Tier 3+ - Accidental Champion - Chapter 77 - Plunge To Our Deaths

Sitting in the Staging Room, meditating on his reserve of souls, and casting Soul Harden over and over as he watched them get consumed, Xavier wondered if there was any point to using this spell.

He consumed 29 of the 30 souls he had harvested. And, as far as he could tell, nothing had happened.

Though he knew that must have been a deceptive feeling. In his gut, he could feel something changing. It was a small feeling, and he didn’t know if he could trust it or not, but he supposed he would have to.

Maybe it’s because I can’t feel my soul?

He hadn’t managed to rank up Soul Harvest, even after harvesting close to a thousand souls, so it came as no surprise that he hadn’t ranked-up Soul Harden yet.

When Xavier had a single soul remaining in his reserve, he stood and addressed the others. It had barely been a few minutes since he’d come to sit here. The process of consuming those soul with Soul Harden hadn’t taken near as long as he’d expected it to.

Howard and Justin were sparring, while Siobhan looked deep in thought. She perked up once she saw his approach.

“Xavier! Are we heading back already?” Siobhan asked.

Xavier nodded.

“And we’re all coming through with you this time?” Howard asked.

Justin looked warily at the door, sheathing his sword. “What happens if one of us falls off that platform and we plunge to our deaths?”

Xavier nodded over at Siobhan. “She’ll summon you back before you fall too far.”

Siobhan moved to put her hair in a ponytail, her arms raising above her head. “What if I fall off?”

Xavier shook his head. “That’s not something I’m going to let happen.” Part of him wanted to see what his party could do on this floor without him, but… he honestly didn’t know if they could take down a single clutch without his help.

At least, not yet.

He scanned each of them.

{Human – Level 7}

{Human – Level 7}

{Human – Level 7}

The others were only four levels lower than him. That… felt rather strange to him, considering the divide in their strength.

“So… what exactly will you need us for?” Siobhan asked. Her hands dropped to her sides. “I want to help. God, I need to help. But, ever since you faced that army…”

“It doesn’t really feel like you need us.” It was Howard who said this. “We were supposed to be your support team, but now… well, you’re an army of one. Even more so since you gained that Soul Reaper class.” The man frowned. “I had thought you needed more practical battle experience than you’d been getting. That I would be able to train you somehow. But… you don’t appear to need me for that. The tower floors are doing that already. And you certainly don’t need me to tank for you.”

“Or me to heal for you,” Siobhan said.

“Or me for anything.” Justin hung his head.

Xavier blinked. If he were honest, he couldn’t find anything to argue against in what they were saying. He wondered if what he wanted them for was even necessary. Part of him supposed it wasn’t, but even if he didn’t need them in the same way he’d thought he had before, he still needed to make them stronger, didn’t he?

“What are you guys trying to say? Do you want to leave the party?”

Siobhan shook her head rapidly. “No, no, no. Just…” She sighed. “Wondering what we can do.”

Xavier lowered his head in thought. There was no harm dragging them along when there were Safe Zones. Even when there hadn’t been. But…

Should I go solo? Kick them to the curb?

Harvest their souls?

The pit inside of him ached. Feeling more empty than ever after he’d used up all but one of his harvested souls.

I don’t need them. I don’t need them at all.

He shut his eyes, trying to imagine what Earth would be like when he returned. What the Greater Universe would be like. What dangers might lie out there.

His idea of having them as a support system, as people to help him make decisions… the more he fought, the stronger he got, the more insights he received from meditation, the less that seemed necessary, or even desired.

But he kept thinking about Earth.

Yes, technically, Xavier didn’t need them. In the tower. But the Tower of Champions wasn’t everything. The Tower of Champions was simply a path to power.

He was gaining power so he could help the world. Raising these three up would do that too. Besides, as much as he thought he could do everything alone, he didn’t need to.

And he certainly wasn’t about to harvest their souls.

“You can get strong,” Xavier said simply. “That’s what you can do. When we return to Earth, the three of you will be needed. There are billions of lives at stake. I might be able to clear a floor, but that doesn’t mean I can lead an army.” He looked at Howard. “That doesn’t mean I can heal the sick and injured.” He looked at Siobhan. “And that doesn’t mean I can be in more than one place at a time.” Lastly, he looked at Justin.

Siobhan nodded. “Right.” She looked at the door. “We’ll be needed. Then.”

“And all three of you are needed right now.” Xavier walked to the door without further explanation. “Remember I said there was something I wanted to test?”

He heard the shuffle of their feet as they followed.

Moments later, they were standing on the platform atop the pillar of rock in that deep dark of the fourth floor. The others asked a few questions, but Xavier didn’t want to answer until he was out there. He liked the suspense he kept them under.

Besides, he was interested to see what their reactions would be when he cast Soul Strike and they saw the wyvern apparition come to life.

They all stepped onto the platform when it finally floated toward them, and though Xavier enjoyed being alone, he felt a sense of peace at having the others with him. With the pit inside him, that hunger for souls, and the thirst for power that had been driving him to strive ever more within the Tower of Champions… it felt good to have them near, like they balanced his impulses.

And reminded him what he was fighting for.

Each of them had a connection to the world. To Earth. Siobhan, with her little sister. Howard, his wife and kids. Justin, his mum. Having them around made him feel more connected to what was at stake.

Perhaps he should have already been connected. His mother was back on Earth, somewhere. A part of him was worried about her. She was his mother, after all. But they’d never been all that close. And they’d always wanted different things from life.

But with the entire world at stake, how could he think of only one person, just because she was related to him?

Perhaps that made him sound callous—maybe he was callous.

He wanted to protect everyone, not just his mother, and he was beginning to realise he would do just about anything to achieve that goal.

But he didn’t want his newfound class and spells to turn him into something he didn’t want to be. An emotionless pit that only wanted to devour souls and gain overwhelming power. With the others near, that impulse was somewhat dampened, and his reasons for wanting power were more clear.

The platform floated through the wall of the Safe Zone. Xavier gazed out at the thousand different auras he could see. His eyes flicking from one to the other.

Siobhan came to stand beside him. She watched his eyes for a moment, then looked out into that great expanse of darkness. “You can really see things out there?”

Xavier dipped his head. “And you’ll be able to see things out there soon too.” The first clutch of Dark Wyverns were already flying toward them, but he wasn’t worried.

Siobhan frowned, looking out at the darkness without being able to see anything. “You want me to gain levels here, but I don’t even know where to…” An idea seemed to occur to her, and the frown disappeared from her face completely. “I’ll be healing you and gaining Mastery Points that way, and you’ll do all the beast-killing.”

Xavier smiled, glad he didn’t have to spell it out for her.

Howard stepped up, tower shield in front of him, sword drawn. He motioned to Justin. “And you want the two of us do deal you physical damage, to build up your Physical Resistance skill, so she has something to heal.”

“Yes, I do.” Xavier blinked. “How’d you figure that one out?”

Howard smirked. It was good to see something other than a serious expression on the man. “You said you wanted us to help rank-up your skills. Seemed like the most logical explanation.” He shrugged, looking out into the dark. “From what you explained of this floor, seemed like it would be foolish to try and train your resistances here against the beast themselves. Even if you could withstand their attacks…”

“You’d fall straight to your death,” Justin said this as he peered over platform’s edge.

Xavier motioned him back toward the middle. “Best you step back.” He turned toward the first clutch of Dark Wyverns just as they began to screech and roar. “Let me deal with these enemies first.”

He stepped up to the edge, raised Soultaker, then cast Soul Strike, consuming the last soul in his reserve.