Amber | Chapter 34. (Patreon)

Chapter 34.

Amber felt more alive than ever before, and for good reason. She had changed. She had changed in ways that she had never changed before; even her previous Class Advancement paled to this. Even though she had a lot of experiences in her life from Earth, nothing compared to the excitement she felt.

Not winning her first race or marathon, not scoring perfect marks on a test or breaking her personal best on something. Nothing. It was a foreign feeling, yet it was also welcome. However, not for a second did Amber attribute the feeling to her Legacy Branch ⁠— Crimson Fervency ⁠— because that feeling was different.

Amber looked at her bleeding hand as she dashed through the stairs. She felt some level of excitement at its sight, but she found the feeling no different than pushing her limits⁠— in short, it wasn’t hard to control at all; not any harder to control than her usual impulses at least. Which just meant that she had made the right choice.

Crimson Fervor now went up to a 350% enhancement after her Class Advancement, and Crimson Fuel went up to 175%. While Amber knew they didn’t multiply each other or with her main class skills, but instead were additive bonuses; she still found them to be incredibly exciting.

Amber tightened her fist and used Crimson Fuel, in an instant smoke from her hand came and the blood evaporated⁠— and she became stronger. Amber immediately dashed across the stairs with explosive speed without even using Quick Dash. And in no time, she found herself on a new floor.

This floor was white like snow, it was made out of the finest of marbles, their patterns having nothing but wonderful gray lines that were akin to the waves of a rising tide. Pillars lined the surroundings, and the wave patterns of the marble all led to the center of the room where a single monster seemed to be resting. Much like the room, it also was a pure ivory color.

The gigantic and lumbering monster rose, it resembled a knight in armor except it had four legs; akin to an armor-covered centaurus. It was unlike any monster Amber had seen. Of course, knowing the tower and knowing it was a single monster Amber knew what to expect. It was going to be a rough battle⁠— or a durable battle⁠— or something that would take at least a day to clear.

However, one thing Amber wondered was:

Just how fast can I do it?

She grinned and sprinted straight to the monster. The gigantic being stood up and extended one of its arms, a ray of light formed in the shape of a spear. And just like that, it had a weapon.

[Juggernaut White Centar. Lvl. 110]

Don’t you mean to say Centaur? Amber didn’t question it too much, instead dashing in its direction, crossing the incredibly large room in mere moments. It was time for her to test her first 3rd Rank skill.

The Juggernaut White Centar raised its spear and aimed it at the sky, throwing it and in a blink a bolt of lightning struck⁠— Amber used Quick Dash’s 3rd Rank and immediately appeared right behind the monster. She smirked, it hadn’t even been a dash but something else. Teleportation.

[Quick Dash⁠ — 3rd Rank level 1

Your prayers have been answered and you’ve obtained a proper dash skill after using your bash skill to dash. You may now use it wrongly and bash things instead. Gain a quick burst of speed upon use.

2nd Rank ⁠— At a moderate mana cost double the speed of the dash.

3rd Rank ⁠— At a considerable mana cost you may teleport the distance of the enhanced dash.]

Of course there was a cooldown to it, but…

Her leg muscles tensed and the Juggernaut White Centar tried to turn but Amber was faster. She kicked. Her leg blurred as she used Cursed Cleave at the same time⁠— her foot struck the armor with a loud bang before a large laceration exploded, and a moment later small embers started to burn on the white plating.

The monster stumbled three steps back. The strength of her hit was much higher than whatever she could muster before. And that was due to Crimson Fuel, a skill that could be used on demand. Amber cut herself again and burned her blood before turning to the starting fires on the centaurus’ armor.

So that’s the Curse of Consuming Flames?

There was so much for her to test. So much more. She grinned, and raised her sword. This next skill was a weird thing to test out. But she was excited nonetheless.

Amber watched as the centaurus turned around and whipped with the lightning spear. She raised her sword and flicked⁠— the hit was redirected into the white marble⁠. Chunks of the floor exploded and Amber grinned.

She easily parried and redirected every single one of the attacks coming from the monster, and that was because of the 3rd Rank of General Weapon Mastery. Because it was quite the special thing.

[General Weapon Mastery ⁠— 3rd Rank level 1.

You’ve grown used to wielding the weapons you come across! And now, you can do it better. What? It’s a mastery skill.

2nd Rank ⁠— Weapons feel 30% lighter on your hands.

3rd Rank ⁠— If your weapon mastery is higher than the opponents, parrying and deflecting becomes three times easier.]

Of course, three times is an arbitrary measure but⁠— Amber deflected another lightning strike. It really is infinitely easier. Amber actually felt confident in trading blows with the enemy and never getting hit once, something that she had never felt before.

So many of her skills had reached 3rd Rank, and it was something that she found hard to believe. Sure, she had spent six fucking months in the tower, but at this point it was worth it because⁠—

Amber blocked the monster’s strike, lightning passed all over her body as pain burst⁠— and she smiled transforming all the rage into fuel for Cursed Supreme Momentum. She was eager to test the new aspects of her skills, but she wanted to wait. That was why she hadn’t reinforced her body either.

Instead, Amber let herself be hit by the lightning again. When she parried the hit, the lightning for some odd reason would be redirected, but when she blocked it, it would also damage her body. It was weird, and it was something that would have most certainly caused problems in the past but now⁠—

Her vigor had increased considerably and she had three body enhancing skills working at the same time.

Amber grinned and this time used all her strength along with Cursed Cleave to redirect the hit from the centaur-like monster. The Juggernaut White Centar reeled, taking numerous steps back as its spear was cut in half, and Amber raised her foot before she stomped.

In a single moment the ground in front broke and the monster screamed in pain, blood coming from within the gaps in its armor. Cursed Stomp had just gotten so much better in its 3rd Rank. Somehow its 2nd Rank had also improved which Amber appreciated.

[Cursed Stomp has reached 2nd Rank — level 1

Discombobulate your enemy and inflict them with the curse you bear! Destroy them and make them suffer! This skill uses mana.

2nd Rank ⁠— Cursed Stomp will now go through barriers and armors.

3rd Rank ⁠— Cursed Stomp will travel instantly to its target and apply its effects twice.]

Double the damage, double the stun duration. Amber grinned watching the monster be stunned in its spot, this was perfect for her.

She stared at the blood oozing out from between the plates of the monster’s armor. The mere sight gave Amber dopamine and urged her to do more, but again; it was almost the same as pushing herself to the limits. However, she did find it interesting that the Crimson Fervency Legacy Branch was like that.

“Well not like it matters,” she muttered.

Adding one thing or something to try to throw her off was a welcome challenge. In the end, maybe even the Juggernaut class should’ve been something she considered more; but she wasn’t as confident back then as she was now. And more than anything, Cursed Chosen Berserker led her to eventually acquire her current class: Cursed Supreme One.

The monster, after a full second of being thrown off, turned back to her. Its head was covered by a helmet so she couldn’t see its gaze, but she could see small embers burning all around its body. It was the Curse of Consuming Flames. In theory, with it, she was able to ignite her enemy and then run away until they burned to death⁠— of course, that was fucking lame so it wasn’t even on the table of tactics.

Instead, Amber focused on the current status quo of her skills. Supreme Cursed Momentum was about two-thirds of the way there, whereas Crimson Fervor was at most a third of the way there⁠— and unfortunately, she couldn’t force it to go up faster.

However, once it caps out, I may be able to maintain it permanently active.

Amber grinned and looked at the lightly burning figure, red blood stained the once white perfect canvas. Even though the battle hadn’t been going for long, the once beautiful room had already been torn asunder. Parts of its floor were missing, others were charred and others were stained with the blood of the monster it was hosting.

And this was only the beginning.

* * *

For the next fifteen minutes Amber did one thing and one thing only, and that was pass the time to get all her buffs to the max. At first, it was all normal, deflecting all the attacks from the monster’s spear. But as the fires began to increase inside of the monster and it realized it wasn’t getting anything done, it got faster⁠— stronger⁠— frenzied.

in a mere minute Crimson Fervor would be topped off⁠— and when it did⁠—

She smiled. I’ll only use my physical abilities and no skills.

Amber wanted to fully explore the full extent of her capabilities and this was the best way to do so. She watched as numerous lightning bolts went off inside the room, she was using Quick Dash to dodge around and even took the opportunity to truly learn when teleportation was most useful. And well⁠— even though it was logical; attacks that couldn’t be dodged was the best time to use it. However, she also found that she could teleport to the enemy’s blindspots rather easily.

And that wasn’t all, she also made sure to thoroughly learn how to avoid lightning⁠— or magical lightning. She determined that it had a one meter radius of reach when it struck something; though Amber didn’t know if it was surface dependent or skill dependent or anything so she dropped the idea quickly.

And now⁠— the monster roared in anger as the lightning increased in tempo. Numerous bolts went off at once and Amber felt happy, she was mere seconds from achieving her goal now. And after, she could truly go all out.

Amber dodged another lightning bolt, and then another⁠— and just as she was about to get struck, Crimson Fervor reached its max.

It’s over.

She pumped mana into her body and the lightning struck. Sizzling pain hit her and she shook for a moment before smiling right at the monster. Her eyes took in the room as she imagined all the stuff she wanted to do and try with her new-found strength. Amber knelt for a moment, and the monster roared.

She jumped and thunder struck. She flipped mid air, and hit the ceiling stabbing it with her sword and perching into it. Then, before the monster could attack again she used her skill⁠— Supreme Cursed Momentum. In an instant, her body was substantially enhanced and she⁠— jumped towards the monster. Her speed caused the Juggernaut White Centar to raise its lightning spear in a hurry⁠—

Cursed Dash⁠— She appeared right behind the monster, carrying all her momentum as she swung the sword.

“Surprise!”

And blood exploded as the monster screamed in pain, she became bathed in crimson and immediately burned it all. In an instant, her healing nearly tripled. The damage from the lightning was immediately healed. Amber felt just great.

The monster stumbled and she jumped towards it wielding her sword, and then she cut⁠— using Cursed Supreme Momentum, she almost felt like a pendulum, starting slow and gaining incredible speed in bursts. And any stamina that was drained was essentially regenerated due to Recovery of Curses.

This was it…

All of this is what she wanted. She had the perfect tools to push her limits like never before; the ability to heal, to recover and to gain strength while pushing herself. It was everything she once dreamt of back on Earth. How long would she be able to run if she didn’t need to worry about injuries, if she had infinite stamina and strength? How long would she be able to run if only her mind was the limit?

Amber smiled and dashed towards the monster, easily parrying its attack and slashing right through its armor with brutal strength. Amber even cut herself with her dagger to refresh Crimson Fuel’s enhancement. For a moment she wondered about the best way to deal with not having to do that, but she quickly forgot about it, instead continuing to attack the monster.

The more she attacked the faster and more efficient she got. She even began to play with the armored monster as it desperately attacked her by dodging at the very last moment with a burst of increased momentum. And even though the monster had a skill⁠ — red vapor began to come off its body and its speed substantially increased ⁠— it didn’t matter. Amber still avoided everything all the same.

The flames began to proliferate across its entire body, but Amber paid it no mind. Instead, she focused on just giving the monster everything she had with her physical strength. The Juggernaut White Centar was essentially a tank, a durable opponent that could last until she found out the full extent of her physical capabilities.

And so, for literal hours Amber fought the monster, chipping at its armor and its limbs. And it even used numerous skills to somewhat placate the flames and regenerate, but in the end it was useless. Any damage Amber took was regenerated with Crimson Fuel’s effect, using the monster’s blood to gain regeneration.

In the end, the monster fought a battle it couldn’t win, and eventually⁠— it realized this and threw away its weapon, and Amber, of course⁠— did so too. She stowed away the flaming sword ⁠— that luckily didn’t burn her clothes or possessions ⁠— and instead engaged in a fist-fight with the monster.

Even though it was a giant she just leapt towards it and would hit it across its chest, fracturing the plating on its body. The monster, of course, tried to fight back, but it had so many wounds that its movement was unimpeded. A lot of its body was exposed; its armor long fallen, and instead was replaced with the burning of flames.

It wasn’t a surprise to Amber that the monster had died close to an hour later.

[You have defeated a [Juggernaut White Centar. Lvl. 115].]

[General Weapon Mastery has leveled up from 3rd Rank level 1 to 3rd Rank level 2.]

[Cursed Supreme Momentum has leveled up from 3rd Rank level 1 to 3rd Rank level 2.]

[Cursed Supreme Berserker’s Body has leveled up from 3rd Rank level 1 to 3rd Rank level 2.]

[Physical Resistance has leveled up from 2nd Rank level 1 to 2nd Rank level 2.]

And just like that, it was over.

Amber stared at the dead lumbering figure. Its body was still burning. She was happy⁠— incredibly happy. A battle like that would have taken her everything previously, but now⁠—

“I have a lot of energy to spare.”

She grinned and immediately used Quick Dash towards the stairs to the next floor and⁠⁠— she hit an invisible wall. And to her surprise, a System window opened in front of the stairs.

[Next floor in: 0 days 11 hours 32 minutes.]

Really?

That was the first time it happened, and to some extent Amber hoped it would be the last. However, that made her wonder something.

It probably meant there was a Primordial Spirit inside the tower? Amber wasn’t all too sure anymore. She had spent so long inside the tower that she wasn’t convinced and had nearly forgotten about it, the cube had stopped whispering a few months ago too, and she had seen no attempt at reclaiming the cube either, which supposedly belonged to the spirit of this place. Then, there was also the fact that the tower was weird.

Now then, what to do to pass the time…

Amber turned towards the flaming corpse of the room and had an idea. One that would keep her occupied for quite some time.

* * *

Amber continued onto the next floor with a wide smile. After all, during the eleven hours of waiting she had achieved something interesting.

[Elemental Resistance has leveled up from 2nd Rank level 1 to 2nd Rank level 2.]

[Magical Resistance has leveled up from 2nd Rank level 1 to 2nd Rank level 2.]

Not only that, but the burning flames helped her keep Cursed Supreme Momentum active and built rage at the same time. It was something that Amber kept in mind⁠— the fact that she didn’t need to get hit by her enemies was just great. However, during the waiting time she also decided that while she was going to take as little breaks as possible, she wanted to level up her skills.

And so, sprinting into the next floor she attacked the gigantic tortoise she saw. It had a shell of rock, and the surroundings were reminiscent of a tundra environment, however she didn’t pay any mind to that, instead Amber used one of her skills instantly.

Curse Battery⁠—

And the tortoise exploded into flames and thousands of cuts, the monster screamed in pain as its screeches echoed inside of the land. Of course, the monster was just as strong as the centaurus from the previous floor, but Amber didn’t care about any of that.

Instead, she was going to use it to train her skills.

She swung using Curse Manipulation and Cursed Rage Synergy at the same time.

The monster was cut and as Amber burned herself with the fires on its body to increase the rage within her body, she knew it was going to be a long day.

No, she knew that every floor was going to be a long day⁠—

Because she was going to level her resistances in every single one.