Part I — The Call of the Tower
I returned home—
But my mind didn't.
Those words…
Still echoed.
"The purer the bloodline…"
"…the closer you are to the beast."
They clung to my thoughts like chains.
Heavy.
Unrelenting.
I sat in silence for a long time.
Not training.
Not moving.
Just thinking.
The room was still.
Too still.
Even my breathing felt loud.
Every moment replayed in my mind—
Caelion's gaze.
His tone.
His certainty.
He wasn't warning us.
He was stating a fact.
And that fact…
Included me.
My fingers slowly tightened.
The words themselves weren't what bothered me.
It was the possibility behind them.
If bloodline purity truly brought me closer to the beast…
Then what happened when there was nothing left separating the two?
I already knew my bloodline wasn't ordinary.
I knew what I carried.
The Blue-Eyed White Tiger bloodline.
A bloodline powerful enough to make ordinary cultivators tremble.
But power wasn't the only thing inside it.
There was something else.
Something I had begun to notice.
Something that didn't feel like simple instinct.
My seal.
It had been weakening.
I could feel it now more clearly than before.
Not enough to break.
Not enough to release everything sealed within me.
But enough to make one thing obvious—
My growth was affecting it.
The stronger I became…
The closer I came to whatever waited behind that seal.
I leaned back slightly.
My eyes closed.
For a moment, the memory of that strange voice surfaced in my mind.
The consciousness within my bloodline.
The one that had spoken before.
I still didn't understand what it was.
I didn't know whether it was part of my bloodline, something born from it, or something far older.
But I knew one thing.
It was there.
And now—
I had a reason to be cautious.
I opened my eyes.
"…Thinking alone won't get me anywhere."
Analysis without action…
Was meaningless.
If something inside me was awakening—
Then I needed to be ready.
Not later.
Now.
I stood.
There was no point worrying about something I couldn't yet control.
If my bloodline was becoming stronger, then I would become stronger alongside it.
If my body couldn't withstand it—
I would strengthen my body.
If my mind couldn't control it—
I would strengthen my control.
Simple.
I looked toward the window.
The night outside was quiet.
For now.
But something told me that wouldn't last.
Eventually, I went to sleep.
---
The Next Morning
The next morning came quietly.
I woke earlier than usual.
The room was silent.
Calm.
But this time—
My mind was clear.
No hesitation.
No doubt.
Only decision.
I sat up.
For a few seconds, I simply listened to my surroundings.
Nothing unusual.
No disturbance.
No strange presence.
Everything seemed normal.
I stood up slowly.
Then began stretching.
Rolling my shoulders.
Twisting my torso.
Loosening every joint.
Simple movements.
But precise.
Controlled.
Every motion had purpose.
My body responded instantly.
Smoothly.
I paused.
My eyes narrowed.
Something felt different.
My movements were smoother than yesterday.
My muscles responded faster.
My balance felt more natural.
Even the slightest shift in my weight felt easier to control.
I flexed my fingers.
Then opened my palm.
Closed it again.
A faint smile touched my lips.
So it's already affecting me…
Or perhaps—
Something else was changing.
I didn't know yet.
Before I could investigate further—
"Good morning, Master."
I froze.
The voice echoed inside my mind.
The System.
I slowly turned my attention toward the familiar blue interface.
"…Morning."
My tone remained calm.
I resumed stretching.
"I enjoyed my day off."
A slight smirk appeared.
"But what's with the sudden change in address?"
Silence.
The System didn't answer.
I raised an eyebrow.
"That was a question."
Still nothing.
Then—
The blue interface flickered.
Once.
Twice.
The familiar display disappeared.
A new notification appeared.
«[Trial Initialization in Progress…]»
I stopped moving.
Another line appeared beneath it.
«[Yes / No]»
I stared at the prompt.
A trial.
The System had initiated something without giving me an explanation.
Interesting.
I had already completed the first floor of the Tower.
So this wasn't a normal notification.
The wording was different.
Not a reward.
Not a mission.
A trial.
I considered it for a moment.
There was no obvious danger.
But there was also no explanation.
Normally, that would have been enough reason to hesitate.
But I had just spent an entire night thinking about becoming stronger.
If the System was offering me another opportunity—
Why would I refuse?
I looked at the two options.
[Yes]
[No]
My answer was immediate.
"…Yes."
The moment the word left my mouth—
The interface changed.
«[Confirmation Received.]»
Then—
Light erupted beneath my feet.
BOOM—!!!
I didn't resist.
There was no point.
The light expanded instantly, surrounding my body.
My surroundings distorted.
The walls of my room stretched.
The floor disappeared beneath me.
Space itself seemed to twist.
SWOOOSH—!!!
My body became weightless.
For a brief moment—
There was nothing.
No ground.
No ceiling.
No direction.
Only the sensation of movement.
Fast.
Extremely fast.
Then—
Everything snapped back.
My feet touched solid ground.
I immediately steadied myself.
My eyes opened.
Heat.
That was the first thing I felt.
Not warmth.
Not discomfort.
Heat.
Heavy.
Oppressive.
Burning against my skin.
I stood still.
My eyes moved across the environment.
Mountains.
Massive.
Towering.
Endless.
Their peaks pierced the sky like jagged blades.
But something was wrong.
They glowed.
Cracks ran through them—
Filled with molten magma.
Like veins.
Pulsing.
Alive.
The ground beneath my feet was dark stone.
Cracked.
Unstable.
Radiating heat.
I lowered my gaze.
A thin stream of heat rose from the cracks beneath my feet.
Not enough to hurt me.
But enough to make the environment clear.
This wasn't an ordinary location.
I slowly looked farther ahead.
Rivers of magma flowed through the terrain.
Thick.
Bright.
Deadly.
The air shimmered violently.
Heat waves distorted everything in the distance.
Even breathing felt heavier.
Controlled.
But noticeable.
I took one slow breath.
Then another.
My body adjusted.
The heat wasn't enough to stop me.
I continued observing.
At the center of the entire domain—
A massive volcanic mountain dominated the landscape.
It was larger than everything surrounding it.
Its peak disappeared into the dark sky.
Magma flowed down its sides.
Cracks spread across its surface.
It almost looked—
Alive.
My eyes narrowed.
"…A volcanic territory."
My voice was calm.
But my eyes—
Sharp.
I turned slowly.
Nothing.
No familiar landmarks.
No clan.
No training ground.
No trace of the place I had just left.
Only this vast volcanic domain.
I already knew what it meant.
This was the Tower.
The trial ground.
And if the System had brought me here—
There was a reason.
Nothing the Tower did—
Was ever random.
Which meant—
This place…
Was chosen.
For me.
I took another step.
The dark stone cracked faintly beneath my foot.
I stopped.
My gaze lowered.
Interesting.
The environment itself was different.
The pressure.
The heat.
The terrain.
Everything seemed designed to test something.
But what?
I looked toward the massive volcanic mountain again.
Perhaps the answer was waiting there.
Then—
The air in front of me trembled.
A glowing red screen appeared.
Different.
Not like my usual System.
This one felt—
Ancient.
Heavy.
Authoritative.
Words slowly formed across its surface.
«[Welcome, Challenger.]»
I watched silently.
The red screen continued.
«[Tower Trial Environment Confirmed.]»
A second line appeared.
«[Floor 2 Preparation Complete.]»
I narrowed my eyes.
So this was where the next stage would begin.
I had already completed the first floor.
Now—
The Tower had brought me somewhere completely different.
Somewhere far more hostile.
I looked around once more.
The volcanic landscape stretched endlessly before me.
Magma flowed.
Mountains stood like giants.
And somewhere beyond them—
Something waited.
I couldn't see it yet.
But I could feel it.
Not an aura.
Not exactly.
Just—
A faint pressure buried beneath the environment.
My instincts reacted immediately.
Danger.
My lips curved upward slightly.
Good.
I had been looking for a reason to become stronger.
Perhaps—
The Tower had just given me one.
The red screen flickered.
Another message began appearing.
«[Stage Transition Initiated.]»
I stared at the words.
The Tower was about to reveal what came next.
And whatever waited in this volcanic domain—
I would face it.
I had already accepted the trial.
There was no reason to turn back now.
I looked toward the enormous mountain one final time.
My eyes narrowed.
Then—
I smiled.
The real trial was about to begin.
— End of Part I —