Upon looking at the building, I noticed that it stands at least 20 stories tall, uses gold and green colors to emphasize its status, and has dragons for handles. The front doors are at least 10 meters tall. The one thing that confused me was how much area it covered. I could easily walk around the building and not take more than 2 minutes.

Approaching my father, I asked, "Dad, what is this building?"

He smiles, gives me a thumbs up, looks at Xelyphe, and then opens the door, "It's a wonder. That's what it is." And in moments, I see him disappear from the entry. Further in, I don't see anything other than a desk and some doors that probably lead to a set of stairs.

Asking again, this time to someone who might help us, Xelyphe responds with a shake of their head. "I don't know fully. I remember when Dad and I explored this area, and this tower was already here. He didn't let me enter it then, so I don't know, but from what I have heard, some trials benefit you if you complete them."

"And why didn't he tell us this before he went inside?" I asked.

"Because, Dad," is the only thing they state before entering the tower.

"Did you know about this tower?" I asked the only person left beside me.

It doesn't take long for her to answer, "I remember your father bringing me here, but I was so flustered with you running off by yourself that I didn't pay much attention to what was happening around me."

"Can you provide me with any more information?"

"I know that you have to use skills to pass the trials, but beyond that, again, I can't remember it too clearly. The only clear thing I remember is that your father and I developed our skills to transform inside." With that, she guides me to enter the tower.

- Tower Attendant's POV -

Swishing my tail back and forth, I wonder who I will be helping. It has been years since I was assigned to the tower, and no one has been assigned to me. It doesn't take long before someone arrives at my desk. Black hair, average height, young appearance, and piercing heterochromatic eyes that keep changing colors between pure white, green, purple, and black in alternating patterns. This is a typical phenomenon for people with different mana affinities in the tower, though this is the first time I have seen someone with four different affinities. I started to feel happy but kept my tone as neutral as possible, almost icy. "Hello, and welcome to the Tower of Trials."

Getting a confused look from this young man, I continued, "The Tower of Trials is a wonderous place where you can learn new skills, advance current skills, and even evolve them past what a standard skills evolution would accomplish. To acquire these wonderful benefits, you must first complete different challenges using the skills you already have and even those you learn as you progress through the trials." Seeing his eyes light up at the fact the tower helps with skill evolution, I can guess that he has one skill at that point already.

"Before you start taking your trials, some basic introductions must be made. To start, my name is Mika, and as you can see, I am a Kitsune. I will be your attendant during this trip to the tower. Should you have any questions regarding the tower, please direct them my way, and if I am able, I will answer them to the best of my ability."

Registering that I had just made my introduction, this young gentleman introduced himself: "Hello. My name is Drake, and I have many questions."

- Drake's POV -

After introducing myself to Mika, I asked, "What do you mean by helping with skill evolution? How can someone learn skills? Is skill creation during the trials easy or challenging? What should I expect from the trials? Am I going to be facing monsters? Will there be breaks between the trials, or must I complete them right after the other?"

Hearing my flurry of questions, she sighs and starts to answer the questions one at a time in the icy tone of someone trying to explain something to an underling. "For your first question, items are sometimes required for skill evolutions or even goals that must be completed before the skill can evolve. For more straightforward skills, there aren't that many requirements. The more complex the skill, the more standards it has before it can evolve.

Next, while you typically can't create a skill inside the challenge, it isn't impossible. Most of the time, people develop the skills if they are already on the cusp of making something. Most of the time, you are awarded a skill you didn't have based on the number of trials you completed. Your fourth question about what to expect from the trials varies from person to person. If someone of a warrior class comes in without their mana attuned to their affinity, they won't be able to complete any trials that require mana. The same goes for a mage; if they don't have any experience in swordsmanship, they won't be thrust into a trial that involves developing that skill.

There will be monsters for some trials, but I will leave that up to you to determine your likelihood of dying. There will be breaks in between trials as you dictate. Time will flow differently inside a trial, so don't worry about how long you will be inside one trial, and just focus on completing it to the best of your ability."

I can see in her eyes that these questions are standard, and their responses are just as standard. I only saw a vague interest in myself when I arrived inside the tower. This sparked a different curiosity, and I decided upon another set of questions I would like answered before attempting the trials.

"What got your interest in me when I first arrived? From what I can tell, your job seems boring, introducing the tower to everyone who comes. Also, where were the companions that I arrived with? Shouldn't that have been in this room with me? And one last question: what are the rules for returning to the tower after leaving it?"

Looking at me, she answers again, still in her frosty voice. "The tower's creator enchanted it so that people's mana affinities show in their eyes; yours are interesting because they keep oscillating between four colors. It gives me a general idea of your capacity. Your companions are in different attendant rooms, each getting one person to help them. It allows a more 'personal' touch for those about to take the trials. Also, as you complete more trials, the room will adjust to you. This means I get better office space as you complete more trials." She gestures around the relatively blank space. The only things in the room are a desk, a door, and a board attached to one of the walls.

"As for the rules upon re-entry to the tower, I will be your Tower Attendant for as long as you or I live. Upon exiting the tower, all your completed trials will be reset to 0. And honestly, you will be back in space because the trials become more challenging as you complete them multiple times. This also prevents people from leaving and coming back quickly to receive rewards. However, this room will remain the same, so I can keep the amenities provided. You need to complete more so my space can improve. Also, the better you do, the more resources I get to further my progress." Her voice gives no hint of falsehood, and she seems intent on ensuring I do well. I don't blame her either; I would hate to be in an office like this.

"One last question before we start. Since I am here, are we allowed to choose the initial difficulty of the trial, or is it set to a default level?"

"You are allowed to set the initial difficulty level of any singular trial, but note that once you put the difficulty level of that trial, you will be unable to lower it. So, completed or not, that trial will forever be at said difficulty. Difficulties are based on skill levels, so if you want to work on a specific level of skill, then you can select that level. If you want to try and force improvement on a skill, you can choose a higher initial difficulty level."

Nodding along in understanding, I make my way toward the door. Seeing my actions, Mika stands up from her desk and follows me.

Upon reaching the door, I want one more question: "How is it determined for a successful completion of a trial?"

Understanding my question, Mika answers, "There is no defining factor for the completion of a trial, but to pass a trial, you must get a grade of at least B." Thinking momentarily, she snaps her fingers, "That's right, I haven't told you about the grading scheme of the tower yet. Grading starts with F and the lowest, the E, D, C, B, A, S, SS, and SSS. If you get a grade about a B, then the next time, the challenge is increased by the grade you have completed. So, if you complete a trial with a B grade, the next time, it will only increase by one level, A for two levels, and so on to the max of a 5-level increase."

"You forgot to tell me about the grading scheme?" My look of confusion must have clued her in.

"To tell the truth, you are the first person the tower assigned to me. And to be clear, I haven't had to explain this to anyone, so, naturally, I might forget something." She shrugs and then gestures for me to open the door. "Shall we look at what we are working with then?"

Following her guidance, I opened the door. Behind it is a long hallway filled with different doors. There are also doors above the lower ones. Walking to the first, I find that it is for mana circulation, then external mana manipulation, and so forth for my current skills. Walking behind me, Mika looks at the 16 skills closest to us. Not wanting her to see too much, I grab her arm to stop her from looking closely, panic in my eyes; I don't want her to share what skills I already have with others.

Feeling my hand grasp her arm and seeing panic in my eyes, she became flustered. "What are you doing?"

"I don't want you to see those skills. They are personal to me."

"Why not? How am I supposed to help you if you won't let me see your skills."

"Because if you know, you could give the information to someone else. And I was told not to tell anyone of certain aspects of my life."

"Like how you have four mana affinities and a dragon's bloodline?"

About to open my mouth, I look at her in confusion. This feels like a running theme for me at this moment.

"Of course, I can tell you have a dragon's bloodline. The tower knew when you entered, and it informed me so I could best use both of our time."

"Is there something that will prevent you from sharing that information with someone else? I don't like others outside my settlement knowing about my predicaments." It would be better if Kazuz and the others didn't share it, but I don't have the power to ask that of them.

"As an attendant to the tower, I am strictly prohibited from sharing your information with others. This is strictly enforced, so I have a soul contract with the tower that prevents me from leaving its domain. That doesn't mean I can't converse with people; for the last couple of years, I have been working with people assigned to others as a shadow."

"What stops you from telling me about those people you had shadowed?"

"I only know that I shadowed them, and any information about the person they were attending to was wiped from my memory completely. I just learned the requisite skills needed to help those along the path. And there is no official way to prove it through the tower, but I can swear to you on PUN's name that what I have said is true."

The hallway we are standing in shakes, and then it settles. "What was that?"

"You don't know?"

"Nope," I answered.

"If anyone is to swear in PUN's name, it will hear and confirm what has been said. If you speak falsely, then you will be..." She presses her fingers on the bridge of her nose because of the next word, "PUN-ished. Whoever created PUN needs to get a better hobby."

"And since you weren't..." Looking at her, I don't finish that sentence and move on, "It means you were telling the truth."

"Correct. Now, can we please move on? I want to figure out what we should work on with you."

"Before that, one last thing: you are talking about this like a training instructor, but you just have to help me with my questions, correct?"

Sighing, she nods, "You are correct, but I am currently behind where I should be. My twin brother has already passed me up, and I need to catch up. And you," she says while pointing her finger at me, "are the only hope I have of catching up to him, so want to make sure you are as efficient in clearing these trials as possible and then I might be able to get more resources instead of the pittance I have been allocated."

Mika walked in front of the 16 doors for the next few minutes, pondering something. A couple more minutes passed before she finally spoke to me again. "Okay, I have a general idea of what we should do to help you. But I will need more information about your skills because knowing the names doesn't help me too much. I don't need to describe the skills, as that doesn't matter. The only important thing is the level."

Figuring that it works well in my favor that she doesn't know the skill description, even though I am sure she has been studying the different skills and what they do for a long time, I comply and share the requested information.

- Skill List:

General Skills:

Analyze: 5

Neutral Mana Skills:

Arcane Shot 10

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Mana Circulation 8

Mana Control 6

Life Skills:

Minor Healing 7

Shield Cost 7

Mend Cost 3

Smite Cost 3

Nature Skills:

Nature's Grasp 7

Barkskin 4

Nature's Seed 1

Corruption Skills:

Corrupting Bolt 2

Death Skills:

Death Bolt 1

Leadership Skill:

Leadership 5

Delegation 1

Heroic Stand 1 -

With a complete list of the skills and their levels, she nods at me in appreciation. "Thank you. This will make it much easier for me to handle now. By the way, what is your mana pool like? I need a total and a current amount."

Complying once again, I shared with her that I had 300 mana total and 18 mana current.

"What do you mean you have a mana pool of 300? Aren't you at a lower tier than I am? How can you possibly have more mana than 99% of others in their first tier?" Her cold facade has finally broken.

"Mana Heart plus dragon bloodline" is all I share.

Smacking herself, she murmurs, "That makes sense; I guess I will need to study more about this when he leaves." Turning back to me, she starts chattering. "Okay, with your mana levels being so low, there are a couple of trials that you can take that will cheese that number up a bit, so the other trials become more accomplishable since you won't be able to generate much mana this time around without exploiting the mana circulation trial and the mana manipulation trials. The three leadership skills we can also do in the first five since you have plenty of growth in those areas."

Pacing back and forth, she continues talking, but now it seems almost to herself. "If he can increase his levels in mana circulation and manipulation up high enough, he might get enough mana to make the other magic trials trivial. I know most mages take their time between trials to get as much out of the attempts as possible, but they also have been inside the tower multiple times, so their resting environment is much better. Starting from square one with a mage makes this hard, but I will prevail."

Raising my hand to get her attention, I said, "I have also been working on getting some swordsmanship training and archery training because I have been given the nobleman class, and I didn't want to be a mage when I ran out of mana, I can't defend myself. Also, I am an enchanter, if that helps." I willingly gave up this information since it might help alleviate some of the stress she seems to be putting herself through.

Hearing this, her eyes gleam, "You're a noble as well! Great, great, great. Let's do this then," pointing at a door not far away but further than what I can tell. "I was curious why some of these doors seemed to be near the mage's area, but now it makes more sense; you must be close to getting skills in these areas."

"I wouldn't say I was close to getting the swordsmanship skill by any means," I offer up. I only started learning how to wield a sword a few days ago."

"Time doesn't matter. It's if you have been instructed or are learning by yourself. If you were taught, the skill is more likely to become available, while those flailing about it have a harder time acquiring it. Unless it is through the Tower of Trials."

Nodding along, I approach the door, "Where will you be when I am done with the trial?"

"It won't take long. These initial trials usually take only a few seconds for us attendants." She says while shooing me into the trial door.

Opening the door and stepping through, I am immediately faced with a fighting arena. 'Didn't she say that I got to pick the difficulty level of the skill I choose to work with?' Cursing, thinking she forgot to mention something again, I looked around. On one side of the arena is a rack of weapons, all swords, and in the center is a training dummy. "I guess I need to get started," heading over to the rack, I grab one of the swords, and it doesn't feel right in my grip; I continue to look for a sword that would fit well in my hands, and it doesn't take much longer before I get one.

Approaching the center of the arena, I take the stance Rognar taught me and then hit the training dummy. After 42 minutes of swinging at the dummy, my arms are sore and feel like they are about to fall off. I finally received the notification that I was hoping for.

- Congratulations, you have learned the skill Basic Swordsmanship level 1. -

Sighing with relief, I took a closer look at the skill.

- Basic Swordsmanship Level 1: You have a basic understanding of how to swing a sword and the most basic of stances. Decreases stamina drain by swinging a single-handed sword by 1%. -

I was only able to get a one-percent reduction out of the skill. This seems like a rip-off. Not wanting to continue, but knowing I won't get much, I head back the way I came. There is a door present that I can open. Doing so places me right back in the hall that Mika was in. She looks up and smiles at me. "Good job, and thankfully, it took into consideration that you are a mage trying to learn the blade, which boosted your grade in this trial."

Looking at the door, I can see the breakdown of how the skill is graded and what I need to do to get higher scores.

- Trial of Basic Swordsmanship:

Passed Initial Trial to Destroy Training Dummy: Passed

Learned Basic Swordsmanship skills: Increase in Grade

Learned as a Tier 0 Mage: Increase in Grade

Total Grade: S -

Looking back at Mika, I asked, "Is S the highest I can get currently? I thought there were two more grades above S."

"There are two more grades above S, but to get those grades, you need to have the skill already, and instead of a training dummy, you would be pitted against some low-level monsters in a wave-style battle. Each wave you clear increases your grade, with each wave getting harder, and leveling up your skills while in the trial will also bump the grade up. Keep that in mind as you work on your other skills. Next is to work on your mana circulation. It will give you a break from all the heavy sword swinging you did."

"How do you know that I was swinging a sword heavily?" I asked, a bit flummoxed.

"Easy. When you complete a trial, I get a quick memory implant from the tower about what you did with the time inside the trial. It allows me to answer questions you might have more readily."

"Isn't this tower a bit of a cheat? If I can train in here, what is the purpose of the training buildings inside the settlement?"

"Oh, that is easy. The tower moves. It is never in one spot for long, and people use several entrances to get inside. The entrance you used is about to disappear because it has been there for about a month. So get the time in while you can. Also, you don't get any training bonuses when working on skills inside the tower. You just have the opportunity to learn the skills while in a more controlled environment.

"I can see why you are antsy about me completing more trials. I would hate to have just a barren office if I knew someone else could help me get better amenities and resources."

"I'm Glad you think that way. Let's continue then, " she says with a bit more emotion.

Like this, I was thrown into all skills possible, from archery to dagger master to even staff combat. Anything that prevented me from using mana I was shoved into. Thankfully, I could lean on some of the stances and attacks Rognar taught for swords with some of the other melee weapons. In some instances, I couldn't complete the trial at all; I know I didn't complete the trials because after an hour of my own time, the target dummies would disappear, and I would be shoved out of the trial.

I got my archery, staff-wielding, and an essential blocking skill while using staves from the initial trials. There was an exciting change once I got the blocking skill. The staff-wielding and blocking skills fused, which wasn't the end. When I looked at my swordsmanship skill, I noticed it would take less stamina to block attacks.

When we finally moved on to some of the skills I already had, I managed to get two more S grades and one A grade. First, we started with mana circulation. When I first touched the door for this skill, I could select a difficulty ranging from 1 to 10. Not knowing the purpose of this, I stayed with the lowest difficulty level to see how the trial worked. This was an interesting skill to have a trial for. During the trial, there would be distractions all around me, and I had to learn how to ignore some of these distractions.

With some work, in the hour that I was given to work on my mana circulation, I managed to accumulate eight mana for myself. I also managed to level the skill up to level 9. Because of the high skill level, I could blow the required amount of mana out of the water, which would have made me happy, except that the amount needed to pass the trial was trivial.

- Trial of Mana Circulation:

Replenished mana (8/1): Passed with an increase in grade

Leveled up the skill: Increase in grade

Total Grade: SSS -

After finishing that trial, Mika gave me a bright smile. It seems getting a triple S on a trial is good for her. I wonder what her office will look like with all these completed trials. Moving onto the next trail, I had to control the mana in the room while different forces were trying to pull the mana away. Again, this was something that I wasn't accustomed to, so I struggled with it for a while, but once I got into the flow of it, I could also increase my mana control level.

This flow continued for the next couple of trials, with the leadership skills being the hardest to understand. Though I barely passed the trial standards, I could improve some skills. Leadership went up two levels, and my delegation and heroic stand skills increased by a level each. Though there wasn't a significant increase in the skill levels, I still managed to get an A grade for the latter two and an SS grade for the leadership skill.

Finally, it was onto the attack skills and healing skills. It feels awkward since I know I won't have enough mana to do the different skill trials. Going with the thought of an evolution, we move on to the arcane bolt trial. By the time I started the arcane bolt trial, I had been running trials for 16 hours. The weirdest thing is that I don't feel tired from all the different trials. It is like my physical exhaustion disappears, and while my mental state isn't in the best spots, it is far from where it was when we started. I had managed to replenish a total of 38 mana points. This should put me in line for a high enough grade in one, maybe even two of the trials.

This trial is very similar to the archery trial; the main difference is the range I have to work with. From where I am standing, there are several circles on the ground, each with a different point total, and the target at the far end of the room is stationary. The rules for this trial are similar to those for archery trials but have been reversed instead of aiming to hit a specific point on the target and getting points based on that. I have to stand at a specific point distance, and then I will earn points by the distance from the target I am.

The further from the target you are, the more points you get. This is why they want to test arcane bolts: It doesn't have the penetrating power an arrow would have; it deals surface damage, and the concussive force typically kills enemies. This is also what I lack in my spells. Accuracy. Looking to see how many shots I need to hit for a passing grade, I need to get at least two points, just the middle of the three circles. I have ten shots to get two points. That makes sense, considering I am currently doing my skills' lowest level of trials.

Getting it over with, I stand in the furthest circle and fire off my spell. It is a blessing that I hit the target in one shot. Not wanting to push my luck further, I leave the room, finishing the trial.

- Trial of the Arcane Bolt:

Reached a score of 2 points (3/2): Passed with an increase in grade

Total shots fired (1/10): Increase in Grade

Total Grade: SSS -

Tallying another high grade in the books continued. The same trials as arcane bolts are corruption bolts, nature's seed, and smite, with smite being different in how the spell hits the target also included. I quickly passed all three trials and received another three triple S grades. Looking at my mana to see how much I have left, I quickly calculate how many more trials I can attempt.

- MP: 38/300 -

Nature's grasp's trial was about placing the spell and causing the most damage to targets that purposefully walked over it. While my placement wasn't the best, the fact that the spell was much higher than the trial meant I passed it quickly. That only left me with four more spells to do their trials: minor healing, mending, shield, and barkskin. No matter what I try, there is one spell I cannot complete because I don't have the mana to cast the spell even once: death bolt.

Minor healing and mending had very similar trials; it was a trial to test the healer's ability, and there was a target that would be damaged while fighting an enemy. The goal was to heal the target so it could defeat the enemy. These spells took a lot of mana, but because of my high level of minor healing, it didn't take more than two casts to clear the trial. Mending took three casts before the trial was completed. Both trials were passed with a triple S because the target receiving the healing didn't fall below half health at any point, and I could time my healing so it would heal most efficiently. My mind skills also improved during the trial, which is a plus.

With two more skill trials that needed to be completed, I wanted to continue, but I looked at my mana and saw that I didn't have enough mana to cast even one spell. Sighing, I look at Mika with an apologetic smile, "Sorry, I couldn't help out any further; if I had known this place existed, I would have saved more of my mana since we came here right after a boss fight in a dungeon."

"Don't wor-" She cuts herself off, "What do you mean you came here directly from a boss fight? I thought you had just been training your spells, and that was why your mana was almost depleted."

Shaking my head, I disagree. "No, we finished a dungeon, and then my father, recognizing where we were, decided to bring us straight here."

"Is he stupid?" She asks.

"No, he is quite the intelligent man." I rebuff.

"Are you sure?" She insists.

"Quite," not wanting to argue over my father's poor choices, I ask her, "Will this at least get me a decent item when I leave the tower?"

"More than enough; I wouldn't be shocked if you got a lot of supplemental materials for upgrading your spell. You can access all your rewards once we return to my office."

Gesturing for her to lead the way, we headed back inside. Some things changed the moment we entered the room. First, there were a bunch of grades on the board. Next, there was an additional chair in the room, and finally, the room did feel a little bit bigger.

Turning back to the door, I find Mika standing there, ready to head to her desk. "How can I access the rewards?"

"Just go to your menu, and a new option should be available, " she says with a slightly distant voice. Once you are ready to leave the tower, the option is there, too. I recommend you stay for a second and review your rewards."

Nodding, I go to the rewards section of my interface and look to see what I acquired.

- Tower of Trial Rewards:

1 X Skill Evolution Token

5 X Skill Level-up Token

3 X Skill Fusion Token

2 X Random Skill Book -

Looking at the new items, I immediately grab the skill evolution token and am prepared to use it when Mika stops me. "While trying and evolving a skill while you are still inside the tower isn't wrong, I recommend waiting until you get back to your settlement. You will want to make some choices, and as a noble, it is best if you were in the settlement to make those choices. Nodding, I put the tokens and skill books into my storage pouch.

"Do you have any other questions for me, Drake?" She asks.

Knowing it will be a while before I return to this tower, I have one other question. "Are there any other ways that I can come back sooner?"

"There are ways, but as of right now, your settlement is at a low level to be able to build a gateway. So, either look for a ticket or keep focusing on leveling up. We will meet again sooner than you expect." With that, she again gestured to the same door we had just entered. "This door will take you outside. It was a pleasure to meet you, Drake." She says this while holding her hand out for me to shake.

"The pleasure is mine." Shaking her hand, I go to the door and leave. Once outside, I am greeted by my mother, my father, and someone who looks very similar to my sibling, but I don't know if it's true.