The Final Paragraph

As the achievement unlocked and my spirit affinity rose, the level of my Earth Spirit's Blessing skill increased accordingly. I hadn't expected it to level up further since all its functions were already unlocked, but it did. No new features were added; the overall numerical effects simply got stronger. The passive defense boost went up, and the physical damage reduction ticked higher too. For some reason, my endurance stat got an extra bump as well. The increases weren't huge individually, but combined, they'd add ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠up to something substantial. The performance of the attached Iron Wall skill probably improved a bit too. An unexpected windfall.

"This is sneakily exhausting."

I pulled away from the fairies, who kept dancing without giving a moment's rest, and plopped down beside Elenoir.

"Interacting with fairies drains your mana by nature. Being able to keep up that long is impressive."

Come to think of it, the Elenoir from her memories hadn't mingled with them for that long either. She must have lasted longer than me thanks to her high mana affinity, but whatever. It didn't bruise my ego anymore.

"You saw my memories, didn't you?"

Elenoir turned to me, asking. I nodded curtly.

"Yeah."

I'd seen her as a child frolicking about, arriving at this lake and dancing with the fairies, and even grown-up. Honestly, I had no clue exactly how far I'd gone. Memories weren't like flipping through a record; at that moment, I'd half-merged with Elenoir. I felt what she felt, thought what she thought.

"Felt kinda weird."

That was putting it mildly—it was a feeling no simple "weird" could capture. Elenoir was an NPC. A character created for the faction quest starting on Floor 7. Mass-produced by the Tower of Trials. And this wasn't the only Tower—Tower #2661. Other towers had their own versions too. Not named Elenoir, not identical in appearance, but endlessly similar NPCs filling the same role.

Peeking into and experiencing the past of such a being was profoundly bizarre. A backstory for an NPC spawned by the Tower's system, yet it felt like the history of an independent entity called "Elenoir." Was she really just an NPC? A one-use tool prepped for trials? Something that'd revert to a basic shell once the quests were done?

Could a being like that smile so shyly?

"It's a bit embarrassing."

"Truth be told, I wanted to peek into your past too. Even if it was necessary, showing only mine felt unfair."

Elenoir let out a soft sigh. To me, those words were dizzyingly dangerous. Peeking into my memories?

"I opened the door to you. Once a door's open, it swings both ways. I reached toward your memories too."

"You mean you saw them just now?"

"Yes, I did. But not as much as I wanted. Something blocked me from your mind—something I couldn't breach."

I figured whatever blocked Elenoir was the Tower's system. She continued, saying she couldn't merge and experience them like I had, nor see them clearly. At best, she'd caught glimpses of me training with Rizmel and fragments of my confused emotions.

"And beyond that... just shards of memories too hard to grasp. You crossing between worlds."

I flinched. Crossing between worlds? That meant...

"What in the world is this Tower of Trials?"

Elenoir had seen what she wasn't supposed to.

About two weeks passed since then. I'd been sitting cross-legged since morning, deep in meditation. Acquiring Mana Sensing let me feel mana flows, but meditation was still tough. My mana perception was just too crude. My senses were still dull.

Still, it wasn't fruitless.

They were only Level 1, but new mana-related skills nonetheless. If Mana Sensing detects mana presence, Mana Manipulation moves and utilizes the mana in your body. Mana Detection releases it outward to sense surroundings—the trick Rizmel used to read the crystal spider's attacks.

These "skills" were just quantifications of my attainments, like sword skills. I'd grasped various mana techniques, but they barely scraped Level 1.

Long road ahead.

-Creak!

The door opened, and Elenoir stepped in.

"Oh, you didn't jump this time. You're sensing my presence properly now."

She was right—I'd picked her up via Mana Detection ahead of time. It was a better sensor than Super Sense. And Elenoir stood out vividly: a shadow magic master brimming with potent mana.

"I can barely sense yours. Still a ways off."

"That's fast progress already. You'll master Mana Reinforcement for sure."

"Hope so. Anyway... where were we last time?"

"Entering the lizardman ruins. Hurry up and continue."

Elenoir flopped onto my bed. Routine by now. Since awakening Mana Sensing at the lake, I'd been regaling her with my tales from the Tower.

Of course, when she asked what the Tower of Trials was, I'd fed her a half-lie: a dimension-hopping adventurer tackling trials. Not entirely false if you stripped out the system and NPCs.

And somehow, I'd even skimmed over snapping out of my pathetic life after Mom's death notice. Unnecessary detail. I could've brushed it off with "you don't need to know." But peeking into Elenoir's memories, dancing with the fairies—that moment lingered special. Maybe it touched her mind and heart, stirring something in me. Or maybe I just wanted to unload on someone. Or those dreamy eyes were hard to ignore.

Who knows. Anyway, Elenoir's night elf curiosity bloomed, peppering me with questions about the worlds I'd crossed—minus system/NPC bits.

"Your stories never get old. Everything so new—feels like being a kid again."

She shook her head, saying once she broke her engagement and claimed freedom, she'd see more worlds too. Her resolve for annulment visibly swelled with every tale. I was just grinding solo, yet the quests progressed.

Another week passed. Nothing major. Picked up miscellaneous mana techniques, Weapon Mastery leveled a bit more. Otherwise, rumors about me and Elenoir spreading among the dark elves.

Her blabbing about her "type" matched me too well—folks in the know already knew. Now even unrelated dark elves eyed me differently.

"Oh, you're Elenoir's guy?"

"Looks just her type."

"How'd you end up with that younger-guy fetish?"

"Tough luck, want some treats?"

Layered with their human-friendly vibe, just walking crowded paths drew itchy stares. Half cheering an elementary-school ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠couple, half pitying me for Elenoir's pervy tastes? They knew about her high elf prince fiancé, but shrugged it off.

Then one day, Elenoir fixed me with a grave look.

"Her Majesty knows about us. No need to worry about fallout—I've handled it."

What the hell? She barreled on undeterred.

"Framed it like you're ready to claim my fiancé spot, no matter what."

"Wait, what?"

"Sent the declaration to the tree-huggers too. You just need to do one thing. Easy."

I skimmed the details. The formerly vague completion conditions were now precise, rewards outlined. This was the finale of the Floor 7 faction quest. The last paragraph of the Dark Elves' Book, first chapter.

"Beat that forest-prince punk in a duel, become my fiancé."

Time to head to the next floor.