Shooting) – Jigoku (1 hr 22 mins), Arcadia (37 mins)
10F (Dorm) – 27 users
…
20F (Cafeteria) – 15 users
21F (Layer of Rocks) – Son Ohchun (55 mins)
…
…
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Perhaps it was because Jonnas had spent a semester in the eccentric academy.
Students had started to cleverly utilize the facilities.
They aimed to endure for over 30 minutes, or even an hour, in the layers where they could exploit their specialties to obtain special rewards.
There were two types of rewards obtained from the Tower of Training.
When they exited the tower, they received rewards matching the highest layer they conquered.
And special rewards that upgraded every 30 minutes in each layer.
‘This tower doesn’t permit tricks easily.’
If one tried to climb every layer just by going up one floor at a time, they could only do it once a month.
Once they exited the tower and received rewards, the next rewards would be provided only a month later.
“Isn’t it time for a climb now that you’re back at the tower after a long time? Doesn’t your body feel an itch?”
Jonnas hadn’t entered the tower for over two years, and perhaps now he could break through the dreaded 65th floor.
Considering that ordinary butlers barely managed to climb the 50th floor, Jonnas was definitely a special butler.
“I will graciously decline. I can’t take my eyes off the control Mana Board for the sake of the lady’s long-range protection.”
If the desire to enjoy that specialness took away his opportunity to help his lady, what would be the point?
Jonnas didn’t fall for the temptation of acquiring remarkable magical tools to boost his skills from a stagnant level.
The Director smiled as if he was regretful about it.
He was, as always, a person with a bad hobby.
He loved to shake and ensnare people’s hearts with seemingly beneficial suggestions that led them into traps.
Knowing the Director’s tricks, Jonnas neatly shook off even the slightest trace of temptation left in his heart.
His strength was sufficient.
What saddened him wasn’t the lack of strength but his own thoughtlessness in not being able to protect his lady.
“Haha. You’ve learned a big lesson. Seems you’ve finally adapted to your profession as a butler now that you don’t let any gaps show like before.”
Ignoring the Director’s provocations, he scanned the Mana Board.
Where could his lady be?
As the layers ascended, the names and number of students and foundation members become increasingly scarce.
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30F (Exhibition Hall) – Jezel, Masugaki Princess
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In the 30th special facility, the Exhibition Hall, after the 10th dormitory and the 20th cafeteria, only the Masugaki Princess and the Merchant Jezel remained.
Perhaps sharing a bad hobby with the Director, or perhaps the rich had an understanding amongst themselves, the two clearly displayed feelings of admiration and fear, that is, reverence.
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39F (Layer of Silence) – Sing, Oknodie
40F (Special Training Room) – Yufi, Irene
…
45F (Layer of Curse) – Jiang
…
49F (Layer of Lions) – Ishtar
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Found her.
The lady was staying on the 39th floor.
The 39th floor was a special layer.
No, all floors ending in 9 are special.
A barrier that prevents access to special facilities every 10 floors.
One cannot cross the barrier of nine without possessing special strength.
“Switch to control monitor. 39F. Designated target Oknodie.”
When he saw the video himself, he could tell.
Oknodie had only come to meet Sing.
He had no desire to climb the tower itself.
“Isn’t it strange? Normally, a kid who loves to play is showing such a lackluster appearance when you’ve openly made a playground for them.”
“They might have noticed we’re observing them. The lady prefers to ‘hide’ and doesn’t like to reveal her abilities.”
Perhaps she was putting on airs to conceal her skills.
While Jonnas found some validity in that line of thought, the Director let out a shallow sigh.
Even among the crowds of handsome and beautiful students in the tower, the Director’s melancholy sigh stirred the hearts of many women and even made some men question their own sexual orientation.
Of course, Jonnas, who was under the singular gaze of the Secretary Office Head standing behind the Director, was not swayed by the admirable appearance.
That man’s true nature was a demon wearing an angel’s skin.
“Looks like they gave up on climbing. I guess your amusement, Director, won’t come to pass.”
Jonnas chuckled lightly.
It was a joyous expression of having hit that wicked Director!
Yet, the location data for the lady was strange.
25th floor.
20th floor.
15th floor.
She kept going down.
Up to there, it was understandable.
The 10th floor has the dorm.
Perhaps she was going to bed early today.
One could think that too.
After all, she had used her head a lot on the uninhabited island and on the ship, so it could easily tire her out faster than usual.
But it didn’t stop.
10th floor.
5th floor.
1st floor.
And signal loss.
That meant she had exited the tower.
“Hmm. Am I being disliked?”
“Think about what the lady experienced on the cruise ship. If she were an ordinary child, she would have been reduced to just a part of a collective comprised of 20 souls, stripped of her original body.”
“I can’t believe she’d be this sulky. Being young is truly inconvenient. She clearly has talent yet is refusing visible benefits to throw a tantrum.”
Who do you think this tower was prepared for?
The Director’s sigh deepened.
The 49th floor, where the warrior currently stood, was a barrier indicative of a butler-level strongman, roughly equating to an instructor-level strongman in Academy standards.
Oknodie could climb high enough.
They would gain rewards from the tower and realize its necessity.
Then, each time they grew stronger, they would periodically want to visit the tower to earn those rewards, easily informing the foundation of their growth rate.
The trap set by the Director to gauge the secrets of the secretive child only ended up benefitting the wrong warrior and friends.
It wasn’t a loss, but there was great disappointment in not achieving the original objective!
“…We have a problem. They couldn’t find Oknodie on the cruise ship.”
“Didn’t Jonnas say? That kid is good at hiding. Don’t just rely on the sensors; we need to send people.”
“We’ve already sent people and confirmed it. Oknodie is currently not on the cruise ship. That student named Sing, who vanished with them, is likewise missing.”
It was a bizarre story.
They exited the tower.
They didn’t return to the ship.
So did that mean they disappeared into thin air?
Teleportation was impossible.
To prevent external intrusions, they had carpeted interference fields everywhere.
Unless one used the [Teleportation Magic Circle] on the 60th floor, spatial movement was simply not feasible.
“Search the island thoroughly.”
If they weren’t on the tower or the cruise ship, they must be hiding somewhere on the island.
Butlers began wandering around the island searching.
“Stop the search.”
“Director, we might achieve results if we search just a little more.”
“I understand your concern over losing the ‘lady,’ but it’s unnecessary worry.”
The Director watched Jonnas, who was revealing a fierce demeanor akin to an injured beast, and chuckled.
“Our lady never left the tower from the start. Look at this.”
A place that eluded Jonnas’s observations.
An area pointing past the 65th floor.
Information about the 69th floor popped up on the Director’s Mana Board.
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69F (Layer of Living Armor) – Oknodie (5 mins), Sing (5 mins)
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Jonnas was flabbergasted.
“69th floor? How did the lady…?”
“It seems my child may know some secrets about the tower.”
The two only climbed down from the 69th floor to reach the 70th after 30 minutes had passed.
The Director quickly ascended to the 70th floor using the elevator.
“Ah, Papa!”
“Was there a shortcut?”
“You’re not thinking of getting it for free, are you?”
“Let’s exchange for one unique grade.”
“There’s an underground layer! There, you can hide among the waste of each floor and be sent straight to that floor. But you’d need to have means to evade physical detectability and mana coloration like the Living Armor, or you’ll get killed as soon as you arrive!”
“Is it the Destroyer? Did he say anything about the Tower of Training?”
Oknodie just shrugged his shoulders.
The Director laughed so broadly that his teeth were visible.
It was a laugh so large it wouldn’t feel odd if he shed tears.
What was the last time that pure laugh, filled with no ulterior motives, graced the Director himself could not even count.
“Jonnas is waiting. Shall we head down to the cafeteria together?”
“Since I’m here, let’s use the special facility first!”
The special facility on the 70th floor was the [Enhancement Room].
