Book 2: Chapter 543
Only one person voiced an objection, but there were many who harbored murderous intent and vigilance.
However, when he turned around, all he saw was a single young man with a cold face. He was wearing a red robe.
He must be a wizard,
And the caster of the Ice Spike threatening Lukas.
“What is it?”
It was an opponent who threatened from the first encounter. Lukas"s voice was not gentle either.
“That"s my line. What business do you have trespa.s.sing at the top of the tower so carelessly?”
“Stop it, Redrun. He"s a guest I personally invited.”
Redrun.
An unexpectedly cute name that didn"t suit him.
Despite the Beginning Wizard’s command, the expression on the young man, Redrun"s face, did not relax.
“I apologize, but I cannot comply. My lord, the ‘thing" at the top of the tower is not of a nature to be shown to outsiders. Was it not you, my lord, who taught us that?”
“Hmm. That is true.”
The thing at the top?
Lukas turned his gaze back to the top of the tower.
“What are you looking at, outsider?”
Once again, a cold voice sounded. The sharpness of the Ice Spike intensified, and the distance closed even further.
Just before touching his skin, Lukas waved his hand. Suddenly, the sharp Ice Spike turned into a blob of water and collapsed.
“……!”
A surprised look appeared on Redrun"s face.
“To change the nature of magic so instantly… My lord, could this person possibly be a candidate for the Truth Seeker?”
“Hmm. Something like that.”
“…I see. That makes sense.”
Redrun, having come to an understanding, withdrew the magic he had deployed.
Then, glaring at Lukas, he said,
“It seems you haven’t received a proper explanation. I will overlook this rudeness just this once, so go back to the ground.”
“A proper explanation?”
“Yes. The [Seeker"s Trial] starts from the first floor.”
Lukas sighed.
“You"ve got it wrong. I didn"t come here to take any d.a.m.n trial.”
Redrun’s gaze shifted back to the Beginning Wizard, but he simply shrugged his shoulders, barely suppressing a smile.
Then his eyes returned to Lukas.
“You didn"t come to take the trial? Do you know what those words mean?”
Once again, the voice dropped lower.
“If you are not a candidate for the Truth Seeker, then your status is merely that of a simple intruder.”
“Even though your lord brought me here himself?”
“There are no exceptions.”
“I see.”
Lukas nodded and then asked,
“What happens to intruders, then?”
“Death.”
The expected answer prompted a nonchalant expression from Lukas.
At that response, a look of irritation finally emerged on Redrun’s face. Just as he was about to say something, Lukas spoke.
“What are you trying to do?”
The question was directed not at Redrun, but at the Beginning Wizard.
“Haven’t you understood my words yet? I’ve said several times that there’s no time.”
“That’s true.”
The Beginning Wizard grinned slyly.
“But if this is a necessary process?”
“…….”
“Redrun. What procedures must one undergo to gain entry rights to the top of the tower?”
“Yes. In the Tower 77, one must obtain the approval of more than half of the Truth Seekers and defeat all of the ‘Seven Magicians."”
“You heard him? Sadly, I"m the lord of this place, but I can"t change the rules of the tower.”
“…….”
“Come to the top.”
The Beginning Wizard’s voice became serious again.
“If you cannot earn the recognition of the wizards in the tower, then you don’t deserve to know the truth.”
At that, Lukas"s gaze turned to the tower.
A tower nearly hundreds of meters tall.
At first glance, it appeared to be made of stone, but naturally, that couldn’t be all. No matter how advanced the building technology, it would be impossible to erect such a height with stone alone.
Meaning, some special magic was applied to the tower.
“…….”
He reached out his hand.
How to bring it down. First, the shape of the rooftop must be preserved—
“Indeed. If you show your true abilities, conquering the tower will end faster than it has meaning, so I’d like to impose a few restrictions.”
Lukas withdrew his hand and looked at the Beginning Wizard.
“Restrictions?”
“Do you dislike them?”
“…Tell me.”
As if he had been waiting, the Beginning Wizard spoke.
“Firstly, you must diligently clear each floor starting from the first. No cheating such as collapsing the tower from the outside or piercing straight from the first floor to the top.”
At this, Redrun spoke with a voice full of confusion.
“What joke is this…? The Tower 77 was built using ‘Earthstone". All of us ‘Seven Magicians" have inscribed strengthening spells on it. There’s no way to bring it down, not from the outside nor from the inside…”
“That"s right.”
Lukas interrupted Redrun’s lengthy explanation. He felt a piercing gaze from behind but ignored it.
The Beginning Wizard continued with a smile.
“Additionally, do not use any magic above 8-star, and once the fight starts, you must not seek a.s.sistance from the Ruler within you. Using divine power to wield the strength of a demiG.o.d is also forbidden. Of course, this includes the Lord"s authority over s.p.a.ce.”
“…….”
Redrun"s eyes now held a sense of futility.
“The tower consists of a total of 77 floors, and you will encounter the ‘Seven Magicians" starting from the 11th floor. They are waiting. The deadline for clearance… Hmm. Considering your level and situation, how about half a year?”
Redrun"s eyes flickered back to life at the last phrase.
Half a year?
Even the fastest to ever clear the tower took nearly 20 years.
‘Of course!"
Typically, it takes at least a year to gain the recognition of the first Seven Magician, and the difficulty exponentially increases as one ascends the floors.
It doesn’t mean getting approval from all 7 of the ‘Seven Magicians" within 7 years is impossible. There are formidable trials in between as well.
“What are you saying?”
The face of the Seven Magician on the 11th floor, Redrun, was flushed with humiliation. Even if the statement came from the respected Beginning Wizard, it was hard to accept.
Lukas roughly guessed the emotions Redrun must be feeling, and yet he spoke out.
“3-star.”
“Hmm?”
“I"ll only use magic 3-stars and below.”
Interest sparked in the eyes of the Beginning Wizard.
“Isn"t the purpose to limit my power? Then those restrictions are insufficient. You don’t seem to know what I have acquired in the Void World.”
“Oh? What do you mean?”
“Spirit Magic and Black Magic, barrier spells, summoning spells, psychic powers, unusual powers, Holy Power, dark energy, earth energy, various martial arts and physical techniques… Besides, about 2,000 types of powers I came to know as an Absolute Being wandering the universe and from the Dumpsite.”
“…….”
“Among them, particularly notable powers are the Void and Omniscience.”
“…I was not aware of that. Then, let"s also forbid those.”
Lukas nodded.
It"s not that he underestimates the tower or the wizards here.
After all, the Beginning Wizard would cunningly observe every move Lukas makes. It"s better to clarify everything from the start than to have issues arise during the conquest of the tower.
“Additionally, as I"ve said several times, I don’t have the luxury of time─”
Lukas looked down at the Tower 77 and said,
“I will clear the tower within one month.”
* * *
A heavy silence enveloped the surroundings.
“Heh, heh heh.”
The Beginning Wizard let out a stifled laugh.
“Ah. Certainly, you have the right to say that. But regrettably, in this territory, I am the only one who knows that fact. Do you understand what that means?”
Once again, a chilling presence was felt.
This time, it seemed to target his entire body, not just the nape.
“You’ve angered them.”
“…….”
“Is this the first trial you face before entering the tower? Let’s see you break through splendidly.”
The Beginning Wizard said this as he opened the door and entered the room at the top. The moment the inside was revealed, Lukas looked in that direction, but as expected, only pitch-black darkness unfolded.
[Beyond that is no different from another world. I could a.n.a.lyze it using Thunder if I wanted.]
‘Forget it.’
[You’re not seriously planning to tackle from the first floor up slowly, as that guy suggested, are you?]
Residue spoke in a displeased tone.
‘If those are the rules of this tower, it"s only right to follow them.’
[Ha. Such rules need not be followed…]
‘You seem to forget, the Beginning Wizard is stronger than me.’
[…….]
The reason he hadn’t yet taken any drastic actions was due to the fondness he held for Lukas. Of course, the reason for his fondness was something even knowing the circ.u.mstances couldn"t justify.
But one thing was clear.
The strong and the weak,
The absolute disparity between them.
‘Even if he forces his hand, we have no choice but to comply for now. You know this better than anyone.’
[…Hmph.]
At that moment, the door closed completely, and Lukas looked around once again.
He saw Redrun’s face.
“…You have just insulted not only me but all the Truth Seekers in the tower.”
A sneering smile, one of the habits that surfaced when he was extremely angry.
“Thus, before the official entry to the tower, you’ll have to take responsibility for the words you’ve uttered.”
As his voice finished, the wizards who had been hiding showed themselves all at once.
The number easily exceeded a hundred, filling Lukas" field of vision. Lukas carefully observed each one of them and was disappointed to realize that none seemed stronger than Redrun.
As if in defiance of that emotion, a barrage of magic began.
“──.”
A myriad of lights blanketed his vision in an instant.
Lukas,
First realized that about 3,000 spells were being cast against him. By simple calculation, that meant each person cast about 30 spells.
Also, if the nature and characteristics of the magic were broadly categorized, there were 50 types.
─Quite interesting.
The deployed magic was definitely composed of different laws. Was this the result of the self-cultivation the Beginning Wizard spoke of?
Lukas could have dissected each of them right there and then, making them his own. Therefore, it took a bit of mental effort to restrain that impulse.
He closed his eyes.
Although he hadn’t entered the tower yet, it seemed certain that the restrictions mentioned by the Beginning Wizard were now in effect.
What to do then?
The moment the restrictions activated, countless plans to counter the magical bombardment were crossed out one by one with an X.
Using magic below 3-star was possible, but without utilizing the Void, their power would be significantly reduced. Of course, if he crammed as much mana as possible into a 3-star spell, or developed enough spells to overcome their barrage, he might be able to block it.
‘But the opponent is also a wizard.’
Wizards typically don’t give their all in the first strike. This magic barrage was merely exploratory, meaning they still had aces up their sleeves, one each at least.
[Our means have become limited. What will you do?]
Residue asked with interest.
‘They’ve got plenty of means on their side.’
[Hmm?]
The following words were shown through actions.
Lukas wrapped mana around his palm and then caught the highest-tier magic, Redrun’s Ice Spike, with his hand.
Redrun’s eyebrows twitched but he was not overly surprised. There was no reason to panic just because one attack was blocked. As Lukas had a.n.a.lyzed, there were still 3,000 spells remaining.
‘Are you planning to catch all of them with your hands?’
Of course, Lukas did not do that.
He threw the Ice Spike he had caught towards a specific point.
A collision between the fire attribute magic and the Ice Spike caused a small explosion. The explosion occurred exactly within the range Lukas had antic.i.p.ated, and the surrounding spells were affected by it.
Then, Lukas precisely stepped back five paces.
The first explosion was like a small storm, but the second was somewhat larger. The third, the fourth… As the sequence progressed, the power and range of the explosions increased. The speed also accelerated like a s...o...b..ll rolling downhill.
Boom, boom, boom… The intermittent explosion sounds eventually merged into one.
[Hooh…]
Residue voiced his admiration just as a grand fireworks display was occurring before them.
It was natural since 3,000 spells were causing the explosions.
The moment Lukas blinked a couple of times, a sharp shard of stone flew out from the explosion. The shard embedded itself precisely an inch in front of Lukas"s foot.
[An interesting trick. Have you a.n.a.lyzed all their magic in that time?]
‘There’s no need to use Omniscience.’
[Kekeke… Certainly, when it comes to magic, your understanding is at a monstrous level.]
‘Monstrous?’
That’s a grand compliment coming from Residue.
‘It’s more about a.n.a.lysis than understanding. It’s no different from destruction engineering.’
If one considered the magic bombardment as a giant structure made of 3,000 components and 50 types of materials, and if its structure was fully understood, there would be nothing difficult about it.
Anyone could completely demolish it with a very small explosion.
[It took less than 3 seconds for the bombardment to strike you, right?]
‘It wasn’t in an [extremely short time], was it? …Rather than that, I’d like to focus on the fight now, so let’s talk later.’
[…Fight?]
Residue seemed at a loss for words.
‘Why.’
[Having watched your life from the side, I understand, but you are overlooking something very important right now.]
Lukas hesitated at that.
When Residue spoke like this, it often meant there was an important hint.
‘Something important?’
[It means you are not objectively a.s.sessing your own level.]
‘What does that mean…?’
Only then did a certain oddity strike him.
The next attack wasn’t coming.
Lukas looked forward.
He saw that about a hundred wizards were staring this way with vacant expressions.
[Their first attack wasn’t mere reconnaissance. It was a full-force strike fueled by rage. And you, you blocked all those attacks with just one Ice Spike.]
“……”
[Being cautious is good, but don’t overestimate your opponents too much.]
Residue sighed as he spoke.
[Those guys are no match for even a single bite from you.]
*****