Free Web NovelChapter 9: Chapter 9- Preparations
Chapter 9- Preparations
"Interesting..." Zen read the notifications with a curious look. "I didn’t expect to see this. Choose your base weapon, huh? Well, that explains it then. This is a trial-like tower, and I guess I need to fight my way through it?"
The idea itself sounded quite intriguing and even good. Zen needed to train anyway, and he was trying to figure out a way to start that. If this tower could give him what he wants, then he would gladly do it.
However, naturally, Zen didn’t forget where he was or what he was looking at.
’A realm filled with blood and an extremely eerie tower standing within it for God knows how long. Those are totally good signs of what to expect inside.’ Zen thought to himself as he stared up at the massive tower. It brought him a deep sense of dread just staring at it. As if this thing was never supposed to be seen by a human eye ever again, and that feeling only grew by the second.
"Well, since I’m here, I might as well do what this thing wants me to do. What are the options?"
As he asked that question, a long list appeared before him.
[Long iron sword.]
[Short iron sword.] fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
[Dagger.]
[Zweihander.]
[...]
The list was filled with weapons of all types and categories. Most were ones Zen was familiar with, and some seemed completely alien to him.
"Hmmm, they are all basic weapons, so the difference shouldn’t be that massive. Hmmm, but to make sure I don’t try anything funny. Let’s get what I’m comfortable with."
The weapon that Zen used his entire life, and he found to be the most comfortable.
"Hmmm, there is a Katana, perfect," Zen said as he chose the weapon he wanted to use. Almost instantly, the katana appeared in his hand out of thin air. It was a very basic Katana, with a black handle, and a very sharp iron blade with perfect length. Zen examined the sword, moved it around left and right to familiarize himself with the weight, and then nodded his head.
"This should do." He muttered. ’It’s not too far off from my old Katana. What now?’
[Choose your basic rune.]
"A rune too??" Zen frowned. "That is very generous... Almost too generous."
Runes, also called ’secondary runes’, are the bread and butter of every Hunter. They were the utility abilities that he would use far more often than the main runes. To have as many as you could was key to surviving all situations and emerging victorious. Naturally, they were extremely tough to extract from monsters, and so their prices are extremely high.
"Well, let’s see the options."
Immediately, three options appeared before him.
[Passive Rune: For every target you kill, you gain +1% boost for all your stats, lasts 1 minute, and stacks up to 20%. Cooldown: 5 minutes.]
[Passive Rune: Gain extra Soul points for every target you kill through decapitation.]
[Active Rune: Manifest a pillar of flames anywhere in a 15-meter radius around you. Deals fire damage and lasts 2 seconds. Can be used infinitely depending on how much Soul Essence you have.]
"Oh..." Zen read the content of each rune, and his eyebrows kept rising up. Each rune seemed extremely powerful in its own right... Especially the last one.
’A pillar of flame sounds extremely useful, and judging from what kind of runes they are giving me... I would assume I will have to fight a good number of enemies at a time. If that is the case, then...’
Zen thought for a few moments. It would be easy to choose the Fire Pillar, but Zen wasn’t just thinking of now; he was thinking of the future.
’I will get runes sooner or later, and I already know the kind of runes I want to buy and where to buy them. But, gaining extra soul points, on top of my bloodmancy, on top of what I get by default from killing monsters... Wouldn’t that mean I get triple the amount any other Hunter would get? The first rune and the third rune are strong, but when you think about it. The second one gives me the biggest advantage of the three.’
Even if he didn’t have a proper rune to use in battle, he was certain he could handle it one way or the other.
’I think I should get that one instead. Yeah...’
After much contemplation and taking everything into account, Zen decided to go with the Soul points passive rune. It was simply far too strong to just ignore.
[You have chosen your rune. Check your profile.]
Zen immediately opened his profile, and surprisingly, it was there.
’It can even alter my profile and add runes. The Tower of Athilium is deeply embedded within my core.’ He frowned. ’What more could it do to me? Tsk, I don’t want to even know the answer at this point.’
Whatever this mysterious tower wanted, he was certain it would be revealed with time.
"Now what?" He muttered.
[Would you like to begin your first trial?]
[Yes.] [No.]
"..." Zen looked at the options for a second before he looked up. The tower was beckoning for him to walk in and start this ’trial’. He could hear its whispers in his head, and he didn’t like it. But, at the same time, Zen felt like it could truly be the thing that would change the entire trajectory of his life from its roots. What lies beyond those walls could make or break him.
’As much as I hate it, I need whatever this tower will give me. I need power, so much of it that normal means wouldn’t cut it.’ He frowned. ’So, if you dare to challenge me, bring it on. I will show you what I learned in my 34 years of being a Hunter.’
"Yes." He said coldly.
The options were selected, and the message vanished. Then, a second later, Zen heard the loud noises of two massive gates opening. The sound reverberated across the vast blood realm, menacing and deep, as if these gates hadn’t moved in thousands of years.
Zen stared ahead as the tower doors opened for him, and the darkness lying inside manifested in his vision. Immediately, an overwhelming aura emerged out of these gates, slamming into Zen’s body. It was as if a thousand tortured souls were trying to rip his body to shreds.
He covered his face with his arms as he clenched his teeth. ’What... the hell is this?! Fuck.’
Grumbling under his breath, he started walking forward step by step, fighting the strong pressure coming from the inside.
The closer he got, the stronger the pressure felt. But, even with all that aura squeezing his body from every angle, Zen made it to the gates, and with a deep frown, he leaped inside, disappearing into the darkness before the gates closed behind him.
Zen found himself in a completely empty black world; he couldn’t see anywhere around him. His senses were disoriented, and his body was shivering from the cold. Then...
[Welcome to the first floor, the Game of Fate.]
[Difficulty: 1/10]
[Number of lives: 3]
[Number of attempts: 0]
[Best attempt: None]
[Good luck, Zen.]
