Book 4: Volume 5 Chapter 1, Installation

Translator: Kazumi

Editor: Silavin

 

Shrein groaned in the control room of the North Tower, tilting her head back in frustration.

 

“I think I’ve tried everything I can,” she muttered, comparing the paper in front of her with the information displayed on the control panel.

 

The paper contained a comprehensive list of all monster evolutions that had occurred in the North Tower thus far. Initially, she hadn’t bothered with documentation, but after witnessing the results from the Tower of Four Attributes, she’d started keeping meticulous records. She had recalled as many previous evolutions as possible, and for those she could not remember, she had restarted the entire process from the summoning stage.

 

According to the data, she had summoned nearly every monster compatible with the North Tower and evolved them all. Yet the Tower stubbornly refused to Level Up, which meant some hidden condition remained unfulfilled.

 

Collete entered the control room, coming to assist the troubled Shrein.

 

“How’s it going?”

 

“No progress. I’ve reviewed everything again, but I still can’t figure it out.”

 

“I see.” Collete nodded, her expression revealing that she’d encountered similar difficulties.

 

Their decision to investigate dependants’ evolution patterns stemmed directly from the Tower of Four Attributes’ results. That Tower had experienced a series of Level Ups following the release of dependants evolved to match specific Attributes, This suggested the Tower of the Sacred Magic might operate similarly. They had thus spent considerable time evolving dependants under various conditions, yet no Level Up had occured.

 

Kousuke currently controlled seven Towers across the Central Continent. Of these, Amamiya Tower had reached Level 10, likely the highest achievable Level. Among the remaining six Towers, the Tower of Four Attributes had already climbed to Level 7, while the Tower of Sacred Magic lagged behind at Level 6.

 

Higher Tower Levels unlocked more summonable monsters and installations, expanding their capabilities significantly. Naturally, they wanted to maximize each Tower’s potential.

 

Kousuke appeared before the troubled pair.

 

“What’s going on with you two?”

 

“We’ve been discussing the tower situation,” Shrein replied. “But what brings you here, Kousuke? It’s unusual to see you in this control room.”

 

Kousuke rarely visited the North Tower’s control room, typically appearing only when significant changes occurred. This wasn’t intentional avoidance but simply reflected his lack of business there under normal circumstances. The same applied to all Tower control rooms except Amamiya Tower’s.

 

“I happened to see Collete heading here, so I followed. Is that a problem?”

 

Shrein shook her head. “Not at all. We were actually discussing the Tower of the Sacred Magic. Your input might prove helpful.”

 

“I see.”

 

Shrein handed Kousuke the paper she’d been holding.

 

“What’s this?” Kousuke’s eyes widened as he scanned the document.

 

“A comprehensive list of all summons and evolutions performed in the North Tower to date.”

 

“This is impressive. You’ve compiled quite a lot.”

 

“You say that, but you managed to Level Up Amamiya Tower without going through any of this,” Shrein pointed out.

 

“That was largely due to luck, I think.” Kousuke’s expression grew complicated. Amamiya Tower had Leveled Up smoothly thanks to Wanri and Nana’s steady evolution. Without those two, he’d likely still be struggling.

 

Shrein and Collete exchanged knowing glances and sighed.

 

“He conveniently neglects to mention his ascension to become a living god…” Shrein observed.

 

“Well, it is Kousuke after all,” Collete agreed.

 

Kousuke quickly interjected. “Wait, we’re discussing familiars here, aren’t we?”

 

“No, we’re discussing Tower Leveling,” Shrein corrected.

 

Recognizing the need to redirect the conversation, Kousuke pressed forward. “So does this mean all North Tower evolutions are complete?”

 

Shrein and Collete didn’t press the matter further, instead nodding in unison.

 

“The South Tower shows the same pattern,” Collete added.

 

Kousuke studied the list again, his brow furrowing. “It certainly appears to include everything, but something feels incomplete.”

 

“What do you mean?” Shrein asked.

 

“They’re simply evolving without direction. There’s no clear evolutionary path, unlike the Tower of Four Attributes.”

 

“Are you suggesting they have not evolved into proper Sacred Beasts or Magic Beasts?” Shrein continued, still puzzled.

 

Kousuke shook his head. “Well, the Sacred Beasts and Magic Beast categories listed here are merely what we humans classify them as, correct?”

 

Understanding dawned on Collete’s face. “So they need to evolve into forms the Tower itself recognizes as Sacred Beasts or Magic Beasts?”

 

“It is possible.”

 

Shrein crossed her arms with a frown. “That’s frustratingly vague. We can’t trigger evolution without understanding the Tower’s criteria then.”

 

“The search parameters are too broad for blind experimentation as well…” Collete added.

 

Kousuke raised a hand. “Actually, the Tower of the Sacred Magic is different from both the Amamiya Tower and the Tower of Four Attributes in one crucial aspect.”

 

“What is it?” Shrein turned to Collete, who shook her head, equally confused.

 

“Amamiya Tower has Sacred Stones, and the Tower of Four Attributes has attribute-specific gems. What does the Tower of the Sacred Magic possess?”

 

Recognition spread across their faces.

 

“You’re suggesting the Tower of the Sacred Magic requires its own equivalent items?” Shrein said.

 

“Yes. There’s a reason I haven’t mentioned this until now.”

 

“Why?” Collete prompted.

 

“Like the Tower of Four Attributes, unique items might only become available through Leveling Up.”

 

“Right. If the items needed for Leveling only appear after Leveling, that creates an impossible situation…” Shrein noted grimly.

 

“I doubt the system works that way,” Kousuke reassured them. “We should focus on finding installable items for now, similar to Divine Stones.”

 

Amamiya Tower’s Divine Stones were not unique items but could be placed anywhere, benefiting numerous familiars and facilitating their evolution. The Tower of the Sacred Magic likely had something comparable.

 

“That seems like a promising direction,” Shrein agreed.

 

“I’ll pursue that approach as well,” Collete said.

 

Since they couldn’t immediately identify the required object, blind searching seemed inevitable. The investigation would likely prove lengthy, but they wouldn’t know until they attempted it. They resolved to place objects wherever feasible and observe the results.