CHAPTER 219: ENTERING THE TOWER AGAIN

Orion stepped inside the Tower of Myths, the heavy double doors silently closing behind him.

Immediately, the familiar dim lighting enveloped him, illuminating a spacious area ringed by smooth, polished stone walls.

In the center of the arena, a semi-transparent figure slowly manifested—a young warrior clad in light silver armor, holding a slender longsword confidently.

Orion narrowed his eyes slightly, observing carefully. Unlike the Echo he’d faced the last time, this one exuded a distinctly more powerful aura, clearly emanating Third Tier Mana and Body path energy.

"Tier three, both paths, huh..." Orion murmured, tightening his grip on his obsidian sword. "This will indeed be interesting."

The Echo moved abruptly, launching forward with astonishing speed. Orion met the initial strike, their swords colliding with a sharp metallic clang that echoed throughout the chamber.

The Echo’s strength and agility were impressive, making Orion consider studying it first.

Parrying and dodging fluidly, Orion took his time to carefully observe the Echo’s attack patterns.

Each strike of the Echo was precise and powerful, backed by superior physical strength and speed due to its Third Tier physical refinement.

Unlike previous encounters, this opponent’s moves were not easily predicted—he was using more refined sword techniques.

Orion quickly realized the genuine leap in difficulty. Previously, the opponents had been far too restricted in relation to his own level. Their movements and attacks had been straightforward and predictable—at least on the starting floors.

After exchanging several swift blows, Orion finally decided to end it, deftly maneuvering to deliver a decisive strike.

His blade swept upward, slicing cleanly through the Echo’s chest and ending the battle in a sudden burst of dissipating light. He exhaled slowly, appreciating the brief but intense bout.

"Interesting indeed," he muttered softly, before being teleported straight to the next floor.

The second floor introduced an Echo dual-wielding curved swords, its rapid flurry of attacks forcing Orion to emphasize footwork and precise counters. Yet he didn’t use any skill or spell and relied only on the basic footwork that Edgar had taught him.

’Did the Echoes change? I remember quite clearly that the second floor one had a longsword before.’

[They might have been shuffled for the lower floors, Master. Probably to throw off those who came prepared for specific fights.]

He shook his head and ascended to the next floor.

The third brought a heavily armored swordsman wielding a greatsword. Orion steadily used him to test his swordsmanship while making small improvements.

He swiftly advanced through the subsequent floors, restricting himself exclusively to swordsmanship to fully appreciate and understand the nuances of each encounter.

Floor after floor, Orion steadily improved, refining his instinctive swordsmanship further with each victory.

By the time he cleared the fifth floor, sweat lightly beaded his brow, but his eyes were alight with excitement.

’This is exactly what Instructor Viren meant by a training partner. These Echoes... they’re far better than the previous ones. I’m having more difficulty than when I came before.’

[Well, that’s a given, Master. The last time you came, you’d only reached the first Tier in the Mana Path. You had a robust body but no progress in the Body Path. So the Tower made all of the Echoes much weaker compared to your body. But now... hehe, it will be fun.]

He got teleported to the sixth floor soon after, and as he materialized there, his eyes widened slightly in surprise as he saw a semi-transparent Echo taking the shape of a young mage dressed in elegant, flowing robes bearing faint runic inscriptions.

’Finally, a mage, huh?’

Seeing the mage Echo materialize before him, Orion paused briefly, a faint smile curling on his lips. Unlike the warriors he’d previously faced, he decided to use a completely different approach against him.

Deciding swiftly, Orion calmly sheathed his obsidian sword, the soft metallic click echoing gently across the silent stone chamber.

"Alright," Orion murmured softly, eyes narrowing with interest. "Time to see just how much my spells have improved."

The mage Echo wasted no time, rapidly beginning to chant a spell. Orion recognized it—it was the chant for a Tier 3 wind spell. Within moments, fierce gusts surged forward, slicing sharply through the air toward him.

Reacting swiftly, Orion instinctively conjured a spell he’d become familiar with. "Verdant Shield," he whispered calmly, mana flowing smoothly into the ground.

But just as the vines and leaves emerged, Orion sharply halted his cast, clicking his tongue softly in mild annoyance.

"No... I should try to use Fire spells only," he said to himself. Without hesitation, he sidestepped the incoming wind blades, pivoting neatly as they crashed harmlessly against the stone wall behind him.

Regaining his footing, Orion quickly retaliated, hands moving fluidly as his mana ignited fiercely. "Flame Dart," he commanded clearly, forming several slender, flaming projectiles that shot forward with blazing speed.

The mage Echo deftly conjured a shimmering barrier of wind, absorbing the darts with a sizzling hiss. Immediately following up, the Echo swiftly summoned large wind blades, launching them forward in rapid succession.

Anticipating this, Orion rapidly cast the Tier 2 spell, "Blastfire Orb," sending a large fiery sphere hurtling toward the windy onslaught.

The orb exploded dramatically, blowing away the wind projectiles mid-air, sparks billowing and briefly obscuring vision.

Through the dissipating sparks, Orion glimpsed the mage beginning another spell, its intricate runes illuminating ominously. Recognizing the threat, Orion swiftly chose a decisive counterattack.

"Drakefire Breath," he calmly whispered, deeply inhaling as fire mana concentrated powerfully within him.

With a swift exhale, a roaring cone of intense flames erupted forth, surging directly at the mage Echo.

Forced onto the defensive, the Echo hastily summoned layers of magical barriers, visibly strained as Orion’s spell overwhelmed them.

Flames surged violently around the barrier edges, burning steadily until the mage was completely engulfed.

Finally, with a burst of dissipating mana, the Echo vanished, defeated by Orion’s powerful spell.

Breathing steadily, Orion smiled faintly, satisfied yet thoughtful. ’Using only Fire spells was quite interesting... I should use single-element spells more during this tower to get used to them before I reach the higher floors. I’ll need to use all of my strength there.’

[Wahhhh, Master!! Did you use a bit of your Fire Dragon’s Breath?? That spell was not normal. That’s not how spells work.]

Orion chuckled and nodded. ’Yes, I didn’t do anything special—just tried to use a bit of what I’ve understood about the Fire Dragon’s Breath together with the Drakefire Breath.’

[That was really impressive.]

He chuckled and shook his head as the Tower teleported him to the next floor.

Orion’s vision blurred briefly as he materialized onto the seventh floor. The floor was filled with various types of trees and greenery.

Across from Orion, an Echo gradually took shape. This opponent wore long green robes embroidered with golden leaf motifs, her slender hands gracefully tracing intricate runes into the air.

Clearly, this Echo specialized exclusively in the Wood element, evident from the vitality radiating from her presence.

’Wood element, hm? Perfect. It’s time to see how my mastery compares.’

He took a deep breath and purposefully channeled mana through his recently formed Wood Affinity Rune. Orion felt a deep connection to the ambient energies of nature around him, as if the very essence of life was ready to answer his call.

"Let’s begin," Orion murmured calmly.

The Echo wasted no time, swiftly casting the Tier 3 spell, "Forest’s Embrace." Thick, powerful vines burst forth violently from the stone floor, shooting rapidly toward Orion from all sides, intending to entrap him.

’...Same spells as me? Did the Tower scan my SoC to see what spells there are?’ he inwardly wondered but wasted no further time.