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nWith the end of each round, the trial summons a new monster to its grounds. A round ends when someone clears the tower in the middle. On top of the grand structure, a single giant bell exists. Whoever rings this bell would gain the insignia of the conquer, signifying their achievement in the tower.
nThere were other types of insignias, each type having a different requirement to be obtained. The Conqueror's Insignia was only one of many; whoever conquered the tower gained this one.
nThe monster summoned is unleashed into the trial grounds when a round ends. Whoever slays this monster would be bestowed with the insignia of the slayer. This was also to prevent people from hiding in the trial grounds forever. It would be better to escape the powerful monsters than to conquer the tower or gain other insignias.
nDifferent actions provided different insignias, each having its differences. However, the one you get on the first round would usually determine your path in the later trials.
nThey were five floors in total in the tower, but each one looked like a different world. On the first floor, Yurirl found himself in a circular arena. Armored knights rushed out of the door, and they started to encircle them.
nYurirl wasn't fazed in the slightest as he believed his conviction would break through everything. He wondered if Jenny was alright but slightly chuckled as he remembered her fighting style. It was her specialty to fight for large battles like this one.
nA knight approached him, and Yurirl's Divine Sense showed its powers. He studied the approaching enemy in slow motion as red spots appeared along with the knight's armor.
nThey were the weak seams made in the blacksmithing process. Mana surged from his blade as he slashed toward the red spot. With the mana he honed until now, he was able to slash down the knight effortlessly.
nAnother one attacked, the same happened again. This process repeated itself until all of the knights were down. Yurirl breathed mana in and out to replenish his body. Although it didn't take a toll on him, he still wanted to challenge the next floor with optimum conditions.
nAs he ascended to the second floor, he arrived at a flower field. As he didn't expect such scenery on this floor, this sight dazed him for a second. However, he regained his calm and started plodding through the field of grass and flowers.
nHe trampled over many flowers, leaving a path of destruction in his footsteps. He finally reached the tree in the middle where a single figure had their back towards him.
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"Is that who you became, Yurirl?
" The figure turned around. Yurirl's body was visibly shaking as he saw who it was. A girl with a one-piece sky-blue dress stood in front of him. Her eyebrows were curved, giving her a gentle appearance along with her oval face. Her gentle face, however, was adorned with a sad expression.
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"You… How come you're here? No, no! This is fake! You're dead!
" Yurirl took a step back, and his foot stepped on something. As he looked down, it was a hand stained with blood. His gaze followed the trail he just took. Corpses filled his way, and there was so much blood that it was hard to see the ground.
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"This is what you've done.
" The girl was next to him.
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"No! I did it for you!
" Yurirl let go of his sword as he grabbed the girl by the shoulders. She winced in pain, and he had to let her go. Then blood dyed her sky-blue dress.
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"That's what you did to me. Believing everything was for my sake, you killed all those people. What about what I want?
" She took a step forward. She reached out her hands, placing them around his neck.
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"Did you do it for me, or was it simply to get me back by your side?
" The girl whispered as she tightened her grip around his neck. Yurirl couldn't breathe, nor could he see through his tears. But he knew one thing, that these words were true. This, however, was not her.
nHis Divine Ability refused to work. Yurirl used his mana to shake her off and grabbed his sword again. With the handle back in his hand, his conviction was back.
nHe slashed at the person he loved the most and tore her apart. This was the part of the path he chose, the path of the conqueror. Everything he did was to reach the goal he had in mind.
nAs the scenery disappeared, what remained was a desolate brick floor. There were no flowers, no greenery, nothing but a stairway to the next floor. Yurirl looked around; this was what he chose; this was all that is left. That's why he needed the holy crown.
n***
nWith a poison strike, Arthur finished off the other monster. His mana was now empty, and he needed to rest. However, before that, Arthur needed to absorb the essence of these two monsters. He walked over and absorbed that of the red-gem monster.
nStrength has increased by 1.
nStrength has increased by 1.
nIt seems he could hunt these monsters for a while as they still gave him two stats points. Arthur enjoyed the feeling of getting stronger as the sword felt slightly lighter in his hand. He then walked over to the other monster and absorbed its essence. However, he was surprised that it didn't give him a Strength point.
nAgility has increased by 1.
nAgility has increased by 1.
nIt seems their essence was different depending on their task. That meant that he could hunt more as each monster gave him a different essence, in theory. However, he still needed to make sure.
nArthur picked up the mana cores and absorbed one of them while he pocketed the other, which he wanted to use later to research his permutant runes.
nMana has increased by 1.
nMana has increased by 1.
nHe read the messages that appeared in front of him as he felt new strength enter his body. He enjoyed the feeling of growing stronger after every battle. Arthur resumed his hunt after resting for a while and refilling his mana, hunting several other monsters.
nThe number of stats dwindled after the first two monsters becoming only one point per monster, but it was still okay. Arthur hunted until it was late at night before he walked out of the underground cave. He needed to search for some prey to eat before finding a place to sleep.
n***
nThe next morning, Arthur woke up in the underground cave. He had moved some rocks from here and there to block the dead-end where he hunted the first two monsters. Even though the monsters could break them down, the obstacles serve as an alarm too.
nAs he got up and dusted himself, he missed the bed he took for granted dearly. It has been several days since the last time he took a shower, and he made a mental note to swim in the stream when he gets out of here. But for now, he needed to get stronger.
nScholar Guardian's Legacy
nLevel: 6 (56%)
nStrength: 31
nAgility: 33
nStamina: 22
nPerception: 14
nMana: 18
/18
nAbilities: Beginner Runes Wordsmith (7%), Useable Runes: 7
nSkills: Lesser-Mana Breathing Skill (F), Poison Strike (F), Camouflage (F)
nTwo of his stats have shot through 30, and with his runes, he was well over 35. This change was so drastic that Arthur felt like a different person. He wondered if his body could handle so much strengthening in a short amount of time, but he wasn't too worried as he felt great.
nBefore he started hunting again, he sat down to try some things. Right now, he had three runes that he didn't use to make a permanent rune. Those were Protection-I, Detection-I, and lastly Absorb. He took out his core and tried to fuse it with his Legacy rune, but it didn't work.
nFurthermore, the legacy told him that he wasn't able to make permanent rune from Legacy runes. It was as he expected, and that left him with two more options.
nHe had left three mana cores to try these runes, and now he had an extra one. He then fused the Protection-I rune with one of the cores, and he got a new message.
nActive rune has been inscribed. A Skill has been created: Barrier (F)
nArthur felt his blood coursing through his veins as adrenal rushed. He was so excited by this discovery and the unlimited potential it brought. He held into the semi-ethereal rune as he tried to fuse it into his own body. Unexpectedly, his body rejected it.
nRune has already been learned.
nThat's when it clicked in his head. Skills were a manifestation of runes. The two had similar effects but a very fundamental difference. If skills were a program, then the runes were the code that created this program. He always thought of runes as new powers he obtained, but he was wrong.
nThese were the alphabets of creation.
nThe difference between skills and runes was the same if Arthur used the same analogy of a program and a code. Everyone could use a program; they can have its benefits without the need to understand how it worked. The skills were the same. No one knew how a gesture of hand brought down lightning.
nArthur had an epiphany at that moment. He wasn't a fighter, king, or conqueror and wasn't walking the path of supremacy and power; he was walking the path of creation. The legacy he obtained wasn't meant to make him simply a powerful person that could destroy the world if they wished. It was to make him… someone who could recreate the world.
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