Chapter 32 – A Familiar Presence from an Unfamiliar Answer Sheet
After Lawrence left, the exam resumed. The tower masters had agreed to give a retest to those among the remaining participants who had held out for at least ten minutes. In the meantime, what had the tower masters been up to? They decided to review the answer sheet Lawrence had submitted.
Lawrence would have to wait due to unavoidable circumstances, but that was still to his advantage. The point of this selection tournament was to identify exceptional talents anyway, so they had no choice but to ask for a little understanding.
'Wait, this... is what an eleven-year-old wrote?'
The Red Tower Master stared blankly at the answer sheet, peering into it over and over. What was this familiar scent? It felt just like... the answer sheets from his academy days as a teaching assistant. Neat structure, easy-to-read sentences. Phrases drawing on professional knowledge, perfect citations. It was like the handiwork of a veteran who'd rotted away in a back room for years. Sure, the towers overflowed with such talents—but still.
If not for the sudden message magic that flew in, she might have gazed at it endlessly. Hesitating, she handed the answer sheet to the Blue Tower Master.
Crinkle—.
For some reason, the Red Tower Master gripped it tightly, reluctant to let go. What was this about? The Blue Tower Master yanked it forcefully away.
And he, too, froze in shock upon seeing it.
"Hah—."
He even let out an involuntary exclamation. Naturally, the curiosity of the other tower masters exploded. They all watched with burning eyes, waiting for their turn. What the hell was it!?
'I see now why Media went to such lengths.' The Blue Tower Master stroked his chin as he passed it on. What had Loras submitted two years ago? No matter how smart someone was, you couldn't ignore the vibe born of experience. Listing knowledge and writing with the reader in mind were entirely different skills.
Loras, Loria, and the others had all demonstrated outstanding knowledge in the written exam. It meant they had excellent memorization. But Lawrence?
'Tempting. But...'
They'd already deemed him defective, and there was a secret deal with Media. Regrettably, he couldn't take Lawrence into his own tower.
Tsk. The Blue Tower Master clicked his tongue in pity.
'Hmm, let's see...'
The answer sheet made its rounds and finally reached the Iron Tower Master. A smile crept across his face at the content. Iron Hanma stroked his beard thoughtfully.
'A child with intellect and physique among the virtues of knowledge, virtue, and body...'
This was a talent he absolutely had to bring into his tower. From the looks on their faces, the other masters seemed to have some prior arrangement... His eyes gleamed. It had been ages since a promising youngster might join.
As they passed the sheet around in a daze, the proctor's voice rang out. The exams for those sweating bullets over their problems had ended.
"Everyone, stop. Put down your pens and submit your answer sheets."
"......"
The children wore gloomy expressions, mostly dissatisfied. Still, there had to be a few with sparkling eyes among them. It was the tower masters' job to spot and nurture those. But disappointment flickered in their gazes.
"We'll evaluate these later."
"Agreed. Young Lord Lawrence is waiting."
"Then, let's move."
Murmur—.
The Green Tower Master chanted at length. Specializing in movement and nature magic, she completed her extended incantation.
Mass Teleport (7th Circle)
With the overwhelming magic of that realm complete, a massive magic circle formed, teleporting everyone left in the exam hall.
"......Huh?"
It was only natural that Lawrence, who had been idly doodling while waiting endlessly, was surprised. And equally natural that the tower masters' gazes toward him had changed.
#2
So that's why they were late—they didn't want me taking the test alone.
Lawrence nodded inwardly as he looked around. He'd waited quite a while, but he hadn't been bored. Thanks to that, he'd managed to engrave a magic circle into an artifact. The waiting room was quiet, with no one but the proctors watching from outside.
It was also quite a sight to see the tower masters subtly bowing their heads to him.
"We apologize, Young Lord Lawrence."
"We've kept you waiting far too long. As atonement, we promise a modest gift after the exam."
"Then I'll gratefully accept."
Lawrence didn't refuse. Why turn down a gift when he hadn't done anything wrong?
The tower masters seemed to view his confident demeanor positively.
'A Montemer is a Montemer, after all.'
'No matter how hard we try not to see him through colored glasses, he's proving himself boldly.'
The children from other families glared at Lawrence with eyes full of envy, suspicion, jealousy, and spite. Everyone else had passed out, but this guy was getting gifts from the tower masters? A Montemer through and through.
'Damn, this is nothing like what Father said!'
Some kid from a family even thought that far.
As they stewed in anger, despair, and the emotions in between, the voice guiding them to the next test rang out.
"This exam is a virtual dungeon experience. A precious chance to try a relic unveiled only during the selection tournament."
"Ooh—."
"Sit here comfortably, close your eyes, and the relic will activate. Everything unfolding in your mind will appear in this crystal orb."
"......"
A heavy silence fell. It meant their blunders would be exposed in detail. Terrifying, but they'd have to endure.
A faint fear stirred. Regardless, the proctor continued.
"You'll face various battlefields ahead. This tests how quickly and cleverly you respond."
<Comprehensive ability judgment. Mages need eyes to grasp the flow of battle or survey wide areas.>
The assassin uncle was helpful as always. Lawrence quietly recalled the old advice while listening intently.
In summary: random terrain and situations, no high-difficulty dungeons, many surprises—handle at your discretion.
'This should be fun.'
And one more thing—he'd gleaned plenty about this artifact.
This relic is an artifact created by the ancient guardian, 'Draksha'.
Originally made to share dreams and enable lucid dreaming, but...
Humans are using it this way. Not bad.
'So that's what it was. What kind of person was Draksha?'
She was a Red Dragon.
'Oh...'
So the Montemers were distant descendants of a dragon? Lawrence resolved another curiosity and took his seat. Time to enter the dungeon.
"Then, the test begins."
Entering Virtual Dungeon.
Mental counter will not activate according to user's will.
Vrrr—.
Vast mana flowed in, and Lawrence's consciousness faded in an instant. Like falling into a deep sleep.
#3
You have entered Red Dragon's Legacy: Dream Shaper.
All knowledge here is yours.
If recognized as the artifact's master, permanent Dragon Body buffs will apply.
Lawrence's eyes snapped open on the cold floor, his face lighting up in surprise at the visible text. Surely not even this was visible to others? Then the system spoke.
Worry not.
Text is a privilege granted only to you, the Artifactor.
Lawrence chuckled softly and nodded. Time to check the surroundings.
Now that he was actually in the dungeon, he couldn't hide his pounding excitement. Perhaps a pure sense of adventure still lingered in him.
'Since it's a kid's body, might as well enjoy it fully.'
His past life in this fantasy world, powerless. Even grown men stayed boys at heart. That purity and thirst for adventure remained. No better time to indulge it, so Lawrence dove in wholeheartedly.
Torchlight filled the area, but ahead lay pitch-black darkness. But darkness was no barrier for Lawrence.
Dragon Eye
The dragon's pupils pierce all things.
'Oh, crystal clear.'
Wonder what monsters lurked inside. Thanks to the dragon's eyes, he saw through the dark effortlessly. The layout resembled a typical monster den.
The trial begins.
Kirrrk—.
Monster cries echoed from afar. From Lawrence's vast knowledge repository—researched monsters, magic, and miscellany—data auto-surfaced.
'Kobolds. Undead ones, too.'
Glowing murky green eyes marked the undead. He checked his equipped artifacts.
'Armed to 3rd Circle, but only two attack spells.'
The change was Magic Boost. A sweet artifact boosting power and capacity by 20% each. No black magic or assassin arts this time. The goal was entering the Iron Tower, not flaunting power.
Did they still call it push-pull? Time for psychological push-pull with the tower masters.
'Let's go.'
Warrior's Movement
Mana Boost
His movements sharper and nimbler than before. He stealthily approached the sounds and unleashed magic.
Fireball
Remaining Capacity: 6/7
Fwoosh—!
A massive fireball lit up the dungeon depths. Undead kobolds reacted to the sudden light. Over thirty of them.
"This a low-rank dungeon?"
Be honest, artifact. You did this on purpose, right?
No answer came, so Lawrence just started massacring the visible kobolds.
Boom—!
The huge fireball exploded. A 3rd Circle spell boosted 20% beyond normal. Output that would cost extra mana for any regular mage.
"Kieeeek—!"
Squid-burning stench filled the air as kobolds in the area were obliterated.
Powerful as it was, it couldn't wipe them all. Some charged through the crimson flames toward Lawrence.
He grabbed a fallen kobold weapon in a pinch.
Smack—!
No meaty body? This would do.
"Kiek!"
"Man, feels good."
Lawrence grinned creepily as a kobold head burst satisfyingly—a smile that startled the watching tower masters.