The Tower of Life (1)
Thanks to the reconnaissance satellite, it wasn’t very difficult to identify the locations of nearby towers.
Among them, the tower Seon Yul chose was a green tower located about 300 km south of the Fortress of Freedom.
This tower, located in a small nation called “Breath of Wind,” one of the Southern Union states, was named the “Tower of Life.”
Just from the country’s name and the tower’s name, one could roughly guess what kind of place it was… and when Seon Yul actually arrived, he nodded as he saw scenery that matched his expectations exactly.
“The scenery here is insane.”
A vast, beautiful forest spread out in all directions.
And a river cutting straight through its center.
It was exactly as seen through the reconnaissance satellite.
“They said the race ruling this country are elves, right?”
“In our terms, they’re elves, but I don’t know what they’re called in this dimension.”
When Seon Yul and Cheon Li Yu were briefed about the Breath of Wind back at the Fortress of Freedom, they were told that elves ruled this nation.
Since the automatic translation ability of magic users naturally interpreted even nuance, the word “elf” was likely the result of such interpretation.
“I mean, they look exactly like elves anyway. The kind we’ve seen in movies or anime…”
Beautiful appearances, pointed ears, and tall, slender bodies.
At least to anyone from Earth-104, the race ruling Breath of Wind would unquestionably be called elves.
“Well, what they’re called doesn’t really matter. If they look like elves to us, they’re elves.”
Whatever they were actually called in this dimension wasn’t important. If they looked like elves to Seon Yul and Cheon Li Yu, that was enough.
“But is it really impossible to sneak in?”
“To make that possible, we’d probably need to enter properly at least once first.”
Trying to sneak in without any information and getting caught could lead to the worst possible outcome.
So Seon Yul chose the safer option… entering through official procedures at least once.
“Thankfully, Breath of Wind is said to be very friendly toward Irregulars, so let’s go in.”
“Got it.”
Cheon Li Yu nodded in agreement.
Seon Yul, fully equipped with all his gear, walked together with her through a natural gate formed by large trees intertwined like an arch, entering the capital of Breath of Wind, where the Tower of Life stood.
***
Maybe because it was a nation friendly to Irregulars…
The capital of Breath of Wind had all kinds of Irregulars roaming around.
Because of that, Seon Yul and Cheon Li Yu were easily able to blend in among them and move around the city, getting a feel for the atmosphere.
The atmosphere was very free.
The elves treated Irregulars warmly, and there was even a dedicated building that accepted “tower climbing applications,” making it seem easy to officially enter the tower.
After briefly surveying the city, Seon Yul and Cheon Li Yu didn’t delay and immediately entered the building to apply.
Their goal was to enter the Tower of Life; there was no reason to hesitate.
***
“Proof of qualification?”
“Yes, you need to verify your qualifications.”
The expectation that applying would be easy ended instantly.
The moment they tried to apply, they were told about qualification verification.
The elf employee, maintaining a friendly smile, continued explaining:
“If you go to the section over there, you can apply for qualification verification. After applying and waiting a bit, you’ll be given a suitable test. Once you pass it, you can officially apply for tower climbing.”
“What kind of test is it?”
“You’ll simulate a light combat situation with one of our staff. It’s to assess your basic abilities, so your life won’t be in danger. However, since it is a combat test, you might get injured… please understand.”
“So if we pass that, we’re qualified?”
“Yes, that’s how it works for the Tower of Life. In fact, ours is simplified… other towers have more complex and difficult tests.”
Hearing this, it became clear why many ordinary Irregulars gave up on climbing and instead lived as raiders.
Kindly, the elf also explained why they restricted entry based on ability:
“The reason we do this is that if an Irregular dies inside the tower, it provides experience to the tower itself, increasing its level. Every tower is both a world and a living giant ‘monster.’”
This was the first time hearing that towers were monsters, but the explanation made sense.
“So we can take the test right away?”
“Yes, you can. Just apply over there and wait a bit.”
“Understood.”
After hearing everything, Seon Yul got up and stepped outside.
“So the tower grows by consuming Irregulars… I never expected that.”
“Yeah, same here.”
“Anyway, I think it’s better if I take the test alone.”
Cheon Li Yu’s combat abilities were more focused on defense and evasion, making her less suitable for such a test.
Besides, since she could enter the tower automatically through Seon Yul’s Absolute Space, there was no need for her to take it.
“Will you be okay?”
“They said it’s just to prove qualifications. I’ll show enough strength and pass.”
Seon Yul wasn’t worried.
Through many experiences, he knew he wasn’t weak… rather, he was quite powerful.
Of course, he had no intention of being careless like before.
“I’ll take the test first, then apply for climbing.”
“Okay.”
Cheon Li Yu nodded in agreement.
And so, they decided to begin with the qualification test.
***
Meanwhile, at that very moment…
In the Climbing Management Department under the Tower of Life Administration, an elf was taking a nap.
Her name was Elzad.
Originally, she wasn’t meant to be here.
She belonged to the Tower Guardian Division.
An elite even among the guardians, she had been reassigned two months ago after nearly beating an Irregular climber to death during a confrontation.
Of course, due to her exceptional ability, it was highly likely she would return after a period of discipline.
Knowing that, she was idly passing the time as a qualification test instructor.
“Elzad, there’s a test applicant.”
“Mm…”
She slowly sat up.
“What room?”
“Room 4.”
“Any special grade?”
“No, just a normal application.”
“Got it.”
After hearing the details, Elzad lazily headed toward Room 4.
Normal tests usually ended within 10 minutes, and she intended to finish quickly and go back to sleep.
Entering Room 4, she saw a human male, one of the 70% of Irregulars who were human.
She didn’t know why humans made up 70% of Irregulars, but one thing was certain: in her world, too, humans were the most prosperous… and the strongest race.
“The test will be divided into attack and defense. Attack comes first, so go ahead and attack me freely.”
This wasn’t the proper procedure.
But Elzad found it bothersome, so she chose a faster, less formal method.
She was confident enough that it wouldn’t be dangerous.
Her rank was a formidable Level 7.
At that level, she was considered high-ranking even at a national scale.
Typically, national archmages or knight commanders were Level 8 or higher, so Level 7 placed her just below them.
Among Irregulars, this meant she could rival top-tier climbers.
That confidence was why she told him to attack freely.
But then…
The moment the human Irregular extended his hand, lightning sparked from it.
Bang!
“Huh!”
Instinctively sensing danger, Elzad leapt aside.
Boom!
A clean hole appeared in the wall behind where she had been standing.
‘What is that?’
She had met countless Irregulars before… but never seen an attack like this.
But that was only the beginning.
Whiiiiing—dudududududu!
From his right hand, lightning burst out at tremendous speed.
Elzad immediately realized she couldn’t dodge this.
So she summoned a wind spirit and formed a powerful wind barrier.
Bang bang bang bang!
The barrier blocked the lightning.
As an exceptional spirit user, Elzad had contracts with more than five spirits.
Her wind spirit was top-tier, and its barrier could withstand the barrage.
‘This… is pretty strong?’
Even so, the attack wasn’t weak.
The only reason it didn’t break through was that her barrier was extraordinarily strong.
But there was a problem…
Elzad had skipped all explanations.
Because she rushed the process, Seon Yul misunderstood.
He believed he needed to break the barrier to pass.
‘This test is harder than I thought.’
Watching his GAU-19 barrage being blocked, Seon Yul nodded slightly.
Then, to ensure success, he opened the entrance to Absolute Space above his shoulder.
Tssss…
‘If I break that, I pass, right?’
Unaware that the barrier was a Level 6 ability powered by a top-tier spirit, he simply thought…
‘It’s pretty tough.’
…and fired a railgun.
BOOOOM!!!
A tungsten round shot out at unimaginable speed, instantly piercing the barrier, drilling through the wall, and launching into the sky.
Elzad couldn’t react at all.
She only felt her barrier being torn apart and something incredibly dangerous brushing past her.
If she had been fighting properly, she wouldn’t have stood still like that…, but even so, this was shocking.
“…What the hell.”
Staring at the massive hole behind her, Elzad looked back at him…
No, at Seon Yul.
Her drowsiness was completely gone.
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