Wizard: Starting With the Knights Breathing Method Chapter 2983: 607: Ancient Tower Master!
Previously on Wizard: Starting With the Knights Breathing Method...
...
Two years had passed.
Nora Calendar 2217, Blood Battle 2105.
A scarlet star blazed high in the sky over the Ten Layers of Heaven, where tinkling forge sounds rang out from its depths. Billowing waves of heat and fiery red blazes erupted, accompanied by endless roaring of dragons.
Boom!
From the planet's core, a beam of light burst forth like a volcanic explosion. At the peak of the surging lava stood a majestic greatsword etched with the Red Emperor Dragon Pattern. Crimson runes, unlike those of the wizard tradition, were inscribed across its surface.
"Crimson Dragon Slash!"
Wearing black armor, Levi grasped the greatsword and thrust it skyward. The disaster from the Land of Darkness struck again at the Red Emperor Heaven.
This marked a Level 10 Calamity. Beyond star divine weapons, legendary wizard tools, supreme treasures, and divine weapons, every Level 10 civilized treasure had to face such a trial.
A colossal hand of blue ice, crafted from myriad waters, descended to smash Levi and the Crimson Dragon Slash.
"Begone!"
With a mighty swing, Levi unleashed his sword, sending Sword Qi soaring ninety thousand miles and shattering the iconic Great Tribulation with ease.
Myriad threads of red flame Qi rained down from above, drawn into the Crimson Dragon Slash, transforming the divine weapon into a [Star Divine Weapon].
Weighing about as much as a medium-sized world, the Crimson Dragon Slash had been created by blending [Sun God Gold] with assorted Level 9 Metals. It boasted two key abilities:
First, it boosted the Power Attribute.
Second, it released devastating [Sun Invisible Corona Sword Qi], with every blow matching a genuine Solar Storm. The greater the user's strength, the more potent the corona sword Qi became, ultimately mimicking the force of a real solar blast.
"Not bad. Even if it has fewer features than a supreme treasure, it's good enough. All I really want is a sturdy sword. Unlike a supreme treasure, forging a divine weapon is easier, and it lacks that kind of varied functionality. Still, this divine weapon can be reforged and upgraded as my strength grows, eventually outshining a supreme treasure."
Then, Levi merged with his sword, delving deep into comprehension within the Red Emperor Heaven right up until the ancient tower's activation. He opened his eyes, drew the blade, and cleaved the heavens!
The Sun Invisible Corona Sword Qi stretched twenty thousand miles, bridging sky and ground!
"This blade's power is so immense that even a late-stage Level 10 wouldn't dare face it head-on. Once I've collected more materials, I'll remake the Golden Dragon Heavenly Shield."
He returned the sword to its sheath and stepped into the ancient tower.
...
Having handled the minor affairs of the first eight layers, Levi reached the Ninth Layer, proceeded directly to the Eternal Fire temple, located the Nora Ark model, and heard a notification chime.
[Do you wish to refine? Upon refinement, you'll assume the role of captain. Should the Nora Civilization fail against the Great Tribulation, you'll need to carry the civilization's flame and roam the cosmos in search of survival.]
"Refine."
Levi answered promptly without a second thought.
[Nora Ark is recognizing its master... Master recognition successful.]
[Nora Ark]
[Captain: Levi Schneider (Level 10 required, fulfilled)]
[Vice Captain: None (Level 10 required, unlimited number)]
[Sailor: None (Level 9 required, unlimited number)]
[Crew: None (No level limit, number must not surpass ancient tower’s endurance limit)]
[Captain’s Authority: Ancient Tower Master]
[Vice Captain’s Authority: Ancient Tower Level Master]
[Sailor’s Authority: Ancient Tower Intersection Point Master]
...
Suddenly, a torrent of information flooded into Levi’s mind. He processed the influx until he fully grasped all details of the ancient tower.
[Ancient Tower Master:
1. You can enter and leave any layer of the ancient tower at will and control its opening and closing times, adjusting the cycle according to the stock of internal resources.
2. You can access all resources from the first nine layers of the ancient tower and hold authority over the life and death of any beings inside, facing the outcomes of your decisions.
3. You can select and remove vice captains and sailors, sharing management of the tower. With your approval, vice captains and sailors may claim certain resources as compensation.
4. While preserving the balance of ecology and resources in the ancient tower, you can bring beings in and out freely.
5. You may engage the tower’s integrated defense and weaponry systems and deploy the supreme power reserves established by the tower’s creator judiciously.
...]
In essence, the Ancient Tower Master's authority meant "doing whatever you want." If Levi had endless greed, he could seize total control.
Yet the final message stated:
[As captain, your every decision and deed will shape the fate of billions aboard. The void is perilous; navigate with care.]
Levi gazed upward.
No one had ever ascended to the Tenth Layer in all of history.
"Let’s see what Sauron prepared."
...
The Tenth Layer.
The ancient tower served as the Nora Ark, and this was its command center. The area was compact, with Levi inside overlooking the boundless Land of Darkness and myriad worlds through the viewport.
A enormous star chart dominated the ceiling.
Countless glowing points dotted it, linked by lines. Beyond the chart stretched pitch-black chaos, devoid of light.
"This depicts the Multidimensional Plane. Every light spot represents a world, likely charting the ancient tower's journeys over the past 300,000 years. Across countless eras, at the tower's pace, it has crossed the entire Multidimensional Plane, though other universes remain absent."
"Now as captain, I can chart the ancient tower's course freely. Heading to the Golden Sacred Realm poses no problem, and plane traversal feels even simpler now."
Levi committed the full star map to his eidetic memory.
In the cockpit's heart lay a dark stone slab that glowed like a digital display, bearing Levi’s name and issuing a alert tone.
[Enter names of vice captains and sailors here and apply a Soul Imprint for binding to the ancient tower. In moments of mortal danger, vice captains and sailors can teleport to the cockpit using the tower's energy.
Note:
1. Sailors are limited to 10 teleports, vice captains to 3, and the captain has none.
2. Supreme power interference might disrupt teleportation.]
"Excellent, this captures the true essence of the ancient tower's use!"
What makes a cosmic treasure? Precisely this!
Nowhere is safer than inside the ancient tower.
Sauron had truly planned ahead meticulously.
The warnings were minor; for a legendary wizard at the power pyramid's apex, facing near-death might happen fewer than three times in a lifetime.
As for supreme power blocking teleportation, that's unavoidable. Fundamentally, the ancient tower is a static entity, and defying the supreme lies somewhat outside its capabilities.
Moving from the slab, Levi examined the cockpit's other sections.
A "Monitoring Area" allowed oversight of the first nine layers' status, a "Firepower Area" managed attacks on foes, and a "Secret Room Area" supported cultivation for vice captains and sailors.
Every imaginable feature was present.
Finally, Levi approached a massive roulette wheel.
[Nautical Roulette: Spin to upgrade your ride from bike to bike!]
[Available only to sailors, vice captains, and the captain, this eases the tedium of voyages. Invest any Level 9 Abyss Demon Core/Nightmare Crystal/Divine Crystal to spin. Rewards encompass resources of Level 9 or higher.]
Odds vary by resource scarcity. Non-winners get one billion Aether Stones as consolation, with assurances of a Level 9 Oddity/Level 9 Holy Medicine/Sun Refining Artifact... after ten straight losses.]
"A lottery with guaranteed drops after ten spins... Sauron had to be loaded, probably the head of a top-tier local gacha game studio back before exploring the worlds, huh?"