After leaving the chamberlain's office, I felt glad to have it over with but also annoyed by losing all my money like that. Still, it was a much better option than owing such a huge sum of money to a bunch of secretive, all-powerful mages.

'Ah, what a waste! ...But at least the final hurdle is gone.' I thought while walking along one of the many spacious corridors that extended out from the entrance hall like an intricate spiderweb.

I then looked curiously at the strange golden ring I had been clutching in my hand the whole time, wondering what to do with it. The obvious choice would have been to put it on, but there was a clear problem with that—it was simply too big.

I looked at it some more, wondering. But then, a certain idea popped into my head, and I widened my eyes. 'Could it be?'

I then cautiously tried to slip it on my finger, and to my astonishment, it began shrinking until it fitted perfectly. I've read about enchanted items that could adjust to the wearer, but seeing it with my own eyes was something else entirely.

I shook my head, smiling wistfully as I mused about how many more amazing things I had no idea about were there for me to discover. 'Well, at least I'm in the right place to start.'

With that, I followed the instructions toward an unassuming storeroom, where I was given two sets of the same plain grey novice robes. Then, it was time to finally head for the first-year dormitories.

They were located on the second floor, and to get there, I first had to ascend a portion of an enormous spiral staircase that I couldn't even see the end of.

The staircase stretched up and up, disappearing into the darkness above. Its steps were made of dark polished marble that reflected the soft glow of flameless lanterns, giving the whole place a solemn, almost regal feel.

Looking up, I tried to imagine how tall the entire structure must be. 'With ceilings so high, the top floor must already be touching the clouds,' I thought.

I couldn't even begin to envision how they were able to build such a thing without access to modern machinery and construction techniques. 'Well, there was certainly plenty of magic involved, that's for sure...'

I then remembered something, and with wide eyes, I looked up once again at the dark void into which the steps disappeared, trying to spot any hints of what may be hiding there.

While researching this place, I came across a certain legend saying that whoever makes it to the highest floor would get a chance to inherit Eluvius's legacy and become the Master of the Tower.

It was also said that many prospective mages made climbing the Tower their life-long goal, but by all accounts, nobody had made it to the top floor in the past five hundred years.

As novices, we were only allowed access to the first ten floors. We were told it was for our own safety, as apparently the Tower had a mind of its own, and the higher you got, the more dangerous it became. So, I could only guess what would await me on the higher floors.

'Hmm, I can't see anything from down here. I would have to get closer, ' I thought, ready to stop lingering and resume my slow ascent. But at that moment, the deep shadows far above seemed to have shifted, and I shuddered as a cold shiver ran down my spine.

I suddenly felt paralyzed, unable to avert my eyes as an unknown heavy presence, vast and ancient, seemed to return my gaze. It was like a thousand hungry eyes piercing my very soul.

Overcame with dread, I did the only thing I could think of—I Ignited my essence, flooding my body with it and washing away the foreign entity as I forcefully ripped my eyes off the darkness above.

The whole experience lasted only a few seconds, but it left me panting. 'What was that?'

All of a sudden, no longer interested in what was hiding in the vast chasm above the winding staircase, I hurried along the marble steps, not stopping until I arrived at a spacious landing in front of a large closed gate.

'This should lead to the second floor, but how do I open it?' Frowning, I stared down the unmoving gate, wanting to get as far away from the creepy staircase as possible.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

There was no handle or other obvious mechanism for me to use. 'Should I knock?' I wondered, but then I quickly discarded that idea, not wanting to attract more attention to myself. 'Who knows what other horrors might populate these ancient corridors; better not risk it...'

To my dismay, there was also no one there I could ask about how to get in. 'That reminds me, where is everyone?' Compared to the hustle and bustle of the lobby, this whole area seemed strangely deserted.

'Well, it's still fairly early in the morning. Most of the other novices are probably still hanging on around the lobby catching up with their friends...'

Since I had no friends or acquaintances to speak of, I decided to go straight to the dormitory to unpack and sort out my meager luggage.

However, looking back, it was probably a stupid idea to wander about alone, especially since I didn't know the first thing about how things worked around here.

Still, since I was already here, there was only one option left: figure it out myself. 'There must be some obvious way to open this stupid gate!'

So, while trying my best to suppress my growing frustration, I began closely examining the gate's intricate decorations. It didn't take long until I spotted a small, peculiar protrusion right in the middle where the two wings connected.

Then, remembering what the portly clerk down in the office had said to me, I threw an inquisitive glance at the small golden band resting on my finger.

Not wasting a breath, I hurriedly extended my arm with my new Mage's Mark, bringing it closer to the protrusion. The ring flickered with light, and with a soft click, the gate opened soundlessly before me. 'Bingo!' I grinned, quickly jumping inside.

After I entered what looked like another unassuming hallway, I looked back, and the gate closed behind me just as quickly as it opened. 'Neat! I could get used to this.'

I sighed with relief, happy to be away from that weird staircase, before I began examining my surroundings. Sadly, there was not much to explore—nothing but a long, sparsely decorated stone corridor.

'I guess they didn't spare much resources for the novices.' I chuckled before I began walking, looking for my room.

Actually, I didn't know which one was my room; all I was told was to "report at the dormitory," but I couldn't see anyone. 'Is this another test? To see if we could figure this out?'

I was slowly getting fed up with the constant mystery surrounding this "hallowed institution." Why couldn't they give us a simple map?

Annoyed, I briskly walked forward, at first not noticing that, at some point, the hallway opened up into a small vestibule.

It was only when a hoarse voice spoke from behind me, "What is your name?" that I came to an abrupt stop.

'What the-!' With my nerves still on edge, I almost yelped at the sudden scare but managed to hold it in.

Instead, I took a deep breath before I began slowly, maybe too slowly, turning around and coming face to face with another of the strange old novices sitting on a creaky chair in the corner of a hidden alcove. 'Ugh, that was a close one! I need to watch my surroundings more closely from now on...'

"Your name?" the man asked again, and I finally came to my senses. "It's Darian... Darian of Ereneth."

He briefly looked down, consulting a thick scroll before giving a curt nod and looking back up. "Well met, Darian of Ereneth. Please follow me."

He then stood up and led me through a small side entrance I hadn't noticed before into another long hallway and then through many other corridors until we finally arrived before what could only be the plain-looking doors of my new room. 'It's like a literal maze up here!'

Luckily, I had plenty of experience dealing with mazes from my recent Trials, so I wasn't too worried about getting lost.

"This will be your new cell. Treat it well. The curfew begins three hours after dinner. Don't be late." He then gave me a short set of curt instructions, and then he simply left, presumedly returning to his guard duty. 'What a strange guy...'

I shook my head but decided not to think much about it and rather focus on what was before me. Looking down, I saw that the simple wooden door was marked with a small plaque, and the number 21 was carved into it.

'I get the austerity measures... but why the hell does it feel like I'm becoming a monk?' I chuckled as I reached for the latch.

The only thing that kept my mood high was the thought of all the stuck-up nobles being forced to wear the same plain grey robes, which seemed extremely funny for some reason.

I briefly closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and stepped inside. The first thing I noticed was how cramped it was. A row of four narrow cots lined the walls, each accompanied by a small chest and a table.

To my surprise, there was even an actual window with ample sunlight pouring in, and despite the sparse decorations, it seemed strangely cozy. It somehow reminded me of the first room I rented out in Ereneth all those years ago.

'It seems I'm here first...' I thought happily, but before I could finish that thought, a certain familiar grinning face emerged from behind the doors.

"Captain! It's you!"

'Huh?' Once again, taken by surprise, I could only blink a few times, staring blankly at the sudden sight of the cheerful-looking Gil coming to greet me.

"Ehm! What are you doing here?" I managed to say after a while, trying to quickly recover my composure.

"What do you mean? I came early to claim a bed; what else!"