Chapter 63 Ancient Tower

I waited until the massive bear was out of sight before jumping down from the tree. I enveloped my legs with Mana to support my weight as I landed on the soil.

Thud...

A small cloud of ash rose into the air and a strange crunching noise echoed as my feet made contact with the ground.

Whoosh...

Suddenly, an Abomination lunged at me from behind a tree, thrusting its hand-made wooden spear towards my chest.

Clank...

However, I was prepared for the attack. How could I have missed the purple-skinned creature, giggling creepily from behind the trees?

I deftly dodged its spear and countered with a swift strike of my black katana, cleanly severing its wrist.

Screech...

The Abomination screeched in pain as it looked at its severed limb. But before it could recover, my blade slashed through its neck, decapitating it with a clean cut.

Another lifeless body fell to the ground, but I didn't spare it a second glance. I was focused on my destination: the ruins located far to the north.

I had only three and a half hours before I had to return and I couldn't afford to waste a single moment, especially since I was in the Wild Lands, a place notoriously difficult to enter without allowance from the Royal Family.

Destroying the bridge had been like a quest, something I had to do, but now it was time for me to reap the rewards and find some valuable treasures.

Glancing at my Katana, I couldn't help but notice the slight cracks that marred its black blade. The recent battle on the bridge had taken its toll on my Katana.

Despite its quality craftsmanship, it was not indestructible and it was now only a matter of time before it would shatter.

I'm not one for sentimentality, but I had grown fond of this weapon. It had become an extension of my arm and with a mere glance, I could tell whether the blade would reach its intended target.

"Everything has its end…"

I muttered to myself as I sheathed my weapon and picked up my pace. I darted through the forest like a bullet, leaving a trail of dust in my wake.

As I ran, I heard the distant roar of the bear abomination.

Roar...

It sounded like it was engaged in battle with someone. I shrugged my shoulders and kept running. Unless it was one of the protagonists, the creature would easily wipe the floor with any other student.

Robbin wasn't going to swoop in and save us at the last second. This was a trial to make us grow, not to train Robbin to be our babysitter.

As cruel as it may sound, it was necessary. The shadow of war loomed ever closer and demon younglings were already being prepared for armies to raid the human continent and we were barely holding our own against the Abominations.

Hard times call for strong individuals and to create such people, grueling and deadly training is required. It's a harsh reality, but it's likely that only 80% of class A students will survive until the end of the semester.

Whoosh...

I ran through the forest until the dead trees began to thin out and I found myself standing in a small clearing.

At the center of the clearing loomed the ruins of an ancient tower, its crumbling stone walls rising high into the sky. The tower seemed to have been abandoned for centuries, and I could see signs of decay everywhere I looked. Cracked and overgrown with vines, the tower's dark and foreboding presence sent shivers down my spine.

However, what was even stranger than the tower itself was the grass that grew around it. It was unlike any grass I had ever seen before, for it was an eerie shade of dark green, almost black, and it seemed to writhe and twist in the breeze like some kind of malevolent creature.

"Found it..."

I smirked, pushing down the primal fear that the tower seemed to awaken in me.

Swish...

The wind rustled the dark grass, making it seem as if it was reaching out to me, but it did nothing.

Although I have visited this tower dozens of times, it never ceased to amaze me. Who would have thought that one of the most useful artifacts would be located in the middle of nowhere!

Tap... Tap...

I tested the durability of the stone stairs leading towards the tower's entrance before carefully making my way up. The sound of my footsteps echoed in the silent surroundings.

Creak...

The old wooden doors creaked as I pushed them open, without much difficulty. Although there was a lock there, it was rusty and couldn't resist my Aura Blade, which cut through it easily.

The interior of the tower was dark and musty, and the air was thick with the scent of age and decay. The walls were made of rough-hewn stone, and were covered in ancient, faded murals and runes that seemed to glow softly in the dim light.

As I moved deeper into the tower, I saw that the walls were adorned with strange, magical artifacts - glowing crystals, mysterious orbs, and intricate sigils etched into the stone. These artifacts seemed to pulse with energy, and I could feel Mana emanating from them as I passed by.

The central chamber of the tower was the most impressive of all. Here, I found a massive, ornate stone altar that dominated the room. The altar was surrounded by intricately carved statues of powerful creatures - dragons, demons, and other beasts that were myths in my past life.

The air in the chamber was thick with Mana, and I could feel the power of the ancient spells that were once cast here. The floor was covered in a layer of dust and debris, and I could see the remains of old spell books and scrolls scattered about.

"..."

I never fully understood why, but something about this place always gave me the sense that a great battle had taken place here hundreds of years ago. The claw marks on the walls, the broken furniture, and even the stains that I suspected were blood all seemed to tell a story.

Whatever had happened here, it had something to do with the older generation - The First Awakeners. It was said that they were able to refine and control Mana with the same ease as moving their fingers.

While I could only swing my blade infused with Mana for an hour before becoming exhausted, they could do so for days, if not weeks. There was even a legend that they could bend the laws of the universe using Mana. But since there was no such thing in the game, I didn't dwell on the idea.

Achoo…

As I made my way towards the altar, I sneezed, feeling the dust tickle my nose.

Creak...

Unfortunately, some of the old wooden planks couldn't handle my sudden movement and gave way. I tumbled through the ceiling and landed in a dimly lit room below.

Squeak… Squeak…

Mice scurried away as I landed on a pile of something foul-smelling. They disappeared into small gaps in the walls.

"Shit..."

I cursed, feeling a sharp pain in my backside. If only I had pushed the altar aside and used the ladder to enter this room. But now, here I was with a sore bum.

Slowly standing up, I leaned against the nearby wall to stabilize myself.

Whoosh...

A swirling purple portal was hovering before my eyes. Yes, it was a dungeon.

However, this was no ordinary dungeon. If it had been, a breakout would have already occurred since it had been here for hundreds of years. No, this was an irregular dungeon - one that posed no threat to the outside world but was incredibly difficult to raid due to its unique traits.

Creak...

I took a seat on a pile of bones, their purple hue indicating that they had probably been left behind by an Abomination.

Entering the dungeon in my current state would be risky. My weapon could break at any moment and I didn't have a gas mask.

The dungeon's affinity was Corruption and it was like poison to living beings.

However, since the dungeon's rank was F, I knew I could handle it.

Whoosh...

I circulated Mana throughout my body, quickly locating the strange purple gas that was trying to penetrate my flesh and reach my lungs.

Repeating the process I had learned in class with teacher Diana, I dissolved the particles of corruption bit by bit. Some of the larger chunks disintegrated instantly while others were pushed out of my body.

Slowly, my body began to resist the effects of the corruption. The strange gas had a harder time penetrating my skin and even my nose managed to block it from entering my lungs.

Although the effects of the corruption would be much stronger within the dungeon, I had already gained a basic resistance to it. This would allow me a few hours of unhindered time to collect the artifact and leave the dungeon.