"Welcome to the Tower of God" – At that moment, Asuna heard a voice greeting them. "I am the Administrator of the First Floor, and my name is Headon."
"..." – Asuna opened her eyes to see a metallic rabbit holding a staff and welcoming her, while Akira and Yukihime leaned against the wall with closed eyes, seemingly waiting for her.
"Although I have worked as the Administrator of the First Floor for a long time, it's been a while since I've seen this many Irregulars," Headon smiled as if pleased with the event. "So, would you like to take the test to climb the tower?"
"Definitely," – At this point, Akira opened his eyes and nodded without much thought. "Who wants to take the test first?"
This question was clearly directed at Yukihime and Asuna, as Akira wasn't planning to be the first to take the test. He was waiting for a certain person to arrive, though it seemed like they'd need some more time to get there.
"I'll go first," – Asuna said, staring at Headon. "Can I know the type of test, Headon-san?"
"The test is quite simple," – Headon smiled mischievously, waving his staff slightly, causing their surroundings to change. They were now in front of a cage filled with water containing a giant eel and a metal ball. "All you have to do is get past the White Steel Eel and break the ball behind it."
"Isn't the test simple?" – Headon said, glancing at Akira from the corner of his eye, as Akira was the most dangerous person present.
"Asuna, do you want to fight the White Steel Eel, or do you just want to break the ball?" Akira asked, raising an eyebrow, intending to give Asuna a treasure from the Gate of Babylon based on her choice.
"I want to do both," – Asuna smiled, not being the type to avoid combat. "But why are you asking?"
"It's not a big deal," – Akira shook his head, and a golden ripple appeared beside him, from which a sword swiftly emerged and embedded itself into the ground before Asuna.
"This..." – Asuna asked, staring at the beautiful blue sword with several magatama hanging from its handle, radiating a very dangerous aura.
"Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, the sword used by Susanoo-no-Mikoto to slay Yamata-no-Orochi," – Akira said nonchalantly, severing Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi's connection to the Gate of Babylon. "It's an extremely powerful sword, and it's yours from now on."
"Thank you, Akira-kun," – Asuna smiled as she picked up the sword, confident that no sword in her world could compare to this one that Akira had casually gifted her. "Is there anything I can do in return for this sword?"
Although Asuna had no intention of returning the sword, since Akira had given it to her, she also didn't want to take it without giving something in return.
"You're welcome, and if you want to repay me, just become stronger so that you can wield the sword without any problems," – Akira smiled, as he wasn't really concerned about the sword, given that the Gate of Babylon had absorbed its magic and recreated it without issue.
"Of course," – Asuna nodded happily, knowing that since joining the chat group, she had been able to grow stronger through training, unlike other Hunters in her world. And with a sword as amazing as Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, she would train harder than before to be worthy of wielding it.
"It seems you're ready," – Headon said, gesturing toward the cage, which opened its door to allow Asuna to enter.
"Then, I'll go first," – Asuna smiled at Akira and Yukihime, disappearing from her spot as she moved at a speed too fast for the ordinary eye to follow. However, to Akira and the others, who were all incredibly powerful, she appeared to be moving in slow motion.
"..." – Akira glanced at Yukihime, who was standing nearby, eyeing him from the corner of her eye as if waiting her turn to receive something as well. He sighed lightly, and another golden ripple appeared beside him.
"Here, since you don't use a weapon, I'll give you this," – Akira said, tossing a bottle with a clear liquid inside to Yukihime. "By drinking this, you won't need to use your magical power to maintain your body anymore, as the liquid in this bottle will force your body to grow into the ideal form you envision for yourself."
"Huh! Am I getting something too?" – Yukihime said in surprise, as if she hadn't been glancing at Akira earlier to get something like Asuna. "But seriously, you have so many amazing things in your treasury."
"Well, my treasury contains all the treasures of the world," – Akira smiled with satisfaction, happy to receive Yukihime's praise, without pointing out that she had been eyeing him for something as well.
"Then, I won't hesitate," – Yukihime smiled, swallowing the liquid in the bottle in one gulp, feeling a little excited to get her perfect body.
After drinking the bottle, a black cocoon made of liquid magical power enveloped Yukihime, as her transformation into her ideal form would take some time.
"..." – Headon certainly noticed everything Akira had done, from giving Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi to Asuna to giving the strange liquid to Yukihime, who was now in a cocoon made of Shinsu.
Although Shinsu was a mysterious power in the tower, it was actually extremely dense magical power that had become liquid, though no one knew this since most people were born and died in the tower. As for those from outside, they might hide this information, or there might be no magic outside, unlike Akira's world, which was filled with magical power.
...
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