With the appearance of the "Explosive Shatter Bind," progress through the fifth floor accelerated.

Occasionally, unintended rocket punches would fly out, but that was an acceptable risk in the Tower of Trials. What mattered was that they could now keep up with Jay's speed.

This radical acceleration made it possible to counter-attack despite moving second. It wasn't some profound martial arts principle but rather the result of rocket propulsion... but it allowed them to reliably block Jay's first draw.

Beyond that was the realm of tactics.

They needed to break down patterns, analyze movements, and discover the precise sequence of actions to accumulate damage while blocking the sword draw.

And here was a master of tactics: Luna Sterry, the queen of the Tower of Trials, with overwhelming analytical ability, tenacity, and a first-class mindset.

"One more time."

"Understood!"

"I'm dying..."

But alas!

Luna could enjoy repeating the same task for ten hours straight, but the weak quasi-martial artist and Red Tower mage could not.

As time passed and attempts continued, after about fifteen real-time hours...

"One more time."

"Y-y-yes, we'll do it one more time."

"...I'm... dy..."

Her companions were breaking down.

Luna put her hands on her hips with a disgruntled expression, but that wouldn't repair her broken teammates. They needed rest.

Or rather, they needed something to substitute for rest.

Luna's brain methodically worked through the logic. Looking at their progress, they could push through with just a little more power. If only they could pick up some free artifacts lying around somewhere.

They needed a combat power supplement that even a broke student could easily obtain, and Luna knew exactly where to buy it.

"Doping."

"...What are you saying?"

"Let's take drugs."

The Academy black market was the answer.

===============================================================

The three walked side by side through the Academy's underground.

Luna led from the middle, Envers's heart pounded with rising adventurous spirit, and Selvia thought about how everyone would die if she used explosion magic in such a confined space.

The tunnel was so damp that moisture would seep out if you ran your palm along the wall. Sparsely placed lamps provided the only light.

"...I didn't know a place like this existed."

"Who on earth made these tunnels?"

"Seniors. Probably."

And likely seniors from long, long ago.

The Academy had many secrets.

Not only because of its special nature, but also because it was a place where all sorts of eccentric people gathered, causing many incidents. Most Ascensions were accompanied by mental instability, which made things worse.

When crazy people gather, things happen.

Among the many secrets born this way was a hidden bar built in a gloomy underground tunnel. Originally it was a place for bootlegging during the Academy's prohibition era.

Currently, it had transformed into a place selling various drugs—low in reliability but also low in price.

"You said they sell drugs. What kind?"

"Almost everything."

Luna pointed here and there with her index finger to give examples. Night vision drugs, mana amplification, thought acceleration, strength enhancement, and aphrodisiacs.

Envers jumped up.

"...Don't point at my crotch!"

"Like this?"

"Don't point with your palm either, just don't aim anything in this direction."

"So petty."

While Luna's point that pointing wouldn't wear anything out and Envers's comedy about his feelings being worn out unfolded, Selvia tilted her head slightly and said:

"There's an alchemy shop upstairs too. Do we really need to buy drugs in such a gloomy place?"

"Quality. Better here."

"Hmm..."

That made it even more suspicious. The fact that high-quality drugs were being sold in secret suggested some evil and unsettling intention no matter how you looked at it.

And also.

"...It smells similar."

It smelled like home.

Selvia's hometown, Sanjebi Village, was not a good place. There was no friendship or bond between neighbors, and many things happened under the pretext of tradition. It could be summarized with the word "evil."

For humans who fall into the pitch-black lake, there are only two outcomes: drowning or becoming a water ghost.

If it weren't for her childhood friend whose whereabouts were now unknown, Selvia would have also become a "villager." Therefore,

With a strange uneasiness, Selvia accompanied them with an uncomfortable feeling.

Perhaps reading her mood, Luna tried to reassure her:

"Don't worry. Run by important person."

"...?"

"Tunnel's owner, 3rd Prince."

"...!!"

The Empire's 3rd Prince, Sredo Crown, who was currently attending the Academy. He was the owner of this place?

Luna seemed to want to say that "since such a high-ranking person runs this facility, even suspiciously cheap drugs must be just a rich person's game."

Envers also visibly relaxed, the tension leaving his shoulders. However, while Selvia smiled as if she understood—she firmly resolved to report this to someone.

The secret bar was run by a woman wearing a hood. Despite being covered, her figure was evident, and she had a seductive voice dripping with charm.

"My, welcome. It's been a while since you visited...?"

"Doping. Physical enhancement type."

"I believe the Academy performance evaluation is next month... Are you planning to go on a mission? Or perhaps planning to take care of someone in the night?"

The woman subtly tried to probe their purpose, but Luna waved her hand dismissively. It meant just bring out the merchandise. She nodded and then...

"As it happens, some good items just came in..."

She took drugs from the shelf and laid them out on the table. Selvia let out an "oh" in surprise. Indeed, the quality here was better than at the Academy's alchemy shop.

It was comparable to the capital's alchemy workshop, which was too expensive to even consider buying from.

Catching that reaction, the woman smiled under her hood and held out a small box. It was a medicine container just big enough for a thumb.

"If you're looking for something more effective, how about this? It's excellent. A renowned alchemist produces it in small quantities as a hobby after retirement..."

"Not buying. Give me this."

"...Yes, thank you for your purchase."

Luna cut off the woman's sales pitch and bought the doping agent she had originally intended to purchase. Then she coolly left the passage as if her business was done.

Envers, who had a fixation on power, couldn't take his eyes off the medicine container even as he was leaving, having been tempted by the talk of a special drug.

Selvia shuddered at the inexplicable hometown smell emanating from the "special drug" as she left.

Three fish escaped the fishing line.

But the bait would still be dangling.

===============================================================

Though the transaction looked like buying something illicit from a drug dealer, what Luna had picked up was a proper doping agent. Made by combining various beneficial elixirs, it enhanced overall physical abilities.

There might be some hallucination symptoms, but that was a debuff that would disappear cleanly after one visit to a priest. It was a good drug with almost no risk.

However, Envers was intoxicated by the doping.

"Is this... the power of drugs? To think I've been missing out on something this good—I feel like I've wasted half my life!"

"Control yourself."

"If I continue taking drugs regularly, then I could return to the mansion faster than planned...!!"

"I said control yourself."

Envers's excitement showed no signs of subsiding. Luna and Selvia looked at each other. If they left him like this... he seemed likely to go back downstairs and buy that "special drug" right away.

Luna felt a twinge of regret.

She had wanted to buy something healthy and inexpensive for her party members and run the Tower of Trials for 25 hours without rest, not turn someone into a drug addict.

She had introduced the black market thinking that anyone who wasn't an idiot would naturally be wary of drug misuse and consume responsibly. But come to think of it, Envers did have some idiotic tendencies.

"What should we do?"

"...Let's clear the fifth floor while the drug is active and then think about it? We'll take turns watching him."

"...Okay."

Luna looked at Envers with worried eyes.

Since he was someone who could somewhat match her obsession with clearing challenges, it would be a shame if he broke down. He usually disliked 12-hour continuous challenges.

It would be nice to stay on good terms with him in the future.

"Bring out Jay! I fear nothing-!!"

"Sigh."

First things first—the challenge. Hoping he would find his composure during the fight, Luna plunged into the Tower of Trials with her party members.

...

"'Explosive Shatter Bind'!"

BANG—!!

Envers's right arm shot out to block Jay's sword draw. All tactics branched out from this point.

The clear conditions were as follows:

1) Block the sword draw.

2) Capture him.

So the first goal was always to block the draw.

In early attempts, they had split the roles of "blocking the draw" and "dealing damage." Envers and Selvia handled the attacks, while Luna disrupted the sword draw.

There were incidents of friendly fire, like Selvia's fireballs turning Envers into a Halloween party, but repetition breeds stability. Eventually, they found their rhythm.

Nevertheless, they were still missing something crucial—the problem of direction change.

To disrupt the sword draw, one needed to be positioned in front of Jay as much as possible. Blocking from behind was tricky and difficult.

The Explosive Shatter Bind was a linear martial art.

If you tried to maneuver its explosive acceleration in an intricate curve, you'd witness the magic of your arm instantly turning into a rag. Therefore, striking from the front was more stable.

The problem arose when Jay turned halfway around. To match his front, Envers and Luna would have to take at least four or five steps.

There was already a speed gap between Jay and the students. In a situation with unfavorable movement patterns, there was no way to catch up.

That's why they developed this tactic:

Draw blocking, damage: Envers, Luna

Ranged firepower: Selvia

Combined attack.

The person positioned in front somehow blocks the sword draw and holds on. The person at the rear restricts Jay's movement, applying pressure while landing hits.

Only a combined technique that meshed like gears would provide a way forward.

"...!!"

When the elbow rises, it's the precursor to the Iron Mountain Strike. The strangely powerful force emanating from that skinny body is enough to push people back and then some.

If pushed back, they couldn't block the sword draw. So Luna, positioned behind, had to help.

"'Explosive Shatter Bind.'"

WOONG—!!

A more stable Explosive Shatter Bind than Envers's accelerated Luna's low kick. She kicked Jay's knee hollow to break his lower body balance. With the lower body disrupted, the Iron Mountain Strike couldn't exert its full power.

THUD!

Envers was pushed back slightly. Jay tried to shake him off and draw his sword, but this distance was within the Explosive Shatter Bind's coverage range.

The advantage of the Explosive Shatter Bind was that it could be fired even with a broken stance.

Envers, while being pushed back, extended his palm targeting Jay's sword handle. Then he burst his mana until his joints nearly shattered.

"'Explosive Shatter Bind'—!"

BOOM—!!

Envers's arm fired, and his body was dragged along with the connected arm. The skin of his shoulder and elbow tore from the inside, blood seeping out.

A trade-off.

But he had definitely blocked the sword draw.

Rough mana manipulation. It was a poor technique compared to Luna, who could fire the Explosive Shatter Bind with almost no damage, but this was the best Envers could do with his damaged mana organ. And it was enough.

Thanks to the doping, he could fire it seven more times—!

Jay spun around. He had judged that he couldn't draw his sword with Envers in front of him.

But that was a bad move. Luna had a prepared technique.

"'Explosive Shatter Bind: Chain.'"

It's like striking with the power drawn from the entire body. However, it just adds the propulsive force of the Explosive Shatter Bind to the rotation of all joints.

BOOM. BOOM. BOOM...!!

Accelerating with small explosions starting from the toes.

Ankle, knee, hip, waist, shoulder, delivering a punch with an unimaginable amplification rate. It was a splendid uppercut fired at a speed that made her fist appear blurry.

CRACK—!!

Jay's jaw was forcibly closed and jerked upward.

Grogginess.

The momentary stagger caused by a powerful strike. Here, Selvia uttered the final syllable of the spell she had memorized in advance.

"Explode and die, 'Peony Bullet'!!"

KABOOM—!!

Envers and Luna simultaneously lowered their posture. Selvia's fire arrow hit Jay's head directly and exploded. Hot air rose up.

This completed one cycle.

Through the smoke from the explosion, the still-alive Jay's eyes flashed. His health was still far from depleted. So the battle had to continue.

"—Run away from me!"

Jay, the sword-drawing master, revealed his fangs and put strength into the hand holding the katana. Whether he was trying to draw or sheathe the sword, his intention was indiscernible.

Woong.

But after the katana let out one loud cry...

Screech.

The katana's blade emerged slightly from the scabbard with a chilling sound.

BOOM-! CRACK!

Luna applied the Explosive Shatter Bind, kicking down to force the katana back into its scabbard. Jay reached out to grab Luna's ankle.

Envers wrapped around Jay's forearm from behind. But Jay's strength was far superior, and Envers couldn't stop his advancing hand.

So, reverse propulsion.

"AAAAARGH— 'Explosive Shatter Bind'!!"

BOOM, KABOOM—!!

While holding onto Jay's forearm, he burst the Explosive Shatter Bind in the opposite direction. He substituted raw strength with the generated propulsion.

This created a one-second antagonism.

Luna used the katana handle as a foothold and delivered an upward kick to Jay's chin. Lacking in attack power, she targeted vital points repeatedly and persistently.

They meshed together. Continuously, endlessly...

For Jay, caught in the gears of endless challenge, there were only two outcomes: either endure the rotation and live, or eventually be crushed and die.

They fought for 20 straight minutes.

When Envers and Luna each lost the use of one limb, Jay knelt down, bleeding profusely.

"...th-thank...you."

Having persistently targeted and shattered his jaw, Jay couldn't properly say "thank you for freeing me from the cursed sword."

However, thanks to the Mad Magician's desperate facial acting, the feeling was conveyed. Barely...!

Tower of Trials 5th floor cleared.

===============================================================

Looking at the 6th floor, Selvia firmly said:

"Now it's really impossible. Let's call someone."

"What if we take that special drug they mentioned?"

"Drug addict."

"Do you think you can beat Benett with doping? You can't. And even Benett couldn't clear the top floor of the tower. Get a grip!"

Envers became dejected at this barrage of brutal facts. Luna was about to give him a comforting pat, but as punishment for his drug fixation, she gave him the middle finger instead.

While Envers grumbled about being screwed over, Selvia made contact with Niore.

After hearing that there was some hidden content in the Tower of Trials and that its theme was releasing the grudges of people trapped in the tower, Niore immediately reported to Benett and Tara.

The Saintess Party gathered in front of the Tower of Trials, fully armed.

Their equipment had been significantly upgraded.

As they gradually expanded their foothold in the Goddess Cult, they raided the cult's storage after each advancement and added the items to the party's assets.

Niore was wrapped in the cult's confiscated items, making her look like an ominous dark mage. She even carried a large skull staff.

The visual design of her magic was also influenced by the session, designed to "lower the morale of enemies," spreading rumors that the Saintess Party included a reformed dark mage, and it was the one with the big chest.

She could also speak well through her small summoned skeleton. However, since the sound quality wasn't great, they still used telepathy tools when the three talked together.

Benett was wrapped in holy knight artifacts, making him look like a hero from any angle. His pure white armor matched well with the glowing sword, Vow's Guardian.

Tara's outfit hadn't changed. However, with the addition of various accessories, she looked a bit more... vulgar. She knew it herself and felt embarrassed about it.

But to win the appeal battle against the bewitching Niore, some sacrifices were necessary.

"Are you the hidden piece discoverers?"

"Y-y-yes..."

Envers shrank like a firefly before the sun. Benett addressed Envers's party with a noticeably more vibrant expression.

"Explain. Tell me in detail what happened."

"We're not your subordinates, Benett."

"...I apologize. It's a habit. I never thought of you that way. But this matter is quite important to me. I ask you respectfully. Will you explain?"

-You're getting better at speaking softly now, Benett! You're so cool today too.

"It's only natural as the Saintess's escort knight. You're really cool today too."

Cringe.

Selvia frowned deeply. She was about to say they were being disgustingly cheesy but held back because they were stronger than her. Such is the sorrow of the weak.

Please pay four times the taxes, she prayed in her heart, then laid out the story about the Tower of Trials.

Benett thought with a serious expression, then blurted out:

"This isn't fake."

"...Are you also mistaking illusion magic for reality?"

"It's the opposite. You're mistaking reality for illusion magic. That's the Mad Magician's trick. At first, I also thought it was just a training facility, but..."

Benett believed that the Mad Magician, a dimension magician, had reconstructed aspects he encountered while traveling through different dimensions. The tower residents who repeated the same lines felt similar to golems.

However, now that the beggar from the 8th floor was influencing Academy students and sharing knowledge from another world...

Wasn't the intention clear?

Just as the Mad Magician had sent Benett's party to save another world and smashed the evil god summoning ritual that was about to happen at the Academy...

This time too, hadn't they connected to a new otherworld? Wasn't this a precursor to preventing a threat? That's what he had come to think.

Benett looked at the crumpled Envers.

"..."

"..."

...Is he okay?

No, well, there must be something. He has a thought process that transcends human categories. Just as he chose Benett who had been a dark mage, that guy must also have something hidden.

If so, he would help.

"I'll help until I leave the Academy."

At Benett's words, Selvia tilted her head.

"...Huh, Niore. Where are you guys going?"

-Oh, we received an invitation to the Eastern Front. From the 1st Princess...

A temporary party member joined the Tower of Trials conquest team.