A system message announcing my victory materialized before my eyes. A Teleportation magic circle leading to the next area appeared in the center of the Cube.

"Hah! Hah! Whew…!"

I let out the breath I'd been holding. A long, lingering echo of the storm I'd just weathered flowed through my body. It was the first time I'd ever immersed myself so deeply.

'…The only thing I can think of is that I'm insane.'

I'd gained Remote Casting and even leveled up the Over-immersion trait that had been stuck. Just how strong could I get in here? After calming my breathing, I tried casting Shield with Remote Casting as a test. As I took control of the mana in the atmosphere, a base was laid in the empty air, preparing for the creation of a magic circle. It was slower than casting with the palm-stamping method, but being able to deploy multiple spells from a distance was a significant advantage.

'But it looks like this isn't the end.'

I got up and stepped onto the magic circle that had appeared in the center of the Cube.

[You will be moved to the final boss room of the trial.]

[Clearing the boss room will unlock 'Magic Tower 2nd Floor - The Great Library'.]

[Once you enter the boss room, you cannot leave.]

[Do you wish to enter the boss room?]

'So, a boss fight. Makes sense.' And once I entered, I couldn't leave. It felt like a final, no-retries showdown.

'Well, no point in hesitating now that I've come this far.'

I had learned the main techniques the Cube intended, so I had no more business here. I wanted to settle this while I was on a roll.

"I'm going in."

* * *

My body floated up and moved to the next space. It was dark again. My vision was gone, but I was able to remain relatively calm this time.

'What's next?'

'Fwoosh! Fwoosh! Fwoosh!'

Just then, the braziers on the walls all ignited at once, illuminating the surroundings.

And.

'FWOOOOSH!'

A massive brazier in front of me ignited, revealing a being sitting on a dais. It had the head of a goat, the body of a hairy human, and a pair of black horns rising high above its head. I knew what this thing was.

'Baphomet…!'

The goat-headed monster that had nearly annihilated Melbourne—the Nightmare of Oceania, responsible for a record number of civilian deaths. The one I'd seen on the news was as large as a house, but this one was only about the size of a human. Was it not yet fully grown?

Just then, Baphomet's eyes snapped open and fixed on me.

The moment our eyes met, a chill ran down my spine, and my whole body trembled. The Cube had been a life-threatening trial, but facing a real monster was on a completely different level.

'I've finally made it this far. Calm down, stay calm.'

While I was trying to control my mind, Baphomet picked up a poleaxe that looked like a cross between a staff and an axe and slowly walked toward me.

'Thud, thud.'

As the sound of its footsteps on the stone floor grew closer, my mouth went dry.

'The first strike has to be mine.'

I drew up the mana in my body and extended both arms.

<Mana Arrow>

Two Mana Arrows flew with a crisp sound. Baphomet watched them as if observing them, then casually swung its poleaxe and batted them away. The arrows shattered into two pieces and dispersed into the air. Well, it wasn't an opponent I could do anything about with something like this.

After blocking the attack, Baphomet readjusted its grip on the poleaxe, holding it vertically with both hands, and closed its eyes. The atmosphere was solemn, as if it were performing some kind of ritual.

'Vwoom!'

A blue magic circle appeared in the air next to Baphomet. Before I could even wonder what kind of magic circle it was, Baphomet's eyes shot open, and it charged at me.

'Fast!'

I hastily deployed a shield in front of me with Remote Casting, and a moment later, its weapon crashed into it.

'CLANG!'

The poleaxe slammed against my shield but didn't break through, deflecting away. But it instantly changed direction in midair, whipping toward my flank.

'Damn, it's fast!'

Thinking that Remote Casting would be too slow, I directly extended my arm and created a shield on my side. As the shield took Baphomet's attack, I threw myself backward to create distance.

'I s-survived.'

We had only exchanged one blow, but I was drenched in a cold sweat. My legs were trembling from the intense tension.

'Shhhk.'

Baphomet stopped its attack, readjusted its grip on the poleaxe, and closed its eyes again. This time, a red magic circle appeared in the air.

'Whew, this is crazy! A monster that uses magic…!'

After casting, Baphomet charged at me again. The two magic circles moved as if they were escorting it. Just as I was calmly preparing a shield in front of me with Remote Casting and getting Mana Arrows ready with both hands.

'CRACK!'

Something unexpected happened. The Shield magic circle that had been protecting me shattered with a single blow.

'Its power increased?'

After shattering the shield, Baphomet leaped directly at me. My calculations thrown off, I hastily retreated, but I couldn't completely dodge the swinging poleaxe and was slashed across the shoulder.

"Argh!"

My skin tore, and blood splattered. The pain was incomparable to being hit by a Mana Arrow. Fortunately, the magic circle was complete, so I blocked the follow-up attack, but it hurt like hell. The fact that a single misstep could mean death was seared into my brain. There was no escape here. Now that I was in the boss room, either it died or I died. We had to see this through.

'This is no time to rest! Move!'

Belatedly, I gathered my wits and prepared two Gauntlet magic circles at the same time. Baphomet was once again holding its poleaxe in front of its chest and beginning the ritual. This time, a green magic circle appeared. It moved with three magic circles in tow.

'Shhhhhh!'

A green afterimage trailed behind Baphomet as it moved. A speed-up this time? The fast monster had gotten even faster.

'If I try to put up a shield after seeing its direction, it'll be too late!'

I gave up on trying to block what I saw. Baphomet, which had been circling me as if to confuse me, suddenly appeared behind me and swung its poleaxe down.

'THUD!'

Baphomet's pupils dilated. I had twisted my waist and caught the shaft of the poleaxe with my two Gauntlet-clad hands.

"Ack…!"

My arms trembled. As I gritted my teeth and held on, I suddenly thrust my head forward and met its gaze. Seeing the red eyes filled with bewilderment, I smirked.

"…You're weaker than you look, aren't you?"

While tightly gripping the poleaxe, I prepared two Mana Arrow magic circles with Remote Casting. The startled Baphomet tried to retreat, but I didn't let go.

'Right, even for a boss fight, this was too difficult. The trial challenger was only allowed to use basic magic, while the opposing monster used buff magic circles and was incredibly fast. But it had one critical weakness: a lack of raw physical strength. It seemed our dear boss monster here had the typical stats of a mage. Of course, I was a little surprised when my shield shattered in one hit after it cast the red magic circle, but that red energy was concentrated in its poleaxe. The weapon's cutting power had increased, but as long as I held it down, I could withstand its strength.'

'Now!'

The casting was complete, and two Mana Arrows were fired. It tried to move its body to dodge, but.

'Crack! Thwack!'

My targets from the beginning had been the green and red magic circles floating around it. The magic circles cracked upon being hit by the Mana Arrows and then shattered with a 'shatter!' sound. At the same time, the foreign energy enveloping its body also disappeared.

"I knew it!"

There was a reason the creator had placed the Cube before the boss fight. Just as I had attacked the red lightning to cancel it, this time too, I could break the opponent's skills with my own attacks.

Just then, Baphomet unexpectedly let go of the poleaxe and kicked me in the stomach.

"Kegh!"

As I was pushed back by the impact, it quickly retrieved its weapon and created distance. I spat a mouthful of blood onto the stone floor and laughed.

[Stamina has increased by 1.]

[Willpower has increased by 1.]

"Good, good." If taking a beating meant getting stronger, I was more than willing to oblige.

Just then, Baphomet raised its poleaxe above its head in a new motion.

'Fwoooosh!'

The orb embedded in the center of the poleaxe flashed with light, and three fireballs formed around it. The fireballs expanded like rising dough, and once their forms were complete, they were fired in different directions.

'You cheat. Only you get to use powerful magic.'

I calculated the trajectory of the fireballs and used multi-casting to erect shields.

'BOOOOM! RUMBLE!'

The fireballs exploded upon hitting the shields, spewing acrid smoke into the surroundings. Baphomet took this opportunity to close its eyes and try to build a magic circle, but.

'WHOOOOSH!'

My body shot through the explosive smoke like a missile. I had turned the Gauntlets on both my arms, whose duration was about to expire, backward and used them like boosters.

"Raaaaaaaaaaaah!"

Startled by my momentum, Baphomet canceled its casting and swung its poleaxe. But perhaps because it was a sudden swing, it lacked its previous sharpness. I ducked under the attack as I charged and spun my body around. A magic circle was drawn on my back like the logo on a t-shirt.

'SHWACK!'

A Mana Arrow immediately fired from the magic circle and embedded itself in Baphomet's shoulder. It let out a pained cry and staggered.

"See, you're not that tough after all."

The Mana Arrow was lodged deep in Baphomet's shoulder. It glared at me, blood pouring from the wound. Most monsters would have just charged through a Mana Arrow, taking the hit. But for Baphomet, even a single Mana Arrow was a critical blow. Its defense was about that of a human. No, it was lower than that of a player who could enhance their body with magic power.

'If I can land just one solid hit with the Gauntlet, I can send it to the afterlife.'

I wiped the blood from my lips with my sleeve.

'This isn't a dungeon designed to kill people, but a trial created by the Magic Tower for the growth of the Tower Master candidate. In that case, there must be a way to beat it.'

'Hehehehe! Ah, this is crazy.'

'This was a life-or-death crisis, yet I couldn't stop the exhilaration coursing through me. Was I going insane? Maybe. But right now, insanity felt pretty damn good.'

Feeling a sense of euphoria, I unfolded a magic circle. I could finally see a path to victory. The opening of the second floor was right before my eyes.

* * *

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