[The trial will now begin.]

I remained on high alert, my senses sharp.

It was quiet, but I knew it was the calm before the storm. I kept scanning my surroundings, my muscles coiled.

'Vwwwm.'

A low hum. I spun around to see a green light flash on a single tile hundreds of meters away. An instant later, a glowing blue arrow shot out with a soft 'fwish'.

'A Mana Arrow!'

I hastily threw up a Shield in front of me.

'Pshnk!'

The arrow struck the Shield, deflected, and dissipated into the air. My Shield vanished a moment later.

'Vwoom, vwoom.'

This time, the hum came from my front and back simultaneously.

'Aha, I see what kind of trial this is.'

I created a Shield to block the frontal assault while twisting my body to evade the second arrow. It grazed my clothes, and a bead of cold sweat trickled down my back.

'This is… thrilling.'

'Vwoom, vwoom, vwoom.'

Three Mana Arrows this time. The difficulty was ramping up exponentially. With only one Shield, how was I supposed to block them all?

Forgetting the Shield, I dove into a roll. The arrows slammed into the floor where I'd just been. But evasion alone wasn't a perfect solution. The hasty roll sent a jolt of pain through my shoulder. And before I could even get back on my feet…

'Vwoom, vwoom.'

With my posture broken, two more arrows flew at me from opposite directions.

'Relying on wide, evasive movements has its limits.'

The cube was too small. A single roll would put me right up against a corner, making it nearly impossible to defend against the next attack.

'Focus. I have to focus.'

My eyes widened as I spread my arms. I didn't know if it would work, but I didn't have time to second-guess myself.

I would cast both spells at once.

I visualized the magic circle's three-stage construction: first, the field; second, the runes; third, the formula.

Calmly, I laid the base for a magic circle on each palm simultaneously.

'Don't overthink it. It's just like drawing with a pen in each hand.'

My training paid off. The moment I began to trace the runes, mana flooded in, assisting me, rushing the spells toward completion. I surrendered to the flow. The key wasn't to feel like 'I' was drawing the circle, but to guide the mana to draw it for me.

'Shhh, shhh.'

The magic circles flared to life. Just as the arrows were about to pierce my body, I unleashed the spells from both outstretched hands.

'Shield!'

'Thwang! Thwang!'

When I opened my eyes, I saw two Mana Arrows deflecting off two separate Shields I had created.

'It worked!'

[You have acquired the Multi-Casting trait.]

A jolt went through me. I had slaved away for two years to earn a single trait, and now I had unlocked another with a single moment of enlightenment.

My elation was cut short as green lights flashed from three new directions. I pinpointed their locations and multicast two more Shields. Two arrows were blocked. I dodged the third, aimed at my head, by snapping my neck back.

Having weathered the storm, I scrambled from the corner back to the center of the cube. Getting trapped was a death sentence.

'Alright, let's see who breaks first.'

My blood was boiling now.

The sounds came in rapid succession. Not simultaneous, but a staggered volley from all sides was just as dangerous.

I tracked their general directions, threw up two Shields in front and behind me with multi-casting, and immediately began preparing my next spell. Not a Shield this time, but a Gauntlet.

The Gauntlet magic circle was seventy percent complete when the next wave of arrows arrived.

'Thwang! Thwang!'

My two Shields absorbed the first two impacts. I kicked my leg up to deflect the third. The moment my evasion was complete, I thrust my hand into the newly formed Gauntlet magic circle.

'Swoosh.'

The magic transformed, encasing my right hand in a glove of pure energy. Just then, two more arrows flew at my chest and head from either side. I lunged to the right, swatting one away with my gauntleted hand.

"Ugh!"

I spun, extending my arm toward the final arrow. I'd recently discovered a new application for this spell.

'Activate!'

'BOOM!'

By manually triggering Gauntlet in mid-air, I unleashed the magic gathered in my fist. The resulting shockwave blasted the arrow out of the sky.

[Gauntlet magic circle proficiency has reached 80%.]

[Magic Power has increased by 1.]

[Agility has increased by 1.]

"Ooh…!"

An electrifying thrill shot down my spine. This wasn't a fight against a monster, but the sheer ecstasy of bending a situation to my will was incredible. Adrenaline flooded my system, and every cell in my body screamed with life.

My eyes, now fully immersed, darted wildly.

'Two from the left and right. Two from the front and back. Another two from the sides.'

A combination of simultaneous and staggered fire. The difficulty was becoming absurd, but it didn't matter.

'Bring it on.'

I extended my arms, creating Shields to my left and right.

'Thwang! Thwang!'

The moment I heard the impacts, I threw myself sideways. It was a fast dodge, but not fast enough. One arrow missed; the other sank into my shoulder.

"...Ack!"

I was hit. The pain was searingly real, enough to make my vision go white for a second, but I fought to maintain focus. Without even looking, I thrust my arm toward the next incoming arrow.

'Shield!'

For a split second, I saw an image of the Shield's formula flashing into existence like lightning. And then—

'Thwang! Thwang!'

The arrows struck the shield the very instant it formed.

[You have acquired the Accelerated Casting trait.]

[Special Stat - 'Willpower' has been unlocked.]

[Willpower has increased by 1.]

[Magic Power has increased by 1.]

"Hehe, hahaha!"

My bones screamed from rolling on the hard floor, and blood gushed from my shoulder, but I couldn't stop laughing. The pain was excruciating, but the feeling was ecstatic. It was so damn good.

Green lights flashed from all directions in a chaotic frenzy. But I had no intention of backing down. I extended my arm, and a Shield materialized far faster than before.

[Shield magic circle proficiency has reached 100%.]

My Sage's Eye perfectly calculated the trajectory of every projectile. I tilted my head, twisted my limbs into bizarre, acrobatic shapes, and dodged.

[Agility has increased by 1.]

I couldn't avoid the next one. An arrow slammed into my back, but I gritted my teeth and formed two Gauntlets, thrusting both hands into the swirling magic.

[Gauntlet magic circle proficiency has reached 90%.]

I parried an arrow from the side with my left Gauntlet and blocked another with my right forearm. Rolling backward, I activated my left Gauntlet, obliterating an incoming arrow in a concussive blast, then sprang up and multi-cast Shields to either side.

'Last ones, one in front and one behind!'

It was too late for a Shield. I leaped into the air, flinging my gauntleted right hand out blindly.

'Activate!'

'Fwoosh!'

The force of the Gauntlet acted like a booster, propelling me sideways. The arrows missed me by a hair's breadth. My clumsy evasion sent me crashing into the blue barrier, but the pain of the impact was nothing. I shot back to my feet, roaring as a wave of pure triumph washed over me.

[Your mastery in handling mana has reached a new dimension.]

[Child of Mana has reached Lv2.]

[Multi-Casting has reached Lv.2.]

[Accelerated Casting has reached Lv.2.]

[Magic Power has increased by 5.]

[Focus has increased by 1.]

[Willpower has increased by 1.]

Wow! It was exhilarating. The memory of my past struggles flashed through my mind. I'd spent months in player-exclusive training just to raise Strength by a single point. I'd tried archery for Agility, memorized otherworldly languages for Focus. I'd tried everything, but the returns were pathetic. The training methods on Earth had clear limitations.

My peers with combat abilities grew stronger with every dungeon they cleared, every monster they killed. It would be a lie to say I wasn't jealous. I was an outcast, stuck behind a wall.

But now…

The one growing faster than anyone was me.

'TIIIING!'

The sound changed. I whipped my head around to see a tile on the side wall flickering with an ominous red light.

'Red? What does red mean?'

This was new. A sense of dread washed over me, and I preemptively raised a Shield. The red light had a longer charge time than the green. Four more green arrows were already in the air, but the red tile just kept blinking.

'What the hell is it?'

My attention was momentarily diverted by the arrows coming from behind me.

'KRA-KOOM!'

A bolt of crimson lightning erupted from the wall. It tore straight through my Shield and struck me head-on.

"Kegh!"

A strangled cry tore from my throat as I collapsed to my knees. The pain was secondary to the paralysis that seized my body. I couldn't move. And the mana arrows didn't wait for me to recover.

'Thwack!'

An arrow sank into my back.

'Kshnk! Pshnk!'

My thigh and waist were pierced in quick succession.

"Aaaaaagh…!"

'It hurts! It hurts like hell!' Blood streamed from my wounds, and my vision blurred. Fear, cold and sharp, pierced through the haze of pain. Trial or not, I was going to die here. Biting my lip until it bled, I forced strength into my body and managed to move one arm. An incoming arrow immediately pierced my shoulder, and the limb went limp.

"Dammit!"

My eyes darted to the exit magic circle. I began to crawl, squeezing out every last drop of strength. My left leg, riddled with arrows, was useless. I dragged myself forward with my right leg and shoulder, like an insect.

"...Hah! Haaah!"

The pain began to dull, my vision fading to a blurry black and white.

'I refuse to die. Not like this. I'm too pissed off to die.'

I summoned the last dregs of my willpower and kept crawling. Arrows continued to rain down, embedding themselves in my back. I couldn't imagine how I looked—probably like a human pincushion.

"Gah!"

I stretched my trembling left arm toward the exit.

'Pshnk!'

A Mana Arrow pierced my elbow, but in that last, desperate moment, my fingertips brushed the edge of the magic circle.

[You have forfeited the trial. Moving outside.]

With that message, my consciousness winked out.

* * *

"...Hah!"

I shot up, a ragged gasp tearing from my lungs. I collapsed in front of the second-floor portal.

'Am I alive?'

I frantically checked my body. All the arrow wounds were gone, completely healed. For a second, I wondered if it had all been an illusion, but my shirt and pants were soaked crimson and riddled with holes.

More importantly, I felt a vitality I had never known. An overwhelming torrent of mana, far greater than anything I'd ever felt before, coursed through me.

'...Shield.'

I thought of the spell, and the magic circle formed almost subconsciously, my mind calculating the runes and formula instantly. The result of 100% proficiency.

Excited, I quickly pulled up my status window.

Name: Kim Yusin

Unique Ability: Sage's Eye

Personal Traits: [Child of Mana Lv.2], [Master of the Magic Tower Lv.10], [Magic Engineering Lv.10], [Spell Lord Lv.10], [Over-immersion Lv.6], [Potion Brewing Lv.5], [Analysis Lv.1]

Basic Stats: [Magic Power 67], [Agility 9], [Strength 6], [Stamina 5]

Special Stats: [Focus 5], [Intelligence 3], [Endurance 2], New! [Willpower 2]

Total Stats: 99

New Traits: New! [Multi-Casting Lv.2], New! [Accelerated Casting Lv.2]

"...Ha, haha! This is insane!"

All my growth from the trial had carried over. My stats had skyrocketed in that short time, and I'd gained two new traits. Considering most hunters averaged three or four traits in their entire careers, this was an unbelievable leap.

I laughed like a madman before collapsing weakly onto the stairs.

"Whew..."

A thousand thoughts raced through my mind. So this was the Tower Master's tradition—overcoming trials set by one's predecessors to unseal the tower. It had been agonizing, but it clearly wasn't designed just to kill. The growth was undeniable. The entire trial must have been enchanted with some kind of growth-amplification magic.

A part of me wanted to challenge it again right now. But my body was exhausted, and I needed time to think about that strange red lightning.

'Rest today. But I will open the second floor by tomorrow.'

With that resolve, I lay back flat on the floor.

'Let's see who breaks first.'

The pleasure of growth had completely eclipsed the pain and fear of death. I was genuinely starting to enjoy this.

* * *

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