[Moonlit Orc : Clear Floor 1 after 12 hours]
It is said that the moon overflows with Mana that can drive people insane.
And there are some creatures, more sensitive to moonlight than ordinary beasts⋯⋯ who are said to wander the forests on the night of a full moon, their sanity consumed.
Devoid of self-awareness, they dance, their movements bound by the light reflected off spiderwebs.
===============================================================
Before stepping into the tower.
Envers recalled what he knew about the orc on Floor 1. It was larger and more muscular than a typical orc, but still, it wasn’t anything beyond the standard traits of its race.
More than anything⋯⋯ it was slow.
The enormous axe it wielded, while undeniably dangerous, was sluggish and it always telegraphed its moves.
In other words, it had an obvious wind-up!All one had to do was dodge when the attack was telegraphed. Even before his martial arts training, Envers could break through its defenses easily. Even if that thing became stronger under the influence of moonlight⋯⋯.
How much stronger could it possibly get?
That’s why Envers thought the challenge of Floor 1 would be waiting until nightfall. So, he came prepared—with Academy magazines and novels in hand, planning to kill time.
But someone was watching him.
"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
"Ahem, uhm, believe me, there's a reason for all this. It's not like I’m trying to come out late on purpose⋯⋯."
Luna shot Envers a death stare. She had the talent to curse a person without the need for words. Her eyes alone were enough for that.
Envers fled to Floor 1 of the tower.
===============================================================
A broad, circular arena sprawled out, reminiscent of a battlefield. The distant echo of drums filled the air.
Thump. Thump.
The flags snapped in the wind, and along the surrounding walls, the silhouettes of figures shifted, feigning cheers, though no sound escaped their lips.
In the center, there was a lone warrior. His green skin and the upward-curving tusks spoke of his wildness, while the iron chain marks on his ankles hinted at his captivity.
Be it in the wilderness or the arena, a warrior has only one mission: Battle.
※ SYSTEM_INFO -----------
[Fighter Slave Orc]
Health : Low
Mana : Not applicable
Strength : 3 / 10 (Mid-Tier Student)
Agility : 1 / 10 (Low-Tier Student)
Intelligence : 1 / 10 (Low-Tier Student)
※ ---------------------------
The muscular orc panted heavily, gripping a massive axe in his hands.
Envers cautiously retreated, avoiding the orc’s gaze.
"Huuk── Huuk──."
"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
The Orc remained motionless.
The regular students without factions had found this gimmick while talking about climbing the tower with each other. The orc did not attack those who backed off.
Teams aiming for the higher levels could rush in and claim the orc’s head in a direct strike. But for weaker students, this was impossible, leading them to find and refine this strategy.
Since then, the standard approach became: enter, retreat to reset its aggro, then coordinate a full-force attack to inflict massive damage, then start the actual fight.
Envers created some distance then opened the magazine.
He briefly considered practicing his martial arts, but if the orc perceived that as an attack and charged at him, he'd have to play tag for 12 hours.
So he quietly enjoyed the quiet time.
Twelve hours passed inside the tower // Approximately 1.2 hours in real-world time.
As time flowed, the sky within the tower gradually shifted. The sun, once hanging high, sank below the horizon, and the moon rose, bathing the night sky in a blue hue.
The orc’s green skin slowly darkened to black.
Envers drew his sword, assuming the Chudan stance, and shouted gallantly.
“Now⋯⋯ Orc, come! Try approaching!”
"Graaaaaah──!!!"
※ SYSTEM_LOG -----------
[Warrior Slave Orc => Mixed Blood Orc of the Moonlit Forest]
The resident werewolf’s blood is awakening!
Orc’s status changes : Agility 1 => 4 (Mid-High Tier Student)
※ --------------------------
"Wait, why’s it so fas⋯⋯"
Before he could finish, the orc, now four times faster, shredded him to pieces.
===============================================================
Envers was torn apart by the flurry of two axe strikes per second, ejecting him from the tower. After rolling across the ground, his eyes flew open, and he shouted.
“My guard was down—again!”
"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
Luna was about to ask how on earth it took him an hour, but Envers was quicker. He jumped right back into the tower.
An hour later.
“Again!”
"⋯⋯⋯⋯??"
Another hour passed.
“Again!”
"⋯⋯⋯⋯!!!"
One more hour──.
“Ag⋯⋯ Ugh!"
Clang!!
Luna smacked the back of Envers’ head. Only then did the out-of-control Envers finally stop.
She feared he might crawl back into the tower the moment she let her guard down. So she promptly sat down on his back, using her petite butt to pin him to the ground.
Then, with the side of her hand, she tapped on the back of Envers' neck. I told you you'd die if you came out late⋯⋯ was what it meant. Envers wore a sheepish expression.
“⋯⋯I do apologize. I got too riled up and.”
“What.”
"However, this is a test bestowed upon me. I cannot share it with an outsid⋯⋯”
Before he could finish, Luna’s mace lightly tapped the top of his head and then moved away. It meant he would die.
Realizing that there would be no test or anything else if his skull was cracked open, Envers spilled everything—his entire journey to the hidden boss of the Tower of Trials.
"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
It was an extremely interesting story.
What had Luna Steri been so obsessed with cutting down her clear times in the Tower of Trials? It was because she enjoyed it. She loved the thrill of repeatedly challenging it while discovering new things.
The feeling of improvement sent shivers down her spine.
She also enjoyed the rush of being on the edge between life and death. A real fight was not enjoyable at the slightest since it was much more scary, the Tower of Trials offered a place free from true death.
So she thoroughly savored it.
She analyzed each Floor, broke down every enemy pattern, and conquered all the challenges she faced. However the Whip Witch on the fourth Floor was too difficult to solo, so the climb had been stagnating recently⋯⋯.
But she could never resist fresh content.
“Do it together.”
"⋯⋯Together, you say?"
“This is not a request.”
"?"
Luna grabbed Envers by the collar and dragged him back into the Tower of Trials. The party had grown—whether he liked it or not.
===============================================================
Although they often crossed paths in front of the Tower of Trials, this was the first time they had entered together. Neither knew how the other climbed the tower, what they fought for, or anything else about each other.
That’s why⋯⋯ this was the first time Envers witnessed Luna’s movements in action.
A whirlwind of iron erupted before them. A chunk of metal that could easily shred through human flesh was being swung at dizzying speeds.
Yet Luna moved freely between the gaps.
"Uaaaaaahhhh──!!"
“Easy.”
Luna’s movements were minimal. One step, then another. It was all she needed to render the orc’s attacks meaningless. Not even a thread of her clothing was cut.
“Pattern is.”
"Guooooaaaa──!!"
“The same.”
“Uuuuuu──!!"
Luna took it a step further, and turned her back on the orc entirely, looking at Envers while effortlessly dodging the attacks. She playfully flashed a V-sign and winked at him from time to time.
Like somebody who knew exactly what attack was coming next.
That was actually correct. She knew all of it like the back of her hand.
To Envers, she looked⋯⋯ like someone who had reached a pinnacle of mastery. He thought it was so cool, it almost brought tears to his eyes. He was waiting.
Now, using this perfect evasion as a base, what kind of counterattack would she unleash...!!
"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
"⋯⋯⋯⋯??"
"I, can't, attack. Attack speed, fast. Difficult. Need, new tactic... Ah."
“Oh.”
Slice slice.
Luna, having spent all her energy dodging, was instantly cut down and kicked out of the tower.
"⋯⋯I shall return next time. Do not think this is the en──"
"Uuaaaaaakkk──!!"
Envers followed shortly after. If lasting about 10 minutes this time counted as progress, then it was progress.
Outside the tower.
The two stood there, defeated, blankly staring at each other. Then, they opened their mouths simultaneously.
“How about learning how to attack?”
“You learn. Evasion.”
“I think rather than me learning that art, it would be faster for the lady to learn martial arts.”
“Just memorize it. Possible as long as you aren’t a bird brain.”
Luna, a master of pattern analysis yet hindered by her physical limitations, and Envers, whose physical abilities were better than Luna's but couldn't even dare to attempt pattern analysis.
After about 30 minutes of bickering, the two of them finally agreed to cover each other's weaknesses.
===============================================================
Envers swung his sword in a simple, yet precise motion, a clean arc from top to bottom. His solidly-balanced body showed off his efforts.
“This is a slash.”
"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
Luna gave her sword a swing. Instead of a straight line, it cut through the air in a zigzag motion that made Envers wince.
"That's more like flailing a stick than slashing."
“Shut up.”
"How can someone who’s capable of that dance be so awful at attacking?"
"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
Luna’s eyes narrowed in irritation. Her silent look seemed to say that if she had known how to attack properly, she would’ve split the orc’s skull long ago. Envers quickly averted his gaze.
Envers looked through his memories. He realized he knew nothing about Luna Steri. Because he had no interest in her.
Before the Tower of Trials appeared, Luna Steri never stood out. She had been always messing around at the bottom of the rankings, and that was true even now. l
She didn’t belong to any factions nor was she particularly sociable, so she didn't draw much attention.
Envers’ only memory of her was a rare passing glimpse of her purple hair during the lectures they both attended.
Envers only thought about climbing, and never bothered to look down at those below him.
He figured he had nothing to learn from anyone weaker.
That’s why Luna’s ability to evade the orc’s attacks so effortlessly caught him off guard. Sure, someone might argue that given infinite attempts, anyone could do it, but⋯⋯.
It wouldn't be as simple as it sounded. Who could handle endless failure?
As Envers saw it, Luna was an extreme klutz. She had sharp instincts, but she was almost disastrously untalented when it came to moving her body.
So the question arose.
“Just how on earth did you climb up to Floor 4?”
“Follow me.”
Luna showed him the strategy for clearing the first Floor.
===============================================================
Start from the lower right diagonal:
Stand here, and the orc’s axe will always come diagonally. Duck as it swings, then take a step forward. The axe will bury itself in the ground. Straighten your back.
Place your foot on the axe handle. I’m not entirely sure how much strength it takes, but I put all my weight on it.
If you do that, the orc will try to pull the axe from the ground.
At that exact moment, press down hard on the handle’s end with your hand. As the orc yanks with all its strength, the axe blade will swing toward its own face, splitting its skull.
That is the basic strategy.
I can't show you the strategy I used for speed-running the record because it's half luck. Even I took three days to do it.
The berserk orc has the same patterns, but its attack speed is much faster. So I think we’ll need a different approach. I’ll explain the exact attacks it uses and when, as well as how to destroy them.
This is pattern A-1.
It's one of its moves when you’re about this far. If you listen well to its roars, you could distinguish them. This time, it’ll swing down with the axe. From here, you have three ways to dodge⋯⋯.
===============================================================
They studied together.
The two of them accumulated knowledge, drilling patterns and practicing techniques on the normal orc. They made plans for how to deal with the berserk version of the orc when the attack got four times faster.
They couldn’t overpower the berserk orc in strength, nor could they match its speed.
That meant they needed something else—an illusion.
“Sometimes, its movements become dumb. Its brain gets jumbled.”
Luna exploited this quirk, creating a series of feints.
At first glance, they appeared to be flashy, unnecessary movements, but they were illusory sword techniques designed to confuse the orc’s perception and force it into making mistakes. It worked on the normal orc, and after waiting 12 hours to test it, they found it also worked on the berserk orc.
That attempt did fail due to a skill issue but⋯⋯!
They saw hope. Once they were a little more familiar with the patterns, they were certain they would be able to fry the berserk orc.
Envers glanced at Luna, recalling a word his master once used: Grandmaster.
If she had been born with a strong body and an innate talent for combat, he thought she might have become a legendary martial artist.
As they continued their cycle of trial, error, and improvement...
Selvier, who had been practicing magic in the Tower of Trials for the last few days, finally lost her patience and approached them.
"Hey, I’m fine with you two sharing your little romance or whatever⋯⋯ but could you think about the people waiting?"
“What are you even talking about?!”
"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
Envers jumped up high, and Luna tightened her grip on her mace.
However, there was a reason for Selvier's misunderstanding. The two had been entering the Tower of Trials together, but they were taking an hour each time to clear just the first Floor!
Factoring in the time dilation inside the tower, they had already spent more than 10 hours in total. Given that, it was natural to imagine something else was going on. As Selvier saw it, this was definitely love.
If a man and woman locked themselves away in a confined space for 10 hours at a time, what else could it be⋯⋯!
“Misunderstanding”
Luna, using a combination of brief sentences and hand gestures, explained the situation. It was the first time Envers had heard her speak so much at once.
After listening to their story, Selvier gave it some thought and then⋯⋯
“Then, couldn’t you just beat the orc half dead and finish it off at exactly midnight⋯⋯?"
"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
"⋯⋯⋯⋯!!"
The wizard’s suggestion worked.
The Tower of Trials, Floor 1, cleared──!!