Chapter 128: Preparation
“A dragon?” William looked at the man with surprise. The difficulty scaling from the first floor to the second seemed immense. What if he had to kill the dragon multiple times before the next floor was unlocked?
Even worse, the second floor contained lava, one of the worst environments for his wooden Array Puppets to fight in. William had inscribed fire resistance Runes on the Array Puppets to deal with their greatest weakness, but it was meant for countering Fire Magic.
The Puppets weren’t designed for long-term fights in a hot environment, it would expend too much of William’s Mana.
“Stand up.” William ordered the man.
“Y-yes Sir.” the runner shakily got to his feet.
William visually inspected the runner’s body thoroughly, making him feel uneasy.
His feet and legs are fine, and I don’t see any serious burns on the clothing. There’s at least a platform to stand on when I enter…
“What kind of dragon is it? Is it western or eastern?” William asked.
“Huh? What do you mean?”
Oh right, they wouldn’t know that.
William rephrased the question, “Does the dragon have wings or not? Does it have a long neck or not? Does it have antlers or horns? Also, what color is the dragon?”
“Oh, it has wings and horns. It looked red, but that might have just been from the lava. It could be orange or yellow.” the man had collected himself at this point, realizing he wasn’t in any imminent danger.
He hoped that answering William’s questions thoroughly meant he wouldn’t have to go into that hellish place again.
A western dragon…That might be difficult. William didn’t have much experience dealing with flying creatures.
William had a few more questions, “Okay, how tall was the ceiling? Was there anything to take cover behind?”
“I don’t know, maybe twice as high as this one? I didn’t see anything around to use as cover.”
This really isn’t going to be easy… William shook his head. He waved his hand, signaling the man to leave.
Glen walked up to William, “Are you still planning to go up?”
William nodded his head. He couldn’t defy the order given through the Enslavement Array.
Glen understood William’s thoughts, “Don’t forget I still need some items from here. Just pick up anything that seems valuable. I’ll wait down here for your return.”
The boy had no intention of joining William in the trial tower. He wasn’t strong enough to be of much use, and he had to continue monitoring the others. They wouldn’t be happy if I was trapped in the tower for months at a time and something happened to one of the others…
William acknowledged Glen’s words, then sat cross-legged on the ground in silence.
He noticed many other Cultivators were still watching him, “Do none of you have anything better to do? Go up if you want to, I won’t be moving for a while.”
His words embarrassed the Cultivators, who realized they were acting a bit odd. Were they really relying on William to clear every trial? The first floor was clear, and they had information on the second.
This was the perfect chance to take the lead and earn some never-before-seen rewards!
The Cultivators formed their respective groups to talk battle plans once again, maps and scrolls lain out across tables made of earth or wood.
William was making his own preparations. He made sure with the System that no powerful Cultivators were watching him, then upgraded his Heat Resistance Talent to A Rank using 380 Potential Points.
Even if it wasn’t enough resistance, William could always use the Water or Ice Elements to help offset some of the damage. He then spent another 750 Potential Points to raise his Stealth Talent from B to A Rank.
William’s aura slowly dissipated, making him seem like a normal person to outsiders. The other Cultivators noticed the change in William’s aura, assuming it was a special technique to hide his Cultivation.
With these two upgrades, William felt confident in moving through the second floor unimpeded. Even if the dragon was incredibly strong, William should be able to avoid detection at least for a short time.
He stored his Array Puppets in the Space Ring, not intending to use them for the next floor, then got to his feet.
I should stop wasting time. Who knows how many floors this tower has?
William approached the staircase under everyone’s eyes. As he stepped through, a slight smirk appeared on the face of the man who William forced to investigate the second floor first.
***
Outside the Gravitas Ruins. In a desert near the Providence Zone.
Carl was panting heavily as he walked through the sand behind a team of twenty or so Cultivators.
“How long do we have to walk for?” he asked one of the four bodyguards by his side.
“Not much longer, young master. We will be there soon.” a bodyguard replied in a respectful tone while his eyes scanned the nearby environment for Magical Beasts.
Carl wished for anything but to be walking around in the middle of the desert on a hot day, but it was his idea after all. With William gone and the others temporarily unavailable, Carl had no choice but to ask his father for help collecting Magical Beasts for his summoning scroll.
If I’m going to catch up to that monster, I’m going to need some serious help. There’s no shame in using my father’s resources to my advantage. He consoled himself as he trudged through the desert.
He accepted a jar of fresh water from a nearby bodyguard and took a swig while reminiscing on the past. There was a time when he and his father had a good relationship, nearly ten years ago when he was eleven years old.
At the time, his father known as Tenebris was a hundred and forty years old. In normal situations, having a child at around 130 would be incredibly extreme, but his father was a powerful Cultivator who would probably live to a few thousand years if nothing happened.
Carl didn’t know exactly how strong his father was, but Supreme Left had personally visited their home multiple times in the past, so he couldn’t be weak. Carl had even met the reclusive Unbreakable Right once, who rarely left secluded Cultivation.
When Carl turned twelve years old, Tenebris bestowed upon him a summoning scroll and the secrets of his Innate Talent known as Heavenly Mark. While it seemed like a blessing at first, Carl didn’t take his training seriously and failed to control his Heavenly Mark even after a few years had passed.
His father became disappointed in Carl’s lack of talent and paid less and less attention to the boy. By the time Carl had turned fifteen, his father was only around for meals and wouldn’t speak a word at the dinner table.
Carl finally used the Heavenly Mark on a Qi Refinement Beast when he was seventeen. Even so, Tenebris only gave him a slight nod and gave him a scroll that detailed how to progress with the Heavenly Mark.
He told Carl that he could use the family’s resources at any time as his only son, but Carl refused, opting never to use his father for his own means unless it was money.
Of course, Carl ran into a few speed bumps along the way. This was now the second time he had asked his father for help, the first being the capture of Shadog, his most powerful summon.
“Young master, we are here.” a bodyguard pointed ahead of him at a gorgeous lake cluttered with palm trees and berry bushes. In the distance a few vicious roars could be heard, giving Carl the chills.
Carl steeled his resolve and ordered his team to enter the Great Oasis.
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