If one looked closely at the monsters below Sora, they would quickly notice that most were variations of Evil Spirits and other creatures, specialized in Mental attacks.
Using [Blink] to appear in their midst, Sora activated [Psychic Hold], feeling his mental power dominate the area. Almost immediately, he sensed [Devouring Will] requesting permission to consume the enemies’ mental power, like a child asking a parent for approval.
''This feels strange… but it's exactly why I came here. Although… it feels strange to have my skills ask for permission,' he thought, approving the skill’s request.
As [Devouring Will] activated, the mental energy of his enemies poured into him. With the additional mental energy, he had two options: expand his mental power capacity or fuel his [Psychic Hold]. Opting to alternate between both, Sora felt a surge of power as his reserves expanded. With every increase, his [Psychic Hold] stretched further, covering an ever-widening area.
'This is… insane,' he thought, feeling the rush of power. 'The more enemies I consume, the further my reach grows, reaching even more monsters.'
The more energy [Devouring Will] absorbed, the wider his [Psychic Hold] range became, pressing down on even more monsters and draining their mental power in turn.
‘This is a perfect combo,’ he realized, surprised. ‘There's no army I can't annihilate with this.’
Within minutes, his skill range had increased a hundredfold, covering most of the battlefield, before stopping. Most monsters lay lifeless around him, drained completely of their mental energy, leaving a quiet, empty field. Using all his remaining mental power to increase his Mental Power capacity.
'So this is how I can grow my Mental Power capacity,' he thought, amazed. 'And the quality improves passively as my brain refines itself. And to fill such a huge tank, I’ll need [Mind Forge],' Recognizing the synergy between his skill effects, he was amazed.
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For the next years, Sora focused on refining his abilities, testing their synergy, and pushing his power to new heights. Hitting limits in various aspects of his power, he even trained his familiars, ensuring their evolution matched his own.
Though unable to unlock a fourth Supreme Skill, he poured his efforts into training his skills, combining them into tools of destruction and creating a fighting style unique to himself.
Over the years, Sora, Netsu, and Hiyoko had grown into inseparable companions, bonded by countless hours of training, shared moments of rest, discussion and laughter. To break the monotony of their routines, they often found creative ways to relax—whether through games or quiet moments by the lake, savoring the comfort of each other's company. Their connection deepened naturally, evolving into something close to a true family.
As a notification appeared before him, Sora turned to his familiars. "It’s time to leave this world," he said. "Remember this day, Netsu, Hiyoko. From now on, no one is allowed to take our lives… unless we allow them to."
Hiyoko, now sporting her striking new form, giggled softly at her master’s words. Netsu, who had also undergone an impressive transformation, nodded solemnly. They understood the weight behind his words—words that would sound arrogant if taken out of context, yet for them, meant something entirely different.
[The tenth trial 'Alternate Dimension' is over.]
[The tenth trial was your reward.] [Ascension Points spent in the trial : 4,382,300]
'Oh boy, I really spent most of these points creating beasts in this world,' he thought, eyeing the total expenditure for his world customization. 'But it was worth it!'
After a while, he checked the rankings:
[Floor 1: Rank 1/4320]
[Floor 2: Rank 122/3456]
[Floor 3: Rank 6/2592]
[Floor 4: Rank 1/400 (Group Rank)]
[Floor 5: Rank 3/1500]
[Floor 6: Rank 52/1125]
[Floor 7: Rank 1/843]
[Floor 8: Rank 42/562]
[Floor 9: Rank 3/422]
[Floor 10: None]
With no one failing the trial, Sora had no worries about the [Challenge Room]. Not needing any rest, he stepped straight onto the 11th floor with his familiars close behind.
Both Netsu and Hiyoko transformed, shrinking into tiny birds just a few inches tall. Perched comfortably on his shoulders, all traces of their previous fierce appearances vanished.
The 11th trial focused on testing raw combat power. For the first time, Sora made an unprecedented choice. Confirming his decision, he glanced at the notification.
[You have chosen Maximum difficulty]
He stared at the group of level 175 monsters, each 37 levels above him. Still, he welcomed the challenge, confident that the level gap wouldn’t be a problem.
A day later, he and his familiars emerged from the trial.
[You have survived 20 rounds in the 11th floor trial, Solo mode, Maximum difficulty.]
[Total points accumulated in the trial: 18,330,790 points.]
Ignoring the impressive point tally, Sora reflected on the trial. These monsters were the strongest he’d ever faced, yet his mastery over his skills had made their life force and levels seem irrelevant.
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[Level up!]
[Level up!]
[Level up!]
[Level up!]
[Level up!]
[Level up!]
[Level up!]
[Remaining candidates in the 11th floor trial: 2]
With both Sora and Hiyoko reaching level 145, the gap with Netsu was closing. Netsu had been stuck at level 155 for a while, but Sora sensed that surpassing his familiar’s level would trigger Netsu’s growth once more.
After a while, he saw his final ranking, and could choose his rewards.
[Floor 11: Rank 1/316]
[The eleventh trial is over. Players ranked below 250 are eliminated. Please leave the tower after collecting your reward. Congratulations to all who remain. Please select your reward.]
[You chose Maximum difficulty. Reward x5.] [Reward Option 1: +10 Talent Level]
[Reward Option 2: +10 Growth Factor]
[Reward Option 3: +10 Soul Pearls]
[You have chosen the +10 Talent Level reward!]
A few minutes later, with Hiyoko and Netsu perched on his shoulders, he headed to the 12th floor. The scene that greeted him looked much like the 9th floor, with over 60 players gathered on the opposite side in the [Challenge Room], ready to confront those who’d advanced through the 11th floor trial.
The last time Sora was in this room, he had been impatient, wanting the battles to end quickly. But now, he enjoyed every moment of it. His perspective on the other players, the Ascension Tower, and its challenges had evolved entirely after his years of training and experimenting.
He felt like a new person, driven by an insatiable curiosity and hunger for knowledge. With his new goal clear, he thought of little else—besides his ongoing mission to torment Rachel.
'This is once in a lifetime opportunity. I need to pay attention.' He thought.
Surrounded by players wielding Supreme and Innate Skills, Sora started observing all players. Observing each battle and skill, he immersed himself in studying the duels, dissecting every move and strategy.
Receiving a challenge, Sora used his last token to ignore it, preferring to observe the other duels.
Noticing Kara also ignoring her challenge, his gaze shifted to Emily, who accepted a match and stepped into the arena. Sora analyzed her intently, tracking every strand of mana, blood vessel movement, and muscle reaction. Despite her higher level, he felt he could almost see through both her and her opponent.
'Emily isn't exactly human. Is she a Vampire? Her blood manipulation seems to be an even higher level skill. An Innate Skill and a Supreme Skill! I'm almost certain.' He thought.
However, as Emily quickly won her fight , Sora felt a pang of disappointment; the battle hadn’t revealed as much as he’d hoped. His gaze moved to the next challenger, and he couldn’t help but smirk as he recognized Kim Dong.
'This guy is like a cockroach. Every time I think he’s out, he pops back up,' he thought, amused. Though he had a fondness for this tenacious guild leader, he couldn’t quite pinpoint the powerful ability Kim possessed, despite the hints he’d sensed in past encounters.
Watching the battle he thought, 'He's not using a Supreme or Innate skill, that's for sure. But he still managed to push his skills to extremely high proficiency, rivalling most average players here. But he picked the wrong player for his challenge...'
As Kim’s luck finally ran out, Sora sighed when he lost to a level 160 Spirit Race player. The overall levels of the tower participants had soared, with level 160 now considered average. Even Kim Dong’s impressive level 168 wasn’t enough this time.
Watching Kim leave the tower didn’t faze Sora. He understood this place only rewarded those capable of stepping over others to ascend.
Once the last duel ended, Sora was moved out of the [Challenge Room] and teleported to the 12th floor. A spacious waiting area greeted him. Looking around, he saw the remaining qualified players appearing nearby, awaiting the next notification.
[Welcome to the 12th floor of the Ascension Tower.] [Trial: Team Elimination Battle – Create your own squad and hold your position on the battlefield.] [Players are to form squads of 5 players. They will fight 5 times, against 9 other squads each time.]
[Mechanics:
* Each battle will end when only one squad remains on the battlefield.
* Each enemy elimination grants 5 points to the player and 1 point to their teammates.
* A player’s elimination deducts 5 points from the player and 1 point from each team member.
* Each member of the winning squad earns an additional 15 points.
* Each member of the second-place squad earns an additional 10 points.
* Each member of the third-place squad earns an additional 5 points.
* After all battles, the 100 players with the fewest points will be eliminated, without a chance for a challenge.
* Leaving the battlefield consumes a player's life, removing them from the current battle.]
* Each player has one life on the battlefield.
* Extra Lives can be used for an extra chance to fight back.
[Please form your squad within the next 30 minutes.]
'Here we go again. Another team event...' Sora thought, feeling neither excitement nor apprehension.
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image-2024-11-02-192827181 [https://i.ibb.co/ZGDZGCj/image-2024-11-02-192827181.png]
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