Chapter 131
So-yul tilted her head at the mention of a training camp.
“Training camp? Are we going somewhere to have fun?”
“No, I mean a real training camp in the literal sense.”
It wasn’t the kind of loose training camp where students go off in groups to have recreation and various activities during their leisure time.
“It’s a place where we compete with each other in skill, learn what there is to learn, and train while teaching one another.”
This was the third time all members of the Reverse Heaven Society had gathered together.
The first was when they went down to the lower floors after formation to recruit Siegfried (sometimes shortened to Zieg) and Austin.
The second was when they did a mid-point check on the 25th floor. And now was the third time.
During their tower climbing, team members with matching levels and climbing speeds had traveled together, so there hadn’t been many opportunities for everyone to gather like this.
This time, they planned to strengthen their bonds with each other, confirm each team member’s abilities, and work on their coordination.
“What exactly are we going to do?”
In response to Nam-gung Cheon’s question, Seo-jin answered.
“At first, I was thinking we’d just have some simple sparring matches to sort out the hierarchy.”
While Seo-jin was the leader of the Reverse Heaven Society, there wasn’t much hierarchy below him.
Han So-yul, who was well-liked and friendly with everyone, served as the liaison between team members, and Francesca went around each floor delivering supplies and funding.
Except for Se-yeon and Siegfried, who were in the youngest positions due to their age, the hierarchy was ambiguous.
“I think it would be good to elect a vice-leader or something.”
There would be times when they’d need to divide and operate the team, and they’d need someone to lead the team in the leader’s absence.
“That would obviously be me, wouldn’t it?”
Nam-gung Cheon pointed to himself with his thumb, but Seo-jin shook his head.
“Well. That would be possible if you beat everyone else.”
“Heh, then it’s obviously going to be me.”
Nam-gung Cheon snorted confidently as if there was no need to even compete.
Just looking at levels alone, his was the highest.
Except for the monster-like Seo-jin, he could easily subdue everyone else.
Literally, the vice-leader position was as good as his.
However.
“It’s too early to make such quick judgments. Didn’t I tell you? At first, I was thinking of deciding through simple sparring. But.”
Seo-jin stopped speaking mid-sentence and looked toward one side.
Soon, a man walked out from the forest that Seo-jin had been looking at.
Step—.
What emerged through the grass was a mysterious, aristocratic figure with golden eyes.
Dressed in a tailcoat, he greeted Seo-jin and the team members with proper etiquette.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Artovice, the administrator of the 29th floor.”
“A-administrator?”
“Yes, the administrator has specially offered to help with this training camp.”
The administrator of the 29th floor, Dragon Lord Artovice.
He had connections with Circe, who had been staying here, so he had specially agreed to oversee the Reverse Heaven Society’s training camp.
A training camp directly assisted by an administrator—such a luxurious experience would be rare indeed.
Artovice spoke.
“In addition, if you successfully complete this training camp, I will grant you the right to climb to the next floor.”
Se-yeon and Siegfried, Austin and Nam-gung Rin had not yet acquired the right to climb to the 30th floor.
It was an excellent proposal—conducting a training camp and gaining climbing rights.
Of course, this wasn’t simply goodwill, but also meant that this training camp would be correspondingly intense.
Seo-jin opened his mouth.
“Since it’s overseen by an administrator, it won’t simply be a test of strength. The situation won’t be absolutely advantageous to you.”
“That’s fine. I have the most experience anyway.”
Nam-gung Cheon’s optimistic outlook. That baseless confidence of his was enviable in its own way.
Seo-jin turned away from him and spoke to the other team members.
“You must be tired from coming up to the 29th floor, so eat well and rest properly today, and we’ll start right away tomorrow.”
***
The next day.
The Reverse Heaven Society members, who had spent the night in the huge mansion that King Hoakin had gifted to Seo-jin for the matter of subduing the resurrected Demon Dragon and Bone Dragon, finished their preparations.
They were warped to the base of a large mountain by Artovice’s magic.
Flash—.
Below a mountain so high that its peak was hidden by clouds.
Artovice, who had warped the members, spoke.
“This training camp… let’s just call it a test. This test will proceed as team battles. So first, please divide the personnel into two teams with good balance. It would be better if the strength is similar, wouldn’t it?”
“Teams? Then that guy and I will have to split up.”
“Go ahead.”
“Who wants to team up with me?”
Nam-gung Cheon raised his hand and began recruiting, but no one stepped forward.
“……”
“I’ll just divide them myself.”
Seo-jin divided the members into two teams, considering balance.
Seo-jin’s team and Nam-gung Cheon’s team respectively.
Seo-jin’s team included Austin, Siegfried, and Nam-gung Rin.
Nam-gung Cheon’s team included Han So-yul, Kim Se-yeon, and Francesca.
Since Seo-jin’s team members had relatively lower levels and less combat experience, the balance was reasonably matched.
Artovice, who had examined the members of each team, nodded.
“It seems to be divided appropriately well.”
Then.
“Are the two teams going to fight each other by any chance? Then I’m not confident…”
At Han So-yul’s worried question, Francesca and Se-yeon nodded.
No matter how well the balance was matched, they knew well that if they fought Seo-jin, they wouldn’t even be able to collect their bones.
“You will fight, but it will be fair. Because in this test.”
Tick—.
Artovice snapped his fingers.
Ting—.
[Level has been demoted to 1.]
“Everyone will start from the beginning.”
Seo-jin and everyone else’s level was demoted to 1.
“What, what? Where did my level go?”
To the panicked Nam-gung Cheon, Artovice explained.
“I have temporarily taken custody of your levels, stats, skills, and items. I’ll return them later, so don’t worry.”
Then he pointed to the mountain peak with his hand.
“Your goal is to reach the summit of this mountain. Defeat the monsters blocking your way and reclaim your levels and skills one by one. Then use that power to face each other at the summit.”
At his explanation, Nam-gung Cheon responded.
“……This is the tower, isn’t it?”
“That’s right. This is the ‘tower’s’ system applied to a test. You could call it a miniature version of tower climbing.”
“This is the 29th floor, but isn’t it too dangerous to start from level 1?”
At Siegfried’s question, Artovice smiled slightly.
“Don’t worry. I’ve placed monsters of appropriate levels according to the mountain’s altitude. Also, since I’ll be watching with both eyes wide open, there won’t be any danger from monsters. Now then.”
Whoosh—.
Artovice threw a terminal device each to Seo-jin and Nam-gung Cheon.
Simple terminal devices that served as both compass and clock.
During this test, the use of all items and inventory was prohibited, and only these terminal devices could be used.
“Then, let’s begin.”
Clap—.
With Artovice’s clap, both teams were transmitted to different starting points.
***
“Hmm.”
Seo-jin, transmitted to the test starting point, looked around.
A forest where dense trees soared high as if to pierce the sky.
The exact location couldn’t be confirmed.
Seo-jin took out his compass and checked the direction. Northwest seemed to be the summit of the mountain.
Unlike Seo-jin, who calmly assessed the situation, Nam-gung Rin examined her own body here and there, as if she couldn’t believe the current situation.
“D-did I really become level 1?”
“Yes, for now at least.”
Originally, being on the 29th floor with a level 1 body would cause the body to be crushed under the pressure of magical power, but thanks to Artovice’s arrangements, no such mishap occurred.
However, since the powerful physical abilities matching their stats had suddenly disappeared, every movement would feel awkward.
“Lady, are you alright? If you’re having difficulty, let me…”
Austin, the notorious playboy, didn’t miss this opportunity and tried to support Nam-gung Rin, but.
“I’m fine. This much is nothing.”
Nam-gung Rin put up an iron wall.
Austin, feeling awkward, withdrew his offered hand and spoke.
“……I knew the administrator’s power was tremendous, but I didn’t know it would be to this extent.”
“Right, hyung.”
Siegfried also looked around his body here and there, feeling quite awkward and anxious.
All the stats and skills he had built up by working hard to raise his level, even his equipment, had completely disappeared.
Who would have thought that all the blessings the tower gave to climbers could vanish so futilely?
He felt similar emotions when leaving the tower, but that was similar to the feeling of logging out of a game.
But the feeling he was experiencing now was different from that.
Knowing that the tower’s administrator could confiscate his level and items anytime they wanted.
It was similar to facing the fear that an operator could make an account penniless anytime they wanted.
He even felt a strange sense of emptiness.
To the team members feeling awkwardness and anxiety, Seo-jin offered a word.
“There’s no need to be so anxious. While the administrator’s power is formidable, they can’t do such things arbitrarily.”
What was happening now was possible because everyone had agreed to participate in the training camp and sought his cooperation.
Without obtaining consent, even an administrator couldn’t easily take away a climber’s power.
The reason Talis could prohibit Seo-jin’s use of magic and items on the 12th floor was also because Seo-jin had agreed to participate in his test.
It was the same principle.
Also, this test was jointly overseen by Artovice, the administrator of the 29th floor, and Seo-jin’s master Circe, under the tower’s will.
It meant that some administrator couldn’t suddenly get upset, ignore the tower’s will, and take away everything from climbers and kill them.
Before that could happen, Nimrod would appear and kill that crazy administrator.
“In any case, this test will be a good opportunity.”
“What kind of opportunity do you mean?”
“An opportunity for you all to truly ‘acquire’ the abilities and skills you’ve obtained so far.”
The significance of this training camp wasn’t simply starting from level 1 and competing on the same competitive level.
The significance lay in reviewing the principles of skills that had been easily used under the tower’s grace and corrections, and returning to the basics to relearn each one by one.
Except for Seo-jin, the members wouldn’t have had time to look back at themselves while hurriedly climbing the tower.
“To become the best, you can’t rely on the tower’s system and corrections. You must clearly understand the principles of skills and be able to implement them without the system’s help.”
“Ah.”
Austin nodded as if he understood what was meant, but immediately asked a question as if he had some doubt.
“But there’s one thing I’m curious about. While there may be proper principles to the magic you use, I wonder if there are corresponding principles to the spirit arts I use, Siegfried’s divine arts, and the Taoist arts this lady uses?”
Unlike magic, which has clear principles despite varying greatly according to mana arrangement, attributes, and the caster’s origin.
Do spirit arts that communicate with spirits using the upper altar, divine arts that borrow power from gods through faith, and Taoist arts that seek to cultivate oneself to reach transcendence also have corresponding clear principles?
To this question, Seo-jin answered refreshingly.
“Of course, they exist.”
That’s why he had brought them here—to teach them that.
“Before that, let’s first deal with those things.”
Grrr—.
Dozens of glinting red eyes from beyond the bushes.
Looking around, gray wolves had surrounded Seo-jin’s group at some point.
