10th Floor
A/N- Since it's my birthday, you're getting not one but two chapters. Have fun.
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[Welcome to the 10th Floor, Trial of Choice]
[Quest: The Choice]
[Description: On this Floor, you will not only decide your Class but also your Power System. You might find a chance to advance your Class in the Tower but the Power System you select is final and irreversible]
[Reward: Basic enchanted equipment for your Class]
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"Yay, I'm still conscious this time. Wait, is this really worth a celebration?" His excitement died down before it even reached its peak.
He was relieved that he didn't black out again for whatever reason because that would make it a 3/10. If Urman ever learned that he had a 30% chance to take a nap after a Floor, he would never let him live that out, not that he ever needed to know that.
"Anyway, let's see what we got, I'm curious what the 5th Tier Class is, I can't remember what exactly happened back then." He wondered as he sat down on a couch in the small wooden house he appeared in. It was decorated nicely and had everything you might need for a week-long stay, not that he planned to take that long.
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[Tier 1 Classes: Warrior, Scholar, Apothecary]
[Tier 2 Classes: Ranger, Knight, Sorcerer, Healer, Thug, Brawler]
[Tier 3 Classes: Spirit Archer, Guardian, Paladin, Priest, Summoner, Mage, Assassin, Martial Artist, etc.]
[Tier 4 Classes: Juggernaut, Saint, Archmage, Martial Master, Weapon Master, Magic Warrior, Cultist]
[Tier 5 Class: ???]
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"How… useful. It still doesn't say what the Tier 5 class does."
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[??? Class: A user-specific class custom-made for the climber. Equal to a True Talent]
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"Insight for the win! But custom-made? That can also mean that it will be as useless as the climber, though that should be impossible since I highly doubt anyone without enough strength and talent can even reach the 5th Tier on the 8th Floor."
While the Tier 4 classes were tempting since most of them gave immense power upon selection, he still decided to take the uncertain next tier.
"Well, it's not entirely uncertain since it's equal to a True Talent. It should be very similar to my talent." He crossed his fingers and selected the Tier 5 class while praying that he wouldn't regret it.
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[Selecting Tier 5 Class]
[Please wait a moment, your class is being created]
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"…, seriously? I got so nervous over nothing?" Before he could continue complaining, another window popped up and he began to feel something change inside him. This change wasn't physical but in the deepest part of his soul.
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[You gained the class: Sage]
[You gained the Talent Ability: Knowledge is Power]
[You gained the Exclusive Skill: Wisdom]
[Your trait: ??? has evolved]
[Mind +5]
[For the extraordinary achievement of obtaining a Tier 5 Class, you unlocked the Privilege: Hard Mode]
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"Did the Tower take the 'Equals True Talent' a bit too seriously or does it just suck at naming? Still, I won't judge it before looking at the things I got."
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[Talent ability: Knowledge is Power]
[Description: You can gain powers by reading about them. The better the explanation, the higher the chance of acquisition]
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"If this includes powers from mangas and novels, then this is beyond broken. Imagine reading DBZ and getting Hakai or the Saiyan bloodline, though I still don't know if this just includes magic and techniques and if it can create new energies and traits that don't exist in this universe. Gotta test this as soon as possible."
The sheer potential of this ability almost terrified Orthis and that meant a lot. What if he wrote a book himself with a very detailed description of a power that could destroy the entire universe?
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[Exclusive Skill: Wisdom]
[Description: Each killed enemy gives at least +1 Mind, higher based on opponent's knowledge, chance to gain some of their knowledge/ magic/ skill proficiency]
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"So a similar ability to the one World-Eater has, though it only increases Mind but at least there is a minimum of 1. And I can get knowledge and magic too? Well, this is going to be fun." He got a bit excited about how he would become a walking library after killing an army or two.
He ignored that it said Exclusive Skill instead of Special Skill, like Tier 4 classes have, after all, everyone who got a Tier 4 class would have the same special skill but he was the only one who would ever have the Wisdom skill, so it certainly was exclusive.
Since he didn't know what the ??? trait was anyway, he ignored its evolution and the stats and looked at the new privilege he got.
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[Privilege: Hard Mode]
[Description: Since you have proven yourself too strong for the regular floors, you can now enter Hard Mode where everyone is stronger and the rewards are higher. You can take team members with you but this Mode only works on Solo or Group Floors.]
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In a way, facing stronger enemies was a reward on its own for Orthis, not to mention the better rewards the Tower would give him for doing so.
He also noticed that after the class change his brown eyes turned eerily grey, though his Insight informed him that this was just because of the change in his soul. That was also the first time that Orthis learned that the eyes truly were a reflection of the soul.
Orthis would have loved to try out his new skill and ability but there were no enemies on this floor nor were there any books in the entire house. With nothing else to do, he just looked at the Power Systems.
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[Power Systems are ways to grow, some are natural while others were created by higher beings. If you want to use the system created by someone, you will first have to earn that right]
[Available Power Systems: None, Leveling, Cultivation, Martial Arts, Gene Evolution, Contracts, Constellations, etc.]
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Orthis was greeted by a long list with hundreds of different ways to get stronger but most of them were very inefficient and weak. Besides the first five, the other weren't even worth reading through in detail.
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[Power System: None]
[Description: No Power System means you will have to progress and grow on your own. It is very slow but comes with the perk that you can create new Power Systems and learn existing ones by understanding their principles. A naturally formed path and no test is needed]
[Power System: Leveling]
[Description: Leveling is one of the oldest paths in existence and its specific origin is unknown. Level up by gaining XP from killing. Each level gives stat points based on race and class. No test is needed. This path is often also called the path of slaughter due to the many corpses every person who chooses this path leaves behind]
[Power System: Cultivation]
[Description: A system created by the Jade Emperor. This path uses energy to improve the three points of an existence, Soul, Body, and Mind. A small test is required to gain this system unless you have ancestors who also used this Power System]
[Power System: Martial Arts]
[Description: A mediocre path that focuses on building up enough energy in the body to refine it. A test is required to earn the right to use this path unless you have ancestors who used this path]
[Power System: Gene Evolution]
[Description: An expensive path as it requires refined genetic material to be injected into your body. It was created by the High Empire and a harsh test is needed to gain access to this path]
[Power System: Contract]
[Description: A path inspired by demons' ability to create contracts. You can gain power through equivalent exchange. A very complicated path as it requires you to make a deal with someone and take a part of their power as payment. No test required]
[Power System: Constellations]
[Description: Gain great power in return for being the pawn of higher beings. Constellations and other high beings will reward you with power based on your performance]
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"There are some familiar words in there. What came first, the stories about leveling and cultivation or the power system? Definitely the power system but how did Earth learn about them? Was there a climber that ended up on Earth or is it just a coincidence?" Orthis pondered.
While there were some tempting choices, he always ended up returning to choosing no power system at all. Unlike others, he wouldn't grow slowly through training and combat and he could learn and create his own power system. He was already thinking about what he might create if he combined several paths but he shook his head as this was still in the far future.
With this, Orthis made his choice to not choose any Power System but he didn't finalize his choice yet as he was afraid he would be sent to the next floor immediately. It was rare to get the chance to relax like this, so he just plopped down in the cozy bed in one of the rooms and fell asleep.
When he woke up, it was still bright outside but that might also be due to this floor's lacking day-night circle. Before even getting out of bed, a message popped up in front of him.
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[Urman: Day 42 of asking if you're alive]
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Seeing the message, he quickly looked at the chat log and found that he really asked about him every single day and he would be lying if he said he wasn't even a little moved.
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[Orthis: I'm here, don't start my funeral without me]
[Urman: HE LIVES!! Where the fuck have you been these past two months?!]
[Orthis: At the bottom of a river, how about you?]
[Urman: Stop joking, I was really worried, you know? I knew you weren't dead since I can still see you in my friend list but there are fates worse than death in the Tower. At least that's what the old man told me]
[Orthis: I'm sorry, okay? I passed out at the end of the 8th Floor and spent the next two months on the 9th Floor in agony as my body was a battlefield for two forces beyond my power. I wasn't exactly in the position to be conscious, much less read and answer your messages]
[Urman: …What happened for it to get that bad? From what I remember, you are a tough cookie to break]
[Orthis: I can tell you but not now and not like this. Where are you? I'm about to start the 11th]
[Urman: Fine, I'm on the 12th, waiting for my enrollment. You better be here in the next month or you will have to wait a year for the next enrollment]
[Orthis: Enrollment? Don't tell me you're going to school. Forget what happened to me, what happened to you?]
[Urman: Screw you, asshole. I ain't keen on going to the academy but apparently, it's a must. Master said that if I didn't go, I would get the beating of a lifetime]
[Orthis: Sounds rough, you have my condolences. I know how hard learning is for you]
[Urman: Fuck you, why was I even worried about an asshole like you? Anyway, the 11th Floor only takes two weeks, so message me when you're here]
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After this small chat, Orthis already felt some of his stress go away. There was no better way to forget pain than to annoy your friend.
Since he now knew that Urman was waiting for him, he didn't prolong his stay on this floor any longer and chose his Power System, or better said, his lack of one.
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[Congratulations on making your choice, the Tower is looking forward to seeing you at the top]
[Teleporting to the 11th Floor, Trial of Senses]
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