Just as he was about to take out a teleportation scroll to the thirtieth floor, his communication necklace rang again. He answered impatiently. “What?”
“Hey, hey, Jason! This kingdom thing is so freakin’ cool. I never would have thought the tower would have something so different!” Roy’s animated voice came from the necklace.
Jason’s impatience was swept away by Roy’s vibrant energy. It was something that happened quite frequently. He responded with a warm smile. “I’m glad you like it. What day are you on?”
“The fourth, uh, no, the fifth! I’m getting prepared for the monster wave right now.” Roy sighed lightly. “Man, if Index didn’t write that book, I don’t think I would’ve been ready for the attack. I really have to thank them!”
Jason’s smile widened. The guide book he wrote was probably even helping those top-tier guilds. It contained a bunch of tips and tricks that even a top-tier ascender might not know.
Roy clicked his tongue. “One thing sucks, though. My village spawned in a mountainous region; I don’t see the sea anywhere. How the heck am I gonna build my seafaring kingdom now?”
Jason shook his head. “Unlucky. Keep in mind that there might not even be a sea for you to find. The geography is random, after all. ”
“Noooo! Don’t jinx it!” Roy exclaimed.
Jason coughed. “Well, the odds of finding a sea are pretty high. I’m sure you’ll find it.”
“I better! I already have five scouts searching for one right now.” Roy explained. “I did find a river though. It might lead to a sea.”
“One can only hope.” Jason remarked. As he talked, he teleported to the thirtieth floor. He didn’t want to disappoint Olivia by being late.
“Anyway, I was calling to see if you wanted to go get something to eat on the thirtieth floor. I asked Olivia to come, but she said no.” Roy lamented.
Jason walked through the crowd as he headed towards the colosseum. “I can’t right now. I told Olivia I’d train her.”
“Ah. How long will that take?”
Jason mused for a moment. “Probably an hour? It depends on when she gives up.”
Roy chuckled. “You realize how arrogant that sounds, right?”
Jason shrugged his shoulders. “I’ll give you a call when we’re done. If you’re still hungry, then we can go out to eat.”
“Sweet.” Roy paused briefly. “I suppose I’ll challenge the colosseum while I wait. I haven’t done it in a while.”
Just as Roy was about to hang up, Jason added. “Oh, and if you really want Olivia to come with us, just tell her it’s a weekly guild meeting. A required one.”
“Oooh! Nice idea! She can’t decline the guild master, hmph, hmph.”
With that, the call ended. Just in time too, because Jason could already see Olivia standing in front of the colosseum entrance, eyeing her surroundings like a hawk. No doubt she was looking for him. When she spotted him, her small oval face lit up, only to return to normal a second later.
Jason walked up and greeted her. “How’s your kingdom coming along?”
“Fine.” Olivia responded curtly. “So how are we going to train?”
“Right to business, huh?” Jason chuckled inwardly. At least in this regard, Olivia was the same as the one in Jason’s alternate timeline. No funny stuff. Straight to the point. “We’re going to be dueling each other. Simple, right?”
Olivia tilted her head. “What about the differences in our gear? And aren’t the levels of my skills higher than yours?”
“Don’t worry about that.” Jason waved his hand dismissively. He manipulated the colosseum’s screen, adjusting its options to fit his plan. “The colosseum will supply us with equivalent gear and change our stats and skill levels so that they match. Should I make us the same height and weight too?”
Olivia paused and considered the last sentence seriously. “No, don’t do that.”
Jason almost fell over. “It was a joke, a joke! The colosseum doesn’t even have that option.”
Olivia gave Jason a strange look. “I know it was. I was joking too. What, do you think I don’t have a sense of humor?”
Jason inspected Olivia’s expression, only to find it was as flat as a board. Doesn’t she know with her personality, she can’t joke that way? Nobody can tell the difference!
Coughing awkwardly, Jason sent Olivia an invitation, which she promptly accepted. A second later, both of them appeared in an independent dimension inside of the colosseum.
Different from before, a screen appeared in front of Jason, asking him what equipment he would like to use. Deeply familiar with the interface, he selected a set of thin metal armor, a shield, and a longsword. On the other side of the arena, Olivia picked out a set of leather armor, a pair of daggers, and a belt which was equipped with various tools.
Olivia glanced upwards, but found no countdown, only a scoreboard which said zero to zero. Jason swung his sword to become familiar with its weight. He noticed Olivia’s confusion and explained with a shout. “I set it so that there is no winner, only an endless number of duels. Pain is set to normal. If you die, the arena will be reset and we’ll both return to full health. That okay?”
“Perfect.” Olivia drew her daggers and leaned forward, her posture low. Jason noticed a slight grin tugging at her lips.
Without any warning, Olivia slowly disappeared. It wasn’t abrupt, which meant it wasn’t teleportation. That left only one option: stealth.
Jason called out. “Don’t make me wait too long!”
He recalled one instance when he’d fought a life or death battle against an ascender with a high stealth level. Jason had been mentally exhausted near the end and almost lost his life. Sometimes, the threat of an assassin appearing at any moment was worse than fighting one. Thankfully, Olivia was using this opportunity to train, not to assassinate someone.
Jason squinted his eyes when he saw footprints coming towards him from the left. He smirked. “Hey, don’t forget the arena floor is sand.”
The footsteps paused. A second later, Olivia appeared, her cheeks deep red. “You… did you do that on purpose?”
“Of course!” Jason roared with laughter when he saw how embarrassed Olivia was. This only caused Olivia to tremble.
Jason wiped a tear from his eye as he explained. “I’m here to train you remember? If I hadn’t told you I could see your footprints, I would have acted as if I didn’t see them and caught you unaware. Wouldn’t that be terrible?”
The way she looked at Jason subtly changed. She smiled. “I didn’t expect you to take this seriously.”
“Of course I take it seriously. You’re my friend and companion.” Jason shrugged.
“Oh, really?” Olivia tilted her head innocently. “Then why did I have to ask like five hundred times for this to even occur?”
Jason shook and began whistling at the sky.
Sighing helplessly, she clenched her daggers and lowered her posture once more. “I’m going!”
Jason noticed her regain her composure and grew serious. “Come!”
Instantly, Olivia disappeared. Jason’s eyes widened, and without hesitation, he rolled forward while swinging his shield behind him. Not even a split second later, there was a loud clang, followed by the click of a tongue.
Jason jumped to his feet, only to find Olivia hot on his tail. Her daggers glinted in the sun as they flashed forward, only to have a shield meet her every blow. In just five seconds they exchanged over twenty moves.
Olivia specialized in agility, while Jason’s stats were distributed over stamina, strength, and agility. Even though Jason’s speed was far lower than Olivia’s, he was able to keep pace with her.
Every time Olivia’s dagger met with Jason’s shield, her weapon seemed to be magically pulled out and to the side. It left her exposed. Thankfully, Jason didn�
��t seem to have time to counterattack.
“You seem to think you’re safe?” Jason suddenly said. Before Olivia could react, a large wall of metal covered her vision. With a bang, her nose shattered as she was sent flying backwards.
She hit the ground with a thud. Anxious, she forced down the pain with her iron will and used the momentum from the attack to roll to her feet. When she recovered, the world spun around her. Glancing up, she found her body falling to the ground. Just as she understood what had just happened, and as the thought of death entered her mind, she found herself standing thirty feet in front of Jason.
Glancing up, she saw the scoreboard change. Jason: one. Olivia: zero.
She stepped back, horrified at what had just occurred. She died? Just like that? She had thought the fight was one-sided, with Jason on the run. He could only defend himself, right? So why did it turn out like this?
After the horror came anticipation. This was strength. This was the power she sought. The wall that must be overcome. The three realms. She needed to seek it with all her strength. Fear and cowardice were not allowed. It must be culled, as her father would say.
“Are you okay?” Jason asked with concern, his voice breaking the silence.
“I-I’m fine.” Olivia tried to calm her breathing. To her surprise, she found that her heart was beating fiercely in her chest. The thought of death had overwhelmed even her.
“Are you sure? We can take a break.” Jason suggested. Even though death in the colosseum wasn’t final, it sure as hell didn’t feel that way. Even after experiencing a hundred deaths in the arena, most ascenders still weren’t used to it.
Olivia was silent for a few moments as her breathing returned to normal. She lowered her posture, clenched her daggers, and took a step forward. Her intent was clear.
Jason smacked his sword against his shield. “Come then!”
Chapter 6
Jason had his hands behind his neck as he lay on the ground, while his leg swung over his knee. Thirty feet away from him sat Olivia, digging away at the sand with her dagger in irritation. For the past few hours she had relentlessly fought against Jason. Time and time again she was killed, only to fight once more. Never had she been able to wound him. Worse, he had barely used any skills, while she used most of hers.
Olivia raised her head and stared at Jason. He’s a monster in human flesh. The only thing he’s lacking is stats and skill levels. She imagined Jason fighting the strongest person she knew. Her father. If they had equal stats, who would win? Even after thinking long and hard about it, she couldn’t find the answer. She deeply hated her father, but she would never underestimate him.
She was lucky to have met Jason. With him, she would be able to grow stronger. Perhaps one day strong enough to surpass her father. She imagined it. What face would he make at that moment? Olivia smirked. It sent shivers down her spine just thinking about it.
Stay calm. Olivia chastised herself. A reward only comes after hard work; she couldn’t lose herself to fantasies. She felt her face set in lines of determination as she shot Jason a challenging glare. As she was about to stand up, her communication necklace trembled. “Who?”
“Roy !” A vibrant voice came from the other side. “You guys have been training for forever. Don’t you know taking a break is good for the body? Let’s get some food, yeah?”
Olivia’s stomach rumbled at the thought of eating. The past few hours of constant battle had left her exhausted. Still, she forced the feeling down. “No thanks.”
Just as she was about to hang up, Roy adopted an intimidating voice. “As the guild leader, I have determined that this food outing is a mandatory guild event. If you skip, there will be punishment, young lady! ”
Olivia’s eyebrow twitched. “I’ll take the punishment.”
With that, she hung up and began to stretch her body.
Outside the colosseum, Roy was stunned silly. That jerk! He immediately called someone else. “Jason! The guild meeting scheme didn’t work. What do I do? ”
“Hm? Really? Maybe it’s because you were the one that asked. She might not take you seriously,” Jason wondered aloud.
“I’ll show her that I’m not to be messed with! Hang on.” Roy ended the call and kicked the ground. I don’t have enough authority, huh? I’m not taken seriously, huh? Don’t want to listen to me, huh?
Roy folded his arms over his chest as he dialed Olivia. She answered a second later. “What?”
Roy glared at an invisible enemy. “Let’s duel. If I win, you have to come. If I lose… well… I don’t know.”
Olivia rolled her eyes. “I don’t have time for this.”
“Hmph. Too scared? Fine. I understand.” Roy moved to end the call.
Olivia’s face fell. “Scared? Of you? Are you serious?”
“It’s okay. I won’t tell anybody,” Roy said seriously. Inwardly, he was laughing with glee.
Olivia cooled down and snorted. “Trying to rile me up? It won’t work. Although, I think it’s time you figure out how weak you are.”
The call ended just as Roy was about to respond. He was unsure if his plan had worked or not. A moment later, a screen appeared in front of him, asking whether he wanted to join Jason and Olivia’s colosseum dimension. With a grin, he entered the arena and glanced around.
Jason felt something and sat up, only to find Roy. “What’s going on?”
Roy waved to Jason as he explained. “I’m dueling Olivia.”
“Oh. Good luck.” Jason stood up and moved to the edge of the arena.
Roy picked out a sword as his weapon. He swung it around a few times and grew confused. “Why do I feel so weak?”
Olivia explained calmly from the other side of the arena. “We have the same stats and skill levels.”
“Oh, that’s cool.” Roy nodded in understanding. He performed a few exercises to get used to his new body.
After a minute, Olivia called out. “Ready?”
Roy stopped, took a deep breath, and faced his opponent. “Yep.”
Both of them grew quiet as they prepared for battle. Olivia’s posture was low, while Roy’s was balanced. He could advance or retreat at a moment’s notice. Suddenly, Olivia kicked the ground, charging straight for Roy.
Unwilling to be outdone, Roy narrowed his eyes and sprinted forward. Just as they were about to clash, Olivia twisted her wrist and shot out a shuriken. Caught by surprise, Roy hastily parried with his sword, deflecting the shuriken to the side. When he looked back, Olivia was nowhere to be seen. Before he could look around, he felt pain in his back. He tried to move, but his body wouldn’t respond. He was stunned.
Quickly, he activated freedom, removing the effect. Flustered, he spun around with a swing of his sword. Olivia ducked and swiped out with her leg, knocking Roy off his feet. He hit the ground with a thud.
Olivia plunged her daggers towards Roy’s heart. Victory was in sight. All of a sudden, a blinding golden light shot out from Roy’s body. Olivia felt her daggers meet an invisible barrier. No matter how hard she pressed, they wouldn’t budge. Shocked at the unfamiliar skill, she backed off.
As Roy got to his feet, Olivia inspected the transparent golden barrier surrounding Roy’s body. However, in the next moment it dissipated into nothing. Frustrated at already using a trump card, Roy charged forward in order to capitalize on Olivia’s shock.
Olivia was no novice and quickly recovered. She expertly stepped back and dodged Roy’s attack. Seeing that Roy had gained the initiative, she grabbed at her waist and tossed out a small ball. With a soft boom, smoke covered both Olivia and Roy.
Roy glanced around in surprise. Even this is possible? He squinted his eyes, but it was no use. He could only think of one thing to do. Roy plunged his sword into the ground, activating consecration. Golden veins spread along the ground, dealing damage to all foes in the area. Olivia’s stealth was canceled from the damage, but i
t was too late.
A loud snap rang through the air as Roy’s leg bent inward. He groaned as he fell to the ground. Olivia stabbed out in succession. By the time Roy hit the ground, he had eight holes in his body. In the next moment, Roy dissipated into light and reappeared on the other side of the arena.
He was flabbergasted. “It’s over, just like that?”
Olivia twirled a dagger between her fingers as she walked over to Roy. “Satisfied?”
Roy’s mouth hung open, still surprised at how quickly the fight had ended. In the next moment, he blinked as a wide childish grin spread across his face. “Wow, you are so strong! That’s great. The guild definitely needs more experts like you, hahaha!”
Olivia nearly staggered from Roy’s unexpected reaction. She had assumed he would say ‘you cheated’ or ‘that’s not fair’, but instead he was happy? It didn’t make any sense.
Roy patted Olivia shoulder excitedly before taking a look at the gadgets on her belt. “Wow, look at all these tools. Maybe I should get some?”
From afar, Jason called out. “Hey, are you two done? I’m starving over here.”
Olivia glanced over. “We’re done. Let’s go.”
“Huh?” Roy stood still as Olivia teleported out of the colosseum. Upon realizing what she meant, he turned and gave Jason a thumbs up.
Jason shook his head with a laugh as he disappeared in a flash of light.
A short while later, Jason, Roy, and Olivia were eating at the best restaurant in the city. They ate near the balcony on the second floor, so they got a good look at the patrons below. As Roy ate, he praised Olivia. “Wow, you attack so fast. I noticed it was quick when we fought monsters together, but experiencing it firsthand is totally different.”
“Mm.” Olivia struggled to respond. She didn’t know how to. When had she ever been praised? She couldn’t think of a single instance.
Suddenly, a devilishly handsome man in a gray tailored suit strolled over to their table. He knelt down on one knee and handed Olivia a ring. “My lady, you are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. Would you please accept my gift?”
Towers of Heaven 2 Page 3
