Back when Jason was overwhelmed with painful emotions and memories upon entering the floor of death, Aros grew irritated. “Why focus on the past so much, you dimwit. Move on, already!”
By the time the Alliance fought the stronghold, empty flagons of alcohol had filled Aros’s garden. Jason’s mentality made the god so frustrated he wanted to descend and give his disciple an earful.
When Cay ambushed and defeated Jason without a sweat, Aros had nearly gone crazy. “A simple trick got the better of you? How utterly useless! This isn’t good. I need to give him a lesson.”
Just when Aros was about to break the rules and rescue Jason, the situation changed. When Aros saw Jason’s renewed willpower, he leaned back and laughed, spit spraying everywhere. “That’s my disciple! Show the world your power!”
Aros went from alcoholism to tea in a matter of minutes, only to return to alcohol. “No, damn it. Why are you going down the soul-path? I made Battle Energy for the body-path. Intense, close-quarters combat, with your enemy's blood covering your body, oh that’s the life. How could you do this to me, Jason!?”
No matter how much Aros complained, Jason ignored him. Or rather, he couldn’t hear him in the first place.
When Jason wiped out the demon army surrounding the haven, Aros nearly screamed, “Are you an idiot? If you’re going down the soul-path, at least act like it! Who nearly kills themselves from overdrawing their Soul Force? I regret taking you as my disciple!”
Aros changed his tune when Jason executed his first self-made Battle Energy skill. “Ahaha! That’s my disciple, all right. It’s a bit rough around the edges, but it’ll do.”
Not long after, when Roy helped Jason master his Battle Physique, Piety asked to enter Aros’s abode. The elder instantly denied the request. “Damn it, Jason, how could you let her disciple beat you to it? Now I’m too ashamed to show my face around here. Why did I pick an idiot as my disciple?”
When Jason went on his expedition, he wiped out one stronghold after another as he explored the floor. At the same time, he experimented with Battle Energy, forming many new skills. Aros quickly noticed Jason misunderstood something. “Oh. Oh, no. What does he think Battle Energy is? It’s not called Sword Energy, so why are you only forming swords? Jason. Please. It’s Battle Energy for a reason. Get that into your thick skull.”
Thankfully, as Jason encountered demons with various skills, he started to utilize his energy differently. For example, Prism was a skill where Jason formed a triangular barrier around him with the tip pointing at the enemy’s attack. It was a single-target defense skill. On the other hand, Barricade was a large-range defensive skill meant for covering an army. It was similar to a spartan shield wall with spears sticking out.
Thanks to his new mount, Jason returned to the haven several times to drop off his loot and rest. Like this, three weeks went by in no time at all.
Chapter 63
Far to the north-east was a lake of lava. Slabs of hardened rock floated along the surface and were the only method to traverse this place. Sometimes, due to the magma bubbling and splashing, a slab would abruptly overturn. A painful ending awaited those who didn’t react fast enough. Worse, if you happened to have the power to survive, countless monsters lurked underneath.
Obsidian salamanders loved sleeping on the surface of these slabs, and the strongest among them naturally took the largest slab for itself.
(Mutant Raid Boss) Obsidian Overlord – Level 295
Health: 18,000,000/18,000,000
The Obsidian Overlord was over a hundred feet long and had been the uncontested ruler of the surrounding lands for years, so it slept without regard for its surroundings. Like most days, it dreamed about a harem of salamanders.
Just then, a sonic boom startled the Overlord awake. Before it understood what was happening, the slab it slept on flipped over. Furious, it climbed onto a rocky outcrop nearby and spotted its enemy.
A creature somewhere between a ghost and a horse flew overheard as if running on land. Gray mist formed its body, held in place by silver armor. Some of the fog seeped through the gaps, giving the creature a mysterious appearance. Atop its head sat an adorable turtle, while on its back sat Jason, who currently guffawed after pranking the Raid Boss. After acquiring a flying mount, Jason and Tank found joy in harassing demons from afar. To be clear, it was Tank who started it.
To the Overlord, it was no prank but an affront to its authority. Snarling, it opened its mouth and spewed out a column of blue flames. The air quivered under the intense heat.
Unwilling to be outdone, Tank activated one of her runes as countless drops of water suddenly appeared. In less than a second, they combined to form a whirlpool fifty feet wide. Much to the Overlord’s dismay, it watched as its flames joined together with the vortex.
Under Tank’s control, the whirlpool shot out like a shuriken, cutting the outcrop the Overlord stood on in half. Again, the salamander fell into the lava. Tank’s eyes gleamed with delight as she watched the oversized lizard thrash about in anger.
As they flew away, the Raid Boss roared, and soon every salamander in the lake attacked them. Alas, Jason’s mount was incredibly agile, and the pranksters escaped unharmed.
Jason’s seventh rune formed the steed. Not only could he control it with his mind, but it also boasted considerable speed and stamina. The only downside was it had no combat ability, though that was deliberate on Jason’s part to reduce the rune’s cost.
In no time at all, Jason traveled from the north-east end of the floor to the abyss. Out of superstition, he flew around the hole instead of over. Unfortunately, Jason learned he could only enter the abyss once, so he had to level his new runes the old way. Perhaps others would have trouble leveling up their runes without the abyss, but not Jason. It only took him a day or two to max out any rune he formed.
When Jason first started his expedition to the other zones, he thought he’d have as many runes as Lavos in a matter of weeks. In reality, the base cost to form his eighth rune took more essence than the others combined. Exponential growth was no joke. Even after three weeks, he only had eight runes.
Union – Tier 10 Rune
Freely transfer Health, Stamina, and Battle Energy between you and your soul companion.
Adds 10% of your attributes to your soul companion.
Jason hoped Union would prevent Tank from dying ever again. Thanks to gaining 10% of Jason’s stats, she was much stronger than before, but that didn’t satisfy him. Since he was weeks away from a ninth rune, he decided to funnel most of his essence into Tank. Both of them now had eight runes.
The rest of the essence he acquired went towards the Alliance and Lavos. After all, the strength he gained from another rune was minuscule compared to arming hundreds of ascenders with a fourth, fifth, or sixth rune.
Besides essence, Jason gave all the equipment he looted from elite demons to Su Long. More accurately, he gave it to Peter. The blacksmith had spent the past three weeks holed up inside his smithy, hammering away at something or other.
In less than a day, Jason went from one side of the floor to the other. Upon witnessing the haven, he couldn’t help but still be amazed. A few weeks ago, the sanctuary was little more than a settlement, yet now it was a behemoth.
The walls were now a composite made from several high-grade metals. The structural integrity and durability were several times higher than before. Additionally, the front side of the wall had thousands of holes, hidden inside which were spears coated in poison. Inscribed on the spears were magic glyphs, giving them the ability to attack and withdraw automatically.
Unlike the single-use traps surrounding the haven before, these were reusable and lasted until their durability ran out. When they did, ascenders could replace them safely from the other side of the wall.
The alliance now had thirty cannon towers, fifteen laser towers, five healing towers, three buff towers, three curse towers, and one mana generator. Best of all, they were all maxed out at tier 10. The
buildings and traps themselves could handle most blood moons for the foreseeable future. Out of all the blueprints, the second most important one was the mana generator.
Tier 10 Mana Generator
Mana Generated: 250,000/s
Mana Transfer: 5,000/s
Max Structures In-Network: 50
Structure Enhancement: 50%
Modes installed: Enhancement Type
It took a whopping 100 upgrades to max out this baby. Not only could it easily power up to fifty structures, but it also enhanced their performance by 50%. It was, without a doubt, one of the most impactful structures, yet it only took second place.
Tier 10 Teleporter
Teleport the haven and everything inside the barrier to a designated location within 5,000 miles. 24-hour cooldown.
The Alliance could attack even the most fortified strongholds with this structure, although doing so brought tremendous risk. A 24-hour cooldown was a long time. If demons responded with an all-out assault, it was unknown if the haven could last until the cooldown ended.
Due to this consideration, the Alliance teleported to better farming spots instead. After all, only the weakest monsters on the floor were near the haven’s original location. As the Alliance acquired better equipment, leveled up, and formed more runes, there was a need to search for stronger monsters. That’s when the teleporter came in handy.
Currently, the haven sat just outside a swamp. While an excellent spot for hunting, it smelled like rotten food. Jason had to cover his nose as he entered the haven via the sky. When he landed, the nearby ascenders looked at him with curiosity, reverence, and wariness.
As much as Jason tried to keep it a secret, it didn’t take long for people to figure out where all the blueprints, essence, and equipment came from. To his relief, it didn’t result in what he imagined, though he did feel a change in how people interacted with him. There was a sort of deference like they didn’t want to displease him.
Everyone had witnessed the annihilation of the demon army. One second they were alive, and in the next, they ceased to be. No known skill or spell was responsible. How could you defend against something like that?
It was understandable nobody wanted to displease someone with such power. Although Jason knew this, it didn’t mean he liked it. Unfortunately, he didn’t know how to return things to normal. Thankfully, Shenlong and the others didn’t treat him any differently.
Anyway, regardless of what people thought of Jason, he wouldn’t stop growing stronger. To that end, he went to Peter to hand over his loot from the past few days.
Chapter 64
When Jason, Peter, and Shenlong merged their guilds into what was now the Alliance, the pillar previously belonging to Pantheon became their headquarters. A passive 10% bonus experience gain to all guild members was too hard to pass up. As such, the once spacious pillar was jam-packed with buildings.
Of the buildings exclusive to guilds, the warehouse was one of the best. After the Alliance maxed it out, not only could it store more items and materials than every guild member’s inventory combined, it automatically sorted them as well. It also allowed for various functions, such as preventing items from being withdrawn unless you had a high enough position in the guild.
Another useful building was the throne room. When a guild member sat upon the throne, they would teleport to their kingdom. Once done managing their territories, they’d find themselves back at their guild, allowing them to save plenty of time from traveling to and fro.
Of course, the most expensive structure was the waygate. Once fully upgraded, guild members could teleport to any of the tower’s previous floors. Since a teleport scroll would return you to your guild, guild members could reach most floors in seconds. Of all the guilds, only the Alliance had a maxed-out waygate. Peter had nearly cried when he purchased the last few upgrades. Thankfully, the farming teams' efficiency skyrocketed; otherwise, he wouldn’t have paid such a price.
While the pillar gave a fantastic view of the floor and had top-tier buildings, there was one tiny problem. The pillar frequently trembled. Most guild members had long gotten used to it, but whenever a guest arrived, they’d wonder what in the hell was happening.
The source of the trembling came from the east side of the pillar. To be exact, it originated from a smithy. A magic barrier encompassed the building, preventing any sound and explosions from leaking out. Even so, whenever Su Long swung his hammer, a visible shockwave spread out. When the hammer smashed against whatever Su Long worked on, a sonic boom sent cracks along the barrier. Thanks to the m-serum, and his fanatical devotion to blacksmithing, he had nearly 7,000 Strength. It was too bad he sucked at fighting.
Su Long’s current appearance was utterly miserable. After working for three days without rest, not only were his eyes bloodshot, wounds covered him from head to toe. Whenever Su Long hammered the spear in front of him, the weapon released flashes of light, eviscerating his body. Even as his clothes were in tatters, he didn’t stop.
Each swing molded the spear, turning it into the pinnacle of all weapons. As time passed, the divine runes flared, and soon the spear began to vibrate. A low hum filled the smithy.
When the forging was nearly complete, Su Long had long since become unrecognizable. The rebound from the spear shredded his flesh down to the bone. Anyone else would have fainted from exhaustion, yet the elder stood as straight as the spear before him. Even then, even as he teetered between life and death, the spear was incomplete. It needed three more swings.
Su Long did not realize his current condition. All he saw was the spear and the fact that it was unfinished. Now that his muscles could no longer move his body, he used telekinesis in their stead.
The first swing collapsed the smithy.
The second destroyed the barrier.
After the third swing, nothing happened.
There was no explosion, no sonic boom, no tremor. Why would there be? The only reason there was a backlash in the first place was because the divine runes couldn’t contain the power of the spear, but now, it was perfect.
The nearly seven-foot-long dark-red spear hovered in front of Su Long. The fabric of space warped, unable to contain the power of the weapon. To Su Long’s astonishment, something strange happened. A connection formed between him and his creation. Through that connection, a portion of the spear’s strength became his, raising his stats considerably.
A notification appeared, informing him of a new skill. Whenever he crafted a penultimate item, a part of the item's stats would become his. Thankfully, this didn’t take away from the item’s stats.
Glancing at the spear, Su Long reached out and took it in his hands. Unfathomable strength coursed through his body as he held it up. Taking a deep breath, Su Long inspected the spear.
(Divine) Godslayer
Damage: (Based on user’s stats)
+200% Attack Speed
+150% Agility
+75% Strength
+50% All Stats
Passive Ability 1: Godslayer’s stats scale based on the user’s level.
Passive Ability 2: All wounds inflicted with Godslayer are unhealable for 1 hour.
Passive Ability 3: Instantly reach maximum momentum upon attack.
Passive Ability 4: Godslayer and the user have maximum compatibility.
Passive Ability 5: Godslayer ignores all barrier-type skills and items.
Passive ability 6: While equipped, Godslayer forcibly raises all spear-based skills to hero grade. If a skill is already at hero grade, its cooldown is reduced by 70%.
Active Ability 1: Godslayer ignores space to attack a target within sight. Can be combined with skills. 1 second cooldown.
Active Ability 2: Unleash a destructive thrust, dealing 1,000% damage. Ignores all defense. 3 second cooldown.
Active Ability 3: Infuses the user with Godslayer’s strength. Gain 400% reaction speed, 200% Movement speed, and 150% attack speed for 1 minute. 10-minute cooldown.
“Haha, I did it! H
ahaha.” Su Long cackled madly upon realizing he had created a Divine grade item. The elder jumped in place from pure joy. If he could make one, then why not another?
Alas, all the materials Peter sent him over the past few weeks were used in Godslayer’s creation. Not only did Godslayer use all the materials Jason acquired, the equipment was gone too. Su Long had a rune to extract materials from equipment and refine said materials into higher quality. But why should Su Long care about acquiring materials? That was Peter’s problem.
“As long as I show him this baby, he’ll have no choice but to grovel before me, hehe.” Su Long stored the spear away before sprinting towards the floor of death. As he did, he thought the breeze was especially pleasant today, which lifted his mood.
In his excitement, Su Long didn’t realize he was naked. The backlash from forging Godslayer had blasted his clothes to smithereens. Thankfully, blood covered his body, so nobody knew it was the world-renowned and legendary blacksmith.
Chapter 65
The Alliance.
People held respect and admiration whenever they mentioned the organization. After all, even the strongest countries treated them as equals. Or at least it appeared that way. While the public largely remained in the dark, presidents, senators, and military generals alike knew the truth. If the Alliance wanted to, they could take control of any country they wanted. Even top-tier guilds could face the world’s strongest militaries head-on.
Take Jason, for example. As an ascender specializing in defense, his skin alone could deflect bullets. A tank would only cause minor flesh wounds. If he wore armor, no modern weapon outside of a nuke could harm him. However, should Jason activate all his defensive skills, he might even be able to survive that.
Towers of Heaven: A LitRPG Adventure (Book 3) Page 28