6th Floor Ascension Tower Exam (3)
Flash.
A lump of mana emitting a brilliant light rose from Kim Jehyun's hand. Everyone watched with bated breath, wondering what he would show them.
But soon, the onlookers' faces turned to bewilderment.
It wasn't for any other reason.
"It's... shrinking?"
The glowing mana orb that had appeared in Jehyun's hand was gradually contracting.
'A mistake?'
'He must be nervous.'
Some thought Jehyun had slipped up from the tension.
'We won!'
The Jin brothers were convinced their victory was sealed.
As emotions swirled, the mana sphere Jehyun had summoned completely shrank away.
And then.
Something the size of a thumb appeared.
"Is that... a baby?"
Someone murmured.
What had appeared in Jehyun's palm was a newborn infant.
'A baby...? What does he plan to do with that?'
'He should be manifesting a phoenix or something and putting on a show, not just a baby.'
Up to this point, everyone thought Jehyun had made a poor choice watching the infant he had shaped.
Wriggle.
The baby on Jehyun's hand wriggled.
Then it began crawling across his palm.
The crawling baby soon started walking, its body growing bit by bit.
The process was as natural as flowing water.
One by one, people closed their mouths and focused on the scene Jehyun was presenting.
The baby quickly grew into a child's size, and around the child, mana orbs shaped like magic books began appearing one after another.
"Oh..."
They could even make out runes on the covers—the craftsmanship was so intricate that everyone's faces lit with shock.
Handling mana with this level of detail?
Many gasped in admiration at Jehyun's mana manifestation prowess.
Meanwhile, the child on Jehyun's hand continued to grow.
The kid, stacking books like a tower beside itself while reading, suddenly gestured in the air and summoned a fireball atop his hand.
Whoosh!
That was the beginning.
The fireball blooming from the child's hand emitted a golden glow. The child's skin, which had been a uniform blue without color, took on human flesh tones, and the clothes it wore revealed various hues, becoming utterly lifelike.
"F-Fucking insane..."
A cry of astonishment escaped someone who had witnessed the process.
Not only was the shaping exquisitely detailed—impossibly so—but to apply not just one color, but multiple simultaneously?
No one had ever shown anything like this before.
It was a spine-chilling spectacle.
The child had now grown into an adult. A long staff extended from its hand, and the hem of its robe fluttered in the air. It was unmistakably the image of a seasoned mage.
Before the grown child, another form took shape.
Five horns and three pairs of wings. In one hand, a trident, and a long tail—a bipedal creature. Its entire body was dyed a dark crimson, an appearance anyone would peg as a demon.
Flash!
The two beings emitted light and clashed.
Flames and lightning poured from the mage-child's hand, while clumps of dark demonic energy surged from the demon's.
Everyone's jaws dropped at the realistic melee.
No one had anticipated such a fantastical scene.
The Jin brothers looked like their eyes might pop out, frozen like statues.
Flash!
A whirlwind of golden halo swirled above Jehyun's palm.
Finally, it signaled the mage's victory over the demon.
The mage then manifested even more diverse spells around itself in a dazzling display before its body gradually floated into the air.
Rising far above Jehyun's head, the mage became enveloped in a cluster of rainbow lights, then—
Poof!
It scattered prismatic particles in all directions and vanished.
The iridescent particles drifting down from the air settled over Jehyun's head.
"...!"
It was a dreamlike sight.
Some shuddered as goosebumps rose across their entire bodies.
"Whoa..."
A low exclamation slipped from someone's lips.
That sparked it.
Rooooar!
Thunderous cheers and applause erupted.
Legendary.
There was no other word for it.
"Th-That was an incredible performance. A feast for the eyes. Kim Jehyun's stage today will go down in Magic Tower history."
Even the proctor showered it with praise.
As a 7th Circle mage, she knew better than anyone how astonishing Jehyun's mana manifestation was.
That's why the praise flowed unbidden.
The judges felt the same.
They couldn't snap out of the scene Jehyun had shown.
In all their years judging, they'd never witnessed anything so stunning.
Was this what the judges from the Tower Master's exam felt? Now they understood why those judges always reminisced about it.
They, too, would be talking about today's spectacle for generations.
"Ah! The judges are revealing their scores. 10, 10, 10, 10... The last judge gives 10 too! Total 50 points. Perfect average of 10. A perfect score! He's set a legendary record in the 6th floor Ascension Tower exam! Congratulations, Kim Jehyun!"
'Success.'
Jehyun smiled satisfactorily at the scores floating up from the judges.
In stark contrast to Jin Gihwan, who had poured out everything and was gasping for breath, Jehyun's breathing remained utterly steady.
This was nothing to him.
And moreover.
Jehyun still had plenty in reserve.
If he'd gone all out, he could have filled his palm with something even more spectacular and lavish.
"N-No way..."
Amid the universal cheers, only the Jin brothers gaped in disbelief.
Jin Gihwan's eyes trembled violently, like an earthquake raging within.
The victory cup that had been within reach had flown far away.
He'd imagined strutting around, claiming victory by surpassing Kim Jehyun and nearing the Tower Master's record.
That fantasy had shattered in an instant.
'How do you beat something like that?'
Even so, he couldn't muster the nerve to challenge Jehyun again.
The overwhelming gap was so apparent—even to him—that not even jealousy stirred.
He could only stare vacantly, wondering if this was a dream or reality.
Jehyun, basking in everyone's gazes, looked at the alert window before his eyes.
You have broken the record for the 6th Floor Ascension Tower Exam.
As a reward, you have received 'Ellun's Treasure Chest+7'.
You have successfully completed the sudden quest.
You have acquired 200,000 points.
The Dragon God's Shop has been unlocked.
'Ellun's Treasure Chest and the Dragon God's Shop!'
Jehyun's eyes sparkled at the two rewards he'd earned this time.
* * *
The Magic Tower's internal community was ablaze with talk of Jehyun.
He'd shown tremendous power beyond his circles so far, but that was something anyone could achieve with higher attainment.
But this was a realm beyond mere attainment.
The community burned with Jehyun discussions for a good while.
Thanks to that, news of Jehyun spread faster than ever within the Tower.
Even Ryu Seokhui, the Tower Master's third disciple, heard about him.
"What? Kim Jehyun reached 6th Circle?"
Ryu Seokhui's eyes flickered upon hearing the news.
'Already 6th Circle...? Is that even possible?'
It was an absurd speed.
Jehyun wasn't even twenty yet.
And he'd already climbed to 6th Circle.
Miraculously fast growth.
He'd accomplished in one year what took others decades.
'This guy's... a real monster.'
She completely revised her assessment of him.
This surpassed even the Tower Master's talent.
She'd thought no monster like her master would appear again.
Yet here was something even greater.
'And that mana control...'
The finale of Jehyun's 6th floor exam was beyond even her imitation.
A chill ran down her spine.
Jehyun was a monster she couldn't handle.
For a fleeting moment, she wondered if he'd already surpassed even her, a 6th Circle.
"This means... I need to completely revise my plans?"
She drummed her fingers on her desk, deep in thought.
Originally, she'd planned to sabotage him from becoming the Tower Master's disciple.
But now, he was beyond even qualifying as a disciple.
"At least he doesn't seem interested in the Tower Master's seat."
She'd subtly gotten info on Jehyun through Song Jiseok.
Song Jiseok, hoping to avoid friction between her and Jehyun, had tipped her off that Jehyun had no interest in the Tower Master's position.
Her goal was solely the Tower Master's seat, so no interest from Jehyun meant no reason for conflict.
"If I play it right, I could use him to check my two senior brothers."
Her two seniors were monsters too.
But now an even bigger one had appeared.
Monsters had to handle monsters.
She licked her lips and murmured.
* * *
'Ellun's Treasure Chest+7' is opening.
Flash.
A familiar magic stone appeared before Jehyun's eyes along with the alert.
Congratulations. You have acquired 'Dark's Magic Stone' from 'Ellun's Treasure Chest+7'.
"This is..."
Dark's Magic Stone, which he'd obtained not long ago from the Black Snake Clan and a superhuman's soul.
It had appeared again.
"Ah, why'd this come out?"
Jehyun grimaced and muttered.
He already had one, and another was basically a dud.
—Heh heh. Yes! That's more like it!
Your luck's been way too broken lately.
Alkasha chuckled beside him, watching Jehyun.
"Tch."
Jehyun clicked his tongue in disappointment, and Alkasha continued.
—However, that stone is still a legendary-grade material, is it not? Probability-wise, even this is an excellent draw.
"So what? One's useless."
Even refining with Dark's Magic Stone would only yield a 5th Circle magic tool.
He was already at stage 6, so he'd rather snag a stage 6 legendary one.
—Hmm. There is a way to merge the two stones into one...
"What! There's a method like that?"
—Indeed. Merging them would upgrade the grade itself, allowing use for a 6th Circle magic tool.
"Tell me sooner! So how do I do it?"
—Heh heh. Curious, are you?
Alkasha paused dramatically before continuing.
—It can be resolved... with the hands of the dwarves.
"Dwarves, huh."
Jehyun responded with a lukewarm expression to Alkasha's words.
He'd been searching for dwarves for a while now.
As per Alkasha's advice, on traces they left behind.
He'd commissioned an info guild long ago.
But no leads yet.
"Finding dwarves might take longer than reaching stage 7."
Jehyun muttered regretfully, thinking it'd be great if he could find them ASAP.
Dwarves were servants of dragons too.
Their hands would massively boost his growth.
"First, let's check the Dragon God's Shop."
With that, Jehyun examined the 'Dragon God's Shop' reward.
Vwooom.
A cascade of stars poured before Jehyun's eyes.
The air split, revealing the Dragon God's Shop.
Statues of various dragons were placed everywhere, visible through the space.
Anyone could tell at a glance it was a place for dragons.
'This is... the Dragon God's Shop.'
Jehyun's eyes gleamed.
In the center of the Dragon God's Shop stood five portal-like doors.
Four were sealed with chains, only the leftmost one open for access.
Jehyun promptly opened it.
Click.
With the lock releasing, a list of purchasable items from the first door scrolled out.
"...!"
Jehyun's eyes went wide at the sales list.