With these units selected, chance of success is: 74%.
Jason clicked his tongue. Seventy-four percent wasn’t low, but it wasn’t reassuring either. The chance was so low because the level of his units was lower than the dungeon. Ronald was the highest-level unit Jason had, and he was only level thirteen. Still, a failure usually only meant a few units would be killed. The chance of success was acceptable.
As soon as Jason clicked confirm, the ten units that were selected began to head towards the dungeon. When everyone arrived, they entered the dungeon with Ronald in the lead.
Half an hour later, Jason received a notification with the result of the dungeon run.
Failure! Party has been wiped out. There were no survivors.
Loot: None.
Damn it! Jason was exasperated. Didn’t it say 74%? The chance of a failure was only 26%, and a full party wipe is usually less than 1%! How could I be so unlucky?
In the alternate timeline, Jason had failed numerous dungeons. He’d even had full party wipes, so he could handle losing a few of his units. The problem was that his potential hero, Ronald, was no more. What crap luck!
Chapter 9
A gray dagger made entirely of battle energy zoomed through the air, heading straight for Tank. The small turtle somersaulted to the side, narrowly dodging the attack. After missing, the dagger spun around and gave chase. A game of tag ensued.
Jason sat on a nearby boulder, casually waving his finger in the air like a conductor in an orchestra. He watched Tank’s strangely acrobatic movements with interest. She’s more monkey than turtle.
Besides curing his boredom, there was a good reason why Jason was chasing his beloved pet with the dangerous battle energy. A pet could not level up the way an ascender could. No, a pet could only level up when interacting with their owners. Play-fighting was one such route.
Besides mutilating his legs, Jason also trained in manipulating his battle energy. He had never specialized in the manipulation of mana, as he was more warrior than spellcaster, but that hadn’t stopped him from observing mages train in the alternate-future. The most powerful mage Jason had ever known was an Indian woman by the name of Amara. Nearly half of her time was spent communing with the mana she controlled. Jason ventured that this must be what made her so powerful.
Jason quickly realized some fundamental differences. One, battle energy was terrifyingly destructive. Anything it touched would be destroyed. He was left with goosebumps when he recalled the vast amount of battle energy sleeping within his body. He figured the only reason why the energy didn’t harm him was because he possessed the battle physique. It was only now that he understood why Aros required his champion to have a battle physique. No one would survive without it.
On the other hand, mana could be destructive or gentle. It could be fire, water, earth, air, or any other element. The only thing battle energy could do was destroy. In this, however, it excelled. It rivalled even the demonic energies wielded by Baal, the final boss of the tower.
The second fundamental difference was how rigid battle energy was. Whenever Jason tried to mold battle energy into a complex shape, he would feel tremendous resistance. If he forced it, the battle energy would explode. The only thing he could create was simple weapons.
Another thing Jason learned was that manipulating battle energy was taxing. After several tests, he learned that the cost of manipulating battle energy rose the farther it was from his body. Additionally, if he mimicked Chop or Cleave with battle energy, the cost was actually higher than if he used the skill. The answer as to why eluded him.
As Jason’s thoughts reached this point, he sighed and flicked his finger, causing the gray dagger to dissipate. Tank let out a soft cry, and through their telepathic connection, Jason felt a wave of disappointment. He shook his head. “I can’t play anymore. I used up all my battle energy.”
Jason picked up Tank and rose into the air. Down below, the town was full of life. Villagers hurried here and there, and soldiers patrolled the streets. There were even horses pulling carriages full of resources. Every facet of his kingdom was progressing.
It had been one month in real time since he’d created his kingdom, and four months in sped-up time. Without knowing it, a restless feeling had taken root inside him. His kingdom was progressing, true, but he wasn’t actually getting stronger. It felt like the past month had been a complete waste.
He knew logically that his kingdom was worth the investment, but that was in the future. Right now, in this very moment, it was doing absolutely nothing for him. Over the past few days, the restlessness had grown into anxiety. His goal of clearing the tower in five years was once again weighing heavily on his mind. The pressure mounted so much he was on the verge of having a panic attack.
“I can’t do it.” Jason released a breath. As of this moment, he decided he would leave the kingdom-building floor and head to the thirty-sixth floor. Of course, that didn’t mean he would abandon his kingdom.
It was a bit risky, but there was a feature called queuing. Basically, it allowed Jason to build up a list of commands which would be completed in the order in which they were created. This feature was useful when the kingdom was self-sufficient. At that point, everybody used it. Now, though, when his kingdom was still in its early stages, it was too inefficient.
The only reason why Jason opted to use it, besides the mounting anxiety, was because of how far ahead his kingdom was. If that weren’t the case, he might have delayed for a few more weeks.
With his mind set, Jason spent the next few hours building up a list of over a thousand commands. As soon as the requirements for a command was met, it would be fulfilled. Jason glanced through the queued-up list and nodded. This’ll last me a week in real time. I’ll check back then. After finalizing everything, Jason teleported to the entrance of the thirty-sixth floor.
He found himself on top of a small rocky hill overlooking a vast prairie. The land was covered in beautiful beams of sunlight as far as the eye could see. Fresh wind brushed against Jason, cooling him. For a time, he stood there, enjoying the view. The anxiety gripping his heart loosened, although only slightly.
A familiar presence approached from behind. The newcomer stood next to Jason and took in a deep breath. “Smell that?”
Jason nodded, his face turning grim. “Bloodlust.”
The newcomer, a hooded woman shrouded in tattered robes, turned to Jason, her eyes widening slightly. “That’s unexpected. You have sharp senses, for a newbie.”
She returned her gaze to the prairie beneath them. “Tell me, how many can you sense?”
Jason slowly closed his eyes and reached out. In his mind’s eye, several auras emanating killing intent appeared. They overlapped one another, so it was difficult to accurately count how many there actually were, though this was no problem for Jason. His senses had been sharpened from decades of combat. Less than a second after closing his eyes, they snapped open. “Five. Two on the left, two in front, and one on the right. Their levels are around 60.”
“Impressive.” The woman’s eyes glittered underneath her hood. “Though I must warn you: killing intent can be misleading. How do you know they aren’t a fox in sheep’s clothing?”
Jason fell silent. It wasn’t that he hadn’t considered the possibility, but rather that he knew that the monsters on the thirty-sixth floor weren’t capable of that ability yet. Only on the thirty-ninth floor would they start to bait you by feigning a weak killing intent. The woman next to him wasn’t an ascender, but rather a resident of the tower. She intuitively knew that this was Jason's first time on the floor. In the end, he could only say, “You’re right, I hadn’t considered that.”
“Good attitude.” The woman nodded curtly. “I like you, so I’ll give you an explanation of the floor. Listen closely, because I’ll only say this once.”
For the next five minutes, the woman explained the rules of the next four floors. If she hadn’t been fr
ighteningly strong, Jason would have left mid-explanation. He didn’t dare to upset her. When she finished, she took a deep breath. “Did you get that?”
Jason nodded and raised his arm. There, on the back of his hand, was the brand of a snake wrapping around his wrist. It wriggled as if it was alive. This brand was of vital importance, and was the main feature of the next four floors. Jason focused on the brand, whereupon a small screen appeared.
0/5 Bloodlines Slotted.
Empty
Empty
Empty
Empty
Empty
The next four floors were called the bloodline floors. On them, every monster contained a bloodline. Upon killing a monster, its bloodline could be absorbed through the power of the brand. Furthermore, two bloodlines could be combined to craft an even stronger one. In total, only five bloodlines could be equipped at once.
If a bloodline was not absorbed, they dropped as an item, which could then be traded to other ascenders or saved for experimentation. Months ago, when Jason sold a map of the thirty-ninth floor to the Skyfall guild, he had included a list of crafted bloodlines.
Back then, Jason hadn’t been entirely truthful. When he created that map, he had intentionally left out some information regarding the most powerful bloodlines. These bloodlines would only be discovered much later, and would cause an uproar amongst ascenders.
The people who spent the most time experimenting with bloodlines weren’t the top-tier guilds, but rather the ones who came after them. The top-tier guilds were focused on ascending the tower, not exploring all the little secrets of each floor.
In the alternate-future, Jason had spent a considerable amount of time and money acquiring the best bloodlines. This time would be different. Nobody knew they existed, so who would compete over them?
Chapter 10
“Well, good hunting.” The cloaked woman made her way over to a flickering campfire next to the portal. Her purpose was to guide newcomers, and so she waited for the next ascender to arrive.
Jason cracked his neck as he carefully made his way down the rocky hill. Let’s see, what should I go for first? Five bloodlines could be slotted, which meant he could enhance five stats. Attack speed, movement speed, health, mana, reaction speed. There were plenty to pick from. Jason’s path was as an offensive tank. Which bloodlines would enhance his strength the most?
As he was thinking, Jason arrived at the bottom of the hill. The prairie was filled with green grass that reached up to the knees, perfect for hiding small monsters. The five auras he’d sensed earlier originated from a pack of twin-fanged foxes, dog-sized creatures that had two sharp fangs. The pack silently surrounded Jason, only moving when the wind brushed against the grass.
Hmm. I should try experimenting a bit. Jason stood still, relaxing his guard, as if inviting the foxes to play. They took the bait. The foxes pounced forward, their fangs bared. Each pounce was timed differently as they attacked from all directions.
Jason instantly sent out an invisible wave of killing intent. It disappeared as soon as it arrived, but the job was done. The foxes’ instincts screamed at them. Their minds were overwhelmed by fear.
Jason gripped his weapon. He used burst consecutively, and in the next moment, his sword returned to its sheath. Four severed heads rolled along the ground, leaving a trail of blood. The last fox hit the ground with a thud. The battle was over before the foxes knew what was happening.
He had spent nearly five hundred Battle Energy. If not for wanting to level up Sever, Jason would never have wasted so much energy at once.
As the monsters dispersed into light, their blood rose into the air and flew towards Jason. By habit, he held out his hand, whereupon the snake on his wrist opened its maw and devoured the blood.
5/5 Bloodlines Slotted.
Twin-Fanged Fox - 1% Harder to Sense
Twin-Fanged Fox - 1% Harder to Sense
Twin-Fanged Fox - 1% Harder to Sense
Twin-Fanged Fox - 1% Harder to Sense
Twin-Fanged Fox - 1% Harder to Sense
The twin-fanged fox monster was especially useful for assassins, rogues, and archers. Not so much for Jason. To save space, Jason combined all five into one.
1/5 Bloodlines Slotted.
Twin-Fanged Fox - 3.5% Harder to Sense
Empty
Empty
Empty
Empty
A bloodline could only be improved by so much. The higher tier a monster, the stronger the bloodline. For a common monster like the twin-fanged foxes, they could at most be improved to 10%. Elites, 15%. Field bosses, 20%. Raid bosses, 25%. Even though Jason considered himself pretty powerful for his level, he was still far away from soloing a raid boss. The problem wasn’t a lack of skill or equipment, but of stamina. A raid boss had an absurd amount of health. Even if Jason consumed all of his energy, he would at most bring it down to 80% life.
The thirty-sixth floor was filled with upper-tier guilds farming for bloodlines. The top-tier guilds had made their way past the fortieth floor by now, which left plenty of hunting grounds for the upper-tier guilds to fight over. Jason intentionally avoided them. Not out of fear, but to avoid wasting time.
Alas, he could only do so for so long. The hunting grounds left for solo ascenders like him were terrible, to say the least. The zones which held the most popular bloodlines were controlled by the upper-tier guilds. Those were the ones he wanted.
A few hours after arriving on the floor, Jason stood not far from one such zone. Ahead of him was a cluster of rocky outcrops, from which emanated the irritating laughter of hyenas. This place was home to hundreds of hyenas, famous for their bloodline which increased attack speed. Attack speed was useful for every ascender, thus the conundrum. This place was a hotspot for the upper-tier guilds. As such, only the strongest guilds could compete over it.
In front of Jason were two such guilds. One was Vengeance, the guild Jason had seen on the undead floor, while the other was Crusaders. Both were on the verge of becoming top-tier guilds. Vengeance and Crusaders each had around thirty ascenders. The groups stood twenty feet apart, glaring at each other. By the looks of it, they were on the verge of fighting.
A man decked out in glittering gold armor stepped forward. “Ivan, it seems your informants did well.”
Ivan, a stocky man covered in two layers of leather armor, separated himself from his group. On his back were two massive hammers, which Jason recognized as a pair of Heroic grade weapons. Ivan snorted. “Hans, Vengeance arrived here first. This hunting ground is ours.”
Hans raised an eyebrow. “Really now. We arrived here at the same time, didn’t we?”
Ivan’s gaze was sharp as he fell silent. Hans spread his arms. “Why don’t we settle this the old-fashioned way?”
Ivan gazed over the Crusaders standing behind Hans. They were equipped in high grade gear, but no more than his own guild. If only gear was considered, there was an equal chance of winning. Thankfully, his guild had been the first to arrive when an undead horde appeared. They wiped out the majority of it and gained a huge boost of XP. By his estimate, he was several levels above Hans. Both he and Hans were high-ranking officers. If he failed here, it wouldn’t look good. But if he won, he might be able to get Hans demoted. Ivan pursed his lips. “Fine. A one versus one it is, whoever gets three wins first gets the hunting ground.”
“Sounds good. Shall we go first to kick things off?” Hans pulled out a massive silver greatsword from his inventory. It too was Heroic grade.
The two groups created an impromptu arena by forming a circle. Fierce shouts and hollering erupted. “Come on, beat his ass, Hans!”
A Vengeance member retorted in a slightly louder voice. “He’s nothing! Show him our guild’s strength!”
Jason couldn’t see what was happening from his position, so he made his way over. Just as he arrived, the ascenders in front o
f him parted. Hans fell out of the ring, his armor covered in dents. As he was about to hit the ground, Jason caught him and pulled him to his feet.
“Damn.” Hans steadied himself and wiped the blood from his lips. He turned to Jason, expecting one of his own. “Thank-, who are you?”
“Just watching.” Jason gave a slight nod.
“Hm.” Hans was too upset over losing to continue the conversation. He made his way back to his group.
Jason thought for a moment before he called out. “A word of advice. Vengeance wiped out an undead horde about a month ago. It was a pretty big one too, I saw at least three raid bosses.”
Hans paused, his countenance falling. He glanced over his shoulder and gave a grateful nod before continuing onward. Conversely, the Vengeance members around Jason gave him hateful glares. Coughing awkwardly, Jason gave an apologetic smile.
Even though Hans now knew that Vengeance’s levels were higher than his guild’s, there was nothing he could do. The duel continued.
As Jason expected, Crusaders lost another duel, and were now at zero to two. If they lost one more, they would lose their right over the hunting ground. The only fortunate thing was that Ivan ran out of stamina and had to pass the torch over to his second-strongest member. Even so, the outcome was still grim for Crusaders.
Hans gripped his hands in frustration. Crusaders desperately needed this hunting ground. His guild master was counting on him. If he failed here, then his guild would surely fall behind.
Ivan taunted from the other side. “Come now, we’re waiting. Who’re you gonna send out?”
Hans grimaced. He turned to his second-best man and called out. “Vin-”
“I’ll do it.” Jason stepped forward. Sixty pairs of eyes, all from powerful ascenders, focused on him. The guild master of a mid-tier guild would waver in fright, but Jason was as calm as a still lake.
“Who the hell are you? No outsiders are allowed.” Ivan snorted in irritation. Just as his guild was on the verge of victory, some random was delaying things. Even worse, it was the one who outed their secret.
Towers of Heaven 2 Page 5
