Sellen saw me and tilted her head to the side.
I thought she’d be more surprised.
With her usual expressionless face, Sellen calmly said, “You got here... faster than I expected.”
I might be overthinking it, but I felt like there was more to those words.
It sounded like she was trying to say, You managed to get here before me. It also sounded like she’d anticipated that I would make it to the third floor.
I wasn’t sure, so I just asked her outright: “What are you trying to say?”
“Not much. I assumed you’d pass the first floor, but I thought you might get stuck on the second.”
“...”
Her words poked at my guilty conscience. If not for the Martial God, I would probably still be wandering the second floor, looking for answers.
Feeling awkward, I quickly changed the subject. “Are you planning to take on the trials on this floor?”“Yeah.”
“How far do you plan to climb?”
“Well...” Sellen thought for a moment, then coolly responded, “At least the fourth floor, I expect.”
Great. Our goals were aligned, at least for now.
“To get up to the fourth floor, you need to obtain at least 150 points total from the three rooms behind me. You can score a maximum score of 100 for each room.”
“I see.” Sellen nodded and studied the three rooms. After a short while, she made up her mind and headed toward the Room of Agility.
Is her thinking the same as mine?
Though I’d never been able to tell what she was thinking, I thought it was likely.
I wordlessly followed after her. When she noticed, she stopped walking and turned to face me.
She asked, “Why are you following me?”
“I want to watch. Can I not?”
“...Suit yourself.’’
A wide grin stretched across my face. I hadn’t really needed her permission, of course—I would’ve done as I wanted regardless.
I followed Sellen into the Room of Agility.
I knew what would be thrown and from where, so I moved just out of range and made myself comfortable.
Come to think of it...
She hadn’t asked me about the trials even though having advance knowledge was quite helpful.
Was she that confident in her abilities?
Or... did she already know what the tests were?
My thoughts now were similar to those on the first floor. For now, I decided to just observe Sellen.
[Beginning Stage 1.]
Thwip thwip thwip!
Sellen dodged the flying balls with ease, and she passed stage two with flying colors as well.
Finally, what I’d been waiting for: stage three. This was when the real challenge began.
Clack!
Bladed disks flew out from the holes in a terrifying manner, and I watched Sellen’s eye glint with something unknown.
Is she trying to figure out how to respond?
But she didn’t have time to waste thinking it through.
Within moments, Sellen took a deep breath.
“Heup.”
PUAAAHHHHHH!
Sellen’s long hair whipped around her as a frigid wave of chilling air radiated outward from her. The air crackled with energy and the room shimmered from the scattered fragments of white ice. 𝖗𝘼Ɲ𝔬𝐁Ę𝒮
Crack, crack...!
The flying discs froze mid-air the instant the icy wave touched them.
Ah.
It wasn’t a blessing.
She had released the extreme-yin true ki stored within her body, expelling it out through her skin like the Sapphire Snake’s breath attack in the Gem Mountains.
She gave her mana an attribute.
I was slightly surprised. The technique Sellen had used was more than just wrapping mana around her body or weapon.
Not only had she infused her ki with an inherent attribute, but she had also released the mana through her skin instead of her hands.
Seeing her like this, I couldn’t quite gauge how strong Sellen had become. She seemed much stronger than the Sellen I knew... as in, the Sellen from before my regression.
Maybe the forgotten god’s altar she’d discovered in the forest had inspired her.
I can’t believe that worked, though.
Wasn’t that technically an act of defense?
If she passed simply because the projectiles hadn’t touched her, then... as a martial artist who fought barehanded, I found that a bit unfair.
With that technique, stage four shouldn’t pose much of a challenge for her, but I was looking forward to her reaction regardless.
Kwagagagak!
As expected, Sellen froze at the sight of weapons raining down from above.
[Congratulations! You have passed all the trials prepared in the Room of Agility!]
[...Calculating your score...]
[Please wait a moment.]
...
...
[Score calculation is complete.]
[NEW!] [1st place: Sellen Goodspring - 97 Points.]
“...”
We had a new record.
She had surpassed the Lord of Blood and Iron and myself—but more importantly, she’d dropped my ranking to third place.
Sellen let out a deep, cold breath. “Haahh...”
She glanced at the ranking board and paused for a second.
“...”
Whose name had made her freeze up?
I tried to guess by looking at her eyes to see where she was looking, but Sellen just turned and walked past me, heading to the next room.
Of course, I followed right behind her.
[Room of Speed]
The way points were given here was simple. The participant just had to sprint down a long, straight path.
It was about 50 meters, which was relatively short...
The first stage was just running.
The second stage added obstacles.
The third stage added a strong wind blowing from somewhere.
And finally, in the long-awaited fourth stage...
Rumble...!
“...”
The interior of the room suddenly collapsed and crumbled away, and the path became absurdly narrow.
It became so narrow that it resembled a thick rope. The ground to the left and right completely disappeared and became a cliff. The darkness below was so deep that the bottom could not be seen.
Of course, falling in wouldn’t result in death since this was yet another of the Headmaster’s creations.
This kind of scene had a great effect on the participant’s state of mind. It wasn’t clear whether it was real or an illusion. Even knowing it was a trick, it was easy to still be deceived.
Sellen looked a little nervous, but she didn’t look like she would give up. She posed as if ready, and when the signal blared, she dashed down the narrow path.
However, it was plain to see that she was noticeably slower.
[Room of Speed: 71 Points.]
Yes! I won!
And I hadn’t just won—that was nearly a complete victory.
Sellen’s gaze snapped to me cackling on the side.
She then glanced at the rankings and, in a slightly surprised voice, muttered, “Ninety-seven points...?”
“Pretty impressive, right?”
Sellen kept her mouth shut.
Evidently she had no intention of responding to my gloating.
Finally, we came to the last room, the Room of Strength.
This room didn’t pose as much of a threat as the Room of Speed or the Room of Agility. It was the simplest of the three trials.
The first stage just required the participant to break a wooden scarecrow.
In the second stage, a large boulder.
In the third stage, a suit of armor.
And in the final stage, a large black shield.
I crossed my arms as I reminisced about my attempt.
The shield in the last stage was quite sturdy.
Generally speaking, of course. I hadn’t even broken a sweat, which was expected since my White Sun Form and Strongest Fire Technique were martial arts focused on destructive power.
I wonder how she’ll do.
Personally, I thought Sellen’s greatest weakness was her lack of destructive power.
And I was right.
She broke the scarecrow and the boulder with her hands, but when it came to the armor, she only made a slight dent.
Sellen didn’t even qualify for the fourth stage.
* * * * *
* * * * *
[Room of Strength: 52 Points.]
“Euk.”
She sounded unhappy with her low score.
It had to have been quite a shock because her expression darkened.
She sighed before looking at the rankings again, then back at me, looking even more shocked than before.
She must have seen my score.
“What the...? How did you do it?”
I proudly answered, “I’m actually pretty strong.”
For once, she didn’t get irritated at my nonsense and just stared intently at my face. Then she said something rather unexpected.
“You’re...”
“Yeah?”
“Really strong.”
I just knew she wasn’t talking about my physical strength.
It was actually something I’d been hearing a lot lately, but I was still a bit surprised to hear it from Sellen.
She looked at me with an expression that told me there was a lot going on in her head.
Anyway, with this, her total score was 220 points.
It wasn’t enough to place her in the top rankings, but it was enough to qualify for the fourth floor.
Rumble...
The wall of the waiting room shifted, revealing a hidden staircase.
“Oh...”
So that was where it was.
Without further ado, we headed straight for the stairs. Fortunately, this time it wasn’t a spiral staircase, and we could clearly see the end. But it was still quite long.
As we were climbing up, Sellen said, “Hey.”
“What.”
“Are you a man of justice?”
“Huh?”
I couldn’t help but stop in my tracks. I’d never been asked a question like that before.
I looked at her to see if she was joking, but her face said she was completely serious. I had no choice but to answer.
“Um. In moderation, I guess...?”
“I see...” Sellen fell deep in thought for a moment before hesitantly saying, “Then, do you think you could help me with something at the academy?”
“With what?”
“It’s hard to explain in detail. But... it’s for the peace and well-being of innocent people.” When I didn’t respond, Sellen became flustered and quickly added, “It’s nothing suspicious. Really. I swear on my life.”
...What’s with this sudden change in atmosphere?
The now-serious atmosphere gave me the creeps. I wasn’t generally a fan of this kind of heavy mood.
“Is it dangerous?”
“You could die.”
She wasn’t holding back, huh?
I nodded and said, “Helping you isn’t hard.”
In a way, I owed her.
“But if you’re being this vague, I can’t help. If you really want my help, you’ve got to tell me what’s going on, and you’ve got to explain it clearly. Obviously, that should come first before I go and accept whatever you want to ask of me.”
“...”
With nothing to say in rebuttal, Sellen fell silent and suddenly glanced around.
Was she checking to make sure no one was eavesdropping?
I extended my senses too, but I couldn’t sense any presences nearby, nor any communication crystals.
Certain that there was no one nearby, Sellen said, “The academy may be in danger. I’m not sure, but...”
“In danger? From what?”
“That... I can’t tell you that yet.”
“Why?”
“Because if I tell you, you’ll think I’m a crazy bitch.”
“...”
As soon as I heard that, I recalled a conversation I’d had with her during the camp before my regression.
—I’ll tell you later.
—Why?
—I don’t want to be treated like a crazy bitch.
And what had happened after that?
Priest Juan had revealed his true form, Evan had become the vice-cult leader, and eventually a demon lord had been summoned. As a result, more than half of the participating heroes had died.
Now, I understood Sellen’s position. If she had told me the truth back then, how would I have reacted? Being told that a high priest had infiltrated House Bednicker and that a Demon Lord would be summoned—I wouldn’t have believed her.
I would have treated her like a crazy bitch.
I let out a sigh and said, “Fine. I’ll help you.”
“Really?!” she said in a slightly uplifted tone.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen her so elated.
I, on the other hand, felt a bit uneasy.
...She didn’t even ask for help in the training camp.
But she was asking for my assistance now? It couldn’t just be because I was strong, which left only one option...
Soon, a disaster would befall the academy, one even worse than what would’ve happened in the training camp.
...Something demon lord-related is going to happen here too.
Damn it.
The Empire was in deep shit.
***
Alderson was staring intently at the screen.
The once-noisy atmosphere of the control room had gradually quieted down, creating a feeling like the calm before a storm. But that was only natural.
Starting on the fourth floor, challengers were rewarded with actual prizes, and those rewards were the precious collection that Headmaster Alderson had gathered with his blood, sweat, and youth.
Though he pretended to be relaxed as he held a teacup, his hand was trembling slightly.
...They don’t know about that, right?
The Treasure Vault was accessible from the fourth floor. Although it was called a treasure vault, hardly any heroes reached this floor, so for some time now it had been used more as a safe.
Every time a valuable item was acquired, it was thrown in there. All the items in the Treasure Vault were literal treasures that Alderson had carefully collected, but...
Of course, the treasures in there weren’t all of equal value.
Currently, there was a particularly valuable item in the vault. One that had been put in recently and hadn’t yet been removed.
No. No, no, no. There’s no way they’ll pick that one.
That was correct. There was no reason for them to pick it. It looked shabby and useless, so unless someone had lost their mind, there was no way they’d choose it.
But...
...
Alderson’s anxious gaze shifted back to the screen. The moment he saw the two heroes who had just entered the fourth floor, he swallowed hard to ease his dry throat.
Bednicker...
That last name raised goosebumps down his arm.
***
I had a lot of questions for Sellen.
Honestly, I’d felt that something was off ever since she decided to come to the academy... But that feeling was now a certainty.
What could possibly happen in Kartell Academy, one of the safest places in the Imperial City?
I was on the edge of my seat, I was so curious—but I decided to wait to ask for more details until we had finished climbing the tower.
[Welcome to the Floor of Duels!]
[※ Rule Number Four ※]
[A minimum of two people are required for the trial on this floor.]
[...Confirming...]
[Two participants confirmed.]
[Please choose your reward before the duel.]
I tilted my head in confusion. “Reward?”
[All challengers who reach the fourth floor are granted access to the ‘Treasure Vault.’]
[You may choose one reward before the duel begins.]
“Giving us rewards before we even fight... He’s more generous than I thought,” I muttered.
Sellen cynically responded, “Generous, my ass. He didn’t give us anything for the first three floors. I say he can't get any more stingy and cheap than this.”
“...You know, he’s probably listening to us.”
Sellen snorted, all but saying, Let him hear.
I kept my mouth shut. Honestly, I agreed that the headmaster was stingy.
Anyway, we stepped into the so-called Treasure Vault.
Flash!
“Wow...” My eyes widened at the dazzling scene.
It wasn’t exactly filled with piles of gold coins, jewels, or expensive ornaments as one would typically imagine of a treasure vault... But there were plenty of weapons and suits of armor on display that looked valuable at first glance.
Additionally, I could see old books, mystic elixirs, and magic items that looked like antiques.
“Wow, would you look at these... There’s so much fascinating stuff here. What’s this? It looks like a teapot.”
There was no real explanation. Were we supposed to just pick something on our own?
While I was browsing, Sellen gave the place a quick scan and then said, “I’ll take this.”
When I turned to look, I saw her holding a wooden box.
“What’s that?”
Instead of answering, Sellen opened the wooden box.
Click.
Inside was an icy orb that gave off a chilling aura. It was clearly an elixir from its appearance.
“It’s a ten-thousand-year crystal. I’ve never seen one this big before.”
Was it like my mystic bead but icy?
In the next moment, Sellen proved me correct by taking out the crystal and tossing it into her mouth. Then, as if it were candy, she rolled the crystal around in her mouth, her cheeks puffing out slightly.
“Is it good?”
“Col’.”
...Cold, she says.
She glared at me, clearly telling me to stop making her talk, at least for a while, so I turned my gaze away and continued to browse.
Weapons? Pass. Armor? No thanks. Accessories? Not really my thing.
Then should I just grab one of the pricey jewels? I wasn’t sure.
Having money was great and all, but it wasn’t like I was strapped for cash at the moment. Just in case anyone has forgotten, I was currently quite wealthy with a solid 5,000 gold to my name.
Man, this is an issue of its own.
Even with all these options laid out before me, it was hard to pick when there was nothing I truly needed.
...But that was okay. I had a trump card up my sleeve!
I took a deep breath and called out.
O dear Martial God...!
[...What is it?]
Despite my slightly over-the-top call, the Martial God responded in his usual calm voice. I smirked and asked, What is the most valuable item in this Treasure Vault?
When you don’t know what anything is, you might as well grab whatever is most expensive, right?
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