Survive the labyrinth with EX-grade traits

Thanks to Lehial’s temporary authority, which he obtained in exchange for compensation as our guide, we were now able to travel between most floors using the warp gate—except for the topmost floor.

Incidentally, Lumia, who possessed Conrad’s special access pass, could use the gate at any time without restriction.

That was a little enviable.

“You’re verified.”

After having our access confirmed by the staff waiting near the gate, we stepped onto the intricately designed teleportation magic circle and faced forward.

Lehial, speaking cheerfully, encouraged us.

“Alright, we’ll arrive in the blink of an eye, so both of you can relax. Our first destination is the 5th floor!”

He seemed to assume that we had never used a warp gate before.

I, however, had already experienced a direct warp gate once when I traveled from Zone 5 to Zone 3, paid for by Sena’s own money, so it didn’t feel particularly novel to me.

I wasn’t sure, but perhaps Lumia had also experienced a similar space-transferring magic in the past, as she remained unexpectedly calm.

Noticing our lack of reaction, Lehial made a slightly awkward expression, as if he hadn’t gotten the response he was expecting.

“Haha, you two are quite unusual. When I first experienced spatial teleportation, I got so nauseous that I almost threw up… Well, this is off to a good start. Let’s go!”

When Lehial requested the staff to activate the gate, a short chant was recited, and light began to illuminate the intricate lines and symbols of the magic circle, causing them to flicker.

Wuuung—

A familiar floating sensation enveloped my entire body.

________________________________________

We arrived on the 5th floor.

To be precise, we arrived in front of a special section of the 5th floor.

Unlike the office and personal research lab doors I had seen while coming and going through the tower, a massive stone gate loomed before us, overwhelming us even before we stepped inside.

Like a tour guide, Lehial spread his arms wide and began to explain.

“Beyond this door lies a chamber where aspiring tower entrants can discover their hidden talents and aptitudes—the ‘Chamber of Evaluation.’”

“A stone chamber, you say? Once we step inside, what exactly do we do?”

“Hmm… No, I don’t want to spoil the one-time experience with my inadequate explanation.”

An experience worth preserving? Was there something particularly fascinating inside?

Or was it simply that the event itself was on a grand scale?

Despite the puzzled expressions on both my and Lumia’s faces, Lehial simply smiled.

“Take a look inside first, then I’ll explain everything in detail! Shall we go?”

The tower housed not only mages from various schools of magic but also a significant number of staff members.

This meant that, just like with the warp gate, there were always staff members on duty, handling administration and security at this location as well.

“If you had to apply and enter every time, the procedures would be a huge hassle for anyone.”

Lehial lifted his chin proudly.

“But who am I? I already completed all the necessary paperwork last night, so you won’t have to wait around. No need to worry!”

As he had said, we were able to enter without any delay since the schedule had been arranged in advance.

“The only person scheduled for evaluation today is Mage Lumia, so we will open the chamber immediately. Please be mindful of the loud noise.”

A staff member placed a hand on the stone gate and began chanting.

Lehial hastily covered his ears and advised us to do the same, saying it would be quite loud.

Perhaps due to being unaccustomed to her human ears after losing her feline ones, Lumia fumbled around her head in confusion.

Seeing this, I gently cupped her ears with both hands.

Grrrrng—Rumble!!!

Damn, I thought my eardrums were going to burst.

“Ahren… sorry. I’m still not used to this.”

“It’s fine. You’ve lived as a beastkin for 20 years—who could possibly adjust overnight? Don’t worry about it.”

I whispered my reassurance, ensuring the word “beastkin” wouldn’t be overheard by the staff.

Then, furrowing my brows, I turned to Lehial.

“Is the noise always this bad? I heard most aspiring tower entrants have to go through this place—why haven’t they fixed this issue?”

“Uh, well, I don’t know the exact details. But from what I’ve heard, unless a group of high-ranking space-time mages gets together to completely reconstruct it, no one can touch this space.”

His explanation was simple.

“This wasn’t a man-made structure, you see.”

Then what—did it just rise out of the ground on its own? Did the chamber suddenly pop into existence?

“I heard that a past supreme authority in space-time magic relocated this chamber from an ancient labyrinth and implanted it directly into the tower.”

“….”

Holy shit. Seriously?

“So, unless someone surpasses that mage in space-time magic, the chamber can be maintained but not altered. That’s what I know.”

So, someone had used high-level space-time magic to cut the chamber from somewhere else and paste it onto the 5th floor?

‘Space-time magic is insane. At this rate, someone’s going to open a portal and drop a meteor next. …Wait, actually, in this world, Meteor might just be fire or summoning magic instead.’

Like the mysterious magic of the circus, rare types of magic had a particularly thrilling appeal.

“Before this chamber was established through that process, evaluations were done in a much more crude manner.”

Lehial scratched his head awkwardly and added,

“Just think of it as having become a lot more convenient compared to a few decades ago!”

With that, he seemed to consider the discussion of the past settled and urged us to step inside quickly.

Following his lead, we entered the chamber’s entrance.

“Wow.”

“…It’s incredible.”

For a moment, we were overwhelmed by the sight before us.

Just as the whole space-time magic thing suggested, the inside of the chamber was impossibly vast, as if it had surpassed some kind of boundary.

A blend of gray and white tones…

In some ways, it reminded me of a sanctuary or an altar.

As we walked further into the chamber, something immediately captured our attention.

Lumia, Lehial, myself, and one staff member accompanying us for monitoring—

The four of us gazed at it from a distance.

“What… is that?”

“Haha, amazing, right? That’s the ‘Providence of Magic,’ which determines one’s hidden talents and magical aptitude at a glance.”

“There are so many pictures.”

“Shall we count them? One, two, three…”

A total of twenty distinct images.

The center of the chamber had a sunken area, structured like an amphitheater, with stairs leading downward.

In this lowered section stood a massive circular stone structure engraved with twenty different images.

At the very center was a hollow space large enough for one or two people to stand in.

From the core outward, the engravings were divided into four concentric layers, resembling the tiered seating of a coliseum.

A burning flame.

A lightning bolt striking from a stormy sky.

A mage extending a hand upward, telekinetically lifting various objects.

Animals frolicking in a field of greenery.

Two figures facing off with a sword and bow.

A mysterious elder raising a staff beneath a starry sky.

A figure holding a torch, map, and compass, exploring a cave.

Dozens of intricately carved scenes filled the space, creating a sense of awe that was hard to describe.

Lehial, watching our astonishment with satisfaction, spoke.

“When you stand in the center and channel magic into the floor, the images that match you will light up—starting from the innermost layer to the outermost.”

“The ones that match the person will glow?”

“Exactly. The image representing one’s innate talent—their inborn magic affinity—will shine brightly.”

And?

“Meanwhile, the images corresponding to latent potential—those that may not be as strong naturally but can be developed through study and effort—will glow faintly.”

To summarize, innate talent was a magic-born silver spoon.

Latent potential was something lesser, but still capable of growth through effort and education.

Lehial’s face darkened slightly as he finished his explanation.

“The unfortunate truth is that most people go their whole lives without ever knowing their talent or potential.”

“….”

A harsh reality.

Even I, abandoned as an orphan, was tossed around from place to place, struggling desperately just to live like everyone else, let alone finding something I was good at or enjoyed.

“I was just one of those ordinary people once. There are dreams that remain out of reach no matter how hard you try… Ahaha, did I go too far with that?”

For a fleeting moment, I felt like I glimpsed the shadow hidden behind the bright and cheerful exterior he had shown from the start.

“Anyway! In that sense, experiencing the Identification Ceremony is an invaluable experience.”

Clap!

Lehial clapped his hands together and asked Lumia,

“Shall we get started, then? Miss Lumia, are you ready?”

“Hoo…”

Taking a deep breath, Lumia answered firmly.

“Yes. I’ll go.”

“If you stand in the exact center, the staff member will give the starting signal.”

Lehial pointed to the ground and continued.

“You don’t need to do anything special; the magic will naturally spread across the entire disc. Just relax and let your mana flow. But whatever happens, do not step out of the center. Understood?”

Nod.

Lumia, having taken in the instructions, looked at me before stepping forward.

Sensing that she wanted some reassurance, I patted her shoulder in encouragement.

“You know, no matter what the results are, you’re still you. It’ll be over before you know it, so go with a relaxed mind.”

“Yeah. I’m me… I’ll be back.”

Descending the steps, Lumia crossed over the symbols on the disc.

Standing in the empty center, she steadied her breath.

A staff member, who had gone down first to inspect the disc and confirm there were no issues, returned to where we were standing and raised his right arm as a signal.

“You may begin!”

The Identification Ceremony commenced.

The moment Lumia calmly released her dark mana, a pure white light emerged from the boundaries that divided the various figures on the disc.

Was the disc automatically converting the color of the mana into white?

“The process moves forward as soon as the figures in the first boundary are identified, then it progresses to the next boundary.”

Lehial whispered to me.

“Most ordinary mages usually only have one or two talents or aptitudes. Sometimes, if they have multiple aptitudes, they might not have any real talent at all.”

So there were people who entered the Mage Tower without any talent whatsoever.

Well, if someone managed to get in with just money or connections despite lacking ability, that would make sense.

“Your companion’s future is on the line, so watch closely.”

Lehial added that whether Lumia could use her abilities as her main strength would determine her limits as an adventurer.

Just then—

A deep, resonant sound echoed across the entire disc.

Woooooong!

The first boundary extending from the center was the Boundary of Elements.

A blazing fire spirit of the Fire School.

A delicate snowflake of the Ice School.

A massive rock of the Earth School.

A bolt of lightning from the Lightning School.

And a pentagonal crystal of the Elemental School.

Just as it seemed like the last figure was unresponsive and we were about to move to the next boundary—

‘That one!’

Swoooosh—

A sharp, swirling gust of wind.

A subtle glow belatedly seeped from the Wind School’s symbol.

“Ooh, an aptitude for the Wind School! This is a great start!”

[Chaos finds this quite entertaining and is watching with great interest.]

Ignoring Lehial’s excitement and the message from Chaos, I kept my eyes on Lumia.

Wooooong.

Soon, the light from the first boundary and the swirling wind symbol faded, and the second boundary was activated.

The second boundary was the Boundary of Three Colors.

A magician extending his arm and a telekinetic symbol from the Colorless School.

A radiant pentagonal crystal from the White School.

Then, from the Black School, a faceless robe and a skull emblem glowed faintly once more.

Lehial nodded, unsurprised.

“Black School… Well, she’s a dark mage, so I expected this to light up. But it’s a little surprising that it’s aptitude rather than talent.”

I had a rough idea why.

Most Arrar are born cursed, with black hair, and are either killed immediately, abandoned, or—

If they’re fortunate, a witch senses their power and takes them in to raise as one of their own.

But Lumia was a rare case, a late-blooming Arrar. It seemed like the darkness within her was somewhat weaker than usual.

Wooooong.

The third boundary was the Boundary of Refinement.

An open palm, radiating energy, from the Enchantment School.

A thick, plated armor from the Metal School.

A luxurious potion bottle from the Ancient School.

Unfortunately, nothing responded in this boundary.

“We still have a long way to go, so let’s keep watching.”

Right. We were only halfway through.

Wooooong.

The fourth boundary was the Boundary of Freedom and Struggle.

…And right from the start, there was an intense reaction.

This was—talent!

A compass, a map, and an adventurer holding a torch—symbols of the Exploration School—shone brightly.

Seeing my surprise, Lehial whistled.

“Whiiiew, talent in the Exploration School! You said she played the role of a scout in the Labyrinth, right?”

No wonder. Even as a beginner, she had an uncanny knack for finding her way.

And after barely a month of training at the academy, she was already standing out as a skilled explorer. It made sense now.

Lehial congratulated her, saying she had already surpassed the Mage Tower’s average, and I felt relieved.

Next was the Summoning School’s layered magic circle symbol.

No reaction.

‘So the Exploration School is the only one in this boundary?’

Just as I was waiting for the explanation about the final boundary—

Another anomaly occurred.

Passing by the Nature School’s symbol of a bear under a tree and a wolf at play—

Flash!

Two humans facing each other with weapons drawn.

A sudden burst of light erupted from the Combat School’s symbol, piercing my eyes.

“She has two talents?”

Lehial widened his eyes and clicked his tongue in amazement.

“And the second one is the Combat School?! Wow, I’m jealous. Combat talents are incredibly rare, regardless of race!”

So the reason she moved so naturally and fluidly despite being a mage wasn’t just because she was a beastkin.

Thinking back, maybe I had been too focused on analyzing people based on their traits and stats, as seen through the Lens of Chaos.

Some people, like Luke from the first floor, had strong egos that were fully represented by their traits, while others were the complete opposite.

This was difficult… really difficult.

I sighed internally and focused on the disc again, as four more figures remained.

I listened closely to Lehial’s explanation.

The fifth boundary was the Boundary of Singularities.

A star cluster and a galaxy with an old man standing beneath them—the Mystic School.

A frozen hourglass—the Time-Space School.

A sealed mouth with a finger pressed against it—the Linguistics School.

Finally—

A bloodstained dagger—the Hex School.

A flash of light burst forth, bringing the Identification Ceremony to a climactic conclusion.

…Yeah.

Lumia was born with a golden spoon of talent.