[You have entered the hidden floor of the Tower of Proof, ‘Imaginary World.’]
[The Tower of Proof is observing you.]
[Mystical mana envelops you.]
As I climbed the stairs, I heard the will of the tower echoing in my mind.
A mysterious power settled within me, and I could feel the mana inside my body surging.
I lifted my head and looked around.
In the blink of an eye, the space had changed.
Unlike the previous floor, which was shrouded in darkness, this place was dazzlingly bright.
When I looked down, even the staircase I had climbed had vanished.
[Achievement unlocked: ‘Mystical Explorer.’]
[You have earned 5,000 points as a reward.]
“…This is definitely different.”
The floor of the expansive space was covered with vibrant, colorful flowers.
From the ceiling, small birds flitted among nests, chirping merrily.
Though the ceiling was pure white, intricate golden patterns gave it an air of sophistication.
It was a space I had only read about in the novel’s descriptions.
Now that I was seeing it for myself, I was overwhelmed with emotion.
“Wow. This is truly beautiful.”
As I admired the flowers on the ground, I walked slowly, eventually stopping in my tracks.
In front of me stood a statue of a beautiful goddess, holding a sword pointed downward.
At that moment, the will of the tower echoed once more.
[Climber of the Tower of Proof.]
[Can you prove yourself?]
The statue’s eyes began to glow.
Powerful magic radiated from around the statue, causing the flower petals on the floor to sway as if caught in the wind.
Moments later, five luminous figures appeared around the statue.
―Kikikikiki.
―Kikiki.
The glowing entities laughed.
Flower fairies.
Despite their beautiful name, they were savage monsters that attacked humans on sight.
The flower fairies were ranked as C-class monsters.
While they weren’t particularly strong, their small, nimble bodies made them difficult to hit, even for B-class mages.
So, the trial of the hidden floor begins.
I conjured two spells above my hands.
Flower fairies were agile and small, but their attack and defense were relatively weak.
The key was to minimize the size of my spells and release them quickly to ensure a hit.
“Ha!”
I released the condensed magic toward the flower fairies.
Since I used minimal mana, I unleashed the spells at maximum speed.
However, the small size of the magic projectiles made them narrowly miss their targets.
“Tch.”
―Kikikiki.
―Kikikikiki.
Once more!
I began conjuring and releasing spells again.
This time, I didn’t stop at one or two spells.
I kept unleashing a barrage of magic projectiles, determined that at least one would hit.
The flower fairies twisted and turned, dodging each projectile.
But they couldn’t avoid the relentless storm of spells entirely.
―Kyaaaa!
One by one, the flower fairies fell.
After continuously bombarding them with spells, all the flower fairies eventually vanished with a shriek.
“Whew. Barely made it.”
I wiped the sweat from my forehead and let out a deep breath.
Though my method was somewhat crude, it was a necessary choice given my limited mana reserves.
Increasing the size of my spells would have been too risky if they missed.
Thankfully, I succeeded before running out of mana.
“Now, do I just wait?”
According to the novel, defeating all the flower fairies on the hidden floor would trigger a special reward.
Since I had eliminated every last one, the reward should be coming soon.
I swallowed nervously and waited for the reward to appear.
Then, the statue’s eyes glowed once more.
[You have failed to prove yourself.]
“What?”
My mind went blank with disbelief.
Failed to prove myself?
But that wasn’t in the original story!
[Climber of the Tower of Proof.]
[Can you prove yourself?]
“What do you mean? I just proved it! I defeated all the flower fairies!”
As I shouted, powerful magic radiated around the statue once more.
Whoosh!
The sound of flames igniting came from somewhere.
I turned toward the source of the sound.
“…What?”
Flames erupted, consuming the beautiful field of flowers in an instant.
The birds that had been peacefully flying through the ceiling fell to the ground, suffocating.
“Cough! Cough! What is happening?”
I was thrown into confusion by the unexpected turn of events.
Why was this happening?
The thick smoke choked me, and I covered my nose and mouth with my sleeve as I quickly scanned my surroundings.
‘Do I need to get out of here?’
Looking for an escape route…
There wasn’t one.
The staircase that had brought me to the hidden floor had disappeared long ago.
What now? What should I do?
As my thoughts raced, I recalled the tower’s earlier question.
‘Can you prove yourself?’
Prove…
Why had I failed?
“Ah…”
It finally dawned on me.
The proof the Tower of Proof sought was unique skills or talents that only I could possess.
In other words, it was about demonstrating individuality that no one else could replicate.
But when I faced the flower fairies, I hadn’t shown any unique quality.
Unlike the original story, I had crudely bombarded them with magic to brute-force my way through.
That wasn’t my individuality.
The tower had recognized this and declared my failure.
The tower’s difficulty was typically determined by the strength of its monsters and the traps it employed.
Having failed the trial using monsters, I was now facing a trap-based trial.
So, this blazing inferno wasn’t real.
It was a magical trap. To prove myself, I needed to break it.
[Activating unique trait, ‘Outsider’s Privilege.’]
[Deciphering the magical formula.]
As I activated Outsider’s Privilege, the complex magical formations creating this space became visible to me.
Just as I had suspected, this was an illusory world conjured by magic.
I placed my hand on the burning floor.
The intense heat burned my palm, and I gritted my teeth in pain.
“Urgh!”
It hurt.
But I had to endure.
I had to dispel the trap entirely to prove myself.
The blazing floor began to emit a blue light.
[Prove yourself.]
‘Fine, I’ll prove it.’
My uniqueness.
I might not be able to create magical formulas like other support mages, but when it came to deciphering them, no one was better than me.
―Crackle, sizzle…
As I continued to pour mana into the floor, I altered the magical formula. The radiance spread from the floor to the ceiling and walls, bathing the entire area in light.
Shortly after, a notification window appeared before my eyes.
Ding!
[You have achieved the achievement: “Recognized by the Tower of Proof.”]
[You have received 10,000 points as a reward.]
…Did I succeed?
“Hah… hah…”
Catching my breath, I surveyed my surroundings. The raging flames had vanished without a trace, and the once-charred flower field had reverted to its original beauty.
[You have proven yourself.]
Once again, the voice of the tower’s will echoed in my mind.
[Congratulations!]
[You have successfully cleared the hidden floor, “The Imaginary world.”]
[The Tower of Proof bestows its blessings upon you.]
[Adaptive Trait, “Proof of the Tower (D),” has been added.]
[+5 to Mana.]
[+20% Mana Recovery Speed.]
[+10% Magic Power.]
[The Reward Room has been opened.]
“It’s done!”
Relief washed over me, and I collapsed onto the ground, sprawled out. Although the scenario deviated slightly from the novel’s original storyline, I was satisfied with the successful completion of the floor.
After a brief rest, I stood before an fancy door that floated mid-air in the hidden floor. It was the only object present, standing alone in the void.
“This must be the Reward Room.”
I admired the detailed patterns on the grand door and slowly pushed it open.
Creak…
As the door swung open, a lavish interior reminiscent of a mythical temple came into view. Massive statues of twin goddesses holding swords in both hands dominated the space, enhancing the temple’s divine atmosphere.
“Wow…”
Awestruck by the sheer grandeur, I stepped into the Reward Room.
Though I had visited several reward rooms in other towers, none had exuded such majesty. This hidden floor’s reward room was in a league of its own.
I walked along the path that led to a massive altar at the end.
“Is that it?”
Approaching the altar, I saw three items resting upon it, just as described in the novel.
The first was a long spear glowing with a crimson hue. I picked it up and used The Outsider’s Privilege to examine its properties.
━━
[Soul of the Crimson Dragon (B)]
Type: Spear
Description: A spear crafted from the bones of a crimson dragon, imbued with its fiery essence.
[Passive Effect]
▶ Blazing Aura
- Fire Attribute.
- Increases Health and Strength by 5.
- Deals 30% additional damage to water-attributed monsters.
Durability: B
Destructive Power: B
━━
“Hmm.”
The main reward was indeed the spear described in the novel. Its performance wasn’t exceptional but had no detrimental effects, only beneficial enhancements. It would likely fetch a good price at auction—around 30 million won, perhaps?
“At least I’ve secured some starting capital.”
Next, I picked up a magic scroll inscribed with mysterious symbols.
━━
[Magic Enchantment: Spell Shield (B)]
Type: Magic Enchantment
Description: Adds a magical effect to a designated tool.
[Effect Upon Use]
▶ Spell Shield
- Deploys a shield that blocks one magic attack.
- Cooldown: 12 hours.
━━
Magic enchantments were always valuable since they could enhance tools with specific effects. This one, offering a spell-blocking shield, was particularly useful.
“I’ll keep this for myself.”
Finally, I turned to the third item: five crimson flowers with a small pouch of seeds beside them.
━━
[Sacred Bloom (C)]
Type: Material
Description: A plant imbued with mysterious power. With proper preparation, it could create a special elixir.
━━
The Sacred Bloom.
This bonus item was unique to the hidden floor. While its grade was only C, its rarity made it incredibly valuable.
The Sacred Bloom served as a catalyst in potion-making, amplifying the effects of other ingredients. Alone, it was useless, but when combined with other materials, it could produce potent potions or elixirs.
However, creating such items required a skilled alchemist. Thankfully, I knew of an organization capable of handling this material.
I carefully stored the Sacred Blooms and seeds in my bag, ensuring they were well-protected.
“What time is it?”
I glanced at my watch.
8:29 p.m.
Roughly an hour remained until the rampage began.
It was time to move.
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