Chapter 313: Witnessing History

The attention across the square soon returned to the tower.

Now there were only two known young geniuses still inside.

Helen and Zich.

However, this time, the crowd did not get to see another clearance update.

When the teleportation light appeared, Helen Magnus walked out with her head lowered. She did not look at the staff members coming forward to meet her and instead raised her head, searching for her name on the stone monument.

The line belonging to her had already gone dark.

Helen stood there, her fingers slowly tightening.

Before entering the Trial Tower, she had certainly considered the possibility that she might fail, but she had spent far more time imagining what she would say to her father if she managed to surpass the record he had set back then.

She had rehearsed those words in her mind more than once.

Now, she would not get to use a single one of them.

"Helen."

A familiar voice came from ahead.

Arthur had already walked over to her. He first looked over her injuries before asking, "Can you still walk on your own?"

Helen nodded.

"Then come stand with me for a while."

Helen stood beside her father in silence for a while before finally speaking in a low voice.

"I couldn't surpass you."

"I saw."

She looked up at him, and her already low spirits sank a little further.

Arthur, however, merely reached out and patted her shoulder.

"Do you want me to tell you that you almost made it, or do you want the truth?"

"The truth."

"Then when we get back, think carefully about this battle. Separate the places where you made the wrong judgment from the places where you genuinely weren't strong enough."

Helen said nothing.

Arthur looked at her and softened his tone.

"Wanting to surpass me isn't a bad thing. I'd like to see that day too. But just because you couldn't do it today doesn't mean you'll never be able to."

"But this opportunity is already over."

"This trial is over. You aren't."

Helen pursed her lips. After a moment, she finally nodded lightly.

Arthur did not continue comforting her. He knew his daughter was competitive, and having just emerged from the tower, it was only natural for her to feel unwilling to accept the result. A few comforting words were not going to make her happy immediately.

So he simply stood beside her and waited for her to work through those feelings herself.

Just then, someone ahead suddenly shouted.

"It updated!"

Helen instinctively raised her head.

[First Place: Zich Grave, Twenty Ninth Floor.]

She stared at the line of text and completely forgot what she had been about to say.

"He's already reached this far?"

"Mm."

Arthur was also staring at the monument.

Not far away, Jayden lowered the empty potion bottle in his hand. Austin, whose wounds were still being bandaged, abruptly turned his head, while Nadia also raised her gaze.

None of them spoke.

They had only just withdrawn from their respective trials, and the pain from their injuries had not even faded yet. Naturally, they understood better than the spectators around them what it meant to continue climbing.

Yet Zich still had not stopped.

Those who had originally been preparing to leave began crowding back toward the front, and the area before the square quickly filled with people. The discussions grew louder and louder, yet no one dared to say with certainty whether the next thing to light up would be another clearance notification or the teleportation formation in front of the tower.

After watching the monument for a while, Helen turned toward her father.

"Do you think he can clear it?"

"It's possible."

"Only possible?"

Arthur smiled.

"I can't see what's happening inside. How am I supposed to guarantee it?"

Helen thought about it and did not argue. She simply turned back toward Zich's name.

Of course she wanted him to win.

But remembering the situation that had forced her to withdraw only moments earlier, she could not help feeling worried. Zich had already fought through so many floors. How much strength could he possibly have left?

This time, she did not voice the question.

Waiting somehow felt even harder than fighting inside the tower herself.

Another line appeared on the monument.

[Twenty Ninth Floor Trial Evaluation: SS.]

Helen realized she had been gripping her sleeve the entire time.

She immediately turned toward her father, her eyes finally lighting up. Arthur also took a step forward, carefully read the evaluation, and smiled.

Austin said nothing. His gaze remained on Zich's name while the people beside him continued bandaging his wounds.

Nadia, however, had already risen to her feet.

Jayden stared at the monument and slowly exhaled.

The voices around them continued, but none of the four had much to say. Their own attempts had ended, and they were still carrying the injuries that had forced them to stop. Seeing Zich clear another floor made the distance between them feel all the more real.

Helen could not help asking, "If he keeps going…"

"He'll reach the place where I stopped back then."

Arthur finished her sentence. His voice was not loud, but everyone nearby heard him.

Arthur had reached the Thirtieth Floor and failed to clear it. The Twenty Ninth Floor was the highest he had cleared, and Zich had now matched that.

[First Place: Zich Grave, Thirtieth Floor.]

With the Thirtieth Floor now displayed beside Zich's name, Helen's fingers finally loosened.

He had matched the highest floor her father had reached as well.

No one urged the injured challengers to leave anymore. Helen stood beside her father, with Jayden, Austin, and Nadia nearby, all of them staring at the name that was still glowing on the stone monument.

Their own challenges were over, but none of them wanted to miss history!

...

Thanks for reading thus far. I appreciate it! Sorry for the inconsistent updates over the last couple of days. Expect 2 to 3 chapters daily from now on.