Chapter17-The Water City of the Tower's Third Floor

Isn't it strong enough to have a diamond-tier chief leading the team?

If not for Owen's presence, the ten of them combined might not be able to stand up to Lawrence and Claire.

They could easily be overpowered and killed without even being able to resist.

"Owen, is he...?" Elaine lowered her voice, discreetly pointing at her head and asking in confusion, "Is he not very bright? Why did you send someone like him out? Where's Trisha?"

"Don't ask. I'm not sure myself," Owen replied vaguely, then explained, "Diamond-tier is still very strong, definitely not something you can contend with at this point. Besides, there's no need for you to clash with Claire and Lawrence. Focus on the future.

Anyway, let's move on."

As soon as Owen finished speaking, the staircase to the third floor appeared.

This was yet another ingenious design of the Tower.

No matter where you are inside, the staircase would appear before you, allowing you to proceed at any time.

If you wish to stay on a floor longer, you can simply ignore the staircase.

When you're ready to move on, just channel a bit of mana, and the staircase will manifest.

Very user-friendly.

However, Emily noticed something strange as they climbed the stairs.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Owen take a deep breath and then hold it.

Although she didn't understand why he did this, Emily instinctively followed suit.

The moment they passed through the light curtain, a sudden feeling of weightlessness spread through their bodies as they plummeted uncontrollably downward.

Before anyone could react, they were already crashing into the water below, instantly engulfed by its icy, bone-chilling embrace.

"Ugh! I—glug, glug… Damn it!"

Farms immediately started cursing, only to choke on a mouthful of water, his face quickly turning purple.

Fortunately, Emily, having copied Owen, had held her breath and avoided swallowing any water.

[Float]

Regaining his balance, Owen quickly cast a floating spell, lifting everyone out of the water.

Farms, still kneeling in midair, coughed violently and complained, "What kind of stupid design is this? Connecting two spatial fragments like this—I didn't even have time to chant. I almost drowned!"

"You think it's easy? Only someone with near-perfect control over space could pull it off so effortlessly. Otherwise, it wouldn't be so simple."

"Scared the life out of me…"

Emily sniffled, still shaken even though she hadn't choked. Her clothes were soaked, clinging to her body and accentuating her curvaceous figure.

'Is this girl clueless? She's practically letting everyone see everything!'

Owen, thinking quickly, summoned a towel and draped it over Emily's shoulders, standing behind her to block the others' view. Smelling the faint fragrance on the towel, Emily felt her heart warm up.

Owen does care about me, after all!

"Th-thank you, Owen."

"No problem. Dry your clothes quickly."

Being a student of the Fire School and the academy's most promising pupil, Emily had a solid grasp of fire magic.

She had already mastered most high-level spells at the gold-tier and was steadily progressing toward master-tier magic.

Typically, only platinum-tier mages have the qualification to attempt master-tier magic, as the total amount of mana is a crucial factor.

It's only after reaching diamond-tier that one can learn a few master-tier spells as trump cards.

But someone like Owen, who uses master-tier magic as his standard attack method, is exceedingly rare.

Soon, Emily dried her clothes but still sneezed, her nose turning red.

"Tch, this is my least favorite environment."

Andrew frowned, looking somewhat uncomfortable.

As a soil-element mana core, Andrew preferred to keep his feet on solid ground.

Fighting in a water-dominated environment would significantly limit his abilities.

"Here, all we see is an endless expanse of water with almost no place to stand. What should we do?"

Farms, after taking a deep breath, struggled to his feet and turned to Owen, asking, "Chief, do you have any good ideas?"

"Don't ask me. If it were up to me, any environment would be the same—no impact on me at all. As I've said before, I won't intervene in this trial unless you face an unsolvable problem. Otherwise, you're on your own."

To be blunt, with Owen's current power, he could solo the entire Tower without breaking a sweat. Instead of wasting time here, he'd rather leave early, search for the hidden treasures on each floor, and observe the activities of other academies.

With that in mind, Owen wasted no time, casting Absolute Stealth and disappearing from sight without leaving a trace of his presence behind.

Each time he did this, Andrew couldn't help but feel envious, marveling, "The chief seems to have grown even stronger. He's never shown such abilities before."

"Don't be envious—it's pointless. A mana core with an SSS+ rating and no elemental affinity is not something we can compare to. Besides, the chief is a genius among geniuses. Any magic becomes easy for him to learn. Comparing yourself to him will only bring frustration, nothing else."

Glena, one of the only two females in the group, had joined Crossbridge Academy the same year as Owen.

She vividly remembered how, before enrolling, she had been hailed as a once-in-a-century prodigy, with many mentors eager to take her on as a student. How proud she had been!

But a month into school, Owen began to shine, overshadowing her completely and leaving her gasping for breath.

Titles like "the strongest prodigy in history," "the elementless genius," and "the most gifted man" sprouted up like mushrooms after rain.

At first, people still mentioned her name, comparing her to Owen. Glena, not one to back down, redoubled her efforts to compete with him.

But as time went on, the reality became more and more clear, filling Glena with despair.

The gap in talent between her and Owen was like a towering mountain.

The harder she climbed, the more she realized how insurmountable it was—a chasm so vast that no amount of effort could bridge it.

Only by standing face-to-face with Owen could one truly grasp the difference between the limits of an ordinary person and the heights of a true genius.

Even today, Glena is still called a genius, but only as long as no one compares her to Owen.

Not just Glena, but anyone in the last thousand years, including those who now dominate entire regions, cannot be compared to Owen. Their names would pale in comparison.

And so, Glena gave up. There are always those few people whose presence is so exceptional that no amount of effort can ever hope to reach them.

The gap between her and Owen grew wider, and now, she no longer harbors any hope of catching up.

Perhaps the saying is true: living in the same era as someone like Owen is both a privilege and a tragedy.

"How strange… Why do I feel so uneasy?"

John withdrew his gaze, touching his chest. His heartbeat was steady, with no sign of speeding up, yet there was this sudden, inexplicable anxiety.

"Sorvan mentor, what's happening to me?"

Ever since joining the team and entering the Tower, this feeling had only grown stronger, making John increasingly restless.

"It's just an illusion. I've told you before—at your current level, there's no need for you to enter the Tower. Calm your mind."

"Is that really all it is?"

John took a deep breath, trying to ease the tension with several deep breaths.

"Mentor, I think I should leave the team and act on my own. Staying here, I'm unlikely to find any treasure."

"You're only silver-tier. If you leave the team, you won't survive an hour, John. Cultivation is never something that can be rushed, you understand? There are countless spellbeasts lurking beneath the water here. How do you plan to face a platinum-tier spellbeast on your own?"

"But I…"

"No buts! If you die, I won't survive either. Don't take such reckless risks! Even if you don't care about your own life, consider mine!"

With no other option, John reluctantly agreed.

But the anxiety only grew stronger.