Tier 3+ - Accidental Champion - Chapter 64 - These Skills Can’t Be Bought

As no insight came to Xavier about his burgeoning soul-taking tendencies, when his Spirit Energy was fully restored, he focused on the second thing he’d learnt about the strange energy.

During his Meditation the previous day, he’d unlocked an insight about Spirit Energy that had gotten him curious. When he’d first created a Lesser Spirit Coin, he’d felt the energy move through his body like blood moved through veins.

Inherently, he’d known there was something… importantabout that, but he hadn’t realised it at the time, too focused on his money-making discovery.

But as time passed, and he meditated longer on the thought-seedling, it had come to him.

Spirit Energy could be controlled.

In a way, he’d already known that. He had a spell that could infuse Spirit Energy into his weapons and armour. Spirit Infusion could turn that energy into either offensive or defensive Spirit Energy.

Using that spell was one of the first things Xavier had done after he’d realised they would be stuck not moving toward the next floor for ninety damned hours.

But the very first time he’d used the spell he’d unlocked its Upgrade Quest. One thing about Spirit Infusion he didn’t like was the fact that it couldn’t be generalised in. He needed to choose a path and stick to it.

It wasn’t that Xavier was indecisive. He’d made harder decisions than which path of Spirit Infusion to follow. It was simply that he wanted to test the spell out in both iterations before he chose which way to move forward with it.

His instinct was to move toward offensive Spirit Infusion, because—as far as he could tell—that would be what would help him the most in the Tower of Champions.

More destructive power could only be a good thing if he wanted to clear the floors ever faster.

But no, he wouldn’t make that decision until he tested the spell. And though he could have technically tested the spell against one of the members of his party, he was worried using even a small amount of offensive Spirit Energy would just kill one of them, considering the discrepancy in their levels of power.

He could have tested defensive Spirit Energy, infusing it into his robes and letting the others strike him, but he didn’t think they were strong enough to harm him in the first place.

Besides, he didn’t feel comfortable sparring any of them at all, especially not when he ached to harvest his first soul. And his second.

And his millionth.

Xavier shut his eyes, quietening that part of him, pushing those thoughts back down into the dark pit inside of him, and moved forward with his practice.

His insight into Spirit Energy.

Thus far, he hadn’t made any progress with his insight. It told him Spirit Energy could be controlled… It didn’t tell him how to control it. But it felt like the information was there, hovering right in front of him, ready to be taken, but completely invisible to his eye.

Xavier fell back into a deep meditation. His health and Spirit Energy were full, so this meditation session was simply to utilise its heightened ability for him to focus.

He turned his focus upon himself. Onto the Spirit Energy he could feel within him. Whenever he cast a spell, he could feel that energy being torn from him and used. When he cast Spiritual Trifecta, he could feel that energy envelope him in its power. And when he created Lesser Spirit Coins, he felt it flow through him.

But where did it originate?

Xavier sat there for three hours, not moving from his spot. There was a part of him that felt as though what he was doing was useless. His Meditation skill wasn’t ranking up, as even though he was using the skill to focus, it only appeared to climb in the ranks when he used it to regain Spirit Energy—he imagined the same thing would be true when he used it to regain health as well.

But simply meditating did nothing for him except increase his chance of gaining an insight, and help him focus more deeply.

Xavier wasn’t one for inaction. Especially not since making it here in the tower. He practically radiated with nervous energy.

I should be creating more Lesser Spirit Coins.

He was saving up as many as he could. When he returned to the Staging Room to move to the fourth floor, he would be purchasing armour.

I should be practising with my scythe-staff, Soultaker.

He’d spent a fair few hours in the Staging Room over the past two days practising with the staff already, but he hadn’t found that he was gaining much of anything swinging it about by himself, going through the different strikes.

Xavier had of course wanted to level up his Scythe-Staff Mastery skill to 2, thinking it shouldn’t be too difficult, but over the hours of practice he’d performed, he still hadn’t managed it. He’d wondered if it was because he didn’t have an opponent to fight, then he’d worried he was spending too much time figuring that out.

He always worried about wasting time.

That’s why, at least a hundred times in those three hours that Xavier sat there, trying to control his Spirit Energy and understand it more, he almost gave up and stopped.

But something kept him rooted to the spot. Maybe it was his stubborn streak. Maybe it was that insight he had. Or some sort of intuition.

Whatever it was, it paid off.

Because he felt something. Like a knot of power inside of him. Somewhere in his gut. It was different to the pit, the one that begged to be filled. That begged him to harvest souls.

This knot of power felt like it had always been buried deep within him—perhaps in his own soul, he didn’t know—and had simply been awaiting his discovery of it.

He didn’t have a name for whatever it was that he had found, but it was the source of his Spirit Energy. What held it. What expanded, whenever he gained a level or added another point into his Spirit attribute.

And after three hours of intense focus, he had finally been able to sense it for the first time. The moment he did, a series of notifications popped into his vision.

You have gained +10 Spirit!

You have discovered your Spirit Core.

Skill Quest Unlocked: Aura-Control

To unlock Aura-Control, successfully contain the power of your aura with your will 10 times.

Progress: 0/10

Skill Quest Unlocked: Core Strength

To unlock Core Strength, successfully cycle 100000 points of Spirit Energy through your core.

Progress: 0/100000

Skill Quest Unlocked: Cultivate Energy

To unlock Cultivate Aura, successfully draw 10000 points of Celestial Energy into your Spirit Core, turning it into Spirit Energy.

Progress: 0/10000

Xavier’s eyes widened, staring at the three different Skill Quests he’d just unlocked.

I gained 10 Spirit Points? For what? Discovering my Spirit Core?

He’d never heard of such a thing. Siobhan had certainly never mentioned it being written about within the Tower of Champions manual, nor had it been mentioned in any notification he’d ever gotten—he was sure he would have remembered that.

This… this is the insight I had while meditating. This is what it wanted me to discover. My Spirit Core. Like a heart holds and pumps blood, it holds and pumps Spirit Energy.

Though Xavier didn’t have any skill points left over, he opened up the skill menu and searched through all of the different headings and subheadings, even running a search for the titles of each of the skills.

He couldn’t find any of the three skills he’d just gained skill quests for anywhere in the skill menu.

These skills can’t be bought.

This, he imagined, was another thing that Denizens from other worlds knew about that those from his newly integrated world didn’t. At first glance, he didn’t understand the implications of any of it, but he knew his Spirit Core was highly important.

He looked at the title of the first skill. Aura-Control.He frowned. Aura.

When he’d first chosen his epic class, he’d been able to see an aura around those in his party. He’d noticed it immediately, but hadn’t known what it meant. He’d thought it might have something to do with his Soul Harvest spell—like perhaps it was their very souls that he was seeing.

Stepping into the tavern after having been locked out of the Tower of Champions’ next floor, Xavier had noticed he could see other people’s auras as well. Every single Champion in the room gave off a faint glow, but the power he felt from them was lesser than the power that came from his own party.

As all of them had been lower level, and no doubt lacked titles, that had made sense.

When he’d seen Sam, standing behind the bar, the man had been staring at him, and something struck Xavier as odd about the man—he didn’t have an aura at all. No power emanated from the bartender, yet he was an established Denizen of the System.

Aura-Control. Sam was controlling his aura—containing the power of his aura—with his will.

Xavier looked down at himself. He knew he emanated an aura, as well. One far stronger than that of the other members of his party. But it wasn’t something that they could see.

Sam could see it though, couldn’t he? If he can control his own, hiding his power from prying eyes, he can definitely see mine. Maybe that’s why he’s been looking at me differently. And how he knew I’d cleared more floors than the other Champions, reaching the first Milestone.

He saw my power just by looking at me.

Not being able to control his own aura? That could very well make Xavier—and those he was with—a target. If the invaders that wanted to enslave or kill everyone back on Earth saw him, they’d know his strength right away, and know they needed to take him out.

Xavier checked the timer he’d found he could summon that told him how long he was still locked out of the tower for.

The Tower of Champions will be locked to you for 90 hours. You have 37 hours and 3 minutes remaining.

Xavier released a breath.

A day and a half. A day and a half until I can get back in there.

And now, he knew exactly what he was going to do in that time—other than keep making more Lesser Spirit Coins.

He was going to unlock as many of these three skills as he could.