Chapter 78
Chapter 78
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: Door of Awakening
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"Good. Then I'll briefly go over the precautions."
Smiling with satisfaction at Jeon, who nodded, Luke rose from his seat and approached the Door of Awakening.
"As I mentioned earlier, the moment you step through this door, it will meticulously analyze you and create a virtual world tailored to what you need most right now."
"So, something like a virtual dungeon...?"
"Hmm... It might be easier to think of it as a real world rather than a dungeon. By any chance, do you have an idea where the data accumulated in this door comes from?"
"It's not just arbitrarily inputted... It learns or accumulates data separately?"
"Exactly. This door presents mages facing a wall with situations and environments that will help them overcome it. Inputting shoddy data wouldn't produce proper results."
Just as Luke said.
For a mage stuck at a wall to break through it, there were countless possibilities.
What came as enlightenment to one might not to another. Some realized through grand, powerful experiences, others through small, trivial ones.
"That's why this door contains data from the experiences of countless mages who achieved enlightenment—namely, the experiences of past Tower Masters, including myself."
The experiences of past Tower Masters fully preserved.
It was essentially the history of the White Tower itself.
Moreover, these Tower Masters were among the top mages of their eras.
The value of the history and experience contained here was beyond words.
"Is it really okay for me to use something like that?"
Jeon's achievements in this mission had been outstanding, it was true.
But using it once required a full year cooldown, and it contained the essence of past Tower Masters' experiences.
It was no mere artifact—practically the history and treasure of the Tower itself.
"Of course it's fine. In fact, there's no one more suitable than you. You're already on the cusp of 4th Circle at such a young age. I didn't make this offer lightly."
Gazing at Jeon, Luke continued with a gentle smile, as if to say there was no need to feel burdened.
"And this Door of Awakening doesn't just provide experiences to overcome walls. Depending on what you do inside, you might gain far more than just breaking through. So don't worry about using it—just achieve as much as you can inside and come out."
Jeon nodded at Luke, who spoke like a kindly grandfather comforting his grandson.
Just as Luke said.
Luke had suggested it in the first place.
So rather than feeling burdened about using it, it made sense to maximize the gains since he was doing it anyway.
"Good, that's the resolute look I wanted. Now, come forward."
Reading the determination in Jeon's eyes, Luke guided him to the front of the Door of Awakening.
"Everything you see and feel from the moment you enter is virtual. As a result, the artifacts you currently possess won't manifest inside."
"Understood."
The artifacts wouldn't manifest.
That was a penalty for Jeon.
Silver, which he always carried, was an artifact, as was Lunareik, now firmly established as his reliable weapon.
'No, this might actually be good.'
But rather than despair, Jeon decided to think positively.
He had been relying too much lately on powerful artifacts he'd acquired, focusing solely on utilizing them.
This could be a chance to gauge his true capabilities.
"And since it's virtual, dying inside won't harm your life, but pain is inevitable, so don't push yourself to die needlessly. It ends when you die inside or when the door deems you've gained sufficient experience."
With that, Luke finished all the precautions.
Finishing his words, Luke gestured lightly for Jeon to enter the door now.
Jeon nodded in response and turned his gaze to the Door of Awakening, stepping forward.
"Good luck, then."
And with Luke's voice from behind as the last thing he heard...
The new world began in utter darkness.
Having just entered through the door, his senses hadn't fully returned, leaving a dazed sensation in a world filled only with darkness.
"Hey, Jeon! Snap out of it!"
A voice in his ear and hands shaking his body jolted the world awake.
"Uh, umm?"
Startled by the rough shaking, Jeon quickly scanned his surroundings.
The first thing that caught his eye was an unfamiliar ceiling.
Next, he saw a space with several chairs.
As a result, Jeon realized he had been slumped against one of those chairs, head tilted back, asleep as if passed out.
"How can you sleep here?"
"Ah, uh... The wait was so long, I nodded off without realizing."
"Ugh! Get it together!"
Chided by his comrade, Jeon scratched his head sheepishly and straightened up in his chair.
A sudden thought crossed his mind.
'But... why does this feel so natural?'
Everything had been abrupt.
Yet the space he faced and the comrade who woke him felt utterly natural—no awkwardness at all, and even Jeon himself didn't find the situation strange.
'Ah.'
The question didn't linger long before information about the current situation naturally surfaced in his mind.
It was like forgotten memories bubbling up fresh and vivid.
The Door of Awakening must have injected the basic info when creating this virtual scenario.
'This is... Baek-eun.'
Based on the emerging info, this was Baek-eun's meeting room.
But not the Baek-eun Jeon knew.
'Before the White Tower was founded.'
Before the White Tower took root, it was a gathering of Silvermont mages and allied mages.
The precursor to the White Tower, so to speak.
Which meant this era was far in the past, before the White Tower's founding.
'Am I... a fabricated character?'
Since this was someone's memory, the character "Jeon" originally shouldn't exist.
But the Door of Awakening's true value lay beyond mere reproduction—it could reconstruct, inserting a custom Jeon into the memory's world.
'One of Baek-eun's mages, apparently.'
Naturally, info about his role here also surfaced.
A mage of Baek-eun.
Appearance: his original look, but taller and bulkier, in his 20s.
"Is everyone here?"
As Jeon grasped the situation, the meeting room door opened, and a man entered.
All eyes turned to him, instantly calming the rowdy room.
Jeon also looked toward the newcomer.
'Vincent.'
Appearing in his 40s, neatly dressed with sharp features, he exuded the natural charisma of a leader.
Indeed, he was one of Baek-eun's two leaders.
'The first Tower Master.'
The man who would later become the inaugural Tower Master, from the looks of the memory's owner.
Following Vincent entered a woman.
With a haughty air, long white hair, and fox ears perked atop her head.
'She's the Silvermont representative. Name's... Lellia.'
Vincent and Lellia.
The two leaders of Baek-eun at this point.
With that, Jeon realized all the initial info had surfaced.
'From here on, I have to experience it firsthand...'
It provided just enough to understand the current setup.
Makes sense—spilling everything from A to Z, including future events, would hinder enlightenment rather than help. This was the perfect amount.
"Everyone knows there's an important announcement today."
As Jeon finished sorting his thoughts, Vincent, standing in the center, clapped to draw all eyes to him.
"We've received intel on the item the Ruin Church is targeting."
Murmurs erupted, the calm room turning noisy in an instant.
"So the rumors were true?"
"This... is going to be big, huh?"
"Finally, a real showdown?"
But the voices held not fear or worry—rather, anticipation.
'This is when hostility toward the Ruin Church pierced the heavens.'
After establishing as the White Tower.
Except for the original Baek-eun, the White Tower rarely confronted the Ruin Church head-on.
Too many matters demanding the Tower's attention as it grew.
Now, Baek-eun inside the Tower and Silvermont mages outside operated separately.
But here, no such constraints—everyone was all-in against the Ruin Church.
"According to intel, the item came from a recent ruin the Ruin Church raided themselves. They seem to value it highly."
An artifact the Ruin Church prized.
Stealing it would deal them meaningful damage.
"We'll throw everything we've got at them."
Vincent clenched his fist.
Everyone in the room followed suit, including Jeon—though for slightly different reasons.
'This... could be an unexpected bonus.'
This being virtual, damaging the Ruin Church here meant little to Jeon directly.
But it offered insight into the Ruin Church of this era.
Plus, info on their prized artifact could help gauge the real Ruin Church's strength.
'Is that why the Door chose this moment?'
Whether the Door factored all that in, it was nothing but beneficial for Jeon.
"So, when do we hit them?"
Jeon raised his hand with the question.
Lellia stepped forward beside Vincent.
"In two days. We've confirmed they'll pass through the nearby gorge with the relic. We'll ambush them there."
Short prep for full-force battle, but it meant intel was hard-won and time tight.
"I know everyone feels the time crunch. But remember, all our preparations have been for this direct clash."
Lellia scanned the room, soothing anxieties while igniting resolve.
"Remember why we left Langley and Silvermont, and why those who joined us fight the Ruin Church."
Vincent backed her up.
"And this isn't like before, just scraps or recruits. An Apostle—one of their top brass—is escorting this relic."
Previous fights were against underlings.
This was core forces.
'An Apostle.'
Jeon knew of the Ruin Church's Apostles.
Info from Silvermont's will included them.
'Their executives, monsters fitting the term perfectly.'
Beings of freakish power.
Stronger than Kairon, the toughest Jeon had faced.
'...Can't even imagine it.'
Stronger than Kairon.
Having experienced Kairon's might firsthand, it was unimaginable to Jeon.
Yet that only fueled his fighting spirit more.
'I wonder how much it'll take?'
Overall, Jeon was inferior to Kairon, but his spells had landed.
No artifacts here like back then, which made him even more curious.
How would his pure skills fare against the Ruin Church?
'Time to go all out.'
With that thought, Jeon felt battle fervor blaze in his chest anew.