“Wait, are you serious?”

“You’re a true Undying One and a follower of the Cult of the Death Goddess—how can you fear something like this?”

“Guild Master, I think you might not be showing enough respect for the word ‘death’.”

“Anyway, it’s not your first time. Why so hesitant, acting all girly?”

“Is it possible, Guild Master… I mean, is it possible… that I *am* a girl?”

“Death treats all equally. Now go!”

Noah shot Shirley, the Avianwing Clan girl, a meaningful glance.

Shirley instantly caught on. In a flash, she kicked the red-haired girl square in the butt.

The Avianwing warrior’s terrifying leg strength sent Anna flying like a ball. She tumbled four or five times across the ground before landing face-first in the clearing before the cave, dust-covered and disheveled.

By the time Anna rubbed her sore butt and scrambled up, monsters from the first floor of Aether Spire had already closed in.

The rabbit-like monster that once delivered a critical headshot to Anna now stared intently at her. Its ear-formed arms groped the dirt, searching for the most suitable brick.

Memories of past beatings flooded Anna’s mind. She scrambled backward several meters in panic and shakily rose to her feet.

She glanced back.

The dense forest behind was eerily silent—no trace of her teammates.

“These guys are real beasts!”

Recalling Noah’s plan, Anna’s expression shifted. She yanked a potion vial from her thigh strap, steeled herself, and began chanting Ritual Magic right where she stood.

Four differently colored potions flowed across the stone, swiftly tracing two concentric circles around the monsters gathered before the cave.

The moment the ritual array formed, Anna reached into her trench coat and tossed out several bizarre items.

“Cunning rabbit ear, eight-leaf flower, Stellarsteel shavings…”

The Ritual Magic Academy prodigy murmured each name. A mysterious, eerie glint flickered deep in her eyes. Her chant transcended human phonetics. Churning darkness coalesced within the circle, forming withered, visible arms that writhed chaotically inside the array.

Illusory flames erupted without warning! Born from the ritual, their searing heat scorched the air itself. Trees crackled. Space seemed to warp under the blaze, lending the hazy fire an indescribable chaos.

Anna was an absolute genius.

Noah, hidden deep in the forest, reaffirmed it once more.

Her academic record at the Ritual Magic Academy was legendary—perfect scores, unmatched in history. In pure theory, she could lecture there while crowds begged on their knees.

But even geniuses have limits.

Anna’s? Her utterly disastrous practical skill.

“Whoa, what the hell?!”

At her cry, the chaotic flames within the array found their target.

In a blink, they abandoned everything else and swarmed toward the caster—Anna Carole.

Before she could react, the flames crawled up her boots, coiled around her waist, then chest, engulfing her in the same vivid red as her hair.

The ritual’s sheer power left no time for a scream. She collapsed, crackling like dried firewood.

As expected.

True to form.

Noah felt no surprise, no sorrow. He simply called out: “Pascal!”

The golden-haired, blue-eyed nun dashed from the opposite thicket.

Still in her black-and-white habit and practical boots—but now, a vivid red gem rested on her chest.

The Divine Relic, fashioned into a necklace, pulsed with holy light. Pure radiance surged outward, scattering the Cult of the Death Goddess’s flames clinging to Anna.

As Pascal emerged, the treetops above her instantly turned to ash.

A brilliant sphere of holy light hovered midair, trailing her steps like a mobile mountain, crushing and incinerating all in its path.

From Noah’s view, it looked like Pascal was casually walking a sun on a leash.

The monsters froze—just seconds ago, they’d watched Anna spontaneously combust; now, Pascal charged toward them with a sun in tow.

Their faces twisted in sheer disbelief. Even cliffside monkeys gaped, the fruit in their mouths losing all taste before dropping to the ground with a soft *plop*.

Then the “sun” behind Pascal plummeted.

She executed a perfect flying tackle, diving bravely into the monster horde. The gem on her chest struck the earth—a flash of sacred light.

And the “sun” fell.

An immeasurable radiance drowned everything.

Shirley swiftly spread her wings, shielding Noah in her shadow, back turned to the light. She squeezed her eyes shut against the stellar-explosion brilliance.

The Ritual Mage’s remains were reduced to ash, scattering on the wind.

The Spire’s trial world was purified in pure white.

...

...

Color vanished.

The Spire’s world became hollow void.

After a brief pause, new hues bloomed from nothingness, weaving a fresh realm.

Deep within an ancient cave, a torch cast faint light into the darkness.

Water dripped from stalactips with a whisper. Crustacean-like insects scuttled past, their feet tapping a spine-chilling *click-clack*.

Clearly, this was not the first floor.

Noah recognized the subtle spatial disorientation—the same dizzying shift he’d felt teleporting from Arvin Hamlet to Aether Canyon.

Feeling it now meant the first trial was over.

Success.

A flicker of joy stirred in his chest, unseen on his face. He exhaled slowly, scanned for threats, then turned to Shirley.

Shirley blinked blankly, still dazed. “Guild Master… where are we?”

“The second floor.” Noah rose slowly, studying her. “How do you feel?”

She retracted her wings, hopped twice, and nodded. “Pretty good. Just… kinda hungry.”

“Seems the holy light barely touched you.”

Watching her unharmed form, Noah felt a twinge of envy—then dismissed it. Such robustness probably cost brain cells.

He turned, eyes adjusting to the gloom. “Where’s everyone else?”

“I’m here.”

A distant female voice echoed from the dark.

Noah recognized it. “Pascal? Where?”

“Here… Wait, Guild Master, I’m a bit far.”

“Follow our voices, or stay put—we’ll come to you.”

“Hmm… Probably not necessary.”

No sooner had she spoken than a white light—dozens of times brighter than the torch—erupted from the darkness.

Holy radiance burst from a faint silhouette, banishing shadows. Every cave detail snapped into stark clarity.

Noah finally saw the cavern’s vastness. Bats shrieked from the stalactites, fleeing deeper.

Pascal jogged closer.

To Noah, she was a 300-watt bulb—the nearer she came, the more blinding.

Ever thoughtful, she dimmed her glow once near, fulfilling her role as living flashlight.

Darkness softened again. Noah’s eyes relaxed. He glanced her over. “You’re unharmed?”

Pascal smiled with nun-like grace. “Nothing but a scraped hand from the fall.”

“Good. Knew the light wouldn’t hurt you.”

The last weight lifted from his heart.

The experiment succeeded. The method held.

As long as Pascal carried the gem and pre-channeled its light, the blast would obliterate the clustered monsters.

She’d hide quietly until they gathered—lured by Anna’s Ritual Magic.

Monsters sensed magical flow. Until the final chant, Anna’s ritual pulsed with immense energy—guaranteed bait.

Whether monsters killed her or the ritual backfired, as long as they clustered, Pascal’s holy bomb would detonate.

Shirley *could* bait too—but risking her in the blast made guarding Noah the safer call.

Her wings were mostly decorative anyway. Using them as a light shield? Practical.

Only one tiny flaw:

Anna had to die.

Sometimes twice.

“They’re fine. *I’m* not.”

Anna lay on the ground, body half-restored, face etched with deep resentment.

Noah startled—she’d resurrected faster than expected.

Seething, she grumbled, “I object to this brutality! Even an Undying One has rights!”

Noah met her gaze seriously, then draped his coat over her. “Just small sacrifices.”

Anna stared, voice hollow. “You call *ashes* a ‘small sacrifice’?”

“Then what do you want?”

She thought hard. “Buy me two warehouses of ritual materials. Then I’ll help.”

*Still hung up on those warehouses?*

…Though honestly, it was a pretty reasonable ask.

Noah recalled the guild’s terrifying bills, paused for a few seconds, and said, “It’s not impossible. But here’s the thing—even if we get the Spire-climbing bonus, that money goes straight to repaying debts. Your ritual materials will have to wait longer. Or do you want to spend it directly on supplies, only to get hauled off by the Equilibrium Guild and shipped to that godforsaken frozen wasteland out west to grow potatoes?”

Shirley instantly clapped a hand over her butt, face pale with horror. “Wait—Avianwings aren’t even allowed to use the restroom there? That’s cruel!”

The bird-girl’s imagination truly knew no bounds.

Noah ignored Shirley and turned back to Anna. “How about this: once funds allow, I’ll set aside part of the bonus for your materials. Luring monsters needs your Ritual Magic anyway. No materials, no ritual—and that’s still a contribution to the guild.”

“U-um… okay!” Anna hesitated a few seconds before agreeing, though doubt flickered in her eyes. “But you, Guild Master, promised—you’d better put it in writing. Or I’m not doing this back-breaking work.”

“No problem.” Noah agreed instantly, then gazed down at Anna lying on the floor with quiet satisfaction. “Then let’s not waste time. We begin now.”

Anna blinked, slow to process. “Begin… what?”

“We’re on the second floor of The Spire. To claim the first bonus, we need to break through to the fifth. So… you get the idea.” A faint smile touched Noah’s lips.

“We’ve still got plenty of daylight. Come on—let’s go die a few more times.”

Anna: “…”