Endless Leveling Done Right!

Chapter 178: The Clock Tower’s Secret [Part 1]

”Here is the key to the clock tower,” Theo said as he handed a key to Alex.

”Just remember—the clock tower is one of the most important facilities in the academy. If you or your club members damage it in any way, you will be punished according to the academy’s rules. Did I make myself clear?”

Alex nodded. ”Yes.”

Theo eyed the First Year student for nearly half a minute before gesturing for him to leave.

”Since we have nothing left to discuss, you may leave,” Theo stated.

”Alright,” Alex replied. ”Thanks for the key.”

When the young man had closed the door behind him, Cassandra clicked her tongue in annoyance.

Clearly, she didn’t like Alex. Defying the student council president was one of the reasons, but another was that she suspected the young man knew things about her, which the public shouldn’t be aware of.

(A/N: I know what you did last summer! Kekeke!)

”Do not interfere with him again, Cassandra,” Theo instructed. ”The Headmaster’s disciple came to look for me and gave me a warning.”

”Himea personally came to give you a warning?” Cassandra looked at the student council president in surprise. Himea had been the Headmaster’s spokesperson since the start of the school term, but Cassandra had assumed that this issue was beneath her notice.

”Yes,” Theo answered. ”She stated in no uncertain terms that the student council should stop bothering Alex. You understand what that means, right?”

Cassandra frowned, but still reluctantly nodded in the end.

”If that is the Headmaster’s will, then I will no longer mess with them again.” Cassandra sighed. ”Just who is that brat anyway? Even the Headmaster has to give him face.”

Theo looked at the document that he was about to sign for a few more minutes as if he were lost in thought.

Even with the intelligence network of the underworld, the Shadow Union, the Mage Intelligence Agency, and the Whispering Tower, not a single information about Alex had been dug up. Theo knew exactly as much about Alex now as he had back then—that Alex had arrived at the Town of Thaloria on his own before becoming the Oathkeeper of the Clawford Tribe.

That was it.

No other notable information about him surfaced no matter how many agents and mages were sent to investigate.

It was as if he had appeared out of thin air.

Also, no records of the Nature Spirit, Dim Dim, could be found in any history records.

The boy and the little bun were both mysterious existences that defied investigation.

’Just who are you, Alex Stratos?’ Theo wondered before finally signing the document that approved of the clock tower’s temporary residents, the Endless Horizon Club.

A few minutes later inside the Ironheart Dormitory...

”I have returned,” Alex declared. ”And look what I got?”

The young man showed the silver key to his club members, who had gathered in the common room of their dormitory.

”A key?” Chuck arched an eyebrow. ”What’s so special about it?”

”Of course, it’s special,” Alex insisted. ”This is the key to our club room, and we are now going there to check our new hideout!”

Everyone perked up after hearing that. Everyone, of course, except Renard, who looked very bored.

Since they already had the key, the group didn’t hesitate to head to the Clock Tower, which was located at the very center of the academy grounds.

”I’m so excited,” Nessia admitted. ”I wonder what the inside of the clock tower looks like?”

”You will have to be careful when you enter the clock tower,” Alex replied. ”If you enter it without permission, you will be trapped within a maze.”

”Maze?” Nessia blinked. ”What maze?”

”You’ll find out in a second.” Alex inserted the key into the keyhole, and a resounding click reached their ears.

As the young man opened the door, they found themselves looking at a circular staircase that led to the top of the building.

However, they really didn’t need to take the stairs. There was a magic circle for teleportation, located at the center of the clock tower. It could send anyone who stepped into it to the top floor.

”Where’s the maze?” Nessia asked. ”I don’t see any maze.”

Aside from the circular staircase, as well as the teleporter, there was nothing amiss inside the clock tower.

”Try using the stairs or the teleporter,” Alex said while grinning mischievously.

Nessia was undeterred. She was curious, and she knew that Alex would not cause her harm. Besides, she didn’t want to take the stairs, so she didn’t hesitate to approach the teleporter.

However, she had only taken six steps when she suddenly stopped walking.

Chuck and the others waited, but the young lady didn’t move.

A few tense seconds slipped by, but she still didn’t move. Charles stepped in front of her and waved his hand directly in front of her eyes.

He even snapped his fingers a few times, but Nessia just stared blankly in front of her, not even daring to blink.

’I think it’s about time,’ Alex thought before tapping Nessia’s shoulder. The young lady’s eyes widened in shock.

”I was trapped inside a maze,” Nessia said as her body shuddered uncontrollably. ”That was some high-level illusion magic. Whoever made that magic array is a true master.”

”You were trapped in an illusion?” Chuck asked. ”But we only saw you stop walking while staring blankly into space. For a moment, I thought you had suddenly suffered a stroke.”

Nessia ignored Chuck’s comment and simply shifted her attention to Alex, who seemed to be very much aware of what she had experienced.

”If there’s time, I want you to study the magic formation here in the clock tower,” Alex promised in a serious tone. ”It will help advance your knowledge about magic formations. If used at the right moment, we can also trap our enemies inside of it in the future.”

Nessia agreed immediately. After all, what she had experienced was truly profound.

The moment she had been trapped inside that illusory world, she had been filled with fear. However, she had also felt excited because she could recognize the brilliance behind the construction of this magic formation.

With that thought in mind, she was more than happy to stay in the clock tower and learn the inner workings of the magical formation that had trapped her.

”Okay, all of you stand before me,” Alex said. ”I will need to give you all the authority to enter the clock tower, so you will not be trapped in the illusory maze like what happened to Nessia earlier.”

The club members did as he said and formed a semi-circle. He raised the silver key, which now glowed faintly with blue runes etched along its surface.

”I, Alex Stratos, recognized president of the Endless Horizon Club, grant all of you access to the Clock Tower,” he declared, channeling a small pulse of mana through the key.

A soft hum echoed throughout the tower, and a faint shimmer surrounded each member one by one, like a passing breeze, before fading into their bodies.

”That’s it?” Charles asked, raising an eyebrow. ”No chanting or blood ritual?”

Alex chuckled. ”What do you think this is? A cult?”

”Wait, should we make one?” Chuck, always ready to jump on a chance to be chaotic, saw Alex’s sarcastic reply as a wonderful opportunity.

Alex simply smirked in response. The key merged with his hand, allowing him to access the clock tower at any time he wished.

The main reason he chose the clock tower as their club’s headquarters was due to its high security.

If someone tried to invade it by force, they would be trapped inside an illusion.

Even if the invaders managed to break free from the illusion, there were twelve more magical traps waiting for them, which would grow in severity each time one was broken.

Each Crest Club had their own special headquarters, accessible only by their members.

Since Alex’s goal was to make Endless Horizon the thirteenth Crest Club in the future, he would need a club room that surpassed even the gimmick of the top clubs in the academy.

”Come, let’s check the club room.” Alex signalled for his friends to follow him.

When all of them had stepped inside the teleporter circle, the young man said, ”Up.”

A moment later, the group found themselves in a spacious room that could easily fit two hundred people.

The circular room was lined with worn but elegant bookshelves.

At the center stood a round stone table, covered with carvings of constellations and surrounded by mismatched but cozy chairs.

Seeing this scene, Alex couldn’t help but remember the story of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.

It really looked like a place meant to host a secret society that could plan for world domination.

”Whoa,” Chuck muttered. ”This place looks like a hideout for ancient scholars.”

Nessia’s eyes were already scanning the formation on the stone platform. ”Some of the runes etched here are pre-Runic... They’re old—like really old.”

Alex nodded. ”This place was once used by the founder of the academy. It’s no ordinary clock tower. It’s a relic. It had been sealed from public use for centuries.”

”Wait!” Nessia said as she looked up from the runic magic she had been studying closely. She had been so transfixed by the etchings on the round table that she had overlooked something important. ”We’re allowed to use this? Are you sure we can use this place as our club room?”

”Calm down, Nessia. We’ve been granted temporary stewardship,” Alex explained. ”As long as we don’t wreck anything or blow up the tower, it’s ours for now.”

Lavinia walked toward the glass windows that gave a scenic view of the academy. ”This... this might actually be the perfect base for us. We are at the center of the academy, and if we have a telescope, we can practically observe anyone if we want to.”

”Nice idea!” Chuck snapped his fingers. ”I’ll buy a telescope tomorrow!”

The teenage boy even laughed like a third-rate villain, sounding like he was up to no good!

Everyone in the room looked at the troublemaker, already worried that he intended to use the telescope for something bad.

”O-Oi, why are you all looking at me as if I’m some kind of criminal?!” Chuck exclaimed. ”I haven’t done anything... yet.”

Alex sighed, but he no longer paid attention to his roommate and explored the club room with everyone.

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