44: Chapter 44, the Trial Tower, is now open!

The Trial Tower.

Located in the northwest corner of the base, it was a towering black monolith that pierced the clouds.

The tower's body was engraved with ancient runes that shimmered with a dark luster in the morning light.

Li Mingyuan led the recruits to the front of the Trial Tower. The giant black tower cast a long shadow in the dawn, exuding an awe-inspiring aura.

"Now, those whose names I call, step forward."

Second Lieutenant Li Mingyuan held a roster and began calling names in a booming voice.

The soldiers who were called stepped forward one by one, their faces a mix of nervousness and excitement.

The first batch to enter were the high-level elite soldiers who already had some reputation in their daily training.

They took a deep breath and their figures vanished into the light curtain of the tower's entrance.

Although multiple people could enter the Trial Tower at the same time, everyone would be assigned to an independent challenge space, just like in a Dungeon.

The only difference was that, unlike a Dungeon, it was impossible to form a party.

Outside the tower, everyone's gaze was focused on the dozens of light spots that lit up on the first floor of the tower's body.

These light spots represented the current position of each challenger.

Soon, some light spots jumped upward, indicating they had already completed the first floor's trial.

The difficulty of the Trial Tower went without saying, but the first few floors were still relatively simple.

The only difference was the speed of their clear times.

As time passed, the lights on the tower's body gradually climbed higher.

At the same time, the strength of the Professionals began to be clearly divided.

The strong rose very quickly, reaching the tenth floor in less than half an hour.

For the weaker Professionals, it was exceptionally difficult; every subsequent floor would be a grueling test.

After another ten minutes, the first challenger to fail was teleported out.

This was a recruit with a support-class profession; his record ended with a loss to the boss on the tenth floor.

Every ten floors in the Trial Tower, a boss-level creature would appear.

Given his level and profession, this result was quite reasonable.

Once the first appeared, the second and third soon followed in succession.

Because once you passed the tenth floor, it was a watershed in difficulty.

Both the level and number of monsters would increase significantly.

Naturally, the eliminations began to occur faster and faster.

As people were eliminated, new ones were sent in to replace them.

Everything proceeded in an orderly fashion under Li Mingyuan's command.

"Li Chenxu."

After one person was eliminated, a familiar and high-profile name appeared.

As a legendary grade Professional, Li Chenxu had been the undisputed focus of this year's recruits before Lu Yin appeared.

But after the battle at the Lost Temple, although he felt grateful toward Lu Yin, he had also developed some self-doubt.

Fortunately, after a few days of adjustment, he had regained his confidence.

With a flash of light, he found himself inside the Trial Tower.

Many gazes turned toward the light spot representing him.

His light spot was seen jumping upward at a considerably fast speed.

In about ten minutes, he reached the boss room on the tenth floor.

His stay in the boss room wasn't long either before he continued upward.

This point sparked a lot of discussion among the crowd.

Because a fast clearing speed meant he still had plenty of strength in reserve.

This greatly increased his chances of breaking the record.

While everyone was focused on Li Chenxu, Li Mingyuan suddenly called another name.

"Lu Yin."

The moment this name was spoken, the scene instantly fell silent.

Under countless gazes, Lu Yin stepped forward slowly, his expression as calm as if he were merely going for a stroll.

"The big boss is finally making his move!"

"I wonder which floor he can reach?"

"At least the thirtieth floor as a starting point, right?"

"Thirtieth floor? I think he can clear the entire Trial Tower!"

"No way, after the thirtieth floor of the Trial Tower, the monsters are all Level 30."

"I heard the final Tower Master is even a Level 5 boss; that's simply not something we can break the defense of at our level."

"No matter how strong the big boss is, if he can't break the defense, it's all for nothing."

"..."

The recruits whispered among themselves, their eyes closely following that figure.

Lu Yin paid no mind to the discussions. The moment he stepped into the light gate, the scenery before him changed abruptly.

Simultaneously, a new light spot immediately lit up on the first floor of the tower.

Lu Yin looked around; the internal space of the Trial Tower was far more vast than it appeared from the outside.

It was a dim, circular hall with crystals embedded in the walls that emitted a faint glow.

Complex magic array patterns were carved into the floor. As Lu Yin stepped in, the patterns suddenly lit up.

Three wolf-shaped monsters covered in bone armor condensed from the magic array, their crimson eyes staring fixedly at the intruder.

They crouched low on all fours, letting out threatening low growls from their throats as they slowly closed in in a triangular formation.

[Bone Wolf, Level 15, Elite Grade]

[...]

"Three Level 15 elite monsters on the very first floor... the intensity of this Trial Tower is indeed not low."

Lu Yin murmured to himself, then raised his hand to summon ten Dragonman Lords.

The moment the Dragonman Lords appeared, the three Bone Wolves pounced at the same time.

The result?

Naturally, it was an unsurprising instant kill.

The total time elapsed was no more than five seconds.

When all the monsters were killed, a staircase of magic power extended from in front of Lu Yin.

This was the path leading to the second floor.

If one did not wish to continue the challenge, they could choose to end it there.

The Trial Tower would automatically calculate the rewards for the cleared floors.

Lu Yin, of course, could not stop there and stepped onto the stairs without hesitation.

When the light flashed again, Lu Yin was already on the second floor of the Trial Tower.

The monsters on the second floor were still Bone Wolves, just two more than on the first floor.

Still an unsurprising instant kill; Lu Yin continued forward.

Third floor, seven Bone Wolves.

Instant kill.

Fourth floor, nine Bone Wolves.

Instant kill.

...

Lu Yin went all the way up, almost without stopping.

Every floor had the same monsters, only the number kept increasing.

But no matter how much the number increased, the result was the same.

Until the tenth floor, where a change finally occurred.

This time, a giant Wolf King, more than three times larger than an ordinary Bone Wolf, howled toward the sky, its body exuding a dense dark aura.

[Bone Wolf King, Level 20 (BOSS)]

[...]

A Level 20 boss no longer posed much of a challenge for the current Lu Yin.

The ten Dragonman Lords swarmed forward and still brutally finished it in an instant kill.

Meanwhile, outside the tower, everyone was stunned by the speed at which Lu Yin's light spot was moving.

If Li Chenxu's speed was fast, then Lu Yin was practically flying!

The light spot on the first floor had only been lit for a few seconds before instantly jumping to the second floor.

Then the third floor, the fourth floor... there was almost no pause at all.

"My god... what, what kind of speed is this?"

"Does he not even need to fight the monsters?"

"In-instant kill?! They're all instant kills?!"

The recruits' eyes widened as they stared fixedly at the light spot racing upward at an inconceivable speed. Even their discussions became fragmented, filled with unbelievable shock.

Even Second Lieutenant Li Mingyuan, standing nearby, unconsciously clenched his hands behind his back.

"This kid... might just become the first challenger to clear the Trial Tower."