Chapter 123 – Floor 11: Part 7

The last of the Anti-Life creatures fell to the ground, lifeless and unmoving. Mathew released the ‘Alter Self’ Blessing with a sigh of relief. The scales that protected his flesh smoothed, and his skin returned to its normal colour.

He was empty, bereft of mana. A burning sensation in his stomach told of the potions still trying to work their magic to restore his reserves, but the effect was weak after hours of fighting. Mathew stumbled and nearly fell, but a steadying hand on a rock beside him kept him outright.

The silence was unsettling after the cacophony of combat. He could hear distant shouts from several of the still fighting humans, but the ‘Buzz’ informed him that the threat was over. They had won.

Mathew didn’t know when it happened; his focus wasn’t great, and the haze of exhaustion made his eyes blurry and his reactions slow. However, Rehn was once again beside him. The young woman was covered in scratches and other minor wounds. Mathew hadn’t known she had been fighting, but things had been murky at the end of the battle.

“You’re hurt.” Rehn said, coming up behind him and taking a length of cloth from her inventory to place on a wound at his side. The white cloth was soaked through with blood almost immediately, and Mathew gently stopped her before she tried another.

“Don’t bother. I’ll be fine.” Mathew replied. Slowly raising his wristband which felt heavier than he remembered, Mathew opened up his status screen to check his Aether and the amount needed to level his new Discipline.

His eyes widened in shock at the numbers.

“What is it?” Rehn asked curiously.

“This place is heaven and hell.” Mathew whispered. He hadn’t known someone could hold that much Aether at once. The number was astounding, but when he compared it to the amount needed to level ‘Arcane Alterist,’ his earnings seemed much less astonishing.

He had made more Aether in a few hours of killing Anti-Life than he had in all the previous floors combined. But his Discipline wasn’t cheap. A single level required nearly half of his earnings.

To heal his wounds and drive away the exhaustion? It was worth it.

“Level up!” Mathew commanded the screen, and the number beside his name went from ‘40’ to ‘41’ while the accumulated Aether plummeted.

A refreshing healing energy swept across Mathew in a wave. The Aether-driven Level-Up started from his stomach, gathering into what Mathew imagined was a ball of blue light before it dispersed through his torso and limbs.

As his body stat rose, Mathew felt a sudden tightness in his muscles and tendons; his skin felt tingly, and a heat built up in his limbs. When it finally released, he felt stronger and faster.

While the Aether energy covered his body and enhanced his physical capability, it also revitalized his wounds. The accumulated exhaustion, bone-deep tiredness that came from expending all of his mana and stamina, was burned away in the wake of the Aether energy.

But the physical changes of the Level-Up weren’t the only thing that shifted from the spent Aether.

The energy crept up his neck and gathered in a single point at his glabella, directly between his two eyes. Like a pinprick, Mathew felt a sudden sharp stab before the energy raced backwards like a tide. He could feel his mind-expanding, his thoughts flowed quicker, and he had sudden insights into the workings of his Blessings and Discipline.

Mathew felt another change in his body to join the physical and mental adjustments. Each Player felt a connection to something in the Tower of Avarice.

Every Floor, regardless of its size and shape, had the presence of the gods within it. Sometimes, if Mathew concentrated hard enough and blocked the sights and sounds around him, he could feel that connection as a line, or a thread, stretching from him to a place beyond their reality.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

The Spirit stat defined this thread, and although Mathew generally ignored Disciplines that increased the strength of this connection, ‘Arcane Alterist’ hadn’t given him a choice. During the Level-Up, Mathew could see that the hazy line had become slightly more solid.

The connection between him and the gods of the Tower of Avarice was growing stronger, and with it, Blessings and Disciplines that relied on their power functioned more efficiently.

There was also another side effect that Mathew hadn’t known earlier, which was that the Spirit stat affected the Shop. Prices would lower, and the Blessings available would be more varied and powerful as the connection to gods expanded.

Mathew let out a huff of hot, turbid air from his lungs. The level-up left him feeling more alive and healthy than ever. It was easy to understand why so many Players were addicted to the feeling, chasing that high like a drug while ignoring everything else.

Turning to Rehn, Mathew observed her physical state before speaking.

“You should level as well if you have the Aether. I’ll keep watch.” Mathew said, and the Psion nodded while opening up her own status screen. Even though she hadn’t participated in the fighting to the same degree as Mathew, she had still been part of it and had made significant earnings.

While the Aether energy worked its magic on Rehn, Mathew kept one eye on the surroundings while browsing the shop for Blessings. Earthbind was a powerful Blessing that could halt movement and control a small area of the battlefield, and the advantages of ‘Alter Self’ were apparent, but Mathew needed more Blessings if he was going to survive this Floor.

The Anti-Life wouldn’t stop assaulting the World Tree, and if Mathew and the others were going to survive two decades against them, he needed to become as strong as possible. Since he couldn’t afford another Level, Mathew chose to invest first in a new Blessing before looking at the equipment offered.

There were two that caught his eye and were in his price range.

Breath of Dragons

Eons ago, the god of Tempestuous Scrutiny travelled to a world of Dragons. Multi-coloured creatures of near Diety-like power, the god was humbled by their abilities and chose to study them. After many years, the god of Tempestuous Scrutiny developed a technique to mimic the Dragon’s fabled breath.

This Blessing will allow you to release a breath of fire, cold, acid, lightning or poison. Your body and Spirit attributes determine the range and potency of the breath.

Alter Self- Enhanced Bones

Your bones can now be crafted and changed as the user desires, limited by your mind and body attributes. Enhanced durability, weight, and structure; change them as you desire. Become as solid and heavy as a mountain or as light and airy as a cloud.

The ‘Breath of Dragons’ Blessing appealed to Mathew as an offensive ability that he could use against groups of enemies at range. Plus, rather than just fire, he could adapt the breath to different situations. It was an immediate purchase that only cost Mathew half of his remaining Aether.

The addition of bones to ‘Alter Self’ was also very appealing since, during his fight against the Anti-Life, Mathew saw the limits of his alterations. Claws and stronger muscles were all well and good, but there were times when he pushed himself against the Anti-Life that his leg and arms creaked and cracked under the pressure.

To make matters worse, potions healed everything at the same time without focusing on a single injury. His experience had been that broken bones took the longest to heal. A broken arm or leg could incapacitate him. Making his bones more durable was an obvious benefit, but the weight function caught his eye the most.

Heavier bones meant his blows would be stronger, while making them lighter would increase his speed. If he were skilled enough, Mathew thought he could switch between them quickly, lightening his body as he leapt into the air, ran or climbed before increasing the weight to devastating effect.

After his two purchases, Mathew was left with only a few scraps of Aether that he used to purchase new clothing. A mundane but functional black jacket of coarse material and a pair of jeans. He would buy some magical items as soon as possible since fighting the Anti-Life would shred the strongest non-magical clothing.

When he was done, Rehn had completed her levelling and looked healthier than ever. Her pale skin looked lively, and the dark bags under her eyes were gone.

“Better?” Mathew asked, already knowing the answer. Rehn gave him a small smile and nodded.

“Much. What should we do now?”

“Let’s see if anyone else needs help; then we can gather with the others. I can’t see this lull lasting long, not if the mountain is important to the Anti-Life. We should take this time to regroup and prepare.” Mathew advised, and Rehn agreed.

“It’s going to be like herding cats. We’re going to need someone to lead.” Rehn stated, giving Mathew a pointed look, to which he immediately shook his head negatively.

“Not interested! Besides, I think you’re better suited for it. You lead, and I’ll follow.” Mathew said, and Rehn gave a small snort before shaking her head in exasperation and leading the way forward.