Chapter 23 Gains

The bandit was long gone by the time I reached the window, my Tracking Enhancement not even picking up the dull glow of the figure's footsteps. That was troubling. I looked carefully down the hallway before pulling shut the window and securing the latch. It seemed that I would need to work on the manor's security in the near future.

A thief? But what were they after?

I poked my head into the attic and looked around, finding the place had been ransacked. My dad's and grandfather's belongings had been dumped and tossed away from their cases and cabinets. My eyes wandered to the far end of the space, where a pile of blankets lay neatly on the floor next to a few dozen candles, a book, and some empty bottles and wrappers. Tens of letters and papers were scattered around the space as well.

Maybe they were just squatters looking for something to turn a profit? There's no dust in the attic. They've been staying up here for a few weeks, at the least.

That didn't seem right. I'd come down before graduation in my past life to make the payment and check on things, and there had been no drifters present then. I sighed.

Just one more instance to add to the list. What else could be different..? Could it be that I'm being watched? What if they left some Relic or Spell behind to monitor me?

I sifted through my recent memories. Had I been reserved? No, not at all. But my actions hadn't been too inordinate... Okay, maybe I had done a bit much, but whoever this bandit was had been here since before I regressed. And they weren't harmless.

With my inability to see their tracks, they had at least a Level 2 Wisdom Foundation. If someone was observing me, they could have left a Relic or Spell behind to monitor my movements. I lifted my cane further above my head.

Illumination's rays shone brightly, lighting the dark space as if the sun shone upon it. Nothing was noticeable, but that didn't mean there was nothing there. Illumination was currently only Level 1, and even at higher Levels, its effects were only so strong.

But if it were Radiance...

I thought of the Promotion Relic still sitting snugly in the pocket of my uniform. Details on the rewards received from the First Floor achievements were never shared with the Network, and I'd never read of another Relic with the same or similar effects, though there were rumours that the churches had a way to do something similar. So, even if it were possible to find another, I didn't know where.

As always, I don't have enough data to make an informed decision. Maybe Relics like this are unremarkable finds on the upper Floors. I want to summon David, and I can't do that without ensuring that our conversation will be private. Well, one task at a time.

I left the attic space and searched the manor for any points of entry. None of the doors or windows had been broken into, confirming the suspicion that my guest hadn't wandered in through ordinary means. Seeing in the dark didn't appear to be any issue for the criminal either, as the manor's circuits hadn't been activated.

Unable to continuously sustain Illumination, I trekked to the basement and made my way to the centre hub of the manor, where all of the dull purple circuits lining the walls ultimately led to a sturdy metal door. My head was already aching, and I felt secure in assuming no one else was lurking about.

The door was still locked, further ascertaining my speculations. I pulled out my ring of keys and opened the door. The hinges creaked as I stepped into the dusty chamber. It wasn't huge or extravagant, being only the size of a large closet, completely empty aside from a waist-high pedestal in the centre. Hundreds of sharp purple lines converged onto the pillar before ultimately forming a neat circle on top.

Let's see... two hundred ought to do it.

With a light tug, the Essence pouch came loose from my waist, and I counted out twenty Level 5 shards, placing them on the post. The first shard lost its lustre as it hit the platform, and an eruption of purple light filled the enclosure.

Every circuit acquired a bright purple sheen as the Essence transferred. It would take several minutes for the Plagued Energy to spread throughout the manor, and knowing that this room was safe, I decided it was time to sort through my gains.

With hurried steps, I rushed to the front door and retrieved the hefty container before retreating back to the hub. The Essence had stretched halfway down the basement hall and was beginning to creep up to the first floor.

Now that the hub was covered, I pulled another shard from my pouch and tossed it into the wall cavity beside the door, which instantly ignited the glass Relic hanging from the ceiling. The small room was flooded with light, and I sighed in relief as I released the Spell that still shined brightly on my cane.

After inspecting the hall one final time, I placed the safebox on the floor and secured the door. I wasn't sure what the squatter was after, but even if they came back, they wouldn't be able to break in. Once all of the circuits were fully active, I would stake my bets that they wouldn't even be able to break a window.

Before leaving, I should invest in better protections for the manor and the shop. Maybe a sentry or two? Crook can supply a steady stream of Essence to the hub once he's established. Now, on to the fun stuff.

I rubbed my hands together and plopped down comfortably next to the box. I'd lugged the damn thing around long enough and was fully prepared to receive the fruits of my labour.

First, I dumped the satchel full of Deck Boxes, jewellery, and other odds and ends I'd plundered from the corpses. I'd face years in the slammer if I were caught with any of the Deck Boxes. Fourteen of the illicit items tumbled to the floor, each with its own unique design. I arranged them neatly to one side while placing the Promotion Relic and the other miscellaneous items in a pile of their own.

Lastly, I emptied my pockets and found the tiny black key that I'd nabbed off the head Skull. While doing so, I came across the Card I'd received as my reward from the Academy. Curious, I pressed my Demon Glass to the corner and examined the artwork while awaiting the results. On the face was a young woman looking warily at a man standing opposite her. The man's face was smiling, but a dagger was held ready behind his back.

[Card Name: Threat Acuity]

[Class: Enhancement]

[Rank: Holy]

[Level: 1]

[Essence: 0/1,000]

[Foundation: Will]

[Effect: When interacting with another living entity, Wielder will feel uncomfortable if said entity harbours malicious intent toward the Wielder. The higher the Level of Threat Acuity, the more the Wielder can pick up on the intensity of the intent. The difference between the Will of both parties determines the strength of the uncomfortable sensation]

Well... this didn't change from my previous life.

All of the Cards offered by the Academy were rare Cards that dealt with sensing or avoiding danger. Each of the top ten received this same Card, while those who fell behind were given the option of three Blessed Cards with similar but weaker effects. I was never made aware of the Card that Aurora received.

After inspecting the Card, I turned back to the safe. Illumination hadn't revealed any hidden traps on the safe, and I was confident the Skull wouldn't have prepared anything the Blessed Spell couldn't show. Before using a Promotion on the Card, I figured it was worth at least checking the loot. Maybe I'd get lucky, and there would be a Radiance Spell sitting within.

The key turned perfectly within the lock, and I sighed in relief when the door swung open. No traps. Though there was a small curtain strung from the top corners, presumably for the head Skull to keep others from peeking while he looked for certain goods. I pulled back the curtain... and gasped.

In the centre of the crate were three crystals the size of my fist. Almost a dozen stacks of Cards and smaller shards littered the base of the strongbox around the giant crystals, along with a handful of bloodied Deck Boxes shoved to the back, a few notes, and a bracelet from the Church of Liberation. I recognised the crest on one of the Deck Boxes as that of an Acolyte from the Church of Damnation.

My heartbeat quickened. I'd been expecting a few tens of thousands of shards... but this? I removed the closest stack of Cards and began to flip through them. My eyes lit up... There it was!

The Wisdom Foundation I'd been needing. And not just one, but more than a dozen, along with multiple duplicates of Intelligence and Will. Based on the different illustrations, these mainly were Level 1 with a few Level 2's spread throughout.

I pulled out the following stack... All Strength. The one beside that... Agility. Dexterity. Vitality. Endurance. Perception. There were anywhere from twenty to thirty of every physical Foundation, each ranging from Levels 1 to 3.

My hands shook as I sat the Cards to the side and reached for the next stack. This stack was much thicker and contained a multitude of Pure Cards. Howl. Shine. Inspection. Throw. Hack. Examine. Strike. I held almost a hundred different Pure Cards in my hands, a feat unprecedented for a Climber who'd only just cleared the tutorial Floor.

Carefully placing this stack beside the now-organised Foundation Cards, I removed the larger of the two remaining piles, which were much smaller than the stack of Pures. This stack held around a dozen and a half Blessed Cards, most of which I was familiar with as the elevated version of their Pure counterparts. Illumination. Slash. Roar. A couple of copies of Bash.

Appraisal..? I've never actually seen this in person...

The illustration on the face of the Card was a floating glass eye. Within the eye were a plethora of items and creatures. The back of the Card was the standard blue of a Spell with the outline of a flame etched in the centre. I tapped my Demon Glass to the corner and waited for the information to appear.

[Card Name: Appraisal]

[Class: Spell]

[Rank: Blessed]

[Level: 2]

[Essence: 4,368/10,000]

[Foundation: Wisdom, Will]

[Effect: Can be cast on oneself. Gives Wielder the ability to receive a brief description of any entity, living or non-living, that they lay their eyes on. The description's detail is determined by Appraisal's Level and the Wielder's Wisdom. The amount of detail that can be seen is determined by the difference between the Wielder's Will and the target's. Duration of ten minutes. Cooldown of ten minutes]

Even though Appraisal was only a Blessed Rank, it was one of the most difficult to get. From the data I'd read through the Network, I knew these only dropped from a small batch of Fiends on the Fiftieth Floor called Beholders.

Whoever was backing the Skull wasn't some nobody. In our conversations, Crook had disclosed that his employer had connections, even if he wasn't an official Finger of the Society as of yet. On the topic of the Card, if I were to promote Inspection or Examine, Appraisal should be the result... at least if I were to go by the Card Compendium.

My own copy of the Compendium was wedged between a few other texts in a crate somewhere in the Academy. I could remember much of its contents through my Memory Enhancement, but with it being Level 1, there were plenty of gaps.

I set the Card atop the strongbox and arranged the rest on the floor next to the Pures. With that done, I pulled out the final stack of Cards. There were only half a dozen, and I was surprised to find that all but one was of the Holy Rank.

Blaze. I recognised this Spell from the image on its face. It was one of the more common Holy Cards that materialised a small field of fire at the target location. The following Card bore a man in pain with smoky tendrils wrapping around his body. Not having seen it before, I used my Demon Glass.

[Card Name: Hex]

[Class: Spell]

[Rank: Holy]

[Level: 2]

[Essence: 8,133/10,000]

[Foundation: Wisdom, Will]

[Effect: When cast on a living target, reduce the effect of the target's Foundations by 12%. Wisdom increases the intensity of the effect. If Will is equal to the target's, reduce the power of Hex by 10%. For every Level the target's Will is above the caster's, reduce the effects by an additional 20%. Cooldown of 30 minutes. If the target dies, cooldown is reset]

Wow. A sudden drop in power in the middle of a fight can do a lot more than even the odds.

I hesitated briefly before setting the Card on top of the safe. This Spell had to have belonged to the Acolyte of the Church of Damnation. Unlike the blessing magic that the Deacons from the Church of Liberation would use, this curse magic focused on either debuffing the enemy or damaging them over time.

The following Card was another unknown. On its face was a man standing below the moonlight with his arms outspread. The visible parts of his body were covered entirely by shadow, making it impossible to distinguish his features.

[Card Name: Shroud]

[Class: Spell]

[Rank: Holy]

[Level: 1]

[Essence: 710/1,000]

[Foundation: Wisdom, Will]

[Effect: When cast, a shroud of darkness surrounds the Wielder's skin for 10 minutes. Conceals the Wielder's physical appearance; during this time, the Wielder is twice as hard to detect with divination magic. The effects are only half as strong during the day. Wisdom determines the duration of the Spell. Will increases the power of the veil to divination magic. Cooldown of six hours]

Another Card for the pile. It seems this Acolyte was more of an assassin than a preacher.

Seeing as the Church of Damnation was full of battle-crazed individuals, I wasn't surprised. Their goal was to cleanse and destroy everything between them and the rumoured Hundredth Floor, where they believed they could exit this Tower where all of Humanity was supposedly damned by an enemy of the Goddess Tara.

Glancing at the next Holy Card, I found it to be one that I recognised. Greater Healing. Its effects were very similar to my own Healing, only more remarkable, and seeing as how I hadn't Levelled mine, I added it to the pile of potential equips.

The final Holy Ranked Card was another I didn't recognise, but it didn't look like it belonged to the Acolyte... unless he'd been a shield-wielding assassin, that is. In its image, a man wearing full plate armour stood wielding two short swords while his shield floated in front of him.

[Card Name: Shield Drift]

[Class: Spell]

[Rank: Holy]

[Level: 3]

[Essence: 24,201/100,000]

[Foundation: Endurance, Wisdom]

[Effect: Cast on any three entities that an analysation Spell would deem a shield. The entities drift around your body, protecting you from harm for 15 minutes or until the Wielder's Endurance is pushed too far. All bodily functions affected by Endurance are 25% less effective for every entity under Shield Drift's power. Wisdom increases the Wielder's control over the entities. Cooldown of 15 minutes]

Hmm. All of these are Spells. The Skull head may have focused on Abilities. His skin wasn't thick enough to suggest he relied on Enhancements, and I can't see a Spell slinger passing some of these up.

My smile widened as I looked over the final Card. It wasn't overly powerful... but it was rare. The back of the Card was a deep purple, much like the blood of a dying Plagued Beast, with an open eye in the centre. This was a Summon.

I recognised the creature on the front, but it was a bit different from its Plagued counterparts that I'd faced on the Tenth Floor. It had six spindly legs, an orange shell, and a massive horn growing from the top of its head.

[Card Name: Beetle, Rhinoceros]

[Class: Summon]

[Rank: Pure]

[Level: 2]

[Essence: 0/10,000]

[Foundation: Intelligence, Wisdom, Will]

[Effect: Wielder can summon a Beetle familiar for a short time. Summon lasts for 30 minutes, during which time the Wielder can give basic commands. 30-minute cooldown after the Summon is dismissed. Summon Skill Power based on Intelligence, Summon cooldown based on Wisdom, Summon awareness based on Will]

[Skills: Reinforce, Crunch]

Now that... that's going in the equip pile.

I whistled and placed the Card in my stack of possible equips with the others. Considering my Origin Card, even as absurd as it sounded, a Summoner build was the way to go.

Going the route of a Summoner will leave me with less versatility when I can't use my Summons. Not to mention it will be dangerous. If others realise I have a Deck full of them... Anyway, I'll need to be smart about this.

If I want to focus most of my build on Summons... I'll need Enhancements, Abilities, and Spells that will increase my survivability and synergise with group fighting... or make me more effective while fighting with a group. Darting in and out of a crowd while doing high amounts of damage would suit my fighting style.

I'll also need to form a party. Replacing tames with people... hoho. What a thought. The same tactics I taught youngsters on the Tenth Floor would work with a group of Tames just as well as a group of people, and having a party will give me an excuse to search for some of the Cards I have in mind.

There are a few up-and-coming powerhouses I know of that haven't chosen a path yet, but they will save many lives alongside their factions. My existence has already seemed to alter the present, and I'd rather not completely disrupt the future. For now, anyway. What if...

What if my party was formed of folks who will die soon anyway? Or even those who won't make it anywhere in life. That can work. They don't have to be powerhouses for me to use the Cards I have in mind...

It was a solid idea for a build that would only become exponentially more powerful as time passed. The only problem was getting my hands on those Cards. Most were impossible to get unless you were a follower of whichever faction sold it. I looked over the Cards on the strongbox, and an idea started to form in my mind.

I pulled Illumination from my Deck Box and pushed it to one side of the makeshift table while placing the bracelet from the Church of Liberation above it. On the other side, I slid the Shroud and Hex Spells to the edge while picturing the necklaces of the Church of Damnation packed away in my satchel by the front door.

This... I can pull this off.

Before I could change my mind, I grabbed the Promotion Relic and pressed it to the corner of Illumination. Radiance would be necessary for this to work, and only followers of the Church of Liberation could purchase this Spell from their stores. Plus, I still needed to give the manor a once-over, so I needed to do this anyway.

The golden VIII on the Relic gave off a dim glow. Seconds passed as I held the items together, the light brightening steadily until, finally, it stopped. I looked at the two Cards, both of which had changed. The engraving on the Relic had dropped to VII, and as for Illumination...

[Card Name: Radiance]

[Class: Spell]

[Rank: Holy]

[Level: 1]

[Essence: 0/1000]

[Foundation: Intelligence, Will]

[Effect: Can be cast on any non-living object or the Wielder themself. Causes the target to glow, lighting a 15-yard area for 15 minutes. Reveals any person, creature, or entity in the area using a concealment skill. No cooldown, but Wielder can only have one active at a time. Intelligence influences the range of radiance. Caster's Will must be within two Levels of the Will of any concealed entities to reveal their presence, or the Level of Radiance must be within two Levels of their concealment. All darkness based Spells cast within Radiance's area of effect are weakened by 50%]

With this and Greater Healing, I can almost pass as a believer of the Tower. The majority of folks believe in one of the two Churches already, so it isn't like it would be anything unusual. And carrying one of their emblems, I'll have access to their brokers, which would justify owning the Cards they sell to their followers.

The Church of Liberation, much like the other powerful factions, owned a specific Floor in the Tower where they farmed and hoarded Cards to further their own interests. Followers who donated enough were awarded a Relic that would allow them entry to different shops and auctions run by the Church. This bracelet happened to be one of them.

As for Shroud and Hex... those are both Cards found on the Floor owned by the Church of Damnation. Though I'm not sure where the Skull Brothers received those pendants, they allowed access to the Church's more inferior shops.

Followers of the Goddess Tara were awarded different tiers of said pendants based on their contributions toward clearing out the Tower. It was just the inkling of an idea, but I believed it would work.

I would become a supporter of Liberation on the surface, using the bracelet to gain their benefits. If they searched the records, they would find that my mom was a follower, so that shouldn't be an issue.

As for the Church of Damnation, most of its stronger supporters are rather secretive. I wouldn't need a backstory to use one of the lower-tier pendants, and gaining merits to have it upgraded would be a simple matter. I planned to carve through a ton of Plagued Beasts either way.

I turned to the Deck Boxes and emptied them one at a time. It would take more than a couple of Cards to make it work. Unfortunately, the twelve flunkey's Boxes were either empty or held a few Cards already in one of the piles. As for the head Skull's box, it was filled with treasures, but only a few that would work for the build I had in mind. Slowly, I read through each of the Cards to determine what would be useful.

Quake. Earthen Barrier. Golem. Earthen Fist. Earthen Toss. Constitution. The list went on, and each of his Foundations was Level 2 or 3, with all his Spell Foundations being Level 3.

It seems I was wrong about the man not being a Spell caster. He simply wasn't interested in the others, or too many of his existing Spells were Levelled too high to remove safely. A Level 3 Card could be removed, but the recovery time was slow, and considering the crowd he surrounded himself with...

Yeah. I would've stuck with what I had as well.

Not many of these Cards would suit the build I had in mind, but I moved all of the Foundation Cards to the pile, along with four other Cards from the man's Deck that I felt would be of use.

[Card Name: Featherfall]

[Class: Ability]

[Rank: Holy]

[Level: 2]

[Essence: 992/10,000]

[Foundation: Agility, Dexterity]

[Effect: When falling, the Wielder can use Featherfall to drastically reduce the speed of decline. Agility influences how quickly speed is reduced. Dexterity determines how well the Wielder can control their direction while falling. Cooldown of three hours. Featherfall only ends when the user cancels the Ability or lands on a solid or liquid surface]

[Card Name: Golem, Earth]

[Class: Summon]

[Rank: Blessed]

[Level: 3]

[Essence: 66,490/100,000]

[Foundation: Intelligence, Wisdom, Will]

[Effect: Wielder can summon a Golem familiar for a short time. Summon lasts 1 hour, during which time the Wielder can give basic commands. 30-minute cooldown after the Summon is dismissed. Summon Skill Power based on Intelligence, Summon cooldown based on Wisdom, Summon awareness based on Will]

[Skills: Rock Toss, Burrow, Stone Manipulation]

[Card Name: Incantation]

[Class: Enhancement]

[Rank: Holy]

[Level: 1]

[Essence: 203/1,000]

[Foundation: Intelligence]

[Effect: When using any Spell, if the Wielder recites the name of the Card aloud, the effects and duration will be increased, and the cooldown will be decreased by the Level of the Wielder's Intelligence times 10%]

[Card Name: Mastery]

[Class: Enhancement]

[Rank: Holy]

[Level: 2]

[Essence: 1,108/10,000]

[Foundation: Foundation]

[Effect: Increases the effects of all Foundations by 4%]

Righto. Now, this next part is going to hurt...