Chapter 93: Conqueror of the 20th Floor

Chapter 93: Conqueror of the 20th Floor

"Senior."

"Yeah?"

"Is it okay if you're not prepared, senior?"

I looked up from my research as Lucia asked me that question.

It had been about a week since the mid-term evaluations had begun. In the meantime, the evaluations for other subjects had already finished, and I was expecting to receive a decent score this time as well. Updated from novelbIn.(c)om

Lucia was probably asking about the joint evaluation with the Knight Academy the Tower of Modras.

"Uh, I've studied all the strategies."

"Well, if studying strategies was all it took to climb, then anyone could have climbed it."

I couldn't argue with that statement.

And truth be told, saying that I had studied the strategies would be a lie, so I hesitated to answer.

"Even Senior Dianne hasn't been coming lately because of that. It's weird to see you so laid-back when our other seniors are not."

"Your point is valid, but getting anxious won't change anything. I'll just do my best when the time comes."

Dianne was in the 88th team, right in front of me, due to the division of teams in sets of 10.

And she was about to go in soon.

"But let's go watch Senior Dianne climbing."

"Just a moment."

I checked my tablet.

I could see that teams 71 to 80 were mostly done, except for one team, from what I could tell.

"Alright, let's go."

I was curious as well.

The current Dianne had achieved overwhelming growth compared to any other time.

I wondered how far she would be able to climb.

'She can't possibly reach the end.'

If she did, she would completely seize the Hidden Piece.

I started to feel a bit uneasy.

For reference, the 1st-year trio finished the evaluation with respectable scores.

The one who reached the highest floor was, unsurprisingly, Louis Artman, who climbed up to the 15th floor.

And that was no small feat.

The 10th floor was known as the Demon's Territory a sort of boss floor.

Most participants faced elimination around the 10th floor, but even if they managed to pass that, the difficulty spiked dramatically in increments of 10 floors after that, making it incredibly challenging to advance step by step.

'The highest record in Academy history is the 24th floor.'

The 20th floor was not the Demon's Territory but rather the Celestial Realm.

There were a few individuals in the history of the academy who had reached the 20th floor, but only one had conquered it. That one person had astonishingly hurdled all the way to the 24th floor in a single attempt.

He was the monster known as Maximen Kronel.

He was one of the Aura Masters, and even among them, he was at the top of the ranks in terms of strength.

Graduating from the Rodren Academy, he was currently in his 60s. As expected of an Aura Master, he had an eccentric personality, ignoring the honors bestowed by the Empire and roaming freely as he pleased.

'If Master is like a hermit, then Maximen is a living disaster.'

Anyway, even he had reached his limit at the 24th floor.

Of course, each student had the opportunity to challenge the Tower of Modras only once in their 1st and 4th years. By the time Louis became a 4th-year student, he might have had a chance to surpass Maximen's record.

"Assuming he has grown properly..."

Before Louis graduates, I need to give him a sense of direction.

I left the research room with Lucia and headed towards the direction of the Tower of Modras.

The vicinity of the Tower of Modras was already bustling with activity, even though it wasn't the grade's turn to watch the evaluations.

"Senior Dianne!"

Lucia spotted Dianne in the distance and rushed over.

Dianne, who was waiting, greeted Lucia with a smile.

"Lucia, you came to watch?"

"Yes, I came to see, senior."

She seemed even more enthusiastic now than when she was facing me.

Feeling a bit bitter about that, I said to Dianne:

"Next in line?"

"Yeah, I'm waiting in anticipation. I'm going to break a record."

"Sure, I'll be looking forward to it."

"Remember our bet?"

I smiled and nodded at Dianne, who looked at me with a slightly pleased expression.

"Of course."

"I hope you're ready to grant my wish."

"I won't be losing, so don't worry. I'll be nervous though."

"Yeah, but can Senior Dianne reach the 20th floor?"

All those prominent figures who had been students of Rodren Academy and had fallen on the 20th floor were now the center of attention.

"Even reaching the 20th floor is remarkable."

"Indeed, you could say that as the winner of the tournament."

As someone who had only reached the 15th floor, he couldn't help but see Dianne's ascent to the 20th floor as something impressive. Having experienced the floors above the 10th level, the number 20 had a clear impact.

"Once Senior Dianne finishes, it's Senior Adrias' turn. Even though Senior Adrias is amazing, I doubt he can break Senior Dianne's record."

In response to Serena's question, Louis maintained his silence.

Frankly, he didn't think Adrias could surpass Dianne's performance. However, he couldn't be certain.

This was because Adrias was a dual-class user, skilled in both magic and swordsmanship, which introduced an element of unpredictability.

"Let's wait and see."

"By now I understand how amazing Senior Adrias is. I've faced him in a duel, so I can't be unaware. But no matter how amazing he is, can he reach the 20th floor?"

As we talked, the train had arrived near the Modras Tower.

Stepping off the train, we saw an enormous crowd gathered near the tower.

"There are not just students."

As Serena noted, it wasn't only students present; professors, heads of various departments, and even famous external figures had gathered, all observing the screen that had been magnified using magic for everyone to see.

"Wow!"

"She did it! She did it!"

Suddenly, a tremendous roar of cheers erupted, causing Louis and Serena to turn to each other and then rush to check the screen.

"Oh..."

On the screen was Dianne Alben, who had defeated the 20th-floor boss with an exhausted appearance.

After Maximen, it had been a remarkable 42 years since someone had successfully passed the 20th floora remarkable feat for a magician.

The area near the Modras Tower became a boiling pot of cheers and astonishment. Even the external attendees who had come to watch were struck with awe.

"We salute you, Lord of the Magic Tower!"

"This is truly amazing! The mage of the century has been born!"

"Hmph, this is nothing for Dianne."

Countless congratulatory messages were directed at Bart Alben, who happened to be present.

Bart retorted with a nonchalant tone, but his upward-twitching lips gave him away.

Unfortunately, Dianne's journey ended on the 21st floor.

As the 20th floor was a boss stage, it could be argued that the 21st floor was more challenging. Having already expended all her strength on the previous floor, Dianne was eliminated on the 21st floor without much resistance.

"Wow!"

"Dianne! Dianne!"

Yet, none of the assembled individuals expressed disappointment at seeing Dianne exit the tower.

Dianne Alben had already succeeded in making history by reaching the 20th floor.

"Student Dianne Alben! Please share a few words."

"First 20th-floor passer in over 40 years! And the first from the School of Magic!"

Among the external attendees, there were reporters from newspapers, and they seemed zealous to gather interviews.

As Dianne emerged from the tower, she seemed somewhat taken aback by the large crowd waiting for her. She stared blankly for a moment at the scene before turning her gaze in a particular direction.

When she did, everyone gathered around shifted their attention in that direction as well. There, the next waiting group was standing.

Dianne ignored the questions directed at her and walked steadily toward a certain individual. She came to a stop in front of that person.

"Adrias Cromwell."

Click! Click!

The sound of cameras taking photos accompanied the sight of Dianne and Adrias facing each other, locking eyes.

"Sorry, but it seems I won again this time."

Dianne's provoking words caused a stir among the onlookers.

Through her words, one could infer why Dianne had approached Adrias.

Adrias looked at her with an expressionless face, then smiled faintly.

"Well done, Dianne."

"Are you admitting defeat?"

"Dianne."

Adrias calmly called her name and then, slowly opening his mouth, declared:

"I will conquer the Modras Tower."

A moment of silence swept through the surroundings.

The atmosphere turned chilly due to the absurdity of his statement.

However, Adrias wasn't finished.

"This is merely a passing process. We should aim for the real goal."

By "real goal," he meant the "Tower" situated within the palace.

His extremely ambitious words quickened the pace of the reporters jotting down his words.

"Dianne Alben, this time the victory shall be mine."