<h4>Chapter 235: An Unexpected Victory</h4>


    The lobby that had once roared with cheers and chatter now felt hollow, the silence broken only by the rhythmic tapping of the receptionist’s fingers on her keyboard. The great spectacle of the day had already passed in the eyes of most cadets... Raijin’s true rise and his stopping at the forty-ninth level.


    Eleanor’s name, however, remained on the board, stubbornly ticking upward at its own unhurried pace. One level. Then another. Each update arriving after nearly the full ten minutes had drained away.


    To the impatient, it looked pathetic. To the keen-eyed, it spoke of endurance beyond reason.


    By the time she pressed into the thirties, the crowd had thinned to nothing. Evening shadows stretched long across the windows of thebat building. Ophelia, after waiting far longer than most, stood with reluctance, her expression soft with concern. "I’ll bring her something to eat. If she’s still in there when Ie back, at least she won’t have to be in an empty stomach after this long fight." Kiara and Maira agreed and followed, leaving the hall with the faint tter of boots andughter.


    Raijin lingered longer, basking in thest echoes of praise, but when Eleanor’s progress crawled to the thirty-fifth level without spectacle or copse, his pride assured him she posed no threat. He and his entourage drifted out withzy confidence, speaking of other things.


    Atst, only the receptionist remained. She didn’t look up from her screen, though her eyes flicked once at the update board.


    [The Tower of Legends]


    Cadet Eleanor Elizabeth Raynor (10156659) – level 36


    The glowing letters pulsed in the empty lobby, unnoticed by anyone else.


    ***


    Just as Eleanor expected, the moment she stepped into level fifty she was greeted by a vast horde: Stone Golems, Ironhide Ogres, Bloodstone Gargants, Bone Colossi, Carrion Hulks, Rustw Beasts, Chitin Lords, Stonehorn Behemoths, Venomfang Hydras, Blight Serpents, and Magma Fiends. Among them were the long-forgotten fallen of her first twenty-five levels... Skeletons, Goblins, Crocodile Monsters, Ogres, Orcs, Giant Spiders, Three-headed Hydras, and Trolls.


    This time she did not hesitate. She unleashed her bloodline and began the ughter. Corpses piled into mountains as she carved her way through the valley, its edges hemmed in by towering trees. She spared no creature—every foe met with a single, fatal strike.


    All her bloodline abilities were in y:


    Overdrive Focus [Active] – Latent energy channelled into heightened speed and reflexes.


    Mind eleration [Active] – Cognitive speed amplified; enemy movements predicted in real time.


    Tactical Foresight [Passive] – Battlefield read at a nce; every strike and step optimised.


    Killing Precision [Passive] – Blows drawn unerringly to vital points.


    Predator’s Awareness [Passive] – Sensitivity to the faintest shift in intent or movement.


    Bloodlust Instinct [Passive] – Combat instincts honed to lethal perfection.


    Holding them all at once drained her mercilessly, but it was necessary. Against an army this vast, she had no other chance... there were simply too many to count.


    When atst thest monster fell, scarcely five minutes had passed. Pleased with the result, she ascended towards the doorway carved into the mountainside and released her active abilities. At once, fatigue crashed over her body and mind. She sank down cross-legged, breathing deep, and slipped into meditation to recover her strength for whaty ahead.


    If the next floor was another gravity trial, she would need every shred of power before stepping through.


    "At the twenty-sixth level, my body underwent a transformation. I wonder if it will affect my real body. After all, this is only a created realm. But if the changes manifest in reality, then this tower challenge will be far more valuable than I imagined," she mused to herself.


    Atst, she opened the door and stepped into the fifty-first level. To her surprise, she was alone. The chamber was the same stark white as the gravity trial, but without any crushing pressure. The staircase stood in in sight, not far away.


    "Is this level broken... or have I already adapted so well to gravity that I no longer feel it?" she wondered.


    She advanced cautiously. A sharp whoosh cut through the silence, and before she could retreat, a steel needle mmed into her leg. The sound ceased.


    Eleanor gritted her teeth against the searing pain, yanked the needle free, and watched the wound knit itself closed. Frowning, she ced her sword on the floor where she had been standing. The sound returned, and this time she saw the needles: dozens of them shooting from hidden slits in the walls, all aimed precisely at the weapon.


    Now she understood. Thest trial had been strength; this one was agility.


    She lifted her sword and shield, braced herself, and stepped forward. The barrage began at once. Steel whistled through the air. She parried, blocked, dodged... but still several struck home, biting into her flesh. Painnced through her, but she pressed on.


    With each step closer to the staircase, the speed of the needles increased. They tore past her defences, embedding themselves in her arms, her sides, her legs.


    Then a thought struck her. She closed her eyes and expanded her senses outward. She felt it... the faint ripple of air, the intent of movement. Each trajectory became clear. With renewed focus, she began to parry, block, and dodge.


    She did not stop, even as needles peppered her. But with every passing second her speed quickened, her perception sharpened. Fewer and fewer struck home. Soon, none at all. She flowed through the storm with de and shield, turning aside every dart of steel.


    And then, suddenly, she was through. She opened her eyes to find herself at the base of the stairs. A smile curved across her lips. She had crossed the distance in less than three minutes.


    She plucked the needles from her body one by one, let them tter to the floor, and sat to recover her strength before climbing further.


    ***


    Almost eight hours had passed when Supreme Grandmaster Scáthach received another notification. Her eyes widened in astonishment as she saw that the werewolf had reached level 50 after nearly eight hours in the tower. She double-checked:


    [The Tower of Legends]


    Cadet Eleanor Elizabeth Raynor (10156659) – Level 50


    "Truly a genius! She knew exactly what she was doing. She turned the time limit, set to trap challengers, into her own advantage. Now you’ve caught my eye... I hope you won’t disappoint me." She thought, a devilish smile curling across her lips.


    Suddenly, another possibility urred to her. She touched her wrist device and said, "Call Arrichion."


    The instructor was still meditating in the dimly lit room. His wrist device vibrated; he nced at it with mild annoyance but immediately swallowed hard. He touched his device and said, "Hello, Grandmaster. How are you?"


    Scáthach wasted no time on formalities. "Have you met your new student, the one named Eleanor?"


    "Yes. She enrolled today, and we had a chat. Why? Did something happen?" He thought of that young, beautiful and smart woman. Unconsciously, a smile formed on his lips but in the darkness no one saw.


    "Was it just a chat, or did you teach her anything?"


    "Today was her first day at school, so we merely discussed various battle arts. I may have gotten a little carried away and unted some of my victories and battles. You know, it’s been so long since I’ve had a fresh student... I couldn’t help but let her see how truly remarkable her teacher is. I trust that’s not a problem in the context of lessons. After all, it’s all true—I am really that awesome."


    "I know how awesome you are," Scáthach replied. "I think you should spar with meter. I’ve been short of a sparring partner for some time."


    Arrichion immediately stuttered, "P... Please, G... Grandmaster. Why did you call in the first ce? Did something happen?"


    "That exins Eleanor’s behaviour. I think you should check her progress in the Tower of Legends. She just surpassed level 50, and it took her nearly eight hours. She is using the ten-minute recovery cap on every level. That is not the behaviour of a new cadet... nor of any being from Midgard, except you. To win, you can do anything."


    "No, Grandmaster. I always win in style."


    "Oh! I remember someone who waited nearly a week just to ambush a group of trolls while they slept. I believe that someone had the power to fight them directly but chose to cut them down in their sleep to ensure victory."


    <fn97b4> The rightful source is Find?Novel</fn97b4>


    "That wasn’t me."


    "Ha Ha Ha. Then I must be mistaken." Scáthachughed heartily.


    "Thanks for calling, Grandmaster. I’ll go check the tower."


    "Wait. I called to inform you that you have only fifteen days with her. In the meantime, teach her everything you can. Then send her to my domain."


    "Understood, Grandmaster. As you wish."


    ***


    Raijin Astrape Stormrider was chatting with some of his friends—and yes, a few sycophants—in the games room of the dormitory. At that moment, his device vibrated lightly. As he touched it, a screen popped up before him.


    [Notice]


    Cadet Raijin Astrape Stormrider (10156601) has been defeated in a duel by Cadet Eleanor Elizabeth Raynor (10156659). ording to the rules agreed upon by the parties, all points of Cadet Raijin Astrape Stormrider (10156601) are now transferred to Cadet Eleanor Elizabeth Raynor (10156659).


    Transferred Points: 2015


    "Fuck! How could this happen?" Raijin shouted, storming off towards thebat department.


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