Time flowed silently inside the Trial Tower.
There was no sun.
No sky.
No sense of day or night.
Only pressure.
Only focus.
Namus slowly opened his eyes.
[Manual Comprehended — 4/10]
A faint breath escaped his lips.
Four manuals.
He glanced around.
The situation hadn't changed much.
Rian was still struggling nearby.
Sweat covered his forehead as he repeated the same motions over and over again, trying to grasp the essence of his manual.
[Manual Comprehended — 3/10]
"Damn…" Rian muttered under his breath. "These are getting harder…"
Others weren't doing much better.
Most were stuck between two and three manuals.
A few had reached four.
Some had completely halted, unable to move forward.
The atmosphere had grown heavy.
Because time was running out.
Namus closed his eyes once more.
He didn't rush.
He didn't compare.
He didn't panic.
Because he had already realized something important.
This trial…
Was not about effort alone.
It was about clarity.
Letting go.
Understanding.
He reached for the next manual.
And once again—
He immersed himself within it.
Meanwhile—
Far from him—
A completely different scene unfolded.
A space had naturally formed.
Not created by the system—
But by people.
They gathered.
Watched.
Whispered.
At the center—
Stood a girl.
Long blonde hair flowed behind her.
Her expression was calm.
Her eyes sharp and unwavering.
Mooncoin Magus.
A name widely known after the emergence of the Trial Tower.
The daughter of a High Ranker.
A member of the Magus Family—
One of the most influential legacy families in the world.
"She's already at five manuals…"
"Incredible…"
"Three-element affinity…"
"Of course… she's from the Magus Family…"
Whispers spread rapidly.
But no one dared to approach.
Because beside her—
Stood a man.
Tall.
Silent.
Unmoving.
Her guard.
His presence alone was enough to stop anyone from stepping closer.
Mooncoin paid no attention to the crowd.
Her focus never wavered.
Her eyes remained fixed on her manual.
Cold.
Composed.
Unshaken.
And then—
[Manual Comprehended — 5/10]
Gasps echoed through the space.
"She did it…"
"So fast…"
But she didn't stop.
Another manual appeared.
Then another.
Time passed.
Five hours had been given for comprehension.
And now—
Only the final stretch remained.
[Remaining Time: 1 Hour 20 Minutes]
Silently.
Relentlessly.
And then—
[Manual Comprehended — 8/10]
The pressure around her intensified.
"…She's already at eight."
No one spoke loudly anymore.
Because everyone understood.
This was no longer just a trial.
It had become something else.
A competition.
Silent.
Unspoken.
And far away—
Unnoticed—
Another participant continued.
Namus.
He slowly opened his eyes.
[Manual Comprehended — 7/10]
A quiet breath left him.
Seven.
The threshold.
A subtle transformation occurred within him.
Not explosive.
Not overwhelming.
But deeper.
Sharper.
Clearer.
He could feel it.
Something—
Had awakened.
Yet no one noticed.
No cheers.
No whispers.
No attention.
Only silence.
Elsewhere—
Mooncoin Magus reached for her next manual.
The ninth.
And without knowing—
Without seeing—
Without even sensing—
Two paths began to rise.
One surrounded by recognition.
The other—
Hidden in silence.
A competition had begun.
And neither of them—
Knew the other existed.