Broken Tower Saga: The First Swordsman

Chapter 129: Power up (1)

It was another morning in the test zone. AS the day grew, warmth spread in the cold test zone. It had been three weeks since Wrik and others entered the test and it still has not reached the time of climax. It was going slow as if all the participants made a tactic understanding with themselves, to not attack each other before the second phase. They all were preparing for the final clash. 

Two blades met in the air, releasing an overflow of black and white mana. Wrik blocked the move from Anton in the middle right of his posture, while the shadow stalker brought another knife in the other arm and attacked on the left of his chest. 

Wrik could barely dodge stepping sideways. The knife moved again, and so did his sword. They met again, as Anton asked, "So, did you come up with a name?"

"Not yet," Wrik answered, twisting his sword to block both the knife and blade at once. Wrik had not attacked once in this duel. Not that he could not, he was just practising his reflexes, blocking and, most importantly, Armament Reinforcement. Even though his achievement in Armament Reinforcement was better than anyone in the group, Wrik was still not satisfied with his accomplishment. He still had not found the last push for the initial success. That was why he was practising so hard with Anton and Davin.

Well, it was not just him. On the sides, everyone else was practising too in pairs. It had been like this for the week. Practising was all they do. They all knew the date was approaching. The higher their ability will be, the higher they could aim for.

"How about the name, Reaper?" Anton asked, raising his mana again.

"That would have been good," Wrik said. "But you see, Scythe and Reaper are quite related. It would cause confusion, and it might even help Scythe gain more advantages." 

"You guys are still discussing the name?" Lily came into the training ground. Behind her were Dairyl and Lora. They had finished their morning training, then moved to other jobs. "Can't you just pick one? Gosh, it has been so many days."

"Let's take a breather for some minutes," Wrik said to Anton, who nodded. 

The two brothers walked towards Lily and others to sit on the embankment of the training hall. They were soaking in sweat after the hard training; mostly Wrik, as he had done more hard work while Anton was only helping him.

The pair of Byul and Davin were still duelling, while Tanya and Michell were discussing their theory. Both of them are of opposite elements, but the way of spelling was quite alike in the beginning. On the other side, the maidens were training the folks. It was quite hard for them. Not for the maidens, but the common folks they recruited. The training method of the Mah'shai Clan was quite brutal, even though the maiden had not gone all the way.

"Do you have any suitable names in mind?" Wrik eyed Lily and the other two. 

"How about Forsaken," Lily said. "Or, Wrath of Justice."

"We need to tell participants we are the good guys, not frighten them," Wrik rubbed his hair, saying that. Coming up with a good name for their team has been quite a pain. 

"Let's just call it, Fury," Michelle said as she joined them. Tanya was with her as well. And Byul and Davin joined after that. 

"Mine is better than your stupid name," Anton chuckled. 

Michelle glared, but chose not to converse with Anton. It would only make her anger rise.

"How about Salvation?" Dairyl joined. "It doesn't sound bad."

All of them look at her. The name sounded quite good, but it comes with responsibility. They can't just call themselves salvation and work against public beliefs. Fortunately for them, in this test, all they need to do was salvage slaves from the cruelty.

Wrik opened his mouth first. "It's quite good actually," he said. "If we find nothing else. We will go with Salvation." 

"Indeed, it was quite a good name," a loud pitched voice commented from afar. 

Wrik and others looked to the source to find Jacob bringing in the iconic bald and short man. It was none other than Ryat Higgs, the Omega Salesman. Like their first meeting, he was holding bags of various sizes. It appeared the salesman had come to sell his stuff.

"I guess you guys are doing well," he said, coming close to them. "Just one week left for the first phase to end and it is the time for the salesman to enter the testing zone. I bring new toys for you guys to check out. Say what you need: Weapon, Skill or ability, potion, Armour, other types of artifact, anything. Oh, just don't ask for rations, I can't sell that here in the trial."

"Why is that?" Anton asked without thinking. 

"I think some of you have already figured it out why," Ryat said, looking at Wrik.

"It is quite simple actually," Wrik said. "The test was meant to be a contest or war between the participants, but what if we did not choose to fight? Will they leave us on our own? That can't possibly happen. That's why they would create a conflict between the faction, and the easiest way was food. You could last a week or two without food, but in the end, we all have to give up if we have no food to fill our stomachs. 

"I think the next portion of the test would be a war on rations." 

"Precisely," Ryat nodded in acknowledgement. "That's why you all need better gears, if you want to stand against others."

"Let's buy the advanced level growth stimulating serum first," Wrik said. The low and intermediate ones were of no use to them. Their bodies already develop resistance against those catalysts. Noticing no one complaining, he asked the salesman. "How much does it cost?" 

"The standard price is 50000 omega credits per vial, but since you guys are my old customers, I'll give a 10% discount," the bald salesman said, dropping his baggage on the ground. "By the way, one vial works for four or five days and it is advised to only use one in a week."

"How expensive," Anton said, twisting his lips.

"Trust me, I'm not scamming you guys. Even on the higher floors, everyone knows about my reputation. Scamming a few novice mahasayer is below my standard."

"I was not talking about you, it's the usual price," Anton added. "Fortunately, we have enough money to buy what we want." 

"A hundred should last till the end of the test," Wrik said. The test would go for a month more, at best. So four vials per person. Even though it was a lot more than they need, he could use it to entice other contestants those who are low in money. Basically, it was not a waste. With that thought, Wrik decided, "Give us a hundred vials of advance growth stimulating serum."

"Wait a minute, Pretty Brother," Lily stopped him. "Are you buying for everyone?" 

"That's right."

"That's alright, but first discuss about the credits first," Lily added. "You know a hundred vials would cost four and a half million credits, even with the discount. That is not a small sum." 

It appeared Lily did not have many credits in her name. Moreover, she has to take care of all of her sisters, as most of them know nothing but fight. While Dairyl could earn hefty sums easily with her skill in designing, but she had not had the opportunity yet. 

"Money is nothing," Wrik said, smiling. "Don't worry, I have enough credit to pay it."

"But--" 

"No buts, think of it as an investment for the test," Wrik said. "We can't compete with others if we always worry about credits." 

In the end, Lily agreed. Wrik transferred the money through his omega window and bought a hundred vials of growth catalyst. 

"By the way, where did you get that much money?" Tanya asked, raising her brows at him. There was no way anyone could earn that amount from the missions, it was only possible if someone credited it to him. She wanted to know who gave him that much credit. 

"It's a secret," Wrik said with a smirk. 

In response, the emerald-eyed girl just snorted back. She said to everyone, "I need nothing. You guys get what you want."

"I don't need anything either," Michelle added. 

"Me neither," Anton joined as well.

"I have some credits, but I don't know what I should buy other than arrows," Jacob said. 

"I need a skill in swordsmanship," Davin joined. "But I only have omega credits, not points."

While everyone was crying about what they need Wrik joined them as well. "I need a better Sword."

________________________

Join privilege to gain 50% discount and read four chapters ahead. h

Vote with power stones and Golden tickets if you appreciate the work. 

THIS CHAPTER UPLOAD FIRST AT NOVELBIN.COM