The battlefield was organized. The wall was restored to its original structure using shape memory magic, and the medical team quickly recovered the injured with the help of students. It was not without fatalities. The same classmates grieved quietly over their friend's deaths, but they maintained composure. After the outbreak of the gate phenomenon that had broken the peace of this world long ago, those inside the wall became accustomed to death in everyday life.
Kang Min-hyuk felt fortunate to have been involved in the battle. Compared to the size of the gate, the casualties were few, and the damage was repairable. In the meantime, a CCTV video was being spread. It showed the situation in the C-l area, and it had been vividly recorded.
"Is that...Klinssman?!"
"Whoah..."
"How is this possible? He's not wearing a golem suit, but he's flying around like Superman, destroying monsters!"
The students couldn't believe their eyes. Not only was an inferior student showing tremendous ability, but it was also unheard of in this world for a wizard to fight class-A monsters with their bare hands, unsupported by magic. The sight of Klinssman standing against so many Werewolves as they swarmed toward him altered their ideas of him completely. Previously, he came across as a guy who didn't care about anything at all, but the Klinssman they saw in the video had a giant's backbone.
There was someone who fanned the flames of the rumors about Klinssman, and it was Harry Wilson - the student who had been assisted by Kang Min-hyuk.
"What happened? It's a bit of a blur. The Werewolf broke through the defensive wall and attacked me, but it was dark ahead. I couldn't solve the problem alone. Even if you dodge a Werewolf attack with moving casting and counterattack, third circle magic won't work at all on A-class monsters. So, the moment I humbly accepted death, Klinssman appeared and told me to wake up."
"Really?"
"You mean Klinssman saved you?"
The eyes of the students who listened flashed with intrigue.
"It's true. Klinssman saved me. He single-handedly knocked down a class-A Werewolf and then took the front-line to protect the wall! Ayeee, "are you crazy?" I thought! But he did it! He did it alone; honestly, I thought my gender was changing - if I were a woman, I'd have no choice but to fall in love with Klinssman!"
Klinss's activity was a hot topic.
Harry Wilson, who witnessed it in person, not through CCTV footage, became a storyteller spreading a saga. He never liked Klinssman much before, but his attitude changed completely after receiving direct help. Harry Wilson, who visited Kang Min-hyuk in-person to offer thanks, went out most actively and praised him to anyone willing to listen. When the CCTV footage harmonized with Harry Wilson's further explanation, the Royal Academy of Magic students had no choice but to see Klinssman in an entirely new light.
He had been a circle one wizard, an inferior student of the academy, the guy with an ambiguous background, but the stories that formed about his character were enough to make him a star. It's said that words without feet fly a thousand miles, and before the restoration was complete, every student knew the rumors about Klinssman. These stories eventually flowed to the head of the academy.
* * *
The head was a middle-aged man named Avid, who dyed his gray hair all-back. He put down his teacup and glanced up at the student in front of him.
"Klinssman, I heard about your performance. The situation was rough in Area C-l, but it wasn't a big deal, thanks to you. That's great. It can't have been an easy choice to face an A-class Werewolf with barely a sword."
"No. There was no damage because I had the help of those around me."
The president of the Royal Magic Academy was an exceedingly difficult person to meet. Known as the Seventh Circle Archmage, he wasn't at the academy when the Gates broke out. Arriving late, he caught up with the situation and proceeded with non-governmental events. One of them was Kang Min-hyuk, a first-year student, unusually selected.
As Avid said, the situation in Area C-l was really bad. If the action were delayed even a little due to the monsters' excessive concentration, a tragedy would have occurred. Still, Kang Min-hyuk came forward to prevent such a situation. Despite being young, he deserved praise for stepping forward to save his peers.
"By the way..."
Avid glanced at Kang Min-hyuk with a strange look. He had also watched the CCTV footage and realized that Kang Min-hyuk's technique exceeded all expectations.
"Reducing physical damage with mana...that's an unfamiliar skill that even I, the president of the Royal Academy of Magic, didn't know existed. Did you develop it yourself? Fighting with a sword rather than magic is an unusual choice, but, for you, an effective one."
Kang Min-hyuk had expected this obvious question.
"Yes. As you know, I'm not very gifted with magic, so I needed a way to use my gift in battle."
He didn't add much of an explanation to his statements. There was no need, the CCTV footage showed enough, and it was best to keep it simple. After giving the necessary explanation, Kang Min-hyuk closed his mouth, and Avid smiled while drinking tea.
"I'm very impressed. I must say, when you were solicited for admission, I couldn't understand the intention. But if these are the results, I'm glad you're here. Klinssman, you were born with the qualities of a pioneer, even if you are not gifted with magic. If it's enough to defeat A-class monsters alone, the technology you've invented is already incredibly valuable."
Solicitation...the word spun through Min-hyuk's mind. If he asked for Klinssman's admission information, Avid knew how to answer his questions. He didn't ask, though...Avid couldn't know that Klinssman's body had other souls in possession. If he did, he would not have mentioned solicitation at all. He didn't want to raise any suspicions, so he kept his curiosity concealed.
Possibilities began to swirl around Kang Min-hyuk's thoughts, and as the questions grew more complicated, Avid said,
"Following a discussion with the academy elders, we've concluded that you deserve an appropriate reward for your sacrifice and courage. Do you have any special requests for me? If it's reasonable, you may have it as a reward for your work."
When Avid asked to meet him, Kang Min-hyuk was guessing that an award would be given. Avid was a person who was thorough in both public and private affairs. Mistakes were not tolerated; achievements were rewarded. So, Kang Min-hyuk, who grasped Avid's disposition through rumors, had considered in advance what kind of reward he would like to receive.
"I want to climb the tower of trials with compensation."
* * *
While reading several books in the well-endowed library, Kang Min-hyuk accidentally learned about the 'Torment Tower'.
[The history of the Tower of Trials goes back 2000 years. When a monster appeared through a dimensional crack, a crack also appeared in the ground inside the wall. The crack took a slightly different form than the one through which the monster manifested, and the person who stepped into it had no physical problems but returned with their mind in tatters. It was banned for the first hundreds of years, but as survivors of the crack appeared, its purpose changed. The rift was a pathway to enter the 'spirit world' - a completely different realm from the one they knew. If they can endure a certain amount of time in that space, humans get a spirit that transcends the body - a process that soon led to magical growth. Since magic is a science that is accomplished not with the body but with the mind, mental power development will lead the wizard to a new level.]
The dimensional rift became known as the Tower of Trials. There were only three rifts in the world with this effect, one of which was in England. The Trial Tower is not accessible to ordinary people. People with the qualities of an archmage regard the Tower of Trials as a sort of initiation and return with highly advanced mental powers, but an ordinary person would be ruined. So, the ordeal tower entrance was meticulously guarded, and Kang Min-hyuk wished to enter there. He needed a foothold for growth.
In the battle of the Green Dragon, Kang Min-hyuk witnessed the 'real power' of wizards. It was a fresh shock. Unlike his world, the potential of wizardry was limitless here. In reality, Kang Min-hyuk was only a third circle wizard - he wasn't magically superior here. In contrast, Klinssman's body surpassed his own as soon as he learned the guardian spirit - his natural talent was so great that Min-hyuk felt a sense of deprivation through acknowledging it. He yearned to be strong.
The higher he looked at the world, the more he felt as though his achievements were nothing. He was thirsty for a challenge, and he was ready to endure anything he could to grow stronger. Kang Min-hyuk would wipe out a group of monsters that endanger the world in the reinforced civilization, but he didn't want to wait until he was fifty years old for that to happen. He wanted to progress quickly, to reach a position where he could stand confidently as a wizard, and to do this at such a young age, he had to take a different path from what was expected of him. He hoped to experience the Tower of Trials.
He wasn't sure how dangerous it was or if he would be able to get through it. However, Kang Min-hyuk desperately wished for growth. If people with the qualities of archmage cannot endure the trials they pass through, their dreams for the future won't come to fruition anyway. It was better to know now.
'The main effect of the trial is the growth of the mind. If I achieve that in this world, there is a high possibility that the effects will travel with me back to reality.'
It was the conclusion reached after sufficient consideration.
Avid's smile extended across his face at Kang Min-hyuk's request, casting light in his eyes.
"The Tower of Trials in England has so far been challenged by 182 wizards. Among them, 102 wizards became obsolete and lived as psychopaths for the rest of their lives, dying insane. In comparison, the remaining 80 wizards climbed to the arch wizard's level and etched their names into magical history. The risk is high, but if you hold on, your greatness will be certain."
Recently, access to the Tower of Trials has been banned. Since the gate's outbreak, the Trial Tower's power has grown, and even if there are applicants, they hadn't been accepted. Klinssman, though was an exception...Avid's privilege is to allow exceptions.
"If you are ready to endure the trial of your mind, I will allow you to enter the Trial Tower a week from now. So, think hard and return to me. Keep in mind that the Tower is stronger than it used to be, and known geniuses have set their minds on the rift of the dimension."
"Thank you."
Kang Min-hyuk bowed his head. Avid was convinced of Kang Min-hyuk's attitude.
'After a week, Klinss, you can't change your mind.'
For Kang Min-hyuk, who had lived his entire life on the border of life and death, the risk of the Tower did not matter. He'd endure it.
Kang Min-hyuk would return to visit Avid in a week.
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