Though his first reaction was to move into a combat stance, Linneaus quickly discovered that his body was completely immobilized. He could still breathe just fine but, as if a mountain was pressed against every centimeter of his body, even twitching his finger was an impossible feat.

The only action Linneaus could perform in the present was looking up slightly as a solid white figure, more than five meters in height, stared down at him. It took a while for his brain to process what he was staring at but, once it hit him, Linneaus discovered he was allowed to speak as he muttered, "An owl..."

As if to answer him, the owl showed a strangely human expression as it bent forward, beak nearly touching the bridge of Linneaus' nose as it corrected, "Lumen...my name is Lumen. I am no mere owl, Linneaus Finnian, son of Lairon Finnian and Marianne Vestille. No, I am something...more..."

After saying its piece, the owl named Lumen rose to its full height, chest puffed out with pride as its pure white feathers ruffled. As for Linneaus, his neck was actually beginning to hurt as he was forced to stare directly at it, unable to even avert his eyes more than a fraction of their normal range.

For several seconds, Lumen kept puffing out its chest, seemingly expecting some kind of response from the paralyzed youth. When none came, it cocked its head nearly 130 degrees, looking at him from a curious angle that caused Linneaus' neck to hurt even more.

With a curious glimmer in its pure black eyes, not that Linneaus was able to discern this, Lumen continued to crane its head at an awkward angle before saying, "How strange. You are a very composed young man, all things considered. Do you truly not understand the significance of this place, I wonder~?"

Accompanying this question, Linneaus suddenly found himself able to move but, due to the strain he had been experiencing, he immediately collapsed. This caused the giant owl to begin laughing in an amused tone, a mixture of human vocals and the characteristic sound of an owl. Despite the fact that Linneaus had never seen one before, Rebecca had taught all of them about its characteristics as part of their brief education.

During the time it took Linneaus to recover, Lumen's head had twisted so far that it seemed to be on the verge of coming full circle. Then, much to his surprise, it did just that, causing Lumen to chuckle once again after seeing his surprise. It seemed to be enjoying itself quite a bit, causing Linneaus to feel a bit indignant as he asked, "What happened to Saht? My companion, the one-"

Feeling his body tense up again, as if it was impossible to speak over the massive owl, Linneaus was forced to remain silent as it answered, "Ah, yes, the girl with the [Demonification] Blessing. She has quite the temper, hoohoohoohoo~."

After laughing until it was satisfied, Lumen extended its wing, using its long flight feathers like Hume fingers as it drew a circle in the air. This created a portal of some sort that showed Linneaus back in the tunnels once again, his body moving so slowly that it felt like time had stopped. The image then changed to show the scene of a massacre but, instead of the familiar figure that had been a fixture in his life for years, he only saw a cloud of blue particles that were fading away much faster than the flow of time.

As if to clear up the confusion, Lumen explained, "I would normally never do this but, as your earlier reaction was quite entertaining, I'll make an exception. You see, your young companion has already accepted my offer, though I had to deceive her a bit, hoohoohoo~."

Just as Linneaus' rage began to build, the massive owl caused the scene in the portal to change, the image now reflecting its figure looked down on Saht. He couldn't hear what they were saying but, as the image began to fade away, he saw her nod before fading away into motes of light similar to the scene he had witnessed in the tunnels.

When the portal faded away, Lumen once again loomed over him, this time stating in a guiding tone, "I am not called Lumen for no reason, young man. In fact, the ancient people's of the Planar World named it as such because of me. Now, do you understand where you are? Why you are in this place?"

Feeling his body able to move again, Linneaus slouched a bit, his muscles aching painfully as his mind raced. Then, after turning to look up at the massive white owl, he asked, "Is this the inside of the Tower...?"

The moment Linneaus asked his question, Lumen expanded its wings, creating a canopy of light that stretched more than fifteen meters as it exclaimed, "That is correct, hoohoohoo~!"

Though he had deactivated his [Night Vision], Linneaus had to cover his eyes due to the brilliance of Lumen's wings. The light they produced was so potent that, even after closing his eyelids and using his hands to shield his eyes, he could still make out a red hue as it pierced through both forms of protection.

Fortunately, Lumen closed its wings shortly thereafter, chuckling to itself once against as it peered at the blinded Linneaus, waiting for him to open his eyes once again. When the latter obliged, he gave the expected reaction, flinching to such an extent he nearly jumped to his feet.

Despite the fact he was enjoying every moment of Linneaus' very innocent reactions, something you would never expect from a boy who had killed more than a thousand people, Lumen asked, "Tell me, Linneaus Finnian, do you desire the power to change your fate?"

Hearing the question, Linneaus did his best to calm his breathing before asking, "If I refuse, I will die, won't I...?" To this, Luman craned its head before answering his question with one of its own, "Do you fear death?" Then, before Linneaus could answer, it added, "There are no guarantees in this world. If the future was determined, the Tower would have lost its meaning. Your life and death have always been in your hands, Linneaus Finnian. Even if you decide not to climb the Tower, you can continue living as you please, so long as you have the power to avoid the fate others have decided for you~"

Linneaus couldn't help but swallow hard when he heard Lumen's response. He was fully aware of his situation in the outside as, before showing him what happened with Saht, the first scene showed a very large mace about to collide with his body.

Though his [Barrier Aura] might protect him, it was nearly impossible for him to escape the encirclement. Since he had also heard Lumen's remark about tricking Saht, before showing the scene of her vanishing into motes of light, he assumed she had accepted his offer. She may even be expecting to reunite with him in the Tower, causing Linneaus to feel a dilemma as it seemed like the only choice he had was to continue struggling, or die...just as it had always been.

Remembering his conviction as he tried to bury his daggers into the fiery-eyed man's body, Linneaus inhaled deeply through his nose before meeting Lumen's gaze once again. In truth, he didn't care about the Tower at all but. However, knowing this was the only chance he would have to reunite with Saht and one day return to the outside world, a resolute light shone in his eyes as he answered, "I'll go...I want the power to determine my own fate."

With those final words, Linneaus' body vanished into motes of light, leaving Lumen staring into the spot he had previously occupied. He could actually read all of Linneaus' thoughts and, rather than his external reactions, the thing he found more interesting was the chaos in the young boy's mind. It was very rare to have a young fledgling more focused on leaving the Tower than rising to its peak. Despite this, his conviction was just as strong as many who had dedicated their entire lives just for a chance to climb, risking everything for power, wealth, and status.

Turning his head skyward, not that there was anything to see in the endless void above, Lumen had a curious glint in his eyes as, rather than darkness, small motes of light, reminiscent of stars, began to shine within. There, if one were to look closely, an incalculable number of scenes played out as, despite his interest in Linneaus' peculiarity, he had a job to do. He was responsible for viewing the lives of every sentient creature on the Planar World's surface, determining if they were truly sought power, or if they were just another product of their society...

---

The moment Linneaus answered in the affirmative, he found himself standing in the middle of an empty room. All of the aches in his body faded away as a voice of indeterminate gender and origin echoed, "Welcome to the Incubator, young fledgling. Here, you will be evaluated to determine if you have the power and luck to truly begin your ascension. You will be awarded five minutes to prepare. After the end of the countdown, an opponent of equivalent Status will be assigned to you. Should you survive, you will be allowed entry into the First Floor. Failure means the end of your journey and inevitable death. Good luck, and may you one day soar amongst the Heavens."

Without affording Linneaus the opportunity to ask any questions, a large timer began floating in the middle of the chamber, the dimensions of which seemed capable of fitting an entire district of the slums. He wasn't even sure he could make it to the other end within five minutes, much less make any kind of preparations.

Though he was already aware of it, Linneaus looked down at his own body, confirming that all of his weapons and equipment were gone. His Inventory was also completely empty and, rather than the garb he had become accustomed to wearing, he now had some kind of skin-tight bodysuit as his only protection. This made him appear even more emaciated than normal, the outline of his ribs clearly visible through the peculiar dark-blue fabric.

Since the room was completely empty, Linneaus intuited that the voice meant to prepare in some other way, if not suggesting he mentally prepare himself. Since he was now in the Tower, he figured the most obvious answer was to tweak his Status. After all, he had been at a bottleneck for a while now and, if not for the fact his extra attributes seemed to convert into Free Attribute points, there would have been no meaning in Leveling at all.

With this in mind, Linneaus immediately tried to put a point into his Agility, causing a small bell to sound in his head as his eyes began to glimmer with expectation. He had wondered why the limit was 49 previously and, now that he had increased the value to 50, Linneaus had his answer. Not only had he been able to finally break the limit, he even earned a unique Skill related to the achievement.

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[Fleet-Footed: LV1(0/100)]

Passive: Increases Agility by 20%. (+2 Agi per Level)

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Seeing the effect of the Skill, Linneaus had a wide grin on his face. It was now clear what the voice was referring to when it said to make preparations. He gave a quick look at the clock, surprised to find he was already down to less than three minutes. Though he had a small notion to save up a few of his Free Attribute points, that could be a mistake that costs him his life if his opponent went all out.

With this in mind, Linneaus' mind raced before he decided to put a point into each attribute, wanting to take advantage of the bonus. It was fortunate that he had enough wherewithal to prioritize the attributes that increase his proficiency with his Blessing as, after placing a point into Intelligence and Wisdom, he no longer received any bonus.

This had caused him to blank for a moment and, though it was a bit foolish in hindsight, put an extra point into Dexterity. Since even this gave him nothing, Linneaus hesitated for a short moment before confirming his suspicions. He brought his Constitution and Strength to 50 as well. This allowed him to ascertain that the bonuses were limited to the first three attributes, either as a result of a natural limitation or some other restriction. Fortunately, the choices he had made were the most beneficial to him as, if he had unlocked the bonuses for Strength and Constitution instead, he could have undermined his future progress considerably...

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[Magus: LV1(0/100)]

Passive: Increases Intelligence by 20%. (+2 Int per Level)

[Resilient Mind: LV1(0/100)]

Passive: Increases Wisdom by 20%. (+2 Wis per Level)

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