I collapsed to the mat, my breathing ragged and my mind exhausted. Disgusting liquid coated me from head-to-toe and the smell—oh, God, the smell—was bad enough to knock out a rhinoceros.
But the gains!
Congratulations! You have successfully upgraded your body to the peak of A-Grade!
300% increased stat gain per level.
50% increased Body stat efficiency.
+100 to each Body stat.
Body stat cap removed.
Further rewards acquired upon reaching each new Stage (Stage dependent).
Holy fuck…Plus 300 stat points! And a 50 percent efficiency boost and three times as many stat points per level. Right now, I received 4 per level—5 when I had Red—which meant I would now get 12! And the cap was removed on my Body stats on top of all of that.
I understood now why Null had been so eager to kill me—my stats would now be on par with an Adept, and that was before I broke through to the next Stage. Opening my Status Sheet, I focused in on the new changes.
Race: Human (A-Grade - Peak)
…
Body:
- Strength: 49 (58 effective) -> 149 (253 effective)
- Agility: 65 (84 effective) -> 165 (297 effective)
- Endurance: 51 (66 effective) -> 151 (271 effective)
Every Body stat in the mid-200s was incredible. And that was without affecting my mass to boost any of them, let alone pushing through to the next Stage.
I wanted to play with my new capabilities so bad, but I was literally entombed in the foulest smelling goop I’d ever experienced in my life.
“First, a shower.”
Two hours in the shower later, I was back in the training room, feeling the best I’d ever felt in my entire life. Simply walking to and from the shower, I’d felt light as air but strong as an ox. I was fairly certain that I was dangerously strong, as in I would snap a regular human’s neck with a touch.
When I emerged from my Personal Space, I took an experimental leap, bending my knees and exploding upward.
“Wooahhhh!” I shouted as I left the ground with contemptuous ease.
Nearly a hundred feet in the air, I pinwheeled my arms as I realized that what goes up, must come down. And while I knew the impact would have no effect on me, my animal brain panicked for a split second.
For my own peace of mind, I cycled my body’s friction high, increasing the air’s drag on me as I drifted at a much more manageable speed toward the ground. When me feet touched the floor, a smile formed.
“Superhero jumps are on the menu, baby.”
Testing my ground speed, I pushed off into a sprint—and propelled forward at an uncontrollable pace. I flew horizontally, covering twenty feet before smacking face first into the floor.
With an annoyed grunt, I rolled to my back.
“Hm, guess I’m gonna have to relearn how to run.”
With a slight flex of my body, I shot up to my feet, skipping all the in between steps a normal human had to take. I stumbled for a few steps from the momentum, then caught my balance.
“Okay, gonna have to relearn how to walk too, apparently.” A grin split my face. “But first, breakthrough time.”
I regarded the sludge-covered meditation mat in the corner and a shiver traced up my back.
“Burn that with fire later,” I muttered. Looking around, I shrugged. “Good as place as any.”
Sitting down, I pulled up the first of my two pending notifications for my specialization selection.
Congratulations! Your Nascent Affinity: [Friction], is ready to be evolved. Select a specialization!
1. [Heat (Friction)]
2. [Static Electricity (Friction)]
3. [Abrasion (Friction)]
To be honest, I already knew what I intended to pick for my Friction specialization. Static electricity was never on my mind, as it was a bit too esoteric for my fighting style, so it had been between Heat and Abrasion. Abrasion was an interesting concept, but reminded me too much of sandpaper or rug burns—not the kind of power I thought I could leverage in fighting.
Heat, on the other hand, had a load of applications. Being able to generate heat through my Friction energy would be incredibly useful and I even imagined being able to turn my weapons into the System equivalent of a lightsaber.
The nerd inside of me squealed at the possibility.
With a thought, I selected the Heat specialization.
You have selected [Heat (Friction] as your Friction specialization!
Inside my soul, a piece of Friction energy shifted from the core, splitting off into a small, flat plane of energy that began orbiting the larger core. When I examined it in my mind, it wasn’t a second, smaller core, but rather felt more like a prism. There was no energy contained in it, but as I manipulated my Friction energy, I realized that I could filter that energy through it like a lens. The Friction energy that emerged from the other side had a different flavor to it, and seemed pared down, as if all the elements that didn’t pertain to heat had been stripped out.
Thought I wanted to experiment more and test the limits of this new specialization, I first wanted to select my Mass specialization. Swapping over to the next notification, I examined my options.
Congratulations! Your Nascent Affinity: [Mass], is ready to be evolved. Select a specialization!
1. [Density (Mass)]
2. [Gravity (Mass)]
3. [Strength (Mass)]
This selection felt much less straightforward to me. All three of the specializations seemed useful in their own way. I’d been utilizing my Mass energy mostly to increase or decrease mass, which I assumed correlated to density. But one of the biggest boons of that had been the observed increase in strength. Was selecting Density just a roundabout way of doing the same or were there broader implications of the power that I didn’t realize. I considered selecting Strength for the simple fact that it would no doubt unlock ridiculous levels of power and could probably even be used on my team to boost their Strength stat. But the unknowns had me waffling back and forth.
And then there was Gravity, which was of a completely different variety of power and really intrigued me. Gravity obviously correlated to weight, which indirectly affected speed and strength. But the really interesting applications would be in manipulating the gravity of people and spatial areas. Could I create fields of increased gravity to slow my opponents? Reduce my teammates’ gravity to help them move faster?
What I continued to come back to was, how did I fight? I bumped my mass up to tank hits, lowered it to move faster, but never really relied upon it to increase the power of my attacks. Which made me feel like Strength wasn’t the right choice, as powerful as it sounded.
So the choices were between Density and Gravity. Density seemed to relate the most to enhancing Endurance or increasing Agility as a byproduct of altering mass. I’d be able lean more into altering my speed or tankiness depending on the situation, but wouldn’t be able to affect my surroundings as much. Of course, I expected that I’d still be able to use my unfiltered Mass energy to affect any of these changes manually. With these specializations, I imagined that the System would simplify the process for that specific effect, whichever I ended up choosing.
Meaning that I’d still be able to alter my mass and the mass of others with a bit more concentration, even without the specialization. Likewise, affecting gravity was also possible with just my Mass energy, though I wasn’t exactly sure how that worked as of right now. To be honest, gravity was the wild card in this selection and I was leaning toward it for the simple reason that the possibilities were unknown. The only question left was, did I need the Density filter to improve how my stats even after the Body Tempering Solution had jacked me up to unbelievable levels?
I glanced at my stats one more time then chuckled. No, I was good on that front. With a thought, I pulled the trigger.
You have selected [Gravity (Mass] as your Mass specialization!
The same experience happened with my Mass core inside my soul. A piece split off, forming a sort of lens to allow me to direct Gravity-attuned energy.
This, I had to test.
I pushed a small tendril of Mass energy through the Gravity lens and cycled it through my body. As it coursed past my limbs, I focused on reducing the gravity affecting me. My body already felt light, but with the energy affecting me, I actually felt a slight tug upward.
Gravity had inverted!
When I opened my eyes, I realized I was roughly a foot off the ground and rising higher.
“Oh, my fucking God,” I whispered. “Can I fly now!”
Giddiness spread through my limbs, giving me that kid on Christmas morning energy. But a notification cut across my vision, and I felt like mom had just whipped out the real present after I’d already gorged on plenty of gifts.
Congratulations! The System has determined that you are prepared to advance to the next Stage. Would you like to initiate that process now?
Y/N
I didn’t squeal in excitement—I think—but I definitely did a little shimmy that would have embarrassed me at any other time.
Yes!
Based upon your accolades and actions from your time as a Nascent and the energies existing in your soul, these are the suggested classes for your breakthrough into Adept. Your new class will not overwrite your existing Affinities and abilities.
(System Note: Through the consumption of a soul, you have been offered limited insight into the Affinities: Pressure and Telekinesis. Your selections have been updated to reflect this.)
Whoa, I thought. That System Note about consuming a soul surprised me. That must have been from ‘consuming’ Yuri’s soul after he broke his Soul Contract. Pressure and Telekinesis sounded awesome, too. If it was related at all to his powers, then I was definitely interested.
1. Diamond Brawler (Celestial)
Attributes: Endurance, Strength, Mastery
Type: Physical, Buffs/Debuffs
Affinities: Mass, Friction, Toughness (New), Pressure (New), Battle Fury (New)
2. Battle Lord (Celestial)
Attributes: Mastery, Agility, Perception
Type: Tactical, Physical
Affinities: Mass, Friction, Tactical Combat (New), Battle Awareness (New), Telekinesis (New)
3. Master of Energy (Celestial)
Attributes: Intelligence, Perception, Enlightenment
Type: Magical-Physical
Affinities: Mass, Friction, Potential Energy (New), Energy Conversion (New), Electromagnetism (New)
4. Lockdown Mage (Divine)
Attributes: Intelligence, Perception
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Type: Magical, Controller
Affinities: Mass, Friction, Pressure (New), Telekinesis (New)
5. Blademaster (Divine)
Attributes: Mastery, Agility
Type: Physical
Affinities: Mass, Friction, Swordsmanship (New), Accuracy (New)
“Holy shit…holy fucking shit.”
As I reviewed the options, I was completely floored. Not only were there three Celestial options that sounded broken as fuck, but the Divine options sounded great, too. I started at the bottom of the list, pretty convinced that I wouldn’t pick a Divine class when I had great Celestial options, but I wanted to give them a once over at a bare minimum.
Blademaster (Divine)
Attributes: Mastery, Agility
Type: Physical
Affinities: Mass, Friction, Bladesmanship (New), Accuracy (New)
Your use of the blade and other sharp-edged objects is unparalleled. When you swing, it is to hit. When you hit, it is to kill. All will fall before your blade.
Passive:
- [Unbreakable Guard (Rank 1]):
- Any blade in your hand is System-augmented to block any incoming physical strike or ranged attack.
- [Blade Superiority (Rank 1]):
- Any head-to-head clash of blades will inherently favor you in terms of power and placement. Strength and Agility will increase up to your stat cap to accommodate this passive.
Active:
- [Final Cut (Rank 1)]:
- Automatically braid your Blademanship and Accuracy Affinities to augment a single strike to the peak of your physical abilities.
Lockdown Mage (Divine)
Attributes: Intelligence, Perception
Type: Magical, Controller
Affinities: Mass, Friction, Pressure (New), Telekinesis (New)
The fabric of reality bends to your whim. Control others, exerting external pressure with your mind.
Passive:
- [Breaking Point (Rank 1]):
- Automatically know the breaking point of enemies and objects in relation to your power, allowing efficient deployment and conservation of energy.
- [Heavy Presence (Rank 1)]:
- Enemies in your presence feel heavier and their muscles fatigue faster.
Active:
- [Augmented Telekinesis (Rank 1)]:
- Automatically braid your Pressure and Telekinesis energies to affect the physical world around you.
Now that I read the description of Lockdown Mage, I was pretty certain that was identical to Yuri’s class—which I knew to be incredibly strong. He had managed to lock down everything within sight, even making it hard for me to breath with how strong his control was.
The other Divine option, Blademaster, sounded like younger Dirk’s wet dream. Becoming an unequaled expert in the katana like the samurai of old was incredibly tempting. But it was a very narrow focus and I knew I couldn’t just rely on my sword and diskslinger. As cool as the two Divine classes seemed, I reluctantly discarded them as options.
Now for the fun part! First up, Diamond Brawler!
Diamond Brawler (Celestial)
Attributes: Endurance, Strength, Mastery
Type: Physical, Buffs/Debuffs
Affinities: Mass, Friction, Toughness (New), Pressure (New), Battle Fury (New)
You thrive under the pressure of a brawl. The longer you fight, the stronger you get. You do not break. You do not bend. All shall crumble before your fury…only the Diamond Brawler remains.
Passive:
- [Better Under Pressure (Rank 1]):
- Diamonds are formed under pressure and the Diamond Brawler is no exception. The greater the odds stacked against you, the stronger your attunement to your Toughness, Pressure, and Battle Fury Affinities.
- [Battle Fury (Rank 1)]:
- The longer a battle progresses, the more your mind becomes consumed with victory. Your Strength, Endurance, and Willpower climb as Battle Fury increases, but your Intelligence decreases proportionally.
Active:
- [Terrifying Resilience (Rank 1)]:
- Automatically braid your Pressure, Toughness, and Battle Fury energies together to create a domain of despair. Enemies without extraordinary Willpower will feel disheartened at your unending drive and unbreakable resolve. They will take increased damage from your strikes and mentally break at an increased pace.
- [Diamond Skin (Rank 1)]:
- Automatically braid your Mass and Toughness Affinities to dramatically increase your resistance to damage. Endurance stat cap doubled while active.
The Diamond Brawler sounded like an incredible choice…that I would never pick. Though I could certainly flex my toughness and tank some hits to make a point, I wasn’t some berserker. And I’d never voluntarily pick a class that reduced my Intelligence; being clear-headed in a fight was the difference between my friends living or dying and I couldn’t trade that for being an indestructible killing machine.
Moving to Battle Lord, I felt a thrill of excitement. Though it seemed to lack the sheer fuck around and find out cachet of Diamond Brawler, it still seemed incredibly powerful in a fight.
Battle Lord (Celestial)
Attributes: Mastery, Agility, Perception
Type: Tactical, Physical
Affinities: Mass, Friction, Tactical Combat (New), Battle Awareness (New), Telekinesis (New)
All battles are the same, whether on the field, in a back alley, or a sanctioned duel—it is only the scale that differs. The Battle Lord hones both his personal skill as well as his tactical acumen. He dictates the tempo and direction of the fight. His craft is the battle, his tools are his weapons.
Passive:
- [Know Your Surroundings (Rank 1]):
- When in combat, a visual representation of the battlefield appears in your mind. Your Intelligence and Perception are increased (up to your stat cap) to fill in every detail of the field within a 100 foot radius.
- [Know Your Foes (Rank 1)]:
- When in combat, your physical and magical senses of your foes are System-augmented up to your Perception cap within a 100 foot radius.
- [Know Your Tools (Rank 1):
- Your skill level with all weapons is increased by 10, making you an experienced hand with any weapon, and a qualified expert with weapons you have previous experience using in battle.
Active:
- [Mind-Weapon Connection (Rank 1)]:
- Augment your Telekinesis Affinity to directly control a weapon with your mind. This weapon can perform limited attacks and defense without input.
- [Tactical Timeout (Rank 1)]:
- Automatically braid your Tactical Combat and Battle Awareness Affinities to slow your perception of time.
Wow, just…wow. That class sounded almost tailor made for me and I read the description and abilities three times over. Knowing everything about my opponents and the surroundings of a fight would be overpowered in almost any situation. But you added on the [Tactical Timeout] ability to give me time to think, plan out my strikes, and even negate ambushes. And that was not even mentioning the [Mind-Weapon Connection] ability that I could use to control my diskslinger or another weapon at range.
Was I a complete idiot if I didn’t take this no matter what? Master of Energy did sound impressive, but I was more of a physical fighter anyway. My palms were sweating as I turned my attention to the last class option.
Master of Energy (Celestial)
Attributes: Intelligence, Perception, Enlightenment
Type: Magical-Physical
Affinities: Mass, Friction, Potential Energy (New), Energy Conversion (New), Electromagnetism (New)
The untapped energy of the universe is yours to command. Absorb, convert, and deploy that energy to lay waste to your enemies.
Passive:
- [Battery Pack (Rank 1]):
- Passively and actively capture energy within your Potential Energy core. The limit to this energy storage is proportional to the Tier of your Potential Energy Affinity. The rate of capture is proportional to the Tier of your Energy Conversion Affinity. All friction, heat, gravity, and electromagnetic energy are compatible with your [Battery Pack]. However, energy released will not necessarily maintain the state with which it was absorbed.
- [Energy Sponge (Rank 1)]
- There is a connection between your body and [Battery Pack] such that a portion of all damage taken is transferred to your [Battery Pack], reducing injury and filling your reserves. The percentage of transfer is proportional to the Tier of your Energy Conversion Affinity.
- [Enhanced Spectrum (Rank 1)]:
- Your Perception stat is System-altered to increase your capability to see and feel Electromagnetic waves. Your Endurance is proportionally increased in a localized field to protect your visual complex.
Active:
- [The Nuclear Option (Rank 1)]:
- Activate to utilize all of your body’s physical energy and your [Battery Pack]’s stored energy into a single strike or movement.
- [Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation (Rank 1)]:
- Activate to utilize all or partial energy stored in [Battery Pack]. This energy, combined with your automatically braided Friction, Potential Energy, and Electromagnetism Affinities, will superheat the air in a tight beam or wider cone.
I groaned, looking up at the ceiling. That was so fucking cool!
“A laser mage…really?” I muttered. “And I can use the stored energy to insta-kill someone? Come the fuck on!”
Battle Lord was amazing, no question about it. Slowing time, knowing my enemy’s weaknesses, and the telekinetic weapon were all really powerful. But they were mundane in comparison to storing and releasing energy and shooting lasers. When you coupled that with my new Gravity and Heat specialties, it just made too much sense.
A grin stretched across my face.
I’m gonna be a Goddamn laser mage…
***
Hello humans of Earth. I’m pleased to see my tough love has been well received. Millions of you did as I encouraged and entered the First Floor, beginning your journeys toward power and independence. I know that second wave of demons seemed rash, but you are stronger individually and collectively now.
You’re welcome.
I shook my head, raising a middle finger high to the sky.
“Fuck you, Null!”
The throng of people around me laughed and shouted agreement. A chant rang up among the crowd.
“Fuck you, Null! Fuck you, Null! Fuck you, Null!”
Now that we are only a few minutes away from the opening of the Second Floor, I thought it appropriate to provide some more details. The First Floor was a pressure test to see how you people would hold up when put at odds against your Co-Integrated companions. I’m happy to say that 17% of those that entered the First Floor successfully unlocked the Second Floor! Congratulations!
The chants cut off at that, a somber energy infecting the crowd. I couldn’t blame them—17 percent meant that tens of millions of humans had died in the two weeks since the Tower opened. It felt like a bucket of cold water had been dumped on our heads.
Now, the Second Floor will be quite a bit different. Upon entering, you humans will be intermingled with both the Co’xatl and the Jree. For the first phase of this Floor, cooperation between the three races is encouraged for maximizing chances of success. Of course, this is the Tower of Conflict, so opportunities for politicking and backstabbing will abound. Be sure to cut the dead weight and when appropriate, take the reins of power. Survival is never guaranteed and I reserve the right to shake things up should you confuse cooperation with dragging along the unworthy.
Phase One will last for around a week or until I determine the time is right. More information to come as Phase Two approaches.
The Second Floor opens in ten minutes. Good luck, Climbers and try not to die before the Third Floor—that would be embarrassing.
Whispers and muted chatter rippled along the crowd. The Co’xatl under Umndirop stayed mostly to themselves to one side of the main boulevard in the Hold, while the humans stuck to the other side. There wasn’t open animosity between the two groups, but we certainly weren’t singing Koombayah in a circle either.
But in comparison to the Jree standing a ways down the road, we were practically holding hands.
Kneer and his army had strolled up a minute earlier, setting us all on edge. It had become clear though that they weren’t itching for a fight, especially outnumbered two to one. But with the timer for the Second Floor counting down, there was some unfinished business to discuss before we moved on.
With my team at my back, including Colten and Ally who had been instrumental near the beginning of the Tower, I walked toward Kneer. Umndirop saw me making a move and linked up, bringing along six of his people. The group of humans and Co’xatl began shifting into positions, very aware of the possibility of a fight popping off.
Kneer’s entourage immediately stiffened as they saw me approaching, but the Jree Prime regarded me with a casual disgust. The army at his back pressed closer, as if to charge, but he waved them down.
I stopped only a few feet from him, looking down with a condescending smirk.
“You have my permission to scan me.”
Shit, if rubbing my breakthrough to Adept in his face was wrong, then I didn’t want to be right.
His eyes narrowed and he paused, almost as if he was debating not casting [Analysis] because I had suggested it. In the end, his curiosity won out and that cold-wash feeling hit my body. He kept a decent poker face, but my Perception was too high not to notice the pounding of his heart in his neck and the slick-sweat sheen on his skin.
“Congratulations on reaching Adept,” he replied with a stilted tone that would have fit much better if he were telling me to go fuck my mother. “Do you intend to break the alliance we made now that your power has eclipsed mine?”
The Jree in earshot shuffled uncomfortably, their teeth bared in anticipation. At my back, I heard the chains of Umndirop’s Mantle tinkling as he shifted.
Rather than answer, I activated my Fate energy and observed the possible futures.
My katana lashed out so fast that Kneer never even saw it coming, cleaving his skull in two. His army cried out as one and charged against the crowd of humans and Co’xatl. Hundreds of them died, only managing to take down a handful of us as I moved among them like a leaf in a storm.
I reset the vision, changing my intentions. A laser shot from my body, slicing through Kneer’s body with a quick, unavoidable cut. The smell of burning flesh seared my nose, even through the vision. The Jree charged once again and I laid down a field of lasers that turned the boulevard into a pile of severed limbs and torsos. The wash of blood and gore nearly made me vomit and I had to clear the vision quickly.
And finally, I reset the vision, letting Kneer and his people enter the Second Floor peacefully. It was absent of the gore, blood, and smell of burning flesh that had accompanied the other two visions. The three races climbed the stairs in peace and the vision cut off as we were all transported somewhere else.
By my count, ten seconds had passed, and the Jree were becoming antsy. Hands slid to weapons, shields were raised into position, and a nervous energy passed among all three groups.
A smile split my face and I shook my head.
“No, Kneer. I’ll stick to our agreement. We can only benefit each other through peace.” I turned to Umndirop who was at my back. “How about you, Umndirop? Should we unleash the hounds of death and slaughter each other here and now?”
Umndirop regarded Kneer stoically, his tail quietly swishing behind him. Kneer was not one to be intimidated, especially by someone of an equal level, and returned the Co’xatl’s gaze.
“I see no need for bloodshed at this time. The true enemy is that coward running this Tower.” He looked up to the sky in challenge. “Should it ever reveal itself to me, the very Heavens themselves will not stay my blade.”
I shrugged, turning back to Kneer.
“There you have it. Peace it is.” The Jree Prime was still on guard, clearly expecting a double cross at any moment. I turned my back on him, revealing just how unconcerned I was. After a few steps, I paused and snapped my fingers as if something had just occurred to me. “Oh, by the way,” I called over my shoulder. “You been in the Hall of Heroes lately? See any new additions?”
Kneer bared his teeth in a scowl.
“I know the one named Craig is dead.”
I clicked my tongue. “Sure is. And he ain’t coming back. Keep that in mind should thoughts of betrayal cross your little kitty mind.”
We walked back toward the stairs and I had never felt lighter. Craig was dead. I was once again the most powerful Climber in the Tower and the only Adept by a large margin. Kneer was cowed and the politicians of Earth were finally realizing that I wouldn’t be their puppet.
The Second Floor awaited and though not all was right with the world, things were certainly looking up.
I turned to Lacy and the rest of my team who had remained quietly at my side.
“You ready to make this Tower our bitch?”