The First Floor

"You mean that? Really?"

- Did you live your whole life getting fooled? I do not lie.

Ellaon puffed up with an offended look at my words. I swallowed hard and asked.

"So what do I have to do?"

- Ho ho. Someone is curious. Very well. I shall tell you.

Ellaon continued, wearing a proud, self-satisfied expression.

- First, let me explain why you cannot properly accept mana in the first place.

The reason? Wasn't it just my constitution? That was what I'd believed all this time. But as Ellaon's explanation went on, I came to understand there was a far more fundamental reason I couldn't accept mana.

- The reason your mana is lacking is none other than this: the mana circuits within your body. In ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠your case, they are withered and twisted like the roots of a rotting tree.

"……!"

Mana circuits?

A concept I had never once heard of. What was that?

- The mana circuit is the channel through which mana moves within the body. If those channels are narrow, the output of your released magic is weakened—and accumulating mana inside the body becomes difficult as well.

"Ah."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

It was a brand-new concept, never discovered on Earth, but if Ellaon was right, it could be the key to curing my Mana Rejection Syndrome.

Wait—the solution seemed easier than I'd expected.

"Then all I need is to have the mana circuits in my body widened, right?"

I spoke up, wearing the face of a man who had just found the correct answer. And then—

- Yes. In principle, that is indeed the answer.

The corners of Ellaon's mouth curled up in a sly grin. Watching that expression gave me an inexplicable sense of foreboding.

- But if the mana circuits could be so easily improved at will, would everyone not become a great mage or a grand swordsman?

Right. I knew it felt too easy. Seeing me deflate, the spirit let out an amused little chuckle.

- Fear not. I am the only being on the Pangaea continent ever to be called the Great Sage. I know a method to transmute your wretched mana circuits into ones worthy of a dragon.

Ellaon pointed at me with his left index finger and declared:

- The Philosopher's Stone. You need only take that.

…What? The Philosopher's Stone?

What's that?

When I made a face that clearly said I had no idea what he was talking about, Ellaon furrowed his brow and folded his arms again.

- Hmph. Perhaps it is because this is a lower-grade dimension. You do not even know what the Philosopher's Stone is.

Yes, teacher, but what is it?

Come to think of it, a Philosopher's Stone had appeared in the fantasy novels I read as a kid. It felt like he was talking about that thing. But wasn't it usually something absurdly hard to find or obtain? That was how it went in every novel I'd ever read.

"Then explain it to me."

At my words, Ellaon opened his mouth with a huffy expression.

- The Philosopher's Stone is, you see, the most—

I endured his long-winded explanation to the very end, and realized my guess had been right.

A legendary medicine passed down since ancient times. Beyond transmuting one's mana circuits entirely, it was a Mythic-grade elixir said to grant a soul of a higher dimensional quality if consumed in full.

"So how do I make this thing?"

- The ingredients required for the Philosopher's Stone are—

Ellaon began again, and the moment I heard the list, I felt the air leave my lungs.

"A dragon's heart, the Tear of the Full Moon, Elderwood, a sacred metal, a unicorn's horn, an Essence of Darkness, phoenix ash, stardust, a mana crystal… that's the list?"

- Indeed. To memorize it all in one hearing—your mind is not half bad.

For the first time, the spirit looked genuinely pleased. Should I be happy about receiving my first compliment from him? That wasn't the point right now, though.

"Hold on. Honestly, I don't even know what most of those ingredients you just listed are. Are those things even obtainable?"

A dragon's heart was over the top from the very first item. How was anyone supposed to get that? And everything else was no better. This was so absurd it made me wonder if he was scamming me with a recipe he'd never actually brewed himself.

- I, too, was born with malformed mana circuits like yours. Yet I forced my way down that thorn-strewn road, completed the Philosopher's Stone, and succeeded in stepping into a new realm. And you—you cower before it has even begun. Have you so little faith in yourself?

Heat rushed to my face at those words. For some reason, it felt like I'd just been asked, "Scared?"

That was something no man could let slide. And I was going to be an albamail in the future, no less!

'Well, I did get a 10-Star trait. I'll figure something out as I go.'

When I recalled the awe-inspiring sight of the great Seven Celestials defeating the colossal high-tier monster that had burst out of the Tower during that dimensional erosion incident, it didn't seem entirely impossible.

"Fine, then. It's just one dragon."

- What did you say—

"It's a deal. The Philosopher's Stone. Let's make it happen."

When I spoke with burning resolve, Ellaon smiled for the very first time.

- You have spirit. Very well. To forge the Philosopher's Stone is to inherit my legacy in full. From this day forward, I shall make you a true Great Sage.

With those words, Ellaon snapped his thumb and index finger together.

Tung!

Whoa.

A Mythic grade. Because of that, maybe, the rewards were all absolutely monstrous. I had no idea what "Elevation of the Soul's Grade" would actually do, but I knew perfectly well what a Complete Rebirth meant.

One of the Seven Celestials—an Ascender based in China—was reportedly pouring astronomical sums of money into achieving a Complete Rebirth of his own.

'And last I heard, he hadn't even found a real lead yet.'

And here, all it took was synthesizing the Philosopher's Stone. Were quests this incredible? Or was it just because this one was Mythic grade?

The truth was, quests didn't exist in the world at all these days. Which meant that me receiving one was almost certainly a world first.

So why was this happening only to me? I suspected it had something to do with being the first person ever to acquire a 10-Star hidden trait.

Am I complaining? Not in the slightest! Since this situation benefited me enormously, if anything I felt like offering a grand bow of gratitude to the Sky Tower itself.

But I was curious about the exact cause and effect, so I made a mental note to ask Ellaon when I had the time. If anyone could satisfy my curiosity, it would be him.

Enough distractions. I asked him the thing that actually mattered.

"By the way—one of the rewards is a trait rank up. Does that mean the Sage trait's rank goes up? It's already 10-Star."

I was still reeling from learning that a rank above 10-Star even existed. Surely there wasn't an 11-Star rank… or so I thought.

- Tsk, tsk. A 10-Star rank means merely that you have earned the qualification to set one foot upon the true depths of the universe.

The qualification to set foot on the true depths of the universe?

The way he said it carried a distinct nuance—like there was something above even a 10-Star rank.

"Don't tell me… you're saying there's actually a rank higher than 10-Star?"

- You speak the obvious. Even the Great Sage trait this body possesses is of the 11-Star rank.

"……!"

Now that was a genuine shock. Beyond 10-Star, there had been an 11-Star all along?

- Judging by your expression, I sense the road ahead of you is long.

As I stood there gaping, Ellaon clicked his tongue low at the sight of me. Even so, my jaw refused to close.

An 11-Star rank. The scale just kept growing and growing.

All I'd ever wanted was to become an albamail my ex-girlfriend would regret losing, kicking herself over the dirt. At this rate, I might wake up one day and find I'd genuinely become the strongest in the world.

The next day, I headed straight for the Tower with Ellaon. Portals leading to the Tower were scattered all over the place, so I was able to enter not long after leaving my house.

Flash!

My vision warped, and I arrived on the Lobby Floor. The first thing to catch my eye was the seething sea of people. I pushed through the crowd and made for one of the active portals scattered across the floor—those were the gates leading up to the 1st Floor.

'So the day has come when I stand before one of these.'

Watching the portal ripple with blue light stirred up strange, fresh emotions in me. As I stood for a moment gazing at it absently, I felt eyes on my back.

Ah! So this is what it feels like—the taste of living as an Ascender. Whoever was staring at my back right now was probably a non-Ascender, gazing at me—an Ascender—with eyes full of envy.

"If you're going in, go. Otherwise step aside."

"Oh—yes, yes. Go right ahead. Sorry about that."

A man with a toad-like face, the kind who'd get called "hyung-nim" anywhere he went, shot me one disdainful glare and stepped into the portal. He was an Ascender too.

- Tsk, tsk. What shameless behavior!

At Ellaon's words, I made an embarrassed face. Well, how was the guy supposed to know I was an Ascender heading for the 1st Floor? Normally, when someone exits the Tower from the 1st Floor, they re-enter the Tower at the 1st Floor as well—so unless they'd formally checked out through the Lobby, nobody climbs the Tower via the Lobby Floor.

In other words, that toad-faced guy had deliberately used the Lobby Floor when he exited the Tower last time. Why was he wandering back and forth through the Lobby confusing everyone!

- Climb already, will you!

'Yes, yes, Your Majesty.'

I gave Ellaon's nagging a half-hearted response and looked down at the golden ring on my left ring finger. Mm. The ring form really was convenient.

My newly acquired Mythic-grade magical artifact, the Sage's Tome, took the shape of a ring. Maybe it was because it was Mythic grade—remarkably, it could transform its form like this. If I'd had to carry the tome around by hand, it would have been a real hassle. Worn as a ring, it was far more comfortable. Especially considering the Tome's options…

- Climb, or don't, but do something!

I cut off my recollection of the Sage's Tome's options from yesterday and clicked my tongue softly. 'Unbelievable. What an impatient temper.' That blasted little elf brat. I'd wanted to savor a little longer the envious stares of the crowd aimed at a man who had successfully awakened as an Ascender.

"Here I go!"

And with that, I hurled myself straight into the portal.

Flash!

Blink—!

When my flickering vision steadied, a completely transformed landscape filled my eyes.

"Wow…"

With modern electronics dead here, I had only ever heard about the Sky Tower's 1st Floor in words. Now I was seeing it with my own eyes. Beneath a wide-open blue sky, a translucent aurora billowed and swayed. It was a scenery worthy of being called a wonder. Above all, the enormous tree—so vast it seemed to scrape the heavens—left the deepest impression. From its roots to its leaves, the entire tree gleamed a pure, snowfall white.

'So that's the God Tree.'

The God Tree. Or, as it was also called, the sacred Ability Tree.

- It has been a long time since I last beheld it.

Ellaon spoke with the tone of someone who had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠seen the God Tree before.

'You know what that thing is?'

At my question, Ellaon gave me an incredulous look—the expression of a mathematician being asked, "Do you happen to know what numbers are?"

- You ask the obvious. The origin of that tree is one of the roots of Yggdrasil, in Pangaea—my homeland.

'Yggdrasil, you say?'

- Indeed. It is the divine tree otherwise known as the World Tree.

'Hoo.'

It was a fascinating revelation. Though I was seeing the God Tree for the first time today myself, even I, a mere non-Ascender, had heard countless rumors about it.

Why? Because the tutorial was held at the God Tree.

Its official name was the Sacred Ritual. But since participants received their first skill from the God Tree and then used that skill to battle monsters in a virtual space, the process had come to be known as the Tower's tutorial. Some people literally worshipped the God Tree as a divine presence, revering it like a god—and its origin was Pangaea of all places.

Anyway.

'I'm supposed to receive the highest possible grade reward in the tutorial, right?'

- Yes.

I swallowed dryly at Ellaon's confirmation.

Depending on the outcome of the Sacred Ritual—or, more precisely, on how one fought the monsters in the virtual ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠dungeon—a grade was assigned and an initial reward granted. Ellaon had commanded me to receive the highest grade possible. That way, he said, the plan to raise me could be designed far more easily.

"Hoo…"

I fixed a tense gaze on the God Tree.

'Honestly, I'm not brimming with confidence.'

I hadn't gone through the early-Ascender training everyone else did. How was I supposed to earn the highest grade?

And yet, I did have a few things I trusted in. What, you ask?

'First, my perk skill.'

Sage's Aura. A skill that currently multiplied all magic attack power by more than ten. The skill that made me realize, all over again, why the trait I'd received was rated 10-Star. At first I hadn't truly grasped its power, but after hearing Ellaon's explanation, I understood why Aleon—the previous holder of the Sage trait—had been called the strongest and most fearsome being in Pangaea.

And the second was this:

'The Sage's Tome.'

A Mythic-grade artifact, no less. Recalling the information I'd checked yesterday, I felt my sunken confidence surge back up like a spring.

Let's take one more look before the tutorial begins, shall we?

'Sage's Tome, confirm.'

With my murmur, the information of the Mythic artifact—the Sage's Tome—unfolded before my eyes.