Tower of Endless: Death Granted Entry

”You’ll leave that friend of yours unable to use this artifact? Did you deliberately make it to get him humiliated against a kid?” Lucen said with a light, joking laugh.

Samuel didn’t pause, nor did he look back; instead, his voice trailed as he walked ahead.

”Don’t worry about Edmond,” Samuel said under Lucen’s watchful eyes.

Lucen blinked once, his smile widening. ”I’m not worried,” he whispered, looking back at the ring.

Below, Ed sat down for a moment, trying to adapt to the new stats his body was suddenly forced into.

”We can do it tomorrow,” Moon said, seeing the state Ed was in. ”You don’t look okay.” He came closer and squatted in front of the audience seat he was sitting on.

”Yeah, my body is struggling to adapt,” Ed said, moving his arms and legs slowly while seated.

Moon nodded. ”You’re staggering; you can’t fight like this.”

Ed gave Moon a long look. ”Why didn’t you wear the armor if you’re going to wear a helmet?” he suddenly changed the subject.

”Armor.” Moon’s head tilted. ”Ah, the armor.” He suddenly remembered.

”Don’t tell me you forgot to check the quest rewards entirely,” Ed said.

Moon’s hand felt the urge to scratch his head, but it was obscured by the helmet. He batted the metal of his helmet a couple of times.

”I forgot.” He nodded, admitting it.

”Want coffee?” Moon offered. ”Let’s bring coffee while you try to work this out.”

”How much coffee did you drink today?” Ed asked.

Moon started counting on his hand. ”Not sure, maybe three?”

”Drink one or two coffees a day, never more than that,” Ed advised.

Moon nodded. ”Okay, why though?”

”Have you always been like this?” Ed asked back.

”Like what?” Moon wasn’t sure what he meant.

”Like, forgetting things at every turn, focusing too much, then forgetting again,” Ed asked.

Moon put up the mask part of the helmet, showing his frown. ”Is it that bad?” he asked.

”That’s what I’m asking,” Ed clarified.

Moon thought for a moment. ”I’m not sure... On the first floor, it’s either food or fight... there’s nothing to forget or remember.”

Ed closed his eyes for a moment. ”How about this. A weapon you looted but left somewhere, a piece of meat you saved for later but never returned back to...” Ed added. ”Something like that.” He wasn’t going to let the matter go.

Moon thought, before slowly nodding. ”That did happen many times,” he admitted.

”I won’t tell you to never drink coffee again, but once is enough,” Ed advised. ”Same for cakes.”

”Is it that bad?” Moon frowned. ”Everyone is eating and drinking these all day, though.”

”Let’s just say you’re different. You get distracted easily,” Ed explained.

”How different?” Moon asked again.

Ed scratched his forehead. ”Didn’t you feel like coffee when you drank it, made you more focused, but a moment later you became more energetic needlessly and also more distracted?”

Moon slowly nodded.

”It’ll keep getting worse,” Ed said. ”So to make it better, make sure to not get too much coffee or sugar.”

Moon didn’t argue; he was indeed forgetting things too frequently. He thought he was choosing to delay things at first till he found himself forgetting more.

”Why didn’t you try using that a day or so ago?” Moon asked, pointing at the artifact.

”Samuel gave it to me a couple of hours ago,” Ed explained. ”I didn’t have time.”

”Then tomorrow we do it?” Moon asked.

”Nah, tomorrow you have a class with Uon, then you’ll spar with these two kids you brought... They need to get better if they’re going to go with you.” Ed explained the schedule Moon was having, but unaware of.

”Oh, they do need to get better indeed.” Moon nodded. ”What about the day after?” he asked.

”That’s Samuel’s. He’ll teach you about the seals in the morning and by night you’ll spar again,” Ed said.

”Spar, he’s cheating this time too, that shameless old man.” Moon gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.

”It won’t be as bad as the last one; your body is adapting to the basic charge. It’ll still be unpleasant, but not as bad...” Ed promised.

Moon pursed his lips; he squinted at Ed. He was evidently not believing him on that one.

Time ticked; Moon’s helmet rested on his fist, and his elbow rested on his knee. Still squatting, still waiting.

”You sure you’re getting this done today?” Moon asked, not sure if Ed, who was staying unmoving for a while now, would be able to adapt properly to this seal he was using.

”Maybe that shameless old man gave you a cursed object to see if you would go crazy right away or not?” Moon asked out loud.

Yet, once again... Ed didn’t respond in any way. He was motionless, and his eyes were closed shut.

Moon stood and started going in circles around him, but his eyelids didn’t even twitch once.

In the end, Moon unsheathed Liquid Mountain.

By himself, Moon started swinging Liquid Mountain as he remembered it in that Memory Fragment.

No matter how he thought about it, it was too short for how long it actually was; everything was more like a dream or a vision than an actual detailed experience.

Moon closed his eyes for a moment, reimagining the giant monsters and how everything was moving to his advantage.

Their size, he moved from one to the next.

Moon started walking in perfectly calculated steps, practising so he wouldn’t fall back into his old habits.

The image of himself in his mind walking the steps along with his own feet was in perfect sync; each attack went forth, but changed the aim midway.

Above, Lucen was still watching.

But his face wasn’t as smiling as his usual self; his eyes were focused. Even his golden eyebrows were furrowed slightly watching the scene.

”This doesn’t look like something that would come from the first floor,” he whispered to himself.

”It even contradicts every combat concept that has ever existed in the Tower.”

Lucen watched for a moment longer. ”Attack first, decide later...” His frown deepened once he came to the conclusion.

”The Tower combat structure has been built for eons on the unwavering commitment to every move. Trusting the art, trusting the execution, trusting the judgment.”

He shook his head, his face apologetic. ”If his body is resilient enough to bear the strain.” He paused for a moment.

”Maybe it’s his luck; his Echo is like this.”

He looked deeply at Moon. ”That last one they trained brought more trouble than anything else; I might need to dispose of him.”

Below, Moon was still committed to his attacks.

One after another, never once did he attack the intended spot at first. He always chose to decide later, as Lucen had noticed.

His footsteps were also getting faster gradually, always moving in irregular patterns, always moving to where it was favourable to him for the next attack to be executed.

For an unknown amount of time, Moon didn’t stop. He wasn’t yet aware, but his gift, the real gift of his, Hypothetical Prospective, was giving him small failures. Some rushed steps, some attacks at the wrong angle.

Moon was correcting himself instantly, in sync with what his body could perform safely without overdamaging himself.

Even if unaware, he was discovering the correct way to use his own gift.

Moon suddenly stopped. ”Huff huff, enough for today, I guess,” he decided, while holding his head, feeling like a throbbing pain was creeping slowly.

After catching his breath for some time, Moon checked on Ed again. ”Maybe we should just do it tomorrow late at night?” he asked again.

Ed, once again, didn’t answer.

But that was only for a couple of seconds, before—

Sha~

In an instant, his body was surrounded by 8 red, glowing blade glares of Echo.

”I’m ready.”