As soon as he exited the training house, Rian headed toward a place he had never visited before in the Infinity Room: Infinity Tower.
Infinity Tower was a magnificent structure, a spire so tall that its tip seemed to disappear into the endless sky.
Even more astonishing, to humanoid beings like humans, the tower appeared like a colossal monument, making them seem as small as ants in its presence.
It was truly extraordinary and awe-inspiring.
According to the information Rian had obtained from the system, Infinity Tower was the dwelling of the main God of the Infinity Room.
Rumor had it among the Heralds that the God resided at the very top of the tower, which contained a hundred floors.
To meet the God of the Infinity Room, a Herald had to climb and pass trials on each floor, one by one.
It was said that anyone who succeeded in reaching the summit and meeting the God would have all their wishes granted.
This was what motivated many Heralds to challenge the Reincarnation Tower. They didn't care, even if their own lives were at stake.
Besides carrying out missions across worlds, the rewards from each floor of the Infinity Tower could significantly enhance the attributes and powers of the Heralds.
Rian looked up, staring at the grandeur of the Infinity Tower that seemed endless. He paused for a moment, then finally stepped forward with determination, approaching the tower.
After a few steps, he arrived at the entrance, a massive gate resembling a polished mirror that reflected the image of anyone standing before it.
There, a long line of Heralds had already formed, waiting for their turn to enter and test themselves.
Without hesitation, Rian joined the queue, ready to face the trials awaiting inside the Infinity Tower—a journey that could very well change everything.
"This place… is flawless," Rian said casually, a faint smirk curling on his lips. "…Perfect for a photoshoot of a charismatic man like me."
As he stepped through the Infinity Tower's gate, the scene before him changed entirely.
He now stood amidst the ruins of a grand, long-abandoned castle, specifically in the main hall.
Crumbling pillars lay scattered, walls were cracked and broken, while at the far end of the hall stood a massive golden throne.
However, the throne was no longer intact. Its upper backrest had split in two, leaving a tragic impression.
Atop the throne lay a human skull, clad in the tattered robes of a king long decayed by time. Its body was split in half, as if it had died in a gruesome manner.
Not far from there, along the collapsed walls, stood twenty more skulls.
They still wore rusted armor, each gripping an old, massive sword, standing rigid as if remaining loyal to their king even in death.
Ding!
[Detection: Herald Serial Number 90,000 has entered the Infinity Tower]
[Welcome to Floor 1 of the Infinity Tower]
[Test is being initialized…]
[Loading Test Details…]
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Floor 1 Test – Infinity Tower
Test Details:
Eliminate 21 enemies with Authority Level 5 within 1 hour. Failure to meet the quota within the time limit will result in automatic failure of this test.
Note:
The enemies you must eliminate collectively possess attributes equal to your own.
If you die during this test, you will die permanently, with no possibility of revival, regardless of any special abilities.
_________________
Reading the notification that had just appeared, a faint smirk formed on Rian's handsome face.
"Heh… quite ruthless," he murmured casually, slipping his right hand into the pocket of his pants. "Alright, let's begin the test."
As if responding to his words, the floor of the hall trembled subtly. From the cracks in the ruined walls, mysterious blue energy began to emanate, seeping into the skeletal corpses.
Instantly, twenty armored skeleton warriors sprang to life.
Their bone joints creaked loudly as one by one, they raised their massive rusted swords and stepped forward, surrounding Rian from all directions.
Meanwhile, the skeletal king also reacted. The split pieces of his body floated, slowly fusing back together, the cracks in his bones glowing faintly.
From the void, a magnificent golden sword materialized in his grasp.
The skeletal king raised his golden blade high before pointing it directly at Rian—a declaration of war.
At the same moment, two skeleton soldiers attacked simultaneously—one swinging from above, the other from below.
Yet, Rian did not move an inch. He relied on Infinity, generating an infinite series to block the strikes.
However, his expression suddenly turned serious. The strike had pierced through the Infinity barrier, grazing just a hair's breadth from his body.
Quickly, Rian activated Blue and teleported, evading in the blink of an eye to put himself at a safe distance.
Now, he stood five steps away from the skeletons, eyes narrowed in full alertness.
"That just now… could it be more than mere energy," Rian murmured quietly. "Perhaps some kind of law that ignores everything?"
He took a deep breath, lowering his body slightly. He knew this battle demanded utmost seriousness.
Suddenly, another skeleton warrior leapt forward, swinging its blade horizontally.
With a light movement, Rian shifted half a step to the side. His right hand shot out, striking forcefully toward the skeleton.
Bruak!
The bony soldier was sent flying, crashing into the crumbling wall, widening the cracks further.
Another skeleton warrior charged with a sharp slash, but Rian reacted quickly.
A powerful kick from him struck squarely against the fragile chest of the bony soldier, sending it flying backward.
Before he could even pause, another skeleton leapt high from the other side, using the momentum of its fall to launch a deadly horizontal swing.
In a flash, Rian drew Knight Killer from his Infinity Ring, his personal spatial storage.
The blade gleamed sharply as it met the skeleton's sword, producing a loud metallic clash. Sparks erupted into the air.
Yet the other skeleton warriors didn't stand still. They moved in unison, swarming Rian from every direction.
The battle transformed into a fast-paced dance of strikes and counters. One by one, and sometimes simultaneously, the skeletons attacked with brutal force.
But each time, Rian adapted—dodging, parrying, and striking back with lethal precision.
Before long, piles of scattered bones began to accumulate on one side of the room. Rian kept adding to them, tossing each fallen enemy in the same direction.
Finally, once all the skeleton soldiers had been gathered into a massive pile, Rian raised his left hand.
His palm opened, aimed directly at the heap of fragile bones.
At the same time, the skeleton king dashed forward like the wind, swinging his golden sword ferociously, intending to strike Rian. But Rian had already anticipated it.
He quickly stored Knight Killer back into the Infinity Ring. His hand stretched forward—fingers bent into a pistol-like gesture aimed straight at the king.
At that very moment, flames erupted from his left palm. Naturally, since Rian was Antares' successor, he naturally inherited his fire elemental nature, even though it wasn't listed in his Ability Status.
The surrounding space trembled violently before engulfing the pile of skeleton soldiers completely, leaving nothing behind.
Meanwhile, at the tips of his index and middle fingers on his right hand, bright red energy flared. The Reversal Technique: Red was unleashed, emitting a thunderous repelling force.
In an instant, the red projectile struck the skeleton king squarely in the chest, blowing his body apart into countless pieces.
The golden sword was flung aside, shattering in midair.
Silence fell over the increasingly ruined hall. Moments later, the sound of system notifications echoed in Rian's ears.
Ding!
[Received +4500 EXP]
Ding!
[The trial has ended]
[You have successfully completed this trial in 5 minutes and 10 seconds]
[Evaluation Result: S+]
[Congratulations, Herald Serial Number 90,000 has completed the Floor 1 Trial of Infinity Tower]
[You may choose 2 out of 5 available rewards]
____________________
Reward List:
Option 1: 5000 Points
Option 2: STR +1
Option 3: VIT +1
Option 4: AGI +1
Option 5: INT +1
____________________
[Please select]
Without hesitation, Rian immediately chose 1 VIT point and 1 INT point.
Ding!
[Having successfully cleared Floor 1, you are eligible to advance to Floor 2. On your next visit, you may go directly to Floor 2]
[Do you wish to proceed to Floor 2?]
"Yes, I want to move up to Floor 2," Rian said casually.
In the next moment, Rian's body vanished without a trace, leaving the main hall behind.
The surrounding space distorted, rippling as if twisted, and in an instant, he had already been transported to a new location.