C543
Several voices resonated with reproach, full of hostility and caution. However, upon turning around, Lucas only saw a young man with a cold face wearing a red robe.
Probably a wizard, and the one responsible for the icicles threatening him.
"What's going on?"
Lucas didn't soften his tone despite the obvious hostility.
"I should be asking you that. What are you doing trying to enter here without authorization?"
"Enough, Redrun. He's my guest."
Redrun.
An unexpectedly adorable name.
Even in the face of the Beginning Wizard's order, the expression of the young man, Redrun, didn't change.
"I'm sorry, but I can't comply. Sir, 'that' at the top of the tower should not be shown to outsiders. Weren't you the one who taught us that?"
"Hmm, you're right."
'That' at the top?
Lucas glanced back at the tower's peak.
"Where are you looking, outsider?"
The icy voice sounded again, the sharpness of the icicles intensified, and the distance shortened.
Just before touching his skin, Lucas waved his hand. The icicles, once sharp, turned into drops of water in an instant.
"…!"
Surprise reflected on Redrun's face.
"Changing the nature of magic in an instant...? Sir, is this a Seeker candidate?"
"Hmm, something like that."
"...I see. I understand."
Redrun, with a look of understanding, dispelled his magic. And then, looking at Lucas, he said:
"It seems you haven't received the proper explanation. We'll overlook your lack of respect, but return to solid ground."
"Proper explanation?"
"Yes. The Seeker's Test begins on the first floor."
Lucas exhaled a sigh.
"You're mistaken. I didn't come here to take the test."
Redrun's gaze turned back to the Beginning Wizard, but he only shrugged with a contained smile.
His eyes returned to Lucas.
"You're not here for the Test? Do you understand the significance of those words?"
His voice grew graver.
"If you're not a Seeker candidate, your only condition is that of a mere intruder."
"Even if your lord brought me here?"
"There are no exceptions."
"I see."
Lucas nodded and asked:
"And what's the deal for intruders?"
"Death."
An indifferent expression formed on his face at the expected response. That reaction finally provoked a trace of anger on Redrun's face. Just as he was about to say something, Lucas spoke.
"What do you want to do?"
Not to Redrun, but to the Beginning Wizard.
"Do you still not understand my words? I've told you several times we don't have time."
"I know."
The Beginning Wizard smiled faintly.
"But what if this is necessary?"
"…"
"Redrun. What steps are needed to obtain permission to enter the tower's peak?"
"Yes. You must gain the consent of more than half of the Seekers in Tower 77 and defeat all the 'Seven Magicians'."
"Did you hear? Unfortunately, I'm the lord of this place, but I can't change the tower's rules."
"…"
"Come to the peak."
The Beginning Wizard spoke again with a serious voice.
"If you can't gain the recognition of the wizards in the tower, you're not worthy of knowing the truth."
At those words, Lucas's gaze turned to the tower. A tower of nearly seven hundred meters. At first glance, it seemed to be made of stone, but of course, that wasn't all. Even with the best construction technology, it was not possible to build such a tall tower only with stone.
In other words, the tower must be under the influence of a special magic.
"…"
He extended his hand.
How could he bring down this tower? At least while preserving the peak's form...
"Right. If you show your true strength, conquering the tower will end so quickly it won't make sense. Therefore, I would like to establish some restrictions."
Lucas withdrew his hand and looked at the Beginning Wizard.
"Restrictions?"
"Don't you like it?"
"...Tell me what they are."
As if he had been waiting for it, the Beginning Wizard opened his mouth.
"First, you must advance steadily, floor by floor, from the first. No shortcuts like collapsing the tower from the outside or piercing it in one blow from the first floor to the peak."
Redrun intervened with a puzzled voice.
"What kind of joke is this...? Tower 77 is made with 'Aston'. Furthermore, I and the other 'Seven Magicians' have engraved reinforcement spells on it. There's no way to bring it down, neither from outside nor from inside..."
"Very well."
Lucas interrupted Redrun's long explanation and responded. He felt a cold stare on his neck, but he ignored it.
The Beginning Wizard smiled and continued.
"Additionally, do not use magic of 8 stars or higher. Once the battle begins, you must not receive help from the Ruler within you. Also, using the power of a Demigod through Divine Power is prohibited. Of course, that includes the Lord's power over space."
"…"
Redrun's eyes now reflected a sense of emptiness.
"The tower has a total of 77 floors, and starting from the 11th floor, you will encounter the 'Seven Magicians'. They'll be waiting for you. The deadline to complete the test... hmm. Considering your level and circumstances, let's say it will be six months."
At the last words, Redrun's eyes lit up again.
Six months?
Even the fastest person in history to conquer the tower took about 20 years.
'Of course!'
On average, it took at least a year to gain the approval of the first of the 'Seven Magicians', and the difficulty increased exponentially as one ascended the tower.
It wasn't that it took 7 years to gain the approval of the 7 'Seven Magicians'. Among them, there were also formidable tests.
"What are you talking about?"
Redrun's face, one of the 'Seven Magicians' from the 11th floor, was flushed with humiliation. Even coming from the respected Beginning Wizard, he couldn't accept it.
Lucas could imagine the emotions the boy was feeling, but still, he mentioned them.
"3 stars."
"Eh?"
"I'll only use magic of 3 stars or lower."
The Beginning Wizard's eyes sparkled with curiosity.
"Your goal is to limit my power, isn't it? Then those restrictions aren't enough. It seems you don't know what I obtained in the Void World."
"Oh. What do you mean?"
"Spiritual magic, sorcery, barrier magic, summoning, psychic abilities, special abilities, divine power, dark power, intellectual power, all kinds of martial arts and body arts... Besides that, there are about 2,000 powers I've learned wandering the universe as an Absolute being and those I obtained in the Void."
"…"
"And among them, the most notable powers are the Void and Omniscience."
"...I didn't know that. Then, I forbid you from using those as well."
Lucas nodded. It wasn't that he underestimated the tower and the wizards who inhabited it.
Anyway, the Beginning Wizard would watch every move of Lucas suspiciously. It was better to set the rules from the beginning than to have to argue about them during the tower's conquest
.
"And besides the time limit, as I've said several times, I don't have time to waste..."
Lucas looked toward Tower 77 and said:
"I'll limit the tower conquest period to one month."
A heavy silence enveloped the place.
"Haha, hehe."
The Beginning Wizard let out a stifled laugh.
"Ah, of course, you have the right to say that. But unfortunately, I'm the only one in this territory who knows that fact. Do you understand the significance of this?"
Once again, a cold sensation washed over him. This time, it wasn't just aimed at his neck but at his entire body.
"You've angered them."
"……."
"Is this the first trial you face before entering the tower? Show your worth and overcome it in style."
With that said, the Beginning Wizard opened the door and entered the top room. The moment the interior was revealed, Lucas looked there, but as expected, only darkness as black as coal stretched out.
[The other side is no different from a different world. It seems I could analyze it if I use the Thunder.]
'No need.'
[You're not telling me you're going to ascend from the first floor as that guy said?]
Residue spoke with a tone of disgust.
'If that's the tower's rule, then it's right to follow it.'
[Ha. No need to follow those rules...]
'You forget something, the Beginning Wizard is stronger than me.'
[…]
However, the reason he hadn't been openly dominant until now was because of the affection he felt for Lucas. Of course, he couldn't understand why he felt affection for him.
But one thing was for sure. The absolute gap between the strong and the weak.
'Even if he insists, I have no choice but to obey him for now. You know that better than anyone.'
[...hmph.]
At that moment, the door closed completely, and Lucas looked around again.
The face of 'Redrun' appeared.
"...You've insulted not only me but all Seekers of the tower."
A mocking smile, one of his habits when extremely angry.
"So, before the official entry, you'll have to be accountable for your words."
The moment his voice faded, the wizards who had been hiding until now revealed their presence in unison. Their number, far exceeding a hundred, instantly filled his field of vision. Lucas looked at them all closely and felt disappointed not to find anyone stronger than Redrun at first sight.
As if responding to that emotion, the magical bombardment began.
"──."
In an instant, thousands of beams of light engulfed everything.
Lucas,
First, he realized that the number of spells attacking him was about 3,000. In simple terms, it meant that each person had cast 30 spells.
Additionally, the type and nature of the magic could be divided into 50 categories.
─Quite interesting.
The spells cast definitely consisted of different laws. Is this the result of implementing the "autocracy" the Beginning Wizard spoke of?
Lucas could, at this very moment, unravel them and make them his own. Therefore, he had to dedicate some mental strength to contain that desire.
He closed his eyes. Although he hadn't entered the tower yet, it was certain that the restrictions mentioned by the Beginning Wizard would apply from now on.
So, what to do?
The moment the restrictions activated, countless ways to respond to the magical bombardment were marked with an X one by one.
He could use 3-star magic or lower, but without using the Void, his power would be halved. Of course, if he infused mana into 3-star magic or deployed magic powerful enough to surpass the massive attack from the other side, how could they stop him?
'But the enemy are wizards too.'
Wizards don't usually give their all in the first strike. In other words, this magical bombardment was simply a way to test the waters, and they would have a hidden trump card up their sleeve.
[Your options are limited. What are you going to do?]
Residue asked with an interested voice.
'There are many options on the other side.'
[Huh?]
He showed his next words with actions. Lucas wrapped his palm with mana and then caught with his hand the highest spell, Redrun's icicle.
Redrun's eyebrows twitched, but he wasn't more surprised than that. There was no reason to panic because an attack had been blocked. As Lucas had analyzed, there were still 3,000 spells remaining.
"Are you planning to catch them all by hand?"
Of course, Lucas didn't. He launched the icicle he had caught towards a specific point.
A small explosion occurred as the fire magic collided with the icicle. The explosion occurred exactly within the range Lucas had predicted, and the surrounding spells were affected by the blast.
And Lucas stepped back exactly five steps.
The first explosion was like a small storm, but the second one was a little bigger. The third, the fourth... As the sequence progressed, the strength and range of the explosions increased. The speed also accelerated like a snowball.
The sounds of the explosions, which had been intermittent before, merged into one.
[Oooh...]
By the time Residue exclaimed in admiration, a magnificent fireworks display was taking place before his eyes.
No wonder, as it was the explosion of 3,000 spells.
The instant Lucas blinked twice, a sharp stone fragment flew out from the explosion. The stone fragment embedded exactly an inch in front of Lucas's instep.
"An interesting trick. Have you analyzed all of their magic in the meantime?"
'There's no need to use Omniscience.'
[Hahaha... Indeed, your understanding of magic is monstrously high.]
'Monster?'
It was a great compliment coming from Residue.
'It's not about understanding, but analysis. It's no different from demolition engineering.'
If the magical bombardment is considered as a huge structure composed of 3,000 materials and 50 types of ingredients, and its structure is precisely known, there's nothing difficult.
Anyone could bring it down completely with just a small explosion.
[But the time it took for the bombardment to attack you was less than 3 seconds?]
'It wasn't also [Minimal Time Zone] ...More than that, I want to focus on the fight now, so talk later.'
[...Fight?]
Residue seemed to be at a loss for words.
'What's wrong?'
[I've been watching your life from the beginning, and I understand, but now you're overlooking something very important.]
Lucas stopped at those words. Most of the time, when Residue said something like that, it was because he had an important clue.
'Something important?'
[You're not objectively evaluating your own level.]
'What do you mean...?'
Only then did he realize a strange thing. There was no next attack. Lucas looked forward. He saw the hundred wizards staring at him with vacant expressions.
[Their first attack wasn't just a probing. They unleashed an attack with all their might due to anger. And you, you've blocked it all with just one icicle.]
"......"
[Being cautious is good, but don't underestimate your opponent too much.]
Residue sighed and said;
[To them, you're not even a decent meal.]
Tags:
TGMRA (Novel)