One Life Clear

Outside the walls, the world was peaceful. Vendors called out loudly, commoners bustled through the chaotic market, yet no one dared approach the towering metal gate.

Despite the opulent building behind the gate, and the seemingly indifferent guard, such a place often signified danger.

At the main entrance, Ganis reminded him again, "In the past century, no less than thirty adventuring parties have entered this Mage Tower, but not one has returned. Although Madra the Mage is only a high-level Mage, his specialization is spatial magic. So... please be extremely careful."

Downs smirked, "Don't you and your Majesty think that difficult work deserves commensurate compensation?"

His words didn't sound like a former Knight apprentice at all.

Simply put, he wanted more money!

Sigh, his mind has completely molded into that of a Mage. There's no helping it; the world of magic is all about equivalent exchange.

Ganis awkwardly cleared his throat, "His Majesty will provide reasonable compensation based on success."

Downs stopped teasing the King's chief advisor. He nodded to the burly warrior holding a silver-white greatshield. This formidable man, Huan, pushed open the iron gate under the guard's complex gaze.

As soon as they crossed the threshold, it felt like entering another world.

A strange purple-blue halo swept over the treetops, and the branches seemed adorned with fairy lights, shimmering with arcane brilliance.

Not only that, but the ground was subtly vibrating. The space within the courtyard seemed to be offset from the space outside the walls. Although Downs could still clearly see Ganis and the others outside the iron gate, he had a disorienting feeling, like greeting someone from underwater.

The four high-level professionals beside Downs stared at this "truly once-in-a-century" Mage with expectant eyes.

The downfall of so many parties over the past hundred years, the demise of so many masters, even legendary professionals of other classes here, was enough to prove one thing—this was now the Mage's domain.

This wasn't to discriminate against spellcasting classes like Warlocks or Priests, but in a place like this, only a Mage's knowledge could save them.

Frankly, the four of them were just escorts.

Downs was actually a little nervous. During the last great battle in Ramanque City, he was hailed as a hero. To be honest, that time he was fueled by righteous indignation, charging towards the city gates without a second thought, only feeling a bit of lingering fear afterward.

And this time?

Could the little bit of theory his Master taught him be enough?

No, he couldn't even quite recall what his Master had taught him right now.

There was no helping it; every time his Master taught him something, Downs only half-understood it. However, he could always comprehend new magic, and his Master considered him to have passed.

When it came to magic theory, he was probably only operating at about six out of seven senses...

Downs tentatively whispered to Laifu on his shoulder, "Master?"

Unexpectedly, Laifu gently nodded.

Lein... he was indeed there.

Even though they had entered a different space, his soul connection with Laifu seemed stable, which was quite miraculous.

Let alone Downs being nervous, Lein was also nervous.

Although Lein felt like he was playing a third-person adventure game, he couldn't forget that he had to "beat it in one life." Otherwise, his hard-won disciple would be doomed.

"Let's go in!"

Downs gave the order. The rogue, acting as the scout, took the lead and pushed open the door of the Mage Tower, which looked only five stories high with a spindle-shaped top.

The three-meter-tall brass door opened surprisingly smoothly, as if a century of wind and frost had not caused any rust or jamming.

When the scene before the entrance was revealed to the five, they couldn't help but swallow.

It was so clean!

It looked as if a team of servants had meticulously cleaned it every day.

Not a speck of dust could be seen on the black and white checkered floor tiles. Time seemed to have frozen at the moment the magic net collapsed a hundred years ago.

Occasionally, sharp scratch marks from metal combat boots could be seen on the ground, clearly from later arrivals, not the original owner.

After walking for a while, they all felt something was wrong.

Something was twelve parts wrong out of ten!

Whether viewed from the outside or according to the architectural blueprints provided by the Cervantes royal family, this Mage Tower, with its circular cross-section and a single floor of no more than five hundred square meters, couldn't possibly have such a straight corridor over a hundred meters long.

Even though the door behind them hadn't closed automatically, the surroundings grew quieter and quieter, and even the whistling wind from outside fell silent.

Only from ahead came a rhythmic mechanical sound and faint murmuring voices, as if luring them in.

The other four 'escorts' couldn't help but look at Downs simultaneously.

If they were to retreat, this was probably their last chance.

But, having come this far, who would want to retreat?

Even if they didn't trust this Mage who seemed to have sprung from the ground, they trusted their own Master, and the Legendary Archmage behind Downs!

They gritted their teeth and advanced in the most common formation of an adventuring party.

The rogue scouted ahead, the Greatshield Warrior protected Downs in the second position, the Priest was fourth, and the Ranger, lightly drawing his bowstring, covered the rear.

The sounds from the distance grew clearer.

This wasn't the sound of any musical instrument; it was a clattering sound, like mechanical gears rotating at a fixed rhythm.

Downs was no stranger to this. He had personally witnessed how a water wheel could "continuously transform the power of water elements into wind elements."

They entered a vast atrium, and everyone instinctively blinked, feeling the surrounding light brighten while the scene before them made them tremble with fear.

The group finally understood the fate of the adventurer squad that had entered the Mage Tower before them.

They were almost all here...

Hundreds of vengeful spirits floated in mid-air, two meters off the ground. These poor souls, driven mad and to their deaths, were still unaware of their condition. They were consumed by a desire for revenge, madly chasing after those who had driven them to their doom.

Within the five people's sight, most of these vengeful spirits were pointlessly beating each other, or desperately scratching at the walls and doors of the atrium with their pale, translucent fingers.

If they were just vengeful spirits, it might have been manageable. The problem was the numerous [Animated Objects] on the atrium floor.

They watched firsthand as a brass candlestick twisted itself into a pretzel. The trident-shaped candlestick sprouted a distorted human face at the fork, screaming as it drove the three candles on its forehead forward like whips.

If they weren't mistaken, it was attempting to strangle a wooden wild boar that was most likely a sideboard in its 'life'.

Though they were reluctant to describe a sideboard as a wild boar, it truly had the appearance of one. Its four table legs had become hooves, and its hunched back and massive wooden boar head weren't just similar; they were identical.

The bizarre scenes before them made the three physical combatants present's scalps tingle.

Christine, the Ranger sister, wiped sweat from her brow and whispered, "Can we go around?"

But before she could get a response, as if sensing the arrival of these uninvited guests, all the strange entities in the atrium suddenly let out a collective scream and charged at them in unison.

"Ah!" The Greatshield Warrior felt a tightness in his head, immediately followed by a dizzying spin.

Vengeful spirits possessed the trait of [Rage].

When hundreds of vengeful spirits went mad together, the resulting [Perception] shockwave was definitely beyond the capabilities of even a high-level warrior.

Just as the warrior's mind was blown blank, the Priest, Pat, who had barely managed to endure it, cried out, "I can't handle this many vengeful spirits!"

It's over!

The three of them had almost the same thought.

They could vividly imagine their tragic fate: being swallowed by the vengeful spirit army, their souls chewed to bits, their flesh and blood melted away, and then becoming those distorted [Animated Objects].

Just then, Lightning descended!

"Boom!"

A thunderous roar and dazzling electric light became the sole melody in the atrium.

The vision of the four people was filled with a blinding white light, and they instinctively covered their eyes with their hands...