Episode 138
[NEW!] [2nd place. Luan Badnicker. 90 points.]
“Write… … .”
I slapped my forehead.
It wasn’t a low score and the ranking was high, but… … There would be few people in the world who would be happy to come in second place.
To be honest, I didn’t think my response was bad, so I even expected that it might have exceeded the Iron Blood Ball’s score.
‘Fluttering is a sin… … .’
Today too, I was reminded of the third executioner’s famous quote and became curious.
How did Iron Blood Ball clear [Room of Quickness]?
I tapped the name [Delak Badniker] on the screen floating in the air.
Come to think of it, there is no ‘C’ in the name.
It seems that at this time, Sanghyeolgong had not yet received his middle name.
[Would you like to view Delak Badniker’s records?]
[Y/N]
“huh?”
Was there a feature like this?
I reflexively pressed Y… … .
Next, the image of Sanghyeolgong appeared on the small screen.
[…] … .]
Even now, he looks young enough to be called a boy-gong, but at this time, Sanghyeol-gong feels much younger.
‘father… Am I right?’
It’s like a different person.
The reason wasn’t just because he looked three or four years younger… … .
I soon realized that the reason for my discomfort was facial expressions, posture, gestures, prayers… … . I realized that it was because of the overall difference in atmosphere.
At this time, Iron Blood Ball did not feel any heartlessness for some reason.
It wasn’t expressionless, nor did it feel cold.
Rather, when it comes to impressions, I tend to be timid.
The way he behaved like a timid small animal somehow felt cute.
‘crazy.’
Regardless of the fact that he was an iron-blooded craftsman, he shook his head not wanting to embrace his father.
Anyway, Sanghyeolgong faced the ordeal with a slightly nervous expression.
There wasn’t much difference in my response from steps 1 to 3… … .
It was the last four steps that showed a completely different response.
Kuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu… … !
Step 4.
The moment the ceiling flipped over and a honeycomb-like hole and a weapon appeared inside it -.
[…] … .]
Like lightning, the Sanghyeolgong pulled out the sword from his belt and swung it towards the sky.
Quaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
And the wind that blew from the blade shattered the ceiling.
“… her.”
No matter how young a person is, a Sanghyeolgong is a Sanghyeolgong.
Only then did I vaguely understand how scoring was calculated.
There was no clear answer to this ordeal, but at least the time it took Sanghyeolgong to respond was faster.
Iron Blood Ball expected that as soon as the ceiling wall overturned, a shower of objects would pour in from there, and he attacked in reverse, shattering the wall, and it took less than a second.
“… hmm.”
Both the idea and the speed of reaction are my complete defeat.
While I felt like the Iron Blood Ball was amazing, I also felt like my pride had been crushed.
This was because I knew Sanghyeolgong’s age when he entered the Cartel Academy.
Only twelve years old.
‘… No matter how loose I was, losing to a twelve year old was a bit much.’
no. This could also be an excuse.
Wow, I slapped my cheeks with my palms. Fortunately, there is still a chance to make up for it.
Because there are two more rooms.
Should I say I am fortunate?
I am much more confident in my strength and speed than my quickness.
I was just about to leave the room… … .
[Would you like to try again?]
[Y/N]
“… ok?”
Suddenly, such a phrase appeared on the screen.
* * *
By the time 8 hours had passed since the test started, more than half of the Youngdos had been kicked out of the tower.
In other words, all Yeongdo who were still climbing the tower were allowed to transfer to the academy.
In fact, they were climbing the tower diligently without realizing the fact.
There was no particular explanation here either.
In the first place, this tower was a playground in bad taste that the dean put a lot of effort into creating… … .
In essence, a playground is only a playground if there are people using it.
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Unless the dean wishes for their expulsion, the leaders will have to continue climbing the tower throughout the day.
‘Even so… … .’
Professor Morland looked at the screen with slightly unexpected eyes.
This is because the results revealed were somewhat unexpected.
A total of 35 people entered the [Tower of Asceticism].
Ten spiritual leaders from Badniker’s retreat.
There are twenty-five young people who came from Good Spring’s certification ceremony.
And now, all of the Youngdos from the retreat are alive.
This means that every single person passed the [Mana-Eating Stairs]… … .
On the other hand, only six of the leaders who went through the certification ceremony made it past the first floor.
‘I never thought there would be such a difference in level.’
The average level of Yeongdo is superior to Badknicker.
To be honest, it was a disappointing result because these were two families that were compared in any field.
“… … .”
Meanwhile, leaving behind the countless leaders climbing the tower, Dean Alderson’s eyes were only focused on Luan.
It was also the only Yeongdo currently entering the third floor.
It’s been 8 hours since the exam started, but most of Yeongdo is still blocked on the second floor.
Of course!
The problems prepared in [Layer of Knowledge] were extremely difficult problems that even renowned scholars and authorities in each field could not easily answer!
In particular, in fields such as magic, even basic knowledge is strictly managed by magic towers or academic societies.
That’s because it is a force that is as dangerous as it is powerful.
Of course, Luan inherited Badknicker’s bloodline.
There is also Asad, the guardian of the Badnikeren family and the great wizard, so there would have been an opportunity to learn about magic.
‘Even so… … .’
How can you answer questions from a completely different field?
Are you a so-called genius?
no. It’s a little different.
‘It’s not possible just because you’re smart.’
In the first place, that is not a standard strategy.
Why would the room on the second floor be in the shape of a library?
This meant that when faced with a difficult problem, you should look for related books and obtain clues.
In fact, the bookshelf in the library on the second floor was filled with manuscripts of old books that were difficult to find.
The reason [the layer of knowledge] took this form was purely because of Dean Alderson’s insistence… … .
It’s a shame that young people are visiting libraries less and less every day, so we prepared this book specifically to help them realize the fun of finding the knowledge they want with their own hands.
… Of course, a system where you have to invest as little as an hour or as long as three or four hours to solve just one problem cannot be considered normal… … .
‘anyway… … !’
That cocky kid solved it all in 30 minutes and left the second floor!
… However, even Luan Badniker, surprisingly, seemed to be blocked on the third floor.
“Professor Morland.”
“yes.”
“How long has Luan Badniker been staying on the third floor?”
“It’s just been three hours.”
“Hmm. “It looks like things are going well.”
Alderson stroked his beard in a calm manner again.
To be honest, when I was advancing without hesitation, [Badnicker’s Nightmare] almost came to mind again… … .
After all, no matter how talented a person is, he doesn’t seem to be at the level of an iron-blooded expert.
In fact, it is natural.
What are the chances that a talented person, who may or may not appear once every hundreds of years, appears at such a short interval, and even from the same family?
‘Still, you did a pretty good job.’
Luan Badnicker is 16 this year.
It’s not even fully ripe yet, but it’s showing such activity… … . He is definitely a talented person with a promising future.
Dean Alderson, who had regained his composure, smiled even warmer and took another sip of tea.
“… … .”
On the other hand, Morland was looking at Luan with a somewhat anxious expression.
Unlike other places, the 3rd floor has few communication crystals.
The only thing you can check is the waiting room, and three separately prepared rooms… … . This means that we cannot know what happens inside the room of [strength], [speed], and [accuracy].
‘hmm… … .’
Only those who have a total of 150 points on the 3rd floor can go up to the 4th floor.
That means, on average, you need to secure 50 points in one room.
It’s not easy.
The difficulty level of each room jumps from level 3 onwards.
To be honest, I wonder how many talented people will be able to overcome that ordeal at the Yeongdo level.
‘… Still, since Yeongdo cleared the [Mana-Eating Stairs] with a new record, is it right for it to take this long?’
Morland’s eyes turned to the screen.
The moment I felt like I wanted to take a peek at what was going on over there… … .
[congratulations. You have passed the level of training.]
“… … !”
That voice was heard from Luan Badniker’s screen.
* * *
[Room of Power: 99 points.]
[Room of Speed: 97 points.]
[Room of agility: 93 points.]
[Comprehensive ranking.]
[NEW!] [1st place. Luan Badnicker. 289 points.]
[2nd place. Leone. 281 points.]
[3rd place. Delac Badniker. 280 points.]
[4th place. Hyde Woodjack. 277 points.]
[5th place. Caela epiphysis. 265 points.]
“… … .”
Although I took first place overall.
Before I felt a sense of accomplishment, I had many questions.
First. Surprisingly, Sanghyeolgong was not first overall.
Iron Blood Ball took first place in the quickness category, but only came in second and third place in the strength and speed category.
And the person who took first place in the room of power and the room of speed was a guy named Leone, who had been first in the overall rankings until just before.
‘who is this?’
My eyebrows narrowed as I heard the name for the first time in my life.
The rest of the names still looked familiar.
Not to mention the Iron Blood Duke, Hyde Woodjack, Charon’s father and the continent’s strongest ranger, is also famous.
Plus, Kaela’s epiphysis.
She is the adopted daughter of Keian, whom I mentioned in passing before, and is the current mercenary king.
It’s surprising that Hyde and Kaela went to the academy… … .
The most unexpected thing is, of course, a person named Leone.
It was a name I had never heard before, but it was ranked higher than the Iron Blood Ball.
‘It might be an alias.’
I was curious, so I looked at the records like Iron Blood Ball, and I saw a girl with jet black hair and red eyes.
Of course it wasn’t a familiar face.
Leone faced all the trials with a vicious smile, but her physical abilities were clearly unusual.
‘Well, it’s still beneath me.’
Anyway, this is the end of the third floor.
The score to go to the 4th floor was 150 points.
I got almost double that score. Since we have passed the standard, we can now go to the 4th floor.
I don’t see any stairs around, so maybe if I wait like this, the surrounding scenery will change on its own like I saw before.
… … .
… … .
… … .
But for some reason, there was no sign of the surroundings changing.
The moment I narrowed my eyes to see what was going on… … .
[Chuck.]
A voice came from somewhere.
Is it a communication fix?
[-ah. Can you hear me, Luan Youngdo?]
It was Dean Alderson’s voice.
“What’s wrong?”
[ah. It’s no big deal. first of all… I saw Gwi Yeong-do’s performance very well in the control room. It’s really amazing… … .]
Useless words of praise go out of one ear.
I got the feeling that I wasn’t talking about compliments.
[…] So this is the main point, Luan Youngdo. I’m sorry, but you won’t be able to go to the 4th floor in your current state.]
“What does that mean?”
[There is a minimum number of challengers on the next floor, ‘Sparring Floor’. This means that at least two people must be equipped to be eligible to take on the challenge -.]
I stopped at the dean’s words.
“That means… … .”
[You cannot go to the 4th floor until another spirit arrives.]
It’s a shitty structure.
It may not have been a hasty setup, but the voice came out a bit crooked.
“If it’s the sparring floor, is it a one-on-one match between the Youngdos who have made it this far?”
In that case, it is understandable that the minimum number of people is two.
If you don’t have someone to fight with, you won’t be able to evaluate it.
[I can’t tell you the details, but it’s a little different than that.]
“If it’s not that way, I don’t mind if I take on the challenge alone.”
[That’s not right, young spirit. Rules must be followed at any time.]
After listening to the dean, I realize one thing.
I don’t know about anything else, but this old man doesn’t want me to climb any further.
[But I’ve reached the third floor, so it would be a shame to just go down like this… … . Luan Youngdo, your performance in this tower was amazing. So, let’s give him an appropriate reward.]
Dean Alderson spoke in a quiet voice.
[Besides, aren’t you very tired now? There will be a welcome party for transfer students this evening. Even the empire invited one of the country’s finest servants and an outstanding orchestra. I’ll have to change clothes for the party, so why don’t I just head down for today?]
I felt something in my chest stir at those words.
It was the rebellious spirit within me.
I said with a grin.
“Dean, you said the minimum number of people is two, right?”
[That’s right.]
“Then, whoever it is, if just one more person comes up, we can challenge the 4th floor with him?”
[…] That said, it won’t be easy for the spirits to get through the second floor. Even if you pass, you must score more than 150 points like you did on the 3rd floor, and even if you succeed there, the probability that the spirit will want to challenge the 4th floor like you is -.]
“great.”
I cut off the dean’s words a little rudely.
To be honest, the trials on the first and second floors, as well as the third floor, were not easy… … .
The faces of those who could easily reach this place passed through several minds.
And one of them.
I don’t have any specific basis, but for some reason, the guy who seemed like he would reach the third floor the fastest came to mind.
Of course, it’s purely a feeling.
[…] Who are you waiting for?]
Alderson asked me if I was a little anxious at my calm appearance, but I gave no answer and just closed my eyes and started flying.
It’s a place without sunlight, so it’s not very efficient, but there’s nothing else to do, so I took it easy for the first time in a while.
And around the time when Suzhou Heaven was completed according to the advice of the First Duke of Yanhua.
Paaa-!
A seal appeared in the center of the waiting room along with a halo of light.
It looks like Yeongdoin has just entered the third floor.
I waited until the halo of light disappeared and greeted the sight that was soon revealed.
“hi!”
fantasy,
