The words lingered in the room.
"The place where the First Successor disappeared."
Noah slowly closed the ancient book.
"So..."
"The Tower isn’t what everyone thinks it is."
Seraphina nodded.
"No."
"It never was."
She walked to the window overlooking the academy.
"For a thousand years..."
"Kings."
"Saints."
"Heroes."
"They all believed they were climbing toward power."
She looked back at Noah.
"They were wrong."
"They were walking into a prison."
Noah frowned.
"A prison?"
"For what?"
Seraphina remained silent.
After several moments, she answered.
"For a promise."
"What promise?"
"The First Successor made one."
"To whom?"
"...I don’t know."
Her voice carried something Noah had never heard before.
Regret.
She placed a small wooden box on the desk.
"I brought this."
Noah opened it.
Inside rested a simple silver ring.
No jewels.
No runes.
Nothing remarkable.
"It doesn’t look special."
"It isn’t."
She smiled.
"Which is exactly why you’ll wear it."
Noah raised an eyebrow.
"The academy will be watching you tomorrow."
"So will the Church."
"So will people you’ve never heard of."
She pointed at the ring.
"That artifact suppresses mana fluctuations."
"It won’t hide Ragnarok forever."
"But it may buy you enough time."
Noah slipped it onto his finger.
Immediately...
The strange pressure around him faded.
Even the System dimmed.
Artifact Equipped
Silent Oath Ring
Effect: Suppresses abnormal mana signatures.
"Useful."
Seraphina nodded.
"It belonged to the Fourth Successor."
Noah blinked.
"You just handed me a legendary relic like it was spare change."
"I have several."
"...Of course you do."
The next morning...
The entire academy gathered before the Tower of Echoes.
Its ancient stone walls stretched into the clouds.
Blue flames burned from every window.
The enormous bronze gates stood shut.
More than five hundred students waited outside.
Second-years.
Third-years.
Even graduating students.
Everyone wanted to witness the tower’s reopening.
Headmaster Leonhardt stepped onto a stone platform.
"The Tower of Echoes..."
"...opens only once every century."
A wave of excitement spread through the crowd.
"You will enter in teams."
"The moment your team is defeated..."
"...you will be expelled from the tower."
Professor Elena continued.
"Do not underestimate even the first floor."
"The Tower does not care about your rank."
"It judges your will."
The massive bronze gates suddenly shook.
BOOOOOOM...
Ancient gears hidden within the walls groaned to life.
The gates slowly opened.
A wave of ancient mana swept across the academy.
Several students instinctively took a step backward.
Noah felt something entirely different.
Recognition.
Like returning somewhere he had forgotten.
The System chimed.
Hidden Quest
Return to the Beginning
Objective:
Find the path beneath the First Floor.
Reward: ???
Failure: The truth remains buried.
"Beneath..."
Noah’s eyes narrowed.
"So the book was right."
"Luna."
Sophia called.
"We’re up first!"
Team Seven stepped toward the entrance.
Eric cracked his knuckles.
"Let’s make history."
Damien rested his spear on his shoulder.
"Let’s survive first."
Luna quietly looked at Noah.
"You feel it too."
He nodded.
"This place..."
"...knows my name."
The five of them crossed the threshold together.
The bronze gates slammed shut behind them.
BOOM!
Darkness swallowed everything.
When the light returned...
They were no longer together.
Noah stood alone in a ruined stone corridor.
The walls were covered with faded murals.
On one wall...
Seven figures stood side by side.
The first six held crowns.
The seventh...
Had empty hands.
Then...
The mural moved.
Every painted head slowly turned toward Noah.
Their hollow eyes glowed crimson.
One voice echoed through the corridor.
Ancient.
Patient.
Waiting.
"Successor..."
"Why have you returned?"
Noah’s grip tightened around Shadowfang.
The Tower’s first trial...
Had already begun.