“Amazing!” Jason exclaimed aloud. The skill was everything he could ask for and more. First, it was a scaling ability. Second, it absorbed a portion of all damage he blocked, effectively increasing his health. Third, it was a ranged ability, one which tanks sorely lacked. With his current strength, he could absorb six hundred and fifty damage.
Jason faced the sky and shouted. “Thanks, Aros!”
“No problem, kid.” Aros’s voice rang in his mind.
Jason was startled. He didn’t expect Aros to respond. How often does he spy on me?
Chapter 36
Jason tried contacting Roy. Only after trying several times did he give up. He couldn’t be dead right? He shook his head. Roy would be all right, as long as he didn’t pick a crazy strong monster. The tower was dangerous, but the more dangerous it was, the more rewards it gave out. If he picked a phoenix, then the difficulty would skyrocket. Imagine gaining the ability of a legendary creature.
Jason wanted to ascend the tower, but not alone. He didn’t want to leave Roy behind. Even so, he felt a heavy weight pressing down on him, leaving him anxious. If he was stronger, he could have prevented his father from entering the military. He didn’t know when his father would officially transfer to Brazil. Once he did, he might die at any moment. Only when thinking about the equipment and skills Jason bought his father did he relax slightly.
If he couldn’t ascend the tower, then he might as well grind his skills while he waited for Roy. Thanks to his battle physique reaching stage two, he gained access to a much larger pool of battle energy. He would be able to level chop, cleave, and sever much faster now. In addition, they all dealt significantly more damage because the damage was based on his battle physique stage.
Chop - Stage 2
Consume 20 Battle Energy to deal (150% Damage x Battle Physique Stage) to a target. Pierces 10% of target’s defense.
Kill 100,000 monsters with this skill to reach Stage 3: 122/100,000.
Chop was the skill he’d worked on the most. He had upgraded it to stage two just before he became a golem. When Jason first saw the additional description of the skill, his eyes narrowed and then widened in surprise. The skill gained a piercing effect. This effect was the bane of tanks like Jason. No matter how high Jason’s defense was, skills with the piercing effect would just ignore it. To the relief of tanks, such an effect was incredibly rare.
Seeing how strong Chop became after being upgraded made Jason want to see what the other two skills gave when they were upgraded. What would sever gain? What would cleave gain? He couldn’t wait to find out.
Hunting on floors eleven to fifteen was a pain, so he made his way back to the slimes on the tenth floor. Now that Jason was a much higher level than the monsters he was fighting, he didn’t gain any experience. That didn’t count for abilities. As long as an ability was used in combat, it would gain experience. As Jason waited for Roy to contact him, he got into the rhythm of grinding slimes.
Around two weeks later, Roy stepped through a portal, appearing on the sixteenth floor. The first thing he felt was the wind brushing against his skin. That’s right. His skin. No longer did he have hard scales covering his body. He was back to being a human, baby. He raised his hands to the sky and shouted. “Woohoo!”
He had been a dragon for so long that his body felt unfamiliar, though the feeling passed after he performed a few stretches. A screen appeared before him, informing him of the glider. When Roy realized he would be flying through the skies on a glider, he jumped in excitement. Finally, no more killing. Jeez, I thought being a dragon would be fun, considering they’re apex predators, but man, I was wrong. All they do is kill, kill, kill! I’m ready to take it easy and relax.
Just as Roy was about to jump off the pillar and fly on his glider, a familiar voice sounded from behind him. “So you made it out alive, huh. Boy were you slow. I’ve been waiting for over a week.”
Roy, startled, turned and found Olivia sitting on the pillar, her legs dangling off the edge. His eyes brightened. “Hey, it’s you! Uh, what was your name again? I don’t think you told me.”
Olivia turned her head to face Roy. “Olivia.”
“Olivia, huh? So, did you finally decide to join my guild?” Roy detached himself from his glider, stored it away, then walked over to Olivia.
Olivia squinted. “Where’s Jason?”
“Oh! Jason. I don’t know.” Roy pulled out his communications necklace. “Let me contact him.”
“Wait!” Olivia hastily called out.
Roy titled his head. “What’s wrong?”
Olivia stood up with a solemn expression. “I have a few questions to ask you.”
“Go for it.”
Olivia briefly inspected Roy before asking. “Jason, he… how well do you know him?”
Roy grinned. “I met him over two months ago. I can’t say I know him well, but I do know he’s a sincere, genuine guy. He’s been training me since we met. He can be a bit boring and unfun, but he’s a good guy, I think.”
Olivia felt the final bit of caution she had melt away. Perhaps due to her upbringing, she was cautious by nature. Only after investigating Roy and Jason did she finally want to join their guild. Her questioning Roy now was just a final precaution. Perhaps I’m overdoing it.
“I have a question for you.” Roy paused. “I can tell that the reason why you’re joining the guild is because you want to enter the three realms. I want to ask this: Why do you want to learn it so badly?”
Olivia clenched her hands, hesitating. She could tell that Roy was just curious. Nothing more. Maybe that was why she wanted to tell him her goal. Or maybe she just wanted to tell someone what she had been pursuing all this time. Her eyes dimmed as she answered. “As you know, I’m a natural-born. My father, well, he was very strict. As soon as I turned five, I entered hell. He would sever my limbs so I could build up tolerance to pain, among other things. As I grew older and became more intelligent, I thought he was doing this in order to train me. To make me grow strong, like him.”
Roy was stunned into silence. Her father tortured her? How cruel.
Olivia sneered. “I was wrong. He was merely experimenting, trying to gain a better understanding of the tower’s rules. He didn’t care about trying to make me stronger, that was just a side effect.”
Roy’s chest clenched. “I’m sorry.”
Olivia’s eyes brightened. “My father is stuck in the second realm. For years he’s been unable to take that final step and reach the foresight realm.”
Olivia paused, a smile tugging on her lips. “I want to reach it before him. I want him to see that I, his daughter, surpassed him. I want to see the look on his face when I tell him. Will he regret treating me like a tool? Will his pride tear him apart? I can’t wait.”
As Olivia faced the sky, fantasizing, Roy sighed. He pitied her. How could her parents be so different from his? His parents had tried their best to prevent him from entering the tower. To have a life of combat. He never would have thought there were such evil parents out there.
“So.” Olivia broke Roy away from his thoughts. “Can I join the guild?”
Roy extended his hand. “Of course. I’m honored to have such a strong ascender like you join.”
Olivia shook Roy’s hand, growing curious about the boy before her. He was a natural-born like her. Who were his parents? How was he raised? She shook her head. Perhaps this was her training getting the better of her. Maybe she wasn’t genuinely curious about him. It was just the lack of information about Roy that made him interesting. It was like an itch she couldn’t scratch. Just who was he?
“Great!” Roy grabbed the communication necklace. “I’ll tell Jason the good news.”
Chapter 37
On the tenth floor, in a sparse forest, Jason sat on the ground eating a ham sandwich. Over the past two weeks, his hair had grown down to his shoulders. He figured it was about time to cut it. As he munched on his food, he glanced up at the elite slimes attacking him. Countle
ss spells rained down on his body while slime after slime bashed into him. One slime in particular, an elite red slime, let out a yelp as it dispersed into motes of light. Heh. It was funny.
Here he was, eating lunch and minding his own business, yet these slimes just couldn’t get enough of him. Of course, he was the one who aggroed every slime in the forest before sitting down to eat. The reason was simple. Earth Armor, Reflection, and Troll Regeneration. These skills could only be leveled up by being attacked.
Jason smirked when another slime died to reflection. He really would be able to fall asleep and kill monsters. But not yet. Earth Armor was hard to level at its current grade, and Troll Regeneration couldn’t keep up with the damage he took, at least not until it leveled up.
As he ate, he would occasionally let out a fearsome shout, followed by a roar. The shout activated Warcry, and the roar activated taunt. It wasn’t the type of roar or shout that mattered, but his intent. As long as he yelled, it was enough. Intent was what dictated what skill activated.
Jason finished eating his banana, downed a bottle of water, and then stood up. He inspected the information of the four skills he’d bought two weeks ago for a hefty sum. He was left with a pitiful ten thousand gold.
Taunt - Level 3 59% - Beginner
Consume 10 stamina to force a target to attack you for 15 seconds. Reduced effect on humans.
55 second cooldown.
Troll Regeneration - Level 8 68% - Beginner
Passive. +2 Health Regeneration a second.
Block - Level 5 22% - Beginner
Passive. If an attack or spell is blocked by your shield, negate 20% of the damage.
Freedom- Level 2 22% - Beginner
Consume 25 stamina to become immune to all crowd control effects for 2 seconds.
2 minute 56 second cooldown.
Each of these skills was what Jason considered to be his core abilities. Taunt was for tanking purposes, while the other three were for survival. After purchasing them, he had spent the last two weeks leveling them up.
Jason picked up his sword, a drop from a goblin on the fifth floor, and casually activated cleave. A beam of energy shot out from the sword, spreading out in every direction. Several slimes where chopped in half, dying on the spot. Unsatisfied, Jason sent out two more cleaves, killing the rest of the slimes. In only three attacks he killed over a hundred elite slimes. He spared a glance at the loot before ignoring it. It wasn’t worth picking up.
Jason pushed his hair out of his eyes with a frown. It was time for a haircut. He teleported to the Vistar Kingdom and entered a barber shop. It was possible to cut his hair himself, but Jason was one who kept appearances. He had used this shop for decades. It was run by a resident of the Vistar Kingdom, an elderly man with a nicely trimmed beard. The barber glanced at Jason when he entered. “Just a moment, sir.”
Jason watched, mesmerized, as the barber cut away at a man’s hair. It was clearly a resident of the tower, a noble by the way he dressed. But that wasn’t important. What was important was that the barber’s hands were a blur. His agility was high, much higher than a regular resident had. In only a matter of seconds, he finished cutting the noble’s hair. “There you are.”
The noble inspected himself in the mirror before giving a slight nod. He paid the barber and exited the shop, only sparing Jason a passing glance. A few minutes later, it was Jason’s turn. “I like it wild. Keep the length around my ears.”
“Very well, sir.” The barber began to snip away, finishing less than thirty seconds later.
Jason barely had any time to get comfortable in the chair before he had to stand up. He paid the barber a gold coin, shocking the man. Jason just gave him a pat on the shoulder. “I’ll be back again.”
The barber bowed slightly, not deferentially, just respectfully. “Thank you, sir.”
Just as Jason was about to exit the shop, he overheard a conversation going on between two noblemen waiting in line. “I heard that the royal army found a strange artifact when they were out conquering a nearby dungeon.”
“Oh really?” His companion twirled his mustache. “What does it look like?”
“Well, that’s the thing. It’s just a grey oval rock.”
The nobleman with the mustache was baffled. “Who was the one who dared to call it an artifact? What a fool!”
“I’m not finished.” The other nobleman grinned. “The rock was dropped by the dungeon’s boss, so it can’t be ordinary. It also doesn’t seem to take any damage. It’s stronger than the toughest metal.”
The nobleman with the mustache paused. “Really now? And what information does the strange rock give when inspected?”
“Nothing at all.”
The barber turned towards the nobleman with the mustache. “You’re next, sir.”
The conversation was cut short, leaving Jason standing there thoughtfully. The description of the rock was not unfamiliar to him. Indestructible and with no screen? Jason knew of such items, though not one in the shape of a rock. If this rock really was one of those legendary items, he definitely needed to check it out. He asked the nobleman who brought up the subject. “Sir, where is that rock right now?”
The nobleman loved to gossip about events, so he happily informed Jason. “I heard the royal army couldn’t do anything with it, so they ended up selling it to the merchant guild.”
“Got it, thanks.” Jason headed towards the merchant guild, his heart thumping in excitement. The merchant guild was run by the Vistar Kingdom, and as such was owned by residents of the tower. The royal army boasted the best soldiers the Vistar Kingdom had to offer, and they trained inside dungeons. It wasn’t unusual for them to sell rare items and the occasional heritage set.
The merchant guild owned a massive plot of land in the center of the market district. There, they built a luxurious building where they sold all their items. Jason entered, finding himself surrounded by glittering jewelry and equipment. The place was packed with ascenders and nobles. Only they had money to spend.
Just as he was about to ask for the location of the artifact, he found it. It sat on a table in the middle of the building, just resting there. Sure enough, it looked like an oval grey rock. Nothing special at all.
Jason forced down his excitement, putting on a bored expression. He casually made his way around the shop, glancing here and there. As if by accident, he stopped in front of the artifact. It was almost as large as him. With a curious glint in his eye, he asked a nearby employee, “Why is this rock in the reputed merchant guild?”
“Sir.” The female employee bowed slightly as she began her explanation. “This rock is very mysterious. It takes no damage. Not even Commander Svan of the royal army could damage it.”
“Commander Svan?” Jason’s eyes narrowed, recalling the man. As things stood, the royal army was much stronger than even top-tier guilds at the moment. Commander Svan even more so. If even he couldn’t damage it, then nobody could.
“Interesting.” Jason rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He rubbed the surface of the rock. Surprisingly, it was warm to the touch.
“Is sir interested in purchasing the strange artifact?” The employee smiled.
“Maybe. How much?” Jason glanced at her.
“Five thousand gold.” Her smile faltered as she said the price. Even she knew that no one would buy this useless rock for so much. She really wondered what management was doing by putting it in the center of the shop.
“Five thousand? Are you serious?” Jason’s eyes widened in shock and horror.
“Yes, well, that’s the price, sir.” The employee expected Jason’s reaction. She had experienced it many times today.
Jason rubbed his chin. “Hmm. I think my grandfather would love this rock. He’s a collector, you know.”
“W-what did you just say?” The employee was in disbelief.
Jason pointed. “This rock. I’ll take it.”
The employee stepped forward and whispered. “Sir, you know this is just a rock,
right? Don’t waste your money.”
Jason’s eyebrow twitched. Here he was, trying to sincerely spend a load of money, yet the lady before him was warning him that he was wasting his gold. Jason transferred five thousand gold to a spare crude grade inventory ring and passed it over to the employee. Stunned, she inspected the ring and found five thousand gold inside. She sighed to herself. These nobles really have too much money on their hands. With this much money, my family could live carefree for a hundred years.
Jason placed his palm on the artifact and stored it away in his inventory. By habit, the employee bowed. “Thank you for your patronage, sir.”
Towers of Heaven Page 20
