"Alert! Alert!"
"Intruders detected!... Intruders detected!..."
Things were different from last time. After repeated incursions by Goria and the Fallen Witch, much of the Mythal's power had been eroded. This time, the Floating Tower's Magical Energy Superconducting Pulse Cannon did not activate. Only the intrusion alarm sounded when they entered, yet no combat Golems appeared. During his previous exploration, Soren had cleared out the Golem Hall on the first floor. It had held a large number of Golems, but Soren had destroyed them all and hauled them away.
The Wizard Tower had no Golem Factory of its own. With that batch of Golems eliminated, there were probably only a few Tower Spirits left inside.
They encountered no enemies on the first two floors. Upon entering the third, however, Soren's group ran into a large swarm of Dust Mephits. Monsters of this level hardly counted as a challenge to them. A few spells were all it took to wipe them out.
Some of the facilities inside the Wizard Tower appeared to have been repaired.
The Energy Transmission Pipeline on the third floor had been reconnected, and some of the walls on the fourth floor had been repaired. The Library had also received some basic maintenance, but Soren had long since carried away all the valuable books.
Before long.
The group reached the point where their previous exploration had ended.
—"Ethereal Jaunt! [Ninth-circle spell]"
An immensely powerful Energy Laser Tunnel lay ahead. Passing through it on the physical plane was all but impossible. Even an avatar form would struggle to withstand the damage, because this thing was essentially a miniature Magical Energy Pulse Device. Goria had prepared the ninth-circle spell "Ethereal Jaunt" for precisely this reason. She transformed herself and the others nearby into spiritual bodies, then passed through the tunnel without