Kyran found himself transported in a white room, as soon as he entered the vortex. Actually, he was not sure if he was inside a room. The whiteness of the surroundings gave him the illusion that the room was spacious wherein it was hard to determine how far the walls were or high the ceiling was.
As Kyran stood there, he suddenly had a feeling of being watched. It made him feel uneasy and instinctively wanted to hide. However, because of the absence of color in the room, Kyran's all-black attire stood out like a sore thumb. It would be hard for him to hide no matter where he go.
'I hate this feeling,' Kyran thought while clenching his fist.
Kyran did not move at once. Instead, he took a deep breath to calm his nerves, before assessing the situation.
Normally, he would have first made a mental list of all items at his disposal before venturing deeper into a place. However, Nolan confiscated his pouch and even took his mask. In the first place, there was nothing in his pouch that could be useful to him…
No, wait.
There were.
Kyran's face turned sour. Of all the things he had to forget, why did he have to forget those?
Nolan mentioned cheat items, so he automatically assumed it was a weapon or magic item that could help him breeze through any kind of training. However, he now realized, that the cheat items Nolan meant were food and medicines. Since time inside the tower was different from the outside, without food, potions, and pills, how would Kyran survive?
'Stupid, idiot.' Kyran scolded himself.
Such a basic survival necessity and he forgot about it. What was he if not an idiot?
With a sigh, Kyran resolved to use one of the Regis Technique to control his body's stamina consumption. As for magic energy, he would have to be wise in using his magic. Worse case, he would just rely on his physical combat skills and pray the enchantments on his clothes would be able to hold.
'Well, there is a chance I won't have to fight. Gustaff's experience inside the tower was mostly magical combat, but he said each person will experience different things,' Kyran thought. 'Nolan did not say what he experienced but he mentioned my array knowledge would improve. Array creation does not involve combat… err… unless if I have to collect the items myself.'
Remembering all the items he recently acquired from the nearby forest outside Starhorn, Kyran felt his heart ached. Now he realized how many cheat items his pouch did have.
Kyran shook his head and adjusted his mindset. There was no point crying over spilt milk. Besides, from Gustaff's experience, each time he succeeded a floor, there were rewards to choose from. Healing items and weapons were common rewards.
With this in mind, Kyran activated the Regis Blessing, before finally taking a step forward. The first thing he noticed after activating the Regis Blessing, was how the feeling of being watched became more evident.
However, he could not pinpoint the location where he was being watched. The only thing he was sure of, there were more than one person watching his every move.
Steeling his nerves, Kyran continued to walk. Even if he was being watched, there was nothing he could do. Instead of stressing over matter he had no control of, he decided to focus on finding clues as to what he should do in this place.
He wondered if he had to do something to trigger an event just like what happened with the tower's entrance. Whoever or whatever was managing the tower could not possibly create this place just for him to wander around, right? He believed they or it were bound to make a move sooner or later.
True enough, after walking for more than five minutes, the whole room shook as rumbling sounds echoed from beneath the floor.
Kyran stopped in his tracks just in time to see glowing faint golden lines appearing on the floor a few feet in front. The line drew a circle with intricate rune writing slowly appearing outward.
When the runes started to rotate, loud clicking sounds were heard beneath the floor.
Soon, five, nine golden tablets slowly ascended in the middle of the circle. They had a depth of ten inches and a width of four feet, with a smooth surface.
After the tablets reached their height which was seven feet, the runes rotating around the circle finally stopped. The faint golden lights also started to dim.
Kyran watched all of this happen in silence. For some reason, he was not surprised nor was he feeling apprehensive when the tablets appeared. He even felt that it was about time these tablets showed themselves.
As soon as the faint golden lights had dimmed completely, overlapping voices of a man and a woman, young and old, filled the air.
"Welcome to the Tower of Tribulation. Every participant who enters the tower seeks to improve one's self. The path to which they will tread depends on their capacity and resolve. Each path has different tribulation one must overcome. No matter whether one fails or succeeds in the path, they will receive the rewards they deserve. If one conquers the tower, then the tower will help grant one's true desire."
After the overlapping voices stopped, silence filled the surroundings.
Kyran's brow furrowed after hearing the last lines of the tower's introduction, about granting one's desire. They did not say a wish, but a desire. To him, granting one's true desire was too vague. A person might say he desires something, but unknowingly, that desire was actually false. Because there were people who were not aware of what they truly desired.
Even Kyran was unsure what he truly desired. He could answer right now that saving his clan was what he desired the most, but would the tower recognize that? Could it even grant such an abstract desire?
As if sensing his doubts, the overlapping voices spoke once again.
"The tower will not directly grant one's true desire. It can help grant them."
Kyran was taken aback by the voices' answer. He was not surprised at their answer but how they knew his doubts.
"Right, help," Kyran repeated out loud. He focused too much on the 'desire' part of the line that he overlook the 'help' keyword.
Still, how could the tower help?
'Don't think about that now. Those who conquer the tower are the only ones who can have such a reward. I don't plan on conquering the tower,' Kyran reminded himself.
It was true that he did not plan to conquer the tower. He was here to train, not to conquer. The reward in conquering the tower might help him save his clan, but with such a vague notion like one's true desire, he did not want to rely on that. He preferred to save his clan by his own means. Besides, as long as he gained experience here, he was already on the right track in saving his clan.
"Please choose the path in which you will tread while inside the tower."
The overlapping voices spoke again.
The nine gold tablets emitted an almost blinding gold light. In the center of each tablet, a single rune had appeared.
Immediately, Kyran realized that he could read the one in the middle.
Void.
He looked at the rest of the gold tablets and found, he could also read all of them.
Strength. Light. Poison. Draconic. Void. Fire. Wind. Space. Elements.
With a slight frown, Kyran wondered if entering the tower could grant anyone temporary ability to read runes of different magic types.
But then, why did it show these types of magic. Looking at the list, it appeared all of it were the ones he had encountered so far.
'Except there's no Earth and Air magic and what's with the Strength? Is that even magic? When did I encounter magic like that? How about the Elements?' Kyran wondered noticing that among the magic listed on the tablets, Earth and Air magic were missing, while he had no idea what Strength and Elements magic even mean.
'No, wait. Maybe Elements is Nolan's magic?' Kyran thought as he recalled Anette's comment when Nolan created a 'dummy' to fool the army into thinking he was already dead.
'Human body consists of elements… is that how he managed to create dummy?'
The thought made Kyran realize how powerful Nolan's magic was.
No wonder Nolan acted all high and mighty by calling it after his name; Nolan's magic. He might have named it after himself because there was no one else like him.
Maybe.
"Choose the path in which you want to tread."
The overlapping voices brought Kyran out of his reverie.
He looked at the gold tablets once more and decisively approached the middle.
Kyran did not need to think much of the other magic. After all, he had Void magic. He might possess Draconic magic as well, but to him, his main magic was the Void.
"You have chosen the Void path."
The overlapping voices said as soon as Kyran stood in front of the tablet with the Void rune.
"This path has only been treaded once. You will be the second one."
Kyran's eyes widened.
'My predecessor also entered the Tower of Tribulation? Then why didn't my Void core react when—.'
His thoughts were interrupted as the gold tablet with the Void rune emitted a blinding light. He immediately closed his eyes, and the last thing he heard was the overlapping voices saying, "May you succeed on this path," before an invisible force wrapped around him and pulled him forward.
Kyran knew he was being transported into the Void path, so he did not fight it and let the invisible force guide him.
Soon, the blinding light lifted and the invisible force around him stopped pulling.
The next thing Kyran knew, his nose was assaulted by the smell of blood. There was also a burning smell combined with the smell of sulfur.
Kyran immediately opened his eyes and as he did, six pairs of red reptilian eyes stared down at him.
