Awakening: Reincarnating With the SSS-Level Extraction Talent

Alex materialized near the [Mystical Temple], the oppressive aura of magic from the nearby temple brushing against him.

He turned his focus toward the unknown expanse beyond the forest.

His instincts screamed that the key to the Mage Tower lay just ahead.

The forest was eerily quiet.

Beasts usually prowled this area, but instead, carcasses littered the ground.

"Did Alera come through here?" he wondered aloud, crouching to inspect one of the corpses.

The precision of the kills suggested her handiwork, but that clearly wasn\'t ice magic.

"Or maybe something worse." He straightened, shaking off the thought.

Your journey continues with мѵʟ

The Mage Tower was his only concern now as he left the [Mystical Forest].

Ding!

[You have arrived at your location!]

He was yet again in another field, and a few only a few minutes of walking, he arrived right on the dot that was supposed to show the location of the tower.

And of course, nothing.

"It\'s gotta be hidden somewhere..." he mumbled.

But an hour passed and Alex\'s patience thinned.

His [World Map] pulsed faintly, guiding him in circles.

The mark for the Mage Tower was fixed in one spot, but the tower itself was nowhere to be seen.

It didn\'t help that the landscape grew increasingly strange.

The terrain warped subtly—trees twisted at odd angles, and the mist that clung to the air sparkled faintly, as if infused with stardust.

Alex tried various methods to uncover the tower.

Whether it was use his spells on the exact dot the tower was supposed to be one, or check if there wasn\'t some sort of hidden mechanism.

Still, nothing.

Alex groaned in frustration, leaning against a crooked tree. "Am I missing something?"

His eyes wandered to his inventory, and then it struck him.

Because amidst all the items he had acquired until now was the [Mage Tower Token].

[Mage Tower Token (Artifact): Allows you to access the mage tower and meet the transcendent mage, Arceus, he may take you in based on your performance, though note he has never ever taken any students in before.]

The description echoed in his mind as he held the token between his fingers. Could this be the key he was missing?

He infused it with a small amount of mana.

Suddenly, the token began to glow, its engravings coming alive with a radiant blue light. A soft hum filled the air, and a flash of light erupted before him.

Ding!

[Mage Tower detected nearby.]

[Do you want to use the "Mage Tower Token" to access it?]

Alex\'s eyes widened, then a grin spread across his face. "Finally."

With a nod, he confirmed.

In an instant, the world around him shifted.

The dense mist parted, revealing a towering structure that seemed to pierce the heavens.

Its surface shimmered like molten silver, inscribed with glowing runes that pulsed faintly in rhythm with the token in his hand.

The Mage Tower stood before him.

...

The moment Alex stepped inside, he was greeted by a vast, circular chamber.

The floor beneath his feet was made of obsidian glass, reflecting the dim, otherworldly glow emanating from arcane torches lining the walls.

The ceiling stretched impossibly high, disappearing into a swirling void of stars.

The decorating power of a [Grand Mage] was impressive!

Ding!

A panel appeared before him.

[Mage Tower Trial: To reach the top of the tower and meet with Arceus, you need to complete the Mage Tower Trial and climb all the way up.]

[Failure will result in your Mage Tower Token being destroyed, and you being permanently banned from ever entering this tower again.]

"Damn," Alex muttered.

The stakes were high, but that only fueled his determination.

He wasn\'t about to let a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity slip through his fingers.

With a deep breath, he stepped onto a glowing platform at the center of the room, which allowed him to go up.

And after a few minutes of going up thanks to this weird elevator, Alex found himself in an immense, circular chamber.

The walls shimmered with runes, and the floor was made of polished obsidian.

In the center stood a massive figure, glowing with energy, and besides it was some sort of altar.

Ding!

[Mage Tower Trial: To reach the top of the tower and meet with Arceus, you must defeat the Guardian of The Tower.]

A low growl echoed through the chamber.

The ground trembled as the figure in the middle turned around.

[Guardian of The Tower]

[HP: 50,000,000]

[Level: 500]

[Rank: 6-Star Elite]

The creature towered over Alex, its form a swirling mass of darkness with glowing red eyes and jagged claws.

Its aura was suffocating, pressing down on Alex like a physical weight.

"Level 500?!" Alex exclaimed, his heart racing. "Are they serious?!"

The Guardian roared, its voice like grinding stone.

Without hesitation, it lunged at Alex, its claws leaving trails of black fire in their wake.

Alex reacted instinctively, activating [Shadow Veil] to vanish from sight.

The Guardian\'s claws swiped through the air where he had stood a moment ago, carving deep gouges into the floor.

"Alright, think," Alex muttered from the safety of the shadows. "I can\'t beat this thing head-on. But I don\'t have to—"

The Guardian\'s glowing eyes snapped toward him, piercing through his stealth.

"Shit!"

Alex barely had time to summon [Stone Fortress] before the Guardian unleashed a wave of black energy.

The barrier shattered instantly, but it allowed him 0.1 seconds of leeway that helped him escape.

"Alright, no more playing around."

Alex unleashed [Crimson Cataclysm], summoning a forest of blood spikes that erupted from the ground beneath the Guardian.

The spikes pierced its shadowy form, eliciting a guttural roar, but the damage was minimal.

-749! -948! -1271!

"I\'m so fucked."

The [Guardian of the Tower] dashed forward again, lunging at Alex and ready to slice him in half.

He was an idiot, why did he think that a Grand Mage wouldn\'t defend their territory with a powerful being?

Slash!

The guardian swung its claws, and right as they were about to reach him...

Strike!

A giant dragon wing emerged from nowhere and slammed into the guardian, stopping it in its momentum.

-4,485,948!

"You need my help again, human?" Alphox grinned as he appeared, seemingly interested in seeing if he could manage to win.

Both of them were level 500 now, that is the only reason Alphox came: to check if his powers were still good to go.

The dragon\'s massive form filled the chamber, its obsidian scales shimmering with dark energy.

Its glowing violet eyes locked onto the Guardian, a low growl rumbling from its throat.

"Alphox, it\'s your turn," Alex said, leaning against the wall to recover.

The dragon didn\'t need further instruction.

The Guardian lunged at Alphox, its claws glowing with abyssal fire.

Alphox countered with [Umbral Shield], surrounding himself in a protective barrier that absorbed the attack and reflected a portion of the damage back to the Guardian.

The Guardian staggered, and Alphox seized the moment.

[Abyssal Dive]!

With a thunderous roar, Alphox launched into the air, gathering shadow energy as he soared.

Then after a few seconds he dove at high speed, colliding with the Guardian in a devastating explosion of shadow and force.

-12,374,904!

"What the actual fuck," Alex was flabbergasted.

And in addition to that, the impact created a massive shockwave that rippled through the chamber, stunning the Guardian for five seconds.

He took advantage of that opening to use [Strike] again and again, dealing damage to the boss.

The Guardian faltered, its form flickering as its health dropped to critical levels.

Alphox didn\'t let up, launching into [Black Flames] that struck with enough power to burn the ground beneath them.

The Guardian let out a final, agonized roar before its body dissolved into a cloud of black mist, leaving behind a glowing crystal.

[Guardian of The Tower Defeated.]

[Unfortunately, you cannot get experience from summons like these.]

[Trial Complete.]

Alex let out a shaky breath as he saw the notifications.

"Mhm~" Alphox laughed, "Seems like even monsters at my level are too weak," he mumbled before disappearing.

"Thanks, buddy," Alex muttered, a weak smile on his face.

The altar at the center of the room began to glow, and a spiraling staircase appeared, leading to the next floor.

Gathering his strength, Alex stood and approached the stairs.

"At least that\'s over," he muttered, ascending toward the summit.

At the top, Alex found himself before a massive, golden door.

The air was heavy with magic, and the door pulsed with an overwhelming aura of power.

"This is it," Alex said, steeling himself.

He pushed the door open, light spilling out and engulfing him entirely.