I stood silently.
The transformation was over.
But I still hadn't fully understood what my new body was capable of.
The Tiger God Physique had changed more than I expected.
My muscles felt denser.
My bones felt heavier.
My movements felt sharper.
Even my senses had improved.
But numbers alone weren't enough.
I needed to test it.
I lowered my stance.
Then—
BOOM!!!
The ground exploded beneath my feet.
My body shot forward.
SWISH—!!!
The volcanic landscape blurred.
Mountains stretched into dark streaks.
Magma rivers became flashes of red beneath me.
I stopped.
My feet touched the ground smoothly.
No stumbling.
No loss of balance.
I looked behind me.
A long trail of shattered stone marked the path I had crossed.
My eyes narrowed.
That speed…
I hadn't used energy.
I hadn't activated a technique.
That was purely physical.
I smiled slightly.
Interesting.
I turned forward again.
Then jumped.
BOOM!!!
My body launched into the sky.
Higher.
Higher.
Higher.
The volcanic landscape rapidly shrank beneath me.
I twisted in midair.
My body responded perfectly.
No resistance.
No instability.
I turned downward.
Then—
BOOM!!!
I landed.
The ground beneath my feet collapsed.
Dust and fragments of black stone erupted outward.
Yet I remained standing.
Not even a trace of pain.
I slowly looked down.
The crater beneath me was deep.
My eyebrows lifted slightly.
"…This body…"
I clenched my fist.
Then punched forward.
BOOM!!!
The air exploded.
A powerful shockwave swept across the ground.
Nearby stones were launched away.
I stared at my hand.
No energy.
Just physical force.
A faint smile appeared.
The Tiger God Physique wasn't simply making me stronger.
It was rebuilding my physical foundation.
And that meant—
My future growth would be different.
I opened my blue System.
The familiar interface appeared.
«[Host Information]
Name: Velzahar
Race: Blue-Eyed White Tiger
Accessible Bloodline Power: 5%»
My eyes narrowed.
Still five percent.
The Tiger God Physique hadn't increased the amount of bloodline power I could access.
Instead—
It had strengthened my body.
That was important.
Caelion's lesson returned to me.
Control.
If the bloodline seal was weakening, then increasing my physical foundation before releasing more of that power was exactly what I needed.
I closed the interface.
Then—
I felt something strange.
My expression changed.
The volcanic wind continued blowing.
Magma continued flowing.
The mountains remained silent.
Yet something felt different.
I looked around.
Nothing.
No figure.
No creature.
No visible movement.
Still—
I felt as if I was being watched.
I narrowed my eyes.
This wasn't killing intent.
It wasn't an aura.
It wasn't even energy.
It was simply—
Observation.
Someone was watching me.
I turned slowly.
Nothing.
I looked toward the volcanic mountain.
Nothing.
Behind me—
Nothing.
My eyes sharpened.
Then—
The Tower interface flickered.
I immediately focused on it.
The red screen distorted.
Only for an instant.
Then—
A voice came from it.
"...So."
I froze.
The voice was calm.
Ancient.
Completely unfamiliar.
My pupils contracted.
The Tower's usual notifications were mechanical and emotionless.
This wasn't.
There was awareness behind this voice.
Intent.
It was speaking to me.
From the Tower.
I remained completely still.
Then the voice continued.
"…you've finally begun to awaken."
My expression hardened.
Awaken?
What was it talking about?
I looked at the red interface.
Nothing had changed.
No new notification.
No name.
No identification.
Only the Tower's interface remained before me.
Yet the voice had clearly come from it.
I immediately scanned the surrounding area.
Nothing.
No one.
No aura.
No presence.
Who was speaking?
I had never heard this voice before.
And I knew nothing about anyone operating the Tower.
As far as I knew—
The Tower was simply a mysterious structure governed by its own rules.
Yet now—
Someone was watching me from within it.
I narrowed my eyes.
"…Who are you?"
Silence.
The voice didn't answer.
I waited.
Several seconds passed.
Nothing.
Then—
The red interface flickered again.
The voice returned.
"Your growth is faster than expected."
My expression became colder.
Expected?
That word stood out.
Expected by whom?
Had someone been watching me since I entered?
My eyes moved across the volcanic domain.
Still nothing.
The voice continued.
"But…"
A pause.
"…there is still a long road ahead."
I clenched my fist.
The unknown speaker wasn't threatening me.
It wasn't encouraging me either.
It sounded like—
Observation.
As though it had been watching my progress and was simply commenting on what it saw.
That made it even stranger.
I stared at the Tower interface.
"…Show yourself."
Nothing.
No response.
Then—
The voice disappeared.
Completely.
The red screen returned to normal.
No trace remained.
I stood there silently.
My expression was serious.
That wasn't the Tower's normal voice.
It wasn't my System.
And it certainly wasn't anything I recognized.
Someone—
Or something—
inside the Tower had spoken to me.
But who?
I didn't know.
I looked at the red interface for several more seconds.
Nothing happened.
Eventually, I exhaled.
Whatever that entity was—
I couldn't force an answer out of it.
Not yet.
And there was no point wasting time chasing something I couldn't even see.
I turned my attention back toward the volcanic mountain.
Then—
DING.
The Tower interface appeared again.
This time, it was normal.
«[Floor 2 Trial Will Begin Shortly.]»
My eyes narrowed.
So that was next.
The atmosphere changed.
RUMBLE…
The ground beneath my feet trembled.
I looked down.
The vibration became stronger.
RUMBLE… RUMBLE…
The magma rivers began to churn.
Their surfaces rose violently.
Heat surged through the volcanic domain.
I slowly raised my head.
The massive mountain in the distance—
Was moving.
Not the mountain itself.
Something beneath it.
My expression sharpened.
A deep vibration rolled through the ground.
BOOM.
The mountain shook.
BOOM.
Another pulse.
Then—
BOOOOOOM!!!
Cracks spread across the mountain.
Magma burst through them.
The sky above the volcano darkened as ash began rising.
I stared.
Something was waking.
Something enormous.
The Tower interface flickered.
«[Floor 2 Trial Initiating.]»
Another line appeared.
«[Prepare for Battle.]»
My lips slowly curved upward.
So this was the real beginning.
The first floor had tested me.
The Tower had rewarded me.
My System had given me the Tiger God Physique.
And now—
Floor 2 was beginning.
The mountain trembled violently.
ROOOOOOOOAR—!!!
A massive roar erupted from within it.
The sound shook the entire volcanic domain.
Magma exploded from the peak.
A wave of heat swept toward me.
I didn't move.
The Tiger God Physique endured the pressure.
My clothes whipped violently around my body.
But my feet remained planted.
I looked toward the mountain.
Something was inside.
Something ancient.
Something powerful.
And it was coming.
My body lowered slightly.
My muscles tightened.
Every sense focused.
My pupils began glowing faintly blue.
A spark of lightning flickered beside my body.
Then disappeared.
I smiled.
Not calmly this time.
Predatorily.
Whatever was waiting inside that mountain—
I would face it.
I had entered the Tower to grow stronger.
I had accepted the trial.
And now—
The Tower had given me another opponent.
The mountain roared again.
ROOOOOOOOAR—!!!
I stepped forward.
The ground cracked beneath my foot.
My smile widened.
"…Good."
I stared directly at the awakening volcano.
No hesitation.
No fear.
Only anticipation.
I took another step.
"Let's begin."