Sora’s damaged body was rapidly healing, and he felt his strength returning to normal. The technique had put an enormous strain on his body, but his [Adaptive Regeneration] ensured that he could recover quickly and build resistance to such damage in the future.
At the same time, he could sense his power increasing through [Mana Growth] and [Strength Ascension].
He looked at the skill that allowed all of this.
[Crystallize] (Perfect)
[Description: An incredibly condensed mana that takes a solid form. Can store additional mana within.
Body level Requirement: Omega 21 ]
When his [True Mage] class had reached level 100, Sora had unlocked the ability to condense mana into a solid state. Initially, the skill allowed him to store more mana, increasing his overall reserves, but it didn’t seem particularly useful at the time.
His mana regeneration was already exceptional, and the process of refining condensed mana into a solid form was slow, requiring time he rarely had in combat. Nevertheless, he accumulated quantities of it, unsure how to best utilize it.
After days of experimentation, the drawbacks became clear.
’Circulating solid mana through the body is suicidal. Every time I move it through my blood, organs, or vessels, it tears me apart. I’ve almost died several times trying this...’
Kara, who trained in the same space, noticed his life force dwindling and saved him each time he pushed too far. After a long conversation, she offered to help him survive his training and build resistance to the damage using his Supreme Skill and her healing.
Now, standing in front of the approaching 12th wave, Sora recalled the new ’state’ he’d unlocked through his reckless experimentation:
[Lava in my veins] (Incomplete)
[Description : A unique state reached by a madman who drives crystallized mana through his veins. Replaces mana with crystallized mana in the energy flow. Additional effects are unknown as this is the result of experiments.]
’Once again, the system thinks I’m a madman. Maybe that means I’m on the right track. But it’s still too dangerous to use this’ He had thought.
Feeling his organs recover just in time for the next wave, Sora exhaled deeply, relieved.
He scanned his surroundings, counting the enemies of the 12th wave: [50 Elite Blood Orcs] and one [Blood Orc Lord].
Sora let out another heavy sigh before activating [Lava in My Veins] again. His body tensed as the familiar pain coursed through him, igniting every nerve. He alternated between forms, using moments of rest to heal and summoning all his strength when the waves descended.
This cycle of recovery and battle allowed him to gradually build resistance to the strain, lessening the devastating damage over time. As his tolerance grew, he relied less on [Peak Meditate], reclaiming more of the control over his strength with every fight.
Still, he could feel the crystallized mana he had amassed before entering the trial gradually depleting with each clash. He thought, ’It’s a shame that I couldn’t crystallize mana in the [Time Space]... I’d have dried up the space too fast according to Kara.’
Following the same pattern, Sora fought through levels 12 to 15, leaving one elite alive at the end of each wave to rest and recover. He faced 50 Elite Blood Orcs and 5 Blood Orc Lords in the final battle, his movements a blur. Every swing of his [Soul Sledge Hammer] shattered enemies, empowered by the dwindling reserves of his [Crystallized Mana].
[You can not access the Shop before leaving the Ascension Tower.]
[Would you like to exit the Ascension Tower?]
’What? Why show me the shop, then?’ Sora frowned, irritated by the tower’s seemingly pointless notifications.
Rather than dwell on this, he approached the door marked "Second Floor."
[You cannot access the second floor.][Please wait for all candidates’ trials to end.]
’No shop, no rewards except for points that seem pointless, and I can’t even leave... So, everyone’s stuck in these waiting rooms.’ He sighed, shaking his head. ’Guess there’s no need to rush through the trials, then.’ Initially worried he might miss opportunities by taking his time, he now felt reassured that pace wasn’t important.
Having depleted most of his solid mana reserves in the previous trial, Sora sat down and activated [Condense] and [Crystallize] simultaneously. Mana flowed through his body, condensing in his dantian and being stored all over his body. Part of it would then be solidified, forming a tiny crystal that grew steadily as the flow of mana continued.
Once the crystal reached a certain size, Sora would start forming another, ensuring his reserves would be fully replenished for the next trial.
’Making them any larger would be too painful when using [Lava in My Veins],’ Sora focused, carefully managing the size of the crystals. Keeping them small but plentiful allowed was the key to a smooth use of this new form. ’My lava form was the key to this first trial, so let’s not waste time given between floors.’
After a while, a notification appeared:
[The first trial is over. Players ranked below 3456 are eliminated. Please leave the tower after collecting your reward. Congratulations to all who remain. Please select your reward.]
Sora read the notifications and thought, ’So many players have been eliminated. It’s crazy’ he thought as he scanned the reward options.
[You chose Extreme difficulty: Reward x3.][Reward Option 1: +3 Talent Level][Reward Option 2: +3 Growth Factor][Reward Option 3: +3 Soul Pearls]
"Soul Pearls? What?!" he muttered, caught off guard. ’Soul Pearls as a reward equivalent to talent or growth... does that mean they’re even more useful than I realized?’
Sora’s mind raced, piecing together the possible significance. ’Soul Pearls increase Soul Level, and even my [Prestige Forge] hammer cost me 50. Could the Soul Level be more important than I thought?’
He refocused, considering his choice carefully. ’I can mass-produce Soul Pearls as long as there’s no cap. I’ll skip those for now since I’ve still got plenty stored up. But which should I choose? The temporary buff from the [War shop] I tried in Turkey increased my base Talent and Growth Factor, giving extreme increases when multiplied by my prestige. However prestige resets canceled the temporary buff. If these rewards do not carry through resets, I’ll cry.’
[You have chosen the +3 Talent Level reward!]
Sora selected the Talent Level boost, reasoning that it would always help to have more talent, as opposed to his Growth Factor if a maximum level happened to exist... ’If I get stronger, I’ll level up faster anyway.’
’No wonder this tower’s famous for making talented players reach the top,’ he thought, reflecting on the immense benefits offered even at this early stage.. ’Even just the first floor multiplied my talent by four. I went from a base talent of 1 to 4... But the four levels I’ve gained are even more important right now. It reduces the gap between me and the players ahead, assuming they gained fewer levels. Alright, enough overthinking. Time to crush the second floor.’
He opened the door and stepped forward.
[Welcome to the 2nd floor of the Tower.]