Darkness.
Then...
A single torch burst to life.
Its pale blue flame illuminated the ancient corridor where Noah stood alone.
The air smelled of old stone and dust.
Somewhere in the distance...
A drop of water echoed.
Drip...
Drip...
Drip...
Noah tightened his grip on Shadowfang.
"So..."
"I’m alone."
The System remained silent.
No quest update.
No warnings.
Just an eerie stillness.
The mural before him shifted once more.
The seven painted figures slowly stepped out of the wall.
Their bodies formed from cracked stone and ancient magic.
Each wore a crown.
Except the seventh.
Its head was bare.
Its face...
Was broken beyond recognition.
The statues lowered themselves onto one knee.
Not in attack.
In greeting.
A deep voice echoed through the chamber.
"State your name."
Noah hesitated.
"...Noah Blackwood."
The chamber shook.
"Not the name given to you..."
The statues rose.
"State the name Ragnarok knows."
Noah’s heartbeat quickened.
"What does that even mean?"
Without warning...
The world around him changed.
The corridor vanished.
He now stood in the middle of a ruined battlefield.
Thousands of broken swords covered the ground.
Black banners fluttered beneath a crimson sky.
Skeletons still gripped their weapons.
An endless graveyard.
A single figure stood in the distance.
His back faced Noah.
Black armour.
A torn crimson cape.
The Broken Crown rested in his hand.
The First Successor.
"You finally arrived."
His voice was calm.
"I have questions."
Noah said.
"I know."
The First Successor slowly turned around.
His face remained hidden beneath the shadow of his crown.
"But answers..."
"...must be earned."
He pointed behind Noah.
"Your trial begins."
A loud crack echoed across the battlefield.
The skeletons began to move.
One...
Ten...
A hundred...
Thousands.
Every fallen warrior stood again.
Empty eye sockets glowed with pale blue fire.
Ancient weapons rose toward Noah.
The First Successor spoke one final sentence.
"They are not your enemies."
"They are your memories."
Before Noah could ask what he meant...
The army charged.
BOOOOOOM!
The ground exploded beneath Noah’s feet.
He dashed forward.
Shadowfang flashed.
One skeleton shattered instantly.
But instead of bones...
Fragments of memory flooded Noah’s mind.
A young knight laughing with friends.
A desperate last stand.
A promise to protect someone.
Then...
Silence.
The memories vanished.
Noah froze.
"...What was that?"
Another skeleton attacked.
He cut it down.
Again...
Another memory.
A mother embracing her son before war.
A soldier writing his final letter.
A king kneeling before a broken throne.
Noah’s eyes widened.
"They..."
"...were real people."
The army kept advancing.
Thousands.
Endless.
Noah no longer swung wildly.
Each strike became precise.
Respectful.
Every enemy he defeated released another forgotten life.
Another forgotten story.
The battlefield wasn’t testing his strength.
It was testing whether he understood the cost of power.
Far above...
Hidden within the Tower...
The old caretaker watched through a crystal mirror.
He smiled softly.
"He understands."
Another hooded figure appeared beside him.
"So soon?"
The caretaker nodded.
"Most challengers only saw monsters."
"He..."
"...sees people."
Outside the Tower...
The students and professors watched glowing names appear on a massive stone monument.
Each floor cleared caused a name to rise.
Suddenly...
One name shot to the very top.
NOAH BLACKWOOD
The crowd erupted.
"What?!"
"He just entered!"
"How is he already leading?"
Eric stared at the monument in disbelief.
"I knew he was strong..."
"...but this?"
Luna silently clenched her fist.
She wasn’t jealous.
She was worried.
"If Noah’s climbing that fast..."
She whispered.
"...what is the Tower showing him?"
Back inside...
The last skeleton collapsed.
The battlefield fell silent.
The First Successor appeared once more.
He looked at Noah for a long moment.
Then...
For the first time...
He smiled.
"You passed."
Noah frowned.
"That was the trial?"
"No."
The First Successor’s smile faded.
"That..."
"...was only the Tower asking whether you deserved to enter."
The ground beneath Noah suddenly cracked open.
A colossal staircase descended into darkness beneath the battlefield.
Down...
Far below the First Floor.
The hidden path.
The path the ancient book had spoken of.
The First Successor looked into the abyss.
"Welcome..."
"...to the place where Ragnarok was born."
The Moments later
Steel screamed.
CLANG!
Noah barely blocked the first guardian’s strike.
The force launched him backwards across the corridor.
His boots scraped against the ancient stone before he stopped himself.
"...They’re stronger."
Not physically.
Smarter.
The first guardian had fought like a machine.
These two...
Adapted.
The taller guardian lowered its sword.
Its hollow blue eyes flickered.
Then...
It spoke.
Its voice sounded like grinding stone.
"Technique..."
"...acceptable."
The second guardian finished the sentence.
"Instinct..."
"...unfinished."
Noah blinked.
"They can talk?"
Neither answered.
Instead...
Both assumed different stances.
One held its sword with overwhelming power.
The other stood lightly, like a master duelist.
"This isn’t a fight."
"It’s a lesson."
The System appeared.
Tower Trial Updated
Trial Name: The Guardian’s Lesson
Objective: Defeat the guardians.
Secondary Objective: Learn.
Hidden Reward: ???
Noah frowned.
"Learn what?"
The answer came immediately.
The heavier guardian attacked.
BOOM!
Every strike was powerful enough to crack the floor.
Noah dodged.
Again.
Again.
Again.
He couldn’t find an opening.
The second guardian never attacked.
It simply watched.
Waiting.
Observing.
Judging.
"Fight."
The watching guardian finally spoke.
"No..."
"Think."
Noah narrowed his eyes.
"Think..."
His previous life flashed through his mind.
The countless times he’d read about famous swordsmen.
Every duel.
Every technique.
Every mistake they made.
He had memorized them.
But memorizing...
Wasn’t understanding.
The heavy guardian swung again.
This time...
Noah didn’t block.
He stepped inside the attack.
The massive blade missed him by inches.
Shadowfang struck.
CRACK!
A shallow cut appeared across the guardian’s arm.
For the first time...
He had landed a hit without relying on overwhelming power.
The observing guardian nodded.
"Better."
Then...
It drew its own sword.
Unlike the other guardian’s enormous weapon...
Its blade was simple.
Elegant.
Almost ordinary.
The guardian pointed it toward Noah.
"Now..."
"Your true trial."
Without warning...
It vanished.
No explosion.
No sound.
One moment it stood twenty metres away.
The next...
Its sword was already at Noah’s throat.
His instincts screamed.
He twisted.
The blade grazed his cheek.
A thin line of blood appeared.
Fast.
Far too fast.
Noah smiled.
Finally.
A worthy opponent.
"You’ve been holding back."
The guardian tilted its head.
"So have you."
Their swords collided.
Once.
Twice.
Ten times.
Twenty.
Sparks filled the corridor.
Every exchange became smoother.
Cleaner.
Noah wasn’t winning.
But...
He was improving.
The guardian wasn’t trying to kill him.
It was forcing him to become better with every strike.
Minutes passed.
Sweat rolled down Noah’s forehead.
His breathing grew heavier.
Then...
Something clicked.
His movements became sharper.
His wasted motions disappeared.
His stance settled naturally.
The guardian smiled.
A genuine smile.
"Excellent."
It stepped back.
Lowered its sword.
Then...
It knelt.
The larger guardian did the same.
The corridor became silent.
A deep rumble echoed through the Tower.
The stone wall ahead slowly split apart.
Beyond it...
A hidden staircase descended into darkness.
Not upward.
Downward.
Exactly as the ancient book had foretold.
The System chimed once more.
Hidden Objective Completed
The Guardian’s Lesson
Reward Obtained:
Swordsmanship Mastery I+5 Strength+5 Agility
New Objective Unlocked:
Descend into the Forgotten Path
Noah looked at the staircase.
Cold air drifted upward.
It smelled ancient.
Untouched.
He looked back at the kneeling guardians.
"What’s down there?"
The elegant guardian finally answered.
"The truth..."
It lifted its head.
"...that history buried."
Noah tightened his grip on Shadowfang.
A normal student would continue climbing the Tower.
But Ragnarok’s path...
Led into the darkness below.
Without another word...
He stepped onto the first stair.
Behind him...
The hidden passage sealed itself with a thunderous crash.
There was no turning back.