"Huff...hufff."
Alia Lavigne gasped for air.
She took a deep breath in and out.
Then, she began to breathe calmly, sitting neatly with her knees together.
Even this scene resembled a picture from a photo shoot.
Her opponent was formidable.
The Ignis Bat, strong in flame attributes and able to fly, posed a tough challenge for her.
Time: 17 minutes.
After about 17 minutes of fierce combat, she emerged victorious.
The Ignis Bat eventually fell to her Arrows and turned to ash.
Alia Lavigne shifted her gaze, confident that at this pace, she could rank at least in the top five.
Speed was essential.
As an archer, she was forced to fight a flying monster with an attribute that directly countered her own.
This kind of fight was naturally disadvantageous to her.
Alia Lavigne elegantly strode through the portal and exited.
The auditorium seemed emptier than before since nearly 3,000 people had departed.
There was bustling activity.
"What's going on?"
"Ah, Miss, you've arrived."
Scouts from her clan were moving about busily.
[Examinee 0013, Alia Lavigne. Test Duration 00:17:19.]
The result from the Tower of Trials materialized on her retina.
[Alia Lavigne's Record 00:17:19. 6th Place.]
A window displaying the rankings popped up before her.
But the result was beyond belief.
"…6th place?"
That was impossible.
She could not have placed merely 6th.
Alia looked again.
This time at the electronic scoreboard before her.
There, the records of those who had cleared the trial faster than her were displayed.
[Noah Hart: Record 00:03:42 1st Place.]
[Rachel Bastion: Record 00:7:36 2nd Place.]
[Yuriel Ashenvale: Record 00:9:12 3rd Place.]
[Clara Vermillion: Record 00:9:17 4th Place]
[Selene Tepes: Record 00:12:33 5th place]
[Alia Lavigne: Record00:17:19. 6th Place.]
"…"
Her eyes trembled. The Tower of Trials was fair.
Its 30-year history and the mysteries of this world attested to that.
That was why the results were even more shocking. Only 3 minutes and 42 seconds to pass the trial? By a student who had just enrolled in Cradle?
Alia Lavigne closed her eyes.
Noah Hart.
She etched those three syllables into her mind.
'Wait a minute.'
Just before she took the entrance exam.
A boy with black hair and golden eyes had sat next to her.
'Didn't he say his name was Noah Hart?'
'He must be recruited.'
With that one thought on her mind she walked off.
*****************
"Groan."
Lying on the bed, I finally felt like I could live again.
Was it the tension?
My body felt stiff.
'It's truly amazing.'
I looked around.
A penthouse, containing various basic items like magically enchanted bedding and automatic cleaners. Was this the room assigned to me?
And it was free. I'll repeat it because it's important.
It was free.
The top student in each grade got the best room, followed by the next in rank, third place, fourth place, fifth, and so on.
It's not quite as grand as this penthouse, but still comparable.
'Truly extraordinary.'
To the world's elite students, this might seem ordinary, but to me, it was an exceptional treatment.
A penthouse for a mere student.
Well, it was good for me.
"What will it be?"
I excitedly took out a dark wooden box.
A reward from the Tower of Trials.
'Judging from the size it's most likely an elixir?'
Inside the dark wooden box was a brown pill.
View(-).
____________________________________________________
[Spirituality Pill (C-)]
Allows the user to ascend their 'Spirit' to a higher level.
- When taken, it maximizes physical potential.
- When taken, it awakens Willpower.
- When taken, it permanently reduces magic ability by 50%.
-When taken, it lowers stamina by 0.3
____________________________________________________
"Jackpot."
It was definitely effective.
A C-grade for an elixir. The penalty of reduced magic ability and stamina must have affected its rating.
Normally, the reduction would be significant, but since my body no longer has mana, the penalty of mana was meaningless to me, although the stamina was a concern it could be solved by using other methods.
'Learning magic is impossible for me anyway.'
So, I was rejecting the ordinary path.
'With the Spirituality Pill, I might need to revise my plan.'
The effect of maximizing physical abilities was great, but the real power of this elixir lay in awakening Willpower.
Although it wasn't a special stat it would be highly useful as it helps with resisting mind-type attacks.
'Time to start growing.'
By the end of the exam, I had earned a whopping 16,000P.
I decided to start by improving 'that' which was the foundation of everything.
I opened the multi-dimensional premium shop.
The shop was filled with various talents and constitutions tempting me. Items like 'Master of Magic', 'Sword Heaven', 'Heavenly Martial Body', and so on.
Each boasted incredible performance if obtained.
But they were all out of reach.
Unless I started with them, pouring points into them would delay my growth too much.
'I need a talent that's immediately usable, has high potential, and offers great growth prospects among them, there was one talent that even the veterans grabbed without a second thought due to its high synergy with almost everything.
____________________________________________________
[Dexterity(B)]
Price: 25,000
-You possess a[Talent Voucher(B)].
-[Talent Voucher(B)] can be used to buy it instead of points.
-(Y/N)
____________________________________________________
I immediately clicked Y.
Ding!
------------------------------------------
Talent [Dexterity(B)] has been bought.
____________________________________________________
[Dexterity(B)]
It increases the flexibility and skill of the hands.
-It provides additional enhancements to all physical activities.
____________________________________________________
The description was simple.
However, this talent could be used resourcefully from early to the very end stages of the game.
Dexterity affected overall fighting ability and was crucial for cooking, alchemy, and blacksmithing.
Deciding to test it I headed over to my training room, I broumyt out by sword and began swinging and flicking it while changing directions.
Slash!Swoosh!
Hearing the sound of my blade cutting through the air,was a satisfying feeling.
I smiled with satisfaction and looked at the wooden box.
'Shall I try it?'
After purchasing Dexterity, I stripped off my clothes and entered the bathroom.
Turning on the faucet, I put the spirituality pill in my mouth and bit it.
A bitter taste spread through my mouth.
As the elixir entered my system, I felt something course through my body, and in an instant black liquid started to come out of my body.
"Ughh!"
A disgusting smell filled the air. I quickly climbed out of the bathtub and retched.
What an awful smell.
Feeling dizzy, I glanced at the bathtub.
The water where I had just been soaking now had black liquid floating on it.
Waste.
Since the Spirituality Pill was a type of elixir that unlocked potential, it expelled waste from the body like this. With my constitution, the elixir's potency was amplified even further.
Quickly washing my body I walked out of the bathroom with a fresh pair of clothes.
I swung my arm around.
My body felt much lighter than before even though my stats had not changed.
My body felt much lighter and more agile.
"Phew, looking good."
I stood up and looked in the mirror; my skin had become a bit whiter and my eyes which had turned golden after the dungeon seemed to be brighter.
My original appearance wasn't bad, but after I customized my avatar into an unrivaled handsome man, I thought there was no more room for improvement.
"Status window."
____________________________________________________
[Name: Noah Hart]
◈Blessing of growth(S) is activated. All growth is increased by 100%.
Strength: 3.6
Agility: 3.6
Stamina: 3.2
Willpower: 3.8
◈Special Stats:
Luck: 2/10
Concept Stats:
Luminous Flame: 3.3
◈Talent -Viewing(-),Child of Swords(S),Heat Tolerance(D+), Dexterity(B)
◈Skills -Weakness Detection(B),Swordsmanship(F+)
◈Constitution -Heavenly Seraph body(A-)
◈Art -Radiant Convergence(F+/SS+)
____________________________________________________