Jason knew perhaps this wasn’t the best method to keep a stable mind, but he couldn’t deny its effectiveness. As he lay there, he caressed Tank’s head, who currently napped on his chest.
A flicker of movement brought Jason back to reality. Irritated, he focused his gaze and found a glider flying over. Not long after, Roy dismounted his glider not far from Jason’s resting spot. It was strange to see Roy return from hunting so deep in the night. When he noticed Roy covered in sweat and blood, he couldn’t help but call out, “Hey.”
Roy glanced over with his usual smile. “Yeah?”
“That your blood?” Jason pointed with his chin.
“Oh.” Roy looked down. “Probably some of it, I guess.”
Jason sighed and forced himself to sit up, still a little frustrated that his routine was interrupted. “How often do you hunt alone?”
Roy replied innocently, “Pretty often, why?”
“But never at night,” Jason retorted as he pinned Roy with a glare.
They stared at each other silently. For the first time, a bit of tension filled the air. Roy appeared as if he wanted to say something, but for some reason, hesitated.
Jason was a bit surprised. Ever since he’d met Roy outside the tower, there was never any conflict between them. Although it was uncomfortable, Roy always obediently followed Jason’s directions.
Unwilling to put a dent in their relationship, Jason decided to drop it, but just as he was about to open his mouth, Roy beat him to the punch. “Y’know, I’m really grateful for your guidance and training this past year.” Roy looked up as he recalled. “When you sat down next to me outside the tower, I was struggling to make a decision: find my parent’s killer, or continue their mission?” Roy looked back at Jason. “What did I do in your original timeline?”
Jason was unsure where this was going, yet answered anyway. “You only focused on Wolf when he was a threat to your goal.”
Roy nodded as if it was a matter of fact.
Jason wondered aloud. “What are you getting at?”
Roy glanced down, an internal struggle waging within, but not for long. Having made a decision, he asked sincerely, “Do you really want to save humanity?”
At first, Jason doubted his ears. Roy wouldn’t ask such a stupid question, right? Didn’t he see how much effort he’d spent? It took a moment for Jason to reply, “That’s not funny.”
“You’re right. It isn’t,” Roy agreed calmly.
Jason registered it then. Roy genuinely doubted if he wanted to save humanity. Jumping to his feet, Jason growled, “What the hell did you just say?”
It was taking all of Jason’s willpower to prevent his mental suppression skill from activating. The anger and disbelief he felt almost went beyond his ability to control. To think Roy dared to doubt him!
Roy grimaced at Jason’s response. “I don’t doubt your story earlier today for a moment.” Roy raised his voice. “That’s why! That’s why I’m confused. Humanity’s survival is on the line, Jason.”
Jason scoffed. “And what? You don’t think I care?”
“Do you?” Roy asked doubtfully.
“Damn right I do!” Jason hissed, the result of suppressing a scream.
“Then why do you waste so much time?” Roy countered. “Frankly, I’m kinda angry.”
“Haha, you’re angry?” Jason's tone grew sarcastic.
“If you had told me your secret at the start, I would’ve done things differently.” Roy’s eyes glowed gold as he brought up the crux of the issue. “How much time did we waste going to restaurants this past year? To parties? Why did we sleep all night when our bodies barely need it? We could’ve trained! We could’ve hunted a few more monsters!”
Jason froze. Roy’s response sparked a distant memory, a conversation they’d had when barely any ascenders still lived. It was eerily similar to what Roy said just now.
At that moment, Jason’s anger vanished, leaving only exhaustion. Although Roy and Jason shared the same ideals, there was a fundamental difference between them. If Jason could describe Roy in one word, it would be ‘perfect’.
“I just can’t match you, can I?” Jason let out a hollow laugh. “You believe I’m wasting time by not maximizing every possible moment to grow stronger. You’re right.”
“Huh?” Roy was displeased to hear that. If Jason knew what to do, why was he slacking so much?
As if aware of Roy’s thoughts, Jason gave an empty smile. “Sorry, but I’m not like you. You can discard your emotions and personal struggles all for the sake of your objective. For you, it’s as easy as breathing.”
Roy didn’t deny it. “My feelings and emotions mean nothing if I can save humanity. You said you were the last human alive, so you should understand. Instead, you waste so much time. I don’t get it!”
Jason released a long, drawn-out sigh. Drinking, restaurants, dates, and games. These distractions weren’t because he was lazy. It was a strategy to keep out negative thoughts. Of all Jason’s memories, many were of monsters killing normal humans. Some were more personal. His lover dying in his arms. His friends. Everyone he knew until only he remained.
In the end, Jason turned and left. Roy called out, but Jason didn’t hear him. His mind was somewhere far away, far from the here and now. He took the elevator down the pillar and wandered without a destination.
Numerous monsters tried to approach him, only to collapse to the ground after entering his vicinity. An intangible aura, gloomy and bleak, suppressed their thirst for blood. If someone looked from afar, they would see the air around Jason was gray and distorted.
The night passed slowly.
When the sun finally rose over the horizon, Jason awoke and found himself standing in an empty plot of land. Startled, he realized this was the location of his mansion before he traveled through time. Jason chuckled upon recalling the countless times he came home drunk after partying all night with friends. Perhaps he subconsciously thought tonight was one of those nights, so he habitually walked home. Alas, that was the past. The future was what mattered now.
“Ugh,” Jason groaned upon remembering his confrontation with Roy last night. Not one to hide, he teleported back to his house.
Chapter 15
The view on top of Pantheon’s pillar was a sight to behold. Far off was the sun, its warmth washing away the chilly air. Below was a glittering sea of grass and flowers. The harmless critters began their day, bringing the community floors to life. The singing of birds was music to the ears, while the smell of dew sharpened the senses. A place like this was a tonic to the human spirit.
With a flicker of light, Jason teleported to the inside of his house. Furniture littered the structure without concern for aesthetics. Before he had the materials for a mansion, he cared little for ‘style’ and ‘class’. For now, he stuffed as many stat-giving objects inside as he could.
Someone knocked on his front door almost as soon as he appeared. Sensing a familiar presence, he opened the door and greeted Olivia. “Yo, were you waiting?”
Olivia made an exaggerated bow. “I am here as an ambassador.”
“Oh?” Jason forced back a chuckle as he took a step back and gestured for Olivia to enter. “What an honor it is for the most skilled ambassador in the world to visit my little kingdom. Please, enter the royal palace.”
Olivia walked with a dignified expression. After a quick survey of the ‘palace’, she turned, cleared her throat, pulled out a scroll, and began to read. Or at least that was what Jason assumed would happen. Instead, she just stared at the scroll without speaking a word.
Jason held a playful smile. “Does the ambassador not have anything to say?”
“Tch.” Olivia’s noble expression vanished as she tossed the scroll behind her. “I didn’t think this far.”
“Haha, not bad, not bad. You still have a long way to go in the art of acting, though.” Jason folded his arms as he sat in one of the many chairs in the room.
“Oh?” Olivia sat acro
ss from him with a curious look. “Are you skilled because you flirt with so many women?”
“Hey, hey.” Jason gesticulated wildly. “They’re the ones flirting with me. I’m just playing along. And besides, what are you implying?”
Olivia ignored his question and continued her offensive. “Do they know you’re almost a hundred years old?”
“Hey, a hundred years old?” Beads of sweat formed on Jason’s forehead. “Technically, my soul is a bit old, but my mentality and body have never aged.”
Olivia went for the killing blow. “So what you’re saying is you never grew up?”
Jason gasped. He fell limp against the chair, completely and utterly defeated. Olivia wore a smug expression upon seeing this.
With the battle over, they fell silent, only to erupt in laughter. Olivia and Jason had both gone through stressful situations in their lives and shared similar views on things. Perhaps that was why they had such a harmonious relationship.
After a moment, Jason caught his breath and asked. “So? What are you here for?”
Olivia leaned to the side and hung her legs over her chair before answering. “Roy sent me to check up on you.”
“Did he say anything?”
“Well.” Olivia looked up at the ceiling. “He told me what happened last night and asked whether he was right or wrong.”
“And you replied with?” Jason recalled the emotionless assassin from his original timeline.
Olivia wore a melancholic expression as she said. “I told him that someone who cuts off their feelings becomes inhuman, and to expect someone else to do the same is cruel.”
Jason was startled upon noticing the look in her eyes. It made him wonder what exactly Cay Wolf did to her.
“He gave this spiel about how the ends justify the means.” Olivia rolled her eyes. “I didn’t think he was that naïve, so I gave him several hypotheticals which quickly backed him off his stance.”
Jason narrowed his eyes as he thought to himself. The ends justify the means, huh?
Olivia jumped to her feet and spread her hands. “After that, he said he needed to do some thinking and asked for me to check in on you.”
Just then, there was another knock at the door. Speak of the devil. Jason thought as he called out, “Come in. It’s unlocked!”
Roy entered with his usual smile. He walked up to Jason and gave an awkward cough. “Well, uh, first off, I’m sorry for questioning your motives. I shouldn’t have done that.”
Jason waved his hand dismissively. “Apology accepted.”
Roy scratched his head. “I did some asking around, and, well, it appears I’m in the minority.”
Sensing the confusion and self-doubt in Roy’s emotions, Jason stood up and firmly clasped Roy’s shoulders. “Look, I don’t think you’re wrong. It’s just not everyone has as much conviction as you.”
Roy’s face lit up. “I’m not wrong?”
Jason let out a heavy sigh. “I’m sorry, but don’t expect me to stop doing what I’ve been doing. I don’t know what’ll happen if I don’t distract myself.”
“Distract yourself from what?” Olivia and Roy asked simultaneously.
Jason was about to answer, but in the end, he decided not to. It would only affect them negatively. Jason shook his head. “Nothing, don’t worry about it.” He glanced outside. “Besides, the meeting with the others is soon. I have a lot of information to share, so be prepared for a lot of sitting.”
Just as Roy wanted to ask more, the front door swung open as a disheveled man barged in while hollering, “JASOOOON!”
The trio was baffled as they watched Su Long trip over his feet and headbutt the floor. Without delay, Su Long shot to his feet, his crazed eyes homing in on Jason. “You, you, you rascal!” Su Long pointed with an accusing finger. “Why didn’t you tell me you were a time traveler?”
“Ah.” Jason rubbed the back of his head and apologized. “It’s not that I didn’t trust yo—”
“Trust?” Su Long pulled at his hair. “Are you stupid?! I don’t care about that!”
“Uh.” Jason was unable to keep up.
Su Long raised his chin to the sky. “Obviously, I’m a genius blacksmith, right?”
“Yeah, you’re without equal!” Jason, Roy, and Olivia agreed quickly, long ago learning that it was better to go along with Su Long’s antics.
“And obviously, I have much room to grow, right?”
“Absolutely.” The trio forced a smile.
“Then you know already! Idiot!” Su Long stomped the floor angrily. “Why haven’t you told me what amazing inventions the genius me in the future invented?”
Jason’s jaw dropped. Su Long’s first response to learning the news was this? He didn’t focus on humanity's extinction, but this? Really?
Roy sheepishly asked from the side, “Su Long, no offense, but what if you didn’t invent anything else?”
Now it was Su Long’s jaw that dropped. He looked at Roy as if he saw something unbelievable, and then without pause, resumed his previous expression as if he had never heard Roy in the first place.
Jason patted Su Long’s shoulder. “Haha, I’ll keep it a surprise for now. Why don’t we go to the meeting first?”
Instead of growing impatient, Su Long straightened his hair, stood up straight, and replied calmly. “All right, let’s go.”
Roy and Olivia gave each other a look as if saying, ‘That’s it?’
***
Skyfall’s headquarters overlooked a large town bustling with activity. Although many grumbled over its exceptionally high taxes, it had everything an ascender needed to begin a profession not focused on combat. Better yet, Skyfall would even fund talented ascenders to pursue their craft, though not without a contract, of course.
One of the most famous buildings on the community floor was Skyfall’s mansion. Compared to the first time Jason saw it months ago, it was now larger than the White House after being upgraded several times. Besides the typical guild banners lining its walls, dense mana filled its surroundings, invigorating the minds of those nearby.
Appearances aside, the functions the mansion provided were well worth the exorbitant cost. Many rooms were enhanced with spatial magic, making the insides several times larger than what logically made sense. Among its many features was an arena the size of a colosseum, a spa, and a training room. Most useful was the room with the ability to control your kingdom on the kingdom-building floor.
At this moment, the lounge, typically open for all, was now blocked off via Peter’s administrative powers. Shenlong, Amara, Ebba, and the others in their party relaxed on magically enhanced chairs and couches. The plan was initially to meet up in the war room, but after Amara saw how dull it was, she threw her hands up in the air and made an executive decision.
“Ah, thanks, Randle.” Jason accepted the jug of beer from the butler with a nod.
Randle, a butler created by the system, possessed numerous high-grade skills that, well, helped him perform his duties. Perhaps most disturbing was the one that allowed him to know what his guests wanted before they even voiced their desires. Jason thought it best not to think about it too much.
When Randle exited the room with his typical bow, Jason became the center of attention. After taking a sip from his drink, he leaned back and got nice and comfortable, then spent the next several hours summarizing the events of his original timeline. Jason stressed how Earth’s nations dragged ascenders into several wars, thus fracturing the ascender community for decades. Only when the monster waves grew too strong to ignore did Earth’s nations set aside their greed and focus on conquering the tower.
Alas, it was too late.
Jason summed up the final months in only a few sentences. When he finished, he shifted uncomfortably in his chair and looked over the people who listened to his entire story without speaking a word. “Do you guys believe me?”
Shenlong heaved a sigh. “How could I not?”
Amara clicked her tongue but said no
thing, Ebba appeared worried, while Roy and Olivia nodded immediately. Peter unfolded his legs and asked Jason. “How do you want to move forward?”
Jason gave a charming smile. “I know every floor like the back of my hand. Monster weaknesses, farming locations, build optimizations. Let’s combine our guilds, utilize all my knowledge, and soar to the sky.”
Peter suddenly laughed, startling everyone. “You offer such benefits and have a compelling moral argument. All right, let’s do it.”
Shenlong looked at Peter in disdain. “I’d work with Jason even without the benefits.”
“I’ve already come up with a plan.” Peter expertly changed the topic, his analytical brain working overtime. “First, we’ll combine guilds…”
Jason’s guild, Pantheon, had Roy and Olivia, two ultimate geniuses, and owned a passive buff, increasing experience gain by 10%. Shenlong’s guild members, while few, were all top-tier ascenders. Peter’s guild was one of the best in the world. They had thousands of members, farmed multiple spots on every floor, owned plenty of land on the 30th floor, and partnered with numerous Fortune 500 companies. Lastly, there were geniuses such as Amara, Dubaku, and Ebba.
Henceforth, they were known as the Alliance—a single guild.
With Jason’s knowledge, they swept through the robot floors like locusts, devouring all manner of items and skills. In just a few months, their strength eclipsed the other guilds, cementing their position as the world's most powerful organization.
Only when their reputation spread to every corner of the world did the next phase of the plan begin. Poaching! Rampant and shameless poaching!
The Alliance offered the best items, the fastest leveling speeds, numerous skills, and great pay. Not only that, their mission statement ‘conquer the tower and save the world’ invoked feelings of justice and adventure. No matter how much the other guilds tried, they couldn’t stop their members from joining the Alliance.
Towers of Heaven: A LitRPG Adventure (Book 3) Page 7