Having received a notification on his pocket the prior evening, Vahn was the last to arrive at the lecture hall dedicated to the Wave Controller class. There, he found the rest of his classmates had spread throughout the classroom, while, at the very front of the hall, an inordinately short person wearing a strange outfit that was similar to a fusion between a ball of rice and a sheep.
Though Vahn found the figure somewhat cute, somewhat like a mascot character, the feeling he got from the short-statured figure was anything but pleasant. He could sense dozens of Shinheuh-like creatures ‘swimming’ around inside the rather disarming costume with a friendly smile and six tiny freckles plastered onto the front of its costume. This wouldn’t have been that bad, but, unlike the rather adorable Shinheuh Nare kept hidden within the large jar on her back, the variants swimming around inside the wooly costume all had dark and twisted auras.
Despite feeling as though he had just encountered the first real enemy, Vahn offered a polite smile upon entering the classroom, remarking, “You must be our Instructor, Test Administrator Yuga. My name is Vahn Aldrnari Mason, the Sage Dragon Emperor. I’m looking forward to your instruction and guidance.”
Turning his entire body to face Vahn, the petite mascot’s sewn-on smile appeared to stretch into an even larger grin as it answered, “Ohhh? So this is the famous Sage Dragon Emperor I have heard so much about! I heard that you and Mr. Laure had taken the initiative to help your fellow classmates during my absence. It is rare to find someone so generous within the Tower! I’m looking forward to seeing your progress over the next month!”
Offering a polite nod in response to the peculiar man’s words, Vahn then made his way to the back of the class, smiling in response to his fellow classmates’ greetings. The only exception to this was Baam, but, considering the drama that had occurred earlier in the morning, this wasn’t too much of a surprise.
Though Rachel tended to avoid every other Regular, choosing to spend most of her time cooped up inside her room, that didn’t stop Baam from directly seeking her out. Unfortunately, even after he spent the entire evening sitting outside her door, Rachel insisted she had no idea who he was. This led to Baam questioning why she was pretending to be someone else, and, after a series of back and forth questions and accusations, Rachel eventually ‘snapped’, shouting at Baam to leave her alone before storming off.
With the person he cared about most pretending to be someone else, it wasn’t surprising that Baam would be in low spirits. Staying up all night didn’t help, so, with visible bags under his eyes, he sat silently at the front of the classroom, a melancholic aura radiating from his body. This was obviously noticed by Administrator Yuga, but, rather than pay it any mind, he performed a small bow and said, “Well, now that everyone has arrived, allow me to quickly apologize for my delayed arrival. As an apology, I have requested that the Director give everyone an additional two hundred points as compensation. Now, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Yuga, the Ranker assigned to teach you all about the Position of Wave Controller…”
Following his introduction, Yuga raised his ‘head’, and, after looking around at everyone in the class, his smile became even more prominent as he remarked, “It seems most of you have already formed a contract. Still, it would reflect negatively on my status as an Instructor if I didn’t cover the basics at least once. After all, while Shinsu has no limits, strengthening your foundation is the most important aspect when it comes to determining your future success!”
Though the only person who could ‘see’ it was Vahn, Yuga punctuated his statement by pressing a button on the remote hidden within his costume. This caused the display behind him to light up, a picturesque scenery coming into view as he explained, “Shinsu is the world itself. It makes up even the smallest organisms, and, without it, we would not even be able to breathe, much less overcome our limits. Without Shinsu, life, as we know it, simply wouldn’t exist. It is responsible for every single phenomenon we observe, be it water, fire, or even light. There are infinite ways in which Shinsu can manifest, it’s only limits being our imagination and understanding…”
With another press of the remote, the image behind Yugo changed to show the same landscape, now devastated to the point of being borderline unrecognizable. Then, in a deep tone that didn’t really suit his stature or appearance, he added, “There are no proper words to describe the miracle that is Shinsu. As a result, we simply refer to it as the Blessing of God, thus the name ‘God’s Water’. Controlling Shinsu is tantamount to interrupting the role of God, borrowing his power to shape the world around you in accordance with your will. Because of this, Shinsu is an exceptionally powerful tool that can be used to save countless people…or destroy countless lives. Though it might be hard to believe, I could kill every Regular here within five seconds. That is the awesome power of Shinsu, the power that dominates everything within the Tower…”
—
Following Yuga’s basic explanation of Shinsu, the costumed man went on to explain the importance of contracting a Guardian. They were the god-like entities that regulated the flow of Shinsu on each Floor, and, without their permission, manipulating Shinsu was practically impossible. Even items that were specifically created to manipulate Shinsu required contracts with the Guardians, irrespective of their level and rank. In fact, the higher the rank of an item, the more strict the guidelines for its use. There were even some items, specifically those ranked A or higher, that could only be used a single time on any given Floor, regardless of the amount of time that had passed.
Vahn found the idea of such restrictions rather novel, but, considering he was an Irregular, none of what Yuga was saying really applied to him. In fact, when Quant had tasked everyone with forming a contract with the Guardian, a massive serpentine creature that was more than three kilometers in length, the monstrous entity informed Gandr that forming a contract would be the same as placing a restriction on himself. Despite this, Gandr actually accepted the contract, as, due to his nature as The Path, breaking free from such contracts wouldn’t require any effort at all.
For the sake of appearances, Vahn and Phae had also contracted with the Guardian, confusing the colossal creature quite a bit. From its perspective, they were all the same entity, but, an existence it had already contracted but couldn’t sense. As a result, it ended up forging three contracts with the same person, albeit binding each of Vahn’s vessels individually. This would help strengthen the idea that they were each different people, even if Vahn didn’t mind telling those close to them that Phae and Gandr were effectively extensions of himself.
In the end, Vahn intended to cause as much confusion as possible to those who were actually in control of the Tower as it would make his future plans a lot easier. He was currently formulating a plan to effectively link all of the Floors within the Tower, as, even with his power, it would apparently take upwards of fifty years just to reach the 134th Floor. This was a record that had been set by the ‘strongest’ person within the Tower, an Irregular by the name of Ureko Mazino who apparently had enough raw power to level a mountain range with a single punch and fire countless Baangs at light speeds.
Vahn wasn’t quite sure how powerful the strongest entities within the Tower were, but, based on the impression he got from Headon and Yuri, they couldn’t be underestimated. Thus, while he intended to climb the ‘normal’ way, the main purpose of this was to effectively create spatial anchors on each of the Floors. This would effectively allow him to move freely within the Tower, a terrifying capability that was bound to become the Jahad Empire’s worst nightmare…
—
While the Wave Controller candidates were having the basics of their Position explained to them, the other Position classes were just learning of the Special Test that guaranteed free passage to the next Floor. Those who completed the Special Test would even be allowed to skip the Final Exam, and, fortunately for the other candidates, their passing was not included in the final count that determined how many people were allowed to ascend to the 3rd Floor.
Since they were Tests scaled to the average D-Rank Regular, meaning those who had been able to pass the 20th Floor, even Best Seeds generally had a very difficult time passing the Special Test. This was especially true for the Light Bearer and Wave Controller Positions, as, prior to entering the Floor of Tests, there was no way to form a contract with the Guardians. As a result, there was no practical way to gain experience using a Lighthouse or manipulating Shinsu, irrespective of whether or not you were an average Regular, a Princess of Jahad, or a descendent of the Ten Great Families…
Fortunately, Phae and Gandr were exceptions to this rule, so, immediately following the explanation of the Special Tests, they became two of the fastest within the Tower to pass the Position Exam. This was especially true of Phae, as, after witnessing her prowess on the first day, Lero-Ro had promptly approved of her qualifications as a Light Bearer. As for Gandr, he just needed to complete a trapped obstacle course within a single hour, all while blindfolded.
In the end, Gandr bettered the old record by thirty-seven seconds, effectively becoming the fastest person to ever pass the Scout Position Test. Despite this, both he and Phae elected to continue their lessons, effectively serving as Assistant Instructors and examples for the other Regulars. Quant even allowed Gandr to teach the remaining lessons that day. He had become rather fond of the latter, as, despite all his talents, Gandr never shied away from helping others. This was a very rare trait within the Tower, one that often decided whether or not a person would become an average Scout or rise far above their peers…
—
Unaware of the Special Tests occurring elsewhere, all of the Fisherman candidates had gathered in an area simply referred to as Special Test Spot No. 1. It was a man-made field comprised entirely of massive cylindrical pillars that were approximately 20m in diameter and 100m in height. They were each spread out at random intervals across an expanse of white stone, some nearly touching while others were more than 30m apart.
With each of the Fisherman candidates spread out across the field, the Instructor for the class, a buxom female Ranker with flowing black pigtails protruding from a silver mask could be seen floating in the sky atop a jellyfish-like Shinheuh. She was a rather mysterious woman named Hex, and, though she wore somewhat cutesy clothing consisting of a pale-blue blouse and striped pink dress, those who knew her well knew how terrifying she was as a Fisherman.
With her inordinately large pigtails flowing unnaturally away from her masked face, Hex playfully dangled her slippered feet as she explained in a voice that resonated across the vast testing field, “Welcome to the first Special Testing area for the Fisherman Position. Today, we’ll be keeping things simple by conducting a free-for-all of sorts. The aim of this Test is to be one of the eight candidates left standing. Though you are allowed to fight using your bodies, the only weapon you may use is the needle you have been given. Though this is only the first of three Special Tests, it will still have a substantial impact on your final grade so make sure to try your hardest! That being said, are there any questions before we begin?”
Having learned to fear their instructor during the previous two days, the only person bold enough to speak out was Endorsi. She even went out of her way to stand ramrod straight as she held up her hand like an eager schoolchild, beaming as she shouted, “I’ve got a question! These pillars a pretty tall for the average Regular. Are there any protections in place to prevent people from dying~?”
Smiling beneath her mask, Hex adopted a playful tone of her own as she explained, “There is, but it isn’t perfect. If you land badly, there is a real chance you could die or sustain severe enough injuries that you simply cannot continue. Simply put, if you fail this test, there is a very real chance you will fail the entire class.”
Satisfied with the answer, Endorsi beamed even more radiantly as she happily chimed, “That sounds simple enough! Thanks for answering my question~!”
Hearing the glee contained within Endorsi’s voice, most of the other Fishermen candidates felt a chill run through their bodies. Many of them couldn’t even cover the distance between pillars, so, depending on their luck, they could be eliminated by the seemingly unstoppable Princess without ever having a chance to eliminate another opponent. Unfortunately, the only person that could be blamed for their weakness was themselves, a truth that had already poisoned the minds of several weaker Regulars…
With Endorsi being the only one bold enough to speak out, Hex only waited a few seconds before smiling beneath her mask and saying, “Well then, let’s begin the Test. Remember, only eight of you can move on to the second Special Test. With that in mind, do your best so that, even if you fail, you won’t have any regrets, okay? Now then…Ready, set, go~!”
Following Hex’a commencement of the Special Test, a loud gong sound echoed through the entire field. Despite this, the majority of the Regulars made no effort to leave the relative safety of their personal pillars. Though they were supposed to be the Position that threw themselves head-first into the battlefield, none of them wanted to draw attention to themselves due to the presence of two Princess of Jahad. For them, it was basically pure luck whether or not they succeeded, as, even if they teamed up, Endorsi and Anak could effectively solo the entire group of Regulars…
Seeing the stillness below, a dark aura began to emanate from Hex’s body as she internally cursed at the cowards turtling atop their pillars. She understood their reasons, but, regardless of whether or not the enemy was stronger, it was the duty of a Fisherman to fight on the frontlines. Refusing to leave your pillar all but guaranteed you would fail the class, as, without invading other territories, it was impossible to earn points. The class didn’t reward cowards, so, even if they managed to defend against all their aggressors, those foolish enough to remain on their original pillar were doomed to fail…
While thinking of methods to punish those who managed to ‘survive’ the current test, Hex’s brows raised slightly as she noticed movement on one part of the battlefield. Just as she was wondering who was bold enough to charge towards the center, the location of Endorsi Jahad, an exasperated sigh escaped Hex’s lips when she noticed it was none other than Anak. This all but ensured one of the Princesses was going to be eliminated, effectively rewarding the cowards who had chosen to remain in place. Because of this, she found it hard to get excited for the battle, at least until Endorsi began baiting Anak to invade other pillars; systematically eliminating everyone they came across…
(A/N: Alternate Titles: ‘A wolf in sheep’s clothing…’,’That’s a nice record you have there…’,’The Tower does not reward cowardice~!’)
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