Dozens of days ago, while the general student body, hearing that the Crazy Wizard was away on a long business trip, celebrated with relief, saying “Finally, we’re free from the tentacles!”
Some students, however, were curious about the 『Tower of Trials』 he had left behind as a substitute for class.
The leader of the 『3 Heroes』 Faction, Bennett.
The head of the 『Gold』 Faction and the greatest disciple of the Gold Tower Master, Goldius, also known as Goldie.
The leader of the 『General Students』 Faction… or rather, anyone else from the leftovers, Envers Redburn.
The spiritual leader of the 『Rose Insignia』 Faction, Pure White Lady… and her dedicated 20 nobles. Who swarmed like ants around her.
Bennett asked calmly.
"Didn’t we agree to send only one representative from each faction to investigate?"
"I- I was going to come alone, but⋯⋯."
As Pure White Lady stuttered, her followers, the Rose Insignia members, stood up in unison, their voices rising."Then are you telling Lady to leave the Young Lady alone now! We know exactly what you’re planning! Woah!"
“We will never retreat. We vowed to risk our very souls on the shield, to traverse any path for the person we serve!!"
"Our oath of allegiance surpasses any notion of courtesy or law!"
Crazy bitches.
Bennett looked at Pure White Lady with pity. It was because their excessive loyalty wasn’t something that would die down in a day or two. The Young Lady also cast a grateful glance towards Bennett for his concern. In her Faction, aside from herself, there were no normal people.
Noticing the exchange, one of the Young Lady’s followers jumped in front of her, blocking Bennett's view.
“WHERE ARE YOU LOOKING!!”
“I am not looking at anything, though.”
"I'm sure you were staring at the Young Lady’s generous heart, you shameless scoundrel!"
"I have Niolle by my side, why would there be any reason for me to be attracted to the Young Lady’s generous heart?"
"⋯⋯⋯⋯!!"
With Bennett's response, Bennett was immediately met with a chorus of boos from the Young Lady's followers. He even noticed Tara, who was caught in the fray, shouting, 'Bennett, kill yourself!' and stuff.
She must have gotten a little pissy by the earlier conversation about the boobs.
The greatest disciple of the Gold Tower Master clicked his tongue as he observed the commotion. He showed his irritation as he pointed at his watch.
"Do you know that the jeweler lost 30 gold because of your joke? I can’t tolerate this! If I'm just going to be wasting my time like this, I will──."
"Here, this is the 100 gold, Sir Goldius."
"I’m happy to wait as long as needed, Your Excellence. Please, feel free to talk comfortably."
That was also not an ordinary person. There were rumors of a wish to make an enormous, mechanized armor larger than the Academy's dinosaurs, and it was said that he even cut back on food expenses to fund the ridiculously expensive research.
Bennett glanced at the manual and gave a brief summary.
"It states that you can enter either alone or with a team. You simply need to approach the magic circle and cast the incantation to enter the Tower of Trials. However, while one team is using it…⋯⋯other people cannot."
“What kind of trials should we expect?”
"I thought I was going to test my combat abilities. The Tower of Trials officially extends to the 10th Floor, and new records are engraved on the dashboard beside it. And, it says that a wish coupon would be granted to a any student who clears the 10th Floor."
"What do you think the wish coupon is worth, Bennett. Do you think we can make money off this?"
Bennett recalled the Use Purple Tower Master Coupon that he still cherished in his possession. The Crazy Wizard was a man who could give out such rewards. If making a wish from someone like him was possible, then⋯⋯.
“If I were you, I wouldn't sell it.”
"Interesting. If someone as skilled as you thinks that way, it would definitely be a trial worth a challenge. I shall be the first to enter the Tower of Trials!"
"Booo! How dare you enter without considering the Young Lady’s presence!"
"⋯⋯I don't mind if he goes in first."
Tara, who was tugging Bennett by the collar and shaking him, was caught in a dispute between the 21 geniuses from the Young Lady’s Faction and the greatest disciple of the Gold Tower Master, all without the Young Lady’s involvement or the Gold Faction’s consent.
"Has that guy already entered? The strangely dirty one from the Duke’s household. From Redburn.”
"⋯⋯?!"
“H-how dare he cut⋯⋯!!"
"Then let’s decide who’s next up peacefully with rock-paper-scissors⋯⋯."
The students scrambled to determine the order in front of the magic circle.
===============================================================
Ten minutes later.
Envers Redburn staggered out of the magic circle, his face pale. The eyes of the students, who were waiting for their turn, instantly focused on the center.
After he was ejected, letters began to materialize slowly on a floating slab next to the magic circle.
n n
1. Envers Redburn / 3rd Floor Reached / Clear Record: 0 Days 1 Hour 32 Minutes
nn"⋯⋯So that’s how it’s displayed?"
"The time flow inside and outside the Tower⋯⋯ is different."
"Wake up, Envers Redburn, and give us some useful information! I'll give you a whopping 10 gold."
"⋯⋯Isn't that the gold coin I just gave you?"
Envers Redburn, still reeling from his experience, managed to compose himself after taking a sip from his water bottle. He then recounted what had happened inside.
"The 1st Floor was a large, circular chamber, and an Orc came out. He wasn't a typical Orc; his muscles were so big that it didn’t even look like it was Orc’s, and his axe was heavy. I managed to win because he was slow."
"An Orc⋯⋯."
"The 2nd Floor was a forest, and an Orge emerged. There were ballistas set up all over the forest. I felt ashamed using the ballistas to kill him. If only I had been a bit stronger. No, only if I didn't spend too much strength on the Orc⋯⋯."
"⋯⋯? You had to use external objects to defeat the Ogre, then what⋯⋯."
Envers Redburn looked somber. Instead of having a one-on-one duel, he had relied on external objects. So there was no way he couldn’t have been ashamed.
"And the 3rd Floor was⋯⋯ the chain sickle, Jenny with the chain sickle⋯⋯!"
“Chain, what?”
"I lost my composure when faced with a weapon I had never seen before. It was a sickle connected to a chain, which she used to entangle and disarm me. I don’t think she was particularly strong; she just used centrifugal force to amplify her power. Next time, I’ll need to be more cautious about my positioning and⋯⋯."
Envers Redburn, still muttering about his fight, jumped into the magic circle for another attempt while the students were still processing the information he had provided.
"⋯⋯⋯⋯!!"
"Hey, you fucking bastard, you can't use it alone repeatedly!"
"Prepare a rope. Tie him up when he comes out again!"
Ten minutes later.
n n
1. Envers Redburn / 3rd Floor Reached / Clear Record: 0 Days 1 Hour 32 Minutes
2. Envers Redburn / 3rd Floor Reached / Clear Record: 0 Days 1 Hour 53 Minutes
nn"⋯Keuk! I didn’t expect them to target my ankle. But this time⋯⋯!"
“Get him!”
Envers Redburn was tied up.
Amidst the commotion, the greatest disciple of the Gold Tower plunged into the magic circle.
"⋯⋯⋯⋯!!"
In hindsight, the first day was utter chaos, a wild frenzy where one had to tie up those emerging from the magic circle and leap in before anyone else could.
The disturbance and the rumors even attracted the factionless General Students, making the front yard of the Tower of Trials even more heated and fucked up.
Time was limited, and this tragedy was fueled by the belief that everyone but oneself was a competitor. Conspiracies, betrayals, and schemes were rampant in the classroom.
The one who finally restored order was neither Bennett nor Snow White, but Professor Alexon who appeared in the classroom like a comet.
After hearing the rumor, Alexon raced barefoot to join in, unwilling to let the students have all the fun.
Professor Alexon dominated the tower for about three hours of real time.
The students had to wait as if they were elementary school kids, sucking their fingers because their big brother had taken the arcade game controller from them. They were hopeful that law and order would bloom here someday⋯⋯.
n n
1. Alexon / 10th Floor Reached / Clear Record 1 Day 3 Hours 10 Minutes
2. Goldius / 5th Floor Reached / Clear Record 0 Days 5 Hours 25 Minutes
3. Envers Redburn / 3rd Floor Reached / Clear Record 0 Days 1 Hour 32 Minutes
⋯⋯⋯⋯.
nn===============================================================
A period of peace and order followed.
Professor Alexon, having reached the 10th Floor, ensured fair distribution of remaining time instead of monopolizing it. Students were granted equal rights to challenge the tower regardless of their skill levels.
Of course, there were also people who traded the right to challenge the tower. Students, who preferred to play and eat around rather than combat or improvement, sold their opportunities without hesitation.
Or, while climbing the Tower with a team, there were some who encountered the 'wall' and lost interest. After nearly half of the students left, those remaining divided into the following groups:
※The Attack Team, which aimed to advance through the Floors by leading the charge in the rankings.
"Bennett, why don't you try recruiting one more party member? I think we don’t have enough firepower."
"Indeed. It takes too much Mana to kill the 『Sleeping Beauty』 on the 7th Floor. I think a wizard skilled in Fire Magic would be good."
[Oh, then I know a friend. Her name is Selvier, she’s my roommate and⋯⋯.]
※The Attack Team, which used the information gathered by the Attack Group to follow their lead.
"Your Excellency, according to the information I paid for, there seems to be a beggar on the 8th Floor. Wouldn't it be possible for us to just buy him off with money?"
"Do you know anything about his fighting style or special abilities⋯⋯?"
"Ah, yes. He’s just a beggar."
"Um, I don't think you should squander it like that just because you have a lot of money⋯⋯."
※The Challenge Team that ascended the Tower purely to improve their own or their party’s abilities.
"I'm going to duel Jay of Battōjutsu alone, so don’t interfere.”
"Please, Envers. Every time you’ve faced him, he has beaten the shit out of you. Why do you keep saying you're going to duel him anyways!"
"Hey, just leave him alone. Think of him as just a ticket to Jay and just use him. Let's review our tactics first. When Envers gets cut down by Jay, we’ll block the follow-up hits with an ice wall and⋯⋯."
And then, there were students who weren’t part of any group but suddenly appeared ass⋯⋯the Twisted Students
“That boss on the 5th Floor.”
“Uh, that Jay of Battōjutsu guy?”
“Don’t you think⋯⋯ it’s quite practical?”
"?"
Those who were deeply impressed by the challenges in The Tower of Trials… the Training Team!
"This gunkata thing, it's feasible if you wield an artifact with built-in magic missiles in both hands. I can see the ‘angle’ clearly enough⋯⋯!!"
“I’ve decided to train Battōjutsu from now on. I simply just can't forget that feeling."
"I love getting beaten up by the Whip Witch so much⋯⋯. If I go up to the 4th Floor one more time, she’ll, she’ll definitely step on me hard. I'm so happy.”
"Wake up, fuckers!"
The Crazy Wizard had unleashed poison upon the Academy.
===============================================================
Among all of them, Envers, Redburn’s illegitimate child, persisted with his training.
For him, power was both his tool and goal. Raised in a small, neglected room with no sunlight, he grew up with only his surname, Redburn, thrown at him as if it was a token of kindness.
He needed to become stronger—to prove himself to his brothers, his family, and especially his father, who nearly abandoned him, saying, “You are useless.” He wanted to show his father, and everyone else, that he was useful.
He had to make them regret the fact that they had abandoned him and his mother.
He had joined the Academy with these thoughts in mind. He never missed a day of training, and only focused on getting stronger.
He had no talent. His skills barely improved, even when he pushed himself until his hands were torn and bloody. Even though he tried hard, he struggled to remain in the middle ranks.
Then, he saw a beacon of hope.
During an event where the 『Gold Tower』 Faction declared their intention to clear the Tower with as many Academy students as possible, Envers, who ascended the Tower with them…
Encountered a shabby-clad figure on the 8th Floor
This figure defeated the students running at him using only a wooden stick. his movements were deceptively simple, yet each hand and foot maneuver contained thousands of mysteries, yielding astonishing results with minimal effort,
Envers was spellbound as he watched the beggar's dance.
When all the other students had been defeated, Envers asked the beggar about his technique. The man explained that the technique was a small boat floating on a vast ocean (大海) called Martial Art (武功), and it was known as the Dog Beating Stick Technique (打狗棒法).
The figure gave Envers three seconds to prepare, but after three clashes, Envers was struck on the head by a club and expelled from the Tower of Trials.
Martial Art.
It was the moment when those two letters were engraved into his head like a stigma.
***
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