The short first day of the school trip ended in a blur, and the second day began.
Since today was the last day of the group trip, our busy schedule started early in the morning.
Following the school’s guidance, we visited various tourist attractions and historical sites.
I had been to these places in my previous life as well, but seeing sites related to myths was always fascinating.
At 6 PM, after finishing the day’s trip, we returned to London.
Now, the only thing left was the final exam scheduled for tonight.
Naturally, the announcement that the trip was essentially over sparked strong complaints among the students.
“This isn’t even a school trip!”
“Are you kidding? We didn’t even get a single day to actually travel?”
“Wow, this is ridiculous.”
The teachers seemed to have anticipated these complaints, as they attempted to appease the students by promising some free time on the fourth and fifth days after the exam ended.
Of course, the students’ frustration didn’t subside so easily.
“Alright! Everyone, gather up!”
Then, at 7 PM, when the exam was set to begin, we assembled at the external test portal gate in front of the British Magic Academy.
Standing beside us were 150 second-year students from the British Magic Academy.
As I casually scanned the group, I recognized a few familiar faces.
Especially the two sitting at the front—
Lily Rose, ranked number one in Britain, and Louis Brown, ranked number two, who had recently been at the center of controversy on social media.
“The exam will begin soon. But before that, I’ll briefly explain the rules.”
Today’s exam would last a whopping three days.
Its name: “Virtual Tower Climbing Survival.”
The exam setting was a special training tower constructed 50 years ago by the World Mage Association with an enormous investment.
Built through the collaboration of numerous tower experts and mages, it was considered the world’s best virtual tower climbing training system.
There was a specific reason why this special tower was hailed as the best in the world—
It possessed a unique life-protection system powered by a sacred relic.
Even if someone suffered a fatal injury during combat, their real body would remain unharmed.
In other words, the inside of the tower was a mystical space where reality and virtuality overlapped.
“As previously announced, you will spend three days inside the tower. Your score will be determined in two ways: whether you reach the top floor, the 30th level, within three days, or how many points you accumulate during that time.”
At Instructor Jang Ancheol’s words, murmurs spread among the students.
“……Is it even possible to reach the 30th floor?”
“Of course not.”
“I heard only one person has ever done it in the past 50 years.”
“Exactly. They’re basically telling us to just focus on collecting points.”
Despite the students’ chatter, Jang Ancheol continued speaking.
“There are many ways to earn points—combat, looting, hunting, events, and more. You can check the detailed rules through your smart student handbook once inside the tower.”
After scanning the students, Jang Ancheol shouted once more.
“Now, let the final exam begin!”
Flash!
As I stepped through the training portal gate, I was engulfed in a brilliant light and transported to a new space.
A circular room with pure white walls—
The first floor of the tower.
At first glance, it strongly resembled the stage-escape exam room I had experienced during the midterms.
[You have entered the first floor of the tower.]
It had been a while since I last heard the “Will of the Tower.”
The Will of the Tower couldn’t normally be artificially created, but this artificial tower was so perfectly constructed that a mysterious force naturally took root, granting it a “will” of its own.
Feeling a sense of wonder, I began considering my next move.
“Hmm……”
As Jang Ancheol mentioned earlier, there were two main approaches:
Climbing to the top of the tower—the 30th floor—or accumulating points.
If I could reach the 30th floor, I would secure the highest ranking without worrying about points.
But realistically, that was impossible for me.
After all, in the past 50 years, only one person had ever managed to reach the 30th floor within three days—an achievement that spoke for itself in terms of difficulty.
Moreover, the 28th floor had a stage called the “Chamber of Endurance,” where one had to withstand three hours inside a device that absorbed mana.
For someone like me, who was born with low mana reserves, it was simply impossible to endure.
……That left only one option: collecting points.
There were several ways to accumulate points.
The most basic method was hunting monsters hidden within the tower.
It was a stable and straightforward way to earn points, but the downside was that it didn’t gave large amounts.
If I wanted to aim for a high rank, I needed a better strategy than just hunting.
“The best option is looting.”
Looting involved battling other students and, upon victory, taking half of their points.
Since it allowed one to steal another person’s accumulated points, it was by far the most efficient way to rack up a massive score.
However, looting also came with a major penalty—
Anyone who looted was registered as a “Red Player,” and their location was displayed in real time on the smart student handbooks linked to the tower.
This meant they would immediately become a target for everyone else.
And if they lost a fight while marked as a Red Player, they would not only lose half their points but also be forced to restart from the first floor.
Obviously, that was a situation I had to avoid.
“Hmm.”
As I continued contemplating my approach—
The Will of the Tower spoke again.
[All students have entered the tower.]
[The first event, ‘Placement Exam,’ will begin shortly.]
“So, it’s finally starting.”
The Placement Exam—
The main theme of the first floor and the first event where points could be earned.
Depending on the results of this test, students could advance up to the 20th floor instantly.
For anyone aiming for the 30th floor, this was a crucial event.
[5, 4, 3, 2, 1…… ‘Placement Exam’ has begun!]
Wooooong!
The room filled with magic.
Soon, multiple doors surrounding the room swung open, and dozens of monsters burst out.
—Krrraaagh!
[Defeat the monsters.]
[Your ranking will be determined based on the number of monsters you eliminate.]
As expected, the first event was a monster elimination challenge.
Without panicking, I quickly gathered my magic and reinforced my body. Then, carefully controlling my mana output, I neutralized the approaching monsters one by one.
Boom! Boom!
The monsters were around D-rank, so eliminating them wasn’t particularly difficult. Of course, since mana elixirs couldn’t be freely used here, I had to manage my mana efficiently.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
—Kraaagh!
One by one, the monsters fell before me. However, dealing with the endless waves of monsters was proving to be a challenge. Due to the nature of my magic, I struggled in large-scale battles that required a significant amount of mana.
In the end, I had to rely on close combat to conserve my mana.
…After about ten minutes of combat—
[The event, ‘Placement Exam,’ has ended.]
With the sudden announcement from the Tower’s Will, all the monsters in the area crumbled into dust and vanished.
[Announcing the rankings.]
[1st place: Yoo Ara (Eliminations: 102)]
[2nd place: Lee Seo-jun (Eliminations: 85)]
[3rd place: Lilly Rose (Eliminations: 74)]
…
…
[43rd place: Kim Sun-woo (Eliminations: 32)]
A long ranking list appeared before my eyes. I stared at it blankly.
As expected, Yoo Ara, who specialized in large-scale battles, took first place with 20 more kills than Lee Seo-jun. Lilly Rose was in third place. Everything was unfolding just like the original story.
And my ranking… was 43rd.
“43rd place, huh…”
It was a bit disappointing, but considering the total number of participants was 300, it wasn’t bad. Ranking 43rd out of 300 was still considered the upper ranks.
Besides, while this event put me at a disadvantage, future events would undoubtedly work in my favour. I just needed to use my time and strike at the right moment.
Just then, the Tower’s Will echoed again.
[Kim Sunwoo, your final ranking is 43rd.]
[You have eliminated 32 monsters and earned 320 points.]
[You receive an additional 120 points as a ranking bonus.]
[You will now be transported to the 8th floor.]
At the same time, a brilliant light enveloped me.
Meanwhile, Lilly Rose had arrived on the 15th floor as a result of the first event, the ‘Placement Exam.’
She glanced around and found herself in a green space filled with a mysterious emerald glow. It looked like a forest.
When she looked up, a bright sun was shining overhead.
The sight of a sun inside the Tower fascinated her momentarily, but she quickly dismissed it. She had already heard plenty about the Tower’s countless ‘mystical abilities.’
As she adjusted to the sudden shift in scenery, she recalled the ranking list she had just seen, and her expression hardened.
“I’m in third place?”
Lilly muttered in disbelief.
She had considered the possibility of losing to Lee Seo-jun in the first event. But at worst, she had expected second place—never third.
She hadn’t expected someone other than Lee Seo-jun to take first place.
“…Yoo Ara.”
She’d heard people call Yoo Ara one of the greatest geniuses alongside Lee Seo-jun, but she had dismissed it as an exaggeration. Yet, it seemed the rumors weren’t unfounded.
A surprising contender had appeared.
“Tch.”
It was a bit frustrating, but in truth, this first event’s results didn’t matter much to her. She had no intention of attempting to reach the 30th floor.
In the past 50 years, only one person had ever reached the 30th floor in this exam. So she had never even considered that any of the current examinees would attempt it.
“Anyway, I should start farming points.”
There was no better way to earn points than plundering. However, it wasn’t time for that yet.
The second day of the exam. That was when other students’ points would accumulate. Striking then would be the safest and most efficient strategy.
“For now, I should just hunt.”
That was the best course of action.
Lilly pulled out her smart student handbook and checked the Tower’s map.
She looked for the closest large monster zone on the 15th floor…
“Found it.”
The ‘Rock Field’ on the 14th floor.
Since she had already unlocked the 15th floor through the Placement Exam, she could use a portal to move to the 14th floor without taking an additional trial.
“Let’s head to the portal, then.”
With that, Lilly started walking, following the Tower’s map.
Four hours had passed since the exam began.
I had reached the 14th floor.
Considering I started at the 8th floor after the Placement Exam, I had climbed six floors in just four hours.
There was a reason I was rushing to ascend.
Unlocking more floors in advance allowed greater flexibility when using the Tower’s ‘portals’ for movement.
Given the upcoming events and incidents, unlocking as many floors as possible would provide significant advantages.
“Yaaawn… I’m exhausted.”
I let out a yawn as I checked my smart student handbook.
The time was now 12:10 AM.
It was already past midnight.
I probably needed to sleep soon…
But sleeping anywhere carelessly would put me at risk of being plundered by other students.
The safest option was the ‘Midway Safe Zone’ on the 10th floor, where combat was prohibited. However, entering there required spending 300 points.
In this competition, where ranking could shift drastically with a 100-point difference, wasting 300 points just for sleep was too inefficient.
“That spot should be good.”
Earlier, while passing through this floor, I had spotted a small cave.
If I slept there, I’d be less likely to be discovered and could rest safely.
As I walked across the 14th floor, I suddenly sensed movement in the nearby bushes.
A wave of tension washed over me.
Someone approaching in a place like this…Could they be planning to ambush me for my points?
The presence grew closer, rustling through the underbrush before finally revealing itself.
“Kim Sunwoo?”
A blonde woman called my name.
It was Lilly Rose.
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