Only after Jason exhausted all of his means of persuasion did Roy finally decide to agree to the competition. As such, they turned and headed towards the tower. Right before they entered the tower, Jason handed Roy a teleportation scroll to the thirtieth floor. He had purchased around a hundred of them before heading to his father’s house. “I’ll meet you in front of the colosseum.”
“Okay.” Roy watched Jason disappear into the tower. He needed to enter the tower to move forward, but he hesitated. He clenched his teeth. Mom, Dad, I know you didn’t want me to enter the tower, but I’m going to finish what you started. With his goal clear, he stepped forward and disappeared in a flash of light.
Chapter 17
The sun was reaching its zenith. Unlike the earlier floors, the thirtieth floor had a day and night cycle. Twelve hours of daylight and twelve hours of night. Residents and ascenders filled the capital of the Vistar kingdom, rushing here and there. The colosseum was packed like always. Ascenders dueled each other and guilds competed, but even more took on the arena challenges. Completing a challenge was a mark of one’s combat prowess. Not only would you be awarded a title, allowing you to show off, but you would also receive a unique skill based on your personality if you completed the tenth level. As for the rewards beyond that, no one knew.
Jason leaned against the colosseum wall as he waited. A few minutes later, Roy called out to him. “Yo.”
“What do you think?” Jason opened his arms wide.
Roy inspected the city before turning back to Jason with a smile. “It’s just like I’ve heard. It’s beautiful.”
Jason wrapped his arm around Roy’s shoulder and led him further into the colosseum. “You know how the challenges work, right?”
“Yeah.”
“What level do you think you’ll reach? The second?” Jason teased.
Roy rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “At least the fifth.”
“Oh?” Jason didn’t expect Roy to be so confident. “Do you have experience fighting?”
“No.” Roy shook his head.
Jason nearly tripped. “Good luck then.”
Jason knew how talented Roy was, but right now he was just a fifteen-year-old youth with no combat experience. How far could he really reach? Right now, he needed to be guided in the right direction. The colosseum challenges were hard, but they showed the path you needed to train towards.
“Let’s meet back out here for lunch after.” Jason said as he manipulated the screen to begin the first arena challenge.
“Show me the best restaurant.” Roy had never had the food from the tower, so he was looking forward to what a medieval city had to offer.
“Will do. See you later.” Jason disappeared in a flash of light, leaving Roy standing there thoughtfully.
Roy inspected the screen before him. It had appeared once he arrived in the vicinity of the colosseum. His parents had told him all about the tower, but it was his first time experiencing it firsthand. As he compared his experience with his parent’s stories, he smiled.
You have selected the arena challenge. When your health reaches 0, you will be teleported out and recovered to full life.
5...
After five seconds, Roy found himself in the middle of the colosseum. Startled, he glanced down at his hands. I’m so weak. Is this the strength of a normal human? While challenging the arena, your stats were set to 15 and you weren’t allowed to use abilities. Roy was basically a level 1 ascender, something he had never experienced before. When he was a toddler, he had already been stronger than a grown man. The difference was even more exaggerated once he became a teenager.
A plethora of crude-grade weapons and equipment appeared in front of Roy. Each one hovered off the ground. Before choosing his equipment, he began to jump in place and perform some basic exercises. Only after familiarizing himself with his strength did he walk up and choose a longsword. As soon as he did, the rest of the weapons disappeared. The same thing happened to the armor when he picked a set of leather armor. Shrugging in indifference, he smiled confidently. This is all I’ll need.
In a flash of light, a green goblin appeared some twenty feet in front of him. Roy was flabbergasted. This is the challenge everyone was hyping up?
Goblin - Level 1
Health: 50/50
The first challenge was just your normal, everyday goblin. There was nothing special about it, except that it lacked fear. As soon as it appeared, it charged forward, recklessly swinging its short sword. Roy had no experience in combat, but he was bold and brave. With nothing to fear, he slashed out when the goblin was within range.
The goblin shrieked in pain as a terrifying gash appeared across its chest. A normal goblin would have fled in fear after realizing it was outmatched, but this goblin was spawned by the colosseum. It recovered and attacked in less than a second after being wounded. Roy was caught off guard, but his reaction was quick. He blocked with his sword just in time.
Roy dealt a few blows in quick succession, easily finishing the fight. A goblin was, after all, just a goblin. Roy released a breath as a smile tugged at his lips. My first monster kill. A goblin, just like everyone else.
A countdown of ten seconds appeared. When the timer hit zero, ten goblins appeared, carrying various weapons. As soon as they spawned, they ran forward with boisterous shrieks. Roy panicked. He could handle one goblin, maybe even three, but ten at once? Before he could gather his thoughts, the goblins were on him. He used his superior reach to wound one, but was hit by a spear-wielding goblin. The pain caused Roy to stagger, allowing more attacks to find their marks.
His health reached 0 just a few seconds later. Fighting ten goblins at once was overwhelming, especially for a newbie like Roy. Roy appeared outside the colosseum, a look of shock on his face. I died, just like that? He’d barely put up a fight, and that was just the second challenge. Wasn’t the world record the twelfth challenge?
A raging fire lit up within Roy’s heart. As soon as he appeared outside, he once again entered the arena to challenge it. He would try as many times as it took. He would beat those ten goblins today.
A few hours later, Jason appeared outside the colosseum in a flash of light. He nearly fell to the ground from exhaustion. A nearby ascender helped him stand. “It’s tough, huh?”
Jason thanked him with a nod before sighing. “Yeah, I just can’t beat that level. I don’t think I ever will.”
“Don’t give up, bro.” The ascender walked towards the colosseum before disappearing in a flash of light.
Jason sat against the colosseum wall to regain his strength. It wasn’t his body that was exhausted, but his head. To pass through the challenges required using techniques that relied heavily on the mind. If his stats were higher, he would be able to last longer, but with fifteen to all stats, it was difficult. He looked up at the sun to figure out the time before closing his eyes to take a short rest.
“Jason!” A soft voice woke him up.
Jason opened his eyes to see a smiling Roy. He smirked. “How’d you do? Did you reach the fifth challenge?”
“Uh, I only beat the second challenge.” Roy scratched his cheek sheepishly. “I underestimated the colosseum.”
“That’s still good.” Jason yawned as he stood up. “Ready to get some food?”
“The best restaurant,” Roy reminded.
“Just wait until you try some magically cooked food. It’s great.” Jason led Roy through the capital. They walked on the side of the road out of the carriages’ and the horses’ way. In less than half an hour, they stood before a high-class restaurant. Patrons could be seen going in and out. The place was absolutely packed.
“Ah, damn,” Roy muttered when he saw how busy the restaurant was, though it only increased his desire to eat there.
“Watch this.” Jason grinned as he strode up to a well-dressed man standing behind a counter. Jason slyly passed a gold coin into the man’s hand. “A table for two please.”
The man glanced down at the coin be
fore tucking it away into his pocket. He beckoned Jason with his hand. “Right away, sir. A table for two just opened up.”
“Wow, is this what it feels like to be a noble?” Roy whispered under his breath. He was learning how the adult world worked firsthand.
Roy and Jason were led to a quiet table on the second floor. Roy read through the menu, his eyes shining. “What the? They serve monster meat?”
Jason gave a nod. “Of course. The tower is a magical, fantastical world. The food is even better than outside. For example, this griffon egg, when cooked, is a hundred times better than a chicken’s egg.”
“Amazing!” Roy ended up selecting cockatrice meat as his main with a side of slime jelly and bread for a total of five gold. Jason got his usual, a salad made of rare nutritious herbs and the meat of a basilisk for a total of six gold. For a single meal, they spent over fifty thousand dollars.
Not long after, their meals were delivered fresh right from the kitchen. Roy and Jason dug in and both let out a moan. For Roy, it was his first time tasting such delicious food, and for Jason, it had been years since he had eaten here.
In the middle of eating, a screen popped up in front of both of them. To Jason it wasn’t a surprise, but to Roy, it left him stunned. “What? There’s such an effect? No wonder the food was so expensive.”
Health, Stamina, and Mana have risen by 500 and all regeneration is increased by 200% for 4 hours.
Cooking was one profession that was difficult to master. That was even more so the case when you factored in magical cooking. The benefits cooking brought to ascenders were enormous. Besides getting buffs, you could even get permanent stats for eating rare ingredients.
Near the end of their meal, Roy sent Jason a glance. “So, what challenge did you get to?”
“Nothing much.” Jason opened his status screen and sent Roy the information of his title.
14th Challenge Completion
All stats +5%
All Damage +5%
+5% XP gain from all sources
“Whaaaaaaaaaaat?” Roy knocked his chair to the ground as he leapt to his feet in shock.
Chapter 18
The nearby patrons glared at Roy in irritation. Realizing what he had done, he quickly apologized. “Sorry, sorry.”
Roy picked up his chair and sat down before once again looking at the status screen, still unable to believe it was real. “How is this possible? You even beat the world record!”
Jason waved his hand, dispersing the screen to make sure no one else would see it. He grinned victoriously. “Looks like I won the bet.”
“Yeah, but didn’t you say you just entered the tower? How are you so skilled?” Roy was unconcerned about losing the bet. He couldn’t keep his mind from replaying the status screen.
Jason, unable to tell the truth, just rolled his eyes. “Didn’t I tell you I’m the most talented person on earth? Now do you believe me?”
Roy had previously thought Jason was arrogant to the extreme, but it looked like he really was the most talented person in the world. Roy felt that if he worked together with someone like Jason, saving humanity might just be possible. Suddenly, he thought of his parents. His face grew dark as he whispered, “Be careful of the dark guilds.”
Seeing the serious look on Roy’s face, Jason was confused. Why would a fifteen-year-old boy who’d just entered the tower warn him of the dark guilds? He asked. “How much do you know about them?”
Roy clenched his hands. “Enough to know not to mess with them.”
Jason saw that Roy’s eyes had turned slightly red. Does he have a history with them? Jason thought he knew about Roy, but it looked like he was wrong. Roy must have hidden his past deeply by the time they’d met in the alternate past.
For a time, silence fell over their table. Roy thought back to the status screen Jason showed him. He was still uncertain how you could get so far without using any abilities and having fifteen to all stats. Was it really possible? Roy asked uncertainly, “So is there some trick to the challenges?”
“Unfortunately, no.” Jason shook his head. He thought for a moment before raising three fingers. “Have you heard of the three exalted techniques?”
“The three exalted techniques?” Roy tilted his head. “Are they abilities?”
Jason shook his head. “No. They were possible to use before the towers arrived.”
“Really? Are they that powerful?” Roy was doubtful. He knew how magical and fantastical the tower was.
“Incredibly powerful.” Jason leaned back in his chair as he began to explain. “It is possible to reach the seventh challenge without learning these techniques by pushing the human body to the limits. Dodging, parrying, deflecting, attacking weaknesses, and positioning. These are all difficult to master, but they’re much easier to learn than the three exalted techniques.”
“Oh!” Roy gasped. “I get it. That orc on the third challenge used a heavy axe and had higher strength than me. I have to deflect his weapon instead of challenging it head on.”
“That’s one way. Parrying isn’t an option, but dodging is.” Jason smiled. Sure enough, Roy is a combat genius. I wonder how far he’ll go with me teaching him? It gave Jason the shivers.
“So if I can master those techniques, then I can beat the seventh challenge, huh?” Roy’s eyes glittered at the thought of it. He focused back on Jason. “So what’s the three exalted techniques? Can they beat all the challenges? Oh, how many challenges are there, anyway?”
“Slow down.” Jason waved his hand. “One question at a time.”
“Oh, sorry.” Roy forced himself to calm down, but his sparkling eyes said otherwise.
Jason shook his head. “There are fifteen challenges. The three exalted techniques can’t beat the last one, they can only get you to it.”
“Is it that hard?” Roy gulped. If even Jason, the most talented person in the world couldn’t beat it, did he have a chance?
Jason’s eyes narrowed. “You fight yourself.”
“Yourself?” Roy didn’t expect this. He was thinking he would have to fight a dragon.
Jason sighed heavily as he thought back to his recent defeat. “Right. You have to beat yourself, an exact copy to be exact. The copy has all of your techniques and combat experience.”
Roy rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Wouldn’t that result in a draw then?”
“Yep.”
“Then how do you beat it? Isn’t it impossible?” Roy frowned. Was the colosseum so ruthless in that it wouldn’t let anybody win?
Jason shook his head. “No, it’s possible. There’s only one way: to surpass yourself.”
Roy fell silent for a moment before his frown deepened. “But you said that the only way to reach the fifteenth floor is to master the human body and learn the three exalted techniques. How is it possible to surpass perfection?”
“That’s why I’m stuck.” Jason sighed again. He had tried hundreds of times, maybe even thousands. He had lost count long ago.
Roy fell back in his chair, defeated. “Then isn’t it impossible?”
“No.” Jason shook his head. “I know someone who beat it.”
Roy’s eyes lit up. “Really? Where are they? Why doesn’t the world know about them?”
Jason looked at Roy briefly before turning away. “They died.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” Roy fell silent. Once again, a blanket of silence covered their table. Once again, Roy was the one to change the subject. “You still haven’t explained the three exalted techniques.”
“Oh, I almost forgot.” Jason crossed his arms. “These techniques can only be learned in one order. The first is called the effortless body, the second the heavenly eye, and the third is foresight.”
“Effortless body, heavenly eye, and foresight?” Roy repeated.
“Effortless body means to master your body. To feel the wind, to hear all sounds, to see everything within your field of vision, as well as using the least amount of strength to perform an action.”
“So, dodging within the narrowest margin?” Roy asked.
“Exactly.” Jason nodded. “The heavenly eye is the next technique. It means to form an image of your surroundings in your mind. To remember the position of every rock, every monster, every arrow, etc. Once you master this technique, you can never be sneaked up on.”
“Is that really within human limits?” Roy asked with doubtful eyes.
“Yes. Many martial artists through the centuries have mastered this technique, even before the tower arrived.” Jason explained. “Though their number was much lower than now, where battle is around every corner.”
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