Farrel Academy, or the Psychic Arts Academy, was something that Vale was always wary of. After all, the students coming from this Academy could be more terrifying than a Dark Arts Practitioner.
For him, anyone capable of controlling the minds of other people or enslaving them with their words were people he had to take note of.
However, what he really was surprised about was that his ESP Spell was reacting to a female student of this Academy. It seemed to be warning him that she was either dangerous or special.
'This Spirit Art or Extrasensory Perception Spell was really mysterious…' Vale silently thought as he certainly wouldn't doubt this Spell that he had extracted from a Fallen Messenger.
As the names of the participants were called one by one, Vale discovered that the Psychic Arts student's name was Lexie Steen.
Each of them was given a bronze key by the event officer, which would serve as their entry and exit pass for the Tower Ascension. Similar to the Dark Soul Tower, the key could only be used once, making it a unique souvenir after the competition.
After some time had passed, the Tower Ascension finally commenced.
They were brought to a place outside the bustling city where the Tower was located. It was said that the Tower was already here even before the city was built. This was also the reason why the location of the Twelve Academies Competition wouldn't change even after being attacked by the cult.
'Mhmm… It looks grand. It was certainly better than I thought.'
Vale gazed at the Tower, marveling at its ancient and mystical appearance.
It emitted an air of mystery as it was situated on the edge of the plateau. The Tower was surrounded by polished ground and adorned with numerous Formation Arts, serving as protective measures.
The sight was truly awe-inspiring.
'There are ten floors indeed…' Vale commented.
"Alright… Let's begin!"
The officer called the first student to enter. They were already informed that only one person could enter at a time, indicating that the competition would take a considerable amount of time.
Due to this, apart from their classmates and professors, no one else was present to witness the competition unfold. Well, it would be boring since no one would be able to see the situation inside.
The first participant, a student from the Beast Arts Academy, stepped into the Tower.
Almost immediately, everyone outside saw that the first floor lit up, signifying that the student had commenced their challenge. This was their only way of telling the progress of the student who had entered.
The initial stages seemed relatively easy, as within five minutes, the second floor was also illuminated. However, after eight minutes, the student was abruptly sent out of the Tower, having only managed to complete the first floor.
"Almost!" The student shouted in annoyance as he walked away. He didn't even bother going to the resting area as he probably knew he wouldn't get in place in this competition.
He didn't want to waste his time watching everyone surpass him.
'I guess Beast Art wasn't suited for this type of competition, huh…' Vale muttered as he knew that all the participants sent here were elites in their Academy.
If their result was bad, then most students of that Academy would probably have the same result.
The other students also didn't feel bad about the result they had seen. As a matter of fact, they were looking forward to seeing other competitors fail to ascend to the higher floors.
Of course, a few of them had also shown some concern… They realized that the Tower Ascension was indeed a formidable challenge.
***
It was now the turn of the student from the Rune Arts Academy.
He entered the Tower with determination, hoping to surpass the previous participant's achievements.
To the surprise of many, the student from the Rune Arts Academy managed to make it to the third floor, surpassing the previous record. However, his progress came to an abrupt halt as the light on the third floor dimmed, indicating his failure to clear the challenges. He was swiftly ejected out of the Tower, disappointment etched on his face.
'At the very least, none of them are injured like the stories I've heard… I guess it's because they didn't reach the fifth floor.' Vale thought to himself as he also noticed that they still had their weapons equipped.
The next participant, Avery from the Summoning Arts Academy, stepped forward.
He looked quite excited since as soon as his name was announced, he even ran to the door of the Tower and swiftly activated the key…
Whom~
Lights blinded Avery's vision before he realized that he had entered the Tower. As his eyes adjusted, he marveled at the sight before him.
"Oh… This place was really a good place to form a contract with another realm… It's filled with Arcane Energy. Senior Abel was right." Avery muttered as he looked around the dimly lit hall or the first floor of the Tower.
'The higher floor must have a better concentration of energy. I'll use that place to get the best summons!'
Avery thought with a smile. This was one of the reasons why he wanted to enter this place. According to the seniors in the Academy, they had used this place to complete a ritual to get a new summon in their Grimoire. It was quite dangerous since there wouldn't be anyone who could help if you accidentally summoned an unruly creature, but it was worth the shot as long as he was careful with his ritual.
He immediately shook his head as he had to think about this later.
"I should deal with the problem first…" Avery thought as he immediately realized why the first floor had been relatively easy for the previous students.
At the center of the hall was a wooden golem wielding a wooden sword.
He knew that defeating the wooden golem was the key to progressing to the second floor. Without wasting any time, he swiftly retrieved his Grimoire, a book of summoning, and began to summon his trusted Silver-Haired Ape.
However, before he could complete the summoning, the wooden golem lunged towards him, its target set on his head.
"W-wait! I'm not ready yet! I'm still summoning!"
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