It had become a familiar sight to see the Tower Node of the Marauder in action. The ceramic crystal blinked and pulsed as it floated closer and the closer to the throne, its motion slow like it was inspecting the entire area and trying to find where the other Node was hidden.
Ray wondered what he would do if the Marauder’s Tower Node couldn’t locate and draw out other Tower nodes for whatever reason. He was becoming reliant on it, as he had already noted. Somehow, someway, he was going to have to find a way to obtain more Tower Node without using other Tower Nodes as the means of doing so.
His fears went unfounded as the first Tower Node drew out the new one in short order.
Both Ray and Kredevel stared as the throne shimmered. Shards of light seeped off it and coalesced into a single spot, soon forming the familiar shape of a Tower Node.
When the lightshow stopped, it revealed a much-reduced seat. Still clearly a throne, with rich redwood edged with decorative gold, but much reduced in ostentatiousness and size from what it had previously been.
“Well, I certainly hadn’t imagined the throne itself was this Tower Node,” Kredevel said.
Ray slowly nodded. “Yeah… yeah, no, I don’t think I’d ever have guessed.”
When Ray focused on it, a very interesting little window of information popped up.
[System Artifact—Tower Node]
Tower Node of the Adjudicator
With the Node of the Ingestor, you can now lay claim to Sector 0, the hidden Sector that connects the First and Second Floors. This Tower Node can only be used in its associated Sector. Claim the power of arbitration and evaluate all who come before you, deeming them worthy or unworthy. Can be used to set any specific challenge, with achievable criterion, to automatically determine evaluation.
[New Personal Achievement—Floor Lord!]
You have become the new Floor Lord and earned the power of determining the fate of all the Denizens on your Floor. But remember, with great power comes great responsibility.
Reward
* Reputation: +30 Hallowed
* System Ability: Set Floor Challenge
[New Personal Achievement—Triumphant War!]
You have won your first great war across a whole Floor. This victory only bolsters your ability to carve out more triumphs in your future.
Reward
* Reputation: +30 Chaotic, +30 Cunning, + 20 Tenacious, + 20 Indomitable, +20 Ruthless, +20 Thorough
[Reputation Threshold Crossed]
For reaching the 50-point threshold, your Hallow removes the Mana cost of your first 2 True Mana spells used in an encounter.
For reaching the 50-point threshold, your Tenacity has raised your Vitality by 10.
For reaching the 50-point threshold, your Thoroughness grants all your attacks the ability to pierce through defences up to 2 Tier higher than your attack’s Tier with no negation.
“Huh,” Ray said as the new Tower Node floated towards him, his attention focused on reading through his achievements. Looked like the battle outside was coming to an end too.
Upgrades to a bunch of his bonuses and boosts from various Reputations was great. Hallowed, especially. Now Ray would have two free True Mana spells from the get-go. Considering all his spells were True Mana spells now, that would be great.
“What is it?” Kredevel asked.
Ray looked down at the Node of the Adjudicator. It was sawed off at the top end, so that it was flat on top instead of pointed. He could have set it down to make it rest vertically. “Pretty sure I can use this to judge whether people get to go to the Second Floor or not.”
“Is that not what you wanted?”
“I guess so. I just didn’t expect it to be so… simple.”
“The greatest things often turn out to be simple at the core of it.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
Ray considered the new Tower Node again. This was what he had been aiming for through his journey across the First Floor. This was what he truly wanted. Right? Well, he had wanted an unbarred way for himself to get to the Second Floor. The power granted by the new Tower Node was just a means to an end.
He dismissed it. Then he stepped up and sat down on the throne, making himself comfortable. Kredevel watched with an evaluating expression, like he was trying to think of the best pose Ray could take for the perfect photograph.
Ray grinned at him. “Now, let’s wait till everyone gets here, shall we?”
----------------------------------------
By everyone, Ray didn’t mean it literally, of course. All he needed were the various important members of their side.
People like Maya, like Mary Felds, like Gritty, Joaquin, and the leaders and representatives of all the new Factions and other groups they had joined together with on the First Floor. Even people like that Wild Tides member who had defected and informed Ray about Derricks’s plans. Those were the people Ray was looking for.
It turned out those were the very people who came to the throne room.
By the time they all started arriving, Ray had summoned his draconic head on his hand and was entertaining himself by pretending it was a puppet he could talk to.
“Don’t tell me you’re the Floor Lord now,” Mary Felds said. Her eyes were shrewd, calculating. Still ready to fight.
Far enough. It hadn’t been that long since the battle had ended, after all.
“Technically,” Ray said, meeting everyone’s eyes one by one. “I am the Floor Lord. But I don’t really want to be.”
“So you’re the reluctant dictator forced to step in for the greater good? I haven’t seen that angle played out in a while.”
“No, no there’s not going to be any dictating. You think I want to be responsible for you guys? For any of this?” Ray shook his head. He had a feeling everyone had come here with some trepidation, wondering what he was going to do next. That was why he had spoken quickly, to make sure they were all on the same page. “Someone besides me has to be the Floor Lord.”
That threw them all off a bit. Several of them looked at each other, judging, wondering, thinking of possibilities. Maya was frowning at Ray, while the leader of the Ascenders finally let her frosty exterior dissolve just enough to look thoughtful.
Gritty approached the throne. “You look good as a king, wingman. Although, I think it’s mostly that weird little dress you got on.”
Both Ray and his summoned Greater Windbane Maw turned to stare at her. “Thanks. I’m sad I can’t take the throne with me. And this is a regalia, by the way, not a dress.”
Gritty grinned. “Whatever you say.” She lowered her voice. “By the way, I have a suggestion. Whoever you do end up giving this Tower Node that controls the First Floor’s challenge, just don’t give it to the Wild Tides. Even the ones who said they converted.”
“Don’t worry, none of us are that stupid.”
“Mm.” She glanced sidelong at Kredevel. “I was going to say the same for the Sylvans, but uh, you’re the only one left, pal.”
Ray sat forward as Kredevel started a little. “Wait, I thought a lot of them surrendered. You didn’t…”
“No, no, they’re fine enough. They’re just not, you know, free to claim the Tower Node.”
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
Someone at the back cleared his throat before stepping forward to address everyone. “We should have a frank discussion about who deserves to control something that important. I don’t think the ability to set the Floor’s challenge should just go to the strongest person on the Floor.”
“Of course not,” Mary Felds said. “A lot of the stronger ones are going to the Second Floor, like Raymond and us Ascenders here. As such, the power to control the Floor’s challenge should remain the in the steadiest, most capable hands who wishes to remain on the First Floor.”
Her words left little room for doubt as to who that would be. Almost all eyes turned to Maya, who blinked at suddenly having everyone’s attention.
“Are—are you sure?” she asked in general.
Ray smiled, nothing that she wasn’t exactly declining the offer. Mary was right. There was no one else who suited the position better. Maya was not only the most capable person here, in terms of organizing and controlling. She was also likely the kindest too.
When nobody objected, Ray pulled out the Tower Node of the Adjudicator from within himself. “Here you go, Maya. You deserve it.”
With the slightest of hesitations, Maya accepted it. The Tower Node floated over to land in between her palms. Ray could feel his control on it slipping. It was convenient that the method of giving away a Tower Node didn’t involve anything complicated like using another Tower Node or something.
“It’s… so strange,” Maya said. She inspected the flat-topped crystal from a bunch of different angles. Ray had to wonder if she was seeing the description the same way he had. Would she know how to operate it?
Mary Felds stepped up. “What challenge are you going to set?”
“I really don’t want to try and capture those fucking Brighthorns…” someone muttered from the back.
Ray and a lot of them laughed at that.
Maya took some time to consider. “We need this to be legit. I don’t think I’d feel right setting an easy task and letting just anyone go to the Second Floor just because they asked. No matter how nice. But I also don’t want to do what the old Floor Lord did.” She slowly looked up at Ray. There was no question in her eyes. She wasn’t asking for help. “But I think I’ve got it.”
Ray leaned forward, definitely intrigued. “Oh yeah?”
“Yep.” May cleared her throat before raising her voice so that everyone could hear. “There’s going to be a new challenge to get to the Second Floor. From here on out, you don’t have to find Brighthorns or complete any other random Objective. The only requirement for me is that you progress. All you need to access the Second Floor is one thing—a Class Evolution.”
Ray stared at her as he felt his mouth widening into a broad smile all on its own. A second later, the notification arrived.
[Warning!]
Objective 1 of Floor I has changed. Under the new rules, you have completed the Objective.
Ray felt it then. A slight thrum behind his eyelids, like there was something just waiting to come out. Ah, he knew what that was. But to actually see it, he decided he wanted some privacy first.
Which wasn’t difficult to get. His main task there was done. The Tower Node had been handed off and he could now focus on his progression.
Excusing himself after the meeting winded down, Ray found himself a private little chamber as the notifications finally arrived.
[Floor I—Complete]
Objective 1: As mandated by the Floor Lord, for attaining a Class Evolution, you have earned 3,000 Essence.
Objective 2: For defeating 3 out of 1 required Duskshells, you have earned 3,000 Essence.
Objective 3: For defeating 14 out of 5 required Windbanes, and 1 Greater Windbane, you have earned 8,000 Essence.
Objective 3: For defeating 12 out of 4 required Irebolts, and 1 Greater Irebolt, you have earned 10,000 Essence.
Objective 3: For clearing 8 out of 3 required dungeons of various Tiers, you have earned 10,000 Essence.
Hidden Objective 1: For finding 6 out of the required 1 Tower Nodes, you have earned 12,000 Essence.
Hidden Objective 2: For defeating the Lord of the First Floor, you have earned 4,000 Essence.
Hidden Objective 3: For earning the Mantle of Floor Lord, you have earned 3,000 Essence.
Hidden Objective 4: For defeating the leader of an enemy Faction of the same species, you have earned 5,000 Essence.
Personal Objective 1: For personally meeting 51 out of 10 required new Denizens, you have earned 2,000 Essence.
Personal Objective 2: For securing 18 out of the required 5 Mana Fruit, you have earned 4,500 Essence.
Rewards
* 1 Spirit Sculptor’s Grimoire Page. As you exceeded the required number set by several of your Objectives, Spirit Sculptor’s Grimoire Page has been converted to Spirit Sculptor’s Grimoire Pamphlet, where you may select up to 2 new spells.
* 1 Spell Synthesis Point
* 1 True Mana Tier Point
* 1 True Mana Skill
* 1 Tower Node Token
* 1 New Accessory Slot
* 50 True Mana shards
* +30 to any 2 [Selectable] non-primary stats
[New Personal Achievement—Floor Conqueror!]
You have completed the challenges of your first Floor in the Tower of Forging! You have completed one of the most vital steps in the path of your ascendancy.
Reward
* Reputation: +50 Adept
[Reputation Threshold Crossed]
For reaching the 50-point threshold, your Adeptness accelerates your growth, granting you 10% bonus Essence from Objective completion.
[Level Up!]
Reward
* +5 Intellect, +5 Spirit, +2 Vitality +2 Agility, +10 allocatable free stats.
* 1 True Mana Tier Point
[Level Up!]
Reward
* +5 Intellect, +5 Spirit, +2 Vitality +2 Agility, +10 allocatable free stats.
* New Spell: Spirit Lock
* Spirit Lock has been converted to Spiritblood Stake by Path of Lifeblood Crucible
Essence to Level 23: 25,640/30,500
Ray could only stare and laugh for a few moments. There was so much. He had almost forgotten just how many rewards he had obtained the last time he had completed his Objectives.
Well, since he still had some time on his hands, Ray started from the top.
He didn’t bother reading the description of the Grimoire Pamphlet. What he was really interested in was the actual spells he would soon be able to use.
Ray grinned. Two picks instead of just the one. How about that?
[Spell Selection]
Project Presence [Utility] [Tier 5]
A primal spirit spell that projects an undetectable sliver of your soul up to a certain distance away, so long as the target location is in your line of sight. Projected presence carries all the senses of the original body, minus touch. At Tier 5, this spell’s range is 25 meters and costs 40 True Mana.
Phantom Retaliation [Passive] [Barrier] [Tier 5]
A primal spirit spell that enlivens the caster’s own soul using a portion of any enemy Mana directed at the caster. The enlivened soul then strikes back at a foe, disregarding distance and defences. At Tier 5, this spell costs no Mana, absorbing and returning 20% of the damage inflicted upon the caster.
Spectral Step [Utility] [Tier 5]
A primal spirit utility spell that leaves a fragment of the caster’s soul upon all of the caster’s manifested spells, allowing the caster to reattach the soul fragment to its origin at any moment, even through space and time. At Tier 5, this spell transports the caster’s body to any spell at the cost of 300 True Mana.
Summons Remnant [Passive] [Tier 5]
A primal spirit utility spell that imbues all summons with the simulacrum of a soul. This soul remains on the battlefield even after the summons’ departure, allowing the caster to resummon at a much-reduced Mana cost. At Tier 5, this spell reduces subsequent summons True Mana cost by 25%.
“Oh my god,” Ray couldn’t help but exclaim. “A teleporting spell. Spelleport.”
Tamping down his excitement, Ray glanced through all his options and though he still shivered as he did so. That was a very interesting set of options he had been offered.
He could already see Projected Presence synergizing well with something like the Scouring Eyeball. A 25-meter range was long enough that Ray’s natural line of sight could be blocked off by some sort of obstacle. An unfortunately-placed tree, or a pesky wall, or whatever. The flying eyeball would take care of that issue.
Phantom Retaliation was amazing, especially considering it cost no Mana at all and would always return twenty percent of all damage he received back upon his enemy.
Summons Remnant had great utility with his current loadout too. He supposed his constructs didn’t tend to die too often, but against stronger foes, something like his potential new spell would be a great addition.
Argh, so many great choices.
Deciding he would pick later while his mind percolated, Ray went through the rest of his rewards.
The Spell Synthesis Point he reserved until he picked his new spells, but he did apply the True Mana Tier Point. Ray still recalled the last time he had tried to upgrade True Enhancement and he had received the warning about needing True Mana Tier Points. Well, here he finally had one, although, True Enhancement was no longer a necessity.
Instead, he applied it to Soulstrike. He didn’t necessarily need to, since he still had the Mana Infuser ring, which surprisingly still worked with True Mana. But at a higher Tier, Ray could actually read its description and see its more enhanced capabilities.
This wasn’t just a straight power upgrade like it had been with Shatterclaw. For instance, taking Soulstrike to Tier 4 had added a new attacking option—a flailing form.
Next came the True Mana Skill. With all the new Tower Nodes he possessed, Ray had been looking forward to seeing what options he now had.
[True Mana Skill]
You possess four new Tower Nodes—Tower Nodes of the Songstress, the Skybreaker, the Ingestor, and the Abstractor. You also possess the Tower Node of the Mentor from before.
Honing Strike [Passive] [Tier 3]
A perma-cast skill that automatically upgrades a selected skill to a higher Tier of True Mana enhancement. Selected spell is permanently upgraded to True Mana version. At Tier 3, the selected spell requires 48 times its base Mana requirement to complete the upgrade, and every successful hit on an opponent adds 8 Mana to upgrade completion.
Song of Magic [Passive] [Tier 3]
A True Mana skill that converts the portion of all of the wielder’s Mana-based abilities that are blocked or negated by the enemy into sonic damage. Jagged waveforms also disrupt the enemy’s Mana. At Tier 3, this skill disrupts up to 15% of the enemy’s Mana.
Sky Call [Offensive] [Tier 3]
A True Mana skill that summons a random element of the sky. At Tier 3, elements can manifest between cloud, rain, lightning, and gale, and manifested element lasts 3 minutes and costs 90 True Mana.
Ingestion [Utility] [Tier 3]
A True Mana skill that consumes anything that incorporates Mana. Consumed matter determines the temporary benefit received by the wielder. Abilities grant the user the specific kind of Mana used by the ability, items grant the user the boon from the item, and consumables apply an enhanced version of the consumable’s effect. This skill can only affect items and abilities up to the skill’s Tier3, the effects last for 90 seconds, and expends 50 True Mana.
Abstract Conversion [Utility] [Tier 3]
Convert one form of Mana to another. At Tier 3, this skill can convert any form of Mana into up to 3 different forms at the same time, at a cost of 20 True Mana, plus the total amount of Mana converted.
Ray took a deep breath as he read through his options again. They weren’t as exciting as his spell selection, but that was fine. He was happy to be able to make an easier, simpler choice without tearing his hair off his head in indecision.
So, Ray selected his new True Mana Skill.