Motivation is at an all time high. Inhibitions are at an all time low. There is no time like the present to improve myself, and for the past three days that is exactly what I have been doing. That night that I’d been partying, I had received a number of notifications, and only after it was all over had I bothered to look at them.
You are now level 34
You are now level 35
Advanced Mana Manipulation (Rare) has been upgraded to Superior Mana Manipulation (Epic)
I had managed to upgrade my mana manipulation skill that night without even having really intended to. I’d known I was close to an upgrade, and something about all the new and unique ways I had used my mana must have been enough to kick it over the finish line. I had even gained two levels as opposed to the usual one for a skill upgrade. I’d wager it was probably because the skill upgraded was the most important skill I had and one that was fundamentally linked to every other skill and spell in my arsenal.
Ever since that night, I had been doing some off and on training, taking breaks to mingle with people around the outpost and generally just be more a part of the community. I’d taken a trip to Hassan’s camp one night, and had some more of their delicious cooking. I swear it somehow got better every time I went.
During the time I had spent training, I had been working on upgrading my empower skill. It was a slow process, as it didn’t actually involve using the skill to learn more about it. What I was doing was more akin to a complete overhaul of the skill, improving every aspect of it by changing it completely.
My eyes had been opened to the wasted potential of the skill when I had seen what the Spear Queen used during our fight. Her skill had given her a massive boost of speed for about a second after activating, and by my best estimate boosted her Body stat by about 25%. That was almost double the effect mine gave me, and I wanted something like that.
And so, all of my training time could be boiled down to meditating and rerouting my mana pathways. It wasn’t exactly easy, and it hurt like a hot needle to do, but I knew I was on the right track. Once I had managed to finish rerouting the mana in my arm, I could feel the difference in my grip strength.
Some parts of my body were much easier to change than others. For my hands it had been as simple as splitting up the natural mana pathway and having each new “string” of it reaching a different part of the hand, making the energy was distributed as well as possible to every single muscle fiber. The feet were much the same, but when I moved up to my calves and my forearms, things got tricky.
Unlike the hands, the mana pathways didn’t just end in the forearms. That meant that after distributing all the mana, the pathways needed to reconverge to go to continue on to my hands. I had no way to do such a thing effectively, which sent me right back to square one.
What I eventually figured out was that I needed to start the splintering of mana right at the center of my chest, the place where all mana pathways converged. Each of these new and splintered pathways would then trace a similar, but slightly offset line from where it originated. That way I wouldn’t be messing up the flows of mana, but still distributing it more evenly through my muscles.
The only problem I had with this method was that I needed to remake the enchantment in my arm that allowed me to store things in my aura. I had taken one of the new pathways I’d created to make a copy of the enchantment, but that meant the skill would be slightly less effective for the area I’d taken the pathway from. If making the skill 2% less effective for my left pinky was what it cost to be able to store items in an extradimensional space, then I guess I would just have to take the hit.
All of my efforts were rewarded when my skill was at last upgraded, and I gained a level on top of the one I’d already gained while working on all of this.
You are now level 36
Empower (Rare) has been upgraded to Empower (Epic)
Bolster your body using your mana, increasing your physical capabilities. Depending on the mana invested, grants up to 25% in the body stat. Gives a small boost to the effectiveness of Mind and Body when being used.
You are now level 37
It felt good to finally be getting levels again. I’d felt so stagnant for the days I’d spent going through the chain floors. I was pretty sure that people were supposed to stop and actually train before attempting to upgrade their marks, but I had already been strong enough that none of that was necessary.
At least, it hadn’t been thus far. I had absolutely no idea what I was going to be facing to get my mark to tier five. The jump in strength from the level 27 warrior on floor 7 to the level 34 Spear Queen on floor 8 had already been a massive leap in power, and if it was a similar leap in strength from her to whatever awaited me on the ninth floor, I was in for trouble. If it was a similar jump from the ninth to tenth, I was pretty much screwed.
No reason to let it get to my head though. I had done all I could to prepare for this day, and that was plain to see when looking at my stat sheet.
Name: River Banks
Race: Human
Level: 37
Class: Energetic Manipulator
Subclass: Arcane Artificer
Trait: Planes Walker
Displayed title: King Killer
Statistics:
Body: 346 (Agility-Strength-Constitution)
Mind: 509 (Potency, Capacity, Recovery)
Spirit: 346 (Perception-Aura-Soul)
Class skills: Mana Conversion (Epic), Accumulate (Epic), Superior Mana Manipulation (Epic)
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Class spells: Mana Blast (Rare), Mana Splinter (Rare), Arcane Fortification (Epic), Mana-Festation (Epic)
Personal Spells: Empower (Epic)
Titles: S+ tier pioneer, S tier populous, King Killer
I’d chosen to make King Killer my displayed title a little while back. My entire reasoning behind it was that it sounded cooler than “S+ Tier pioneer”. On a more important note, my stats were all far higher than they had been not even a week ago. Several levels, skill improvements, and overall increased skill at wielding mana had led me o being a lot stronger than before. I just had to hope it would be enough.
Before heading to the front gates of the castle like I’d been instructed, I stopped by the arena to pick up my reward for winning the tournament. Pulling on the leather gloves I’d been given, I inspect them as I feel how perfectly they fit.
Gloves of Empowerment (Epic)
Increases the potency and decreases the cost of all spells cast through the gloves. As they are infused with mana, they increase in both durability and rigidity. Mana can be stored in the gloves and be used instantaneously to be cast a spell of the wielders choice. Effects only apply when both gloves are worn.
It was everything I had asked for, and just a little bit more. I would have expected for an arena in the capitol of a kingdom to have some fine crafters contracted to their side, but these were truly remarkable. My staff had served me well, but it all honestly didn’t fit my fighting style very well. Being able to summon weapons into my hands for a reduced cost and be able to store a spell for later use were both extremely useful and far more important than having a stick to hit people with.
Upon reaching the castle gates, I found both Flynn and the spear queen waiting for me. I’d arrived early, and I wondered how early they must have shown up to beat me here.
“Great, now we can go meet the king.” The woman says, clapping her hands and rubbing them together.
“I thought he would just be spectating us in a fight.” Flynn says.
“Well that is what I had been thinking too, but apparently he wants to meet the two of you in person.”
“No complaints from me.” I say. “I get to meet a King, and that sounds like a win.”
“Great attitude!” She says, leading us into the castle.
We are joined by two guards for the castle, and they escort us through the many hallways of the castle. I inspect each of them, noting that they are both level 40.
When we enter the throne room, the King is already sitting in his throne, and besides him the room is completely empty. The King himself was an intimidating figure. Even though he was sitting down, I could just tell he was a massive individual. The guards eventually stopped walking, and so the three of us stopped as well. With a wave of his hand, the King dismisses the guards. It is now just me, Flynn, the Spear Queen, and what I am certain is the most powerful being I have encountered thus far.
The King finally stand up, his full height plain to see. He was about seven feet tall, and filled that frame out with large muscles covered in metal armor. He looks at me and Flynn, his gaze not once falling on the woman next to us.
“Greetings, climbers.” He says. “I hope you have enjoyed your time in my kingdom thus far.”
Neither of us respond for a few seconds, trying to formulate a response, but I manage to break the silence and come up with something quickly.
“Of course, King. It is a beautiful city, and I have yet to even explore most of it.” If sucking up to this man will get me my upgraded mark, then by god I will throw my pride out the door.
“That’s great to hear.” He says, and as he speaks his eyes begin to glow a deep green. His gaze bores deep into me, and it makes me feel oddly naked. After a moment, he looks at me, his face now showing a hint of amusement. “King Killer. A brave title to have displayed in this situation.”
Ever panic alarm in my brain went off all at once, but before I could say anything the King spoke once more.
“Don’t worry, I am not offended. Quite the opposite actually. To see someone of such a caliber in my throne room is always a pleasure.”
“Thank you.” I say, my nerves still not entirely alleviated.
“May I ask why you brought us here?” Flynn asks, speaking up for the first time since arriving.
“Ah, yes.” The King says, nodding. “I summoned you two here because you both show quite a bit of talent and tenacity. I figured we would skip all the trouble of putting you into another arena, and skip right to the good part.”
With a snap of his fingers, a screen appears in front of me. It almost makes me jump, as this is the first time since the tutorial began that an unprompted screen has appeared before me.
Your mark has been upgraded to Kings Chosen (Tier 5)
You have completed floor 9!
Welcome to floor 10, Kings Judgement (Chain)
On the last section of your first chain floor, your actions up to this point shall be judged by the King. Should he find you worthy of continuing, he will allow you passage to the next floor. Should he deem you unworthy, you will lose one rank to your Mark.
He turns to Flynn. “Catch.” He says, tossing a vial of clear liquid his way.
Flynn catches it in his hands, looking down at it. I’d already inspected it mid air, and my jaw just about hit the floor.
Flask of Growth
Increase all stats by 20% for the next 30 minutes. Overwrites any inferior stat boosting skills or items.
That was just a boosting skill in a bottle. Almost as good as mine too. The King then points to me. “Come stand next to me.”
I do as I am told, walking up and standing next to the King, facing Flynn and the spear queen. The King continues to address Flynn. “Drink the flask and duel the warrior next to you. If you can win and prove you have learned and grown from your previous bout, I will allow you passage to the next floor.”
With no hesitation, Flynn downs the entire flask and turns towards the woman, his sword drawn and ready. The spear queen, who had gotten a new spear since her last one was broken, also readied her weapon. Her boosting skill was activated right from the start, and soon the two of them were locked into a heated battle. It was nothing I hadn’t seen before, so I look up at the king and speak.
“What must I do to gain entry to the next floor?”
The King looks down at me, a soft smile on his face. There was a hint of something akin to smugness on his face as he talked. “You may chose to move on to the next floor now if you wish to, but if you truly want to experience what can happen when you push yourself to your limits, you can put that title of yours to the test.”
It took a moment to process what he meant, but my eyes widened in shock when I finally realized it. “You want me to duel you?”
“Not to the death of course.” He says, shrugging. “But I think both of us would like to see what you are really capable of. Don’t think I didn’t hear that comment about you having yet to push yourself to your limits in this city. That is what these floors are all about, and I can’t let you leave without at least having the opportunity to grow.”
“How did you hear- wait how do you know-” I don’t know what question to ask first. A million of them are popping into my head all at once.
“I have my ways, and I have my ways. I will give you until the end of this fight to make your decision.”
“I’ll do it.” I say, not needing to think about it. He said it wouldn’t be to the death, and who knows when I’d get an opportunity to face such a stronger opponent than myself again in a relatively safe environment?
“Very well.” The King says. “You are lucky you made your desicion so quickly.”
I am about to ask what he means, when suddenly the spear queen shouts out in pain. A large red line ran from her shoulder to her hip where Flynn's spear had cut her deeply. The Kings hand glows, and the wound disappears.
“You may pass on to the next floor.” He says to Flynn, and almost instantly a staircase appears under the mans feet. He falls into it, and a moment later the staircase disappears. “And you may leave.” He says to the woman Flynn was just fighting. She quickly speed walks out, not wanting to disobey the King.
The King steps away from me, walking to the back of his throne room. Each step is slow and deliberate, creating an uneasy atmosphere as each rattle of his armor echoes throughout the large room. Upon reaching the back of the room, the King grabs a staff that I had not noticed previously.
“I’m lucky to have found someone to duel with so early into the tutorial.” He says, turning towards me. His staff taps against the ground on beat with his words, exactly as I had done in my last fight. “And I don’t think I could have gotten any luckier. A mage, someone who will appreciate a well made spell.”
This is clearly leading into the start of the fight, and I quickly inspect the King to know what I am about to be up against.
Human (Level Unknown)(Boss Monster)
Mark upgraded, Kings Challenger (Tier 6)
You have found floor 10’s hidden boss. Experience gained will be significantly increased upon killing a hidden boss.
“That poor excuse of a inspection skill isn’t enough to see my level.” The King says, his staff still tapping rhythmically against the floor. The tapping is getting louder and louder as it goes on. “For the first time since arriving in this tower, you are going to get a taste of what true, overwhelming power is like. Perhaps you can even learn a thing or two.”