"oh you're awake I will get the doctor," she said and turned and walked out of the ward, I tried to call out not to worry and bring me some water, but she was gone before I had the chance. so signing in frustration, I just pulled up my status.
Status: Maxwell Hunt
Race: Human
Class: **
Level: [42]
Floors accessible: [1-1] - [1-6]
Health: [300/375] Mana: [510/510] Stamina: [100/375]
Attributes.
Strength: 22
Dexterity: 34
Constitution: 25
Intelligence: 34
Charisma: 25
Luck: ???
Skills
Gunslinger Rank [Apprentice] level [72/100]
Blademaster Rank [Apprentice] Level [5/100]
Brawler Rank [Beginner] Level [60/100]
Alchemy Rank [Apprentice] Level [62/100]
Leadership Rank [Beginner] Level [65/100]
QI Cultivation Rank [Ordinary Warrior] Level [1/9]
QI Cultivation Rank [Ordinary Warrior] Level [1/9]
Warrior Realm, Rank Ordinary, 1st Layer
QI Core Unlocked Attributes have become stronger
QI Abilities Unlocked
QI Manulaption Possible
It looked just how I expected, Ordinary Warrior. The cultivation skill was unique; the other skills had training ranks to show how skilled you were at them; however, cultivation hat three realms and ranks and layers, each rank had nine layers, and each realm had four ranks. The realms are, Warrior, Knight, Saint, each had the same four ranks, Ordinary, Earth, Sky, and Heavenly. The layers where your progress through the rank but they made a big difference, as a layer one ordinary warrior I received 15 points per attribute, at layer four it would only be 17 points. Still, the amount of QI I had access to was two times the amount that a layer 1 had. Qi was not a measured statistic like health or mana, because it was fluid like the abilities of the skill, there was no tower assistance, you had to gather your Qi in your body to use it, and your QI wouldn't just regenerate like mana. Still, you had to cultivate it from the surroundings which meditation. QI Cultivation was a secret of the tower, one that offered unlimited power through hard work, some of the experts of the tower believed that Mana and Stamina and even Health were all QI. Just the tower assisted side of it. I didn't have a belief I knew what QI is; It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together. Okay, that was Obi-wan who said that and I didn't have a clue about QI, and I didn't care to me; it was key to survival.
"Ah, Maxwell, How are you feeling?" a mid-forties doctor asked me, he looked like any other doctor in a hospital, overworked and tired.
"fine doc, just thirsty and restrained," I said as a half-joke, I did feel fine.
"well, we restrain all our suicide watch patients," he said, off handly checking my chart.
"suicide ?" what the hell was he talking on about, I thought.
"max, they found you in a bathtub screaming in pain. there was an empty potion bottle on the floor." He looked up at me "now I don't know what was in the potion but it all it did was cause you great pain and make you smelly. " yup that makes sense I thought and looked over to my mother who was awake shit she's not going to let me go anywhere now.
"no, I wasn't trying to kill my self, the potion was a brew of wraith touch, it was meant to knock me out while I was in pain. I made it too weak." I said to the doctor, "so shackles can come off?" I said, shaking my arms.
"Nope, you're under 72-hour observation, while we run some test," the doctor said, "but since your awake, you can have food and water and a shower" he marked something on my chart and was about to leave when I said.
"doctor I'm fine, I was just unlocking my QI now undo the shackles before I break them," I said in an authoritative tone that I only used when people pissed me off. "my mother will tell you that I'm a happy person, and there was no reason for me to try to commit suicide especially seeing I had just sent her $400,000"
"WHAT!" my mum screeched.
"Yeah, I said I would send you money," I said casually. the doctor and nurse slipped away while I focused on my mum. "Oi!" I yelled at them, "well I warned them" I closed my eyes and looked inside to my QI core, the yellowish QI circulated just below my stomach, it was tiny compared to the heavenly knight core that I had at the end, but with this little qi I could still do some fun things. Willing the qi into my arms, I let it gather into my muscles; this was a basic QI ability Explosive Strenght, pulled with all my might, and the bed creaked and groaned, then there was a snapping sound as the metal buckle of the leather restraints broke, and I was freed. Opening my eyes, I saw my mother, the doctor, and three nurses looking at me with wide eyes. "I warned you," I said coldly to the doctor. the last dregs of my QI returned to the core, and I felt faint.
I tentatively got out of the bed and walked towards the bathroom. I was in a hospital gown, so everyone saw my ass as I walked into the bathroom. Still, I could care this trip to the hospital wasn't necessary and a waste of my time because tower town didn't have a hospital that meant I was probably in Brisbane, 650 km away from the tower. I turned on the shower and stood underneath it, I don't like getting angry, and I didn't want my mum seeing that anger, but had to laugh at the doctors face, 72 hours what a joke.
"Nope, just some clothes," I called back, shaking my head, what I needed was to get back to tower town and learn the spellcraft book.
"also someone named Julia said that she was looking after your apartment," she said.
"Julia?" I asked, confused.
"yeah, shes register in your phone as Julia with a love heart," mum called back, right Julia from the mother of snakes hunt. "you know, I thought you were still dating Shannon," she Continued.
"mum Shannon was cheating on me, so I dumped her," I explained.
"oh!, I'm so sorry Max, next time I see her she will get a piece of my mind" always the crocodile mother.
"mum! Don't I want nothing to do with her anymore, just going to work on climbing the tower at the moment" I tried to calm her down, I didn't want another fiasco like last time. My mother ended up decking Shannon in the middle of Woolworths, previous time. Crocodile mother, I loved my mum, but she could be scary.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
"So when are we going to meet this Julia any way?" she called into the bathroom after a while. "because she seems like a nice girl."
"mum, please tell me you have not been talking to her on my phone?" I begged as I hoped out of the shower, grabbing a towel.
"what she seemed worried about you, so I let her know how you were, I mean if shes your girlfriend she should know right?" she tried to explain
opening the door "clothes?" I said as she handed me a bundle of clothes "also, Julia isn't my girlfriend; she's a climber. I met in the tower," closing the door. I proceed to get dressed.
"well, you're coming home for a few days before you run back off to that tower," she commanded.
"yes, mother," I said, there was no use in arguing,
"and I invited her to come over on Tomorrow for dinner" Great, just great. I thought.
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Will walked down the main street of the US Tower town; it was much like the Australian tower town. Situated in California desert scrubs had been cleared away for a bustling tent city, the outskirts of which had newly built apartment complexes and shops still, like Australia, it was more focused on walking traffic. The main street was a wide thoroughfare; the stalls and shops along the main road were all keyed to the wealthy front line climbers., will have no business with these shops. Still, he walked along because he wanted to confirm something for max. just between where the tent city started and actual buildings, was the [Pegasus] guild house, a three-story affair made of brick and timber framing. They were the wealthiest guild in the US; Will hated them onsight, a bunch of jocks and rich college-age kids, they, of course, all had the best gear and were on the front lines. Will went up to a notice board placed in front of the guild house; he was looking for reports of the front. [Pegasus] loved to brag about their exploits, Will saw heaps of trash post like their alchemist coming up with a new healing potion, or the finding of a spell Hail on the 16th floor. Will looked for a while until he found the one he was looking for [Guild Leader: Alistar receives a new class, Holy Knight].
As Will read the article, he could help but laugh. Max was right; it's written as he's a god amongst men. The report claimed that Alistar had found the first advanced class, the holy knight, and Alistar was destined by God to lead the US to a brighter future. Will knew the truth, he had paid for the class advancement stone, and the holy knight wasn't the first advanced class. It wasn't even an advanced class. A Class advancement stone couldn't grant an advanced class; it would only activate the ability to advance the Holy knight class was a transitional class; the actual advanced class would be a paladin. Before coming to the guild house, he used his contacts in the less-fortunate society to confirm the purchase of the class advancement stone; they where a new thing to appear within the tower, so not many knew about them yet. Will had looked into it and asked max for more information. It would allow someone to gain an advance class after gaining ten levels. Will shook his head and walked off laughing. He needs to get to the tower today; he was challenging the boss floor.
As Will was leaving, someone noticed his odd behavior and decided to follow. Master Chi, the guild leader of the [Emerald dragon], had just come out of a meeting with Alistar, as he saw the young blonde-haired kid with katana strapped to his back laughing and walking away. Master Chi was known as the best blade master of the Asia tower; he was currently in talks with the US about immigrating; they wanted him and his guild to move to the US. Master Chi had no plans to do that. The meeting with Alistar just confirmed his thoughts Greedy Americans Alistar explained that when [Emerald Dragon] arrived, they would become a subsidiary of [Pegasus] guild like all American front running guilds. So, for now, The dragons would stay in Asia, while he was here I would watch this young Blademaster.
Why are they letting him in he must not be more than 17 years old Was Master Chi thought, but then he saw Will talk with the guard and they shared a laugh, and while the guard was laughing, he slipped into the tower. Cheeky Devil.
"Okay, you can do this. You've trained and planed and took your time" Will was psyching himself up for the boss floor. There were other climbers around him, preparing to go into the boss room. Boss floors were strange, they had a lobby and a door with the floor number and an X anyone could enter the door, if they weren't in a party they will find themselves in a different room. "you got your sword and pants and your jacket, your looking sexy you can defeat the overgrown fox no problem" will continue to speak to himself. He heard murmurs from the climbers around him, things like "is he going solo, well then he's a dead man," but nothing fazed Will. Thoroughly Psyched up and limbered up, Will walked to the boss door.
Passing through the door will saw a big ass nine-tailed fox, it was thin and crazed, the room looked like a standard field of long grass but dark clouds hung in the sky. Will stood all alone, the door had vanished too this was a boss arena, the Fox stared at him licking his big chops. "well, let's see who eats who aye big guy" the fox was at least three times the size of Will, but he seemed unfazed again. The Fox growled, and small fires appeared on the tip of its nine tails. Will dashed forward, drawing his katana the sword max told him was legendary. Right now, it was in its Keys form, it was still uncommon, but if Will had learned a few things as he climbed. "Variable Strike!" Will shouted as he sliced into the foxes paw, a brilliant rainbow light shone from the wound, and a random damage type infected to the injury. It was his apprentice Blademaster ability, for using the Katana of Keys, Dodging the nine fire bolts were hard, but Will dodged underneath the fox. Thirty more cuts with the variable strike, and now the fox was weakening. Its body was being burned, rotted, melted, poisoned, frozen, electrocuted, and healed all at the same time from the different cuts. but Will was still standing shirt-less now, the shirt was abandoned when it caught fire. "okay, now foxy, I'm going to kill you, and you better drop a key chain!" Will dashed towards the boss, and in a last-ditch effort, the boss lunged at will. A clash and slash and, the boss was dead, on the ground at Will's, feet were the boss drop, pelts, fangs, tails, and a key chain, a chibi version of the nine-tailed fox. Massive claw marks across Will's chest, dripping with blood. "tower Exit," Will coughed out.
Master Chi was waiting at the exit of the tower when Will appeared bleeding and clutching a silver keychain. Dashing forward, Master Chi wrapped up Will in his arms "Medic!" he called out, as he pulled out a healing potion.
"Hi, I Did it," Will said to the Asian man holding him. "I soloed the Fox and got it," Will laughed as the Asian man poured the sweet healing potion in his mouth.
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"Hey Julia, So glad you could make it," I said as I got the front door, "oh and you brought the stuff asked for"
"Hi Max, yeah brought the stuff you asked for," Julia said, with a smile, she wore a light cream dress and was looking beautiful. "wow your family home is beautiful by the way." I had to agree with her the old two-story Queenslander had its charm, but the location was what made it beautiful in a field on a hill you could see for ages in all directions.
"yeah, sorry about you know dragging you out here, but there's no arguing with mother about dinner plans," I said with an awkward chuckle. I took her and my stuff into the living room, "mum, dad, this is Julia." I introduced her to my folks. "Julia, this is my mum, Janet, my father, Henery, and that nosey one who should be doing her homework is jenny," I pointed out my little sister, who was peeking from around a corner. The pleasant greeting was shared. I showed Julia to a guest room; then mum stole her for girl talk in the kitchen. I received the skill book and spellbook kit and sat at the kitchen table to start preparing for my return to the tower. Julia said she would drive me back to the tower; it was only a 5-hour drive.
SpellCraft Rank [Beginner] Level [1/100]
+0.01 Spell effectiveness
-0.01 Spell mana consumption
Abilities
[Beginner] Mana Manipulation
Mana Manipulation [Beginner]
You know how to use the flow of energy now you know how to use the flow of magic
Mana will follow your will, Difficulty depending on Rank
Just as I hoped, I knew wizards got the mana manipulation after unlocking their QI cultivation, but I wasn't sure if the spellcraft skill would give it to me, seeing I got it from a book. I opened the spellbook kit, a leather-bound journal that I will need to use to craft spells, and I started with binding it to me, I drop of blood and willing my mana into the book. [Spellbook Created, spells in this book will show up on your status page] step one done. Now to copy the mana bullet spell, taking out the scroll of mana bullet, I placed it on my spellbook. "Learn," I said out loud. the ink passed thorough the scroll onto the Spellbook. [Spell Learnt: Mana Bullet - 1 mana - 1 Damage * scaleable* ]. Mana bullet was a basic spell it condescended mana into a bullet or arrow; you could push a lot of mana into the bullet and deal a lot of damage, but it was weak compared to other spells. However, with the Spellslinger class, it was bread and butter, add the damage from a gun to the spell, and you get the gist of it, free bullets. With Mana Manipulation, I could theoretically make some spells as well, but dinner was about to be served, so I packed it up into my swag and washed up for dinner. Experimenting would have to happen on the fly.