It was a pleasant message. The confirmation resonated in my mind, as I contemplated the goblin corpses scattered around me.
I liked that the message said I had perfectly passed the test. I was right to exterminate the Goblins.
But unlike what many might feel, I didn't experience joy or euphoria. Only relief, and satisfaction for being alive.
Fifth place... it wasn't first, but it was acceptable for now.
Despite my impatience to advance to the next level, I had pending matters that required my immediate attention. The first was to thoroughly examine the bracelet I had received.
[Soul Reaper Bracelet (S)]
[Effect: Allows advancement to the hidden class: Soul Reaper. Can store the souls of mutants to integrate with monster power by acquiring their unique abilities.]
[Description: An item granted to Ascendants capable of perfectly completing the third floor. Only those who have eliminated all goblins are qualified to advance to this profession. This bracelet provides a disguise for the user's class and without its rightful bearer, it is an inert object, incapable of containing souls, but in the hands of the Reaper, it becomes a fearsome instrument of transformation and power.]
Ascendants could access a specific class starting from the fourth floor. There were more than eight different professions, and the mechanism to progress was relatively simple: obtain the element corresponding to the desired class.
Most novices constantly questioned themselves about these profession objects and methods to obtain them: Find a class object? How do you get it? What advantages does a profession offer?
Since there was a specific category for professions in the status window, most should be aware of their existence.
The real dilemma was that, while they knew about the existence of classes, they completely ignored how to obtain a profession object.
Naturally, the probability of getting a profession object as loot when defeating a monster was extremely tiny.
Acquiring a class entailed numerous benefits. It meant establishing a defined path and obtaining skills whose value exceeded any estimation within the Tower. Previously inaccessible functions were unlocked and Ascendants could use objects of superior quality to those they previously had at their disposal.
However, there was an inexorable fatality: if you don't acquire a profession, you will remain eternally stuck at level 1 (F).
For this reason, the acquisition of a class constituted a crucial element for personal development.
In any case, I had already stayed too long at this level.
It was barely the third floor. Countless levels remained to be conquered. Although I opted for a higher difficulty level to ensure better rewards, I couldn't afford to delay my progress on the lower floors.
It was time to accelerate the pace. During the goblin hunt, I had refined my skills and accumulated a considerable amount of soul fragments.
With this arsenal of fragments, ascending the Tower should be considerably easier for me, or at least I hoped so.
My eyes narrowed, focusing on a clear objective: the Tenth Floor.
It was always more efficient to formulate concrete plans when one had a well-defined goal. I quickly structured my strategies and future goals, meticulously ordering them in my mind.
I continued my way toward the portal, passing just a few meters from the corpse of the goblin Champion. The moment I reached the threshold of the portal, a message appeared before me.
[You are heading to the waiting room.]
My environment experienced an immediate transformation.
[You have entered the waiting room of the fourth floor.]
The first thing that caught my attention was a wide rectangular room built in stone. The portal, as usual, was located at the end of the room. But what truly disturbed me was the presence of a young woman sitting next to the portal, with her head tilted down.
She was a girl with long, silky hair, of an intense midnight blue, almost marine. A delicate fringe fell over her forehead, framing a thin, pale face that suggested an age close to fifteen years. Her slender figure possessed an almost sculptural quality. She wore a simple black tunic complemented with leather bracelets, and her shins were protected by a pair of metal greaves.
What the hell? Was she sleeping? How could she surrender to sleep in such precarious circumstances? She seemed to have little appreciation for her life.
These were my most honest thoughts. Sleeping alone and unprotected constituted one of the most serious transgressions in the Tower of Paradise. Anyone who dared to do so was either extremely naive or deliberately seeking death.
Perhaps it would be cruel to express it that way, but in the ruthless reality of the Tower, misguided kindness was a sure route to death.
The information the tower provided about the young woman was as follows:
[Name: kathyIn Gramont]
[Existence Level: 2 (E)]
[Class: Knight]
[Public Attribute: Calm conscience.]
[Description: She cannot lie.]
This information appeared as a hologram above each individual's head. For example, if the young woman woke up, she would see similar data about me, as it was information provided by the Tower itself. Similarly, Ascendants could communicate regardless of language barriers that might exist between us.
When determining an Ascendant's grade, attributes or abilities were not taken into account, since basic statistics were considered fundamental. Even if one possessed higher-grade skills and attributes, they would be completely useless without the required minimum statistics.
I deliberately ignored the young woman and examined the room. Unlike the previous one, in this room there was only one side door. The right wall had the word "shop" inscribed.
It was the same reduced room with the same merchant. I felt I could never get used to the strange sensation emanating from that specter of death.
With greater courage than on my previous visit, I approached the door and placed my hand on the doorknob, pushing it firmly. On this occasion, I had something specific in mind that I wanted to acquire from the merchant, something that could only be obtained after completing the third floor. There were two fundamental reasons for this.