Considering how fiercely my motivation was burning, I should already have obtained the <Robe of the Sage> by now.
In reality, however, I had not.
* “Everything must be done in the proper order. Now that you have reached the second floor, should you not begin by learning a two-star spell?”
He was right.
On the first floor, there had been no spell capable of surpassing the one-star Mythic-grade Thunderbolt.
However, the situation was different on the second floor.
‘A first-floor Mythic-grade skill is only comparable to a Common-grade skill on the second floor.’
Of course, that only applied to raw magical damage.
When its Special Effects were considered, a one-star Mythic-grade skill was still far superior.
‘Even so, without enough damage, it is no different from a steamed bun without filling.’
Ultimately, obtaining a two-star skill was essential if I wanted to grow smoothly on the second floor.
‘Someone born into wealth could simply purchase Skill Cards from the market and equip themselves with ease.’
Someone poor like me had to begin with nothing.
Should I save money and purchase a two-star Common spell, as I had before?
‘No.’
Fortunately, the <Sky Tower> was remarkably considerate toward Ascenders.
Just as the ‘Sacred Ritual’ tutorial granted a Skill Card upon entering the first floor, every floor from the second onward offered one initial Skill Card through a process known as the <Proof of Aptitude>.
“Good. Then let’s obtain a skill first.”
The <Proof of Aptitude> on the second floor was conducted within a vast basin at the foot of the mountain range.
A colossal statue stood at the center of the basin.
The trial was conducted through that statue, which had been modeled after the God Tree.
“Please let me receive a good skill.”
“I wouldn’t ask for anything else if I could obtain a Heroic-grade skill.”
“But in reality, even an Advanced-grade skill is difficult to obtain.”
Everyone hoped to receive a high-grade skill.
However, obtaining one through the <Proof of Aptitude> was even more difficult than during the <Sacred Ritual>.
Why?
Unlike the <Sacred Ritual>, which simply granted a skill, the <Proof of Aptitude> required each person to demonstrate their own capabilities.
Only by proving themselves could they increase their chances of obtaining a valuable Skill Card.
“Now! This opportunity does not come every day!”
As a result—
Commercial schemes targeting those who wanted to achieve even slightly better results during the <Proof of Aptitude> were common.
“You there, the one wearing the Hahoe Mask! You’re heading to undergo the <Proof of Aptitude>, aren’t you? In that case, come receive element-specific training from us first.”
“Training?”
I tilted my head at the middle-aged man who stopped me.
The man curled his lips into a smile and whispered tempting words.
“If you receive even a single training session from us, the grade you obtain during the <Proof of Aptitude> will change completely. A person destined for Common grade can receive Rare or Advanced grade, while someone destined for Rare grade might receive Heroic grade. Refusing would only put you at a disadvantage.”
He subtly gestured toward the sign beside him.
<Proof of Aptitude Element Training—1 Gold Coin per Session>
This lunatic.
I nearly cursed aloud.
I did not know what they claimed to teach, but they were charging one million won for it?
As far as I knew, the <Proof of Aptitude> was not something in which a short lesson from another person could meaningfully improve the result.
“I’m not interested.”
I frowned and walked past him.
The man’s grumbling voice came from behind me.
“Tsk tsk. Everyone saw that, correct? That is how people leave empty-handed. He’ll undoubtedly receive a Common-grade skill.”
I glanced back.
More than a dozen people were seated beside the man, receiving some kind of instruction from a younger instructor.
Good grief… It was obviously a scam.
Why were people allowing themselves to be deceived?
SHIIIIING!
At that moment, one of the people enclosed within a white barrier nearby began emitting a sky-blue aura.
It appeared that the person had obtained a Rare-grade skill.
“Magnificent! Did everyone see that? This Ascender obtained a Rare-grade skill after receiving our element training!”
Everyone gathered around him erupted into cheers.
They seemed to believe that the Rare-grade skill had truly resulted from the training.
* “That person merely possessed the aptitude to receive a Rare-grade skill from the beginning. They are deliberately misleading the masses!”
Precisely.
Aleon had also recognized that their actions were meaningless.
To think swindlers were flourishing even within the Sky Tower.
What a fallen age!
I shook my head once and looked toward the statue ahead to begin the <Proof of Aptitude>.
HUMMMMM!
A sound resembling the beating wings of a swarm of bees reached my ears.
[Would you like to challenge the <Proof of Aptitude>?]
Of course I would.
The moment I expressed my intention to proceed—
HUM!
A white barrier formed around my body.
At the same time, my vision went dark.
The Sky Tower possessed no true system of law.
It was a place where strength itself became order and law.
Because of that, countless organizations coexisted within the <Sky Tower>.
Some revered justice.
Others pursued domination or private profit.
There were even groups that committed heartless atrocities without hesitation for the sake of their own interests.
The world classified the last category as Villain Organizations.
The most representative example was <Tiamat>.
Compared to the world of martial-arts novels, it would be similar to an organization such as the Demonic Cult or the Blood Cult.
Such a comparison was possible because the <Sky Tower>, like the Martial World, was governed by the logic of strength.
But was the Demonic Cult the only source of evil within martial-arts stories?
No.
There were also Unorthodox Factions that were not as extreme as the Demonic Cult but still considered exploiting others for their own benefit perfectly natural.
The organization called <Burning Tower>, which operated on the second floor, was one such group.
“Hehehe. Earning money truly is easy.”
“Everyone here is desperate, isn’t that right? We only have to prod that desperation slightly, and they willingly offer us their money. Hahaha.”
Wang Ochun, the leader of <Burning Tower>, could not suppress his satisfied smile as he watched the pile of gold coins grow before his eyes.
How were the gold coins accumulating so quickly?
It was because the business he established on the second floor had become extremely successful.
That business involved charging people for supposed training in the plaza where the <Proof of Aptitude> was conducted.
“Most people who reach the second floor climbed the tower while dreaming of success. If you tell people like that they can obtain a better initial skill on the second floor, how could they possibly resist paying a few gold coins?”
“Bwahahaha! As expected, Boss, you were born to be a businessman.”
“Ahem. Boss? Our organization has grown considerably now. Call me Chief… No, that will not do. Call me Chairman.”
“Yes, Chairman! I’ll correct myself!”
“There is no need to be so formal about it.”
Wang Ochun had been extraordinarily happy lately.
After spending a long while smiling over that month’s revenue, he headed toward his private vault.
“Once I collect a few more gold coins, I’ll be able to obtain my third Jewel Skill Card.”
Two Jewel Skill Cards were carefully stored in the deepest section of the vault.
When used, a Jewel Skill Card released countless points of starlight.
The user selected one of those lights and obtained the skill it contained.
In other words, it was a random Skill Card draw.
‘Once I reach the third floor, I should expand the business there as well. Hehehe.’
Wang Ochun intended to collect exactly three Jewel Skill Cards before drawing from them.
He would probably be able to purchase one more that very day.
If even one Heroic-grade skill appeared from the draw, he planned to challenge the second-floor Ascension Trial immediately.
‘Hmm.’
A sudden thought occurred to him.
‘If someone could see the grades of the starlight within those cards, wouldn’t they be able to choose Legendary-grade skills every time?’
He would be immensely envious if such a person existed.
Of course, there was no possibility that anyone possessed such an outrageously unfair ability.
ROAAAAAR!
A waterfall poured down in the distance.
An enormous body of water stretched out before me.
‘No, this is far too large to call a pond. It’s a lake.’
A translucent, star-shaped hologram floated above the lake.
As I stared at it, starlight gathered before my eyes and formed a System message.
[Proof of Qualification]
[Various species of monsters inhabit the lake.]
[Defeat as many monsters within the lake as possible before the time limit expires.]
[The more monsters you defeat, and the stronger those monsters are, the more starlight you will accumulate.]
[The more starlight you accumulate, the greater your probability of obtaining a high-grade Skill Card.]
[We wish you fortune in battle, Ascender.]
[Time Limit: 00'30'00.]
Thirty minutes.
I had to defeat as many monsters within the lake as possible during that time.
‘How could some brief element training possibly solve this?’
The people who had caught my attention outside came to mind again.
Those swindlers.
Someone needed to uproot their operation completely so that they could never commit such fraud again.
I shook my head and stepped toward the lake.
BUBBLE, BUBBLE.
Bubbles rose across the lake’s surface.
Then frog-like monsters began leaping out.
“CROAAAK!”
“CROAK!”
[Lv 11]
[Mucus Frog]
The frogs clung to their targets using toxic mucus.
Each one was roughly the size of an adult’s head.
There was a reason they were dangerous.
Once they reached their target, they could cover the person’s entire body within moments.
Their defining characteristic was dissolving their victims until only bones remained.
They were extremely threatening if allowed to approach.
However, if they were kept at a distance, they were relatively easy to handle.
Just like now.
“Thunderbolt.”
KRA-KA-KA-KRAK!!
Emerald lightning erupted from my hand and swept through the Mucus Frogs.
“GRRRLK!”
“GREEEK!!”
“GRRK.”
Before they could reach me, they were burned black and crumbled apart.
When the creatures died, their bodies transformed into pixel-like particles and scattered through the air.
At the same time, starlight began filling the translucent star-shaped hologram above the lake.
* “You must continue eliminating as many as possible the moment they appear.”
I nodded lightly at Aleon’s words.
I had intended to do that even without his instruction.
Then a sudden thought occurred to me.
“But do I really need to wait for them to emerge?”
When I considered the situation—
The battlefield was a lake.
My primary skill was Thunderbolt.
Could I not simply use Thunderbolt directly upon the water?
* “That is overly simplistic thinking. Since Thunderbolt possesses the Lightning Element, one might assume that using it upon the lake would immediately damage everything within. In reality, however, Thunderbolt’s Magic Power will disperse throughout the water. If that happens……”
His explanation was lengthy, but it could be summarized simply.
The Magic Power contained within Thunderbolt would scatter underwater.
However, I disagreed.
‘I think it will work.’
I merely needed to strengthen the cohesion of the Magic Power so that Thunderbolt would not disperse underwater.
Of course, doing so would increase the Casting Time.
Even so, it should be more than sufficient to subject every monster in the lake to a thorough electrical treatment.
* “Hah! That may be theoretically possible, but no matter how exceptional your mana control might be, it would require a degree of control that even I could not achieve as the Great Sage. You will only waste precious Magic Power on a futile attempt.”
My smile deepened at Aleon’s words.
“Aleon, I respect that you were a Great Sage. But you are you, and I am me. Isn’t that right?”
* “That is……”
I stopped listening and immediately manifested Thunderbolt in my hand.
This was a moment for action rather than words.
CRACKLE, KRA-KRAK.
Emerald lightning gathered in my palm.
I could feel it surging violently, struggling to escape my hand at any moment.
* “You see? Compressing the Magic Power any further from this point is……”
Aleon’s voice reached me from beside my shoulder.
I lightly ignored him.
Why?
Because I felt certain that I could compress the Magic Power even further.
CRACKLE, KRA-KA-KA-KRAK.
Following my will—
Thunderbolt’s Magic Power condensed into an even denser mass.
The emerald currents grew visibly thicker.
* “N-No. How is this possible?”
Aleon’s bewildered voice reached me.
My smile grew even wider.
Then Thunderbolt erupted from my hand.
It was a Thunderbolt enhanced by <Mental Power Amplification> and layered with <Sage’s Aura>—
A spell possessing megaton-class destructive power.
KRA-KA-KA-KA-KA-KRAK—!!
Emerald lightning spread across the entire lake.
SHIIIIING!
The star-shaped hologram filled with starlight in an instant.