Chapter 391

Chapter 391

So this is the tower, huh? Ben thought as he stood before the giant trial, taking it all in.

It was just as large as any of the magic towers, though it had a few key differences to go along with it. Instead of there being a single door for the terrestrial races to enter, there were five, each of which had a different symbol at the front.

A hammer and tongs for smithing, wood and a knife for woodworking and construction, beakers for alchemy, pencils and brushes for the arts, and the final one which had them all. There weren’t doors for every potential crafting type skill, with cooking, stone working, and sewing being notable exceptions, but there were enough considering that those who wanted to take on the trial would get that single tower compared to the magic ones, and they’d have options to choose from beyond being proficient in everything.

Which does make it a little interesting that they have a door specifically for doing a bit of everything. He thought to himself as the god Nare spoke out in his mind.

He explained.

Interesting. And no clues to go with these ones I see?

Unlike the magic doors which all had a little something extra that anyone with a sharp eye could take advantage of, the doors of craftsman’s tower just let the challenger know what sort of path they might face, no hints to warn them of whatever lay within.

Well, isn’t that demotivating. He thought back as he placed his hand on the front, running his fingers over the grooves of each symbol on the door that held them all. The door he would personally challenge if he was going to, as the question of if he should step beyond filled his mind.

He didn’t think he could do it. His items were still square in the middle of ultra-rare, meaning that he still had plenty of room to grow, but on the other hand, he felt himself running out of time with each passing day. If he could somehow get his connect awakened in the next week, that would give him time to rush through the gates, collecting all of the high-leveled skills he could and start trying to put them to use, definitely making things that would be high ultra-rare and maybe even legendary.

It was the sort of thing that could potentially turn the tide of battle, wasn’t it worth the risk?

But on the other other hand, if I try and fail then I’ll lose the opportunity to do it in the future. What if I only make it to the third floor? Worse, what if I don’t get past the first? I’ll have lost out on the chance to awaken my skill when if I just put off challenging it till before the second or third wave I could have much better odds. Is it worth it to ignore it for now to have a better chance later? There’s literally lives on the line, but then doing it when I’m not certain could cost even more in the end.

Nare broke in, interrupting his train of thought.

What’s with you? You were so gung ho about it before I dealt with the earth tower, now that I’m seriously considering it you think I should wait?

Myriad filled in, in place of Nare’s silence.

Wait, what? Really?

His god went on.

Oh cool, sweet.

Nare yelled.

One of the elven offshoots brought about by the meddling of a long-dead evil god, the biggest differences beyond the superficial changes to their appearance was their higher capacity for mana and a couple centuries extra to the standard elves’ already long lifespans. All that left was what he wanted with him.

“Ah, pardon me, I hope I’m not bothering you,” He said, still wearing a pleasant smile. “Would you happen to be Ben? Iberu told me you’d be expecting me.”

“Oh, yes of course, it’s nice to meet you...”

“Naloth,” He said, shaking Ben’s hand in greeting. “And it’s a pleasure to meet you as well. Especially since you wrote this.”

What he pulled out was a copy of the book Ben had written on ritual magic, properly bound beyond the loose sheets that he’d submitted when he sent them off with Falk yet looking well-read despite how recently he must have gotten his hands on it, speaking to the volume he valued the subject.

“Right, I was told you had an interest in it so I’d be happy to chat if you want, but I should probably let you know up front that it’s not my area of expertise. I apply it to my enchanting but I’ve only been a part of a single ritual.”

“Ha, I’d say you have more experience with it than nearly every other mage on the planet,” He said warmly. “It’s considered something of a lost art as a result of the power gained from the system, but I can’t help but look at that as pure foolishness. To let such a powerful tool fade away simply because a different source of power showed up, all of our ancestors should have been working to continue to refine it together with the system, not abandoning one for the other!”

His impassioned speech drew looks around him that he was quick to apologize for as soon as he noticed, before switching to a quieter tone more becoming of a library.

“Ahem, pardon me. But anyway, it’s been my area of study for a while, so I’m sure you can imagine my surprise when Iberu mentioned he’d met someone who seemed to casually apply the principles of it to enchanting of all things. That’s not to mention the book you wrote up for his request, I don’t think surprise could begin to cover how I felt reading something that blew everything I already knew of rituals out of the water.”

“Ha, well thanks. I wish I could take credit, but my god's original race apparently specialized in its use to a greater extent than any other one on the planet. I only know so much because I have him.”

“Good resources are wonderful but don’t sell yourself short. And you said you actually participated in a ritual? If I may ask, what was it you did?”

“Ah, so my own part in it was actually pretty small, don’t let me talk myself up. I have a skill that lets me link minds with people. I used it to link up two awakened life mages and a very powerful earth mage to create a shell for a ruby crab who was born without one. Because of the nature of how they develop theirs, they couldn’t just get a standard life mage to help, so we needed to convert ruby into a living form first before it could be done.”

“Fascinating,” Naloth said, his eyes alight with the talk. “And it just goes to show the potential of the magic. I would never have guessed it could be used in such a way.”

“It can be convenient if you work to figure out how to apply it,” Ben agreed. “It’s that figuring out bit that’s the hardest. Speaking of, should I assume you were seeking me out because you have a particular ritual in mind?”

“Ah, I suppose it’s obvious, isn’t it?” He said with a laugh. “Yes, I do in fact have a goal. Tell me, since you’re also an enchanter, are you at all knowledgeable about gate structure?”

Knowledgeable was putting it mildly. Ben had read up on the subject enough that he was even sure he could reduce the mana cost of any gate so long as he could enchant with awakened skills, he was just waiting for the day it was possible.

Instead of saying all of that though, he simply nodded as Naloth’s grin widened.

“A well-studied man, I respect that deeply. If you already have some knowledge on the matter then that should make things easier. You understand that reality is layered. There’s where we find ourselves, the one the gate network connects to, the infinite hells and the realm of gods to name a few, but there are certainly more to go along with it. I’m simply interested in understanding what other layers there might be, as well as what use they might have, and to achieve that I plan on using ritual magic as my main tool. If you have the time I’d love to shoot ideas back and forth for a bit. Even if nothing comes of it, a bit of brainstorming can lead to paths one might never expect.”

“I have the time so brainstorm away,” Ben told him, wearing a wide smile of his own. The topic was not only interesting, it was one he typically didn’t indulge too deeply in, along with having potential towards his goal of understanding the summoning spell given that at least a part of it meant reaching past the boundary of reality itself. If he had someone who seemed just as passionate on the topic he’d be a fool to turn them away.