Book 2: Chapter 547
─12th Floor.
The first floor after the ‘Tutorial' ended.
The moment Lukas entered that space, what he felt was that the ‘range of the space' had significantly expanded compared to before.
This ‘world' was clearly wider than the previous places.
However.
Swoosh─
The calm waves rippled. The air tasted salty, the sky was clear, and the seagulls cried overhead.
In such a vast space, the area where one could actually set foot was extremely limited.
In other words, the field of the 12th floor was a small island.
It was difficult even to fit a single building; in the middle of this incredibly narrow island, there was Lukas.
“Hello. I am ‘Taylor', the manager of the 12th floor.”
Taylor?
A man with a familiar name was sitting at a table, enjoying some refreshments. His friendly face and smiling eyes reminded Lukas of someone.
“The son of Torun?”
“…How did you know?”
“I learned it from the person himself.”
He didn't add that he had deduced it by secretly using a handkerchief.
Taylor seemed slightly surprised but laughed again.
“To think that you've identified my identity all the way from my father's trial… Indeed. You seem to be an exceptionally excellent Tower Climber.”
Lukas appreciated the compliment but did not want to waste any more time.
“Then Taylor, what is the test on this floor?”
“You're quite impatient.”
“I need to reach the 77th floor by today.”
“……”
Taylor blinked for a moment, then smiled again.
It seemed he took it as a joke.
“The trial here is simple, but at the same time, it can be quite tricky. It greatly varies depending on the Tower Climber's abilities.”
“What is it?”
Taylor looked around the island as he spoke.
“What do you think of this island?”
There was no need to look around as he had already taken it all in the moment he set foot here.
“It should be called a deserted island. If only you weren't here.”
On the small island, there were just a few trees and grasses, probably halophytes that could grow strong even without caring about the seawater.
“Is that so?”
Taylor chuckled lightly.
“The trial of the 12th floor is simple. Break through the sea in front of you.”
Lukas glanced towards the sea.
From what he could see, there seemed to be no islands or continents nearby.
“What can be used are the Tower Climber's brain and some simple magic.”
“Simple magic?”
“Considering the types of magic you possess… Hmm. You shouldn't use magic stronger than 3-star.”
Since this was already a restriction Lukas was applying, it wasn’t much of a change.
Lukas nodded.
The content of the trial suggested that this floor required a comprehensive application of the wizard's qualities learned in the ‘tutorial'.
Resources on the limited island,
The vast sea spread out,
Sealed magic.
“You said the materials on the island, right?”
“That’s correct.”
Lukas immediately got to work.
As he said, there was no time to delay.
“Then I can use that table as well.”
“…….”
Taylor, who was momentarily speechless, burst into laughter.
* * *
From the 12th floor, the difficulty of the trials significantly increased.
The trials seemed to emphasize ‘balance' overall.
Observational Skill, Analytical Skill, Creative Skill, Application Skill, and Computational Skill levels couldn’t be skewed to one side. It was crucial not to be deficient in any one of these aspects.
Of course.
To become an outstanding wizard, one must not show any deficiency in any of the five attributes defined by The Beginning Wizard.
In other words, none of this was difficult for Lukas.
Breaking through the sea of the 12th floor,
Purifying the contaminated land of the 15th floor,
Capturing a rare creature on the 17th floor,
Creating potions on the 20th floor.
And creating magic on the 21st floor.
The trials were varied, but it took Lukas about three and a half hours to complete them all.
[This is really childish,]
Residue couldn't help but comment again.
‘I understand one of the roles that Tower 77 serves.’
[The roles it has?]
‘The tower is a training ground where an excellent system is applied. Assuming one does not give up, anyone with a degree of talent in magic can become a Truth Seeker-level wizard from the ground up.’
[So it can mass-produce wizards of a certain level.]
Residue murmured uninterestedly and asked.
[Then, what’s the reason The Beginning Wizard had you climb this tower?]
‘…….’
He had not yet figured that out.
The Beginning Wizard was well aware of Lukas’s capabilities.
Lukas was not lacking in fundamentals.
For some, revisiting the first page of magical studies in this way could be a fresh stimulus to break through a plateau, a clue to gain enlightenment.
Not for Lukas.
…Is it just about climbing to find out? What am I supposed to do in this tower?
He caught a hint of it on the 22nd floor.
* * *
The manager of the 22nd floor was a woman named ‘Vila’.
She wore an orange robe and possessed a unique talent for handling plants, which she considered magic. Accordingly, the surrounding field was a dark, vine-covered forest.
[That ridiculous ability is also included in their definition of magic.]
‘Is that so.’
Lukas nodded.
The trial on the 22nd floor was the same as the 11th.
Proving his progress by competing in power.
And Lukas won this trial without much difficulty, either.
However, it took a bit more time than with Redrun. It took longer than expected to interpret Vila’s plant magic, and the process of countering it was somewhat bothersome.
[Still, 20 minutes, huh.]
Residue chuckled and added.
[That woman, she couldn’t fully concentrate on the fight. She seemed distracted by something other than your trial.]
‘I felt that too.’
Lukas walked towards Vila.
She was sitting down, gasping for breath, and forced a smile.
“…Incredible. I heard roughly from Redrun but… perhaps the attributes the Tower Climber possesses are already beyond our level of measurement.”
“…….”
Lukas was thinking about the remaining time.
The time spent from the 11th to the 22nd floor was about 4 hours. Considering there were still 55 floors left, every second counted, but…
“Why couldn’t you concentrate?”
It seemed better to ask what was on his mind.
“What?”
“You were distracted. You seemed uneasy from the moment we first met.”
“You noticed that.”
Vila smiled bitterly.
“There’s been some trouble inside the tower.”
“Trouble?”
“Yes. We are still trying to figure it out but…”
Vila paused then shook her head.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t speak any more about it.”
“Because I’m an outsider?”
“That's correct.”
“…….”
Lukas was silent.
To the cultivators of the Magic Planet, an outsider was perhaps a more complex concept than he thought.
…Trouble in the tower.
Vila was right. There was no reason for Lukas to worry about it. Like he had done so far, he just needed to focus on climbing the tower.
However…
‘Something is bothering me.’
Timing.
Trouble had erupted in the tower during the period that Lukas was climbing. Could this simply be dismissed as a coincidence?
“…If.”
Perhaps sensing Lukas's thoughts, Vila began to speak.
“If the Tower Climber passes the trial up to the 33rd floor, things might change.”
“What do you mean?”
“Typically, to be recognized as a Truth Seeker, one must break through at least to the 33rd floor.”
Ah.
Lukas understood what Vila meant.
“Even if I don’t climb to the very top, I can become a Truth Seeker?”
“Yes.”
Vila nodded.
“If you overcome the trials up to the 33rd floor, you will also be granted the right to know about the tower's situation.”
I see.
There was another reason to climb the tower quickly.
* * *
The 23rd floor’s field was a vast snowy plain.
However, it was not as tranquil as the southern regions of the ‘Void World' or the plains of Manjuri City.
Whoooosh─
The snowstorm was too fierce. The wind was so strong that it was hard to keep one's eyes open. The snow piled up to the calves.
Body temperature dropped instantly.
Lukas created small flames inside his robe to preserve body heat.
[Something’s strange here.]
‘Yes. It's different from before.'
The field was alien, but more importantly, there was no mage who usually explained the trials.
There was almost no sign of life around.
He needed to find a place to shelter his body first. With various powers limited now, prolonged exposure to this snowstorm could literally freeze him to death.
He spotted a cave nearby. The entrance was positioned opposite the direction of the swirling snowstorm, making it a suitable place to take refuge for a while.
Perhaps the mage was there.
Lukas struggled through the snowstorm, moving his feet with difficulty.
Upon entering, the cave was warm with a comforting heat, thanks to a lit bonfire. That wasn’t all. Inside, there were stone-made furniture and cookware like pots, and preserved foods.
It seemed someone had stayed here until just moments ago, but now…
[No one's here.]
“That’s strange. Did they step out for a moment?”
Lukas sat on a cushion in front of the bonfire to warm himself. It wasn’t a good situation.
If he didn’t know what the trial was, he couldn’t move to the next floor, and time would be delayed.
That's when it happened.
[Someone’s coming.]
Residue focused his consciousness outside the cave and spoke.
Lukas didn’t respond but stood up from his spot.
Then a voice came.
“─Is anyone there?”
Someone was standing staunchly amidst the swirling snowstorm.
Was this person the owner of the cave? Maybe they had just gone out for a while.
Before Lukas could respond, the voice continued.
“The snowstorm is too fierce. May I stay here until it subsides?”
Lukas felt a sense of incongruity at that request.
Permission? Was this person not the owner?
“…Of course.”
Lukas responded, raising his guard.
Something about this continued to feel off.
That voice, somewhere…
“Thank you.”
The figure stepped inside from the snowstorm, illuminated by the bonfire.
She was not a mage from the Magic Tower. Lukas could tell at a glance. Unlike the Truth Seekers of the Magic Tower, who each possessed independent magic, the mana signature emanating from her was unsettlingly familiar.
Of course.
Lukas knew her.
If it hadn’t been for the ‘Spring of Wisdom', Lukas wouldn't have known who she was. He would surely have thought it was their first meeting.
─White hair, an eyepatch, and one arm.
“I'll only impose on you until the blizzard passes.”
The woman, with a frail stature and a stern expression,
Looking at ‘Min Ha-rin', Lukas belatedly realized something.
The fact that ‘Tower 77' was connected to the ‘Three Thousand Worlds'.
*****