BXBX NOVEL Chapter 57: The Tower of Trials (2)
The trick was to focus your mind and assimilate with the mana. The mana guides the way. Talent in this way requires an understanding of mana as being separate from the body. Mana that shone like stars moved within a certain system; Kang Min-hyuk had honed his mental method countless times, so he was used to finding a system in chaos. It was intuitive for him…the time he had clung to his teeth in the excruciating but rewarding challenge of the mental method gave Kang Min-hyuk a different way of thinking than others possessed.
Whenever the space-filled mana shifted into a certain system, it changed into a certain form. The current system was Yoo Seong-woo. It was as expected. When the mana was interlocked, it sprinkled countless grains of energy. It wasn’t really a meteor shower, but it looked just like one. As such, Kang Min-hyuk saw mana in its raw form. A wave rose, and a mountain of mana rose. It was a recurring system. Kang Min-hyuk learned it through observation.
Each form had a different system but collecting mana’s power at one point was the same. Just before the shape changed, there was a special system where mana of nature gathered. It was like psychology…to accept nature’s mana, Simbeop empties the body through a system like what was happening within the Tower.
“Wow.”
Kang Min-hyuk exhaled. With his psyche open wide, the new information commingled with his existing knowledge. The Guardian Gate’s Mana Spirit had a mysterious beginning and an extremely long history developed by the Guardian Gate’s ancestors to suit the fortified civilization. Even in the early days, the mana spirit method that deals with ‘spirit power’ was not recognized by people. At that time, mana’s system was not proven, and the abstract theory was difficult to engage in scientifically.
Eventually, though, the truth was revealed. A free-spirited mana system exists, and if we know it, we can use its power. The same is true now. Because Kang Min-hyuk was well-versed in the guardian gate’s deliberation, he saw mana’s flow and system. With it, he saw the possibility of creating a ‘new form of psychology.’ There was no guarantee of success. However, in this empty world, the only thing visible was the flow of mana, and Kang Min-hyuk is a person who does not hesitate to take on new challenges. Mana was managed slowly according to the rift flow, and he very carefully collected and concentrated the mana to a single point through the form of deep law.
“…Whoah!”
Bwahhhh
An intolerable burst of mana entered Min-hyuk; he closed his eyes, and all of his pores expanded as though his entire body was screaming. He found himself choking on a power he couldn’t bear.
A beep sounded in his head, warning of great danger. Nevertheless, Kang Min-hyuk applied the visible flow of mana to the mental method. The moment he tried to tame them and lead them to Danjeon, a fierce backlash arose. Terrible pain seethed through him. His face twisted with effort, and Kang Min-hyuk found that Danjeon was an inappropriate technique for accumulating raw mana.
Min-hyuk turned things around swiftly. The mana that headed to Danjeon rose naturally, and at the end, there was a circle formed in the heart. A ring made of natural mana, the energy-filled him like a tsunami.
Gwa Gwa Gwaak.
“Oh, ugh.”
His lips squeezed together tight, and a groan leaked out…Kang Min-hyuk knew that he was wrong.
‘Not this way, either.’
The way wasn’t necessarily wrong. The amount of mana induced by the mana spirit method was small. Even in the mana room, the level is low enough for the body to withstand. But now it was different. Mana flowing like a tsunami could not be sustained with only one circle. Moreover, Klinssman’s circle was much weaker than the others.
“Hoowook, hoowook.”
Tssss.
Mana was scattered; all of his pores gaped open as mana was discharged. Then, his trembling body calmed down. It had lost all energy, and he wanted to lie on the ground right away.
“I can’t…I have to stay focused.”
He couldn’t lose his center. The idea of becoming a lost child came to mind. Kang Min-hyuk was barely supporting his body, but his facial expression showed joy entwined with the shock. It was possible to use the mental method to conduct the flow of mana. He was sure of it.
It was impossible to accumulate mana in a Danjeon with the Sims he’d just used, but the circle had signaled that mana could be accepted. If the Guardian Gate’s mana spirit is a method specific to Danjeon, this is a method specific to circles.
“It might be possible with my body.”
It was a hypothesis, but if it were proved true, Kang Min-hyuk had a strong conviction that he could go to a higher level. He stabilized his body. He watched the flow of mana again, trying to cement its pattern into his memory and create a complete form of mental method.
It was the moment when Kang Min-hyuk, who thought he had to endure the trial simply, fell into a state of selflessness for one purpose.
* * *
Avid’s expression hardened.
“How long has it been?”
“… … Two hours have already passed.”
He was speechless. The seriousness of the situation was emphasized by the tone of Avid’s voice, which seemed to have given up on Klinssman’s return.
Two hours outside…how much time had passed inside? One day? Two days? No, it was at least a month. Usually, if this amount of time had passed, the challenger is considered lost. However, Avid felt unable to give up completely.
“He must have already died.”
Avid had also experienced the Tower of Trials. Thanks to it, he reached the seventh circle level, but his memories of it were terrible. The pressure had crushed his whole body so that he couldn’t open his eyes properly, and his head went crazy with mana that pushed against his breath. Nevertheless, he endured endlessly. Avid, grasping the strings of his mind with his superhuman spirit, came out of the crack, and a year later, he reached the level of the seventh circle.
He was sure…Klinssman was already dead, and there was absolutely no way he would come back alive. He deeply regretted allowing him into the Tower. He began to plan his resignation – the death of a child was on his head, and as president, his judgments had to be for the benefit of the students…his expression became despondent.
“I’m so sorry.”
As he was about to walk away, a strange phenomenon occurred inside the crack.
Papapat.
“Did you hear that, Sir?!”
Avid’s eyes widened.
Sparks from the cracks meant that a person was still ‘surviving’ inside. He was yet to be lost.
“He may be alive. He might also still have his whole-mind.’
They couldn’t be sure – What happened inside the rift is never certain from outside, but Avid was convinced that Klinssman could be alive from the moment the spark occurred. A whopping 2 hours had passed. Many people returned from it in ruins, but there had never been a case that a challenger did not become a lost child after two hours. It made no sense. Even if the mind held up, a regular body would have been torn to pieces in that amount of time.
“Klinssman, who are you?”
Avid wondered. Even as the head of the Royal Academy of Magic and England, he couldn’t be sure of anything about Klinssman. All that he knew was his background.
* * *
Kang Min-hyuk didn’t know how much time had passed. He had spent a long time immersed in the flow of mana and finally completed a mental method.
“It was successful!”
The mana spirit was different from Suhomun’s deliberation.
Suhomun’s deliberation method is centered on Danjeon and has the flexibility to be used in any situation. However, the mental method created by Kang Min-hyuk was fixed. Without a circle of pure mana and the vitality that the heart exudes, mana could never gather at one point. Therefore, it can be said that it is effective for wizards who use circles but is of no use to reinforced warriors.
Although he hadn’t tried directly experimenting with his body, in reality, Kang Min-hyuk christened Simbeop. A mana meteor shower commenced. The color of mana pouring down in front was like the glow of moonlight. Had he put too much effort into completing the trial? Not long after completing the Wolha Simbeop, Kang Min-hyuk felt a change in his body.
“Is this the pressure the survivors spoke about?”
The pressure struck Kang Min-hyuk. There weren’t any major problems physically. Even though he hadn’t eaten anything, Klinssman’s body was still showing vitality, but he felt increasingly mentally devastated. That was an early symptom, though, according to the stories of the survivors. Dizziness, blurred vision, the emergence of disgusting energy, and the brain’s distortion were the main, primary effects. When the pressure in his head reached its peak, and a noise tore his head through his ears, he decided that he had to escape. That was the Maginot line of survival.
Those who withstood a little did not know the exact end of the symptoms, but none of the survivors had experienced more symptoms of peak pressure. So, people predicted that those who reached the standards after that became ruined. The ruins which had gone completely crazy couldn’t tell their experiences.
“Hoowook, hoowook.”
Kang Min-hyuk caught his breath. He was willing to endure a little more and leave the Tower by the time he reached the Maginot line. The rewards of the trial were dependent upon the time spent there. The dimensional rift refused access to those who had already endured the Tower, so he had to gain as much as possible from the one-shot he had.
His head was spinning, his vision was blurred, and as his brain began to distort, a new phenomenon occurred – one that hadn’t been included in any survivor testimonies.
Goosebumps scattered across his flesh. His mind opened, and he felt wrinkles from in his brain…his mind was expanding. It was a strange feeling, as though the brain was being rubbed alive and the world had split in two. Kang Min-hyuk did not react.
Snap!
Consciousness split. Had he done too much? He checked, but there was nothing wrong with his outer body or his inner body.
“This is Hell…”
Kang Min-hyuk’s mind was experiencing two modes of consciousness at the same time.