SSS Ranked Awakening: All My Skills Are at Level 100 Chapter 432: First Floor of Ascension Tower

A charging goblin's velocity would have appeared astonishingly swift to any ordinary Ascendant rank being—a streak of motion demanding exceptional reflexes to counter.

Yet, for Leon, it moved with an almost insulting slowness.

As if traversing through viscous fluid.

He remained motionless, his sword still secured within its scabbard, held with a relaxed grip in his right hand. His expression was utterly impassive, bordering on weariness.

The goblin rapidly closed the distance, its crude iron sword rising for a powerful downward strike, clearly intended to cleave Leon's head in two.

When it was merely a few meters away, well within its optimal striking range—

FLASH!

Leon's hand flickered.

A solitary slash, executed and concluded in a single, fluid movement. No ostentatious skills, no complex maneuvers, not even elemental augmentation. It was simply a flawlessly performed standard cut, relying solely on pure physical strength and impeccable technique.

SLICE!

The goblin was bisected perfectly down its center, its two halves separating and falling away from each other.

THUD! THUD!

Both portions impacted the ground simultaneously.

Effortless. Far too effortless for a creature supposedly of my standing.

Leon gave his blade a single flick to dislodge the clinging blood before smoothly returning it to its sheath.

High above, observing the entire encounter with eyes that grew increasingly stormy, the trial overseer, who had already harbered a profound, murderous resentment towards this insolent human, merely let out a loud, derisive snort.

Showing off. The haughty insect is flaunting himself directly before me.

Velrith's violet irises contracted with palpable irritation.

This is merely the initial stage of the trial—the absolute most rudimentary threshold. And his casual demeanor, acting as though he were some unparalleled genius from the Celestial Realm instead of mere gutter trash from the lower realms.

It truly vexes me beyond measure.

After dispatching the foe with such casual ease, Leon received a system notification. The familiar, translucent golden panel materialized before him, yet this time, it prominently displayed the distinct emblem of the tower—signifying that the message originated directly from the Ascension Tower itself, rather than his personal cosmic system.

[First Layer Successfully Cleared]

[Trial Completion Time: 3 seconds]

[Evaluation: In Progress]

[You may now opt to withdraw from the trial and accept your accrued rewards, or advance to the Second Layer]

[Rest Period Granted: 10 minutes prior to automatic advancement]

Without pausing for even a solitary second—without drawing even a single deep breath—Leon decisively chose to proceed immediately to the second layer of the trial.

There's no point in delaying. I'm not even remotely fatigued.

Just then, the residual remains of the vanquished goblin began to emit a radiant white luminescence.

SHIMMER! DISSOLVE!

It vanished completely, leaving no trace behind—not even a minuscule drop of blood stained the immaculate arena floor, as if the creature had never been present.

The cleanup mechanism was remarkably efficient.

Then, a few seconds later—

FLASH! FLASH! FLASH!

Ten goblins, appearing strikingly similar, materialized before Leon simultaneously, forming a loose semi-circular formation.

The oppressive aura emanating from their forms was discernibly more potent than that of the first trial entity. Merely by observing their sharp, focused gazes and their synchronized positioning, one could instantly ascertain their fundamental difference from the preceding, unthinking goblin.

However, employing his cosmic system's identification capabilities, Leon could clearly perceive their basic attributes:

[Trial Goblin - Ascendant Rank] [Trial Goblin - Ascendant Rank] [Trial Goblin - Ascendant Rank] ...

Still all registered as Ascendant rank by the system. But undeniably enhanced iterations.

The instant they fully materialized and solidified, Leon distinctly sensed their augmentation of their physical forms through flowing mana—not crudely, but with practiced adeptness. The subtle sheen of light enveloping their diverse armaments was unmistakably Level 2 Aura, indicative of genuine combat proficiency.

They immediately encircle him from all directions with calculated precision, adopting a proper combat formation. Their weapons presented a notable variety and complementary roles—sword, wand, spear, shield, mace, bow—resembling a balanced party composition engineered for synergistic group engagement.

Intriguing. They are coordinating like an actual adventuring party.

Leon remained stationary in the heart of their formation, making no move to initiate a preemptive assault.

Then, it commenced.

WHOOSH! CRACK! BOOM!

A torrent of long-range projectiles surged towards him from multiple vectors concurrently—incendiary bolts from the spellcaster, arrows from the marksman, hurled javelins, all converging upon his location.

Leon merely marshaled his ice element with minimal exertion.

SHIMMER! CRACK!

Delicate barriers of crystallized ice coalesced in the air surrounding him, intercepting and deflecting every single incoming assault with flawless accuracy. Not a single projectile managed to graze even a hair on his head.

Unmoving, he retained his composure utterly amidst the assault.

Yet, the goblins eschewed a direct, close-quarters charge like the initial one. Instead, they persisted with methodical ranged attacks, preserving their formation and sustaining the bombardment.

Intelligent. They are gauging my defenses initially.

Gazing into their eyes, Leon perceived with clarity that their intelligence matched, at the very least, that of a grown human. They were intentionally endeavoring to deplete his stamina and resources, strategically leveraging their numerical superiority.

They are approaching this as a genuine combat scenario. Conserving strength, seeking vulnerabilities, maintaining tactical discipline.

Leon remained uncertain whether the duration of enemy engagement on this first floor influenced the ultimate assessment. The proctor had offered no details on scoring parameters—merely a cursory overview, imparting only the essential directives for the task at hand and nothing extraneous.

Purposefully ambiguous. Perhaps anticipating blunders stemming from a lack of information.

Therefore, to err on the side of caution and preclude any potential negative impact on his evaluation, Leon resolved to cease his defensive posture and expedite the confrontation.

Furthermore, I must accurately gauge my present combat efficacy.

Nevertheless, he conceded that the leap in difficulty from the initial stratum to the second was immediate and drastic, escalating from roughly a 1 to a 100 without any intermediate progression.

For an individual possessing average aptitude and cultivation, this single challenge would suffice to compel them towards prudent retreat, thereby averting severe harm or demise.

The majority would encounter considerable adversity. Some would perish.

However, Leon stood extraordinarily apart from the norm by any rational benchmark.