The following morning, Langa went to speak to Liv. He had some questions, as well as something to say. He knocked on Liv’s room door, finding him sprawled on the mattress. He must have been a light sleeper, because the moment Langa came in, his eyes shot open.

”Hey,” Langa said casually sitting down next to him.

”For the gods’ sakes Langa, it's 3 AM! Is this revenge for when I came to your room in the middle of the night?” Liv cursed at him groggily sitting up.

Langa grinned, “Yup, that’s exactly it,” he said, then looked away. “I’ll just bother you for a second, and then let you go back to sleep,” he assured him. “What’s this Deiwos karma store that is mentioned by the system?”

"Seriously? That’s why you’re here?" Liv groaned. “The Deiwos Clan are the Tower Administrators for the Deiwos Tower in which our worlds will be located. Every Tower has a massive Tower-wide karma store run by the Tower Administrators, and the good thing is that even though our Tower is still pretty new, the karma store is connected to all the Towers belonging to the Deiwos Clan. Usually, the stuff sold there is too expensive for new Tower players, so The Unrivalled gives a huge discount to anyone who completes the tutorial. You can use your karma to buy things that aren’t even available for mortals, for one time only,” he said, rubbing his eyes.

That was interesting. So, the whole purpose of the tutorial was to earn karma that you could then use to purchase something that would help you out in the Tower? Was that right?

“Interesting. So what about coins, then? Can I use those in the karma store? I have like four silver, what do they buy?” Langa asked.

Liv groaned once more as he sat up, "Did you seriously wake me up for a lesson in shopping? Sigurd loves teaching Makoto all this crap, can't you ask him?"

"Haibo, Liv, and here I thought that you and I had grown closer when you carried me in your arms all the way here from the forest," Langa said, shaking his head in mock disappointment, and making Liv laugh.

“And where's my thank you?" he asked. "Well, anyway, 100 copper is 1 silver, 100 silver is one gold, and 100 gold is one platinum coin. That’s the currency of the Tower. For 20 copper, you can buy a loaf of bread. For one silver you can rent a room in a decent inn for a night, and for one gold you can buy a very weak C-rank skill,” Liv told him.

Okay, he kind of understood a bit now. The system was right about massive discounts. The Elder remnant was selling B-rank skills for only one silver in the tutorial. That was like 90% off, or it might be more, but Langa was not dealing with mathematics at 3AM. Still, the discount was so tempting, that he almost went to buy another skill before stopping himself. He only had nine active skill slots and four passive skill slots left. It would be stupid to fill them before he even got to the Tower. Lady Mira had said that switching out skills would drain his karma massively.

"Thanks, Liv. Actually, the reason I came to talk to you is that I wanted to apologise to you, and also to ask for a favour.” Langa told him the truth. He could admit when he was wrong.

”Apologise? For what?” Liv was fully awake now, sitting up on his bed, and watching Langa with his mismatched eyes.

”Back in my home world, I was an athlete. I did a lot of events, the high jump, the long jump and javelin throwing. But, mostly though, I was a sprinter in the 100 metres and 200 metres races. I was the best,” Langa said, thinking back. “I always hated relays though, and no matter how hard I worked, someone else was always bound to mess it up. My teammates were good, but… they couldn’t keep up with me. In the end, I just stopped trying. I never gave it my all, but I still always made the top 4.”

Liv watched him, and asked, “Why are you telling me all this?”

”When we fought against Calpu, I thought you were like me. Sometimes it feels like you are pretending to be someone you think we need you to be. I could tell that you were strong, but it felt like you were holding back. I thought that maybe you did it because we couldn’t keep up with you, but I was wrong,” Langa said. “You aren't the type of person who would risk our lives like that. No, I think that you aren’t using your full power because you can’t. I’m sorry for misjudging you.”

A quick gasp escaped Liv. His red eye was fixated on Langa for a long moment, and his aura seemed to change, darkening a bit. Langa did not flinch, holding his gaze. Was it just power that Liv kept hidden under the surface or was his true self hidden as well? He had no way of knowing.

Liv sighed, his demeanour returning to normal. “Quite observant, aren’t you? Well, thanks for the apology, but there’s really no need for it. I’m a demigod. All of us are cursed with powers too great for our mortal bodies to bear. An unbound demigod can easily lose control, and destroy entire civilisations when they self-destruct. That’s why the norm is for any demigod to be sponsored by their godly parent as soon as possible, to contain that power and karma."

He could finally believe it now that he had heard it again. Liv was like him, he was also cursed. It might be a different type of curse, but it was still a generational curse, like the one Langa had. This was the first time that he had met someone similar to him. He did not know how to feel, but he put those thoughts away as Liv continued speaking.

"Thankfully, my maternal family are dragonkin, so my grandmother sealed my mana core, and most of my powers when I was young. I can still use them a bit, but the seal will start to break when I get to level 10,” Liv showed Langa a ring on his finger, there was bitterness in his voice when he spoke of his grandmother. “If I used my full aura against Calpu, I could have killed him alone, easily. It would not even have been a struggle for me, but I also would have killed all of you guys in the process. That's how out of control the power of a god in a mortal's body is, it's a curse. You aren’t wrong. I do hold back.“

The thing of demigods being cursed, Langa had heard about it before. It explained why both Kindaro and Eniche were wary of Liv. Still, it wasn’t like Liv chose how to be born. He did not choose for his father to be a god, and he did not choose to be cursed, just like Langa. But that never seemed to matter to people, they would always judge the cursed ones, no matter what. “See, you have a noble reason for holding back. I just did it because I was bored,” he said, trying to lighten the mood. “So, your father will sponsor you in the Tower?”

This time, Liv’s face clouded, and a dark shadow fell over it. “Not if I can help it. I won’t accept his help. Not after everything he has done, not after what he did to my mother. I’ll climb the Tower on my own merit, I don’t care who I have to bow down to, as long as it’s not him. And when I have my kingdoms, when I complete the Infinite Challenge, conquer the Tower and gather enough karma, I will become a deity, and challenge him to a divine war.” His purple eye glowed once more, and the air around him shifted.

Langa envied it. The conviction in his voice, and the determination and passion that he had as he expressed himself. He did not have such a thing. He was good at many things, so he got bored easily. He did not have something that he was passionate about. He only wanted to get through this tutorial, return to earth, and make sure his family was safe. After that, he would probably go back to being lazy and doing nothing productive with his time.

But that was only if he continued to live his life passively. How would it be if there were faster people than him in the Tower, stronger people? Liv was the strongest person that Langa knew, and in the fight against Calpu, he ignited Langa’s desire to chase him. He wanted to chase after this strong demigod’s strength, fight against him, fight beside him and measure his own strength and speed against Liv’s overwhelming power. But would Liv allow that?

While held up in his thoughts, his hidden quest updated, but Langa ignored it. He punched Liv lightly on the shoulder. “I’m sure you will be able to do it. Your willpower alone is admirable. Your decisions during our battle against Calpu were excellent, you are a great leader. That will take you places,” he stood up.

”Thanks,” Liv smiled. “What’s the favour you wanted to ask for?”

Langa shook his head. He had wanted to ask for Liv's motivations for climbing the Tower, but he had already completed his quest. “It’s not important. Get some rest.”

As he opened the door, Liv spoke behind him. “Langa, if you are willing to Ascend the Tower with me, then once we get to the Tower, I will also ask you for a very big favour. Is that okay?”

“Okay.” Langa’s eyes lit up. He now had something to look forward to in the Tower. And… he had also made a friend. The first in a long time, someone who did not want to use him for his money or connections.

Once back in his room, Langa checked on the update from his hidden quest.

HIDDEN QUEST #1

Quest Rank: Unique

Quest Objectives: Gain your teammates’ trust using any means necessary. Learn the motivations that your teammates have for climbing the Tower, and what drives them to fight. Build team unity! Time Limit: Tutorial Only Quest Limitations: N/A Progression: 6/6 Cautions: N/A Quest Rewards: Rare Title

[Hidden Quest #1 Completed!

Reward: Rare Title]

[You have received the title: Team Player]

[Team Player

Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

Title Rank: Rare

Title Properties: You play well with the team, but you also play the team well. You are good at reading people. You can see the first 11 values on a mortal’s status (Name, Race, Age, Character, Level, Class, Available Karma, Total Karma, Deity, Highest Floor, and Attribute) given that they are within 10 levels (or 1 Tier) of you. For those Shrouded by a deity, you can only see their values if the deity you serve (or the deity that your deity serves) is of a higher rank than that mortal’s deity. You can also see the number of available respawns that the mortal has.]

Langa gasped in shock. This was an insane power. Anyone could see other mortals’ names, levels and classes as long as they weren’t Shrouded. But what? He would be able to see people’s attributes? If anyone found out, they would murder him. People seemed to guard their attributes with their lives. If anything, this title affirmed the fact that he needed a deity to watch over him. So, did this mean that the reason Kindaro could see people’s resistances was also because of a title? No matter. This was something that Langa would keep to himself.

*

With the mini-boss defeated, the team took no days off before getting back into training. At level 8, Langa stopped going out to level up. It was useless, the foxes and wolves gave him very little experience, and he would much rather use his time to practice his skills. If there was one thing that he felt that he was still lacking, it was technique. So, while Liv took Makoto and Sigurd out levelling, Kindaro took Ghol levelling, and Eniche did her levelling by herself, Langa spent the majority of the last two days of the tutorial in the training room. Sometimes, if he had time, Liv came by to teach Langa basic hand-to-hand combat. He had resisted at first, not interested in it, but Liv had insisted that it would help him, and it would be good for the team as well. Learning to fight and having his arse handed to him constantly by Liv was surprisingly not bad, it even motivated him to work harder.

On the fifth day of the tutorial, Langa trained his reflexes. He closed his eyes, took a breath and made sure his feet were steady on the thick stone grounds of the training area as he stood in the centre of the field with Makoto and Kindaro in front of him.

Five metallic knives hovered around Kindaro, ready for action. Makoto notched an arrow to his bowstring, his eyes focused on Langa. This was training for all of them.

"Ready?" Makoto called out.

Langa nodded, his muscles tensing. "Ready."

Kindaro sent the first knife flying towards Langa who swiftly sidestepped the blade as soon as he felt it coming. A rush of air passed by as it narrowly missed him. Meanwhile, Makoto released the first arrow, cutting through the air as it headed straight for him. He avoided it with a quick leap to the side feeling the rush of adrenaline as he narrowly escaped being hit.

The training continued, with Kindaro and Makoto taking turns attacking Langa from different distances. Langa's movements became more agile, his dodges and evasions following the steps he’d learnt from Liv. Another knife shot forward, spinning through the air as Langa's eyes tracked the blade's path, and he pivoted on his right foot, leaning back just enough for the knife to whiz past his chest.

No sooner had he dodged the knife than Makoto released a mana arrow. He spun around to avoid it but Kindaro wasted no time, not allowing him to get into form as three knives hurtled towards Langa, this time from a lower angle. Langa activated Flash Step, one of the blades missing his shoulder by inches. Two more knives were sent towards him as soon as he landed as if Kindaro had predicted where he would land with Flash Step. He dropped into a low roll, feeling the rush of air as the arrow skimmed over his back. Coming out of the roll, Langa sprang to his feet, immediately back on guard.

Makoto followed up with three consecutive arrows, all aimed at his legs. Langa leapt high to avoid them before landing lightly on his feet.

The tempo of the attacks increased. Kindaro and Makoto synchronised their attacks, forcing energy to flow through Langa’s body as his heart raced to provide him with blood. He ducked and twisted over and over again until he felt his heartbeat in his throat, excitement filling him as the field became his sanctuary. He could see nothing from the outside, and he no longer had to think as his vision became only blades and arrows.

Kindaro sent two knives simultaneously, one high and one low. Langa deflected the low one with Tonare, forcing it to clatter harmlessly into the ground, while he twisted back to let the high one pass by close to his ear. Makoto's mana arrow came at a sharp angle, and Langa dove forward but the arrow drew blood, grazing his neck.

The small injury didn’t faze him though and Langa's movements became more instinctive. His heartbeat forced his body to react even before his mind saw the arrows and blades. A few cut into him but he didn’t care, he felt like he was running the most thrilling race of his life. He learnt how to use his speed without wasting stamina.

When he could not run anymore because the stamina debuff was about to hit him, he asked them to stop. He wiped his brow, a satisfied grin spreading across his face. That was amazing.

"Not bad, Langa," Makoto said, lowering his bow.

Kindaro nodded, gathering the remaining knives to himself. "You're getting faster."

Langa smiled, rolling his shoulders to ease the tension. "Thanks. But I know we can push even harder next time."

After the session, Langa leant against the wall, breathing heavily. He took a rest to allow the cuts and bruises on his body to heal. His health regeneration rate was low, so it would take a while.

“You pushed yourself too hard,” Makoto said, his voice laced with worry. “That last cut could have really injured you.”

“I’m fine. I just need to improve my stamina,” he said, taking a bite of his tutorial rations.

“Better you than me,” Kindaro said sitting next to him. “Why are you training so much anyway? You don’t want to try levelling up with the others, but you kill yourself with training.”

The reason was stupid. Yes, he wanted to be strong enough to protect Makoto like he promised, and he wanted to defeat the boss and finish the tutorial but honestly, the main reason was that, “I want to improve so I can beat Liv in our next spar.”

“What?” Makoto asked incredulously. “But he is so strong!”

Kindaro threw back his head and laughed. “You are crazy, you know that? You did see him punch through Calpu’s chest with his bare hands, right?”

Langa had seen it, and knew that Liv could still do so much better. He knew that he enjoyed running the most when he gave it his all, and he wondered if fighting was a chore to Liv since he had to hold back. “I’m still going to beat him.”

“You say that so calmly that I almost want to believe you,” Kindaro said, shaking his head.

Langa smiled. “Just you wait and see, I will do it.”

Makoto clapped his hands together and grinned. “That’s the spirit. I’m rooting for you, brother.”

Well, at least one person believed in him. He may have seemed confident but when he sparred with Liv the previous day, it had been torture.

“The power to defeat your peers is not hard to obtain. If I wanted to stand against a demigod, like Liv'Kungsadu, then the best way is to become a voident,” he said. “Well, I am planning to follow that path once I am strong enough to protect myself from voident hunters.”

“Voident?” Langa asked with a frown. Where had he heard that term before? “Oh right. Eniche and Sigurd said they were evil. Is that what you want?”

Kindaro levelled him with a gaze and shrugged. “I don’t believe in good and evil. The Thousand Undead’s Relgte clearly states that there is no such thing. Void Gems are power. The Unrivalled gives punishments to all those who use unauthorised void magic because it upsets the balance of order in the Tower. That’s how strong harnessing the power of corruption is.”

There was a strange glint of greed and desire in his eyes.

“You’re okay with power that comes from hurting innocent people?” he asked.

“Power is power. The means doesn’t matter, only the end does,” Kindaro said confidently. “According to the Relgte of my god: 'Power justifies all actions. For if you can not protect the power you have, then you do not deserve to wield it.' I will become a voident, but I will not settle for anything less than a Void Diamond.”

Langa knew that the multiverse wasn’t black and white. He wasn’t a saint, and he could be selfish sometimes, but there were things he refused to accept, like people hurting children. If Kindaro thought power was fine, no matter how it was obtained, even if children had to get hurt, then the two of them could never see eye to eye.

“Makoto,” Langa said. “Don’t listen to a word this guy says. I don’t care how you choose to live your life, but form your own path and don’t just accept power without thinking about where it comes from.”

Kindaro may have been good to fight alongside, and training with him may have helped Langa grow in strength, but he needed to remember that Kindaro was not his friend. The only reason he worked complacently with the team was because he needed them to clear the tutorial. After that, all bets were off. He needed to maintain a friendly facade but remember to protect Makoto and himself from him, especially after Liv's warning.

Makoto blinked and nodded. “Okay. I won't listen to him. Don’t worry brother, I won’t become evil.”

Kindaro rolled his eyes. “Foolish sentiments won’t get you anywhere. You shouldn’t listen to everything he says either. Why do you call him brother anyway? Is that a human thing?” he asked Makoto.

“Oh, I just like it. It’s polite where I come from to address people you respect like that if you’re as close as brothers,” he said with a hint of embarrassment. “I don’t have siblings so it's nice to have someone looking out for me.”

Langa looked away. Gratitude made him uncomfortable. “You’re an only child? Lucky you,” Kindaro said wearily, also leaning against the wall.

“Lucky? It’s nice to have siblings. My sister means a lot to me,” Langa said. If he didn’t have Thandi, he might have ended up on the streets after his father’s death. “Aren’t you and your siblings close?”

Kindaro snorted. “My sister and my youngest brother were always close, my eldest brother and my second brother were also always close as well. I am just stuck in the middle, alone.”

That sounded sad to Langa but Kindaro didn’t seem to mind all that much, so Langa joked. “With your charming personality, I can’t figure out why they wouldn’t like you.”

A knife soared towards his neck and he dodged it with a curse as Kindaro laughed. "Damn, are you trying to kill me for telling the truth?"

Langa knew he was just playing, though. Kindaro wouldn't fight him seriously before the end of the tutorial.

Kindaro stood up and picked up the knife, sounding amused. “Well, if I really wanted to, it would be easy to make them like me.”

As he walked away, Langa remembered that he was a mind mage, so he was right. He may be able to obtain more skills to control people’s minds in the future and force them to like him. It sent chills down his spine.