Xavier stepped back into the Staging Room.
It felt empty without the other members of his party. It was bigger, too. It had expanded, becoming even larger than it had when they’d returned to the tower. It seemed absurd that it would be this large just for him.
He slowly walked toward the door to the next floor. Then he stopped, turned, and stared at the pedestal that would let him access the System Shop.
I guess it’s time I upgrade my scythe-staff and my robes.
It had been a while since he’d bothered to do that, even though he knew he’d outgrown them.
He’d been holding off getting a new weapon. He wanted a soul bound weapon, like Adranial had told him about, but getting one of those seemed close to impossible—at least right now.
But it had been some time since he’d looked in the System Shop.
Adranial has a soul bound weapon. A staff that her mother, an A Grade, gave her. There’s no way that I’ll be able to find a soul bound weapon just sitting for sale in the System Shop. Even if one did pop up, there’s no way that I would be able to afford it!
Xavier felt as though he was rich for his level, and he definitely felt as though he was rich for the amount of time he’d been within the System. But by the standards of the Greater Universe, he was near the bottom of the totem pole.
He stepped over to the System Shop anyway. When he had spoken to Sam about having something to trade for a soul bound weapon, he’d been speaking of trading his loyalty in some way—not completely, but perhaps signing a contract that would owe him a favour to someone.
This would be betting on the fact that he would one day become powerful enough for that favour to be more than worth it.
I don’t have access to people like that right now. Not here in the tower.
Though he didn’t know what he would find on the tower floors—and he didn’t know what he would find in the loot boxes now, especially once he had completed the one hundredth floor.
The one hundredth floor can’t be that bad, right? I mean, I was already on the twentieth floor… this is only eighty floors after…
Xavier sighed and touched a hand to the crystal atop the pedestal. The System Shop interface came up instantly. He searched for the keywords “soul” and “bound” for a good while but, unfortunately, he didn’t have any luck.
He felt like he should feel excited about the prospect of attaining new gear, but all he felt was frustrated that it wouldn’t be the weapon and robes he was truly after.
Still, he couldn’t keep going on like he had been, not with how the System was interfering with his time in the tower. Now that he was about to enter the one hundredth floor, he couldn’t half-ass anything—he had to optimise his equipment, and make sure that everything was on point.
Otherwise he might be walking into a situation that he wouldn’t be able to handle. The last thing he wanted to do was step onto the next floor underprepared.
So Xavier sifted through the different scythe-staffs that were on offer for his grade, level, and attributes.
Maybe I should push to D Grade as fast as I can. That way I’ll be able to access even better equipment.
The thought popped into his head, and he wasn’t sure how he felt about it. He probably wouldn’t have much say in how long it took him to get to the next level. It wasn’t as though he could restrict the number of Mastery Points he gained without the help of the System… right?
He tapped his foot in thought for a moment, then stepped away from the pedestal. He tilted his head to the side and wondered if he should speak with Adranial.
It wouldn’t take long for the woman to figure out that something strange was going on with him. Wouldn’t take her long to realise that he and his party members were turning up in the taverns at different times, or that he no longer needed information on the next floors.
The System’s notification had told him that he was not allowed to obtain information on future floors, it didn’t say anything about obtaining information in general from others.
It would be pretty damned rude if it did.
And it wasn’t just Adranial or Sam that he could ask for information from—even if Sam rarely offered anything good these days—he had a spell that would be perfect for things like this. Otherworldly Communion.
I can’t go much longer without using that spell, he thought. The problem is, I don’t know what the cooldown is like right now—that seems to change, like it does for Summon Otherworldly Spirit.
I might very well need insight on the floor I’m about to enter.
Using it now seemed like it could be a waste. A risk he didn’t want to take. Gaining another level would mean he wouldn’t need to wait for the cooldown, but he didn’t know how long it would be until he got to the next level. It wasn’t as though he’d gained all that many E Grade Mastery Points since returning to the Tower of Champions, after all.
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
Though he supposed that could change dramatically soon.
Xavier shut his eyes. Took a breath. All of his plans had gone awry.
Screw it.
He filtered through the different scythe-staffs and robes that were in his price-range—factoring in that he would need to be able to afford both—and bought the most expensive ones that he could afford.
Then he sold off his old gear and equipped the new ones. He didn’t bother giving the weaker, cheaper gear much of a look—the System Shop was good at filtering through its options, and from a cursory glance he could see what it put at the top was the exact thing he preferred to buy.
Xavier looked at the information for his new scythe-staff and set of robes.
First, he looked at his scythe-staff. It appeared in his hands the moment he bought it. He had to say, he was impressed by the look of the thing. It didn’t look as… “practical” as his last scythe-staff. Charon’s Scythe hadn’t looked strictly like a traditional scythe, but more like a war scythe—the blade had extended from the end of the staff more like a polearm weapon.
This weapon? It looked like death himself would have been happy to wield it—and it looked just as old.
He would have to adjust his melee fighting style using this thing, but he was happy to do that considering how much more it would amplify his attributes. Besides, it wasn’t exactly as though melee fighting was what made Xavier shine.
Xavier ran a hand across the wood of the weapon. The shaft wasn’t straight. It was gnarled and had a slight curve. It had a natural feel to it. Like when the universe began and the first tree dropped its first branch, death was there to pick it up.
It’s just a weapon, Xavier told himself. I think I’m being a little dramatic about it.
The blade was the silver of the moon, and he could see how well it would catch the light in the dead of night. Perhaps that was how the weapon got its name.
The only thing Xavier was a little upset about was the fact that he would have to do away with his Soul Step ability. Charon’s Scythe’s imbued ability had been incredibly helpful to him.
But it wasn’t more important than the sheer strength this weapon offered.
He looked at the attributes a second time, and the imbued skill the weapon would give him.
Midnight Scythe
This scythe-staff requires 10,000 Intelligence, 10,000 Spirit, 5,000 Willpower, and 3,000 Strength to wield.
+1,500 Intelligence
+2,000 Spirit
+1,250 Willpower
+1,000 Speed
+750 Strength
+250% Spirit Energy recovery
+200% magical damage dealt
+200% physical damage dealt
Imbued ability: When this scythe-staff is in the hand of its wielder, it bestows upon them the Restorative Spirit ability. For half of the wielder’s Spirit Energy reserve, it can restore a single spell from cooldown.
Time restriction: This ability can only be used once every 12 hours.
This scythe-staff is enhanced by 20% when paired with the Midnight Robes.
He tilted his head to the side as he read the imbued ability. Restorative Spirit. It was an imbued ability that he’d seen on a different staff. He’d gotten Charon’s Scythe instead of the staff that had this ability, thinking teleportation would be better—perhaps he’d been right, but none of the other staffs that offered as much raw power as this one had a teleportation ability like his old staff.
Still, he could definitely see how being able to instantly restore one of his spells from cooldown could come in handy.
Having use of one of my otherworldly spells every twelve hours instead of waiting for their natural cooldown would be overpowered and awesome. Or using a powerful Soul Strike twice in quick succession, after harvesting the souls the first Soul Strike had made available.
The robes looked barely different to the last ones that he had acquired. They were black, with long, billowing sleeves that somehow never got in the way of his hands—as though magic was keeping them from being tangled up. The robes flowed back behind him. There was no wind in the Staging Room, but he imagined these billowing with that scythe in his hand would be quite the sight.
The robes also matched his scythe-staff, something that he hadn’t even intended—almost as thought the System had steered him toward them.
Midnight Robes
These robes require 10,000 Intelligence, 10,000 Spirit, and 5,000 Willpower to wear.
+1,000 Intelligence
+1,000 Spirit
+750 Willpower
+120% Spirit Energy recovery
+120% magical damage resistance
Imbued ability: When these robes are worn, they bestow upon the wearer the ability to Otherworld Phase. Otherworld Phase allows the user to phase into the Otherworld for a period of two seconds, effectively making them incorporeal.
Time Restriction: This ability can only be used once every 10 minutes.
These robes have a self-repair feature fuelled by Spirit Energy.
These robes are enhanced by 20% when paired with the Midnight Scythe.
Xavier smiled at that. He hadn’t even known one could find matching equipment, but he was glad for it. A 20% boost on the attributes he gained from the scythe-staff and the robes would serve him well.
He tilted his head to the side at the imbued ability. Otherworld Phase was the exact ability his Anointed Robes of the Umbral had given him, but it wasn’t an ability that he’d really needed before. It seemed that it was a common ability with the robes that were on offer to him. Part of him wished he’d gotten something different, but he also saw the benefit in an ability like that.
Especially now, when he might actually be vulnerable against the enemies he was facing.
Maybe I’ll use it more often. Hell, maybe the ability will end up saving my life.
Whether he used the imbued abilities or not, the robes and the scythe-staff themselves had improved his attributes dramatically. He hadn’t even thought that it was possible for equipment to improve him to such a degree.
Just by putting on this gear, he felt so much more powerful. God, why hadn’t he done this earlier?
And this equipment isn’t even the best that I could be able to get—it’s just the best that I can afford, and the best for my grade.
The requirements for the attributes on the equipment were much lower than he actually had.
What would it be like if he had soul bound equipment?
No point thinking on that right now.
He turned back and faced the Staging Room door. Speaking to his party in the tavern, getting new gear from the System Shop… it almost felt as though he’d been procrastinating entering this next floor. He bit his lip. Maybe he had been. A little. But could anyone blame him?
He had no idea what to expect on the other side.
That only made him smile more.
This is the type of adventure I want.
He strode over to the door, his new Midnight Robes billowing behind him from the motion, and grasped the handle.
Tower of Champions.
The Tower of Champions is where World Defenders prove themselves, fighting for rewards, upgrades and powerups.
Open Floors:
Floor 100 of 1,000.
Would you like to enter the 100th floor?
Xavier released a breath, then willed his answer.
Yes.
Instantly, Xavier was transported to the floor.