Suimei University of the Arts, 2 PM.
It was now lunchtime, and Akira was also having lunch in the cafeteria with Mahiro and the others, enjoying the taste of the extremely spicy ramen.
But unfortunately, he was interrupted by a screen that appeared out of nowhere in front of him.
"I didn't expect another mission this soon," Akira thought as he stared at the screen in front of him.
[Ding! A new mission has been released for the chat group.]
[Quest: Climb the Tower]
[Goal 1: Participation in the Last Examination.]
[Goal 2: Get two of the 13 Month Series.]
[Goal 3: Defeat container Yuga.]
[Participants: 3 members must open the tower with their own strength.]
[Reward: 2000 points, one random reward.]
[System Note: Time in the original world will be stopped when participants go on the quest.]
"…" Akira stared at the mission for a moment before looking away from it. Now was not the right time, as eating lunch was more important than the mission.
_
[Akira: Hello, it seems everyone will go on this mission, and the first three people who can open the door to the tower will participate in the mission, while the others will automatically return to their worlds.]
After finishing his meal, Akira contacted the other members and explained the information he had obtained as the Admin.
[Yukihime: I see… I don't mind participating now since I have nothing else to do.]
[Asuna: +1]
[Kurumi: +1]
[Tabane: +1]
[Sui: +1]
[Akira: In that case, I'll accept the mission.]
After sending his message, Akira didn't hesitate to accept the mission, as he was always ready for these kinds of situations. The Gate of Babylon contained plenty of food, drinks, and clothes, which never ran out since whenever Akira consumed anything, his magical power would be absorbed and replenish what was used.
[Ding! Time in the members' worlds will be stopped, and they will be transported to the mission world.]
After seeing this notification, time stopped, and Akira disappeared from his spot, as did the other members.
_
The Tower.
"So, this is the tower…" Akira murmured as he stared at the seemingly endless tower. "But what is this place?"
Akira could only stare at the dark world around him, unable to see or hear anything, even with his enhanced senses.
"Ara~ Ara~ It seems we are in a space where time and space are distorted," said Kurumi, who was the most sensitive to time and space among everyone present.
"So, all we have to do is open that door?" said Asuna, pointing to the giant stone door, which was supposed to be the entrance to the tower.
"It seems that's the case," Yukihime nodded, examining the tower's exterior structure with curiosity.
"Then I'll try first!" Tabane exclaimed, rushing toward the door to open it using her IS. With the power of the IS, she had a better chance of opening the door.
Boom!
Due to the speed and force with which Tabane struck the door, there was a violent explosion, but the door didn't budge.
"Eh… Even with that much force, it didn't move," Tabane was surprised and wanted to try again, but she was stopped by a light surrounding her.
"It seems that each person has only one attempt, and if they fail, they will be forcibly returned to their world," Sui murmured, watching as Tabane disappeared instantly, presumably sent back to her world by the chat group.
"Then I'll go next," Yukihime said as she approached the tower slowly, drawing on the power of Magia Erebea and channeling it into her arms to give herself more strength.
Guided by Yukihime, a black magical force surrounded her hands, forming gloves that greatly increased her strength.
Upon approaching the tower, Yukihime gently placed her hands on the door and pushed it, but the force behind that gentle push was immense.
Ting!
With a clear and slightly irritating sound, the giant door opened a bit and pulled Yukihime inside before closing again.
"It seems Yukihime succeeded," Akira murmured, feeling a bit curious about what was required to open the tower.
"I'll go next," Akira said as he walked toward the door nonchalantly, not really caring if he could open it or not, as there was nothing in the tower that could make him stronger, according to his memory of the anime.
Ting!
"Huh… I didn't even do anything," Akira muttered in astonishment. Unlike what happened with Yukihime, the door opened fully without Akira even touching it.
The tower didn't pull him inside either; it seemed to be cautious about treating Akira harshly and was very careful not to anger him.
"Well then, I'll go first," Akira told the others and walked through the stone door, which closed immediately after he entered.
"So, who will go next?" Kurumi asked, not seeming to have any intention of participating.
"I'll try my luck," Asuna said as she used her magical power to enhance her strength and speed. She preferred to use her full power and fail rather than hold back and regret it later if she didn't succeed.
"Do your best, Asuna," Sui murmured, staring at Asuna anxiously, more nervous for her than Asuna herself.
Ting!
The moment Asuna touched the stone door, it opened slightly, and she was pulled inside, just like what happened with Yukihime.
[Ding! The remaining members will now be returned to their worlds, and time will resume once they return.]
With that notification, a light enveloped Kurumi and Sui, and they vanished from the place.
...
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