“Is this what you were talking about?”
I asked while shaking the diary.
“Yes, Tower Master.”
Eia answered and then disappeared, seemingly to avoid disturbing my reading. Left alone, I sat at my desk and opened the notebook, which was stained and worn from frequent use.
『Imperial Year 191, October 9. My name is Anton Aximus. I am the next Tower Master. This writing records my heroic journey to becoming the Tower Master, and I hope it will serve as an excellent guide for the successors who will follow in my footsteps.』
As expected, it was written in a strange language, but with my “Sage’s Eye,” I had no trouble reading it. I turned to the next page.
『Imperial Year 191, October 10.
The bothersome Tower Master trial has begun.
Master stubbornly followed tradition, sealing the entire tower on a massive scale before leaving.
Now, I must break all the seals on each floor using only my own power.
Why are the old folks so obsessed with this useless ritual? They claim it’s a necessary process to become a true Tower Master, but that’s absolute nonsense. Why the hell do we have to go through this?』
…Is this generational conflict?
No matter the world, people seem to have the same struggles.
More importantly, Anton’s situation was quite similar to mine—a mage tower with most of its functions disabled, except for the first floor and the ninth floor where the Tower Master resided.
Curious, I flipped to the next page.
『So-called comrades? Those guys took long vacations and are excited to slack off for months. Just wait, you bastards! Do you really think there will still be a place for you once I take over this tower? It’s time for a grand purge! Kahaha!』
…One thing is clear: my predecessor was not a sane man.
Most of the following entries were filled with complaints about his colleagues—who annoyed him and who he despised.
I skipped over large chunks of what seemed to be insults and moved on to another passage.
『…I finally reached the second floor and faced my first trial. There was a restriction that allowed only the three basic spells. How laughable. If the old-fashioned mages who rely solely on advanced magic tried this, they might have struggled. But as the youngest-ever Tower Master candidate, I passed without needing a second attempt.』
“A trial?”
Now, this was an interesting piece of information.
It seemed that unlocking the seals on each floor required overcoming these so-called trials.
I skimmed through more pages, but there were no detailed descriptions of the trials.
Despite claiming in the introduction that this diary would be an excellent guide for future Tower Masters, it was nothing of the sort.
Instead of useful instructions, it was mostly an account of how great and talented he was as a mage.
‘This feels like one of those curly-haired old men who draw something quickly and say, ‘See? It’s easy!’—leaving me in complete frustration.’
Realizing that the diary wasn’t particularly helpful, I closed it halfway through and organized the information I had gathered so far.
This mage tower, originating from a place called the “Erendel Continent,” was a cradle of magic.
A magical Silicon Valley, if you will.
There was also a tradition tied to the Tower Master succession.
Whenever a new candidate was chosen, the current Tower Master would place massive seals on the tower and embed trials into each floor’s seal.
The candidate had to overcome all these trials alone.
Only after breaking all nine seals would they be recognized as the true Tower Master by the entire continent.
Alright. Now things were starting to make sense.
“So, Eia, does that mean I also have to go through these trials, just like the past Tower Masters?”
I asked into the air, and Eia reappeared, her hair fluttering as she answered.
“I believe the current situation is somewhat different. This large-scale seal wasn’t part of a traditional ritual. It was an ’emergency seal,’ automatically triggered to protect the tower’s knowledge and technology in times of crisis.”
“So, you’re saying the tower had no choice but to seal itself for survival?”
“Affirmative. That is a reasonable interpretation.”
I still didn’t know why this structure from another world had been transported to Earth or why I had been chosen as its Tower Master, but one thing was clear.
I had to grow stronger, challenge the trials, and unlock the entire tower.
Even just the potion crafting on the first floor was enough to shake up the current hunter system.
Who knew what groundbreaking technology was hidden on the other floors?
‘Good, good.’
My motivation was set.
At last, an opportunity had come my way.
I could simply hole up inside the tower and live an easy life, but where was the fun in that?
I would make the world revolve around me.
I would strike back at the hunter community that had labeled me a non-combatant and rise to the top.
And then—these trials.
There was mention of “retries.”
That likely meant I could attempt them multiple times.
The second-floor trial restricted magic use to only the three basic spells.
That would be the three I had already mastered—”Gauntlet,” “Shield,” and “Mana Arrow.”
‘I’ve pretty much mastered those three already. Even if I learn stronger magic, I wouldn’t be able to use them in that trial anyway…’
No need to hesitate.
I would strike while the iron was hot.
I decided to challenge the second-floor trial immediately.
The first floor of the mage tower was vast.
From the outside, the tower’s structure was conical—gradually narrowing as it rose.
This meant the first floor was the most spacious.
With so many staircases and rooms, it was easy to get lost.
The system labeled the “Potion Brewing Department” as simply “the first floor,” but in reality, it covered an area equivalent to three floors.
It seemed the tower was divided more by function rather than strict floor levels.
Eventually, I reached the staircase leading to the second floor.
Woo-woo-woo-woo!
Instead of a door, a pitch-black portal—reminiscent of a black hole—stood at the top of the stairs.
[The magic of the trial has engulfed this space.]
[To proceed to the next floor, you must clear the trial.]
[Would you like to challenge the trial?]
That was the reason I had come.
Without hesitation, I answered.
“I challenge it.”
Shuuuuuuuuk!
As soon as I spoke, my body was sucked into the darkness.
“…….”
The dizziness subsided, and I opened my eyes.
It was an unfamiliar space.
Judging by the walls and ceiling, it appeared to be inside the tower, but the ground was made of dirt and covered in grass. Tall trees stood scattered throughout the area. The terrain was uneven, forming large hills.
If I had to describe it, it felt like a gloomy version of Teletubby Land.
[You have arrived at the 2nd-floor trial.]
[Verifying the trial participant’s data.]
[Adjusting the trial participant’s mana to fit the trial conditions.]
[The trial rules are now in effect. All magic except for the three basic spells has been sealed.]
[Proceed to the destination cube.]
It was just as I had read in Anton’s notes.
Before setting off, I tested my spells to check their functionality. I casted Gauntlet, Shield, and Mana Arrow once each.
The magic circles formed without issue. But one surprising thing was that using magic didn’t burden my body at all.
I could feel the mana draining from me, but it was instantly replenished.
‘So that’s what they meant by adjusting the participant’s mana for the trial?’
Whatever the case, it was a good thing.
I steeled myself and began walking along the dirt path where no grass grew.
For now, nothing happened.
‘It said to move to the destination cube. Where could it be?’
— Ki ki ki ki ki!
— Krrrk, krrrk!
A spine-chilling laughter echoed around me.
I quickly turned around, but nothing was there.
The laughter stopped abruptly.
As soon as I started walking again, a strange laugh rang out once more.
This time, I didn’t react immediately and instead waited for the source.
From behind the trees, eerie creatures peeked out, snickering.
They were small, about the size of a seven-year-old child, with pitch-black bodies devoid of any features. Only their glowing red eyes stood out.
I had memorized all the basic monster information at the academy, but I had never seen creatures like these before.
— Ki kik!
— Ki ki ki ki!
Three of them approached me.
From what seemed to be their hands, long, sharp claws extended.
They were not friendly.
‘Stay calm.’
Even if I didn’t recognize them, it wasn’t a problem.
I closed my eyes for a moment, focused, and extended my right hand.
<Mana Arrow>
A magic circle formed instantly, and a bolt of pure mana shot forward.
— Puck!
One of the creatures took the hit straight to the head. It thrashed for a moment before collapsing.
‘That was easier than I expected.’
— Kik kik!
— Ki ki ki ki ki!
As soon as I said that countless glowing red eyes appeared from behind the trees and hills.
Dozens, hundreds—no, thousands of them.
“Of course!”
There was no way a trial meant for a prospective Tower Master would be this easy.
Despite the urgency, I took a moment to think. Unlike dungeons, this trial was designed by someone.
That meant there had to be an intended solution.
Given that, there was no way I was supposed to kill all of them.
How was I supposed to defeat thousands of enemies with only Gauntlet and Mana Arrow?
The only logical answer—run.
Having reached a decision, I sprinted forward.
— Ki ki ki ki ki!
The swarm of creatures surged behind me like a black tsunami.
In an instant, the entire landscape turned pitch black.
“Damn it!”
A few of them were already at my heels.
Still running, I reached back and fired Mana Arrows blindly.
Some of them were knocked away, but I was failing about half the time due to the lack of concentration.
I wasn’t used to casting spells while running.
And I was getting out of breath.
‘Where is the cube?!’
Desperately, I scanned my surroundings.
Even the walls and ceiling were now covered in those creatures, moving against gravity.
The entire world was being swallowed in darkness.
It felt like a scene from an apocalyptic disaster movie, where the protagonist could do nothing but watch their survival odds plummet.
Then, I had a thought.
‘Their movement pattern follows a set direction. If I assume the whole area will eventually be covered in darkness, then the last place to be consumed would be…’
There!
Slightly off the main path, I spotted a teleportation circle.
I stopped casting and sprinted at full speed.
Even as the creatures slashed at my legs and thighs, I forced myself to ignore the pain.
Then—
— Grab!
Some of them latched onto me.
They clung to my body, slicing into my flesh.
But I couldn’t stop now.
In a final burst, I lunged forward like a sprinter at the finish line, stretching my foot toward the teleportation circle.
The moment my body collapsed onto the ground, the black wave of creatures engulfed me.
[Stage 1 Clear. Transporting to the Cube.]
— Shooosh!
In an instant, my body was teleported to the next area.
The monsters were gone.
“……Hahh, hahh!”
I had no energy left to check my surroundings.
Lying on the ground, I gasped for air.
‘This trial is no joke…’
Wiping the sweat from my forehead, I forced myself upright.
I was inside a cube-shaped space made of glowing blue energy.
I walked up and knocked on the barrier, but it was solid—I couldn’t get out.
A few hundred meters away, I saw a massive wall surrounding the area.
No, not a wall—it was covered in tile-like honeycomb patterns.
[Survive inside the Cube for 20 minutes.]
[If you wish to forfeit the trial, step onto the exit magic circle.]
A blue-lit magic circle glowed at one end of the space.
I memorized its location.
[The trial will now begin.]
