Reward
An unfamiliar word appeared.
Woojin rolled the word around in his mouth, then asked Duran, who was standing beside him.
"What does Ascender mean?"
"Hmm… I can't quite grasp it."
Ascender.
Neither the Tower Master nor the others nearby knew the meaning of the word. So all they could do was make guesses based on the circumstances.
They looked at the mural again.
An enormous number of books were drawn there. Books piled up high enough to resemble hills. They were burning, flames spreading everywhere, while a sudden flood swept the books away.
A massive disaster swirling around.
And at its center, a tall altar jutted out like a reef.
When brilliant light shone down upon the altar…
Five figures rose high into the air. Their gestures looked as if they were reaching for the sky.
Ascension.
The humans of the old era had performed a strange ritual.
"…Perhaps 'Ascender' means that those five beings became divine entities."
Claire voiced her thoughts.
Duran thought for a moment before replying.
"It's an intuitive interpretation… but it might also be one that easily falls into a trap. If we take what we see too literally, we might miss the hidden message."
Perhaps the artist had used abstract techniques to conceal the true meaning within the painting.
The paladin Theodore also added his opinion.
"The contents of the mural seem rather absurd. For ordinary humans to ascend and become divine beings… honestly, that's hard to accept."
Mountains of books, fire and floods consuming them, and humans ascending into the sky…
There were too many unrealistic elements. Just like many religious paintings, it could simply be a fantastical depiction enhanced with fiction.
Theodore continued.
"When a renowned priest dies, we sometimes say they were martyred or called to heaven. Perhaps the word 'ascension' is used in a similar sense."
In other words, this place might be a mausoleum meant to commemorate the deaths of ancient heroes.
Fabian nodded at that speculation.
"I was thinking something similar myself. It sounds like a realistic guess."
"Hm…"
The new opinion gained some weight.
Duran crossed his arms and pondered the idea. Then he suddenly turned his head and looked at Woojin.
"J in. What do you think?"
"I don't know much about this sort of thing."
Woojin had absolutely no knowledge about ancient ruins. That was why he had deliberately stayed silent, but Duran didn't seem to care about such experience.
Sometimes a complete outsider might offer a fresher, more creative perspective.
"I just want to hear different opinions. What did you think when you saw that mural?"
Woojin thought for a moment before speaking.
"…It felt a bit ambiguous."
"In what way?"
"The position of those five heroes."
The clouds split apart, and light fell onto the altar. Then the five heroes rose upward.
But they didn't rise very high.
Between the burning ground below and the distant sky above, the five heroes were floating at an awkward height in between.
"The light is pouring down from beyond the sky… but those people look like they're still below the clouds."
Humans were reaching their hands toward the sky.
The gesture looked strangely pitiful.
After hearing that, Duran thought for a moment before speaking.
"That's an unexpectedly emotional interpretation."
"Is that strange?"
"No… I think it's a good one. After all, murals like these are works of art."
Emotion cannot be separated from art. That's why people interpret it in different ways.
In other words…
Even if we debate among ourselves forever, it'll be hard to uncover the mural's true meaning.
No clear answer would come from such speculation alone. They needed more clues.
Apparently Woojin wasn't the only one who thought so. Before long, the others also gave up the discussion.
It didn't seem like it would help much.
So there was only one thing left to do.
"Let's go to the next room. We might find more clues there."
"Agreed."
So far, they had discovered a mural every time they finished a trial. If they passed the fourth trial, they would likely encounter another mural containing new clues.
Thinking that, Woojin and the others moved forward diligently.
But what they found next was not another trial ground.
Instead, it was a large chest.
A splendid treasure chest decorated with gold. In front of it stood a stone monument.
You have proven yourselves.
The inscription carved into the monument.
Seeing it, Fabian glanced around and spoke.
"…It seems the trials are over."
The trials of the ancient ruins had ended.
They wanted to find more clues, but they had somehow already reached the final room. Claire muttered in disbelief.
"What…? They called it an ancient trial, but that's it? It doesn't even feel like we did much."
It felt anticlimactic.
As Claire expressed her disappointment, Duran corrected her.
"Looking back, the trials weren't exactly easy. The challenges themselves were quite difficult."
The first trial.
Defeat an army of steel made up of hundreds of Living Armors.
The second trial.
Use the clues provided to identify the deadly poison hidden among several glass bottles.
The third trial.
Survive against the war machine known as the Bull of Phalaris, which possessed numerous powerful abilities.
The ancient ruins had tested combat ability, intelligence, and cooperation with companions. Trials that ordinary people could never pass.
But…
"…You just crushed them with sheer power. It's almost embarrassing to even call them trials."
When Duran said that, everyone's gaze naturally turned toward Woojin.
He didn't really have anything to say.
"For now, let's check that chest."
Trying to change the subject, he gestured toward the treasure chest.
Perhaps there was something inside that could serve as a clue.
The suggestion sounded reasonable. The group's attention shifted toward the chest.
"I'll open it."
"Be careful. There could be an explosive trap triggered when you lift the lid."
Duran voiced his concern.
The possibility seemed low, but there was no harm in being cautious. Woojin carefully lifted the lid of the chest.
The treasure chest opened.
Inside were…
an old book, a metal sculpture, and a key with a red gem embedded in it.
What does this key open?
Curious, Woojin picked up the key. If it was truly made of pure gold, the weight in his hand certainly felt heavy enough.
Seeing it, Duran suddenly reacted in surprise.
"Wait—that's…"
"You know what it's used for?"
"More or less. We discovered something similar in these ruins recently."
As Duran said that, he rummaged through his clothes and soon pulled out a key of his own.
The key was made of copper. A blue gem was embedded in the head of the key. It was very similar to the one Woojin had just found.
"The size and shape are almost identical. Did you obtain this through a trial as well?"
"Calling it a trial… I'm not sure if that's the right word."
"What did you do?"
Duran explained readily.
"It wasn't me. Some strange number puzzle was discovered in the ruins. One of the apprentice mages found it interesting and kept working on it for a long time. When he finally solved it, this key popped out."
A puzzle where the correct numbers had to be filled into a grid. Once it was solved, a copper key appeared.
Sounds like a puzzle similar to Sudoku.
It was too simple to really call it a trial.
Perhaps the material of the key represented the difficulty of the test. Easier trials produced copper keys, while harder trials produced gold keys.
There might even be trials of intermediate difficulty.
Thinking that, Woojin handed the golden key to Duran.
"Please take responsibility for it, Tower Master."
"Yes, that would be best."
It would be easier if one person managed all the keys together. So without much debate, Woojin's group entrusted the key to Duran.
What remained were the book and the metal sculpture.
Claire put on a pair of thin leather gloves and carefully picked up the book.
"Shall I… try opening it?"
"Be careful. If you're not careful, it could tear apart."
"I know."
The mages gathered close together, leaning their heads in, and cautiously turned the pages one by one.
Soon, a cheer erupted.
"This is incredible! It looks like potion recipes from the ancient era are written here!"
"We have to research this immediately!!"
The three mages were visibly excited. Each of them opened a notebook and began hurriedly translating and copying down the contents of the old book.
Woojin watched them for a moment…
Then picked up the last item left in the chest.
A metal sculpture with a silver sheen.
Too heavy to be silver… is it platinum?
He liked it.
First of all, it looked cool.
Two silver snakes were intertwined with each other. They were coiled tightly while biting down on a pure white gem.
It looked as if the two snakes were both trying to swallow the same gem.
Woojin held it in his hand and examined it from different angles.
There are letters engraved on the snake's side.
Runic characters that he had seen repeatedly throughout the ruins.
Woojin read them aloud.
"Argilla."
Sssshk.
The silver snakes simultaneously lifted their heads.
Woojin locked eyes with them.
Why is this moving?
Just as Woojin was about to say something in confusion—
The silver snakes suddenly lunged.
Flick, flick—
The two snakes rushed forward and tightly wrapped themselves around Woojin's left wrist.
Like a snake constricting its prey.
…A bracelet had appeared.
It looked elegant and felt comfortable to wear.
But the situation itself was rather alarming.
I've caused trouble again.
What should he do?
The bracelet was wrapped so tightly that he had no idea how to remove it. It seemed like the only options were either to break the bracelet… or cut off his wrist.
Woojin spoke cautiously.
"Uh… Tower Master?"
"What is it?"
"Could you take a look at this?"
He held out his wrist.
Duran casually turned his head—then his eyes widened when he saw the bracelet on Woojin's arm.
"W-Where did you get that?"
"It was the metal sculpture in the chest. It suddenly attached itself to my arm."
Woojin explained awkwardly.
Duran muttered in astonishment.
"That's not a sculpture… judging by its appearance, those snakes are a type of magical puppet. Like the Bull of Phalaris you defeated earlier."
"Is that so?"
It seemed he had obtained something rather unusual.
Strictly speaking, it was difficult to even call it an object.
Duran urged him.
"Do you feel any changes? Try doing something with the snakes."
"Well… even if you say that…"
Woojin tilted his head. The snakes were completely still, as if they were asleep.
…Do I have to feed them or something?
A strange intuition.
Woojin clenched his left fist and slowly infused energy into the bracelet.
Just like when he used Mana Arts to enhance a weapon.
The snakes immediately opened their eyes again.
Ssssss—
Like they were inhaling, the two silver snakes greedily swallowed the mana flowing into the bracelet.
Bulge!
Their necks swelled into round lumps, as if they were about to spit something out.
A bad feeling about this.
Woojin quickly turned his left hand toward an empty direction.
At the same moment, the silver snakes converted the mana they had swallowed into another form and fired it outward.
Crack!!
Two crimson beams shot out.
They struck the unfortunate stone monument.
The monument didn't shatter.
Instead, two holes the size of coins appeared in it.
Like a venomous snake driving its fangs in.
The holes were so cleanly pierced that it felt unsettling.
The two red beams passed through the monument and left another pair of holes in the wall behind it.
…What the hell is this.
He had picked up something ridiculous.
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