The Dream Realm was not truly a dream realm.
Yet the Dream Catcher’s pink mist intermingled with the rules of the "Dream Cleaner."
His Magic Power was rely the essence of spirit.
"Why do you only consider it a powerful close-combat state when you transform into that Dream Realm creature?" the instructor asked. "Isn’t it essentially from the sa source as your Magic Power? Shouldn’t there be greater potential for change, then? The mirror mask you use can emulate more transformations; why not pair it properly?"
Stop reciting, Master, Alka though. The instructor’s barrage of questions had already extinguished Alka’s will to attack. He had practically picked Alka apart, posing all sorts of probing questions.
Alka had actually realized many of these issues himself; he just hadn’t addressed them yet, or perhaps, didn’t want to change. His negative personality traits, along with other matters and hobbies, had diverted his energy. Moreover, the ti he’d had was too brief; he acquired these powers one after another so quickly that it left him no ti or energy to fully learn them. Even if he dedicated most of his rest ti to reading and studying, it wasn’t enough. He had only truly entered this profession a few years ago. He spent nearly all his ti supplenting his foundational knowledge with books from Lucilia’s Dream Realm library. This was a necessary step for him.
"Your powers are too diverse," the instructor continued. "Each one is quite good on its own, but mixed together, they actually hold you back. You are too young. Compared to your accomplishnts, your age makes you seem overly inexperienced. This is your advantage, but it has also beco your disadvantage. I can see you weren’t soone who received this kind of education from an early age. How long have you been in this profession?"
"Hmm... The ti is a bit vague, but roughly five years or so," Alka replied.
The instructor himself fell silent at these words. "Alright, child, I retract what I said earlier. You’ve perford very well. But going forward, you must make so choices. There’s no need to rush; approach it gradually, from specific points to the broader picture. You are no longer a re mortal. You possess the bloodline of gods, the power of kings. Ti will not leave many more traces on you."
This is a true, self-taught genius. I must carefully guide his growth, the instructor thought. He had opened his eyes, and one could even see a faint light flickering within them. He raised his hand and lightly snapped his fingers.
The Mirror Maze surrounding Alka shattered instantly.
"’The hardness of each Mirror seems about the sa. You just need to use equivalent Magic Power to create a shockwave in the surroundings," he said, as if boasting.
Alka just stood in place and nodded.
"Your powers lack system, and your attacks have no thod, like soone completely self-taught and unrefined. Did no elders teach you how to fight? You seem to have had very little training."
Hearing the instructor’s words, Alka nodded. "Yes, the combat style I’ve displayed so far is just sothing I’ve pieced together through my own trial and error."
"Hmm..." The instructor mused. The situation is even worse than I imagined. I don’t really know what the outside world is like anymore, but I can sense so changes. It seems my understanding of ’normal’ no longer applies to the outside world. But being stronger isn’t a bad thing, is it? No matter how much this world changes, it’s always like this: strength determines everything... Alas.
He seems to be much more than just an entity bound to the Tower of Trial, Alka thought.
"But my experience should still be applicable." Saying this, the instructor looked up at Alka and said seriously, "Rember what I just told you: the essence of power is *yourself*. Don’t treat a Treasure rely as a weapon or a tool. You should delve into its very essence, study its power, and then master it. Right now, you might find it very useful, but it’s like randomly swinging a knife. A sharp blade can certainly injure enemies even with haphazard swings, but why not wield it with more refined skill? Only then does it truly beco *your* power. It is *you* who controls the ’blade,’ not the ’blade’ controlling you."
Alka nodded; he could understand what the instructor wanted to convey.
"First, you need to build a system of guile based on the essence of your Magic Power. Everything with life possesses a spirit. This is a great advantage. The essence of your bloodline and power are converging towards this aspect; you must pursue this path. Once you have a general idea of your own, co back next ti. I will personally instruct you again and offer my opinions."
With that said, the instructor looked at Alka and waved his hand. "You have failed this ti. I look forward to your next attempt at the trial."
As his words fell, Alka vanished from where he stood. He reappeared where he had first entered the Tower of Trial.
"Your result for this trial is clearing 4 floors. Congratulations," the triangular figure floated nearby, saying.
The others also gathered around. "How was it inside? What kind of trial was it? Was it ntal, or combat-focused?"
"To clarify, this Tower of Trial specializes in combat. The Tower of Trial for ntal fortitude was destroyed long ago. It’s regrettable that you cannot experience it," the triangular figure said from nearby.
Alka listened to everyone’s questions and replied, "How should I put it... It was quite rewarding, I suppose. It helped sort out my thoughts from this recent period. I suggest you all try it. It’s very, very useful."
Indeed, just as the instructor said, my powers are too chaotic, without a central focus. I’m pursuing multiple paths simultaneously, but they don’t support each other. I want to do everything, yet I’ve grasped nothing substantial. My ti is limited, and I still need to frantically read and absorb knowledge to make up for my missing fundantals. I need to re-plan a better path for my current power system. I’m looking forward to the next trial.
Alka decided to stay on this Island for a while to organize his power system. Opportunities like the Tower of Trial, with so many suitable opponents and no mortal danger, are rare. Though, I’ll need to discuss this with the others. I should wait until they’ve each completed a trial first.
With this in mind, Alka looked at them and said, "Once you’ve all gone through it once, we can discuss our next course of action. How does that sound?"
"No problem. I’ll go this ti," Chadite said, stepping onto the Teleportation Platform. Mimicking Alka’s earlier actions, he raised his left hand, placed it on the stone pillar, and vanished.
Watching Chadite disappear, Jason turned to Alka and asked, "How long were you up there, based on your own perception?"
"About 10 to 15 hours, I think," Alka replied after a mont’s thought. He couldn’t give an exact ti. Especially during tense battles, his perception of ti would fluctuate, sotis seeming to speed up, other tis to slow down. The forest floor, in particular, was a test of patience and probably consud the most of his ti.
After answering, Alka looked up at the sky. "It seems this tower has so ti-related properties," he mused. He hadn’t noticed when he first ca out, but Jason’s question now made him realize why Jason had asked.
"Yes," Jason confird. "From the ti you went in to when you ca out, less than two hours actually passed. We were wondering why you were back so quickly."
"And you don’t seem hurt," Julia added, observing Alka. "You didn’t clear all the floors either, so how did you co down?"
After all, Alka showed no signs of having been through a battle. Not only did he lack injuries, but his stamina and Magic Power also seed largely unexpended. Hearing this, Alka chuckled and briefly explained so of the tower’s chanisms to the group.
"I see. So, the most crucial part is actually facing the floor that matches one’s own strength?" Jason comnted.
Alka nodded. Only at that floor would an instructor offer assistance.
"While you’re waiting, everyone, perhaps you could help with sothing?" the triangular figure, floating nearby, suddenly interjected. As everyone turned to look at him, he explained, "You probably already know that the Magic Power concentration on this Island is very high. This is because the tower’s structure itself has this capability. Due to damage and the passage of ti, dissipating Magic Power has increased the ambient concentration. Those objects affected by it, which have gained life, have begun to absorb and contend for the Island’s Magic Power. This has had a certain impact on the maintenance of the Tower of Trial. If you don’t mind, could you all clear out these elental life forms while you wait?"
Hearing this, Alka nodded. "No problem."
After all, clearing out these elental life forms could also yield useful materials. Why not do it?
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