Chapter 171: Lady Seraphina, Lord Magnus
Standing atop the body of the Luminary, Ethan stopped for a second.
He had been relentlessly killing beasts for the past hours, ascending floor after floor like a robot. The constant combat, the devouring, the endless pursuit of advancement—he had nearly lost himself in the rhythm of destruction and consumption.
All he wanted was to reach the next floor, then the next, then the one after that. The tower had become an addiction, each challenge feeding his hunger for greater power until everything else faded into background noise.
He checked the reward for floor twenty-four completion, and it made him raise an eyebrow.
[Stone Heart]
[Advanced]
[Details: Stops illusion spells, makes the person less empathetic toward others who aren’t close to him. And more lenient with those who are.]
The skill’s description carried implications that extended beyond simple mental protection. Advanced rank meant the highest classification of skills while the emotional dampening effects would provide clarity in situations where emotions could prove disadvantageous.
Ethan learned the skill immediately, knowledge downloading into his consciousness. But instead of immediately ascending to floor twenty-five, something made him pause.
"I need to take a short break," he said aloud, his voice carrying echoes of exhaustion despite his powerful constitution. "The tower will preserve my progress."
He decided to take a deep breath and leave the tower for a while. Rambo by his side had also reached Low-Saint rank through his eating and drinking the blood of the monsters they killer. Dragon’s SSS-rank potential manifesting through potential that complemented Ethan’s own.
In this first sanctuary, Ethan was almost certain he was the strongest individual present. His capabilities exceeded theoretical Low-Saint limitations while approaching Mid or perhapse High-Saint territory.