Ray hadn't gone all out. This wasn't a battle where he had to burn his magic power like crazy to win.

Secondly, he was a Tamer. He could summon Muri to double his combat power!

Pshhhk! Pshhhk! Pshhhk!

Dozens of metallic spikes blasted out of the cloud of dust, piercing all four Lizardmen. Three burst like balloons. The last one collapsed to the ground lifelessly, a spike embedded deep in its head.

Ding!

♦️ Trial: Kill 5 Lizardmen

♦️ Completion Rate: 80%

"Good job, Muri!" Ray praised his summon.

Muri bounced up and down, expressing its joy at being praised. "Thanks for the praise, Master."

Ray could have dealt with it himself. But he didn't—he let Muri play a little. It must have felt bored sitting in his Niwan Palace for hours. Tamers had to be considerate of their battle companion's feelings if they wished to develop a strong relationship. With a thought, he recalled Muri back into his Niwan Palace before resuming his trek through the grassland.

"Just one more and I will pass the trial."

Minutes later, Ray came across a gigantic Lizardman. Its body was three times larger than the others. Its scales were denser, its muscles thicker, and it dragged a crude iron axe behind it.

GRRROOOOOOAAAAARRRRR!

It roared before charging straight toward him. Every single one of its steps shook the earth and left deep craters in the ground. It was big—and fast. In no time, it was upon him, bringing its massive axe down to crush him.

BOOOOM!

Ray planted his feet on the ground, no intention of moving out of the way of its attack. An azure wind blade materialized in his grasp. He swung it

upward casually.

CLANGGGG!

The axe flew from the Lizardman's grip. Ray's strength had overwhelmed it.

Before it could recover, Ray's azure wind blade pierced straight through its throat.

Slishhhh!

The gigantic Lizardman staggered, choked on its own blood, then fell face-first onto the dirt.

♦️ Trial Completed

♦️ You have gained the following rewards

♦️ +100 Enlightenment Points

♦️ Access to the Market

♦️ You will be teleported to the Safe Zone in three seconds.

3… 2… 1!

A blinding light flashed.

Ray's vision blurred for a moment before clearing.

He blinked, finding himself in a wide chamber made of glass and metal, filled with seekers of all shapes and forms.

He looked around, taking in his surroundings.

Metal walkways stretched out in every direction, their edges glowing with narrow strips of neon, and holographic signs flickered above doors and stalls, shifting symbols in colors that kept changing, none of them familiar.

"So this is the highly advanced place I saw in Torvin's memories. It was part of the tower."

"The tower… it must be the creation of a civilization not only technologically advanced, but also deeply adept in magic and similar mystical arts."

At the center of the chamber stood a large round counter with bottles of colored liquid stacked behind clear panels.

Past the counter, scaled humanoid reptilians moved methodically, pouring drinks from kegs twice their size and serving platters piled high with roasted boar legs to the seekers sitting around the counter that included elves with long silver hair and sharp ears, dwarves with braided beards and small but thick muscular bodies, and a lot of other stranger races like women with furry ears and cat tails etc.

There were even stranger races Ray had only ever seen in Torvin's memories or in fantasy media back on Earth.

"Excuse me!"

A winged man tucked its feathers close as it moved past him.

Ray watched the winged man leave in fascination.

At least, the winged man had the courtesy to be polite.

The ethereal spirit who was hurrying to who knows where was not so polite.

It went straight through him and a bunch of other people as it hurried to the destination it had in mind.

Ray felt cold as it went through him, but the sensation lasted only a moment.

"What a prick," he cursed the ethereal spirit as such before continuing what he was doing. Sightseeing.

"There are hundreds of different races here."

Ray couldn't hide his surprise as his eyes moved quickly from one group to another. He was like a curious child seeing a festival for the first time.

It was at this moment that someone stepped up to him.

A tall man with slick black hair and sharp green eyes extended his hand with a polite smile. He wore a long, dark coat that contrasted against the lively background, giving him a composed and refined air. He looked almost similiar to a human. Almost because there were two goat-like horns protruding from his head.

"Welcome to the main hub. You came here earlier than I expected."

Ray blinked, then accepted the handshake so as not to leave him hanging. "Arthis, right?"

"You recognized me from my voice? Your perception is sharp," Arthis praised with a chuckle.

Ray didn't comment. He hadn't recognized him by voice at all. He knew him from Torvin's memories.

"Are you clear about this place?" Arthis asked.

Ray said flatly, "I know all about it."

"Oh, really?" Arthis raised his eyebrow challengingly.

"Every floor has a safe zone where fighting isn't allowed. It's called the main hub. In the main hub, seekers can interact with one another, relax, or access the Market to exchange their points for the things they need. Its main purpose is to leave the tower or advance to the next trial," Ray said, revealing he wasn't ignorant about the tower or the way it functioned.

Arthis studied him closely, then gave a small smile. "You got the basics right. But newcomers are usually ignorant about it, unless they've encountered and received the guidance of seekers before entering the tower. Are you perhaps the descendant of a seeker?"

Ray shook his head.

"You aren't? Then you must have friends who are seeker or are related to one," Arthis said, narrowing his eyes slightly.

Ray tilted his head, his thoughts unreadable. After a while, his gaze focused back on Arthis as he replied casually, "I guess you can say that."

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