Chapter 64: Lathel vs Lucien (6)

"Huh! Kid..." Lazarok took a deep breath, trying to calm himself as he said, "Long before you were even born, I was already—" "You’re talking too much." Lathel immediately cut him off. With a flick of his hand— Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! The puppet-like arms stretching from the spatial vortex behind Lathel shot forward like serpents, hurling themselves toward Lazarok at terrifying speed. "Agh!" Lazarok roared. BAM! The space around him suddenly exploded, breaking his confinement. He brought his hands together, conjuring a swirling vortex of magic that surged with violent energy, ready to detonate at any moment. "Brat! Don’t underestimate me!" Lazarok growled through gritted teeth. Though his voice was filled with anger, it carried clear undertones of fear and panic. He extended a finger and pointed into the air. A ripple burst forth from the tip, forming a magical dome that enveloped his entire body. BAM! BAM! BAM! The bizarre arms collided with the magical dome, producing shrill, deafening sounds. Crack! Crack! Crack! "What?!" Lazarok was stunned as he saw cracks beginning to form on the surface of the dome. "Impossible! How can you..." "How can I attack a soul like you, is that what you’re wondering?" Lathel sneered, his voice thick with mockery and disdain. "You... Who are you?" Lazarok shouted, his mind unraveling into chaos as he watched the web-like cracks spreading rapidly across the protective dome. "No! Stop..." "If you dare kill me, those people... they won’t let you go!" Lazarok’s voice grew increasingly frantic. Fear had consumed his mind, and it was painfully evident in his tone. "Do you want more intel from him?" Evelyn’s voice suddenly echoed in Lathel’s mind. "It seems his existence is tied to some kind of organization." "No need," Lathel responded immediately. "Ignore that—just do as I said." "Understood," Evelyn replied. Then— BAM! Lazarok’s magical barrier shattered like glass. The fragments swiftly dissolved into particles of light, vanishing into the void. Smash! Smash! "No! AGH!!!" The grotesque hands instantly gripped Lazarok’s soul, their serpent-like limbs coiling around him and wrapping him into a cocoon. His voice gradually faded until it vanished completely, not a single sound remaining. The eerie hands dragged Lazarok’s soul into the spatial vortex, then disappeared entirely. Clink! At that moment, the floating glass orb fell to the ground and shattered into countless fragments, as if to signify that the force sustaining it had ceased to exist. "Lathel!" Evelyn spoke up. "That soul holds a massive amount of energy—do you want to..." "No," Lathel said, frowning, his expression one of clear disgust. "You may absorb his energy as you wish, but leave just enough for him to remain." "He still has his uses." "Understood," Evelyn replied. Lathel glanced toward the back corner of the chamber, where a magical circle lay buried beneath a thick layer of dust. ... "Hm?!" Lucien stood in the middle of the arena. In front of him lay a shattered wooden dummy, now completely unrecognizable. But instead of feeling pleased, he felt an inexplicable discomfort, as though an invisible hand had gripped his heart tightly. "What’s wrong?" Lilith’s voice echoed in his mind. Lucien shook his head. "I’m not sure. It’s just... I feel really uneasy, as if something terrible is about to happen." "That’s strange," Lilith said. "There’s practically nothing dangerous here. On the contrary, this place is a great opportunity for you." Lucien furrowed his brow in confusion. "Master, is there anything dangerous inside the Trial Tower?" "Impossible," Lilith immediately dismissed the idea. "Even if danger exists here, you can exit instantly if your life is truly at risk." Lucien nodded lightly. When he entered this place, Vice Headmaster Morlan had said clearly that as long as he shouted ’surrender,’ he would be transported out of the Trial Tower without fail. It was a built-in feature to ensure the safety of all students. Hearing Lilith’s words, Lucien felt a little more at ease. Yet, the unease in his heart refused to fade. He tried to suppress the unpleasant feeling and looked down at the wooden dummy lying on the ground. "It seems my strength has increased quite a bit." "Indeed," Lilith explained. "That ancient soul helped remove several blockages in your energy pathways." "Not only can you now use your energy more smoothly, but your body no longer needs to bear the burden of those blockages." "This will make your path far easier. What he gave you... is akin to your parents giving birth to you a second time." "Really?" Lucien was stunned. "Yes," Lilith continued. "It seems he could also see that your destiny is far from ordinary, which is why he decided to gamble it all—he used nearly the entirety of his soul energy to help you." "It wouldn’t be wrong to say that he sacrificed himself for your sake." Lucien took a deep breath, feeling deeply moved. "We only met once, and yet he helped me this much." "In the future, if I have the power, I’ll definitely return the favor." "Hahaha..." Lilith laughed. "Wait until you’ve at least reached Level 8—or even Level 10—only then will you be capable of helping him." "For now, he’s fine. Living another thousand years won’t be a problem." Lucien nodded and asked, "Master, then... have I reached Level 2 yet?" "Not yet. The gap between levels isn’t as easy to cross as you might think," Lilith explained. "Right now, you’re still at Level 1—late stage. However, your foundation has become incredibly solid, stronger than any I’ve ever seen." "Even the most exceptional geniuses I knew in my past life didn’t have such a solid foundation. On top of that, your body has also become much stronger." "Leveling up to Level 2 is now just a matter of time. Don’t be impatient—your steps may be slower, but each one will be unshakable." "I understand, Master," Lucien replied with a nod. He sheathed the black greatsword and strapped it to his back as usual. Right after, the space around him began to shift. Lucien knew he was being transported to the second floor. The challenge on the first floor had been too easy for him, which gave him the confidence that he could at least clear the first three floors of the Trial Tower. Thud! Lucien landed on solid ground, realizing that this area somewhat resembled the one before. The floor was paved with granite. The space was vast, stretching over a thousand meters. Above him, the sky was shrouded in gloom like a curtain blocking out the heavens—nothing could be seen beyond it. Surrounding the area was a towering wall over a hundred meters high, like a massive fortress wall. In front of him stood two humanoid wooden puppets. One wielded a sword, the other a magic staff. Each had a letter engraved on its chest, indicating its type. "’S’ and ’M’? Sword and Magic perhaps?" Lucien muttered. Suddenly— BAM! "Ack!" Lucien gritted his teeth as the space around him abruptly grew heavier, almost making him collapse. However, it was still within his tolerance. Clenching his jaw, he slowly stood up. His hand reached behind him, gripping the hilt of his black greatsword. Whoong! Lucien swung his sword, the blade slicing through the air with a shrill, piercing whistle. "Come!" he shouted. ... "Do you still want to continue?" Lilith asked. At that moment, Lucien was lying on the ground, his body covered in wounds. While none were fatal, the injuries were nonetheless terrifying in appearance. Fresh blood soaked his clothes, yet he showed no sign of giving up—his face still burning with the will to fight. "Of course! This is only the fifth floor," Lucien said, taking a deep breath. He had already cleared floors two, three, four, and now five. With each floor, the difficulty nearly doubled. On top of that, he had to endure increasing gravity, which severely hindered his movements. On the fifth floor, he had faced five wooden puppets, each wielding a different class specialization. Their combat prowess and coordination had been flawless, pushing Lucien to the brink of defeat. However, in the final moments—when he was on the verge of falling—he had used his left hand. Lucien glanced at his left arm, which looked nothing like a human limb. It resembled the arm of a wild beast. It was three times the size of a normal human arm, covered in coarse, bear-like fur, with glowing green cracks running along its surface. Black scales clung to the skin like parasitic fungi, adding an eerie appearance. Lucien sighed and said, "Master, please help me seal it." "Of course," Lilith responded immediately. A white bandage flew out from the face of the pendant around his neck. On the surface of the bandage were countless black magical symbols, writhing like snakes. The bandage swiftly wrapped around Lucien’s left arm and tightened. "Agh!" Lucien cried out in pain, but he gritted his teeth and endured. Within seconds, the bandage had fully sealed his left arm, reshaping it to resemble his right—except it was now wrapped in white cloth. The runes etched on the bandage slowly crawled inward like tiny ants before disappearing entirely. Lucien let out a long breath of relief. He tested the movement of his arm, then clenched his left hand into a fist. "That thing is dangerous... don’t rely on it too much," Lilith warned. Lucien smiled. "I know, Master. I’ll only use it in critical situations." "I know you understand the danger it brings, but I still have to remind you." Hearing Lilith’s words, Lucien scratched his head with a sheepish grin. Suddenly, he felt a force pulling him upward—as if an invisible hand had grabbed hold of him. He knew... he was being transported to the sixth floor. A sudden wave of unease welled up inside him—so distinct, so intense, that it made him instinctively wary. ’Strange... why do I feel this way? Could it mean I’ll fail on the sixth floor?’ Lucien thought to himself. ’No! The Vice Headmaster said—if I can clear the sixth floor, I’ll definitely have a chance to enter the Forbidden Library of the academy.’ ’I won’t give up!’ Gritting his teeth, Lucien forced down the creeping anxiety. His eyes sharpened with determination as he looked straight ahead. Whoosh! Moments later, the space around him shifted. "This place..." Lucien muttered, startled to find that this wasn’t an enclosed chamber like the previous five floors of the Trial Tower. He now stood atop a snowy mountain peak, bitter winds cutting into his skin with an icy sting that made him involuntarily shiver. Snow blanketed the entire landscape, and even as he gazed into the far distance, all he could see were countless white-capped mountains standing in quiet solitude beneath the freezing sky. He stood on a dueling platform carved into the mountaintop—its size modest, just barely over 1,000 square meters. One misstep, and he would fall. Lucien glanced downward—there was no visible bottom, only a swirling abyss of snow-laden winds that completely obscured what lay below. Frowning, he looked ahead—and that’s when he noticed someone standing with their back turned, as if they’d been waiting. But that silhouette... it was hauntingly familiar. Lucien only needed a single glance to recognize him. "Lathel..." Lucien growled. Lathel was clad in an immaculate white robe, radiating a sense of nobility. His golden hair hung freely, reaching his back, fluttering gently in the icy wind. He stood motionless, gazing into the distance with his hands clasped behind his back, as if expecting someone. "You’ve arrived," Lathel spoke, his voice indifferent and frigid—his emotions unreadable. "What do you think about becoming one of my subordinates?" Lucien’s eyes turned crimson with fury. "Shut up! I’d rather die than be a dog to someone like you!" "Ah." Lathel tilted his head slightly upward, but still didn’t turn to face him. His gaze remained fixed on the horizon as he spoke softly: "I wasn’t talking to you." "I was speaking to her... Lilith." "What?!"