BXBX NOVEL Chapter 93: Tier Advancement
Age: 21
Race: Human II
Classes: Luminous Sage (Main), Demon Slayer (2nd), Smith Lv.47/100 (Sub)
Level: Tier 2 - Lv.9
Titles: Son of Heaven (+4)...
System Authority: Lv.8
Aptitude:
Body: EX!
Energy: EX!
Spirit: EX!
Final rating: EX+
Skills:
Actives: Sword Intent Lv.25, Kickboxing (M), Iron Skin (M), Multi-Stab (M), Air-Hop (M), Focus (M), Lightspeed Lv.75,
Passives: Elementary Sage Physique (U), Sage's Perception (U), Education Lv.100, Demon Lore Lv.75, Slayer's Mark Lv.10, Sage Arts Lv.30, Marksmanship (M).
Sub-Class Skills: Focus (M), Decode (M), Symbol Mastery (M), Crafting Lv.47, Metallurgy Lv.47, Smith's Blessing Lv.47, Repair Lv.50
[Mandatory Task:]
: Hell Dive - Survive the Endless Undead Horde for 5 hours twice.
: Rewards - 100% Demon Soul gain, Clearance Streak +1
: Punishment for Failure - Failure Streak +1.
: Record: Clear Streak - 12, Failure Streak - 0
****
'So it's been a year, huh?' Cedric mused to himself as he stared at his profile.
Unknowingly, a year already passed since he got these eyes. His life completely changed since then. While he could still vividly remember everything that happened since then, it all also seemed like a blur to him. He didn't expect that there would be a day where he could live like he does now, but here he was.
On another note, it's time for another Tier Advancement...
He stayed at Tier 2 Lv.9 for about three weeks now and he had completely grasped his strength. And since the entrance exam for the Starlight Royal Academy is just a month away, he figured that he should at least begin now so he could still have some time to adjust.
"System, show me the requirements to advance to Tier 3." He blurted out.
[Alert! The System detected that User Cedric reached Tier 2 Lv.9 in strength. He is qualified to view the requirements to advance to Tier 3.]
[Here are the requirements:
1. The user must reach Tier 2 Lv.9 (Pass)
2. The user must have a Hell Dive clear streak of 3 or above. Past records are valid. (Pass)
3. Complete Mastery of at least 3 Class related skills. (Pass)
4. At least one Aptitude Parameter must reach C-Rank. (Pass)
5. The user must pass the trial prepared by the Acala System. (-)]
**
The requirements were pretty simple and easy to clear. Those who are skilled enough and are doing fairly well in life shouldn't find this difficult at all. Granted, the requirements might differ from one person to the other but in general, those who could reach this stage should have enough potential and skill to pass whatever Acala prepared for them.
Cedric himself effortlessly passed most of the requirements already, he didn't even move a muscle yet.
This much was understandable. After all, this is the early stages of Superhuman scaling, as one goes up the ranks, the challenges they'd face would become more difficult.
Since all that was left for him to do was to pass the trial Acala prepared for him, Cedric wasted no time and said:
"Begin the Tier Advancement Trial. Let's get this over with."
[As you wish, User Cedric. The System will now send you to the Trial Space in 3...2...1!]
Cedric felt the world around him spinning, which was a sign that he was being transported elsewhere. This doesn't affect him anymore since he has already gotten used to it. All of the times he got transported to Purgatory numbed him already.
When he regained his clarity, he discovered that he was once again at the same place where his Class Change Quest took place. Well...it's not the exact same place, but it looks the same.
[Notice: Welcome to the Trial Space, User Cedric! This place will determine whether you are fit to become a Tier 3 Superhuman or not.]
[To pass this trial, you must enter the Arena and win at least 10 rounds of matches.]
[You may quit as soon as you reach the required number of victories, or continue til you reach your limits to receive heftier rewards from the System.]
[Alert! Your Trial begins once you step foot into the arena!]
[Notice: You are exempted from certain death while you're in here. Time flows and works similarly to your Hell Dives. Everything that is displayed here will only be witnessed by Acala alone.]
**
"Cool." Cedric mused as he relaxed for a bit.
He wasn't in a hurry here. Since time here flowed like it was in Hell Dives, it means that no matter how long he spent here, only 30 minutes will pass in the real world.
'I wonder if anybody abused this mechanic before.' Cedric mused to himself, 'Nah, probably not. Acala is way too intelligent to let that kind of thing pass. Maybe she'll allow it to some extent but not to the point where it gets ridiculous.'
'Besides, even though the time flows differently here, its rules are still imposed on us. Meaning that we will still age here, so unless one possesses the gift of boundless lifespan and vitality, this mechanic is a little too hard to exploit.'
What he said wasn't too far from the truth at least, but that doesn't matter right now. He had something to do so must prioritize that instead.
Cedric didn't enter the arena right away. Instead, he opted to sit down first and meditate to adjust his mental state. Then, he double-checked his equipment to make sure that there wouldn't be any accidents.
Once he felt that he was ready, he stood up and marched towards the Arena. And as soon as he stepped foot there, the Trial had already begun.
He sensed an enemy manifesting nearby. Before they even formed, Cedric already locked onto their location. Still, he waited until the enemies formed to see what he was facing.
"A human?" He muttered to himself once he laid eyes on his enemy for the first round.
That's right, he's facing humans again. However, he noticed that whoever he was facing had no consciousness. It has instinct which was geared to offense but it wasn't intelligent at all. It seemed like a puppet or something similar.
"Ah!" Cedric's expression brightened up. "You must be a memory then."
Cedric has heard of this before...or did he read it somewhere? Either way, he had come across this information before.
Acala likes to remember people who showed great potential. She doesn't do this for the mere sake of melancholy or anything, she does it to use as her tools to accelerate the growth of Humanity.
By fighting a memory of a really impressive individual, one could broaden their horizons and feel sufficient pressure to properly elevate their strength.
Cedric clearly has no idea who his first enemy was and he wasn't all too concerned. Especially since the enemy who just showed up couldn't even dodge the first bullet he shot.
The memory of that person disappeared just as fast as it came. This moves Cedric to the 2nd Challenge.
Again, another memory appeared and again, he only used a single bullet to deal with it.
This happened on the 4th...5th...all the way to 9th enemy. Every one of them couldn't dodge his bullets fast enough.
As for the 'supposedly' last round, Cedric finally faced someone who managed to react to his bullets. Unfortunately, though, that guy wasn't able to survive the second bullet he shot.
This has become a trend, but by the time he reached his 21st enemy, the difficulty spiked and it was obvious.
From this point onwards, the increase in difficulty consistently rose. Little by little, Cedric was pushed to show his abilities more.
There were resting periods after every 10 rounds that lasted for 30 minutes, long enough for him to regain his strength.
Cedric breezed through the trial. He faced Acala's memories of geniuses one round after the other. He reached the 30th round...the 40th...50th...
Eventually, he met his match in the 100th round, and that fight ended up in mutual destruction. Fortunately, he couldn't die here so he had no qualms sacrificing himself to bring that guy down.
[Congratulations, User Cedric. You reached the 100th Stage of the Trials and cleared it successfully.]
[You have achieved a feat that only a few managed to do in all of Superhuman History. For this, Acala asks: Are you willing to have her memory of you to be the Final Challenger for the Tier 3 Advancement Trial?]
"Oh, this can happen?" Cedric was mildly surprised, "Sure, why not? Sounds fun!"
[Acala appreciates your enthusiasm.]
[Congratulations on passing your Tier Advancement with flying colors. You will be receiving the following: 'Random Legendary Equipment Ticket', Beast Egg (Growth), and 'Enlightening Tea Packets' ×10.]
"Hoho..." Cedric smiled at those rich rewards. He then began inspecting them one by one.
[Legendary Equipment Ticket (Random)]
: Directions - tear this ticket to receive a random Legendary Tier Equipment.
[Beast Egg (Growth)]
: This beast egg is special. It is unknown for now and its owner must nourish it within their bodies to incubate it. Its form will depend on its owner's personality, potential, and dreams.
: Note - having the Sub-Class: Beast Tamer, is not required to raise this beast egg.
[Enlightening Tea Packets]
: A special product that only a select group of people receives. Brew it and consume it for a guaranteed enlightenment.
: Note - Focus on the matter you want to be enlightened about before consuming this tea for maximum effect.