Out of all the opponents I've fought, the second pupil was one of the worst. To think an adult in her forties would throw a temper tantrum. I also knew she was thinking of committing sui- er, cutting herself down when I saw that depressing glint in her eyes. She is way too obsessed with her master to the point where it's unhealthy. I mean, you want to end your life just because you think they'll be disappointed with your performance? I know I have no right to speak of their relationship since I'm a stranger and they know each other way better than I do, but I had a faint feeling that her master wasn't that type of person at all.
When I fought the other three pupils before her, they all seemed like good people. As the saying goes, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. If the master is a piece of shit, so will the pupils, and I didn't get that vibe at all. So, I took the chance to persuade the second pupil about her obsession with her master. It's honestly pitiful to be that obsessed with a person. Well, that was partly the reason why I tried talking to her. The real reason is that I didn't want to witness something so gruesome right in front of my eyes, and Solgac's eyes too. A child shouldn't see the horrors of life so early in their years. It would rot their brain, so to speak.
"Kyuu…" A low, whining voice startled me out of my contemplation.
"Hm? Oh, sorry about that. I shouldn't have ignored you like that…"
The dragon feverishly shook her head and pointed a forelimb in front of us. When I turned my head to see where she was pointing, it was at a suit of armor that was noticeably different from the others. Instead of a silver color, it was now gold-plated all around, helmet, plume and all. The sheathing on its back was also golden in color too. Why is everything so flashy? Did I somehow teleport to a whole new area?
"I applaud you for reaching this high up, challenger!" It roared with a vibrant and cheerful voice. "To have defeated the second pupil, your skills are commendable! I'll be straightforward with you challenger. We stand no chance against you."
"When you say 'we', I'm guessing you mean the ones wearing armor and a feather on top of their helmets?" I said to the knight.
"Precisely. If you are able to defeat the pupils and still stand here unscathed, then we knights are hopelessly outmatched. We are far weaker than the pupils of the Demonic Dojo, stationed only on the floors that do not house them."
Hmm… that makes sense. At least this guy has some sense in him…
The golden knight pulled out a longsword coated in gold, just like his armor. "Though we stand no chance, we will continue to fight. It is our given duty to fight till our last breath. I hope you understand where we are coming from. As a golden knight, I will do everything within my power to prohibit you from going forward. While it is likely I will fall in battle, my brethren will avenge me!"
Woah… Isn't this guy being a little too dramatic? It's not like I'm going to kill you or anything! I mean, unless you deserve it somehow…
A blue aura wrapped itself along the knight's blade, encasing it with vibrant power. This knight has just activated its [Aura Blade], and it's a lot more rigid than the silver knights before him. When they used mana, it was somewhat unsteady, like someone was shaking a bowl filled with water. When I compare it to my [Aura Blade], it's not that far in terms of control. What matters is how long you can maintain that form. If we're talking about nonstop fighting, maybe around a couple of minutes for him?
"Alright then, golden knight. Let's begin the fight, shall we?" I made a little show by twirling my rapier in a little circle. There's no need for me to use [Aura Blade] or any of my mana unless I feel the need to. Due to how respectful this person is, I don't want to stomp on his hon-
"If I may be so bold to ask of you, challenger… Please do not hold back in our battle. We knights see that as a sign of disrespect to our honor."
I contemplated the knight's words for a moment. "…I apologize. I didn't mean to offend you."
The knight drooped his body, giving me a deep bow, and held the longsword above his head.
"Thank you for your consideration. Let us begin, challenger."
"I won't hold back as you said. Don't be surprised if you were to lose in under thirty seconds," I said with a shrug.
The knight didn't reply to my retort as he took one step forward. The face may be covered behind that bulky helmet, but I can detect a faint smile behind the protective layer of shining gold. From now on, our voices won't be doing the talking. It will be our blades.
****
"Huff-Huff-Huff…"
[Congratulations, Laila, for defeating the twenty-fourth opponent. Please proceed to the next floor.]
[+100 Points Gained.]
…I think I fought a little too much the past four floors. This is the first time that I'm feeling a bit tired after entering the Tower of Strength. The golden knights were very adamant that I shouldn't hold back. Since I'm a very nice person, I figured I shouldn't disappoint them and give the golden knights what they want. I fully regret my decision. I should be conserving my mana and stamina for the next room: the twenty-fifth floor. When I asked the golden knight on this floor what the first pupil is like, they could only give me one answer as they were forbidden to speak about the pupils in detail. That one answer was…
"He'll give you a run for your money. That is all I can say."
They've seen how I fight and what I'm capable of, and if they can still say that single sentence without an ounce of worry or hesitation, then the first pupil is very strong. We might even be equals…
I wiped away a bead of sweat from my forehead. "Solgac, our next fight will be the toughest yet in the Tower of Strength. You ready?"
"Kyuu!"
Solgac bobbed her head excitedly, prepared for what was to come. I'm still worried about the little dragon getting hurt whenever I fight. Because of that, Solgac's safety is top priority. I can't have her sitting in the corner since she'll refuse to leave my side. I figured it was useless to persuade her, so I just let her be. Who knows, maybe she'll help me again in our next fight and alleviate some pressure off my shoulders. That would be greatly appreciated. I'm able to fight this long because of my durability, which also improves one's stamina the higher the Stat. The fact that I'm feeling a little tired now after all the fighting must be because of the debuff too…
[Please proceed to the next floor. You have ten seconds until you're automatically disqualified.]
Alright then, let's go on ahead...
As I was running toward the next door, with every step I took, I could feel myself getting even more nervous. Like mentally preparing yourself for a speech when it's your turn to speak in front of a crowd. When I reached my next destination and placed a hand on the doorknob, a rush of immense mana entered my palm. I quickly retracted my hand away from the doorknob, as if I was just given an electric shock.
"What the hell?"
Once again, I touched the doorknob, wanting to see whether that would happen again, and it didn't. Since I had no time to question it, I hastily opened the door and entered the next room. I was greeted with another wave of mana, even stronger than before. It was so much that I had mega goosebumps all over my body. I turned my head sideways to check on Solgac.
"You okay, Solgac? That was a lot of ma-"
Solgac was actively inhaling the mana all around us with sparkling eyes, her mouth wide open. After about a few seconds of that, Solgac abruptly closed her jaw and let out a little burp, her pink tongue licking around the outside of the mouth.
"…Right… [Gluttony]. Of course you would enjoy all of this mana…"
Wait a minute…Something feels off. Usually, when I enter a floor with a pseudo-boss, a screen would pop up telling me what the conditions for the floor would be. I see nothing like it anywhere. Is the S.O broken or is there no condition for this floor? The same thing happened on the twentieth floor.
"So, the skill that allows the dragon to consume mana is called [Gluttony]? What a fearsome skill indeed," said a playful voice. I turned my body around to see a young man sitting in the middle of the room, a sword with black wrapping next to his side. When I peered further, the stitching on his Gi had the words:
<1st Pupil of the Demonic Dojo>
"Did you enjoy the meal, little dragon? If you want, I could give you a little bit more of my mana. I don't mind at all," he chuckled. His laughter was like smooth honey to my ears. With his looks, he could probably pose as a model back on Earth, even with the red skin.
However, Solgac showed no signs of complying with the man. The dragon stayed put on my shoulders, her snow-white wings flickering ever so slightly. At that sight, the first pupil shrugged his shoulders.
"Suit yourself. Anyways, I should introduce myself. You probably already know who I am since you've come this far. It's also written on my Gi, so it's even more obvious. I'm the first pupil of the Demonic Dojo, also called the Tower of Strength to others."
"…"
"We've been watching you for a while, Laila, through the eyes of the dojo master. You handled the other pupils like they were little children play fighting with an adult. As we've watched you head deeper, our interest in you grew. I patiently waited for you to arrive at the twenty-fifth floor, eagerly awaiting our battle."
They've been watching me for that long huh… I'm not surprised at all. A master should always have surveillance on what their pupils are up to inside the Demonic Dojo. What I don't like though is that this guy knows of my fighting style. He has probably devised many plans in that brain of his to beat me.
"What excites me the most is that you have yet to fight at your full power. You've only shown small glimpses of what you're capable of, and I find that intriguing. Just how powerful is this challenger if she has been actively holding back against the pupils of the Demonic Dojo? It doesn't stop there. While the golden knights politely asked you to give it your all, you still held back."
"…"
After seeing no reaction from me, he shrugged and continued. "I don't blame you, you know? The golden knights were just far too weak for your power to blossom. Which is why I'm shaking with anticipation right now, but I must hold it back for a little while."
"For a little while? Why is that?" I finally spoke. The first pupil noticed that my annoyance levels were rising the more he talked, but he brushed it aside with a wink.
"Come, sit right in front of me. We should talk to each other before the fight commences. I'm sure you are curious about us, and the world, right? You showed a lot of interest in those topics when you spoke with the other pupils." He pointed at the spot in front of him, smiling at me.
Damn... was it that obvious? I thought I was keeping it low-key. Well, I don't care either way. There's no way I'll let this opportunity slide! If he tries anything funny, I'll just stab him to death or something…
With extreme caution, I quietly strolled toward the handsome man and plopped myself right in front of him, sitting cross-legged.
"Wonderful! Now then, let us speak to our heart's content!" He shouted cheerfully.
His enthusiasm was way too much for me to handle. It's like I was being force-fed a jar of sugar. I'll just have to bear with it for as long as I can. Getting information out of him will be a rewarding experience. Since he likes to talk, I'll be the one to ask the questions first.