Tower of Paradise

Chapter 72: training setup.

[Name: Arceus Pendragon.]

[Existence level: 2 (E)]

[Sex/age: Male/10.]

[Height/Weight: 152.3 cm/41.2 kg.]

[Alignment: Lawful/Chaos.]

[Class: Soul Reaper.]

[Alias: Training Masochist.]

[1. Statistics]

[Strength: F (16)] [Resistance: F (17)]

[Agility: F (15)] [Intelligence: F (16)]

[Perception: F (18)] [Vitality: F (15)]

[Stellar Energy: E (19)] [Luck: C (41)]

[Soul Fragments: 03/1000]

[2. Talent: None]

[3. Public Attribute: Below Average]

[Effect: The user possesses no talent or particular qualities. You will suffer for your lack of talent. There is no point in trying. No matter how hard you work, you will never be more than a third-rate Ascendant. The user's future is very concerning.]

[Private Attribute: The Man Who Overcame Adversity (S)]

[Effect: At the moment when you cannot fight, all statistic levels and skill classes increase by one grade. Additionally, there is a small healing effect and you will not feel pain until the duration ends.]

[4. Innate Ability: Eyes of the Successor (SS)]

[Will provide available information from the past and future to the user for their survival according to their situation. Allows remembering memories of their past life and is capable of strongly influencing the thoughts and actions of the current user by erasing most emotions and acting as a supreme monarch who only calculates the best option regardless of circumstances.]

...

When evaluating an Ascendant's power, it was always crucial to consider not only the basic statistics but also the abilities each one possessed. It was the latter that truly defined our status. Depending on the abilities an individual developed and the synergy between them, they could transform from being simply competent to becoming an elite Ascendant. Abilities possessed a versatility that statistics would never have; differing enormously from person to person, and the capacity to adapt to them constituted a determining factor.

The most fundamental ability, the latent ability, was something all Ascendants could obtain through proper training. The direction you choose for your development—whether mastery of the sword or the art of magic—significantly influenced the latent abilities you would manifest later.

There were few occasions when the Tower granted abilities as rewards, regardless of their nature. As a general rule, they had to be acquired in the shop and, as was evident, their price was exorbitant.

The only exception to this rule was exclusive abilities: received only when acquiring a profession and generally, just one. All others could be purchased or learned by oneself.

[Stellar Purification (S)]

[Description: Allows its user to continuously absorb stellar energy from the atmosphere under any circumstances. Expel the old and the bad and inhale the good and the new. While the rate at which it collects energy is slow, it is constant at all times.]

It was a breathing technique similar to that used by mutants, which they learned at a very young age, and this was one of the reasons why mutants and monsters were so powerful.

As one might infer, there were great differences between monsters and mutants. Although they seemed to be the same, they were far from it. Creatures were called "mutants" because they were dangerous and strong, but most of them—those that had not formed a stellar core—had no mind and moved by instinct.

Monsters, on the other hand, were races with some level of society, no matter how insignificant it might seem, and they were much more devastating because they possessed a rudimentary and deformed form of intelligence. They were creatures that had the strongest battle prowess of any race.

While soul fragments served for almost everything, they could not directly increase the statistics of each user as this technique would.

The closest to this were artifacts, but even these only increased one or two points at best. These objects were extremely difficult to obtain, considered a rarity throughout the world and highly prized by elite Ascendants who sought to constantly surpass themselves.

Statistic points were not something obtained with ease, but they were something all Ascendants fervently desired. With a simple difference of three points, it was enough to grant an undeniable advantage over another Ascendant in terms of pure capabilities. This reality had led to an incessant search for methods to increase statistics by any means necessary, through the three known forms: training, acquisition of different classes, or equipment of artifacts.

First, the most effective way to increase statistics was to undergo rigorous training. Just as a solid foundation is needed to build a tall building, it was also essential to establish firm foundations for personal development.

Normally, this method was only employed by new Ascendants, as veterans eventually reached a stagnation point in the first years of intensive training, which prevented them from continuing to progress by this means.

I stopped reflecting on the subject and left the merchant's room. As I emerged, I turned my head and found myself meeting the curious gaze of the girl called KathyIn, who was now awake and sitting by the portal, observing me with furrowed brows.

An awkward silence fell between us. After a moment, KathyIn broke the ice:

— By any chance... Are you a child? —My body involuntarily shuddered at her direct question.

— What do you mean? Why would I be a child? —I blinked and cleared my throat. Fortunately, the mask modulated my childish voice, making it sound deeper and more mature.

— Well... —the girl hesitated—. You clearly look suspicious.

Was that what she meant? I understood immediately. I was wearing a white mask and black armor. Without a doubt, my appearance was quite intriguing, not to say alarming.

I lowered my gaze, aware that it wasn't necessary to reveal too much information to the young woman in front of me.

— Anyway, why were you sleeping in a place like this? —I skillfully changed the subject.

Perhaps she hadn't taken any lives yet. Or maybe she hadn't witnessed someone's death before her eyes. Only that would explain such carelessness in an environment as dangerous as the Tower.

— Ahh... Yes. Well, I fell asleep while waiting for someone. —KathyIn smiled with an embarrassed expression.

— Who were you waiting for?

If she was here, it meant she had chosen the hell difficulty and must have faced the goblins, eliminating them to reach this point. This implied that she would have been waiting at least almost three days until my arrival. Although it sounded plausible, something told me that wasn't really the case.

KathyIn must have completed the third floor and reached the waiting room of the fourth when she returned to reality. Therefore, when she left, she was on the fourth floor. Then, after an indeterminate period, she returned and the tower placed her in the room where she had originally been.

I felt as if I had deciphered a millennial enigma. Although, judging by her innocent appearance, I doubted she was capable of killing a goblin... But it would be absurd to evaluate a book solely by its cover.