Chapter 15
[You are challenging .]
—Fortunately, we avoided the worst-case scenario.
The worst case Lucy and I had imagined was me attempting the challenge alone without her.
‘If you think about the true meaning of cultivation, that would probably make more sense.’
Considering that without Lucy I’d probably still be stuck on the 1st Floor, I wasn’t even sure I could properly continue this cultivation.
‘But what exactly am I supposed to do?’
Based on the name “cultivation” and the information Mr. Icha had given me, it was likely some difficult trial meant to temper the challenger.
Naturally, I expected to be assigned something or subjected to a harsh ordeal—but aside from a training hall made entirely of white flooring, there was nothing.
—The patterns on the walls are unusual. There are too many awkward elements for this to be purely decorative.
‘Maybe they’re hiding some kind of information.’
—I’ll analyze it.
Lucy rested her chin on her hand and stared intently at the wall.
‘The wall does look strange.’
It wasn’t perfectly symmetrical, nor did it seem designed purely for beauty.
‘Still… it’s beautiful.’
The blue and red patterns scattered chaotically somehow looked quite stunning.
‘You said Cultivation of Harmony is most likely about learning to handle mana, right?’
That suggested the walls were probably related to mana as well.
—Woooong.
I moved the mana coiled deep within my dantian.
After several Synchronizations, I had fully grasped how to control mana. Moving it according to my will wasn’t difficult.
‘Maybe like this?’
Mana slowly flowed along my body.
I had moved mana countless times with Lucy before—but this time felt different.
Until now, it felt like throwing mana onto an open field and dragging it around however I pleased.
Now, it felt like placing it on a well-constructed road and letting it flow naturally.
—I’ve figured it out.
[You have cleared the First Cultivation.]
As soon as Lucy finished her analysis, a clear notification appeared.
—You know? I think you cleared it because of the way you moved your mana just now. Sometimes human intuition is faster than calculation.
‘Maybe it’s easy because it’s only the first one?’
The difficulty was lower than I expected.
—Still, we gained a lot. Just discovering that there are pathways for mana within the body is a huge benefit. No wonder there seemed to be faster routes than moving it in a straight line.
From here on, it was Lucy’s time.
After beginning Synchronization and thoroughly exploring the mana pathways within my body, Lucy quickly analyzed and stored all the information.
—We have so much to research now.
More research meant more ways to grow stronger.
—I should establish research protocols. There’s too much to do, so I’d like you to set the priorities, Master.
Even in that brief investigation, we discovered over twenty pathways.
Without running each one thoroughly, we couldn’t know what they did.
“Let’s start with the largest path.”
Before using Synchronization, the route I had naturally let mana flow through was the biggest one.
The massive pathway that started from the dantian and circulated throughout my entire body invigorated my vitality just by circulating mana through it.
—Understood. Beginning research immediately.
For research, Lucy needed not only computational power but also input data. So I sat on the floor and circulated mana through the main route.
Was this what people meant by a trance?
I lost all sense of time while circulating mana, and eventually Lucy finished her analysis.
—Partial research on the Main Road is complete. The deeper we go, the more complex it becomes, so I stopped at a reasonable depth for now.
[The largest confirmed mana pathway. When using the Breathing Method and circulating mana through the Main Road, mana accumulation increases more efficiently and overall physical abilities are temporarily enhanced.]
Words alone weren’t enough to fully understand it.
‘Synchronize.’
I pushed Synchronization to its limits and followed Lucy’s guidance in circulating mana.
‘So this is what it feels like.’
Each time mana completed a circuit through my body, an indescribable sense of fulfillment surged within me.
‘Is this what fantasy warriors and martial artists feel?’
—Most likely. In those worlds, people are born able to sense mana.
To think that modern humans could never feel this without a trait like Lucy’s.
It felt unfair.
[You have completed the Great Circulation.]
[You have cleared the Third Cultivation.]
Wait.
Why did it skip the second?
—The notification went off earlier.
I must have been too focused to notice.
‘Didn’t he say clearing just the third would already be impressive for a climber?’
It wasn’t as difficult as I had expected.
‘I wonder how much he’ll grow before coming back.’
Icha lay in front of the Cultivation of Harmony building, staring quietly at the entrance.
‘It might actually be the most difficult cultivation.’
Unlike the others, which assign tasks directly, Harmony presents nothing but walls covered in incomprehensible patterns and a white floor.
Figuring out what to do—and how to grow—was entirely up to the cultivator.
‘I was confused too the first time I entered.’
It took him about ten minutes to realize that the wall patterns hinted at controlling the body’s meridians and energy.
He had achieved tremendous growth afterward—but whether a climber without foundational knowledge could do the same remained to be seen.
‘If he hasn’t come out yet, maybe he figured something out.’
Six hours had passed since Lee Hyunwoo entered Cultivation of Harmony.
If he hadn’t grasped anything, he would’ve come out long ago.
‘Maybe I’ll take a nap.’
Just as Icha lay down comfortably, he heard a sound he shouldn’t have.
—Creeeak.
The door opened.
Icha shot upright.
“Hey, you crazy bastard! If you’re coming out already, then—”
He couldn’t finish his sentence.
Lee Hyunwoo, who had completed Cultivation of Harmony, had clearly grown stronger.
“…Which level did you clear?”
“Sixth.”
Good heavens.
Sixth.
Not just climbers—even real priests would struggle with that.
‘Which makes it even more wasteful.’
The difficulty spiked drastically after the seventh level, but if he could clear six in six hours, it wouldn’t even take ten years for him to break through the seventh.
“Why didn’t you continue?”
“It wasn’t worth the time. After clearing the sixth, the system said there would be no additional rewards starting from the seventh.”
“Cultivation has meaning in itself. The knowledge on those walls is priceless.”
“No need to worry. I memorized all the murals before coming out.”
Icha gave up trying to think.
‘Yeah… sometimes monsters in human skin show up.’
The second cultivation I challenged was Cultivation of Qi.
Unlike the cryptic Harmony, Qi was straightforward.
Using mana to smash through obstacles and climb upward—that was all.
[You have cleared the Sixth Cultivation.]
[Further attempts are optional. The Tower will grant no additional rewards.]
It took about six hours again.
—Information is pouring in!
Unlike Harmony’s silent walls, breaking through obstacles here was itself a source of clues and data.
‘You memorized all the traps on the seventh level too, right?’
—Of course. It’s difficult now, but once my performance improves further, we’ll be able to extract more information.
Since it might take years at our current level, I stopped at the sixth and exited.
“You have my recognition. In terms of speed alone, you’re easily top five among everyone who has ever attempted cultivation—not just climbers.”
“There are four people faster than me?”
“Of course. There’s one right in front of you.”
Right. The hidden boss of the 6th Floor—figures.
“Last one now?”
“Yes. Just one more.”
“You said you’d challenge Cultivation of Purity?”
“Yes.”
Even if I wanted to ignore it, Purity stood out too much.
Unlike the other buildings, which were decorated elaborately, the one governing Purity had no ornaments whatsoever.
‘It’s unpredictable—that’s exactly why I’m choosing it.’
High risk, high return.
“Be careful. It’s not easy.”
“You tried it too, Mr. Icha?”
“Yeah.”
Seeing someone as arrogantly confident as Icha speak like that made it clear this wouldn’t be simple.
‘All the better.’
The harder the cultivation, the greater the growth.
I stepped into the building of Cultivation of Purity.
‘It’s more ordinary inside than I expected.’
[How strong are you truly?]
A notification window addressed me directly.
‘Definitely feels different from the others.’
[Prove the purity of your strength.]
‘Pure strength?’
The moment I wondered whether strength gained thanks to Lucy could truly be called mine—
Lucy’s presence vanished.
‘Lucy?’
Except when being reverse-summoned for learning, she was always with me.
Now she was gone.
—Grrrrr.
A wolf’s growl echoed ahead.
—Click.
At the hostile sound, I immediately drew Lucia and took aim.
—Bang!
With a small infusion of mana, I pulled the trigger.
The wolf disappeared cleanly.
‘Is strength gained through weapons truly my pure strength?’
The doubt flashed briefly—
And Lucia vanished from my hands.
—Grrrrr.
Another wolf appeared.
Bigger and stronger than before.
‘If I lose my fangs, I’ll fight with my gums.’
I circulated mana through my body.
Not as strong as when wielding Lucia—but now I could produce strength worthy of a climber even barehanded.
—Crack!
Carefully avoiding its attacks, I struck its head hard. The wolf collapsed.
‘But this strength was also taught to me by Lucy, wasn’t it?’
Doubt rose again.
This time, the smoothly flowing mana began to falter.
‘Even accumulating this much mana was thanks to the Sword Demon…’
The mana vanished.
Anxiety crept in.
I raised one final doubt.
‘Even this sturdy body—I could never have built it if I hadn’t been dragged into the Tower.’
My body grew heavy.
‘I see.’
I think I understand the rule.
—Grrrrr.
Returned to my pre-Tower state, a wolf even larger and stronger than before appeared in front of me.
