Arcane Academy: The Divine Extraction Legacy

"Who are you?" Vale asked, his gaze scanning the room in search of the woman who had spoken. Yet, there was no one to be seen. The voice seemed to echo from all directions, as if it belonged to an ethereal presence.

Despite not seeing anyone, Vale knew he wasn't hallucinating, so he kept searching using his Phantasm State's Magic Zone, Spirit Vision, and Divine Sense.

"I am the owner of this Tower. Stop looking for me…" The voice replied, its tone carrying a hint of mystery and authority.

'Fine…'

Accepting the enigmatic nature of the situation, Vale ceased his search for the elusive figure. "Alright, Tower Master... What's the next challenge then? Is it to find you or to escape this room?"

"No, you don't have to find me or escape this room. This is the tenth floor, a place meant to seal my soul." the voice responded.

'Mhmm? So the Tower Master is only a soul? Then I should be able to see her easily if I have the Third-Eye Spell.' Vale mused as he recalled the Tier 2 Dark Spell.

"Then, what should I do?" Vale asked as he sat cross-legged as if he was trying to get comfortable in the room.

"First, you need to understand a few things about this Tower." The voice continued.

"That's true… This place is quite mysterious. But isn't this Ascension Tower meant to train the younger generation of Arcane Practitioners?" Vale asked.

"Demihuman, this is Mystic Soul Tower and not an Ascension Tower. It serves a greater purpose - to seek out an individual capable of halting the encroachment of the Abyss Realm… The Abyss Realm isn't a problem over the past hundred years, but it's different now." The invisible Tower Master explained, its words carrying a weight of significance.

"It is a daunting task, but when I saw you outside the Tower, I knew that you were well-suited for this crucial role." The voice added.

'Abyss Realm again. I guess it's really the main problem, huh... And why am I getting so many titles? Half-Immortal, Half-Demon, and now I'm Demihuman…'

Vale's confusion deepened as he contemplated the revelation that the Tower Master said. Anyway, the Abyss Realm was really a mysterious place. It was a Realm that was expanding into other realms, including this human realm.

It was a place where demonic beings lived, and it was probably the graveyard of the Immortals as well.

"Ahh… W-wait--Did you say that you saw me outside? So you're the one gazing at me…"

"Yes… There were four people outside, including you, that I believed were quite suited for the task. Unfortunately, all the other three have reached the age limit set up by the Tower. It was a pity they didn't bother entering this Tower when they were in the right age." The Tower Master spoke softly.

Vale sighed as he didn't want to dwell on this conversation as he asked once again. "Then, tell me what to do to stop the Abyss Realm's invasion."

"You have to search for the Abyss Realm—"

"No way… I don't want to die yet. I'm still young. Find someone else, Tower Master… If that's the mission to get the tenth floor's reward, then I have to give up." Vale immediately said as soon as he heard the Tower Master's words. Since the Abyss Realm was a place where Immortals died and also a place where the Spirit World was having a hard time stopping, there was no way he would be foolish enough to accept such a mission.

He didn't even have to think for long to come up with this answer.

"Of course, there's no way of stopping it if you work alone. Furthermore, you don't even need to enter… If you're able to obtain the blessings of the Paragons and the Lord of the Secrets, then it's possible. Lastly, once you deal with the Abyss Realm, the powers you'll receive from them will become permanent."

Vale squinted his eyes at the mention of these names.

The Church of the Three Paragons and the Church of the Lord of the Secrets were two of the five prominent churches on the continent.

"Tell me more about it…" Vale said in a serious tone as he recalled his Temporal Timepiece and the Stormbringer in his possession.

Soon, the Tower Master explained the situation to Vale. Apparently, he could obtain the blessings of the other three churches as well, but he only had a chance to get the blessing of the two she mentioned.

The Fortune Goddess, the Divine Sorcerer, and the Eminence of the Sea would be less likely to cooperate for reasons Vale doesn't know.

Anyway, the Tower Master has an item that will allow him to receive the Blessing of the Paragons. It was called the Creation Ring, and it would assist him in killing the Demonic Beings of the Abyss Realm… As for the Lord of the Secrets, she also had an item called the Sealing Thread that would help him seal any entrances or portals leading to the Abyss Realm.

"Creation Ring and Sealing Thread… Are they Sovereign Rank Items? Furthermore, why is the selection done through this Tower? Can't you just search for the right people outside? There's also the age limit here… I'm confused." Vale asked a series of questions after thinking for a while.

The mysterious Tower Tower seemed to contemplate for a moment before replying to Vale's question.

"I'm not familiar with the rankings of Mystical Items made by humans. If the Sovereign Rank is equal to the items of the deities worshipped by people, then that's probably it. As for the limitations that I have, it's due to the items' side effects. You should already know that each Mystical Artifact has its own negative effects."

Vale's eyes lit up after hearing this… "I see… So, you want a strong and young Arcane Arts Practitioner to take the mission. What about the dragon below and the other guardians?"

"Mhmm? They have their own reason for staying here…"

"I thought this Tower would disappear once I completed the mission." Vale mumbled to himself, but the Tower Master had obviously heard it.

"No, the Tower will stay here… This place is still filled with treasure. Only once it is depleted will we cease to exist."

'That's probably difficult to happen since the people entering here will sometimes lose their Mystical Items. You're probably recycling them.' Vale mused as he sighed.

"Fine… I also don't like the fact that the Abyss Realm is trying to mess with this realm. I can't enjoy my life if Evil Entities like the previous ones will just appear out of nowhere." Vale sighed as he finally accepted the mission.

This might be too much for a 'young man' like him, but he felt that something must be done to the Abyss Realm.