Eric entered the twelfth floor and had a considerably easier time when compared to the previous floor, at least at the start.

  He appeared inside a wooden cabin lodge that rested upon a giant, dead tree. The cabin itself was within a large hunting area that was divided into various sections. Every section was a small self-contained biome, and there was basically one of every type: forest, desert, snow, mountain, swamp, etc.

  In the middle of the cabin was a square counter with what appeared to be a sleeping wooden puppet. Its torso and head, that wore a hat that for some reason Eric associated with Australian hunters, were one thin log, and its arms were two twigs, with some leaves still growing from them.

  When Eric approached the puppet, fully ready to have a conversation, the puppet instead mimed the words that came from somewhere else.

  Eric payed close attention, but what was said was more like background lore that was mean to get you in the “mood.” What followed were a series of quests that consisted of either killing or capturing monsters.

  Eric was sure that, like the previous floor, the difficulty would come from the monsters themselves, and he would find himself depending on his new bloodline. Exactly like he had been doing for most of the tower up until now.

  Yet, he welcomed it, his mind was still shaken up because of the Follower he saw on the previous floor and he needed a back up in case he got distracted, messing things up.

  To his surprise, he was only partially correct.

  The difficulty of the trial did come from the monsters, but it wasn’t due to their combat ability, at least not most of the time.

  Some of them were elusive, either depending on natural properties that had reached the peak of natural evolution, or by using instinctual magic.

  Eric was surprised to discover that at the level the creatures used their respective abilities and characteristics, their performance was similar.

  There were monsters that required that no mana be used in their vicinity. Either their physical composition was unstable, and mana completely destroyed them, or they were extremely sensitive to it and would disappear without a trace.

  Even inverse cases were given to him. Instead of vanishing because of mana usage, he would instead need to stabilize them through a constant and careful influx of mana.

  Monsters that only made an appearance when there was a high concentration of mana were also present, testing the limits of Eric’s mana capacity.

  It was thanks to the mana hungry monsters that Eric concluded that he needed to have a core. He basically had to optimize the route he traveled in order to complete certain hunts or captures, since his mana didn’t last long enough.

  In terms of skill growth, he didn’t really see any. It was more like he was catching up to his already high level on some of them, especially those related to mana. This gave rise to another problem, or better said, another realization.

  The more he used his skills and the more aware he became of their effects, the more he realized that something was wrong.

  “They feel… hollow,” he told himself.

  This feeling was especially prevalent when compared to when he learned some of them, like Mental Focus or Mana Manipulation.

  “Maybe it’s just a mental thing. It could be that I was just subconsciously expecting something else than what ultimately happened.”

  Even though he felt this way, Eric wasn’t worried. He already had a large list of worries and questions, adding another wouldn’t change much.

  “The skills are still growing, so there can’t be too much wrong with them.” He paused for a moment, looking at the horizon. “When I leave this tower, I’m flooding Ta’ir with questions and Ondal… Well, that depends on how good the infinite essence is, if I even have it.”

  When Eric finally had a rhythm and had even calmed some of his worries, he ran into what was arguably the hardest part of the twelfth floor, the other challengers.

  After a certain point, basically all of the capture or hunt requests overlapped with other people. It basically became a race to see who would reach the target first. The worst part was that there was no way to know how many, if any, opponents you had.

  And Eric himself had an added layer of difficulty. He couldn’t risk being recognized in case others on the floor were also looking for him and for the infinite essence in his storage. He hadn’t even had time to consume it because by the time he remembered it existed; he was already encountering other people.

  Also, Eric was under no impression that he was strong. Especially when it came to techniques and an established fighting style. In that regard, he had barely taken his first steps, and he still hadn’t mastered Anna’s techniques or the Bladesong.

  Any encounter that led to a fight would ultimately end in his defeat; he was sure of it.

  Do to all of that, whenever he noticed other people close or far, he would avoid them. At times even retreating completely.

  Yet, despite all the hurdles he found himself facing, he was able to complete the quest without ever having to fight anyone else. He always covered his face and remained at a distance. It took him far longer than was necessary, and he didn’t complete a secret quest or the like, but he did it.

  Now he was on the thirteenth floor and the quest was as simple as the twelfth’s had been and there was even a layer of protection for himself that helped him stay safe even if he was identified.

  The quest was simple: go into a wuxia style city and steal a pill from ten different merchants without getting caught. It was here were the extra protection came into play. The security forces of the city were incredibly vigilant and ruthless.

  Every crime, no matter how small, would end with death.

  Eric was about to grab a pill, only leaving two more to complete the floor when he came across someone that he didn’t want to meet again.

  “Hand over the ring,” Krellon said, his attitude unchanged since the last time they had met on the first floor. “This time I won’t go easy on you. The security forces won’t even have time to come because you’ll just die, and no one will know why.”

  Eric’s entire body tensed, and he looked at the would-be thief. While his attitude had remained unchanged, he and his group had. There was no longer an overwhelming sense of pride in his eyes and his group had been reduced, now only two stood behind him.

  Luckily for Eric, he had already prepared for this exact situation, and he showed his empty hands before Krellon. “Sorry, lost it against some really powerful skeletons,” he said, raising his hands in surrender.

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  In reality, the ring was simply in his inside pocket, with the other two he had taken from the siblings.

  He did this after thinking about what to do if another group like the siblings, or the person before him, came his way. And that wasn’t everything he did. After going through the castle on the tenth floor, he took various types of clothes and even got some of what he carried cleaned and repaired. So, without knowing it and without really intending it, he now had a surplus of clothes with long sleeves, like the robes he had stolen, that concealed his storage tattoo.

  At Eric’s words, fury began to build within Krellon’s face. “You lost the infinite essence?!” he exclaimed, his words echoing through the entire city and beyond.

  Infinite essence? He was after that too. So that was why he attacked me. Eric told himself, but before he could ponder about it too deeply, he jumped backwards.

  Where he had been standing only a second ago, now stood a spear that had completely obliterated the ground. Eric recognized the strike, and quickly noticed that it was stronger than it was before. Behind the spear, Eric could see that Krellon was boiling over with anger.

  It was my chance. People from my family were the only ones who saw the monarch hand it over to an unknown human. Only my family had gotten a good look at the human. It was my chance to rise above my peers. Krellon’s mind was spiraling.

  It was my chance to go beyond the limitations of my position. It was finally my chance to raise my family. I can’t believe I failed because of one stupid person. The stupid actions of one man. The careless and stupid actions of one person.

  “Your careless and stupid actions have cost me!” he shouted toward Eric, his thoughts spilling out.

  Eric, while dodging and moving around, made a bewildered expression. You’re trying to rob me motherfucker, how is it my fault? he thought to himself.

  With a sudden burst of power, Krellon dashed forward, his sword drawn. He was pouring all his mana into it and the lightening that it emitted was going wild. It struck passersby, injuring them to varying degrees.

  The situation Eric was in had been sudden, but the preparations he had made beforehand allowed him to convincingly deceive the would-be thief before him. They wouldn’t hold to scrutiny but the man before him seemed to be on edge already.

  The problem was that they were now fighting seriously, and Eric himself didn’t have a weapon out. The speed of his opponent was also beyond the level that he expected.

  Eric could now either bear the brunt of the attack or, he could retrieve a weapon from his storage.

  Either way, I’m pretty sure I’ll end up heavily injured. But if I continue with the lie, I’ll at least still have everything with me.

  Sadly, for Eric, the decision was made for him. A strong gust of wind picked up and drove part of his right sleeve backward, revealing part of his storage tattoo.

  Krellon looked at the exposed part of the tattoo and his mind raced to think about possibilities. He recognized it, but he wasn’t completely sure, he had never seen one before. They tended to be too expensive, the magic being too complex and hard to stabilize.

  Someone like Krellon who came from a small house, from a small piece of land, that belonged to a small faction that controlled his planet, would never have seen one. The resources that he had at his disposal were limited.

  Even then, his entire family pooled all their resources together to prepare him for the next great Frontier. In reality, Krellon had been ready for years now and the free time that he had, he used to train others and bring them with him.

  Now only two remained, but they had made it to the tower proper. Whatever happened going forward, they had more than earned some reputation.

  But the key that allowed him to faintly recognize that tattoo lay with one of those he trained, he was dead now but something he said remained in Krellon’s mind. He didn’t remember his exact words, but he remembered the general idea. Something about having a tattoo that depicted a house, and then actually having a house stored within it.

  His mind finally made the connection, more based on hope than facts. “Liar!!” Krellon shouted as his strike finally reached his target.

  Eric immediately reacted to the accusation, knowing that his lie had failed but not exactly why. But it didn’t matter, he was already swinging his arm in response, a sword materializing in his grip.

  Cycling the mana through his channels and reinforcing his sword with as much mana as he could, given the time, Eric’s sword met Krellon’s. An explosion of force and lightning blew people and the ground away.

  Eric retreated, creating some space between him and his opponents as he shook off the effects of the lightning . He was able to take exactly two full breaths before the fight resumed.

  Blow after blow, their swords met, and sparks flew from the very impact. Eric was heavily disadvantaged as Krellon’s sword had lightning as an added effect and it was causing his muscles to twitch involuntarily. There was only so much control he could exert over his body at his current level.

  Though none of the damage was accumulating as his bloodline was repairing the small damage almost instantly.

  “You lied!” Krellon shouted. “Hand it over! Now!”

  Contrary to his tone, Krellon was actually becoming calmer with each passing moment. He had realized that in every single aspect, he was superior to his opponent and that he had nothing to worry about. That didn’t mean that he let his guard down. He had done that on the first floor and then he needed to be saved by his companions.

  Not this time.

  Eric on the other hand was feeling the pressure. It wasn’t only Krellon that he was fighting, he also had to be wary of his two companions that stood behind him. There was also the difference in their experience and mastery.

  That didn’t mean that Eric was giving up.

  No! I literally just solved a problem that was bugging me since I entered the tower and I got an answer to another from before the tower, and now you want to rob me? No!

  Eric was referring to both his body’s dissonance and the bloodline assimilation.

  The battle was still going on and neither side was willing to give an inch. The only thing keeping Eric in the fight being his inhuman regeneration.

  Eric’s mind and skills began to function in tandem, looking for a solution.

  I only know one technique, but I can’t enter the bladesong stance without leaving an opening.

  To do the only set of movements he knew, he would have to bring his sword to his side and that was too much time lost.

  Think deeper! He told himself, thinking about everything he knew. To his surprise, there was one more technique he knew. Anna’s fragments, they flow nice and free, but they’re incomplete.

  Suddenly, a question rose within him, something that had never happened before because he lacked the prerequisite knowledge. How do I know they’re incomplete?

  Krellon’s companions decided to join in, worry in their faces.

  They’re probably worried about the security forces coming and stopping the fight the only way they knew how, Eric thought, a slight smirk appearing on his face. Then, he noticed something while he backed away. The synchronization of their attacks… were they designed to be used together.

  But that can’t be the case. They function too properly individually for them to be designed for use as a team. A spark appeared in his mind, his arm tingling.

  Then he saw it, an instant that gave him clarity. One of Krellon’s companions thrust his spear forward, while the other repeated the same technique he had done a literal second ago and Krellon did a strike he had done countless times before.

  Eric’s eyes widened in realization. His mind expanded for an instant and everything fell into place with a hollow thud. It wasn’t quite what he expected, but it was more than nothing.

  The timing always fits because they’re free flowing. Combat is free flowing. Reality and fiction don’t always go hand in hand. They can achieve the same results even if they change the trajectory or force of their attacks. Just like how I modified the Bladesong movements I learned.

  This was nowhere near the most danger Eric had been in. The angel skeleton, the desert, even the spider boss was far more dangerous, at least relatively speaking. This was more reminiscent of their encounter on the first floor, but unlike then, Eric now had a greater understanding of combat and the sword in general.

  Once more I limited myself by the media I consumed. I tried to restrict myself and only adapted within those restrictions. Combat can’t always be the same and so learning how to strike in a specific way can’t be as useful as it is in web novels and web comics. There has to be a certain degree of freedom!

  With the last sentence that he formed in his mind, all the pieces that he had being stacking in terms of his sword techniques, specifically, Anna’s fragments, fit into place. And then another realization hit him as he envisioned the movements and compared them to Krellon’s swings, realizing how restrictive they were. Then he thought about how Harkus fought and while freer, they were also somewhat restrictive. Quickly, he observed Krellon’s companion with the spear and the other who used his fists. His mind then went to the two brothers who used a sickle as weapons.

  No. It’s not them that are restricted. His grip on the sword tightened. Everything would seem restricted in comparison. Something within him began to burn. That’s just how free her sword is. His very blood was boiling with great intensity. Anna’s style is the epitome of freedom. Fitting everywhere they wish.

  Bloodline acquired!

  Bloodline assimilation increased!

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