What the Hell is That Monster?!
Damn, what the hell is that monster?!
I immediately applied for the Heavenly Tower's alchemist exam under Evelyn's guidance. The application form listed the required materials, and since I had every single one on hand without exception, I could take it right away.
To think the day would come when I'd be taking the exam here.
The exam hall in the Heavenly Tower's basement was a familiar place to me. In the center of the vast cavern, there were all sorts of facilities set up for the test.
...It was more than sufficient as a workshop. Except for the complete lack of any screens to hide the secretive workings of an alchemist.
This won't be easy.
The exam took place in a completely open space. From the upper railing, they could watch every single step of the process without missing a thing, and the examinee had to perform under the scrutiny of all those eyes judging their every gesture.
Just being watched was burdensome enough. And then there were the voices drifting down, disrupting concentration.
For alchemists accustomed to working alone, the mere sensation of eyes on them was torment enough—add audible chatter, and anyone without ironclad confidence in their skills would crumble.
Doing it for real has me more nervous than I expected.
I spotted the first examinee already in progress. Leaning on the railing, I watched his work.
His assignment was crafting an ice golem... Since the definition of a "golem" wasn't strict, it seemed like cheating could get you through easily.
-How would you handle it?
Evelyn spoke through the familiar. Mindful of the fox on my shoulder, I replied.
"If it were me... I'd probably pour ice slime into a golem-shaped mold to fake a convincing one. I sure as hell wouldn't go the textbook route like that."
The earlier applicant was engraving transmutation circles on each block of ice and sealing a spirit into a mana stone to complete the golem... A by-the-book method with no issues.
The problem was... it required such delicate work and focus, impossible in a place like this.
"He downsized it because of the time limit."
"...The transmutation circles are hard to see—how's he planning to handle communication and ego?"
"Whose disciple is that guy?"
The chatter from above echoed below like a buzz. The examinee had no way of knowing if it was criticism or praise pointing out his mistakes.
Hearing that, I thought earning qualifications through years of slave labor outside the exam wasn't such a bad alternative. Not that I had the luxury for it now.
The guy in front of me eventually cracked under the pressure too, botching an engraving.
-Overload! Core Shattered!
"Applicant number 4, failed. Please leave."
The golem's core overloaded and shattered to pieces. The examiner watching promptly declared failure and ushered him out.
That voice sounds familiar.
...Probably someone from a meeting long ago. But for some reason, an inexplicable unease and discomfort welled up.
Who was it again?
"Applicant number 5, enter."
At the call for the next, I double-checked my papers... I was number 5.
-I'll be waiting for good news. Do your best.
Familiars weren't allowed during the exam. Evelyn severed the link and vanished.
Whew, it's embarrassing that someone like me is getting tense over a test like this. Tch.
I took a deep breath and stepped forward.
-Murmur murmur...
"Hey, number 5 is Evelyn Howard's disciple?"
"Wait... the name... Han Do-yoon? Isn't that the monster who holds the clear record from floor 1 to 10?"
"Make way... let me check his constellation... What? No guardian star?"
"Hey, clear a path! We wanna watch too!"
A crowd surged in just before the exam started.
I didn't expect this kind of attention.
For certified alchemists, these exams were just idle gossip fodder during breaks. The assignments were rarely anything impressive.
...But the name "Han Do-yoon" was more than enough to draw a crowd. Plus, being Evelyn Howard's disciple.
I clicked my tongue at the railing now packed solid with spectators.
If I screw up here... it might leave a trauma.
"Applicant number 5, are you absent?"
The examiner's words snapped my fraying nerves back. As I ascended the exam platform, I suddenly remembered whose voice it was.
Estelle... Argent?
It wasn't a side effect of the drug that made me forget.
...It was a memory I'd desperately tried to bury.
A wave of vertigo hit me in that instant.
"Applicant number 5? Is there a problem?"
Silver hair, a serene voice, calm eyes. She usually kept them closed unless something special warranted opening them. When she did deem it dangerous, those gray-blue pupils were captivating—but rare to see.
...At this time, she was the lord of the Heavenly Tower.
Later, obsessed with the "stars," she fell for their temptations, descending into madness. In the end, crossing an irreversible river, I had to pull the trigger.
She shed bloody tears, spat her curse, and took her own life.
"...N-no. No problem. I'm fine."
Tension before an exam was natural. Assuming that, Estelle Argent handed me a scroll.
"Here's your assignment. The exam starts the moment you unroll it."
Regaining my composure, I unrolled the scroll. Inside it read...
Fusion Element Stone Creation
Using a mana stone, craft a Fusion Element Stone.
...This is way above assignment level. Are they trying to fail me?
Infusing an element into a mana stone makes an element stone. Easy enough. But a fusion element stone? Totally different league.
Sealing two elements into one stone required delicate technique, beast-like instincts for precise material injection timing... Skills mostly honed through raw experience.
In short, this exam wasn't for rookies just seeking certification.
I looked at Estelle, my eyes pleading it was too hard. She smiled softly—nothing like the final image in my memories.
...Not impossible, though.
I pulled the necessary materials from my inventory. Plenty of mana stones—standard rewards up to floor 10.
I picked the purest one. Still, just from floor 10, nothing special.
Better to show just enough skill... Got a future Star Bishop right in front of me.
The Star Bishops were the ones who'd crash stars into the Tower World to shatter the monotheistic tower-god system.
Mages borrowed mana from the "Tower" god to wield magic, but the bishops, starstruck, flipped it—borrowing from outer gods to dream of escape.
Enemies to me... Better the devil we know than unknown outer gods. Though if the stars proved better, I'd switch in a heartbeat.
Just too late to confirm until irreversible events unfolded, so Tower it was.
Let's fuse four elements—that'll snag comet alchemist certification in one go.
The watching alchemists adjusted their glasses.
"Not fusing two elements into one mana stone—he's prepping element stones and merging via transmutation circle?"
"...Cocky. Got experience?"
"Whoa, wait—four element stones?"
Three elements in a fusion stone earns you "master" or "teacher" honors and comet alchemist rank.
A newbie acing four on the first try?
"Quad transmutation circle? He's lost it!... Wait, where'd he learn that?"
"Look closely at that circle! That's how you draw transmutation circles!"
Before long, the cavern floor was filled with the transmutation circle. One large circle enclosing four, totaling 64 circles exactly as I'd envisioned.
I placed element stones in each and revealed my mana circles.
...Can't show the black-red ones.
In the Tower World, mana was pure power. Holy force from the Tower god.
Unless you had special organs like a half-dragon's mana refinery, it was fixed blue.
...But I'd gotten stained black-red helping Sword God Isana purge a falling star.
At this point, showing it would freak out any Star Bishops.
She's not one yet, right?
Squinting at Estelle. She was Tower Lord by position, but I didn't know exactly when she became a bishop.
Refining it to mostly blue will limit output, but...
Six mana circles emerged. They hummed into rotation... The alchemists who'd mocked me jolted forward over the railing.
"Six-circle!"
"...Didn't he just clear floor 10? Where'd this monster come from?!"
"Blessed by the Tower big time!"
"What star rules him anyway?"
The circles synced with the Tower... Infinite mana permitted by the Thousand-Year Prison flowed into the transmutation circle, erupting in blinding white light.
"Gah! Evacuate! Failure could mean massive explosion!"
"That's real! Never seen a more delicate circle in my life!"
"Damn it! Evelyn Howard! What the hell is that monster?!"
As the circle's glow peaked, I hit my refinement limit.
Can't purify more... But it's too bright to see anyway.
The transmutation neared completion. In a blink, I dropped the restraint and finished swiftly.
They didn't see...? Even if they did, as Tower Lord, maybe not a bishop yet.
The light faded, revealing a pale crystal at the circle's center. I held it high for all to see.
◈ Fusion of fire, water, wood, and earth elements
◈ Powers of repeating destruction and creation grant semi-permanent energy
◈ Usage History: Elixir failure qwer / Karia blanket asdf / Damn if this fails too how do I even make it
Phew, unique grade? Failure, but... should pass the exam.
With that, the exam ended. Sighing in relief, I handed it to Estelle Argent.
"...Passed. Didn't expect you'd fuse four elements."
"Learned well from my teacher."
"Indeed. A true disciple of Evelyn. And..."
Estelle flipped her personal switch, opening her eyes. A faint, wistful light seemed to glow from those pale gray irises.
"Welcome. We've been waiting for you... one blessed by the great ones."
She's seriously deluded.
But at the same time, I thought: If I play this right, maybe her tragic end—and that final curse—won't happen this time. Maybe.