51 Book 3 Chapter 47

"Ugh, I can't wait all day," Jason couldn't sit still any longer. He flipped off the wall and asked a passing ascender, "Hey, where's Lavos?"

The woman answered respectfully, "He went back to visit his tribe for a few days."

"Okay, thanks." Jason scratched Lavos off the list. It would take hours to reach the minotaur tribe, so why would he go there when someone was closer? Jason informed one of Peter's aids his intentions before taking the portal back to the robot floor. Since there were five such floors, he'd need to travel quite a bit to return to Sanctuary 06.

Instead, he teleported to his home on the community floor. This way, it only took about an hour to reach the portal to the first robot floor, which wasn't far from the Sanctuary.

The guards in exosuits stationed outside the Sanctuary recognized Jason and let him in. Too familiar with the place, Jason soon entered the headquarters, upon which he approached the receptionist. "Is Commander Fox in?"

The receptionist, a stern middle-aged woman with military training, instantly recognized Jason, the hero of their world. If even he didn't have the clearance to ask about Fox's whereabouts, who did? She quickly rang up Fox, who just so happened to be in her office. After exchanging a few words, the receptionist turned to Jason, "She's on floor 18."

"Thanks." Jason gave a warm smile before heading to the elevator. A few minutes later, he was standing before the door to Fox's office. Just before he was about to knock, her cold voice came from inside, "Come in."

Jason inspected the large office as he entered. It was barren, or rather, tidy. There were no pictures, paintings, or personal belongings. The room only had a desk and a few chairs for guests. Behind the desk sat Fox, who was typing away on a laptop. Jason took a seat as he inspected Fox closely, trying to find some secret. Instead, he only saw a mature woman with sharp features—nothing out of the ordinary.

Eventually, Fox closed the laptop and faced Jason for the first time. After a few moments of silence, Fox spoke, "You've changed."

"For the better, I hope?" Jason jested.

Fox gave a curt nod. "What are you here for?"

"For you," Jason gave a charming smile.

"Not interested," Fox replied instantly.

Jason burst into laughter before turning serious. "Are you one of the tower's masters?"

As soon as Fox announced her identity, the information hovering above her head changed. Her health pool and level increased drastically. To Jason's surprise, she was also the first artificial intelligence, the one they could never find. Jason expressed his dissatisfaction, "Why say there are twenty m-serums up for grabs if, in reality, there's only nineteen?"

To this, Fox smirked. "I have two identities: the first A.I., and a master of the tower. If you figured out the first, but not the second, would you have killed me?"

Jason immediately understood. Would they kill her, knowing she'd result in another m-serum? Over seven billion lives were on the line, so of course they would. However, doing so would result in the loss of a master, someone who taught ascenders valuable skills just under the gods.

Jason clicked his tongue at how sinister the tower was. Thankfully, he guessed correctly and didn't end up killing Fox. He gazed at her expectantly. "What do you teach?"

Hearing this, Fox sat straight and met Jason's gaze. "Soul techniques."

Jason's eyes lit up expectantly. "Can the chosen of gods receive your teachings?"

"Follow me," Fox didn't answer directly and instead brought Jason to an underground training facility. The place had shooting ranges and rings for boxing, in the middle of which stood robots. Fox used a keycard to book a side-room the size of a basketball court. The place was empty. Fox pointed at a spot near the entrance, "Stand here."

Jason did as directed while Fox moved to the other side of the room. The two faced each other some thirty feet apart. Fox stood as straight as a rod with her hands clasped behind her back and asked, "What do you know about souls?"

"Not much," Jason admitted. "My world can't even grasp its existence. Even now, only a handful of us can sense our soul and use it."

Fox pursed her lips. "Pitiful. Your world has no mana, so the growth of souls is nearly nonexistent. Let me explain then: a soul is the root of your ego, memories, and self. Like most mortal beings, your soul is weak and fragile at the start, so your brain and body take on the role of a host to protect it." Fox paused. "The growth of a soul is slow. Only by refining universal energy like mana can you expedite the process."

Jason clicked his tongue. It almost made him feel like he should be grateful the tower arrived, or else humanity would never have encountered mana.

Fox continued regardless of his thoughts. "Mana is the most basic form of energy. Not many things are as pure as mana, yet a soul is one of them. This purity allows your soul, once strong enough, to interact with and sense almost anything."

"I call this the voice of the world," Jason commented.

"Fitting," Fox smiled. "Once your soul can perceive beyond itself, then you have reached the basic requirement for me to teach you."

Jason recounted his recent experience. "I just fought a monster which could mask its voice and even deceive me with its intentions."

"Child's play,�� Fox scoffed. "Close your eyes. Imagine the form of your soul as an orb at the center of your being, inside which houses your memories, ego, and self."

Jason did as told. Perhaps because of his experience with communicating with Tank, he quickly finished the task. In his inner mind was a grey round orb floating stationary in the void. He formed a body inside, where he found the transparent figure of Tank, sleeping silently.

"Good." Fox continued to speak. "The next step is to recognize the existence of the outside world, or as you say, the voice of the world. Spread your awareness to the edge of the orb."

As soon as Jason did so, he saw the existence of countless wills entering his soul. They took on the shape of a line, almost like a ray of light. Just like before, he could sense his surroundings, except now he understood precisely what was happening. Upon seeing the thousands of lines interacting with his soul, he felt vulnerable, like he was defenseless.

Just then, a will entered his soul and turned into the figure of Fox. Shockingly, she entered his soul like it was nothing. She landed next to Jason and spoke after feeling his emotions. "Don't worry. This is only a strand of my will interacting with yours. Considering the power of your soul, you can banish me with a simple thought."

Jason calmed down after hearing that. He immediately felt it was wise to seek out Fox before encountering a demon with similar skills like hers. The way he used his soul was like a baby waving around a knife, completely harmless.

Fox walked to the edge of the orb. "You are constantly releasing your will, the sign of a rookie. Now that you've consolidated the shape of your soul, blocking off your will should be a simple matter. Imagine a one-way window. You know what that is, right?"

Jason nodded and focused his senses on the orb. The edge transformed into a barrier, where only signals entered and didn't leave. Fox gave a nod. "Good. If you want to deceive, then you know what to do, right?"

His body stepped to the left, but he intentionally released a signal stating the opposite in his soul. Jason smiled as he began to get the hang of utilizing his soul. For most people, this step was quite tricky. It was like speaking a sentence but thinking a different one. Only because Jason had absurdly high Willpower could he quickly grasp the trick.

Fox shook her head. "Unfortunately, you'd only deceive rookies with this. It can't even be considered a skill."

Jason's joy deflated upon hearing that. True, it only took him a few minutes to reach this level. He could only fool people who awakened their soul but had yet to learn how to use it.

"Let me ask you: why wait for the voice of the world to come to you?" Fox looked at Jason. "The next step is to change the shape of your soul. An orb is simply the most basic form it can take."

"Okay, what should I use?" Jason grew expectant.

"Still an orb, except change it to a solid state of matter. After that, change a small portion of the orb into mist, which will then encompass the orb like a nebula." Fox explained calmly.

It took a bit longer for Jason to accomplish this, yet the world changed as soon as he did so. Everywhere the mist touched, he experienced with his senses. The structure of the basketball-sized training room appeared in his mind. He could see every scratch, mark, or flaw on the walls. It was almost like Shenlong's skill to see everything within a certain distance, or rather, it was exactly like that.

At the same time, a notification appeared in front of him.

Congratulations! You have learned a new skill: Domain.

Domain

Sense your surroundings with your soul. Consumes Soul Force.

Remark 1: Distance depends on Willpower.

Remark 2: Soul Force drains faster the further Domain reaches.

Congratulations! With your new understanding of souls, you've unlocked a new resource: Soul Force. All skills involving the soul will consume Soul Force. The quantity and regeneration of Soul Force depends on your Willpower.

Jason did a quick check on his stats and found Soul Force under his Stamina. It clocked in at over three million. Jason's attention turned to his new skill and wondered how far he could reach. The result shocked him. The intangible mist expanded past the training room until it covered the entire Sanctuary and then some. Besides the absurd drain on Soul Force, he noticed the further he went, the less detail his soul picked up unless he focused on a particular area.

After a few minutes of experimenting, he withdrew his domain until it only encompassed the training room. He focused on Fox, beyond her physical form, until he saw her soul. It was beautiful. Unlike his simple orb, it took on the shape of some complex machinery, with layers upon layers of moving parts.

He approached cautiously and formed a tendril to touch her soul. "Hello?"

"You're a quick learner," Her soul replied.

Now that Jason had a much better understanding of souls, he deduced how some skills worked. "Are skills like Killing Intent and Mental Suppression a method to attack the soul?"

"Yes. Mental Suppression is a basic soul skill. Killing Intent is a level higher; it's backed by intent and not just primitive force." Fox confirmed Jason's guess. "It's better to show than tell. Use one such skill on me and observe closely."

Jason no longer had Killing Intent, as it had evolved into Indomitable Spirit, so he used that one. As soon as he activated the skill, his soul transformed from an orb into a towering figure overlooking the world. The figure looked exactly like Jason, with each detail clear and crisp, like it existed in the physical plane. The figure's eyes reflected the universe as if all were under its control.

In that reflection was Fox's soul, so small and delicate. Jason watched as the universe itself bent to his will and pressed against Fox's multilayered soul so hard it cracked and shuddered from the pressure. Jason knew that with a single thought, he could cause its utter collapse. Fox screamed. "Stop!"

Jason woke up, realizing he wasn't just a spectator watching a show. He instantly deactivated the skill, upon which his soul turned back into a simple nebula. Opening his eyes, he saw Fox on the verge of collapsing.

It took Fox a few minutes to return to normal. She glanced at Jason. "You've learned everything I'm allowed to teach you."

"Allowed? There's more to using a soul?" Jason tilted his head.

"You are but a mere child compared to the gods in this tower. Don't think you accomplished anything amazing here," Fox's voice was cold.

"I'm sorry," Jason could tell Fox was upset with him. "I just acquired that skill, so I didn't mean to injure you. I'm incredibly grateful for your help."

Fox's expression warmed a bit upon hearing that. "Off you go then."

Jason turned to leave and felt he needed to send Dubaku and Shenlong here for training.