“This is incredible but is severely going to limit your options for the next ascension,” Andrew stated. A set of lenses lined with arcane symbols floated around his head as he studied the Source Gauntlets. “Don’t get me wrong, it's a decent power-up. There are a lot of powerful options that demand the Essence of a World Tree, and the sample you absorbed is of far higher quality than what we can afford. It's powerful, but that means your options are now significantly limited.”
“What kind of limited options are we discussing?” Nil asked, lying on the analysis table. Tools poked and prodded at the Source Gauntlet’s joints, especially around the crimson gems’ borders where the burnt black had faded. The chrome-like luster now matched the color around the elbows. “Nothing lame, I assume?”
“No arm cannon for a while, unfortunately. Essence of a World Tree is the ingredient for more defensive and utility upgrades. We can expand the chassis significantly. I’m talking arm, shoulder, and maybe even some chest armor. So you can Expend from more besides just hands and forearms. “
“And more protection from Galvanized.”
“Besides that, the world tree’s magic mostly leans toward healing, warding, barriers, spatial magic, and related domains. So, the upgrade would need to be along similar veins.”
“I suppose that’s not the worst,” Nil commented. “Yggdrasil and her daughters are supposed to ward universes against the Void and connect them, right? Meanwhile, the Source is all about containing universes and maintaining boundaries. There are parallels. Maybe we can work with that.”
Andrew sighed. “This isn’t like cultivation. Philosophical parallels won’t work here. But I’ll look into it. I can guarantee a decent upgrade to Galvanized, but the rest is yet to be seen. It might just be a boost to energy weaving or containment abilities.”
“That’s not too bad. Galvanized has saved my butt a bunch of times. Maybe we’ll get lucky with some more half-decent materials, so it's not purely a defensive upgrade.”
“I wouldn’t get my hopes up, Sunny-boi,” Andrew said. “It's not enough to get rare materials. If you intend to pair it with Essence of the World Tree and not become a supportive component, it needs to be of the same power and purity. Given that you got this directly from a daughter of Yggdrasil, it's unlikely you’ll find something good enough. This upgrade might be more defense and utility-focused, but it doesn’t mean the next will be. You might find something badass during the Cleansing or as one of the rewards.”
“It’s something, I suppose.” Nil sighed. “Probably for the best. Elemental or magical defenses, combined with Toggled Supercharging's upgrade, will help me survive longer.”
Andrew nodded. “A good deal of my education here has involved research and studying other summoned and soul weapons. The level of destructive power you have with Expend’s explosions and the red Source constructs is well beyond that of Bronze. In fact, it rivals a good deal of what’s possible at Silver. If not for your range issues, I’d say your powerset combined with the gauntlets makes you pretty damn over-tuned.”
“I guess you’re right. Better defenses and resistance will help me get in close and put my tools to good use. Maybe mastery over Watcher techniques will eventually help increase my reach or get something ranged.”
“For the time being, you have Meatball. The way you turned her into a cannonball while fighting Pietro was pretty incredible. Why don’t you do that more often?”
“Opponents and environments haven’t been favorable,” Nil answered. “I don’t want her getting hurt for nothing.”
“Isn’t she essentially immortal while you’re still alive? Let’s not forget Regenerate. She can recover from almost everything.”
“You’re not wrong, but she’s just as good as a distraction. She’s still a baby, Andy. I haven’t lost a single Bronze Gauntlet match. If I think turning her into a weapon will turn the tide, I’ll use her accordingly.”
“Fair enough.” Andrew rolled his eyes. “I suppose if your life is not on the line, using her to trip people up or cause environmental damage is good enough.”
“She’s not far from Bronze Realm,” Nil said. “Maybe whatever she gets with ascension and Ashe’s leaf will give her more power or sturdiness to deal with these assholes. I swear almost every bastard I’ve fought has had elemental abilities or magic. I’m not going to throw Meatball at someone wrapped in fire.”
“I get it, Sunny-boi. You don’t have to explain. I see Meatball as a weapon, but she’s not an avatar of greater entities like Susan’s dogs.” Andrew’s eyes glowed blue, and the hooks he carried adopted the same light. The tools comfortably sunk into the metal of the source gauntlets, and the machine in his hand beeped. “These gems are the most important part of your gauntlets. The storage and amplification are incredible. What the metal is to Galvanized, the gems are to Wield The Source. Unfortunately, Essence of the Life Tree only empowers the metal. I can talk to Samara if you’d like.”
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“Please do.”
“Did you change your mind about Selia and Iris?” Andrew asked.
“What do you mean?” Nil felt caught off guard. “Of course not. I’m not into bed hopping and am still all in on with Selia.”
“You don’t need to get defensive. As I said before, there is no judgment, and you do what you think is best. I might be completely off base about you and Selia. Who knows what the Weave has turned her into? But risking something good for a hookup isn’t worth it.”
“I agree. Iris and I talked it out, and she understands that I’m not interested. I’d assume you think more of me, Andy. Why would I waste something good for someone I won’t see ever again after this quest? Well, except in the Cleaning, that barely counts.”
Andrew shrugged. “I enjoyed short flings before Susan. A guarantee of never having to see the person again made things more exciting and was a bonus. I’m not proud of it. After you showed up having consumed Ashe’s essence and claimed it thanks to Iris, I just worried something might’ve changed, and you’re making the same mistakes I made after university.”
“I’m not going to trade my dignity for a power-up, Andy. Iris might have ulterior motives, but she shared because I accidentally helped her steal a big chunk of Ashe’s leaf.”
Andrew said nothing more on the topic and focused on his analysis and testing of the Source Gauntlets.
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Entering the Arena backrooms as a Bronze Gauntlet fighter starkly differed from Nil’s Iron days. Iron Gauntlet had the greatest number of participants, but they sped in and out of matches and spent little time in the pocket dimension. The arena construct didn’t allow many consumables, and the few struggled with the exorbitant prices. A good deal of the armor and weapons on display demanded Bronze Realm or higher body attributes, and the few that didn’t were well beyond the average Iron Gauntlet fighter’s means. Most had to save for several quests and matches to afford one piece.
The eateries and bars enjoyed occasional patronage from Iron Realmers. It gave them the opportunity to socialize with individuals from other realms and make connections for quests and the arena’s team events. Nil had never given them much of a chance, but Sakura—a woman he had met while questing and been on a few adventures with—had shown him how to send a message and invite her out for a meal.
Bronze Realmers constituted the bulk of the people who hung out in the backrooms. Apparently, the bulk of arena fighters and Summoned were of the realm. The rarity of quests handing our ascension tokens shot up. Meanwhile, the number of arena events giving them out significantly increased. Besides the Death Gauntlet and Gauntlet of Ten, most of them came from team tournaments and events like the Cleansing. So, people spent time in the backrooms to make allies, find good deals on equipment, and avoid the loneliness of their homeworld.
Nil considered himself lucky. Working for the Nexus gave him easier access to ascension tokens than most. He could ascend the ranks much faster than most and expected to outpace his former colleagues and opponents before long. Several of his contemporaries from Golden Aegis were now with Wilson Luduses or other high-end luduses. According to the arena feeds, they had ascended to Bronze Relam not long after him. They didn’t get a year’s worth of training in a Control World for three months of time on Earth. Nil doubted many had quests with Silver Ascension Tokens waiting for the end of them either.
If Nil got a Cleansing ticket and then finished the event in any of the top three positions, he’d ascend to Silver Realm in nine Earth calendar months following getting to Bronze. As far as he knew, no one from his world had ever achieved such a feat.
Then there was the matter of loneliness. He was doubly lucky to have friends and family so close at hand. Most Summoned struggled to get time with their loved ones because of local laws and mostly had people they quested or fought with for company. He had read several cases of major mental health issues among low and middle-performing Summoned and fighters. The more successful ones either found a way around the restrictions keeping them away from civilian friends and family or surrounded themselves with an entourage of weaker Summoned.
Nil missed eating meat and stopped by a stall selling grilled meat on skewers. He couldn’t tell whether it was beef, goat, lamb, or something alien and didn’t care. The line at the stall spoke for its quality. Vendors selling dodgy products also swiftly got booted from the backrooms. Also, Nil only got to indulge in meat before and after his fights, and things were unlikely to change until he returned from his quest. He purchased one in a green, herby marinade and another with just salt and pepper before heading to the relevant arena gate. The temptation to buy more reared its beautiful head, but Nil resisted.
I can’t head into the finals feeling stuffed and bloated. Overeating can wait until after.
Unlike with Death Gauntlet and Gauntlet of Ten matches, Nil knew what kind of arena awaited him. The list of allowed consumable products had also increased since his time in the Iron Gauntlet. So, Nil invested in a concoction that sharpened one’s senses and in another that made his body more resistant to shock. Nil wished he could splurge on more but had read that all alchemical products had a level of toxicity and too many could cause adverse effects. Mixing them wasn’t a good idea either.
The arena construct also ensured that fighters couldn’t just purchase consumables to make themselves resistant to an opponent’s power. Resistance brews were meant to help combat issues caused by the weather, environmental issues, and arcane anomalies. The minor benefit he got against Pietro was a one-time thing. Tundra and desert arenas were reasonably common. As a result, the construct didn’t stop fighters from buying products to combat the frigid temperatures or sweltering heat.
Nil still had the vial he received from Adrian ‘Wildshape’ Wilson. It sat in the storage system provided to all fighters in the Bronze Gauntlet and up. The enchantment protecting the container hadn’t deteriorated, and he retrieved it at the gate before teleporting to his chance to get a Cleansing ticket.