Reading the notifications about his ranking, he sighed.
[The Thirteenth trial is over. Players ranked below 113 are eliminated. Please leave the tower after collecting your reward. Congratulations to all who remain. Please select your reward.]
[You are ranked 13/150: Reward x1.]
Opting to boost his talent level, he thought, 'I guess some players really went all out in the trial, despite the limited freedom we’re given inside. I can’t imagine earning more points without becoming a demon myself. I already went so far...'
Sora made his way toward the next level, but before stepping onto the 14th floor, he was directed to the [Challenge Room]. As he entered, his eyes scanned the room, noting the tense expressions on the faces of most players. It didn’t take long for him to understand—they had all endured a similar trial.
Spotting Kara among the challengers who had failed to amass enough military merits, Sora’s chest tightened. "You’re not like me," he thought, while avoiding her gaze.
As Kara stepped into the arena, Sora couldn’t bring himself to look away anymore. He watched as she effortlessly fought and defeated her opponent, earning her place on the next floor.
Setting aside his thoughts, Sora advanced to the 14th floor, frowning at the new trial's content. It was another war.
This time, however, he wasn’t allowed to participate in the battles directly. Instead, he was forced to assume the role of a general, tasked with leading his army to victory. Drawing on the experience he had gained from earlier trials, Sora strategized to the best of his abilities. Though his performance felt unremarkable, he ultimately led his kingdom to victory.
'If the next trial is another damn war, I'll just give up and challenge someone to reach the next floor. Torturing myself over a few points in talent level is not worth it...' He thought, tired from his previous trials.
As if the Ascension Tower had granted his wish, the 15th-floor trial switched focus to mastery over mana and skills.
[Welcome to the 15th floor of the Tower.] [Trial: Mana Mastery – Mastering Skills.] [In this trial, you will be given 3 days to learn and master a skill.] [Players will be ranked according to the level of proficiency they can reach in the same duration.] [Please select the skill of your choice.]
A small grin appeared on Sora's face. 'This is it. Finally, something for me...'
Selecting a skill called [Metamorphosis], designed to alter the user’s appearance, he immediately began refining and perfecting it. Before long, he had achieved a complete understanding of the skill, allowing him to change every aspect of his appearance.
Sora approached the skill like a sculptor working with raw stone, starting small by tweaking minor details—his hair length, eye shape, skin texture, height. Each adjustment required precise mana control and focus. As his understanding grew, however, these simple alterations became effortless.
Before long, he pushed [Metamorphosis] to its intended limits, allowing him to transform into any known living being. Yet, even as he reached what others might consider perfection, Sora didn’t feel satisfied. 'This still isn’t enough. It'll only fool the weak or players lacking probing skills.'
“Changing my external appearance is easy,” he muttered, experimenting further. “But what about my aura and information? If someone can sense those, they’ll see through me instantly.”
Focusing his mana more deeply, Sora began experimenting with altering his mana signature and fluctuations. He played with the quality, intensity, and rhythm of his mana, crafting an entirely new energy signature. With practice, he could pass as a novice player with minimal power, deceiving anyone who tried to analyze him.
'This should throw off most inspection skills or mana senses. Anyone trying to gauge my strength will see only what I want them to see.'
Yet even as he perfected this application, he frowned. 'Good, but not good enough. Pretending to be weak or strong has its uses, but this won’t carry me in the long run. Let’s take this further.'
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Ignoring the trial’s original objective of mastering [Metamorphosis], Sora began altering the skill’s very foundation. Initially limited to the user, he tinkered with its properties until he could cast it on other living beings. Using Netsu and Hiyoko as test subjects, he started with minor adjustments—changing their eye or feather colors.
As his proficiency increased, the transformations grew more complex. Netsu became a Piou, while Hiyoko took the form of a Phoenix...
Netsu, however, quickly began to rebel, clearly unhappy with the changes. Sora smirked, watching as both familiars now appeared as small chicks in a conjured cage. Their playful antics brought an unexpected lightness to the moment.
'It’s been a long time since I’ve last laughed,' he thought, noting their efforts to cheer him up.
Satisfied with his progress on living beings, Sora shifted his focus to inanimate objects. Picking up a simple stone, he attempted to reshape it into something more intricate. Initially, the stone crumbled under the power of his mana, but as he adjusted his approach, he stabilized the transformations.
Eventually, he turned the stone into a replica of a low-level sword he had once wielded. Every detail was precise, down to the carved runes on its blade. However, replicating the sword’s original effects proved impossible. Frustrated, Sora decided to halt his experiments on weapons. 'If I can’t recreate functionality, this isn’t worth the effort. My time here is limited, after all.'
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Pushing further, Sora set his sights on creating living replicas of people. Using ordinary materials, he developed what he called [Metamorphosis Clones]. Stones became humanoid figures, their appearances similar to real beings. The process, however, demanded immense quantities of [Condensed Mana] to create and mental power to maintain.
'These clones could fool even the sharpest eyes if I manage to push this far enough.'
However, he quickly identified a limitation: the quality of the core material. Stones, while abundant, were too weak to sustain high-level transformations.
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'So the material determines their strength and durability. Using rocks is inefficient. If I want real utility, I need better resources, and there's nothing in this space...'
He experimented with making the clones autonomous, aiming for transformations that could maintain their energy independently and last indefinitely. But as he was invested in his experiments, the trial’s timer expired.
Sora sighed in frustration, reluctantly halting his experiments as the system’s notifications cut through his focus.
'There’s still so much more to explore… This skill has endless potential. I’ll perfect it someday.'
[The Fifteenth trial is over. Players ranked below 64 are eliminated. Please leave the tower after collecting your reward.]
Reading the familiar message, he understood that only 64 players were left inside of the tower.
[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]
[Floor 11: Rank 1/316]
[Floor 12: Rank 1/250]
[Floor 13: Rank 13/150]
[Floor 14: Rank 43/113]
[Floor 15: Rank 1/84]
Earning his sixth top rank on the last floor, Sora chose his reward without much thought and made his way toward the [Challenge Room].
'I guess I’ll keep increasing my talent level. I just hope I never regret this...' he thought.
As his gaze swept over the crowd, he searched for the one person who mattered most to him. A small sigh of relief escaped him when he spotted Kara, declining a challenge from another player.
Indifferent to the fact that no one had dared to challenge him since the last PvP trial, Sora left the [Challenge Room], emerging alongside the 63 remaining competitors.
The relief of Kara’s qualification was short-lived. As he observed her in the waiting room, something felt off. The usual warmth radiating from her presence was dim, her brightness dulled.
Sora’s chest tightened at the sight of her. 'This damned tower…'
Kara, who usually exuded confidence and kindness, seemed worn, almost lost. Her expression only deepened the ache in Sora’s heart.
[Ralph Eden: Hi there... Looks like you can’t wait to leave this tower either...]
Kara didn’t respond to the message. Instead, she quickened her pace, closing the distance between them before throwing herself into his arms.
Caught off guard by the unexpected public display of affection, Sora instinctively cast a veil around them as she approached, shielding them from prying eyes—he was glad he had developed [Veil] during his years in the [Alternate Dimension].
Holding her close, he remained silent. The moment felt comforting for the two of them. It lasted until a notification interrupted them.
[Ralph Eden: Ignore the trial notifications, and tell me what happened instead.]
[Kara Spirine: I’m tired of this place. I don’t want to fight anymore... I just want to spend my life quietly training by your side.]
Sora wasn’t surprised by her words. He understood too well the exhaustion that came from the tower’s trials. He’d felt the same countless times during the previous trials.
[Ralph Eden: After we deal with a few things outside, let’s head back to France. Just the two of us—we’ll rest and take it slow for a while.]
Kara’s slight nod and the way her body relaxed against him spoke volumes. After a moment, she tilted her head, her expression thoughtful.
[Kara Spirine: What about Rachel? Her growth is abnormal… I’m afraid she’ll surpass you again if you give her time.]
Sora’s smile was faint but reassuring as he replied.
[Ralph Eden: That’s one of the things I’ll handle outside. It’s time for her to reap what she’s sown. But for now, let’s focus on getting through these last floors and leaving this place.]
[Kara Spirine: I feel like I’m at my limit. I don’t know if I can beat even half the players here. And through the [Soul Link], I can tell how far above me you’ve grown… There’s not enough time for me to close the gap through it. My sword mastery has stagnated, and with my innate ability suppressed in most trials, I can’t catch up.]
Sora quickly scanned the trial notifications, shaking his head.
[Ralph Eden: It seems that today’s trial is individual combat. Just do your best, and unleash all your skills. I don't know who stands a chance against you if you use everything at your disposal. I believe in you.]
Her doubt lingered, but his confidence bolstered her. Kara managed a faint smile and nodded.
Reading the notifications again, Sora frowned. 'This is the first PvP trial that focuses solely on individual strength… This doesn’t favor Kara who has a low level like me, but there still is hope.'
[Welcome to the 16th floor of the Ascension Tower.] [Trial: Individual Tournament – Face players in a group stage before entering an elimination tournament. Players eliminated in the group stage will be disqualified.] [Players are to face 7 opponents of various tiers during the group phase. Tiers correspond to a player’s overall achievements in the tower.]
[Mechanics:
* Your group will consist of 2 players from each tier.
* Each duel ends when a participant is eliminated or surrenders.
* Each victory grants 3 points.
* Extra lives can be used to continue the duel without giving your opponent a chance to recuperate.
* A draw is declared if no clear winner emerges within 5 minutes, granting each player 1 point.
* Ties in points will be broken by the total duration of fights.
* If still tied, the player with fewer lives used will qualify.
* If ties persist, the winner will be selected randomly.
* The 4 lowest-ranked players in each group will be eliminated.
[You are a tier 1 player.] [You have been placed in group D]
As the notifications faded, Sora glanced at Kara, now calm but standing just an arm's distance away. Dropping the veil that concealed them, he asked, “What tier and group are you in?”
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image-2024-11-02-192827181 [https://i.ibb.co/ZGDZGCj/image-2024-11-02-192827181.png]
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