Return of the Woodcutter

The sparring session ended on a grim note with the death of one level 2 challenger, but nobody complained. By now, they knew death was part of the Tower. It could be said they started becoming accustomed to it.

After the siblings and George's injuries were treated by the medical team, Aito brought them all inside for a meeting. 

There, in a corner of the cathedral, he welcomed George into the team with a meal and informed him of their intention to clear the Tower.

Surprisingly, George's own goal aligned with Aito's. Most challengers did not even think about clearing the Tower. They were already aware the higher one went, the more dangerous it got.

That was the reason most of them tried to acquire a certain amount of power before going to the next floor. To be certain to survive it. A prudent move.

It slowed down their climb but guaranteed a higher survival ratio. That's why after a bit more than two months now, only a few challengers reached the sixth floor.

Aito theorized by the end of the Tower, at least all the veterans that survived the Lunar Eclipse would have reached the sixth floor and a few dozen would have tried their hands on the seventh floor.

Also, the higher one went, the longer it took to get down. There was no magical portal or elevator. That was even more true from the fifth floor onwards.

For instance, from the cathedral, Aito and his team would have to head to the northern border of the city to access the stairs leading upward. Just that alone would take a few hours at a normal pace.

During their meeting, George also shared his status window with the team, so that they would know his abilities better. Knowledge about your teammates' capabilities was crucial for proper cooperation.

——

[George Melbourn]

[I. General Info]

Death: March 17th, 2030

Specie: Human

Sex: Male 

Age: 35 

Height: 195cm 

Weight: 110kg 

Emotional state: Content

Class: Lv2 Apprentice Warrior Mage 

Titles: Blue Challenger, Nosy Guy

[II. Attributes] 

1. Gifts: 

- Mana blessed (Boost mana by 1 level) 

- Strength blessed (Boost strength by 1 level) 

- Body blessed (Boost Body by 1 level)

2. Skills: 

Passive: 

- Water Attribute Mastery Lv3 

- Club Mastery Lv2 

- Poison Resistance Lv1 

Active: 

- Water Bullets Lv3 (Hurls up to five water bullets.) 

- Aqua Wall Lv2 (Conjure a water wall.) 

- [Lv Up!] Aqua Pressurization Lv2 (Pressurize the host's water element skills.) 

- Durability Lv2 

- Smash Lv2 (A powerful downward smash that uses every iota of the host's strength. Capable of crushing rocks.)

[III. Basic stats] 

- Strength: Lv3 

- Body: Lv3 

- Stamina: Lv2 

- [Lv Up!] Agility: Lv2 

- Mana: Lv3

- Destiny: Lv2 (cannot level up with Glory Points)

____

Apparently, he had used his reward to level up Aqua Pressurization and his Agility stat that had remained at level 1. 

Of course, the siblings and Aito revealed their status window to him—though Aito kept a few pieces of information hidden, just in case. 

One interesting information George brought up was that he would gain a new skill each time he leveled up, thanks to the god he had sworn an oath pact with. 

Something Aito and the siblings had heard about before but never experienced for a very obvious reason. Their powers came from the piece of a candle, an info they did not reveal. 

Everyone had their secrets, after all. George looked like an open book. However, Aito was certain he hid something from them. Keeping a few cards up one's sleeve was normal, so he didn't intend to push George to reveal his.

An hour after dinner was over, Aito gave Noah's core to Ogoro and monitored him while the grey-haired man absorbed it.

On top of being weakened, Noah's soul had just reached level 2, decreasing any risk factor stemming from digesting it. 

Also, Ogoro had a stronger soul than before, thanks to his previous absorption of a level 2 soul. Thankfully, one hour later, a blue light enveloped Ogoro's body due to the excess of energy exiting his body.

An indicator of a level up.

——

[Ogoro Ryu] 

[I. General Info]

Death: March 15th, 2030

Specie: Human 

Sex: Male 

Age: 30 

Height: 200cm 

Weight: 95kg 

Emotional state: Satisfied 

Class: Lv2 Apprentice Surgeon 

Titles: Red Challenger, Onii-Chan, Aspiring Hero 

[II. Attributes] 

1. Gifts: 

- [Sharpened!] Acute fifth sense (Enhanced touch. Slight increase in sensitivity) 

- Body blessed (Boost Body by 1 level) 

- Strength blessed (Boost Strength by 1 level) 

- Stamina blessed (Boost Stamina by 1 level) 

2. Skills: 

Passive:

- Weapons Mastery Lv3 

- [Lv Up!] String Mastery Lv2 

- Poison Resistance Lv1

Active:

- Binding String Lv1 (Can manifest a string made of aura to physically bind a target)

- Recovery String Lv1 (The host is capable of manipulating aura in the shape of a string to sew and heal someone else's internal or external injuries)

- [Lv Up!] Durability Lv2

[III. Basic stats]

- Strength: Lv2

- Body: Lv2

- Stamina: Lv3

- Agility: Lv2

- [Lv Up!] Mana: Lv3

- Destiny: Lv2 (cannot level up with Glory Points)

——

Level up from level 1 to 2 might not seem like much on the outside, but it created a real difference. First, the mana level increased, allowing challengers to activate more skills for a longer time.

Second, not only mana but the soul level goes up a notch, increasing the quantity of soul force, reducing the risks of a feeless state.

Moreover, it prepared challengers for their ascension by enlarging the soul core. Aito's case was special, a product of luck, coincidences, stubbornness, but also sheer willpower.

For instance, if he hadn't been in presence of so many corpses, Aito would have never succeeded in his ascension. That, in itself, could be called luck.

While Ogoro and Aito chatted, Sheyla observed them from the side. Her blue eyes were glued to one person in particular, reflecting a particular interest as she took the time to ponder about her emotional state.

A luxury Sheyla rarely had in the Tower, for death loomed in every corner. 

***

The next day.

News about the Lunar Eclipse event had time to spread to the lower floors in three days. Gwen had laughed with satisfaction at her pupil's performance. Ainar was happy his investment hadn't died somewhere under a pile of hobs. And Kai seriously started to regret his decisions of forceful recruitment.

Newcomers arriving on the fifth floor in the morning all looked for the black challenger in the cathedral but found none fitting his description.

Veterans further confirmed their suspicions that the black challenger had departed for the sixth floor.

Amongst the newcomers, Meilin who had finally managed to clear the fourth floor with her team, was the most disappointed. She had never thought Aito would clear his quest so soon.

Northward, kilometers away from the cathedral, Aito's team easily forced their way through groups of hobs. With George's addition to the team, they adopted a new formation.

Aito would lead the way since he mainly had melee skills, was physically more resilient and was also the leader.

Ogoro stayed in the middle, using his wires to impede hobs movements and attack.

Sheyla would remain behind the front lines with George, killing enemies from a distance. George would step in with his club if he found any gaps in the formation that needed filling.

It wasn't exactly perfect, but it did the job.

At first, George had difficulty fitting in the formation. Cooperating with people who had personalities and fighting styles he was not familiar with had a lot to do with it. But he was a talented challenger—at least he thought so.

With each battle, he progressively acclimated himself with the team, understanding more and more how they worked together. What he didn't know was Aito's team was pretty new, though.

A few hours later, when the fake sun reached its zenith, Aito's team almost made it to the sixth floor's staircase.

Decrepit grey buildings on each side. Fissured cobblestone underneath their feet. Hobs on the rooftops, behind some broken windows, balcony, and in a carriage rapidly heading their way.

"GLU GLAAAA!"

Sheyla and George took one side each. Launching volleys of water bullets and arrows, covered by a water wall that prevented enemy projectiles from reaching them.

Ogoro used his wires to bring hobs in hiding onto streets, crashing them against the ground. At some point, he rapidly climbed a building with his wires. Arriving on the second floor, he unsheathed his sword, mercilessly killing every hob in the room.

Unaffected by the many projectiles thrown at him, Aito coated his ax with a combination of skill, lengthened it, then hurled it at the incoming carriage pulled by ten hobs.

His ax trimmed everything in its way, cutting down two hobs after the others, impacting the vehicle with such power it halted its course, shattering it, cleaving the carriage in two.

Aito deactivated Weight Control on himself—a shackle he used for training—returning his equipment to their original weight and dashed towards the hobs at incredible speed.

Using his fists, shield, and feet to crush them to a pulp like a real barbarian.

The fight ended fairly quickly, with no chance whatsoever for the hobs to come out on top.

Aito's team gathered the soul cores and arrows. Then, with the way cleared, they finally left for the sixth floor.

On the staircase, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. As per usual, light bulbs of seafoam color were all around the place on each side of the wall.

"What do you think is waiting for us up there?" George asked, his club settled on his shoulder, a big backpack strapped to his back.

"Hum, certainly a lot of creatures…, again," Ogoro complained.

Staring at Aito's back, Sheyla did not reply as she prepared for any eventuality.

"Stay on your guard. We have too little information on the sixth floor onwards to chat leisurely," Aito warned.

"Aye sir," Ogoro said.

"Yes boss," George said.

Aito rolled his eyes. He had a feeling those two would become really good friends.

Once the team exited the staircase, it led them to a vast, arid area. Gusts of wind brought a few grains of sands to their eyes, flapping Sheyla's cloak.

Surprisingly, the stair led to… the middle of nowhere.

Two suns shone brightly on the horizon. Welcoming them with scorching heat. Suddenly, as he stepped further away from the staircase, a tingling feeling ran down Aito's spine.

"Ambush!" He shouted.