Chapter 68
68. The Final Paragraph
As the achievement was completed, my spirit affinity increased, and as a result, the level of the [Earth Spirit's Protection] skill also rose.
All the functions attached to the skill were already unlocked, so I hadn't expected it to level up any further.
It didn't gain any new functions, either; the overall effect values just increased.
The passive defense value went up, and the physical damage reduction also increased a little.
For some reason, my durability stat also increased.
Each increase was small, but put together, they'd amount to a significant boost.
The performance of the [Iron Wall] skill attached to the blessing had probably improved a little too. I had gotten an unexpected benefit.
“This is surprisingly tiring.”
I moved away from the fairies, who kept dancing without even giving me a moment to rest, and collapsed beside Eleanor.
“Just being around fairies consumes mana. The fact that you can mingle with them this much is impressive.”
Come to think of it, Eleanor in the memories I had peeked into didn't seem to get along with the fairies for that long either.
Of course, maybe because her mana affinity was high, she seemed to endure it longer than I could. I didn't feel my pride take a hit over that.
“You saw my memories, didn't you?”
Eleanor asked, turning her head toward me. I gave a short nod.
“Yeah.”
I had seen young Eleanor playing about, Eleanor arriving at this lake and mingling with the fairies, and even the way she looked after growing up.
Honestly, I didn't even know how far I'd seen. Mental impressions weren't something you could simply read like records.
In that moment, I had half merged with Eleanor.
I felt exactly what Eleanor felt, and thought exactly what Eleanor thought.
“It felt strange.”
That was what I said, but it was a feeling that couldn't be fully described as merely strange.
Eleanor is an NPC.
A character created for the faction quest that begins on the 7th floor. A mass-produced creation of the Tower of Trials.
The Tower of Trials isn't limited to the Tower 2661 I'm in.
There would be an Eleanor in the other towers too. She wouldn't have the same name, and she probably wouldn't look exactly the same either.
But there would be NPCs with endlessly similar appearances, each playing the same role.
Peeking into and experiencing the past of such a being felt incredibly bizarre.
The past of 'Eleanor' as an independent being—something that didn't feel like mere background lore for an NPC created by the tower's system.
Was Eleanor really nothing more than an NPC? Was she truly a one-time existence prepared for the trials?
The kind of being that would revert to an ordinary shell once all the quests were finished.
“That's a little embarrassing.”
Was it really possible to smile with such a shy expression?
“Honestly, I wanted to peek into your past too. Even if it was necessary, it would be too unfair if only I showed you mine.”
Eleanor said with a small sigh. It was a deeply unnerving thing for me to hear. So she'd tried to peek into my memories.
“I opened the door for you. Once a door is open, it goes both ways. I also reached out toward your thoughts.”
“So you're saying you saw my memories?”
“Yes, I did. But I couldn't see as much as I wanted. Your mind was blocked by something I couldn't pry into.”
I guessed that whatever had blocked Eleanor was the Tower of Trials' system.
Eleanor continued, saying she couldn't merge with the memories and experience them the way I had, and couldn't see them properly either.
At most, she could feel me training with Rizmel, along with only a portion of my confused emotions.
“And beyond that... just fragments of thoughts that were hard to understand even when I saw them. You crossing between various worlds.”
And I flinched. Moving between various worlds—that meant...
“Tell me, what in the world is the Tower of Trials?”
Eleanor had seen something she shouldn't have.
**
About two weeks passed after that.
From morning, I had been sitting still in a cross-legged position, continuing my meditation.
I had acquired the Mana Sensitivity skill and could feel the movement of mana, but meditation was still difficult.
That was because the movement of mana I could sense was still so feeble. My senses were still very dull.
Still, it wasn't as though I had made no progress at all.
[Mana Manipulation Lv.1]
[Mana Detection Lv.1]
They were only level 1, but I had obtained new mana-related skills.
If Mana Sensitivity is the skill for sensing the presence of mana, Mana Manipulation is the skill for directly moving the mana inside my body and using it.
And Mana Detection is the act of releasing the mana inside the body to perceive the surroundings—the method Rizmel used to see through the crystal spider's attack.
Even if they were skills, they were no different from swordsmanship skills—just a numerical representation of the realm I had reached.
I'd learned several techniques for handling mana, but my level had only barely reached 1.
I still had a long way to go.
-Creak!
Along with the sound of the door opening, Eleanor walked in.
“Oh, you don't even get surprised anymore. Looks like you're properly sensing my presence.”
As she said, I had already sensed Eleanor approaching through Mana Detection.
Mana Detection was a better scouting tool than even sensory enhancement. And Eleanor's presence was especially easy to pick up.
That was because Eleanor, a master of shadow magic with powerful mana to match, had such an intense presence.
“I can only barely sense your presence. I'm still far from it.”
“That's very fast. I'm sure you'll be able to master Mana Enhancement too.”
“I hope so. Now then... where did I leave off last time?”
“It was up to the part where you entered the lizardmen's ruins. Hurry and continue.”
Eleanor said that and flopped down onto my bed. Even this had become familiar by now.
Since the day I awakened Mana Sensitivity at the lake, I had been steadily telling Eleanor my stories of adventure.
By "adventure stories," I naturally meant the things I had seen and experienced in the Tower of Trials.
That day, when Eleanor asked me what the Tower of Trials was, I told her a small lie.
I said I was really an adventurer challenging trials while moving between various dimensions and worlds.
Though it was a lie, once you left out the part about the tower's system, it wasn't actually that wrong.
And somehow, I even briefly told her the story of how I had lived pathetically until I snapped out of it after receiving news of my mother's death.
It was a story I didn't really need to tell.
I could have dodged it by simply saying she didn't need to know, without resorting to some half-baked lie.
But peeking into Eleanor's memories and that moment of dancing with the fairies at the lake remained special to me in many ways.
Had I been affected in some way by Eleanor's mind and heart in the process, or had I subconsciously wanted to spill it to someone?
Or was it simply that I couldn't bring myself to ignore those dreaming eyes?
I didn't know.
In any case, Eleanor showed the fierce curiosity you'd expect from a descendant of the night elves, and started asking me about the dimensions I had crossed.
Each time, I told her various stories, leaving out only the parts about the system and NPCs.
“I never get tired of your stories, no matter how many times I hear them. How can they be full of so many new things? It feels like I've gone back to being a child.”
Eleanor swayed her head and said that once she broke off her engagement and found freedom, she wanted to see even more of the world like that too.
It was obvious that every time she heard my stories, her motivation to break off the engagement grew stronger.
Even though I was just devoting myself to training alone, the quest kept advancing little by little.
**
Another week passed after that. Nothing particularly major happened during that time.
I only picked up a few miscellaneous techniques for mana handling, and my weapon skill level went up a little more.
Other than that, rumors about my relationship with Eleanor began spreading among the dark elves.
Since I fit Eleanor's usual 'taste' so well, it had already been an open secret.
Now even ordinary dark elves who had no real connection to Eleanor were starting to look at me differently.
“Ah, you're Eleanor's guy, huh?”
“You look exactly like the kind of guy she'd like.”
“What are we supposed to do about her younger-guy preference?”
“You must have it rough. Want something tasty?”
Add in the dark elves' peculiar friendliness toward humans, and even just walking through a crowded street drew oddly teasing looks.
Something like half of them were cheering us on like an elementary-school couple and half of them were treating Eleanor like a pervert?
They couldn't have not known that she was engaged to the high elf prince, but they didn't seem to care at all.
Then one day, Eleanor said to me with a solemn look in her eyes.
“Her Majesty found out about our relationship. Of course, you don't need to worry about the details. I've taken care of everything.”
I had no idea what she was suddenly talking about, but Eleanor continued without caring.
“I ended it by saying you'd do anything to take the place of my betrothed.”
“Hey, hold on—what?”
“I already sent a declaration of war to the tree-huggers too. All you have to do now is one thing. It won't be difficult.”
[Epic : Dark Elf's Book - Duel]
A system window announcing the quest's progress popped up. I quickly scanned the contents.
The quest completion conditions, which hadn't been written clearly before, were now displayed precisely, along with a brief summary of the rewards.
That meant this was the last faction quest that could be completed on the 7th floor.
I had reached the final paragraph of the first chapter of the Dark Elf's Book.
“Win the duel against that forest-elf prince bastard, and become my betrothed.”
It was time to head to the next floor.