Proof of Qualification (1)

Dark energy came pouring out of Snikle's body, and he began to swell far beyond his former size. His height, which had barely reached fifty centimeters, shot up to around eighty in an instant.

But that wasn't all. His once-adorable little wings transformed into razor-edged forms with sleek, lethal curves, and the tiny horn that had jutted from his forehead like a bump now grew into a pointed, finger-sized drill. The stubby, doll-like arms and legs stretched out, longer and more slender.

And the most striking change of all—his skin, already black, had turned a deeper shade of jet, black as the abyss itself.

"Hyaaa—"

The moment Snikle exhaled the breath he'd been holding, his evolution was complete.

Oh.

A Trait Blooming, on top of everything else! I immediately pulled up ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Snikle's information once more.

Insane.

The boost in combat power was so far beyond what I'd expected that I nearly swore out loud.

Five, five, five, ten, and five more to his stats? All at once?

Going purely by the numbers, that was the equivalent of jumping seven levels. I had never once heard of a familiar gaining this many stats from a single evolution—not from any summoner, anywhere.

And four new skills, too.

Two of them Hero-grade, plus one Advanced and one Rare. At this point, calling it an evolution almost undersold it—it was more like the creature had ascended an entire tier. Once again, I was reminded that Snikle came from no ordinary bloodline.

"Kyahaha! Master, I'm overflowing with power!!"

Unable to contain the strength surging through his body, Snikle flew up above my head and spun in circles through the air. His flight speed had grown far faster than before, too.

『Truly an unseemly display.』

Dryas, it seemed, did not much care for the sight.

"Huh? What was that, you shrub-keeper?"

『…Shrub-keeper, you say?』

"Sawdust stuffed in your ears? Do I need to say it twice?"

Snikle, it appeared, had gained quite a bit of confidence after evolving into a Shadow Imp. Only moments ago—when Dryas had first been summoned—he'd flinched and tiptoed around the forest spirit's every mood. Now he was tearing into him head-on.

『How dare you. Filthy spawn of the Abyss!』

"The only filthy thing here is your backside, you overgrown weed!"

Groooooowl!

Screeeech!

The two of them began venting their mana at each other, bristling with such menace that they looked ready to collide at any moment.

Whoa, hold on a second.

I'd assumed they were just posturing, but the atmosphere was turning genuinely ugly. Feeling things had escalated far enough, I stepped in between them.

"That's enough, both of you. What do you think you're doing in front of me?"

I furrowed my brows in feigned anger and lowered my voice.

"K-Kelik! Our apologies, Master."

『We have shown discourtesy before you, my lord. Forgive us.』

Phew. I'd been a little worried they might not listen, but thankfully both submitted at once. Well, of course they did—beings bound to me as master and servant through blood pacts had no business ignoring my word.

"Both of you, return for now."

"Your command is received."

『I shall await your next summons.』

Even as the reverse summoning pulled them away, the two glared daggers at each other until the very last instant—and then vanished.

Seriously, when did those two start getting along this badly?

Oh. So that's why?

Great. Guess I'll have to set up a formal arena someday and let them sort out the pecking order for good.

Though I'll admit, I am curious who'd win if they actually fought.

Under normal circumstances, Dryas would have won in a landslide—but the stats and skill set of the newly evolved Shadow Imp Snikle looked anything but ordinary.

Going by raw stats alone, Snikle could probably overpower him now. But then, was Dryas ever just some common low-tier spirit to begin with? He was a supreme-grade spirit who had once coveted the very seat of the Spirit King. Given Dryas's combat experience and sheer skill, he might well overturn a gap in raw numbers.

Well. That's a problem for another day.

Hoo.

I let out a long breath and downed a mana potion. Summoning the two of them at the same time had drained my mana something fierce.

If only my Magic Power stat were even half of Snikle's…

With a stat like that, I might already be clearing the 4th and 5th Floors instead of the 3rd. It was a shame, but thanks to the Mana Circuit Enhancement Elixir I'd been brewing with the Sage's Alchemy these days, my mana growth rate had ticked upward, however slightly. If I kept taking it steadily, things were bound to improve from here on out.

Right, then.

Time to see what I could pick up this round, too. A 3-Star Mythic skill.

Let's go take the Proof of Qualification.

Meanwhile, James—who had been laying the groundwork for an assault on Tiamut's stronghold on the 3rd Floor—received word that Hajun had set foot on the floor.

"He's here already?"

"That's what they're saying. Is that kid even human? Kahaha. Incredible, isn't it?"

James shook his head in exasperation at Ivan's words.

"I knew he'd climb at a terrifying pace, but I never imagined this."

"At this rate, if we just sit around, that young man will pass us before long."

Privately, James suspected that might truly come to pass.

Just what trait did he manage to acquire?

At first, he'd assumed Unknown must have drawn something in the 9-Star range, like himself and the other Seven Ascenders.

But this… could be something beyond even that.

Ten Stars is no empty concept.

As the frontrunner even among the Seven Ascenders, James had long sensed, dimly but insistently, that the concept of 10 Stars did exist. And the thought had just flickered through his mind that perhaps Unknown was the one carrying that illustrious grade.

Call it a blessing, I suppose.

James smiled faintly as he pictured the monstrous figure lurking beneath Tiamut's dark canopy. The moment that being broke free into the world, he had believed, humanity's future would cease to exist.

And yet—perhaps the answer to a question that had seemed answerless was resting in Unknown's hands.

Only time will tell whether my instinct is right.

With that thought, James returned to his work.

Still… have they discovered something?

Tiamut's movements around the Dragon's Nest had been unusually active of late. Moving with even greater stealth, careful never to brush against their watchful nets, James trailed the enemy's footsteps alongside Ivan and Sophie.

This is…

And before long, he found it.

A dragon hatchling?

traces of a living whelp.

The Proof of Qualification on the 3rd Floor unfolded in a manner entirely unlike the 2nd Floor's trial.

The 3rd Floor's trial was, simply put, a team-versus-team showdown. On a battlefield of illusions conjured by the authority of the Sky Tower, five climbers formed a team, and the first team to destroy the Crystal at the opposing team's stronghold claimed victory. Which meant the deciding factor wasn't individual skill at all—what mattered most was synergy with your teammates.

The consensus was that even Unknown would be helpless here—and by ordinary logic, that was a perfectly reasonable deduction.

Everyone agreed this trial, of all of them, would be anything but easy—and then a new element appeared that made Unknown's prospects look even bleaker.

A big name from the Middle Eastern region.

Omar.

He was a self-made Ascender who had built a vast magic stone trade empire on the 5th Floor of the Sky Tower and grown into a titan of wealth. A man counted among the three richest people in the world.

And lately, the name everyone was whispering—Unknown—had become a thorn in his eye.

What's so lacking about him that he can't even show his face?

Omar had once suffered a disaster at the hands of an anonymous actor—badly enough to give him a complex about faceless climbers. And so, in his eyes, Unknown looked no better than the rest of them.

The Ascender Community had descended into total chaos—and at that very moment, Hajun had just arrived at the site of the 3rd Floor's Proof of Qualification.

"He's here!"

"It's the hahoetal mask!"

"We've been waiting for you, Unknown!"

"Heh heh. So you've finally come."

The test grounds were buzzing far more than usual. When so many Ascenders greeted him as though they'd been expecting him all along, Hajun tilted his head.

What's going on?

Completely unaware of the uproar on the Ascender Community, he found the whole situation baffling. But it didn't take long for him to grasp what all those watching eyes meant.

The moment Hajun stepped onto the 3rd Floor's proving grounds, his teammates—who had let out what could only be described as cheers of celebration—erupted.

"Niiiiice! We're on a team with Unknown!!"

"Kya! Let's all do our best, everyone."

"Let's charge right in, shall we?"

"We apologize, Unknown-nim. No hard feelings, alright?"

The instant the match began, they bolted.

Headlong toward the enemy tower in the forward camp—like moths hurling themselves into a flame.

"Ah."

Hajun let out a groan as he watched them go, because at that moment, he understood exactly what the people who'd been waiting for him at the 3rd Floor proving grounds had intended.

They were gunning for me.

Everything clicked into place. He didn't know the reason, but as of this moment, he wasn't fighting a 5-versus-5. He was fighting a 9-versus-1.

Well, isn't this a mess.

Hajun curled the corner of his mouth upward in sheer disbelief.

He was right.

Since the situation had already happened, there was no point getting worked up about it. Might as well stop frowning and enjoy the ride properly.

Honestly, this would've been rough if I were actually alone…

But I'm not alone.

Come on out.

My legions!

"Summon: Snikle. Dryas."

Boooooom!

Watching the black demonic energy and spirit power coil together out of thin air, my smile deepened.

I still didn't know why they'd targeted me—but nine against one?

Okay. Bring it on.

I'll carve up every last one of you!