“Welcome to the washroom!”

Aines opened the door, allowing a puff of steam to disperse outward. Seeing the clean bath, the boy only felt more disgusted with himself.

“I’m curious though, why don’t you just use a cleansing skill? Have you not learned it?”

Aines spoke as he organized the towers and other utilities.

“Cleansing skill?”

The boy was intrigued.

“Seems like you really haven’t learned it. I’ll be right back, I’ll get the common skill scrolls that are useful for daily life.”

The boy sat along the side of the bath and watched Aines rush out of the room.

“Common skill books?”

He mumbled as he glanced down at his outfit. It was given back to him in his sleep, and it was just as dirty as he was.

It didn’t take long for Aines to return with three rolled up scrolls in hand.

“Alright, this one is Fire Manipulation, super useful for just about any occasion. This one is Cleanse, also very useful. The last one is Illuminate, sometimes you just can’t use fire to light up your surroundings.”

Aines handed the scrolls to the boy one by one.

“Take your time and read through the scrolls. Once you learn cleanse, you won’t have to take a bath unless you actually want to. Taking a bath is quite nice, but with cleanse you can always wash your outer body of impurities in just a wave of a hand.”

Aines waved his hands and immediately a refreshing smell emanated from his body. Upon closer inspection, it was clear that the previous dirt and sweat that had been accumulating was nowhere to be seen.

“I’ve heard that with higher mastery of cleanse, one can even wash away the impurities within their body. That’s just a rumor though… The Illuminate skill is also really nice, it does just as it sounds.”

He once more demonstrated by illuminating one of his hands and waving it about.

“See? Feel. No heat is coming off from the light. With some practice you can even change the color. Anyway, you can wash up here for now, but you should learn-“

A glow radiated from the boy just then. His complexion immediately sparkled as if he had been deep cleaned by the most purifying liquid in existence.

Aines blinked his eyes and rubbed them, only to blink again.

“Am I really not dreaming?”

He muttered, transfixed by the scintillating scene in front of him.

The boy’s cheeks became as plush as the softest cake. His hair appeared as if it were a silky cream. Even eyes seemed to have gained a new level of mystery if one were to gaze into them.

With much difficulty, Aines pulled his attention away and cleared his throat.

“Ahem, it looks like uh, you understand how to use cleanse.”

Aines felt his blood boiling as if the temperature had increased around him.

“I’ll just… excuse myself. Anyway, study the other two scrolls. You can just keep them, they’re cheap after all, only worth about one low rank spirit shard or less. Uh, look for me after you’ve enjoyed your bath. Don’t forget to cleanse your clothes.”

He rambled on as he made his exit from the washroom.

The boy glanced down at himself. His arms looked like the human incarnation of ethereal clouds. He shuddered as a certain thought went through his head.

Don’t I look a little too… feminine?

He shook his head and quickly dismissed it.

No matter what he looked like, he would always be a boy after all. He concluded that this was merely the effects of his cleanse skill not being adjusted properly. He refocused his thoughts and then promptly used the cleanse skill on his clothing.

Another glow radiated outward, but this time from his clothing.

Immediately after, a fragrant smell permeated the room. At the same time, his stained and dirty clothing became the definition of immaculate. It was as if the fibers had returned to their origins.

He looked at his body and clothes with intrigue after seeing these effects.

I only used about 10% of the skill’s strength… What happens if I go all out?

An amused smile hung on his lips as he prepared the bath and stripped off his clothes.

“Ahhh…”

He let out a sound of satisfaction as he settled into the hot water.

Despite having this new cleanse skill, he still enjoyed the feeling a comfortable bath. He used his hands to scoop the water back and forth for a while, when suddenly he formed a mischievous grin.

“Cleanse!”

He shut his eyes and focused on his body. He started with his arms, legs, chest, fingers, and all of his exterior. Then he slowly focused his attention towards the inside of his body.

He sensed blood and energy flowing throughout his organs, and he mapped out the different segments of his body, giving each portion his full attention with the Cleanse skill in full power.

A refreshing feeling remained each time he passed by a section of his internals.

Originally, it was as if his body was a murky pond, a home to moss and mud. However, as the minutes passed by, that pond was thoroughly cleaned of all impurities.

With his eyes still shut, he channeled his internal energy throughout his body once more. Any resistance that his body had once formed against him was nowhere to be felt.

It feels like my body is at least twice as efficient from before.

It was impossible for him to know at this moment, however throughout the world there existed many medicinal pills that could achieve a similar effect. Purifying one’s body was seen as a symbol of the upper class due to how expensive it was to acquire the necessary resources.

Even if one did have access to these types of pills, the margin of improvement could be counted in the single or barely double digits. A body cleansing medicinal pill at the A grade would be able to improve the users efficiency by around 25%. This was a giant leap from a B grade pill, which would only improve efficiency by around 10%.

The boy opened his eyes with a happy smile, before looking around in horror.

A black mist floated along the surface of the water, and the once clear hot bath was now full of a putrid substance.

He held back the urge to wretch from the smell that now assaulted him, quickly escaping the bath and draining the water. Even that didn’t remove the black entirely, thus began a semi arduous task of repeatedly filling and emptying the bath in an effort to clean it.

Eventually, hard work paved the path to success, and he was finally met with a fairly clean bathtub. He promptly exited the room while casually scanning the Illuminate skill scroll.

Interesting… Fire Manipulation, Cleanse, and Illuminate are all D rank skills. The most common of common. But why are the effects so extreme when I use them?

He had clearly seen the skill of a novice user practicing Fire Manipulation.

Chenbo never slacked on any of his training in the mountain range, both in terms of physical and magic training. The flames he could produce were lackluster at best and there was no chance that he could use them offensively.

Chenda’s flames had much more strength and intensity behind them, but even then it was estimated that he could only use them to combat a D rank monster.

But my flames…

The boy thought about the tempest of abyssal flames he could call forth.

The deep black flames would roar and seethe as if the twisting nether was spreading a consuming hatred for life. This was a clear contrast to the basic, pale yellow flames that others could call upon.

“Illuminate.”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

The boy murmured quietly.

Immediately, the hallway surrounding him lit up with clarity, allowing him to see even the tiniest details that would normally escape the eye. It was almost like gaining a second sight.

The lighting was a peculiar feeling; all sense of darkness was removed, but it wasn’t blinding. In fact, he couldn’t even determine where the light source was coming from.

He canceled the effect after a moment, restoring the characteristic shadows back to the hallway.

I have a feeling Illuminate is not supposed to be that effective.

He scratched his cheek in thought before giving up on finding an explanation.

“Who’s there?!”

A rough voice sounded from the end of the hallway.

The boy glanced in the direction of the speaker to find a muscular man wearing light armor. His hand rested on the hilt of a sword by his waist.

“I ain’t seen you ‘round here before.”

The man narrowed his eyes and took measured steps towards the boy.

“I just got here…”

The boy replied and gave a careless shrug.

“Which of them runts snuck you in here? I knew it, one of them’s gotta be gay. Them lads look too good to be straight.”

This man was one of the many guards stationed throughout the manor.

While the guards weren’t the smartest amongst their peers, each of them had enough strength to complete the tower’s second floor trial. That is to say, each guard had progressed to at least the third floor.

While they knew better than to mishandle Madam Lexene’s servants without orders, that only applied to the servants. The guards were currently aware that Madam Lexene had six servants, with one new servant that was bedridden in a severe state.

How could the young man in front of him possibly be the newest addition when he’s supposed to be heavily injured? Therefore, this loose end must have been snuck inside the manor by a servant while Madam Lexene was out on a business trip.

“Snuck me in? I think there’s-”

“Never mind. It doesn’t matter what you say. It’s been awhile since my blade has tasted blood heh.”

The man gave a dark laugh and slowly drew his sword out. The boy narrowed his eyes once he realized the guard was going to be unreasonable.

“If you were a servant, then you’d still get to keep that little life of yours. Blame the gods in your next life!”

The man lunged forward with a powerful strike. The sword flashed a crimson color which seemed to intensify the force behind his attack.

The boy’s eyes flashed with a cold look.

All of his life he turned the other way. Ever since a child, he disregarded the condescending looks that constantly followed him. In every altercation, he stepped down and never looked for trouble.

And now?

His life was already sold; bound by a soul contract that supposedly expired at the age of 23, which he was just informed that he would be killed off before then.

Nothing seemed to go the right way for him.

Not once in his life was he able to have a genuinely happy outcome. Not once was he able to peacefully exist without some amount of misfortune falling upon him. Even in this case, he just stepped out of the washroom, and someone was trying to kill him.

It was like he was the walking embodiment of unlucky. However this time, he wouldn’t be pushed around.

A crystal-clear finger snap echoed throughout the hallway.

The charging man felt a bone chilling pulse of energy radiate from in front. The meagre lighting in the hallway dimmed as shadows collected in front of him, obscuring the boy’s figure.

Red eyes flashed from deep within the shadows and a haunting smile full of teeth glinted in the remaining light.

“D-Devil-“

Shadowy flames overtook the man the next moment, erasing his existence from the world.

A moment later, the hallway regained its former lighting as if nothing happened. The only difference was that a single figure remained.

“Haah… that oddly felt nice.”

The boy murmured before leaving the scene of the crime, not that any evidence could be found. Just as he was leaving the hallway, another man’s voice called out.

“Red Thunder! Let’s go get lunch!”

As if to mark his entrance, the man stood expectantly in a power stance across the room. The boy froze in place, pondering about what to say.

Is that the name of the other guard? Should I say he attacked me? Will this man attack me as well?

“Red Thunder! Where are you man?”

The guard walked towards the hallway, eventually coming into sight of the boy.

“Who are you kid?”

The man’s eyes narrowed, and he slowly placed his hand on his sword.

“I’m the new servant…”

The boy gave a wry smile and spread his hands outward harmlessly.

“Pfft! Haha! That’s impossible. The new servant is bedridden in his room.”

Naturally, the guard didn’t believe him either, however it was an improvement that he didn’t immediately attack.

“That’s me. I got up today. I can walk now…”

The boy tried to explain once more.

“Stop speaking nonsense, that’s impossible. The new servant isn’t expecting to be walking for at least another couple of weeks. How do I know you weren’t snuck in here? What proof do you have?”

The guard tightened his grip around his sword.

“Uh… I signed a contract with Madam Lexene. Afterwards they took me to a room where Jun… hurt me a lot.”

The boy’s voice went quiet in the end. Despite how durable he was, he still felt pain. That week was full of excruciating moments that he would rather forget about.

The guard faltered after hearing this.

He knew what the servants went through when they were being broken in. Madam Lexene always forced her servants to go through a period of intense torture in order to establish dominance and discipline.

It was a period of time that acted as a reminder of what happens should they go against her orders.

“Alright kid…”

The guard let out a sigh and stood tall.

It appears this guard is more soft hearted then the other guard.

“Red Thunder! Get out here. We’re going to get lunch without you!”

The man called out once more.

“About that… I think that man might be the one who attacked me.”

“Red Thunder attacked you? I guess that would make sense. No one is expecting you to be walking.”

The guard palmed his face before he continued talking.

“Well where did he go? Wait, how are you fine? I thought you said he attacked you?”

“Well he did, but I killed him…”

The boy met the man’s bewildered gaze with a cold look.

“Y-you killed him?”

“Yea…”

“Now that’s really not believable. Anyway, get out of here kid. I’m going to go find Red Thunder. Also, you should probably be resting. Rumor has it that you got it real bad, but maybe rumors aren’t always the most accurate. Later kid.”

The guard waved him off and proceeded to walk down the hallway, leaving the boy alone with a weird look on his face.

But I was telling the truth… oh well.

He got the sneaking suspicion that Madam Lexene wouldn’t care whether or not the guard lived or died. Without another glance, he made his way back to Jun’s room.

The door creaked open, and he silently crept to Jun’s bedside. Although Jun looked a little better than before, it was obvious that it would be a long while before he recovered.

After a few minutes of contemplation, Jun stirred and slowly opened his eyes.

“You’re already walking? Ah never mind, come sit down.”

Jun shifted slightly in his bed as if to make space.

The boy sat cross-legged next to him, propping his head up with one hand. A few moments passed by while Jun inspected the boy.

“You certainly look clean.”

Jun broke the silence.

“I learned the Cleanse skill.”

“I can see that… Do you need to practice it? How about you use it on me? I feel disgusting.”

Jun smiled gently.

Use Cleanse on another person? I’ve never tried that…

Without a word, he placed his hand over Jun’s hand and activated the Cleanse spell. After a short moment, a lovely smell spread throughout the room. Jun’s skin and hair seemed to have undergone a transformation, not that Jun was aware of it.

I used very little output… this should be good enough.

The boy nodded and removed his hand.

“Wow. How do you have so much skill with Cleanse already? Are you sure you just learned it?”

Although Jun couldn’t see his physical changes, he could feel them. It felt as if the pores in his skin were finally able to breathe fresh air after staying inside a musty room their entire life.

“I really did learn it today…”

The boy replied helplessly.

“Interesting. Perhaps it’s too personal, but can you tell me your stats?”

“My… what?”

“Your stats.”

The boy remained still in confusion.

Stats? What?

“You know? The attributes on your soul crystal? Did no one teach you these things?”

Jun gave the boy a strange look.

After all, these types of things were common knowledge no matter who you were. Before someone entered the tower for the first time, they were given a small lecture on some basic knowledge. This lecture had been completely skipped by the boy because he didn’t enter the tower through proper procedures.

“I… don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Although he heard references to a soul crystal, he still didn’t really understand how to use it.

“That’s… surprising. Just focus your soul energy towards your center. You should be able to sense your soul crystal there. Once you have that feeling, imagine it coming into your hand, like this.”

Jun closed his eyes. A moment later, a smooth object could be seen in his hand. He raised it up to show the boy.

“I see, but what’s soul energy? I can feel energy moving inside me. Is it that?”

“Uh, no. The energy that you can feel flowing throughout your body is mana. Everybody has mana, some more than others. Soul energy is what you’re using to detect the mana. Soul energy is more like… more like your consciousness. Perhaps you’re using it intuitively and you don’t realize it.”

After hearing that explanation, the boy refocused his attention towards his center. Just as Jun described, he could make out something that seemed to be resting deep within his body.

He willed for the object to appear in his hands.

“See just like that! Good job. Hey, your soul crystal looks kind of… different?”

Jun inspected the token-like object in the boy’s hands.

“It does look different…”

The boy stared deeply at the multitude of etched lines on his soul crystal.

This was the same object he picked up in the very first room of the tower. He reminisced on the surreal and peaceful environment, the shooting stars, and the calm ink black floor that made ripples with every step.

It felt as if a part of him were resting in the palm of his hand, which somehow made him feel insecure holding it.

“I don’t know why it looks different, I’ve never seen anything like it. Either way, if you concentrate on your soul crystal then some information should appear in your mind. The first bit of information is your trial for this floor of the tower. You at least know about the tower trials, right?”

The boy nodded in response, but Jun shook his head and explained anyway. He couldn’t let any bit of common knowledge go amiss.

“Every person who enters the tower will have a unique trial for every floor. You can’t access the higher floors by yourself until you complete your personal trial. Although there’s still ways to access the upper floors with outside help…”

Jun continued speaking after a pause.

“The goal is to complete the tenth floor’s trial. The tenth floor is the highest and most difficult floor that the tower has to offer. There’s many rumors as to what happens when someone completes the tenth floor, but only those old monsters or elite families will know the real truth. Following so far?”

The boy nodded his head once again.

“Great, so what’s your trial? Hopefully it’s something easy. After all, once you get out of this contract then completing your trial will be your new goal.”

The boy focused his attention on the soul crystal. A single line of information appeared in his mind.

“Assassinate the king of-“

“Hold it! Wait! On second thought, I don’t want to know what your trial is after all.”

Jun’s heart rate accelerated a bit when he heard the word assassinate, but it nearly leaped out of his chest when the boy mentioned a king.

Just who is this boy!

Jun cried to himself internally before clearing his throat.

“Ahem. It looks like you’ll be in for a difficult journey after your contract ends. Now let’s discuss the other information on your soul crystal. You should have seen a level as well as a list of primary stats, some skills, and even a unique racial section.”

The boy focused on his attention on the soul crystal once again, which revealed just a single line.

Assassinate the king of Anthor…

He repeated the line in his head before speaking up.

“I just see the trial.”

“Great so… wait, what?”

Jun felt a headache coming on every time he dealt with this boy.

“Are you sure there’s not an entire status section? Should have some grades and numbers? Don’t worry about what the numbers say, they’re just units of measurement.”

The boy shook his head.

“I really only see the trial…”

Jun stared at the boy, who stared back at him expectantly. A few moment passed by like this before Jun cried out.

“What the fuck!”