Chapter 137
Chapter 137
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 137
Chapter Title: The Tower of Trials
-----------------------------------------------------------------
[Infinite Stairs]
The moment I saw the sign with its rather grandiose name, I couldn't help but chuckle.
I wasn't sure why, but it somehow reminded me of my descent from Spirit Mountain before my regression…
Generally, going down is easier than going up.
But could the trial of these stairs truly be harsher than Spirit Mountain?
‘…’
A sudden thought made me pause.
Confidence and arrogance are separated by a fine line.
Just like with Spirit Mountain, the trial of these stairs was an unknown.
No matter how grueling my training on Spirit Mountain was, it gave me no grounds to look down on this current challenge.
But…
‘I want to test myself.’
Without internal energy, without Blessings.
I wanted to face this ‘infinity’ with my physical body alone.
After a moment's thought, I decided to do just that.
* * *
As I sprinted up the steps, a thought crossed my mind.
No matter if Alderson was a Seven-Colored Mage, he couldn't have actually made the number of stairs infinite.
So why name them the ‘Infinite Stairs’?
Was it simply to intimidate those who climb?
Or were they so long as to be comparable to infinity?
‘Probably both.’
I chuckled and came to a conclusion.
Alderson was a mage, after all.
The riddle of the seven colors I'd just faced was proof enough. That old man didn't have a pleasant personality.
The design of the stairs was malicious too.
A spiral design that made it impossible to tell how far I'd come or how much was left…
If you had to keep going without knowing the start or the end, calling them ‘infinite’ wasn't complete nonsense.
‘This part is similar to Spirit Mountain.’
I felt something similar when descending Spirit Mountain.
The surrounding fog had obscured everything above and below.
At least back then, the FAD my fourth martial brother gave me let me track my progress…
Setting aside the difficulty, weren't these stairs even more wicked?
‘I like it.’
But right now, even that unknown aspect was appealing to me.
I had spent 100 days on Spirit Mountain.
During that time, I had completely eliminated the disconnect between my mind and body, and my stamina had increased beyond recognition, all thanks to the improved Flame Arts of the Greatest.
And yet, since my regression, I had never really pushed myself to the limit.
My fight with Juan was rather one-sided…
The Demon King was not yet an opponent I could challenge.
And among the Young Lords, there was no one I could call a rival.
In that sense, these stairs were a good test.
“…This is great.”
I muttered to myself without realizing it.
After running for about an hour and a half, I could feel my body starting to heat up.
My breathing, however, remained calm.
‘Should I pick up the pace a little?’
Or should I wait and see?
I still had no sense of the stairs' total length, so I had to be cautious…
But running while holding back didn't really suit me.
I realized it for the first time.
Running lightly, as if on a stroll, was surprisingly frustrating.
‘Just a little… full power—’
Just as I thought that and put strength into my leading foot, I came to an abrupt halt.
The stairs had ended rather suddenly, and a wall appeared before me.
“What the…”
I almost slammed my forehead into it.
And as I hesitated, a mechanical voice reached my ears.
[Congratulations. You have passed the Floor of Rainbows.]
‘That's it?’
As if in answer, my surroundings were engulfed in light, and the scenery began to change.
The cold, cool-toned stairs and stone walls vanished, replaced by a setting that looked like a library with an old-fashioned atmosphere.
In any case, I felt a wave of anticlimax wash over me.
‘…So it really was over.’
If I'd known, I would've just run at full speed from the start.
Smacking my lips with pointless regret, I first looked around.
‘A library…’
For some reason, the tattoo on the nape of my neck seemed to tingle.
Of course, the atmosphere here was completely different from the gloomy underground library at the main estate.
Above all, it was bright.
There were no windows, but a warm light poured down from a chandelier in the center of the ceiling, which seemed to be the reason.
[Welcome to the Floor of Knowledge!]
[※Second Rule※]
[Answer three questions incorrectly, and you will receive a penalty.]
More questions here…
Maybe the way these mages think is surprisingly simple.
Anyway, there was a penalty here too, but they probably wouldn't cut out my tongue or gouge out my eyes for failing.
Though they might play a nasty prank or two.
‘What a coincidence.’
It might be a coincidence, but it felt like I was facing a series of watered-down versions of trials I'd already overcome.
It was like I'd unintentionally studied in advance.
I didn't feel particularly guilty, but it felt a bit like cheating.
‘Anyway, what kind of questions am I supposed to solve…’
As I stood blankly in the middle of the library, a book flew from somewhere and stopped in front of me.
*Flip, flip—*
Then, the book's pages flipped on their own, and a voice spoke.
[First question.]
“Aha.”
So this is how it works.
Soon, the book's page settled, and I looked at the question.
* * *
Staring at the screen so hard his eyes might pop out, Alderson spoke in a trembling voice.
“What is the name of that… that Young Lord?”
“Well, he should be…”
Molland replied, scanning the profiles submitted by the two families.
“Blond hair and purple eyes… He must be Ruan Bednicker.”
“Ruan Bednicker? You mean the Iron-Blooded Duke's youngest child?”
“Y-Yes, sir.”
“That can't be. I heard he was a failure who didn't receive a single Blessing…”
Molland fell silent.
He had heard similar rumors.
The youngest child of the Bednickers.
A bloodline so hopeless that even the Iron-Blooded Duke, who valued kinship above all, had cast him out.
If nothing else, the rumor that he was the madman who sold his family's treasured sword was not one easily forgotten.
‘They say that once the merchants who bought it for a pittance realized it was the Bednicker's treasured sword, they ran all the way to the Bednicker estate…’
Some claimed it was a trap set by the Iron-Blooded Duke for the merchants, but no one knew the truth.
Alderson watched the screen with a complicated expression.
“Hmm… It seems he focused on physical training since he couldn't receive Blessings. Looking again, that's quite an impressive physique.”
Having calmed down a bit, Alderson moistened his lips with tea, then leaned back in his chair and said,
“An impressive physique, yes… but if he recklessly relies on his body alone, he's in for a rude awakening. The [Tower of Training] demands versatility from its challengers above all else…”
Nodding, Alderson then flashed a wicked smile.
“In fact, seeing that Young Lord's arrogant face, puffed up from clearing the stairs so easily, twist in despair… Kehehehe!”
“Um… Headmaster?”
“What is it now?”
“Ruan Bednicker has cleared the second floor…?”
* * *
[Congratulations. You have passed the Floor of Knowledge.]
The mechanical voice spoke once more.
It probably took less than thirty minutes.
I had cleared it much faster than the first floor, but to be honest, it felt like I'd used a shortcut this time, which left me with a strange feeling.
‘At this point, aren't you a God of Literature, not a Martial God?’
When I said that in a slightly weary tone, the Martial God chuckled and replied.
[It is simply good fortune. The past that the people of today have recorded as history is, for me, engraved as memories and connections.]
‘…It's not just limited to the past; you seem to have an incredibly broad range of knowledge overall, don't you?’
[Is that so? I am not sure.]
Once again, I received the Martial God's help.
Even a history professor at the academy would probably be inadequate to discuss history with the Martial God.
The Martial God's breadth of knowledge was that deep and vast.
For instance, one of the questions I solved…
[Generally, the level of mastery in magic is determined by the number of colors one can handle. What, then, is the most recommended order for mastering the colors in modern magic?]
It was written in a language I understood, but I had no idea what this nonsense meant.
Unlike the one from Lise, the questions on the [Floor of Knowledge] were open-ended… and most were in fields outside my interest.
I was just now learning for the first time that mastery in magic was divided by the colors one could handle.
Naturally, I had no idea what the answer was and hesitated, but the Martial God spoke in a calm voice.
[One should choose between red and purple, whichever suits their disposition. After that, they proceed sequentially backward. Once all seven colors are mastered, one either chooses a single color to focus on intensively or moves on to the stage of color mixing.]
It seemed the Martial God was knowledgeable not only in martial arts but also in past history, myths, heroic figures, and even magic.
As a result, I was able to clear the [Floor of Knowledge] without much trouble…
[Welcome to the Floor of Training!]
[※Third Rule※]
[Blessings are forbidden on this floor.]
[Violators will be penalized.]
With the mechanical voice, the surrounding scenery changed again.
This time, I was greeted by a gray room, and similar to the starting point, there were three doors on the wall.
And, as expected, our familiar sign was stuck in the middle.
At a glance, it seemed to have the longest text of any sign I'd seen so far.
I slowly read its contents.
[You, who possess bottomless stamina and vast knowledge! We sincerely congratulate you on reaching the 3rd floor!]
[On the 4th floor, a great reward prepared by the Great Mage—Alderson of the Purple—awaits!]
[Of course, not just anyone can set foot in such a precious place, right? To enter the 4th floor, you must now pass three tests!]
[Test your ‘Strength,’ ‘Speed,’ and ‘Agility’! If your total score exceeds 150 points, you may proceed to the next floor!]
Strength, Speed, and Agility.
I looked at the red, blue, and green doors.
[Room of Strength.]
[Room of Speed.]
[Room of Agility.]
“Hmm…”
Are they measuring physical abilities this time?
My interest was piqued.
I instinctively moved to enter the [Room of Strength] first, but then changed my mind and decided to go to the [Room of Agility].
That's because agility—or reaction speed—is most heavily influenced by one's physical and mental state.
Strength and speed, on the other hand, are less affected by physical condition than agility is.
*Click—*
I opened the door and entered the [Room of Agility].
It was a spacious room.
It was the first time I'd seen such a wide space since entering the tower, and I felt a little bewildered.
In the middle of the empty space, a single sign was planted.
[Welcome to the Room of Agility!]
[The trial in this room consists of four stages.]
[Use any means necessary to dodge the projectiles.]
“Projectiles?”
The moment I questioned it, a voice spoke.
[Beginning Stage 1.]
*Clank!*
At that moment, a dark hole appeared on the wall in front of me.
It was large enough for my head to fit through.
As I watched it quietly.
*Thud-thud-thud!*
With a dull thudding sound, balls shot out from the hole.
“!”
They were quite fast.
I immediately twisted my upper body to dodge the incoming balls.
*CRASH!*
The balls slammed into the wall with a loud noise. Getting hit by one would be more than just an ‘ouch’.
[Beginning Stage 2.]
This time, holes opened on both sides, and bundles of arrows flew out.
They were, of course, much faster and more threatening than the balls, but perhaps because I was on guard this time,
I dodged them more easily than in Stage 1.
‘If Stage 2 is from two directions, then Stage 3 must be…’
[From Stage 3 onward, there is a risk of injury, and you may lose your life.]
[Do you wish to proceed?]
Even in the first two stages, a wrong move could have been fatal. The remaining two stages must be far more dangerous.
Of course, I had no intention of backing down.
I gave a short reply to the empty air.
“Go.”
[Beginning Stage 3.]
*Clank!*
As expected, with a loud noise, holes opened up in all directions—front, back, left, and right.
What comes after balls and arrows?
I heightened my senses to react instantly and waited, but an unexpected projectile flew at me.
*SWOOOOSH—!*
It was a disc.
A disc as large as a manhole cover.
Worse, this disc had deadly blades attached… Getting hit by that wouldn't just be an injury; I'd be sliced in half and die.
The disc was incomparably faster than the balls or arrows, and it didn't fly erratically.
The discs flying from all sides moved along paths that seemed to predict my escape routes.
Dodging all of them would be difficult.
Blocking them was possible, but something bothered me.
- Use any means necessary to dodge the projectiles.
The voice had said to dodge the projectiles.
That meant blocking might be the wrong response.
There was no more time to think.
The moment I saw a disc rushing right in front of me, I drew the Seven Sins Sword from my hip.
And with the tip of my sword, I tapped the nearest disc.
*Screech.*
The disc's trajectory shifted as it collided with the sword.
The disc, now spinning left, collided with the one next to it, setting off a chain reaction of collisions.
*CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!*
In the end, the discs that had been about to overwhelm me crashed into each other, ricocheted in all directions, and embedded themselves in the walls.
‘Is this considered safe?’
I didn't block them by striking them down, after all.
I waited for the voice, slightly tense…
[Beginning Stage 4.]
“Phew…”
That was basically the signal that I'd passed.
No, this wasn't the time to relax.
For Stage 4, what would fly from where?
*RUUUUMBLE…!*
Just then, a loud noise came from above.
As dust and debris pattered down, I looked up to see the extraordinary sight of the ceiling flipping over.
The inverted surface was densely packed with hundreds, thousands of holes.
The random thought that it looked like a beehive crossed my mind, and in that instant, I thought I saw the cold glint of metal inside the holes.
The moment I thought, ‘No way…’
“!”
Immediately after, all sorts of weapons—swords, blades, daggers, spears, axes… a variety of arms many times greater than all the weapons I knew—poured down like a torrential rain.
*CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG!*
“!”
How the hell am I supposed to dodge this?
To avoid injury, I'd have to swing the Seven Sins Sword and react immediately, but I had a feeling that the moment I did, I would fail Stage 4.
Of course, there was no way to completely evade that storm of weapons.
It wasn't a matter of physical ability, but of spatial density.
Meaning, I had to use a trick like in Stage 3, but this time, forcing the projectiles' paths to change was impossible.
Then what should I do—
“!”
At that moment, my eyes fell on the discs embedded in the wall.
Looking closely, they also looked like shields, not just discs.
And the projectiles falling from the sky just happened to be weapons.
*Thump!*
My body moved faster than my thoughts.
I immediately ran to where a shield was, then slid underneath it.
Then I held up the shield as if pushing it away with my hands.
*RAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!*
It was like a downpour of steel.
The sound of it hammering against the shield viciously struck my ears.
Only after the impacts, strong enough to make my wrists ache, had ended… did my surroundings finally fall silent.
[Congratulations! You have cleared all the trials prepared in the Room of Agility!]
[…Calculating score….]
[Please wait a moment.]
Sighing, I crawled out from under the tattered disc.
Meanwhile, the weapon fragments scattered everywhere soon turned into particles of light and vanished.
Now I understood.
Neither the bladed discs nor the storm of weapons from the sky were as dangerous as real weapons.
They were probably made of magic, and getting hit wouldn't have killed me. Though it might have hurt like hell.
And somewhere, someone was watching, waiting to see me scream as if I'd been hit by a real weapon.
‘Such a terrible hobby.’
As I sighed, a small screen appeared before me.
Before I could be surprised, I saw the text floating on the translucent screen.
[Room of Agility All-Time Rankings.]
All-time rankings… Does that mean the records of those who've cleared it?
As I moved my finger, a long list of names scrolled by.
Of course, I was interested in the top ranks.
I scrolled the list all the way to the top and soon found a familiar name.
[1st. Delac Bednicker. 94 points.]
[2nd. Leone. 87 points.]
[3rd. Hyde Woodjack. 85 points.]
[4th. Kaela Goldan. 84 points.]
[5th. Glenn Scarlett. 81 points.]
“…”
Come to think of it, the Iron-Blooded Duke was also a graduate of Cartel Academy.
Though he did finish the entire curriculum and graduate in just one year.
I was a little dazed.
I never thought I'd get a chance to be directly compared to the Iron-Blooded Duke in a place like this.
[Score calculation complete.]
So, what's my level right now?