Chapter 781 - The Tower (Patreon)

I watch as Blackie stands there, looking at his hands and often letting his eyes drift toward Sophie, who stands next to me. In front of him, Biscuit and Noodle both fight for his attention, but they don't move closer, and neither does Blackie move. Izzy is also nearby, looking at him with curiosity.

“I don't know what the fuck to do,” Sophie continues to complain to me. “Blackie was and still is just a construct made by a Champion. A set of rules with preset reactions. No, he was never even a full construct, just a fragment of it, further broken when that Champion died. He only mimics behaviour and decides based on a set of rules. Even mixed in with that imprint, it’s still the same. I think Blackie, as a construct absorbed parts of the imprint we faced to use to fix himself, strengthen, or even evolve. Something.”

“So you have no idea?” I ask.

“I have many ideas, but I'm just not sure. These are Champion creations we’re talking about, there are a lot of things I still don't know. I just know my bond with Blackie weakened and strengthened at the same time. Like the hell that makes sense. At least he still listens to me as before.” Once again, she shakes her head. “This is a pain in the ass. A malfunction eroded his rule set, leaving him vulnerable to stimuli that can alter him at a deeper level. I won’t bother you with a more detailed explanation.”

“You know how dangerous it could be if he charges at Izzy. Even a hard fall nearby could trigger the trait and kill people in the area.”

She turns to me, annoyed. “You don’t have to remind me! I saw what that trait could do. In the worst case, I can leave him on this floor as we go to the next, and trust me, if needed, I will do that. Otherwise, I will have to deal with the fact that a strong gust of wind can cause an explosion of kinetic energy. If someone jumps to attack me and he takes a punch, the defensive blast of kinetic energy can kill me as well. Rain probably would too, or if he trips or bounces against a tree. Not even mentioning that demons will likely eat me alive if I take him to Beyond, yet I can’t leave him behind with Izzy.”

Rubbing her temples, she groans, looking at Blackie, who looks from Biscuit back at her. He looks at her for a moment before it is Sophie who first breaks eye contact.

“When you get to Beyond, go meet Silverweave at Crimson Forge, tell her I sent you,” I tell her. Do not let them trick you into overcharging. With the right offer, they will work for free. Have them build armor for Blackie that absorbs kinetic impacts. There is a material we experimented with before that could work. It is heavy and expensive, but ignore that for now. Tell them to fully clad Blackie in it. Also have them include a release mechanism so the armor can drop away when he needs to move freely.”

Sophie looks at me, thinking of what I said before nodding. “I will have to talk to Frontier and change my schedule a bit to do that, but if they decide to be dicks about it, I will just leave.”

“I would be careful about that. They invested a lot into you with the goal of beating the 5th floor.”

“I’m well aware of that.” She waves her hand, and a stone under her grows in size, smoothes out, and forms into a seat she sits in like a tired old man. “I will probably check with the Doc as well, maybe there is an implant that can help control the trait. Then I could talk with Lily to fix up that body a little, though I don't know how far she can go when modifying or healing something at the level of Champion.”

“That sounds like a good plan,” I say, and leave her to deal with it.

For a while, I observe Blackie and wonder if they will want to give him a new name. I also think of how much interesting stuff there might be to find on this floor. Maybe I made a mistake of ignoring it this much. Still, I know I would repeat my choices, even knowing what I do now.

Then a thought flashes through my mind, something I curse myself for not thinking of sooner, before I quickly open the Beyond Community interface.

Noname - Savi, you gluttonous, cowardly asshole.

Savant - what do you want.

He reacts immediately. I must have caught him during his daily community checks, a habit everyone seems to have.

Noname - Tell me, how many things have you gobbled up on the 9th floor already?

Savant - Why would I answer that?

Tacita - |･ω･)

Savant - Another reason for me to say nothing.

Tacita - (ﾒ￣▽￣)︻┳═一

Noname - You have a gun?

Tacita - ＼(￣▽￣)／

Noname - You do not have a gun.

Tacita - (─‿‿─)

After that, she doesn't answer anymore, leaving me and Savant behind.

Noname - Where would she even get a gun on the 9th floor? And how useful would that even be for her?

Savant - Honestly, I do not care. By the way, how did you deal with that… what are you guys calling it… maybe the “huge jumping asshole?” That sounds like your group’s type of name. So, how did you deal with that monster?

Noname - Oh, you mean Skippy? We’re avoiding him.

Savant - … Of course… Skippy… Whatever, I have to go. And stop selling information on me to Brich.

Noname - You sold some on me already.

And of course, he doesn't answer anymore, like a true drama queen. Turning off the community interface, I observe Blackie, who starts walking a bit. His steps are slow and awkward, but he improves quickly, literally in just a few steps, his balance shifts, he moves more smoothly, and his strides grow longer. Then he falls as he steps into a small hole and loses his balance. He regains composure, but instead of fully falling, he braces himself against his outstretched hand.

Even that is enough to trigger the trait. The absorbed kinetic energy ricochets through his body until it explodes, throwing him into the air. He hits the ground again, causing an even larger explosion of kinetic energy that sends him tumbling and sliding.

Each roll triggers another and another blast, but with each one, his movements become more nimble and his landings softer. The explosions slowly grow smaller until he finally lands without one, standing up in what looks almost like a proud posture.

Around him, there are half a dozen craters and cracked ground. Group 4 is staring his way like he's a walking bomb that could be set off at any moment.

I wish Sophie all the best and head toward where I sense Tess approaching, likely coming for me to replace her on guard duty so she can get up to speed. We meet on top of the branches of one of the giant trees, and I watch as she stops in front of me. One of her arms is hanging along her body, torn, wounded, and bitten into. There are similar wounds all over her.

Noticing where I’m looking, she smiles. "Some monsters here are quite fast, attack in groups, and have good senses."

Her words make me wonder how many times someone from the group might have almost died. How many times have they bled or fought with their lives on the line?

Of course, the high-level extrovert seems to know what I’m thinking, and she says softly, "How many times do you think any of us almost died, be it here or in Beyond? Or just somewhere out of sight of everyone?"

"Probably more than I thought just a few moments ago."

"Probably," she agrees. "I can heal myself by using Lily’s healing mark, but I prefer my wounds to stay for as long as possible or let my natural regeneration handle it. The pain and restrictions serve as a reminder to not over-rely on our cute healer and to not get careless."

“I always knew I was the only normal person in Group 4.”

She laughs and uses her right hand to poke her damaged left arm. "This wasn't my fault, I can tell you that. The monsters that attacked me were twenty strong, with half of them splitting off to move toward our group. To keep them from passing, I had to move into closer range and engage in melee combat instead of killing them without them so much as seeing me. They were fast, organised, and all of them were over level 350, with multiple closer to 400. Within my current capabilities, I did my best, and next time I will do better."

Her expression is firm and confident as she says it, so I just nod. “Putting more stats into mana would go a long way. By the way, how is the Silent Veil? I do not think I asked you.”

“They keep asking me to lure Tacita to the guild. They keep asking about Lily. They want me to abuse my relationship with you, as the Primordial Knight’s rumored, now confirmed, guild master. They even want me to push Sophie into spying on Frontier, and so on. They offer a lot for information. Plus, I do not think Lyraen likes me very much.”

"With the 150 wives that guy has, it’s tough, so I don't think he is ever in a good mood."

Tess chuckles. "150 now?"

"Could be 160."

"I guess it could, but I think he just doesn't like me because my range is longer than his, and the moment he uses his white lightning, I can see him. Thanks to my cute disciple, I have learned to spot it. I think my eyes are pretty sharp." Mimicking arrogant behavior, she flicks her blonde hair over her shoulder. "But he and I are pragmatic people, so we cooperate pretty well so far, and who knows, I might abuse my relationship with you guys to improve my position in the guild even further. Anyway, thanks for volunteering for guard duty."

With a wave, she then jumps off the branch and turns into a streak of red and white lightning that zigzags unpredictably through the air as she moves toward the group.

Sensing signatures closing in, I head in that direction to deal with them. On the way, one of the skills I constantly train levels up. It doesn’t even happen during combat, as it usually does, but outside of it. Seeing that level, I think that lowering my Constitution was worth it. The skill has settled comfortably within me, making my body even more attuned to it.

I wonder how many people in the tutorial have reached that level.

[Mana Manipulation - lvl 78 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 79]

***

POV Earth

It is a bright afternoon when the Swiss Alps begin to tremble.

At first, it feels like distant thunder, a low, deep vibrations rolling through stone and ice. Then the clouds part. Sunlight pours down, and within that brilliance, a figure glides through the air, arms spread wide as if to embrace the sky itself.

Behind him, something mimics the gesture. A towering crimson red presence with a humanoid shaped torso. The figure’s four massive arms open wide, mirroring his pose on a much larger scale, and violent mana flashes through the area, filling it with a deep hum.

Deep below, the mountain peaks begin to shake and crumble. Rock and snow alike form a gigantic landslide, while the deep, foreboding rumble is audible throughout the entire country.

Slowly, from within that destruction, a tower begins to grow. Smooth, elegant, pearl white, and golden.

Beautiful.

The tower is as thick as the mountains it replaces, its surface flawless, unbroken, without a single window. It climbs past the ruined peaks, past the clouds. And further. Continuously growing to tower over the place where it all almost ended for the man hovering in the sky.

The growth stops only once the tower is taller than any mountain existing on Earth. There it stands, its surface shining under the light of the sun, casting a shadow that stretches far into the distance.

At last, the surface near the top cracks, and from the back of it, something reminiscent of wings grows, made from the same white golden stone as the tower. Two bigger ones on each side and two slightly leaner ones below. Four wings, each spreading a mile wide.

It has taken hours and many more weeks of preparation before, but now that it is done, the red figure behind the man disappears. Unhurriedly, the man descends.

He ignores the door at the top of the tower and lands directly on the top of the tower itself, where a throne awaits, perfectly centered.

The moment he sits down, his senses connect to the structure. The tower awakens, powered by the man’s mana heart. His senses flood outward from him, spreading first through the entirety of the country, then into neighboring ones, and then further, crossing oceans without resistance.

With just a few more modifications, all of Earth will be open to his senses. And with the correct materials and further strengthening, that reach will extend even beyond Earth itself.