Towers Of Heaven 13 Book 2 Chapter 9

Jason sat on a nearby boulder, casually waving his finger in the air like a conductor in an orchestra. He watched Tanks strangely acrobatic movements with interest. She's more monkey than turtle.

Besides curing his boredom, there was a good reason why Jason was chasing his beloved pet with the dangerous battle energy. A pet could not level up the way an ascender could. No, a pet could only level up when interacting with their owners. Play fighting was one such route.

Besides mutilating his legs, Jason also trained in manipulating his battle energy. He had never specialized in the manipulation of mana, as he was more warrior than spellcaster, but that didn't stop him from observing mages train in the alternate-future. The most powerful mage Jason had ever known was an Indian woman by the name of Amara. Nearly half of her time was spent communing with the mana she controlled. Jason ventured that this must be what made her so powerful.

Jason quickly realized some fundamental differences as soon as he began. One, battle energy was terrifyingly destructive. Anything it touched would be destroyed. He was left with gooseb.u.mps when he recalled the vast amount of battle energy sleeping within his body. He figured the only reason why the energy didn't harm him was because he possessed the battle physique. It was only now that he understood why Aros required his champion to have a battle physique. No one would survive without it.

On the other hand, mana could be destructive or gentle. It could be fire, water, earth, air, or any other element. The only thing battle energy could do was destroy. In this, however, it excelled. It rivalled even the demonic energies wielded by Baal, the final boss of the tower.
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The second fundamental difference was how rigid battle energy was. It was completely unlike mana in that it could form into anything. Whenever Jason tried to mold battle energy into a complex shape, he would feel tremendous resistance. If he forced it, the battle energy would explode. The only thing he could create was simple weapons.

Another thing Jason learned was that manipulating battle energy was taxing. After several tests, he learned that the cost of manipulating battle energy rose the farther it was. Additionally, if he mimicked Chop or Cleave with battle energy, the cost was actually higher than if he used the skill. The answer as to why eluded him.

As Jason's thoughts reached this point, he sighed and flicked his finger, causing the grey dagger to dissipate. Tank let out a soft cry, and through their telepathic connection, Jason felt a wave of disappointment. He shook his head. "I can't play anymore. I used up all my battle energy."

Jason picked up Tank and rose into the air. Down below, the town was full of life. Villagers hurried here and there, and soldiers patrolled the streets. Even horses pulling carriages full of resources could be seen. Every facet of his kingdom was progressing.

It had been one month in real time since his kingdom was created, and four months in sped up time. Without knowing it, a restless feeling had taken root inside him. His kingdom was progressing, true, but he wasn't actually getting stronger. It felt like the past month had been a complete waste.

He knew logically that his kingdom was worth the investment, but that was in the future. Right now, in this very moment, it was doing absolutely nothing for him. Over the past few days, the restlessness had grown into anxiety. His goal of clearing the tower in five years was once again weighing heavily on his mind. The pressure mounted so much he was on the verge of having a panic attack.

"I can't do it." Jason released a breath. As of this moment, he decided he would leave the kingdom building floor and head to the thirty-sixth floor. Of course, that didn't mean he would abandon his kingdom.

It was a bit risky, but there was a feature called queuing. Basically, it allowed Jason to build up a list of commands which would be completed in the order in which they were created. This feature was useful when the kingdom was self-sufficient. At that point, everybody used it. Now, though, when his kingdom was still in its early stages, it was too inefficient.

The only reason why Jason opted to do so, besides the mounting anxiety, was because of how far ahead his kingdom was. If that wasn't the case, he might have delayed for a few more weeks.

With his mind set, Jason spent the next few hours building up a list of over a thousand commands. As soon as the requirements for a command was met, it would be fulfilled. Jason glanced through the queued up list and nodded. This'll last me a week in real time. I'll check back then. After finalizing everything, Jason teleported to the entrance of the thirty-sixth floor.

When his vision returned to normal, he found himself on top of a small rocky hill overlooking a vast prairie. The land was covered in beautiful beams of sunlight as far as the eye could see. Fresh wind brushed against Jason, cooling him. For a time, he stood there, enjoying the view. The anxiety gripping his heart fell, although only slightly.

A familiar presence approached from behind. The newcomer stood next to Jason and took in a deep breath. "Smell that?"

Jason nodded, his face turning grim. "Bloodl.u.s.t."

The newcomer, a hooded woman shrouded in tattered robes, turned to Jason, her eyes widening slightly. "That's unexpected. You have sharp senses, for a newbie."

She calmly gazed across the prairie beneath them. "Tell me, how many can you sense?"

Jason slowly closed his eyes and reached out. In his mind's eye, several auras emanating killing intent appeared. They overlapped with one another, so it was difficult to accurately count how many there actually were. Though this was no problem for Jason. His senses had been sharpened from decades of combat. In less than a second after closing his eyes, they snapped open. "Five. Two on the left, two in front, and one on the right. Their levels are around 60."

"Impressive." The woman's eyes glittered underneath her hood. "Though I must warn you: killing intent can be misleading. How do you know they aren't a fox in sheep's clothing?"

Jason fell silent. It wasn't that he hadn't considered the possibility, but rather that he knew that the monsters on the thirty-sixth floor weren't capable of that ability yet. Only on the thirty-ninth floor would they start to bait you by feigning a weak killing intent. The woman next to him wasn't an ascender, but rather a resident of the tower. She intuitively knew that this was Jason's first time on the floor. In the end, he could only say, "You're right, I hadn't considered that."

"Good att.i.tude." The woman nodded curtly. "I like you, so I'll give you an explanation of the floor. Listen closely, because I'll only say this once."

For the next five minutes, the woman explained the rules of the next four floors. If it wasn't because she was frighteningly strong, Jason would have left mid explanation. He didn't dare to upset her. When she finished, she took a deep breath. "Did you get that?"

Jason nodded and raised his arm. There, on the back of his hand, was the brand of a snake wrapping around his wrist. It wriggled as if it was alive. This brand was of vital importance, and was the main feature of the next four floors. Jason focused on the brand, whereupon a small screen appeared.

0/5 Bloodlines Slotted.

Empty

Empty

Empty

Empty

Empty

The next four floors were called the bloodline floors. On them, every monster contained a bloodline. Upon killing a monster, their bloodline could be absorbed through the power of the brand. Furthermore, two bloodlines could be combined to craft an even stronger one. In total, only five bloodlines could be equipped at once.

If a bloodline was not absorbed, they dropped as an item, which could then be traded to other ascenders or saved for experimentation. Months ago, when Jason sold a map of the thirty-ninth floor to the Skyfall guild, he included a list of crafted bloodlines.

Back then, Jason hadn't been entirely truthful. When he created that map, he had intentionally left out some information regarding the most powerful bloodlines. These bloodlines would only be discovered much later, and would cause an uproar amongst ascenders.

The people who spent the most time experimenting with bloodlines weren't the top-tier guilds, but rather the ones who came after them. The top-tier guilds were focused on ascending the tower, not exploring all the little secrets of each floor.

In the alternate-future, Jason had spent a considerable amount of time and money acquiring the best bloodlines. This time would be different. n.o.body knew they existed, so who would compete over them?