Klaus, like every one of the 5,000 participants who entered the trial, stood before the looming dark tower, which for some reason had a hypnotic effect just by looking at it.
The tower stood tall and dark, with ravens circling it, creating an ominous environment and sensation.
‘Nice one, Lucil,’ Klaus smiled, planning to call her and praise her for a job well done after the trial. She had created something that conveyed a sense of weight even before the trial began.
It was a smart move, considering the academy was looking for capable warriors to nurture.
[Welcome to the Dark Tower Trial. The trial begins once the gate opens. You are required to enter immediately when it opens to avoid being disqualified.]
A voice spoke, and before any of the participants could react, the huge door at the base of the tower creaked open, creating a haunting effect. However, they didn’t need to be told twice—they immediately ran in.
The moment Klaus entered the gate, he found himself at the base of a tall mountain surrounded by leafless trees. He did not even need a second to prepare before sensing 30 monsters charging down the mountain.
“Mountain wolves,” Klaus muttered.
Without a second thought, all 360 Viper Piercing Needles appeared in front of him, hovering flawlessly.
As the 30 mountain wolves drew closer, 30 of the needles shot forward, and within a second, all 30 monsters lay on the ground—dead.
“Easy enough,” Klaus muttered.
He was far beyond hunting Tier 4 monsters. The first time he went hunting, he’d aimed for the highest tier, and now, after battling thousands of higher-tier monsters, these Tier 4 creatures felt like a joke.
[Congratulations on clearing the first level of the Dark Tower in under 5 seconds. You are the first to accomplish this. You have saved 9 minutes and 55 seconds.]
[Does the participant wish to continue or rest for 14 minutes and 55 seconds?]
“Continue,” Klaus said, and immediately, his surroundings shifted. He appeared in the same place, but this time, the number of monsters running down the mountain had increased. Fifty came at him, yet it didn’t take him even ten seconds to dispose of them.
The tower congratulated him and once again offered the choice to continue or rest, and Klaus chose to continue. He appeared in the same place again, but this time, instead of 50 Tier 4 mountain wolves, 100 descended.
“Looks like the number doubles after every level,” Klaus muttered, directing a hundred needles to take care of the monsters. In less than ten seconds, he had disposed of them and continued.
Within a few seconds of entering the trial, Klaus had cleared the first five levels. However, when he chose to continue this time, his environment changed, and he appeared in a different place altogether.
***
On the other side of the trial, the 5,000 youngsters braved the challenges from the start. Klaus’s friends began on a positive note, showing they were well-prepared.
Anna cleared the first level in under 20 seconds. Without even casting a spell, she simply jammed her staff into the ground, and ice shards impaled the monsters.
She used the same approach for the next five levels, demonstrating that beyond her spells, she had excellent control over the ice element.
In another tower, Lily was performing similarly with her wind element. Instead of wielding her sword, she extended her hand and created wind blades. When she hurled them at the monsters. They moved with precision, slicing through them effortlessly.
Although Lily is primarily a swordsman, Anna has been teaching her a thing or two about using her element more proactively. Anna is a genius in this regard, and her use of elemental power inspired Lily to start her assaults with wind blades.
As for Hanna, she began the trial with a single arrow that blasted the monsters before they could even get within 4 km of her. Since she didn’t want to use the trick her mom helped her devise just yet, she started her assault with ordinary lightning arrows.
Thanks to her use of Mountain Dew to enhance her strength and elemental control, she was able to deal greater damage with less effort, keeping her Qi above 90% for when she might need her secret technique.
She doesn’t want to tap more into her essence from the beginning. Everyone was the same, they all wanted to conserve their energy for when they needed it.
Danny also started with a bang. The heavy axe he wielded was more than enough to smash and slice through the monsters without requiring any special skills.
Daniel was the same. His hammer was smashing the monsters into a paste. They stood no chance under his heavy smashing. Sometimes the shockwave alone was enough to kill those near the impact.
Mark, meanwhile, was also using wind, but with his spear. Like Lily, he was sending wind cuts at the monsters, and, impressively, he could control them even after releasing them, making them curve back like a boomerang.
Kay, like Hanna, was using ordinary fire arrows to deal with the Tier 4 mountain wolves, opting not to use any active skills.
Kilian was also at it, casually slashing his sword and unleashing fire arcs at the monsters. None of them wanted to exhaust themselves early, so they were starting slow.
And it wasn’t just them; everyone was doing the same. They hadn’t unleashed any of their skills yet, knowing that more harrowing levels were ahead, so they were holding back their attacks.
***
“It’s a good start so far,” said the lady who made the announcement and read the rules. She was inside the observation room. Beside her were five others—three men and two women—all focused on the 5,000 smaller screens displaying the trials.
“Do you think any of them will be able to reach the 66th level?” a young man asked. “This isn’t exactly like the straightforward battles they’ve fought,” he added.
“Well, the head instructors at the academy certainly hope so. I was instructed to observe their performance in various environments and send a detailed report afterward.
“They also seem more interested in that young man making his way through the trial,” the lady said, shaking her head as she watched Klaus in the trial, effortlessly dispatching monsters.
“Well, he’s very scary, I tell you. Even I’m afraid of him,” another lady remarked with a small smile.
“Our job is to evaluate him and send an even more comprehensive report by the end of the day, so scared or not, pay attention to him,” the announcement lady said.
“Also, keep a close eye on the Zhou twins; they have some potential. Additionally, focus more on Anna Ross, Hanna Kendrick, Lily Felin, Miguel O’Hara, Ella Duncan, Ethan Duncan, Max Duncan, and Omari Hackman,” she added.
“Okay, ma’am,” the five replied, nodding in acknowledgment. They then returned to observing the various battles happening inside the trial.
***
Klaus appeared on level 6, and instead of arriving at the base of the mountain, he found himself in a shadowy forest with thick fog covering the ground, obscuring his vision.
‘Interesting, very interesting,’ Klaus said inwardly, scanning his surroundings with heightened senses. A few seconds later, strange rustling sounds echoed around him.
Then, from the darkness, deep red eyes lit up, piercing through the shadowy surroundings.