Chapter 131 : Group Stage

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Reading the notifications about his ranking, he sighed.

[The Thirteenth trial is over. Players ranked below 113 are eliminated. Please leave the tower after collecting your reward.

Congratulations to all who remain. Please select your reward.]

[You are ranked 13/150: Reward x2.]

Choosing to push his talent level, he thought. 'I guess some players really went all out in the trial, despite the limited amount of freedom players are given inside. I have no idea how I could earn more points without becoming a demon myself'

Dismissing his thoughts, he entered the 14th floor, and was not surprised to see the content of the new trial.

Participating in a war, once more, he could not take part in the fights. Forced to take the position of the mastermind of the army, he had to lead his kingdom to victory. Strong of his newfound experience on the previous trial, he performed to the best of his abilities, eventually leading his camp to victory.

Not eliminated despite his less than impressive performance, he pushed on to the next floor, hoping the content of the next trials would be different.

As if the Ascension Tower granted his wish, he was happy to see his mastery over mana and skills tested on the 15th floor. He was given a list of skills to choose from by the tower and asked to master one skill in three days.

Selecting a skill called [Metamorphosis] that was supposed to be used to change the user's appearance, he started by refining and perfecting it. Quickly achieving a perfect understanding of the skill, he could change everything about himself. Not knowing if such skill evaded other players inspection, he pushed the skill even further.

Sora first approached the skill like a sculptor working with raw stone. He started small, tweaking minor details about himself—his hair color, eye shape, the texture of his skin, his height. Each change required some control over his mana and concentration. But as his understanding grew, these basic adjustments became effortless.  

Able to transform in any known living being he wanted, he soon reached perfection in his skill mastery, using his own methods to maximize the efficiency of mana usage, filtering and refining. Having pushed [Metamorphosis] in a few hours, he didn't consider the skill complete.

"Changing my appearance is easy. But can't anyone who can feel my aura and presence see through the trick?" he wondered.

Focusing his mana deeper, Sora began experimenting with transformations like altering his mana signature and fluctuations. Playing with the quality, intensity and control over his mana, he started altering his signature and pass as a inexperienced player if he wanted. Anyone unaware of his power would be unable to see through his real power as what their inspections skills would probably return wrong information.

Anyone attempting to analyze him using inspection skills or mana-based senses would be misled, receiving false information about his capabilities.

'This is good… but not good enough,' he muttered, his gaze narrowing. 'Passing as weak or pretending to be stronger than I am won't make much of a difference in the long run.'

Loving the content of the trial, Sora ignored the original goal of perfecting the skill, and ended up modifying it even further.

Originally supposed to be used on the user, he tempered with its fundamental properties, and made it possible to use on living targets.

Using Netsu and Hiyoko as test subjects, he redefined the limits of the skill. At first, his attempts were limited to small changes like altering their fur or feather colors. But as he pushed his mana and mental power to their limits, the transformations grew more complex. Transforming Netsu into a Piou, and Hiyoko into a Phoenix, he watched as Netsu started to rebel, unhappy with the [Metamorphosis].

'Now, using Mental Power, I can overpower my enemies' resistance and transform my them in anything I want... That is something.' A rare smile appeared on his lips as his familiars both had the appearances of little chicks in a cage. His familiars, aware that their master had not smiled for a long time, played along, happy about the little joy they could bring to his life.

Not satisfied with just altering living beings, Sora turned his attention to inanimate objects. Picking up a simple stone, he attempted to reshape it into something more intricate. At first, the stone crumbled under the weight of his mana. But as he polished his skill, adapting it to the new kind of target, the transformations became stable.

He transformed the stone into a perfect replica of a low level sword he wielded in the past, down to the intricate runes carved into its blade. Refining the object further, he managed to transform it in something that could be considered a good copy. Unable to reproduce the effects of the weapon, he decided to stop experimenting in that direction.

The next step was even more ambitious—Encouraged by his progress, he tried transforming objects into living replicas of people. This led to the creation of what he dubbed [Metamorphosis Clones]. These clones, created from ordinary materials, could mimic the appearance of a living being.

Watching as he transformed hundreds of stones into people, using a massive amount of [Condensed] mana and Mental Power, he finally felt that the skill could now be considered useful.

Using [Condensed] mana proved necessary to ensure the low quality materials could be enhanced and protected to act as the core of the transformation. Mental power made any interaction possible, and was made tricking others into believing the targets were real.

'It's a shame that the core material determines how weak or strong the metamorphosed object is. Using stones is basically a waste of my power. Maybe I should invest in materials that can stand the transformation, or anything would destroy my creations.' He thought, imagining uses for this skill.

Trying to push even further, to make such metamorphosis self reliant in terms of energy and permanent, he was disappointed to see that his time was up, and could only reluctantly watch as the system stopped him in his experiments.

[The Fifteenth trial is over. Players ranked below 64 are eliminated. Please leave the tower after collecting your reward.

[Floor 1: Rank 1/4320]
[Floor 2: Rank 122/3456]
[Floor 3: Rank 6/2592]
[Floor 4: Rank 1/400 (Group Rank)]
[Floor 5: Rank 3/1500]
[Floor 6: Rank 52/1125]
[Floor 7: Rank 1/843]
[Floor 8: Rank 42/562]
[Floor 9: Rank 3/422]
[Floor 10: None]
[Floor 11: Rank 1/316]
[Floor 12: Rank 1/250]
[Floor 13: Rank 12/150]
[Floor 14: Rank 43/113]
[Floor 15: Rank 1/84]

Earning his sixth top rank on the last floor, Sora chose his reward without much thought and made his way toward the [Challenge Room].

His gaze swept over the crowd, searching for the one person who truly mattered to him. A sigh of relief escaped him when he saw her ignore the challenge from an opponent.

Indifferent to the fact that no one had dared to challenge him since the previous PvP trial, he left the [Challenge Room] and emerged alongside 63 other competitors.

However, the relief of Kara's qualification was short-lived. As he felt the familiar connection of their [Soul Link] re establishing itself in the waiting room, the warmth that usually radiated from her presence was weak, her usual brightness nowhere to be found.

Sora’s heart clenched at the sight. 'I’m not the only one who’s been hurt by this damned tower…'

Kara, who typically exuded kindness and confidence, now seemed slightly sad, almost lost. Her expression only deepened the ache in Sora’s chest.

[Ralph Eden: Hi there... You also can't wait to leave this damn tower, it seems...]

Kara, heading toward him, didn’t respond. Instead, she quickened her pace before jumping into his arms.

Sora, caught off guard by such an unexpected public display of affection, instinctively cast a veil around them the moment she got close. He had long mastered techniques to shield himself from prying eyes during his five years in the [Alternate Dimension].

Holding her gently, he remained silent, welcoming her into his embrace. The silence between them felt comforting until a notification interrupted their moment.

[Ralph Eden: Ignore the trial notifications, and tell me what happened to you instead.]

[Kara Spirine: I’m tired of this place. I don’t want to fight anymore... I just want to spend my life quietly training by your side.]

Sora’s chest wasn't surprised at her words. He understood all too well the weariness that came with the tower’s last trials. He had often shared those same thoughts of leaving it all behind on a few floors.

[Ralph Eden: After dealing with a few things outside, let’s head back to France. We’ll rest for a while, just the two of us.]

Kara’s small nod and the slight relaxation in her body spoke louder than any words. After a moment of silence, she tilted her head, her expression turning thoughtful.

[Kara Spirine: What about your revenge? Rachel's growth is abnormal... I fear she'll surpass you again if you give her time.]

Sora smiled at her worried expression, and answered.

[Ralph Eden: That's one of the things I'll deal with outside... It’s time for her to reap what she’s sown. For now, let’s focus on pushing through these last few floors and getting out of this place.]

[Kara Spirine: I feel like I’m at my limit. I don’t know if I’m strong enough to beat even half of these players. And feeling the feedback from the Soul Link... you’re leagues above me now, but there's not enough time to make the most of it. Even my sword mastery has stagnated for so long, and I can't catch up to other players with my innate ability suppressed in most trials.]

Checking the content of the trial quickly, he shook his head.

[Ralph Eden: It seems that today’s trial is individual combat. Just do your best. I’ll believe in you.]

Kara looked at him, her doubt still lingering but reinforced by his confidence in her. She managed a small smile and nodded once more.

Reading the notifications, Sora thought. 'The first PvP trial solely focused on individual strength... This isn't good for Kara.'

[Welcome to the 16th floor of the Ascension Tower.]

[Trial: [Individual Tournament] – Face players in a group stage before entering an elimination tournament. Players eliminated in the group stage will be eliminated from the trial.]

[Players are to face 7 opponents of various tiers during the group phase. Tiers correspond to a player's overall achievements in the tower.]

[Mechanics:

• Your group will consist of 2 players from each tier.

• Each duel ends when a participant is eliminated or surrenders.

• Each victory grants 3 points.

• Extra lives can be used to continue the duel without giving your opponent a chance to recuperate.

• A draw is declared if no clear winner emerges within 5 minutes, granting each player 1 point.

• If players have the same amount of points, the duration of their fights will be the deciding factor.

• If players are still tied, the player who has used fewer lives will qualify.

• If players remain tied, the winner will be selected randomly.

• The 4 players with the lowest rankings in the group will be eliminated.

[You are a tier 1 player.]

[You have been placed in group D]

As the notifications faded, Sora glanced at Kara, now calm but standing just an arm's distance away. Removing the veil concealing them, he spoke. “What tier and group are you in?”

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Please note that all chapters may be edited to develop characters before official release on RR!