Chapter 9. The pre-test

[Part of our luck, I don't know about that... I guess it was just the effect of your Magic Resistance, Master. But I don't know how that kid passed…]

Isaac didn't reply to Mondred's words and only smiled. That kid was born with Magic Resistance maxed out.

"Mr. Isaac, Mr. Bam, you can sit down over here." Lero Ro smiled at the two as he began guiding them toward a bench at the side.

"Y-yes!" Bam stuttered with a timid smile, as he then let out a sigh of relief.

Bam thought, 'Phew. So lucky… Did Sir Isaac do something to help me pass?'

Meanwhile Isaac looked at Lero Ro with surprise due to him already knowing his name.

However, as he thought about it for a moment, it appeared that Headon must have registered him under this name, and Lero Ro had already memorized all candidates' names. And he might have even observed him during the first test.

At this moment, as Isaac and Bam sat down at a bench, the other Regulars slowly began approaching the Shinsoo barrier to touch and test it.

Lero Ro sat down next to the two of them and spoke up, "Hey, while we're waiting, do you two want to play a game?"

"Uh, what kind of game?" Bam asked, while Isaac only briefly glanced at Lero Ro, before returning to observing people behind the veil.

Lero Ro replied, "Let's guess which Regular will be the first to pass through the Shinsoo. If you get it right, I will answer any question you have to ask. In return, if I'm right, you two have to answer a question as well."

"What? Really?! Sounds good!" Bam replied excitedly as he turned to stare at Lero Ro.

Lero Ro said, "Then I'll go first. I chose that green girl. I think her name was Anak… Who will you choose?"

Isaac faintly smiled as he saw 'Anak' approaching the veil. After watching for a moment, he said, "I agree."

[Yeah, that green girl's the strongest among these small fries. But her weapon actually gives me the creeps. Watch out for it, Master.]

"Hm…. I also choose her!" Bam called out excitedly as he looked at Anak and went with his gut feeling. He really wanted to ask Lero Ro a question about Rachel.

"Good guesses!" Lero Ro smiled at the two monsters. 

And soon their guesses proved to be correct as Anak passed through the barrier first as if it wasn't even there, a teenage swordsman with two katanas following soon after.

Lero Ro commented, "It seems like it's a tie. But since I'm a Ranker, I'll still answer your questions."

At this, Bam's face immediately lit up. "What? Really?! Um…"

Isaac then saw Bam looking at him, as if politely waiting for him to ask his question first, so he said, "You go ahead first."

Bam was excited as he turned to Lero Ro. "Um, okay! Did a girl with light blonde hair and freckles pass by here?"

While Bam began chatting with Lero Ro, and Lero Ro seemed to want to get some information out of him in this way, Isaac focused on observing everyone behind the Shinsoo barrier.

Many people passed on the first try after putting some effort into it, but among those that remained he saw an ordinarily looking short-haired man in a lame purple tracksuit. The man desperately tried to exert pressure on the veil with his forehead, seemingly fruitlessly, while Anak and the swordsman stared at him from the other side, seeming to be his teammates.

While Lero Ro began explaining the Irregulars, the Inner, Outer and Middle Tower to Bam, Isaac paid partial attention to it as he watched the tracksuit guy together with a black-haired woman shouting together while banging helplessly at the veil.

At that time another guy yawned lazily next to them as he rolled up his blanket from the ground, then simply walked through the veil, then plopped himself to sleep in the middle of the Shinsoo barrier.

'Another named character, the sleeping guy, whatever his name was,' Isaac noted that person.

As Isaac kept observing the various Regulars, at one point a man behind the veil began shouting: "DAMN IT! How can this useless test eliminate me?"

"I don't know what this 'barrier' is all about, but I'm strong enough without any strange powers! I'm the strongest of the Regulars here!"

"You eliminate me just because I can't pass this test? But those two passed just because they happened to be at the right place at the right time! This is nonsense! Why should I be eliminated when I'm much stronger!"

[Hey, Master, should we test him?]

Isaac chuckled at Mordred's joking words.

But at that point Lero Ro seemed to have had enough of the man's complaints as he began walking over to the troublesome Regular, an expression of tranquil annoyance on his face.

"What? What more do you have to say?" The complaining Regular taunted the Ranker that passed through the barrier to approach him.

In front of him, Lero Ro remained expressionless and silent.

Isaac formed a wry smile at this scene.

[Eh, that guy's quite dumb.]

Meanwhile, the Regular continued: "I'm sick of listening to your nonsense! You think you're above us just because you're a Ranker?"

[Nevermind, he's dumber than I thought.]

Isaac's smile turned even more wry as he wanted to agree.

But, as if to prove that this man's stupidity exceeded all expectations, he didn't stop there and continued talking to Lero Ro: "You just look skinny and weak, and judging by how you're administering this kind of test, I can tell how weak you are."

"Heh, I gave you one last chance, but you didn't get it," Lero Ro chuckled as he finally spoke up.

Then, blue electric currents started flowing around the blonde man.

"Huh?" The Regular stepped back, seemingly not understanding what the Ranker was saying.

"How stupid are you, fine then, I will teach you the harsh way so that you realize…"

As Lero Ro momentarily paused, electricity started arcing around him like a thunderstorm.

And Isaac eyes lit up at this sight, seeing a fellow lightning user. Perhaps… Lero Ro could teach him some things related to lightning control in the future?

"... About the power that lies above, and why you can't go up," Lero Ro added.

The pressure from his Shinsoo then landed on the Regular, paralyzing him, whether from fear or from the pressure.

Lero Ro said, "There is no limit to Shinsoo. With it, you can obtain immortality or God-like powers. There are even rumors about the Notorious Enryu being capable of creating living things with Shinsoo."

More and more pressure seemed to be concentrating on the poor Regular as lightning currents around Lero Ro crackled like a wild beast.

Isaac remained expressionless while Bam next to him was looking at this scene in shock.

Lero Ro: "However, as it is for every man, we each have our own limits."

At that moment the Regular started to buckle down from the pressure.

"When one faces an opponent with infinite possibility, and discovers his limits, he falls into *despair*."

"Aaaaaaaghr!" The affected Regular started screaming madly from pain.

Unaffected by the man's screaming, Lero Ro continued, "That veil of Shinsoo was my last show of mercy before you enter the Tower and fall into deeper despair. Those who don't qualify... get lost."

As the electricity danced across the upper part of the veil, the Regular started screaming even louder. "AAAAAAGHR!"

"Feeling pain?" Lero Ro asked sarcastically. "This concentration of Shinsoo on you is normal above the 30th Floor."

"This… is normal?!" The Regular spat out with an incredulous expression.

"So do you get it now?" Lero Ro asked as the Regular dropped to his knees. "It's not that you aren't strong enough or your efforts weren't enough. It's just because… You just aren't one of the chosen ones."

As Lero Ro finished his explanation, the pressure from the Regular seemed to have been lifted, as the man bent down and began throwing up onto the ground.

"Go back to the floor you came from. You're not qualified to climb the Tower." With those final words Lero Ro began walking away from the man.

After finishing vomiting, the Regular that was pushed down to his knees looked up at the sky and yelled out in indignation: "Why, Why, WHY AM I NOT CHOSEN?! Do you know how hard I've tried to climb the Tower? I risked my life to train myself, and I gave up everything I had! There's nothing left for me when I go back! Not even my wife and kids..."

As he screamed, the sounds of his anguish soon turned to sobbing, but Lero Ro kept walking away, apathetic to the man's plight.

Isaac's expression gradually turned darker as he imagined what it would be like if he was someone in that man's position.

What if he trained hard his entire life with the dream of climbing the Tower, giving up everything… Only to be declined at the starting line because he was not 'The Chosen One'.

'Fucking bullshit…'

Isaac clicked his tongue inwardly, but then he shook his head.

He hated this kind of reality, but since he luckily did have talent and strength, he dropped the thought as it didn't concern him.

'I guess, stopping these people here with this barrier would at least allow them to turn back and keep their lives.' Isaac sighed as he glanced at Lero Ro who was slowly walking back.

[Phew. I honestly thought this Lero Ro guy would kill him. He's a bit harsh, but I guess he's a pretty nice guy…] Mordred commented.

Isaac wanted to agree, but Lero Ro spoke up at that point.

"Isn't God… cruel?" Lero Ro asked, seeming to look at Isaac in particular as he then sat down next to him. Turning his head toward the Shinsoo barrier, he continued, "When God first shows you the world it might seem like you might be able to achieve anything in this limitless world… But one day God appears again and tells you: 'This is your limit'. Even though there are so many things out there that you still want to have."

Isaac noticed Lero Ro looking at him, and Bam seemed to be lost in thought, so he slowly replied, "I don't know about God, but it is cruel. And I think what's the worst is not failure or encountering a barrier on the way… But not even having a chance in the first place."

"...That's true," Lero Ro said thoughtfully.

Bam softly spoke up, "Sir Isaac, Mr. Lero Ro. Do you think… I deserve to go up the Tower?"

Lero Ro observed the two abnormalities, then said, "Well… I wouldn't know. But I'm sure there will be a time when you will also reach your limit. I only hope that you'll find what you're looking for before that… whatever that is."

'Rachel…' Bam thought.

'Hmm…' Isaac hummed inwardly. He could guess Lero Ro's thoughts.

In Lero Ro's eyes, no matter how talented, everyone had their limit.

Even if that limit was at the level of being a top 100 Ranker or even the strongest person in the Tower, one would still encounter their limit just like Jahad did.

Isaac then thought of what he himself wanted to find in the Tower.

Did he want to reach the top? Did he want immortality and absolute power? Did he want to polish his magical abilities? Did he want to surpass Jahad? Did he want adventures? Did he want beautiful women and love?

But then he dropped this thought, because, while he desired those things, what was the most important was having an interesting and meaningful life in the now, and to follow his heart. The rest he can figure out on the way.

Suddenly, he stood up from his seat and began walking toward the veil.

In the distance, he saw the tracksuit guy forcefully pressing his face against the rubbery Shinsoo barrier, yet being bounced right back.

That guy tried again and again while his face was being twisted, but he wasn't making any progress at all.

At that time, many people had already passed through the barrier, while a few that couldn't stood at the back with depressed expressions - it seemed as if they were hopeless.

As Isaac came closer, the tracksuit guy shouted out loudly to the sky, "Aaaaah! The chosen?! Whatever! Who chooses who?!"

The woman next to him smirked and also began pushing at the Shinsoo wall.

""Aaaaaaaagh!...""

The two then kept pushing against the barrier with their hands, trying their best to push through while shouting out.

Even though it seemed to have no effect.

[These two are desperate. I don't think it will make a change though,] Mordred commented in a low tone.

Isaac faintly smiled as he stood in front of the two behind the veil and shouted out, "You two, keep pushing! You can do it!"

[Huh?]

Shibisu and the woman momentarily stopped as they looked at him, then smirked and kept pushing at the wall while shouting even more loudly:

"I will go… up the Tower!"

"Handsome guys are on the other side, nothing can't stop me!"

Isaac laughed back and then turned his head to the side where he saw that Khun finally decided to pass through the barrier.

Khun had no trouble walking through the barrier itself, but he clearly had some trouble pulling his suitcase through, before finally managing to do it.

"Hey, Isaac!" Khun first waved toward Isaac and walked over while sending a glance toward Bam who appeared to be busy chatting with Lero Ro in the distance.

Isaac smiled at Khun who soon appeared next to him and said, "Khun, can you give me a handkerchief?"

"A handkerchief?" Khun showed a slightly confused expression.

Isaac smiled and added, "Or even better two."

"Hmm? Sure." Khun absentmindedly reached into his bag, rummaged through it for a while, then gave Isaac the first and then the second handkerchief.

"Thank you." Isaac smiled. This guy had everything in that suitcase.

"What do you need them for?" Khun asked as he saw that Isaacdidn't seem intent on using them.

Isaac coolly smiled as he said, "Ah, they're not for me."

As he pointed with his chin toward the Shinsoo veil, the tracksuit guy and the black-haired woman just finished squeezing through the barrier while wearing twisted and painful expressions.

"Yay, I passed!"

"Yess!"

The two shouted out in unison as they gripped their fists and expressed utter joy, their entire faces covered in blood.

Isaac stepped forward. As he attracted their attention, he grinned. "Want some help wiping that blood off?"

Chuckling, he threw a handkerchief to each of them.

The two showed awkward expressions at first, but then laughed it off as they noticed that Isaac wasn't making fun of them, but genuinely wanted to help them.

"Haha… thanks!" the tracksuit guy grinned with a joyful expression as he wiped off the blood.

"Thanks… handsome guy," while the woman sent Isaac's teasing and flirtatious glance as she proceeded to do the same.

As the two wiped off most of the blood and let out sighs of relief and joy, Isaac stretched out his hand toward the tracksuit guy, "By the way, I'm Isaac."

The tracksuit guy smiled back and returned his handshake. "I'm Shibisu, nice to meet you."

"Serena." The woman smiled at Isaac as she reflexively gave back the handkerchief back to him, this time covered in blood.

At this, Isaac smiled and pointed with his thumb to the side, at Khun. "Ah, you can give it back to him."

And Khun smiled wryly as he looked at the now blood-soaked handkerchief that looked as if someone blew their bloody nose into it. "...You guys can keep them."

…

After paying farewells to Shibisu and Serena, Isaac and Khun began walking deeper in, and soon Bam ran up to them to reunite with them.

"Wow, Sir Isaac! How did you know these two would pass?" Bam asked curiously as he approached Isaac and Khun.

[Yeah! How did you know?] Mordred asked.

"It was just a guess." Isaac smiled.

Khun looked at Isaac, secretly wondering whether it was really a fluke or not.

After all, these two Regulars were the very last ones that passed through the barrier. They had so much trouble passing through that it was almost a miracle that they managed to adjust to the pressure in the end.

But Isaac only shrugged his shoulders and began leading the way ahead.