Seeing Andy’s appearance as if he’d seen a ghost, Jason looked serious as he took a long, deep breath. “I can read minds.”
“Pfft, yeah, right.” Andy didn’t believe a word. “Then what am I thinking about?”
Jason gave a strange look in response. “Dude, you really want me to say what most of your thoughts consist of? Right here? In front of everyone?”
Andy froze. He glanced over his surroundings, pausing briefly on every woman, before turning back to Jason. “Okay… I believe you. Please don’t say anything.”
Just as Jason smiled victoriously, a sudden force sent him flying face-first into the ground. Olivia landed in his previous spot, looking down with scorn as she explained, “Don’t believe him. He’s a time traveler, not a mind reader.”
Jason’s history was an open secret in the Alliance, yet as a newcomer, Andy blinked, unsure what to believe. A lot had happened in such a short time he was at a loss.
Jason stood up a second later, rubbing the dirt off his clothes as he voiced his grievances. “What was that for? Can’t I mess with him a bit?”
“Sorry,” Olivia replied evenly. “After seeing you two talk nonsense, I couldn’t help but get annoyed.”
“Sheesh.” Jason shrugged, knowing Olivia was soon to fall victim to Andy’s pranks as well. He could have avoided the kick but chose to take it because that would only upset Olivia more.
“Okay, enough playing.” Shenlong glanced at Andy and spoke in a calm voice. “I can tell by the way you move you aren’t very strong.” He turned to Jason. “You spoke greatly of him, but I don’t see it.”
Andy frustrated Jason to no end, but together they had journeyed to hell and back, so he wouldn’t let anyone look down on him. Jason glanced at Andy and let loose a smile. “We’ve all shared our secrets, so you’ll get a file on us later. Why don’t you show off your stuff?”
“Heh.” Andy’s cheeks reddened for some reason. “I’m a bit shy…”
Groans came from the crowd while Amara raised her hand, a fire ball appearing above, as she hissed, “Can I burn him?”
Olivia unsheathed her dagger, clearly feeling the same. “Let me go first.”
Jason gripped his stomach, nearly keeling over in laughter. Wiping a tear from his eye, he waved his other hand. “Don’t worry. This guy doesn’t have the guts to show off his goods.”
Andy’s heart leaped to his throat. The killing intent in the air was too much for an inexperienced ascender like him to bear. Seeing that he indeed had no intention of following through, the two ladies reeled themselves in.
Coughing awkwardly, Andy muttered, “Tough crowd.”
The thought of his absurd skill recovered his composure. Waving his hand, a pair of gloves flashed into existence. They were jet black in appearance with gold embroidery creating an intricate pattern. Andy tossed them to Shenlong, his chest swelling with pride. “While I can’t fight, I can create stuff like this.”
Shenlong was initially skeptical, but after viewing the glove’s stats, his jaw dropped. Disbelief spread across his face, and just as he was about to ask something, Andy answered first. “Try them on.”
Already wearing casual attire, Shenlong swiftly did just that. He clenched his hands, the power from the gloves coursing through him. “Good, very good!”
When Andy waved his hand again, the gloves dispersed into nothing. Shenlong’s excitement was at an all-time high. “How many of those can you make? Twenty? Thirty?”
Andy’s chin was facing the sky, but after hearing Shenlong’s question, he nearly collapsed. “Thirty?! Do you think I’m Alister himself? That’s divine grade gear, dude! With my current imagination, I can only conjure one for an hour at most.”
“What?!” Everyone’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets at the mention of the legendary word. All eyes in the courtyard honed in on Andy like they were looking at a treasure. With questions bombarding him one after the other, he was immediately the center of attention.
A short while later, Cheslov rubbed his chin as he thought aloud. “So that’s why Jason mentioned drugs, huh?”
Hearing Cheslov, everyone connected the dots as they simultaneously turned to Olivia. She understood what they wanted. “Understood. I’ll procure some immediately.”
After Olivia teleported away, one person after another patted Andy’s shoulder and spoke similar lines. “Thank you.”
“We’re counting on you, bro!”
“Fight on!”
Andy shed tears as he listened to the words of encouragement. Sadly, he wouldn’t flee. Not because Andy gave his word, but damn it all, he wanted the drug too. Still, it was best everyone thought he was sacrificing himself. That way, Amara, Olivia, Ebba, and countless other beautiful women would think highly of him.
Who said getting kidnapped was a big deal? Andy welcomed the next attempt with open arms.
Chapter 23
According to Olivia, when you consumed dream root, your surroundings were used as a base for its hallucinations. To better optimize Andy’s stat gains, Peter used a complete map of the thirtieth floor—of which there were less than ten in existence—to find several locations with differing geography.
This floor was by far the largest, and with its varied geography, finding a zone devoid of monsters was a small matter. The only problem was such places were favorite training spots for herbalists and other professions that lacked combat power.
Fortunately, Peter was the Alliance's guildmaster, so he simply blocked off the spots using his many subordinates. This would usually cause resentment among low-level ascenders, but Peter cared much for his reputation, so he used his favorite method: gifting pouches of gold.
With everything solved, operation ‘Power Leveling With Some Drugz Yo’ began.
The first zone was an overwhelming success. In only four days, Andy gained a whopping 45 points in his imagination stat before it slowed to a crawl. Today was the fifth day, and with a change of scenery, his stat gain was once again progressing.
Shenlong, Peter, and Jason stood atop a low cliff, overlooking a clearing inside a tranquil forest.
“Damn, this still gives me the creeps.” Peter couldn’t help but shiver.
“Agreed,” Jason said, physically cringing now and then.
Below the cliff, a ridiculous performance unfolded. Roots of otherworldly colors formed to create inhuman creatures, all of whom danced queerly in a circle. Strangely, whenever they bumped into each other, they would morph into a single form before exiting out the other side, all in a fluid manner.
On the edge of the clearing, trees came to life, their branches waving in the air as they cheered along. Most shocking was at the center—where a humanoid treant stood. Its legs were one with the ground, while alien flowers covered its body that wilted and grew anew within moments. The treant methodically waved its hands, its fingers taking the place of an orchestrator’s wand.
Unfortunately, because every creature appeared to be a woman endowed with the greatest boons, especially the trees, this bizarre ritual was tainted. Even the flowers took the shape of fairies.
On the cliff, Shenlong finally reacted with a scowl. “I know several psychologists…”
“Hah.” Jason shook his head. “Trust me, this guy has an incurable condition.”
Shenlong was conflicted. “What has the world come to? I have to rely on a person like this?”
“Divine grade,” Peter reminded.
“Haaaaaah,” Shenlong sighed again.
Jason couldn’t believe it; he saw something in the corner of Shenlong’s eye. He could only pat the man no weaker than himself on the shoulder and repeat, “Divine grade.”
At that, a single tear fell to the ground. It was just like that of a child growing up upon experiencing the world of adults. He lost his innocence or something like that.
Shenlong suddenly summoned his spear and walked away from the cliff. “Come, let’s spar.”
Peter and Jason glanced at each other as the
former snickered. “He means you, bro.”
Jason’s shoulders sagged. Grumbling, he followed after Shenlong, “Ever since attaining the fourth realm, he wants to spar all the time. Why doesn’t he pick Dubaku?”
What Jason didn’t know was that Shenlong and Dubaku did spar, but only once. Even though both of them had reached the fourth realm, they still weren’t on the same level in other aspects. Shenlong was a bona fide genius when it came to battle.
Hearing the sounds of battle behind him, Peter thought it was better to watch that than whatever abomination was occurring below. After taking out a beach umbrella and chair, he sat down, summoned a cool drink, and fell into his thoughts.
While a skilled ascender, planning and organization were second nature to him. His mind revolved around recent events, his guild members, future plans, funding, and various other things.
As the sun reached its peak, the surrounding landscape was unrecognizable from the friendly spar. Soaked in sweat, Shenlong and Jason joined Peter under the cover of the umbrella. Jason couldn’t help but notice Peter’s dark expression. “What’s up?”
“It’s like this.” Peter helplessly spread his hands. “We got the m-serum, but we’re weaker than before.”
Shenlong was silent as Jason grimaced. “It’ll take a while for the m-serum to manifest its potential.”
Peter shook his head. “That’s not the problem. Losing nine people sucks big, but we didn’t lose their equipment. Between Shenlong’s guild and mine, we have plenty of experts. As long as we gear them up, we’ll be ready for another fight.” He paused, considering his next words.
“I didn’t think you were that type of person,” Shenlong spoke up, his tone harsh.
“I wasn’t finished yet.” Peter scowled. “My subordinates are my flesh and blood—you think I want to trade nine people for every m-serum?”
Shenlong blinked. He coughed in embarrassment from his quick judgment and motioned for Peter to continue. From the side, Jason mentally sighed. They still don’t know each other well, but at least they’re trying. That’s all I can ask for.
Peter crossed his legs and continued slowly. “Honestly, these Nobles are within limits we can handle—it was just that skill.”
Jason grunted in agreement. “I’ve never encountered a skill like that before.”
“It reminds me of mental suppression,” Shenlong mused aloud.
“Yeah, but this felt more direct.” Jason recalled the fight. “It suppressed energy instead of the mind.”
Peter’s eyes narrowed. “What if mana, your battle energy, Roy’s holy energy, and all other types of energy have different grades?”
“That… makes a lot of sense.”
Peter looked at Jason and continued. “That’s why you could move, you were still affected, but your energy’s grade was able to fight back.”
“That isn’t right,” Shenlong spoke up and revealed, “I only have mana, but I was able to move as well. I just needed time to adjust. It reminded me of my first time wearing weighted clothes.”
“Weighted clothes?” Jason and Peter cocked their heads.
Shenlong waved his hand. “A training method from a bygone era.”
“Hmm.” Peter recalled the battle with Hector. “Actually, now that you mention it, I think I might’ve been able to move as well if I’d had enough time. Let me ask around for a minute.”
After a short while, Peter put away his communication necklace and exclaimed, “It’s as I thought.”
“What’d you find out?” Jason and Shenlong perked up.
Peter leaned forward, his expression animated. “Let’s keep going with the energy grade theory, but what if we add energy control?”
“The realms!”
“Right!” Peter’s eyes were bright. “People were able to resist at different levels relative to their progress in the four realms.”
Finally! They found a solution for the problem plaguing everyone’s minds. As long as they gathered enough people in the third realm, hunting Nobles would be much easier.
A thought struck Jason. “Wait, how many people do you guys have in the third realm?”
Shenlong and Peter looked at each other. “Seven.”
“Nineteen.”
Jason’s expression fell. “And how many participated in the battle with Hector?”
Shenlong and Peter didn’t respond, their excitement vanishing. True, they’d correctly identified the problem, but how easy was it to reach the third realm?
A moment later, Peter spoke up. “Hold on. We just need to control energy—a much simpler matter than complete control over your body, opponent, and surroundings.” He glanced at Jason. “Got any ideas?”
As Jason fell into thought, Shenlong’s eyes flashed. “Mental suppression.”
Peter smacked his forehead. “Of course!” He stood up, ran a few yards away, then sat on the ground and hollered. “Shenlong!”
Remaining seated, Shenlong narrowed his eyes and activated the skill—his will filling the world.
Peter’s body shuddered, the connection between his body and mind under duress. The skill interrupted his ability to control his limbs, energy, and thoughts.
That was why the skill was so deadly if used in the middle of combat. If you had mental suppression as well, you could fight back, but if not, well, best of luck.
After a few minutes, Shenlong withdrew the skill. Peter was about to ask why but stopped himself after seeing Shenlong’s pale white face. Running over in concern, he asked, “You okay?”
“Just tired.” Shenlong waved his hand dismissively before collapsing into his chair. He downed the water bottle Jason handed over before asking, “Any results?”
Peter smiled widely. “Mental suppression specifically targets the mind. Still, it has some impact on energy control, so we can use it to train our resistance.”
Jason pumped his fist. “That’s great news!”
“Kinda.” Peter glanced at Shenlong’s condition. “Unfortunately, as far as I know, you’re the only one to have that skill.”
“No, he does too.” Shenlong pointed at Jason with his chin.
“Really?” Peter was skeptical, as this was the first time he heard about it.
“I don’t.” Jason shook his head. “I can simulate the mental suppression skill by combining my Killing Intent skill with Battle Energy.”
Peter clicked his tongue. “Damn. We can’t use your Killing Intent skill because it causes damage to the soul. Not very effective for training…”
Jason mused to himself. There sure are a lot of suppression-type skills popping up. I wonder why they’re all so different? No matter how much he thought about it, no answer came, so he shelved the thought for later.
“I can handle it.” Shenlong stood up, his eyes blazing with passion. “Consider it training for me too.”
“We’ll be relying on you.” Jason patted Shenlong’s shoulder.
Just as Peter was about to begin organizing a training plan, his communication amulet vibrated. A minute later, he hung up, his expression dark.
Jason and Shenlong both sensed how negative Peter’s thoughts were. Jason couldn’t help but ask, “Who was it?”
“A report.” Peter clenched his teeth. “Someone leaked info about the m-serum.”
Jason frowned. “That sucks, but we expected this, didn’t we?’
It was only natural other parties would approach members of the Alliance’s core team, offering irresistible benefits in exchange for information.
“Eboni’s dead,” Peter spat. “Along with forty other top-tier ascenders.”
Jason widened his eyes in disbelief. “No way, did she try and fight a noble?”
“I have to make a public announcement. Hopefully, I can deter others from pushing their luck.” Peter quickly teleported away, not caring to store his chair and beach umbrella.
Jason grimaced at the news. Forty-one top-tier ascenders died, just like that. Humanity’s fighting force just took a significa
nt blow.
Chapter 24
It turned out Peter’s press conference was unnecessary; news of Eboni’s party wipe deterred everyone. The tower reminded the world it was no friend—a mistake meant death.
Still, the desire for riches and power was too alluring. Nobles were off the table for now, but it was only a matter of time before someone else tested their luck. Peter knew this, so he ordered everyone to gather at the Alliance’s dojo, a building Shenlong asked for.
It stuck out like a sore thumb with mana-infused wood as a base, green scales as shingles, and a door carved with dragons.
Inside sat nearly a hundred people wearing gi—the attire required to enter. Shenlong stood facing the group with his hands clasped behind his back and eyes closed. If not for the slight movement of his chest, he was utterly still. Astonishingly, a puddle of sweat had long since formed at his feet, his gi no longer able to absorb more. It was strange considering he had been standing still for quite some time, and yet the flow of sweat showed no signs of stopping.
Peter was among the seated. Today was the sixth day of training, and yet he was still in awe of Shenlong. The man was practically a machine. At first, Shenlong could only use mental suppression for several minutes, but he lasted a little longer every time the next session started. It was a shame Shenlong had yet to take the m-serum, or the skill would’ve jumped several grades on top of any progress he made.
The monotonous task of manipulating energy under mental suppression ended as the sun fell. Shenlong recused himself and was the first to leave the dojo, but Peter coughed to gather everyone’s attention before the others followed. “Great work as usual. Who feels like they’ve plateaued?”
Fifteen people raised their hands. While it was true you could lie to avoid training, doing so would result in death. He trusted everyone here, so he responded after making a mental note. “That’s more than yesterday, hm, it seems we’ll be hunting another noble soon. All right, see you tomorrow.”
Towers of Heaven: A LitRPG Adventure (Book 3) Page 11
