I had previously announced the following regarding the Tower of Trials:“I will grant a Wish Coupon to any student who successfully clears all 10 Floors before I return to the Academy!”
And here’s how the results unfolded:
1. Alexon / Cleared Floor 10 / Clear Time: 1 day, 15 hours, 2 minutes
Rank 1 was taken by Professor Alexon, who rampaged through the Tower like a child in a playground, destroying everything in sight. However, since he wasn’t a student, he didn’t qualify for the clear bonus.
“Erase record.”
Now, here are the results for the students:
1. Bennet Party (Bennet, Tara, Niolle, Selvier) / Reached Floor 9 / Clear Time: 21 hours, 37 minutes
Bennet’s party performed at a solid level, and had strong overall clear times based on their battle records.
When it was just Bennet, Tara, and Niolle, they excelled in one-on-one combat but struggled against larger enemy groups, leading to slower clear times and occasional failures in certain sections.
For example, on Floor 7, the boss 『Sleeping Beauty』 or something was like that. Her tactic was to summon plant monsters whenever her cooldown reset, and these plants inflicted percentage-based debuffs on the party.So if you ignored the summoned minions and only focused on attacking the boss, you'd eventually become overwhelmed by the sheer number of enemies, leading to a swift defeat.
However, after recruiting Selvier, their weakness against hordes was fixed, and their clear times improved significantly. Their strategy became as follows:
On horde Floors, Selvier expends all her Mana to unleash maximum firepower.
On one-on-one battle Floors, the original trio takes the lead. While they beat the shit out of the boss, Selvier focuses on recovering her Mana. Once fully recharged, she unleashes her power again in the next horde encounter—detailed explanation omitted.
This tactic, however, had a drawback: Selvier’s need to recharge her Mana created periods of inactivity, and this caused stagnation in their progression.
Here are their detailed clear records. (Seconds are omitted)
Floor 1: Orc // 1 minute (MVP : Bennet)
Floor 2: Ogre // 3 minutes (MVP : Tara)
Floor 3: Jenny of the Chain Scythe // 3 minutes (MVP : Bennet)
Floor 4: Whip Witch // 1 hour 40 minutes (MVP : Selvier)
Floor 5: Jay of Battoujutsu // 7 minutes (MVP : Bennet)
Floor 6: Wild West Gunman James // 11 minutes (MVP : Tara)
Floor 7: Sleeping Beauty // 3 hours 20 minutes (MVP : Selvier)
Floor 8: Beggar’s Union Sect Leader // 4 hours 40 minutes (MVP : Bennet)
Floor 9: Battle City De1-ETe // 11 hours 32 minutes (Clear Failed)
Just what kind of place was Floor 9 that the kids couldn’t clear it, you ask?
Well, it was just a hostile futuristic city with a few gimmicks. The layout was straightforward: find a keycard, ride the orbital elevator, destroy the AI controlling the city, and you’re done.
I got the same feeling during the Chulu session, but these kids⋯⋯ seem to struggle with picking up on subtle clues. For example, whenever a gimmick was activated, there was a bright flash from space, or the orbital elevator that obviously pointed straight into the sky.
They didn’t even glance at the landmarks, which anyone with some common sense would say, "Yeah, we definitely need to head there."
The boss was high in the sky, yet they were just wandering around the sprawling futuristic city, smashing up buildings.
You could argue that it’s unreasonable to expect such insight from people from a fantasy world, but even Alexon figured it out instantly. He rushed straight to the center the moment he entered!
I should’ve seen this coming when they ignored my instructions to guard Abraham and went down a completely different path.
Still, their raw specs were just that good, allowing them to bulldoze through the lower Floors. That was why they held the top student record. If only they had just boarded that orbital elevator, they could have easily cleared the Floor⋯⋯.
Below them, a fierce rivalry raged between the Golden Faction and the Rose Emblem Faction:
2. Gold Party (Goldius and 23 others) / Cleared Floor 8 / Clear Time: 2 days, 3 hours, 37 minutes
3. Rose Insignia Party (White Purity Princess and 17 others) / Floor 8 Reached / Clear Time: 1 day, 12 hours, 11 minutes
The Golden Party took longer but managed to break through Floor 8, whereas the Rose Insignia Party, despite a faster time, couldn’t clear the Floor.
The key difference between the two teams was their leadership styles.
"Set up barricades! Buy us time! Use explosives, self-destruct if you have to—sacrifice anything to stall! In a place where death doesn’t mean the end, even dying is a strategy!"
“Ahhhhhhh──!!"
"He’s ordering them to sacrifice themselves since it’s not his life on the line… my god!"
One group was determined to push through Floor 8 no matter the cost.
"Let’s stop the attempt here. Pushing further seems pointless... besides, our unity is already strong enough."
"S-Sobb! As expected of the princess...!!"
"We failed to bring you to Floor 10, due to our incompetence⋯⋯!! If we do not apologize naked⋯⋯!!"
The other side believed there was no need to push so hard.
Although the two groups had comparable combat strength, their outcomes were very different. Examining the clear records more closely revealed some interesting contrasts.
The Rose Emblem Party had better clear times in horde battles, while the Golden Party performed better in one-on-one battles.
The Rose Emblem Party, composed mostly of nobles and led by the Pure White Lady, held a disciplined formation without faltering. When confronted by large groups of enemies, they maintained composure and methodically pushed forward. However, they seemed overly focused on shielding their Lady.
With a well-balanced mix of knights and mages, their composition was extremely stable. Their fighting style was textbook: melee fighters formed a protective wall while ranged attackers unleashed their magic and firepower.
On the other hand, the Gold Party, which had a higher percentage of commoners, often fell into chaos during mass battles. Yet, they thrived in single-target combat, overwhelming enemies with sheer numbers. While one member drew aggro, the rest swiftly dealt damage.
Their group was a hodgepodge of various professions—rogues, archers, swordsmen, and more. Supplemented by artifacts provided by the Golden Tower’s top disciple, they abandoned any formal strategy in favor of an "every man for himself" approach.
If someone drew aggro, they’d dodge it; if not, beat up the enemy. The rest? They’d figure it out as they went.
Beyond these two groups⋯⋯.
There was a single student worth noting:
7. Luna Steri / Cleared Floor 4 / Clear Time: 36 minutes
You might wonder what’s so special about a mere Floor 4. It was her sheer number of attempts and her relentless improvement in clearing times. Even after I returned to the Academy, she spent all her free time tackling the Tower of Trials.
She would even replay Floors she had already cleared, refining her tactics to perfection—despite the absence of any real reward!
Luna was the one who discovered the bug in Jenny’s second phase, where if you half-squat and take three steps backward in a duck walk, the entire pattern would be skipped.
Floor 1: Moonlit Orc // 0 minutes (MVP : Luna)
Floor 2: Ogre // 2 minutes (MVP : Luna)
Floor 3: Jenny of the Chain Scythe // 2 minutes (MVP : Luna)
Floor 4: Whip Witch // 32 minutes (MVP : Luna)
Her times were drastically faster than even Bennet's party.
Of course, Bennet's group was focused on climbing to the higher Floors, so they paced themselves, conserving energy and progressing carefully. They’d handle encounters leisurely when possible, ensuring they stayed in top condition.
Even so, to cut down this much time for someone who hadn’t even reached Metamorphosis yet, I couldn’t help but give her a round of applause.
She was the kind of talent that could make incredible use of regression abilities.
"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
I couldn’t help but feel my mouth water. A dark, irresistible urge was gnawing at my soul. A certain 15-letter word—a wickedly tempting word—was circling in my mind:
Graduate student⋯⋯.
If I could recruit her⋯⋯ As my teaching assistant⋯⋯?
If I could meticulously test gimmicks with her during pre-sessions⋯⋯?
No, it's too soon. I still know nothing about her.
Let's try fishing with hidden ending bait for the Tower of Trials. If she bites⋯⋯ If she tempts me again like this⋯⋯.
I might just invite her to my laboratory.
===============================================================
The Crazy Wizard didn’t close the entrance to the Tower of Trials after his return to the Academy, allowing Envers to continue his learning.
With the deadline for the promised ‘wish coupon’ now long past, most students had abandoned the Tower. Some still visited on occasion to sharpen their skills, but the earlier enthusiasm had faded.
So now that quite some time had passed, you could count the freaks trying to climb the Tower of Trials with one hand.
One of them was Luna Steri, who stood in front of Envers, her lips pressed into a firm line, staring at him intensely. She was notorious for spending entire days in the Tower if left undisturbed.
Envers met her gaze.
“Does that look perhaps mean to tell me to hurry up? I see, then I shall make this quick.”
"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
Luna wordlessly pointed to her throat, then her lips, and finally circled her finger around her temple, implying: Your way of talking is weird. Are you insane?
Envers gave a sheepish smile.
“You see, it is because it is just the way I talk now⋯⋯."
Luna stated plainly.
“Dummy.”
“Ahem, hmm⋯⋯."
Envers Redburn had been training under the Beggar for a while now.
He had been spending too much time in the presence of a martial arts master and his speech had been thoroughly influenced by Murim.
Of course, with students like a battoujutsu expert and a wild west gunslinger around, his Murim-influenced speech wasn’t all that strange.
"I shall head in now."
Luna tapped her wrist with her index finger and made a gesture of slitting her throat. It meant she'd kill him if he took too long.
With a chuckle, Envers entered the Tower of Trials.
Stepping through the back entrance directly to the 8th Floor, Envers found himself at the base of a mountain, a small hut visible at the top. Following the path upwards, he found the Beggar chopping wood.
“Master.”
"You have come at a good time. Here, chop some wood for me."
“Yes, understood.”
Without hesitation, Envers took the axe and began splitting firewood.
He swung with proper posture. The wood would split easily with minimal effort if he did it properly.
Thunk-!
The log split cleanly, falling to either side. Envers set the next one in place and repeated the motion.
It wasn’t boring. In fact, Envers found himself filled with anticipation.
After chores, the Beggar would invite him into the hut. They’d talk about the ways of Murim, and then the true training would begin.
Envers looked forward to every aspect of this. Even the waiting had become part of it.
Thunk-!
With each chop, time passed.
While sitting in a lotus position, learning about Murim, Envers asked the Beggar a question that had been on his mind.
“Master, if you followed the Heavenly Demon through the dimensional rift… does that mean that being is here?”
"⋯⋯That is correct."
"The professor said he climbed to the last Floor and fought a devil on the 10th Floor—an evil witch with white hair. Is she perhaps the Heavenly Demon?"
"No. The Heavenly Demon I chased is a man—a muscular giant with a wild beard and hair. He is hidden in the crevices of the tower. All those banished to the tower have joined forces to quarantine him."
Quarantine.
Envers' curiosity was piqued and he asked again.
“Is there perhaps any way I could see him?”
"I would not advise it. Why is it that you are so eager?"
"I wish to witness his martial arts firsthand. You have said before, Master, that observing the techniques of a true master can provide invaluable insight. Would it not be the case that seeing the Heavenly Demon’s martial arts could be an unparalleled benefit?"
The Beggar himself was a truly great martial artist. Envers still struggled to follow his master’s teachings. So, it was only natural for him to become curious.
The one who countless righteous heroes of the Orthodox Faction, including the Beggar, had risked their lives to fight, banishing him beyond the dimensional rift. The Heavenly Demon. Just how powerful was he?
What sort of breathtaking techniques would his martial arts reveal?
The Beggar studied Envers' eyes, which gleamed with anticipation, before speaking with a deep sense of unease.
"In this unending cycle where death is meaningless and you return to life, there may be no threat to your life. But the Heavenly Demon... is a force capable of erasing all of a person’s martial arts just by facing him."
"⋯⋯Erasing?"
The Beggar nodded. His seriousness didn't seem like he was joking. And so, he continued.
"That is right. As such, to even catch a glimpse of him from afar, you must have a minimum level of skill. I shall give you some tasks, and if you manage to complete them all⋯⋯ I shall give you a chance."
“What kind of tasks⋯⋯? This disciple will prove his worth to master!”
“They are──"
===============================================================
< trial="" tower="" first="" half="" challenge="" tasks="">
[Moonlit Orc : Clear Floor 1 with clear time exceeding 12 hours]
[Blood for Blood, Eye for an Eye : Seek out the hidden dwarf in the forest, then clear Floor 2 using only ballistas]
[My Clothes Don’t Get Wet Even if I Walk In the Rain : Survive over 10 minutes during Jenny's 2nd phase opening pattern on Floor 3]
[The Whip Comes Back Around : Defeat the Whip Witch with her own attack and clear Floor 4]
[Sealed Sword of Light : Clear Floor 5 without allowing Jay to draw his sword]