Rox wrapped the viscous mana around his hands and waved them in the air.
*Swish—.*
The goblin marionettes, which he had brought from the lower floors of the tower, rearranged their formation and engaged in battle according to his hand movements.
"Kieeek!"
Rox's marionettes fought against not only the humans in the village but also the goblins.
This was to learn from the adventurers' battles and figure out how to defeat them.
Of course, it was a fight they couldn't win in the end. The humans and goblins, now residents of the tower, would keep reviving even after death.
But for Rox, it was an important battle. Before the fight began, Verdin had said:
'This is a precious battle experience you won't easily get outside. Use your marionettes and abilities to learn how to handle a large number of enemies.'
Rox understood.
Outside, such large-scale battles with numerous casualties only happened during great wars between nations.
And in such large battles, the risk of losing one's life was extremely high.
"Enchant Fire."
Rox chanted the spell in a whisper.
*Fwoosh—.*
Fire attribute magic imbued the weapons of the goblins he controlled, causing the blades to burn red.
*Flare.*
"Success."
Rox clenched his fist in joy. The clown marionette hovering above him danced and asked,
"Oh! How many times have you succeeded with enchantment now?"
"Three times."
"Out of how many attempts?"
"Five."
"Three successes out of five attempts isn't bad. Good, very good!"
Rox wiped the tip of his nose with a smile on his face.
"It feels good to be praised. But this consumes so much mana. Even using it once makes me so sleepy."
"You have to endure that. You're enchanting a hundred goblins at once."
"Is that so?"
"Yes!"
"I didn't know. Dean said I needed to be able to do this to hang out with him, so I practiced like crazy. This is my first time enchanting so many at once."
"That guy sets the bar too high."
Casting an intermediate enchantment spell a hundred times simultaneously was no small feat. Rox didn't realize how impressive it was.
Even a high-level mage from Glacier would find it impossible without an incredibly high maximum mana capacity.
*Clap, clap, clap!*
Cynthia's party member, the bespectacled girl with a ponytail, applauded while watching.
"Amazing, truly amazing. Not only do you use mana in such a strange way, but you also cast such high-level magic!"
"Uh, I think there's a misunderstanding. I'm not from the Strange."
"...What?"
"I'm not from the Strange. My name is Rox. Rox von Glacier. Not Strange, but Glacier."
* * *
*Tap, tap, tap.*
Someone walked up behind the Goblin Champion. Gregory flinched and slowly turned his head to see who it was.
"...Father?!"
Gregory froze in place.
His long-deceased father approached slowly and stroked his cheek.
It seemed as if time had stopped.
Neither of them moved.
They couldn't believe the situation.
Gregory couldn't believe his father had come back to life, and his father couldn't understand why he was alive again.
They stared at each other in silence for a long time until Gregory finally broke the silence.
"Are you really my father?"
"Yes."
"How... how...?"
"I don't know either. I just opened my eyes and found myself here."
Gregory glanced at me and clenched his fists warily.
"Did you create an illusion to deceive me?"
I shook my head slightly and replied.
"No, I already won this fight without trickery. There's no need for that."
"Then how did my father—"
"I asked a friend for a favor. I wanted you to meet your father, even if only for a moment."
"...Why?"
"A gift."
"A gift?"
"Yes, a gift. Or should I say a bribe? I want to end our fight here and join forces."
"Join forces?"
"We'll discuss it more after you finish your conversation with your father."
"..."
"We don't have much time, so talk quickly."
Gregory didn't understand my intention.
How did an adventurer arrange for him to meet his father? A myriad of thoughts must have crossed his mind.
But he didn't dwell on them.
Whether his father was real or fake, he desperately wanted to meet him.
"Okay."
I nodded towards his father.
"I'll wait."
"Alright."
With that, we paused the fight. Gregory closed his eyes for a moment, deep in thought, and then walked towards the church with his father.
They hugged tightly with bright smiles and began to talk.
From a distance, I couldn't hear their conversation, but Gregory gestured in the air, laughing, crying, and getting angry before laughing again.
He must have been reminiscing about the past and sharing everything that had happened.
His father smiled warmly and nodded continuously. Gregory seemed to have an endless stream of words to say.
*Swish—.*
Gregory's body began to shrink slightly. Initially looking middle-aged, he now took on a youthful appearance.
He reverted to the happy Gregory from before he lost his father.
As time passed, the moment to part ways arrived. His father, revived by the power of the marionette, spoke to him with a sagging body.
"It seems this is as far as I go."
"As far as you go? What do you mean, Father?"
"It's time for me to return to the gods."
"To the gods?"
"Yes."
With weary eyes, his father looked up at me, a grateful smile on his face as if to thank me for making this moment possible.
"Be good to that young man when I'm gone. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have had the chance to see you again."
"...Father."
"It was so good to see you like this. If another chance like this comes, I'll bring you fun stories next time."
With these words, his father began to disappear into smoke. Gregory reached out to grab him, but it was impossible.
"Father!"
Even as he disappeared, his father affectionately patted Gregory's head with a gentle smile.
Swaaah-
"Forget the past and live for the future."
With these words, his father completely vanished.
'Is it over?'
The young man clasped his hands together in prayer for a long time, then suddenly got up and bowed his head to the ground before me.
Bang!
"Thank you, adventurer. I will guide you to the next floor."
Flash!
At the same time, the horn of the Goblin Champion emitted a bright light.
'It's a success.'
The third path to the 10th floor of the tower, unknown to those who simply aim to climb.
It involves finding his father hidden in the village cemetery and meeting Gregory, the master of trials.
Only those with special abilities like Rox's 'Marionette' can conquer this secret route of the tower.
"I will not refuse."
* * *
A pillar of white light descended from the ceiling of the tower.
Boom!
It was the divine response, 'Day Responder,' indicating the end of the trial.
Typically, those who complete the trials of the tower receive one of seven colors.
Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet.
Rewards corresponding to the achieved grade are given in order.
'This time it's white.'
This confirmed that I had acquired the hidden piece.
The bald fighter, Alfredo, raised his hands and shouted.
"Wow!"
The ponytailed man with glasses danced next to him and spoke to Cynthia.
"Su-success! We can finally move to the next floor!"
Cynthia spoke to the two with a cold expression.
"Don't touch anything there yet."
"Why?"
"Because our share hasn't been decided."
"What do you mean? We get 30%, so we should just take that, right?"
"If 10 isn't decided, then 3 isn't either. Don't take anything."
"...Huh? What do you mean?"
Cynthia pointed her chin towards where the humans were gathered.
There, Verdin was seen talking to the Goblin Champion, who had transformed into a child's form.
"You can only take one from here. I'll give you plenty of time, so choose slowly."
Verdin picked the smallest wooden box among the piled treasures and answered.
"This one."
Cynthia and her group were shocked.
Among the countless glittering treasures, he chose a wooden box no bigger than a child's palm?
What was he thinking, standing before gold and silver treasures!
But none of them could say anything.
'We have to endure.'
What could they say to Verdin and the Goblin Champion, who possessed overwhelming power?
Gregory, resting his chin on his hand and deep in thought, sighed and replied.
"You know what that box is, don't you?"
I smiled faintly.
"Maybe."
"Whether you know or not, it doesn't matter. Once you choose a reward, you can't take it back."
Gregory waved his hand in the air. At the same time, the aura distorted the space and sent the remaining treasures to another space.
Swish.
"Am I the first to take this box?"
"How did you know?"
If he knew what was inside, he would have tried to stop me by any means.
"Just."
"Just?"
"Yes, just. It felt that way for some reason."
"...What an insipid fellow. Well, as you said, you are the first to take that box. There is another who saw the white light besides you, though."
Gregory furrowed his brow deeply and continued.
"That fool didn't take any reward."
"Who is that?"
"I don't know the name. But the party members who came with him called him the 'Red Falcon.'"
"Red Falcon?"
"Yes, Red Falcon."
It was a name I had never heard before.
No, maybe it's a nickname?
Anyway, I hadn't heard of it in my past or present life.
Who could it be?
"Thank you for telling me."
"Thanks? It's nothing. By the way, if you need money, take some of the equipment stored in the church. There's plenty of stuff taken from adventurers."
I shrugged.
"I don't need it. I already have more than enough money."
"So much money? Ha-ha, is that so? Then you must be a noble from a prestigious family."
"Yes."
"Can I know the name of your family? I'll let your children pass the trials without any hassle in the future."
"Without any hassle?"
"Yes, I'll make an exception for your family. Specially."
Would his actions be a benefit or a detriment to me? Based on the future I know, it could be both, but if I had to choose which is more likely, it's definitely the former.
The benefit outweighs the detriment.
I lifted my cloak slightly, revealing the cross engraved on my armor.
"Strange, my name is Verdin de Strange. The youngest son of the Strange family, known as the greatest swordsmanship family on the continent."