A soul was a delicate thing. A deep understanding of universal law and countless rare ingredients were required to rebind the soul, and if there were any complications during the process, only trouble followed. Reduced lifespan and mental instability were considered satisfactory results. Compared to the complete and utter destruction of the soul, what was wrong with a little madness?
However, as inconceivable as it was, the m-serum bound itself to Jason’s soul so naturally, not even the universe could do better.
Not long after, the pool of liquid began to ripple. It converged together, slowly forming the shape of a human. Countless hours later, a bare Jason slept on the ground like a sleeping prince. Next to him lay Tank curled in his arm. Their appearance was unchanged, yet infinite possibilities now existed within them.
“Mm.” Jason opened his eyes, feeling more invigorated than ever. He looked down at his body in confusion, only to jump to his feet in realization. “I’m alive!”
Now that the fear of death had passed, all he could think about was what benefits the m-serum gave. He quickly inspected his status and frowned. “Hey, hey, nothing changed! Is this a scam or what?”
Only after checking everything did he find a new skill. As he read the simple description, he couldn’t help but gasp.
Amalgamation of Existence
Absorb from your experiences and grow from your actions.
Most skills can now level based on your understanding. Stats can now increase based on your actions. No limit.
Jason’s heart beat so fast he felt lightheaded, all due to the potential of the skill. This wasn’t an overpowered attack, defense, or buff skill. No. This was a godlike support skill with no equal. For example, what if Shenlong had this skill when he entered the tower? With his deep understanding of the spear, any related skill would practically jump entire grades.
As for Jason, how many decades did he spend fulfilling the role of a tank on the battlefield? Five? Six? He understood many skills on a fundamental level, even ones he hadn’t acquired yet.
Just that alone made Jason’s new skill one of the best, and yet that wasn’t all it. Although he couldn't estimate how many stats his actions would give, more stats were always good. And then there was the icing on the cake: no limit. That meant as long as Jason lived, he would always grow. Always evolve. From now on, his potential was infinite.
A high-pitched squeak came from behind. Jason turned and saw Tank yawn as she wobbled over to him. Noticing her silver eyes, he picked Tank up. “You changed too, huh?”
When Tank bobbed her head up and down, Jason inspected her status, finding the same skill. “Hmm. I guess we’re more connected than I thought.”
Setting Tank down, he quickly got dressed and checked his communication necklace. It was now of higher quality and allowed voicemails and texting. After not checking it for a day, numerous messages filled his inbox. Roy, Olivia, Cheslov, everybody asked if he was okay. How could he make them wait any longer? He immediately called for a meeting.
Chapter 20
Jason made his way through the Vistar Kingdom's capital, alarmed at just how packed the city was. Although he knew the community floors' discovery caused the six kingdoms to experience unprecedented growth, he’d been so busy working together with his companions that he hadn’t paid much attention.
As he made his way to Peter’s place, he spotted a teenage girl expertly weaving in between the crowd, her eyes darting left and right. In mere seconds, the girl pickpocketed dozens of people. By the time cries of alarm filled the street, she was gone.
They’re all from the second wave, huh? Jason grew depressed upon noticing that every victim was new to the tower. Some still wore modern clothes, while others looked at the medieval city in amazement.
The second wave was the name for the biggest migration to the towers since they first arrived. Not everyone was comfortable putting their life on the line to fight monsters, but with the discovery of the community floors combined with the relatively safe thirtieth floor, everything changed. From this point on, ascenders weren’t all battle maniacs. The second wave was the start of a new era. Innovations in magic, potions, and other crafting skills came nearly every week.
Apparently, in this timeline, he would see the ‘second wave’ as it happened. Realizing this caused his mood to drop further. Whenever he compared this timeline to the last, he thought of people he’d never get to see again. Technically those people were now alive, but the relationships and experiences Jason had with them would never be the same. Sometimes he wondered why he survived. Why not Roy or Shenlong?
Jason slowly entered a state he usually avoided at all costs. Now that his stats were so high, he had more than a perfect memory. He was capable of experiencing a memory as if it was happening then and there.
Many ascenders in the previous timeline willingly or unwillingly became drunk on the joys of yesterday. In the past, Jason pitied those who lost themselves in their memories, but now he understood.
As much as he tried to ignore his emotions and focus on saving humanity, it felt like he was missing a part of himself he’d never get back. The companions he’d spent decades with now only existed as memories.
With his mind closed off from the outside world, Jason stood before a mental landscape. Ahead of him were the people he’d spent decades with—happiness, joy, love. Countless positive emotions accumulated over decades assaulted him like a ten-thousand-foot wave.
Usually, he would push these feelings back, but many people now shared his burden. He could leave things to them, right? Although Jason knew it was wrong, he stepped forward and willingly submerged himself.
Just then, a high-pitched squeak came from behind, grinding the wave of memories to a halt. Jason trembled as he turned around and found Tank looking around innocently.
“Tank… how are you here?” Jason muttered when he felt Tank’s curiosity. As far as he knew, this place was deep within the recesses of his soul. He understood little about souls, yet he still knew this place was impossible for anybody else to enter.
Tank waddled over to Jason and climbed up his body before resting on her usual spot. Jason sighed as he rubbed her head. “You know some people laugh behind my back because of y.... Oh, never mind.”
A feeling of contentment came from Tank. It was so small and feeble compared to the giant wave of memories, yet it was all Jason needed to understand something. Somehow, Tank was so connected to him that she was able to enter this place. That meant if he lost himself, he’d implicate Tank. That was unacceptable.
He turned to stare at his memories before vanishing from wherever he was, leaving behind a deep sigh. Perhaps one day he’d come back here, but not now. People depended on him.
When Jason awoke from that strange state, he gasped in shock. The street that was so full of life a moment ago was now deathly still. The air itself had turned sickly and gray, while every resident and ascender had collapsed to the ground. The tears they all shed allowed Jason to understand he had unwittingly used the killing intent skill. Due to Jason’s high stats and the deep turmoil he had just gone through, he could affect reality itself.
The air returned to normal when he came to his senses. Jason fled the scene in shame before anyone found out he was responsible. As he ran, he belatedly noticed a notification.
You gained 32 points in the Willpower stat.
Jason gasped, the message lifting his mood. 32 points? Never had he seen such an absurd notification. Hundreds of hours of work skipped, just like that.
Jason could only think of one reason for the sudden windfall: the m-serum. It was more powerful than he could have ever imagined.
Chapter 21
Taking a deep breath, Jason drew the bowstring until it grew taut. He eyed his foe: five wooden targets no wider than three inches. They flew through the air at dizzying speeds—the handiwork of a mage using telekinesis.
A crowd of ascenders spectated nearby with bated breath. This was a private event. Only tho
se who participated in the raid against Hector were allowed to witness what was occurring. These people were amongst the most experienced ascenders; they had spent countless hours fighting and training, so they knew how hard it was to raise skill levels. That was why the sight before them left them breathless.
Just then, the twang of a bow resounded.
The targets shattered, bits of wood piercing the ground from the immense destructive force. On the far side of the training ground, five arrows pierced into the stone wall.
“Damn. Five arrows as one?” Rodrick, a young man wearing woven animal hides, stepped out from the crowd, a complicated expression on his face. “It took me ten years to reach that point, y’know?”
Five arrows as one was a benchmark frequently used among archers. It signified a certain level of skill. One that wasn’t high, but not low either. The requirement was to fire five arrows so swiftly you could only hear a single twang.
Jason went even beyond that. Every target was accurately hit.
“Sam.” Rodrick felt helpless as he turned to a rogue. “How many hours was that?”
Sam, dressed much like Rodrick, glanced up at the sky. “Three hours, about.”
“Three hours? Only three hours?” Rodrick muttered before turning to face Jason. “What’s your skill level at now?”
Jason, both excited and embarrassed, shared the info of his latest notification.
Rapid Fire - Level 3 - Veteran
Consume 50 stamina. Over the next 5 seconds, each arrow fired adds a stacking 10% damage buff that lasts 5 seconds. No other arrow skill can be used during this time. 1-minute cooldown.
“It really is veteran…” Rodrick’s shoulders fell.
Jason walked over and patted his companion on the back. “It isn’t that you aren’t talented. It’s just that the m-serum is too miraculous. Plus, I had you to guide my way. Not to mention having high stats.”
Jason thought it best not to mention the several notifications informing him of his agility stat increases.
“Yeah.” Rodrick’s mood improved after hearing that. He puffed out his chest. “Haha, lucky you had me here to teach you!”
The crowd of ascenders murmured amongst themselves, their motivation reaching an all-time high. Although no one spoke about it, their comrades' death at Hector’s hands dealt a big blow to their morale. Now, though, after witnessing Jason’s incredible growth, they felt the m-serum was worth the risk.
“Okay, okay, you sold me. I’ll join you guys, all right?” A reluctant voice came from another side of the training ground.
Everyone looked at their guest. There, all by his lonesome, sat a scrawny black youth. With a shaved head and a naturally untrustworthy face, he could perfectly roleplay as a gangster. Actually, it was less him sitting there and more that a rope tied him to the chair. The rope was no ordinary rope—it gleamed with magical light. Only in that way could they prevent the escape of Andy, champion of Alister, the god of illusions.
Jason, Peter, and Shenlong glanced at each other as they came to a decision. With a nod, Jason signaled to Olivia.
Olivia made her way over to Andy with a doubtful look. “Are you sure you’ve agreed?”
“Yes, I said so, didn’t I?” Andy responded with an upturned chin.
“Hmm.” Olivia’s pace slowed. “Really?”
“You have my word.” Andy was starting to get a bit irritated. Why was Olivia so distrustful of him? He was an upstanding guy!
Olivia finally arrived next to him but made no motion to undo the rope. “Hmm.”
“What is it?” Andy struggled to twist his body to look up at Olivia.
“Did you know somebody gave me a celestial grade ring once?” Olivia asked with an expression of complete innocence.
“Why would I kn— Ah!” Andy’s eyes went wide as he took a closer look at Olivia. Though he couldn’t be sure, he felt she was somewhat familiar. That stature, that cold expression, that voice. A memory of one of his escapades surfaced. With a pained look, he replied, “Isn’t it just a celestial grade ring? I’ve plenty of those.”
“Great.” Olivia nonchalantly undid the rope without a change in expression. After helping Andy to his feet, she whispered into his ear. “It was oh so easy to capture you, y’know? I mean, I was trained by Wolf since birth.” Seeing Andy freeze, she continued. “Oh, did I forget to mention the most powerful assassin in the world is my father?”
“No problem… no problem... no problem.” Andy wandered over to Jason like a drunkard, his body soaked in sweat while muttering the same phrase repeatedly. In his mind, Olivia cemented herself as a grim reaper, capable of harvesting his life at any moment. Only the sensation of hitting something brought him back to reality. He looked up, only to realize he bumped into the publicly strongest ascender in the world.
Shenlong eyed Andy like a wolf would its prey, or that’s how Andy saw it. In reality, Shenlong’s resting face was that of a friendly next-door neighbor.
“L-look, I said I’d join, but I’m not good at fighting. Don’t expect me to do any killing,” Andy quickly explained, the pressure coming from Shenlong almost too much to bear.
Peter rubbed his chin. “Is this a god’s champion?”
Hearing the remark, Andy quickly defended himself. “Who said illusion techniques are for fighting? Alister is a support type of dude.”
If Alister heard that, he’d instantly revoke Andy’s status if he could.
“Makes sense.” Peter shrugged. Su Long was a craftsman, so it was easy to add Andy to the list.
“I’m pretty useful.” Andy pouted, his pride on the verge of collapsing.
Jason felt a headache come on as Andy explained the benefits he brought to Peter and Shenlong. At this point in the timeline, Andy was still horrible at combat. Basically, he wasn’t the killing god Jason wanted. He couldn’t even imagine what it would take to bring Andy to his peak power.
Wait.
A brilliant idea suddenly popped into Jason’s head. Although it wasn’t ideal, it would work. Jason wrapped his arm around Andy in a friendly manner and spoke with a sinister voice. “Hey, wanna do some drugs?”
Chapter 22
Everyone laughed—they thought Jason was making a lighthearted joke to fool their newest member. Even Andy chuckled, throwing the whole kidnapping ordeal behind him, as he quipped, “I didn’t expect you all to be that type of crew.”
Jason only smiled, growing even more confident in his idea. Training Andy until he became the reaper Jason remembered would take years—time they didn’t have—so instead, he decided to increase Andy’s strength another way. Glancing over, Jason asked enthusiastically. “Say, Olivia, are there any tower-exclusive drugs that stimulate the senses?”
“Uh, all of them?” She looked at him as if he was an idiot.
“Er, right.” Jason rubbed his cheek in embarrassment. “What I meant was, are there any that make you experience things that a human brain would never think of? Like beyond our imagination?”
“Hmm.” Olivia furrowed her brow. “There’s one that I’m familiar with: dream root. It’s highly addictive, so I wouldn’t touch it. Besides, why are you asking all of a sudden? You’ve never shown an interest in these things before.”
A few others gave Jason a curious glance as well. It was common knowledge that drugs from the tower were much more potent and dangerous. Their effects would permanently damage an average human’s mind; only ascenders could consume them, and not without risk. Most were addictive.
After Olivia explained dream root’s effects, Andy’s expression contorted. It was not unlike the one made when smelling something strange or having an epiphany while going to the restroom.
Slowly, he turned to face the owner of the arm still wrapped around his shoulder, only to find Jason looking back with a knowing glint in his eye. Andy’s expression turned to confusion as he muttered, “No way, is this a coincidence?”
Jason’s next sentence shocked Andy to his core. “Well? Don’t you think
you’ll get a load of imagination points?”
“How do you know about that?” Andy was unable to believe what was happening. Nobody knew about the stat he alone possessed. The skill given by Alister seemed like it broke the rules; it was able to do anything. Items, monsters, humans, mountains. As long as Andy could imagine it, he could create it.
Unfortunately, there was a small problem. If Andy never experienced what it felt like to be on fire, how could he possibly imagine it? Presently, the fire he could create wouldn’t even damage Hector, a far cry from Amara’s recent performance. She was able to shear a tenth of Hector’s health in a single go.
Jason recalled the distant past. The Andy of that timeline was a tragic figure. A decade or so before the final battle, he was the same as always: an infamous thief and pervert. Instead of using his power for good, he trolled nearly everyone he came across. Transforming into a woman to enter the female-only bathhouse, trading temporary imagined goods, pranking a newbie party as a dragon, everyone knew him.
Jason wasn’t sure exactly what happened, but there was an incident Andy was involved in that resulted in a lot of death. Something in him snapped, and for the next decade up until the end, he trained like crazy. Andy jumped into a volcano to experience what the word ‘hot’ really meant, then entered the depths of a monstrous blizzard. From one torture to the next, his combat strength skyrocketed until he reached the level of Roy and Shenlong within a mere ten years. Perhaps if he were to live a few more years, his mind would have broken.
Still, that wasn’t what Jason remembered most about Andy—it was his constant pranks. With Jason being the dating type, he lost count of how many women turned out to be Andy’s creations. Right when a kiss was about to be had, they’d transform into a monster or a man. Jason gritted his teeth upon counting how many times he fell prey to that bastard. But now, it was time for revenge.
Towers of Heaven: A LitRPG Adventure (Book 3) Page 10