He wrestled with the elemental challenge a bit more, as it provided more of an opportunity to train than the others. It took the shape of a large sphere, in which twelve different shards of energy attempted to spread tendrils across its surface. His job was to empower the one that corresponded to his own element enough to conquer the entire sphere. That was easier said than done, given that the other elements instantly ganged up on his own when he tried, sensing the threat. The furthest he ever got was about a third of the sphere’s surface, after which he was quickly beaten back.
He felt a soft tap on his shoulder, and without turning, he smiled softly. “Glakassa. This seems like a perfect challenge for you. Do you want to try it?”
“Of course. Did you resolve your conflict with your relative back there?”
“Call him Jacob. It’s a bit more fitting.”
“What an odd name. I’ve never heard its like before. Come to think of it, I’ve only ever heard your name once, and that was from another human.”
“Is it not hard to believe that there are regional differences between names?” Sam replied.
“On a Multiversal scale, there are only so many possibilities. Just by chance alone, names start repeating eventually. Perhaps it is some interplay between the System’s translation and the way our languages really work. If you understood my words with the true knowledge of one of my people, they would have a much different meaning.”
“To think I would come to the most storied training ground for E Rankers, just to talk about the nuances of the System translator,” Sam chuckled. “Sometimes, things just can’t be predicted.”
“I never thought I would meet someone like you either. One so strong, but also so interesting and humble.”
“I would hardly call myself humble-”
“Compared to almost everyone else at your level of power, you are. Do you force those of lower ranks to call you ridiculous titles, or make them avert their eyes in your presence? Do you like to have exhibition matches with F Rankers just to pad your ego?”
“People actually do things like that?” Sam asked.
“Of course. The Multiverse is a vast place, and for the most part, a dark one as well. An E Ranker can rule as a god over a planet or even a solar system, and there are enough of those that nobody will ever find, or care to find them.”
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
As Sam digested that interesting bit of information, the System interrupted with another notification.
The third event will be of a different nature to the first two, given the immense disparity between challenger strength. Instead of fighting, there will be an opportunity to show your expertise in other means. It will be a test of creation. To pass, you must improve in your chosen Profession by a sufficient amount. There will be no leaderboard here, simply a test against yourself. To pass, you must double your current expertise, within a period of a month. You will be granted the resources necessary for this. If you succeed in your task, you may take one of your creations back to the Tower with you.
Sam raised an eyebrow. This was the first time he was directly seeing evidence of the Tower’s famed length. A month was a sizeable amount of time compared to how long he had been cultivating. However, it was what he had been looking for. A chance to improve his smithing abilities.
“What does the System want from this?” he asked. “I thought the Tower was all about fighting.”
“Close, but not entirely correct. It’s about growth. Almost everyone over a certain level of power has a high degree of mastery in some profession, given how long they can live. At higher ranks of mastery, such things can grant great power.”
Before he could answer her, the System teleported him away. He found himself in a large room, complete with everything he needed for smithing. There was a large forge, a set of tools, an anvil, a quenching vat and a bellows. Next to the anvil was a small mold, which confused him slightly. On one wall were a series of chutes, each marked with the name of a different metal. To his surprise, there were things like mithril and even adamantium, but he knew that those were a trap. Adamantium was incredibly dangerous, especially if it was pure. It would crush him to nothing if he tried to work with it. It was a sort of preliminary test to see if his hubris extended beyond his skill. He had no doubt that everyone else here had a similar choice before them, and that some would be foolish enough to fall for it.
He stayed far away from the dispensers that could so easily kill him, and instead began small, standing before a chute labeled ‘Iron’. Then he paused. There was no lever, or any apparent way to use the dispenser. It was simply a chute. He reached a tendril of Dao energy up into it, but found nothing. It was simply a chute that stopped about ten feet back.
“What the hell?” He muttered. “Is this a joke?”
Then he turned his gaze to the forge, and realized that this was the second test. There was already a small ingot of iron in the crucible resting in its center, just waiting to be melted. As Sam looked around, he used more of his E Ranked senses to look for anything that he needed. Then he spotted a small keyhole concealed behind a pair of tongs. It was quite obvious what he was supposed to do now.