The owl sighed and let out a breath. Its voice was stuffed due to the blood streaming down its beak, but it still did its best to speak in a dignified manner. “The Tower is a tree, and as such, it is a living organism. Like how there are trees in the wild, there are creatures that feast on trees. The Tower takes in strong contestants—nutrients, if you will—to fend off attacks aimed at its life. Not only that, but occasionally, contestants will be transported outside of the Tower to fight for resources that the Tower needs to grow. Do you have any knowledge of biology? There are many examples of symbiotic relationships similar to the one between the contestants and the Tower.”

Mary tilted her head. “Why is that a secret?” she asked, but before she could say or do anything else, the owl underneath her shrank at a rapid pace, causing her knees to strike the platform of the arena.

A bitter expression appeared on the bloody owl’s face as it crawled up onto its feet. “I’ve lost my powers,” the owl said and sighed. “Usually, there’ll be an examiner to moderate the entrance exam, but since I’ve been removed from power, the Tower’s test will proceed in its original form.” Rumbling filled the arena. “Previously, it was deemed as too difficult for most dimensional lifeforms to complete.”

Dozens upon dozens of stone tiles dropped away, and various creatures of different shapes and sizes rose out of the ground. All of them stared at Mary with red eyes and salivating mouths—as long as they had eyes and mouths. There were a few creatures that were shaped like blobs or had the bodies and heads of worms. A frown appeared on Mary’s face upon seeing the tide of creatures that chittered and swarmed towards her.

The owl flapped its wings and flew off the arena, narrowly dodging a strand of silk that had been fired in its direction by a spider. When the owl left the platform, the spider no longer paid any attention to it, redirecting its attention towards Mary. The black-armored woman narrowed her eyes and took a step forward, her body turning into a blurred line as it vanished into the crowd. Blood and severed limbs flew into the air. Creatures screamed. Creatures roared. Creatures died. The owl stared with unblinking eyes at the massacre taking place on the stage. Throughout all its time as an examiner for the Tower, it had never witnessed a sight like this. Perhaps this woman was comparable to the contestants that had risen to the top of the Tower, the ones crowned as the undefeated paragons. They must’ve left a scene similar to this while passing through the entrance exam.

In the test’s original form, once a contestant left the stage, the exam would end, and they would be graded based on the quantity and quality of the creatures they killed. The owl was sure Mary would get full marks seeing as the only living being left on the stage was her. The red-haired woman’s gaze landed on the owl. “Is the exam not over? Do I have to kill you too?”

“No, no,” the owl said, practically shrieking. It was afraid that if it answered too slowly, Mary would’ve cut its head off before it could react. “You passed the test. Do you see the flight of stairs that’s appearing?” It pointed at the vague image of a staircase materializing in the center of the platform. “On the floor above, you’ll be given your rewards for completing the exam.”

Mary focused her gaze onto the ethereal staircase. Although it led upwards, it didn’t reach the ceiling. Instead, it led to a crack in space, similar to the one that had landed her in the Tower in the first place. After staring for a bit, she looked at the owl and patted her shoulder. “Come with me.”

The owl blinked and pointed at itself with the tip of its wing. “You want me to go with you?”

“Yes,” Mary said. “You’re useful.”

The owl furrowed its brow. After a bit, it let out a sigh. What was there to even think about? Now that it lost its qualifications as an examiner, there was no where else it could go. Following alongside a contestant like this, one who’d reach the top of the Tower, it was better than idling its life away. It flapped its wings and flew onto Mary’s shoulder. Luckily, the pauldrons covering her shoulder were spacious enough for the owl to get comfortable. Once Mary made sure the owl was secured, she walked up the flight of stairs, entering the red crack in space.

The feeling of teleportation was similar to the one Mary felt when entering Tafel’s portal. Also, similarly, the red crack in space vanished behind her as she walked through. She appeared in a brownish room with wooden walls, which she assumed was made from the Tower’s bark. Perhaps she was in a branch or root, but she didn’t think about it too much. The specific location didn’t matter. What mattered was the ball of light floating in front of her and the spacial crack positioned beside it.

“If you want to continue climbing the Tower, reach into the ball of light and take your reward,” the owl said. “If you want to leave, just step through the portal, and it’ll take you back to where you came from.”

Without hesitation, Mary reached her gauntleted arm into the ball of light. She could return home once she had obtained the strength to slay a dragon. Next time, she wouldn’t have to strategically conserve her energy by retreating when faced with a holy dragon. She pulled out her arm, and a bottle along with a black envelope appeared, hovering over her palm. Mary glanced at the owl on her shoulder. “What are these?”

The owl squinted. “The bottle contains an elixir to improve your constitution. As for the envelope, if I’m not mistaken, that should be an invitation letter. You can invite people from your dimension to enter the tower with it. They’re only given to promising newcomers; it’s the Tower’s method of taking in as many talented individuals as it can from a given dimension.” The owl glanced at Mary. “Do you have anyone you’d like to invite?”