12th Floor III

"You look ridiculous," Orthis commented with a grin. Urman grumbled a bit but didn't refute it.

It was shortly before the party, and the servants finally gave the green light. Nobles took appearance very seriously, so the academy sent servants to dress and style them despite their protest.

Urman had gained some serious muscles, and his suit tried to hide them but failed miserably and just made him look more buff. Even Orthis had gotten rather lean despite not doing more than the training in the Combat class but not to the point where it was noticeable through clothes.

For some reason, nobles didn't like muscles, or at least the show of them, which confused Orthis as he knew for a fact that most nobles undergo harsh training from a young age and should be packed with muscles themselves. Maybe it was just an aesthetic preference and not in line with their image of elegance.

In that case, they should have some magic or technique to hide their own muscle mass, but they didn't seem bothered enough to share it with the public. If that was true, then that showed just how little nobles liked to share their things.

The party was only going to officially begin in an hour, but they were expected to show up earlier.

The banquet wasn't going to take place in the academy but inside the Royal Palace, and since they would take over an hour to get there without violating the flight prohibition, the academy prepared a special teleporter that wasn't locked down by the space formation that made long-distance teleportation impossible in the capital.

As they made their way to the special room that held the portal gate together with the other top 100, people began to stare at them. Some with jealousy, some with contempt, some with pity, and some with ridicule, though the last was mostly for how they looked.

Jealousy was a given as they were about to go to the royal palace and meet with the highest elite there is on this floor, if we didn't act like complete morons and started rambling about wanting to be bound or something like that, then every one of the top 100 would get a lot of resources and support, widening the gap with the other students even further.

Some saw it as us trying to cling to someone powerful or, as some would say, cling to their tights or becoming boot lickers. Orthis and most of the top 100 saw it as more of a beneficial coexistence, like a job. They did some work and got paid for it.

The pity wasn't entirely unjustified, as some nobles would definitely try to exploit the climbers and force them to be their slaves. There have indeed been cases where a noble managed to make an idiot climber sign a contract that not only permanently made them their servant, but also forbid them from continue climbing.

All Orthis could say to that was, it's your own fault for not reading a contract before signing it, even if the noble acted nice and benevolent until now.

Some of the other hundred tried to make conversation with the top 2, but they both ignored them, with the exception of the jumpy assassin and the lizardman with dragon blood. The rest just weren't worth their time and effort to make a good relationship with people who were fated to fall behind them.

The assassin was a young boy named Joreon with dwarven ancestry, a strange combination, Orthis thought, but in the end, a dwarf assassin would probably be one of the least surprising things he would encounter in the Tower.

The red lizardman still held a grudge for what happened just yesterday and he didn't even bother to conceal it. Thanks to his weak dragon lineage, having no talent without it, and not bothering to train as he believed that he was stronger than everyone else, the scales Orthis broke in their exchange still weren't healed, leaving him looking miserable.

Scales were a dragon pride, even more so for dragonoids who worshiped the dragons. To them, their scales were holy and symbolized their connection to them. That often also caused them to believe they were the chosen one, but most of the time, they were quickly humbled, either by being beaten by someone else or when their objects of worship wouldn't even look at these disgraces.

Joreon was an easy guy to make conversation with, even if he was a bit nervous facing two people his age who could crush him, probably because that never happened to him before.

The dragonoid's name was Digred. He didn't just hold a grudge; he was just straight-up rude, not just to Orthis but to everyone in general.

Still, Orthis tried to make him warm up a bit. No matter how good of a friend Urman was, he didn't want to climb the Tower with just him, some more friends that could keep up with you were always nice in the Tower.

The teleporter was a lot smoother than he expected, he thought he might feel a bit nauseous upon arrival, but there was nothing, even the spacial sense he began to develop barely even felt a change. They were just surrounded in a space bubble and pushed through space, essentially leaving them in the same space from beginning to end.

While Orthis was trying to understand the inner workings of this, their group was led from the teleportation room to a giant door and told to wait for them to be called by the announcer. Yes, everyone who attended the party would be introduced before they moved through the door.

Since the announcer seemed to go from unimportant to important, Orthis and Urman had to wait for the 98 others behind them to enter.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, they were let in and they immediately noticed the unnecessary extravagance.

The giant hall was made almost entirely out of gold, or at least a material that looked like it but was more magical in nature, Mystic Gold. The center of the hall was empty, furniture-wise at least, as many people were standing there, looking at the two.

The biggest extravagance, however, was the tables full of food from countless magical beings. That in itself wasn't the problem, the problem was that no one attending this gathering even needed to eat or drink.

Using Mana to be self-sustenance was literally the first thing they learned at the Academy, probably because that drastically decreased the food costs. Every climber ate small mountains of food, and with this, they would only have to occasionally give them nutritious fluids. If there was one thing this amazing technique didn't do, it was to create nutrients, at least for beginners.

The technique for self-sustenance was divided into three levels. The first replaced the need for food and water, the second was a lot harder as it replaced the air you breathe, and the last was a level few ever reached as it required a high Mind stat to no longer have to sleep.

Normally, this technique doesn't provide the body with any nutrients unless you have mastered the technique to absolute perfection, but Orthis could bypass that and get nutrients from his Mana at just his advanced mastery.

Since he gained the trait from the skeleton, his self-sustenance was a lot more efficient, and Orthis didn't even need nutrient supplements like most people anymore. He had begun to learn the second level, though the difficulty jumped up by a lot, and it would probably take a year before he properly learned it, not to mention master it.

Ignoring the blatant show of wealth and power, Orthis looked at the small group of smaller nobles gracefully walking to them and trying to make a conversation. Since they were mostly Baronets, Barons, and Viscounts.

They knew that the chances of poaching the ambitious top 100 would be near impossible, so they decided to make good relations instead.

And while Orthis copied their fake smiles and took note of some names, he was glad that they fled the moment some bigger fishes appeared, in this case, the Royal family. The entry of the ruling family of this entire world was announced with a lot more flair, glitter, and music, and that wasn't even for the King.

He apparently never showed up to such gatherings, and he was rumored to look down on them as he was once a powerful climber before he retired and took the throne. The royal members that entered one after another with their closest supporters were the Grand Duke, the only brother of the king who didn't die in the war for succession, the first princess, known as the puppet princess due to her lack of talent despite her impressive lineage and the fact that it was already settled that she would be a tool for a political marriage, the first prince, who had the best chances to succeed the current king due to many nobles still believing that only the firstborn son had the right to inherit, the second prince, who was famous for being a tactical genius.

There were some others, but they were either too young to attend or too far off from the main tree. Because the bloodline of the royal family was very special, there wasn't a single member of the family that didn't have at least above-average talent in at least one thing, that was why the beautiful first princess was seen as such a failure, of course, no one dared to actually say that out of fear of the royal family but everyone thought it.

Most high nobles had already chosen who they were going to support and entered with that person, but there were a few who stayed neutral.

Orthis almost pitied these ambitious princes that thought they would become kings anytime soon. Climbers could live for a long time depending on their power and he didn't doubt that the current king wouldn't surrender his throne for at least another few thousand years. Orthis was sure that even he, who just started climbing the Tower, could live for five to six thousand years before dying of old age, and that was under the assumption he wouldn't get stronger.

The worst part was that any rebellion would be destroyed by the king's absolute power, the only way to even have a chance is by colluding with powerhouses from other floors.

The first prince ignored everyone who tried to approach him and looked around the hall as if looking for something. His eyes stopped on Orthis and Urman and they both began to have a bad feeling.

It wasn't that they didn't want anything to do with royalties but that this specific prince felt like bad news. Everyone here wore a fake smile and had hidden intentions, but those two could practically feel his malicious intention due to their highly developed instincts, even if his fake smile was even better than any of the nobles they had met so far.

"Hello, you two must be the winner of this year's winner, right?" it was less of a question and more of a subtle demand to play the rule he designed for them. He knew the answer, yet he still put on a show and wanted them to answer him.

Knowing that Urman would most likely not hide his dislike for this person, Orthis decided to take it from here. "Yes, you are correct. I am Orthis, the first place, and this is my friend and second place, Urman."

"God, good, you both must be very talented to make it this far without any support while only being in the climber class. Have you considered who you wish to join? I'm sure you have already been told about the benefits from some of the other nobles, though they can't compare to what I am offering."

He didn't even bother to hide his intentions and straight-up pressured them. How could they tell him they wanted to join someone else when he was personally standing in front of them with his group of powerful nobles standing behind him, literally? Even if the prince pretended to be fine with their rejection, there would surely be at least one idiot who would try to kill them to please the prince.

Orthis wasn't delusional; he knew that he was weaker than even the weakest noble in the prince's group of supporters. He might be insanely talented with two cheats but didn't change the fact that he had only been in the Tower for about a year, while even the youngest in their group was a few hundred years old.

Luckily someone came to their rescue and disarmed the situation without leaving any thoughts of getting rid of them.

"I see you have already met with the two most promising students I have had in a while, What do you think of them? Quite impressive, I might say. I look forward to what they would achieve under the right guidance." A familiar old but vigorous and cheerful voice made the heads of the two groups turn to the Headmaster who suddenly appeared.

The prince gritted his teeth at the sudden change but quickly hid his anger behind a masterful mask, though Orthis didn't fail to catch it.

"Yes, they are quite… talented." He barely managed to say that; he already knew that he couldn't get those two now that this old monster had its eyes on them. His followers might be strong, and his political might stronger than any other prince or princess, but he knew that this didn't matter in the face of absolute power, and this bearded old man was the second strongest being after his father on this floor by a margin. "If you would excuse me, I will be introducing myself to the others."

Alian Tianos just watched in amusement as the oldest prince walked away. "He would be a great successor if he wasn't so ambitious and immature despite his age. Ambitions are great as long as they don't control you and make you walk a darker path to achieve them."

Before either of the two could respond and thank him, he turned his head to them, and his smile vanished as he seriously said, "Why don't you two take a walk with me? I promise you this old man will make it worth your while"

This time, he didn't just randomly teleport them away without their consent but guided them away from the hall across the many corridors of the royal palace while talking.

"Who you are going to meet is the fourth prince, Ellt di Kersihm. While you still need to show some respect and manners, you don't need to be so stiff, that boy is very casual to most people."

No longer following the confusing turn of events, Urman couldn't help but ask. "Excuse me, but why are we suddenly leaving the gathering to meet someone sick? That seems a bit strange." And Orthis nodded in agreement.

"There are several reasons for that. Despite being very unlikely to inherit the throne, many people still would try to stop him from meeting potential supporters, so an event like this is the only opportunity for you to meet him without worry.

Another reason is that I want you to meet him and make a decision on your own. Unlike these brats, I don't like forcing people into obedience. If you like him and are interested in following him, I will arrange everything. If however you don't think he has what it takes to make you follow him, you can simply return to the gathering and socialize and suck up to the other nobles."

That sounded like an offer that no other would make, Orthis thought, very reasonable as well. The truth was, his backer wouldn't need to be the king himself or the prince most likely to inherit. A fallen prince that everyone still respected due to his lineage was already more than enough to get the privileges and resources he wanted.

"My prince is about your age and already completed all the Floors up until here with bravo, but as his power grew, he suddenly got sicker and weaker. Even the Royal Library has not a single mention of such a disease, and most have already given up on finding a cure, but my divination tells me you might be able to help him." He spoke honestly, and Orthis could hear how much he cared for this Ellt.

Divination was a subject that also interested Orthis but it wasn't part of the curriculum of a climber without a backer, hopefully, this would change today.

"I couldn't see how, but if you do, I promise you, I will personally make sure that you will be rewarded however you like. On top of what His Highness would give you, of course." The Headmaster said with a resolution before stopping at the door. "We're here."

After a few knocks, a weak and hoarse voice came from the other side. "Come in"

When the door opened, the first thing the duo noticed was the lack of luxury things, like gems in the walls, magic lights, and furniture made from precious metal, like they had seen in the palace until now.

The room was considerably darker, only being lit by a few slits in the curtains and a glowing orb above the nightstand, but it was enough to see the corpse-like prince on the bed.

His skin was a pale grey, but it didn't seem as fragile as it should. His body structure didn't lack any muscles like most patients who haven't left their beds in a long time, but something told Orthis he was weaker than people who were only skin and bones.

"Greetings, your Highness. My name is Orthis, no last name. I'm a climber currently attending the academy." He respectfully introduced himself as he inspected the bedridden prince.

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[Name: Ellt di Kersihm]

[Description: The fourth prince of the Kersihm Kingdom of Floor 12, Section 3FM7-29. He is half Giant, Half Dwarf. He is currently suffering from Dense Mana Disorder, making his Mana impossibly dense.

Due to this disorder, he can't expel his Mana from his body and cannot control his solid Mana. If he doesn't awaken his Talent soon to adjust his Soul with his Mana, his Mana will slowly crush him to paste from the inside out.

He is currently using a technique to conceal his true form]

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Even without this prompt, Orthis could feel the unique Mana inside him. Most people's Mana had the consistency of mercury, while his own was closer to water, but this guy's Mana was more like a mountain of steel.

"Why have you come here, Alian? Is it another wishful attempt to cure me and crush my hopes?" the fourth prince glared at the second-strongest person in the kingdom. Clearly, this wasn't the first time he received visitors.

"No, Your Highness, this time it's different. I…"

"Spare me the excuses, I heard the same sentence too many times." He interrupted him, ignoring the pained Headmaster, "So, what do you claim to have that can cure me? Magic? Alchemy? Runes? Science?" the sarcasm in his voice wasn't hidden.

"Ahem.." Urman was too taken aback to even react. Clearly, they were the ones being brought here by the old man, why did it sound like they wanted to be here?

"Neither, we are here on the Headmaster's request, we didn't even know the details of your illness beforehand."

"Oh, so you're here because of the banquet, that explains it. If the geezer thinks you are talented and trustworthy enough to be backed by me, then so be it. From now on, you can access the official library of the academy and take exclusive courses. If you run into trouble, you can use my name, but if you misuse it, I will have you killed. I don't even need to get out of bed for that." The prince said with some boredom and ridicule in his voice; he just wanted to get rid of these two opportunistic guys and be left alone.

Before the Headmaster could speak, Orthis spoke up. "Your Highness, it's true that we came here to form connections and had no knowledge of your alignment, but I believe that we indeed have a cure for your situation. Even if it can't cure it, it should at least reduce the pain and increase your survival chances." This turn of events took the Headmaster by surprise. He foresaw that they might have a cure, but he didn't have much hope, even divination made mistakes.

"We do?" Urman looked confused but shut up when Orthis gave him a glare that clearly told him that this wasn't the time to question him.

"Of course you do, not like the richest and most powerful on this floor haven't already tried everything. Don't try to get my hopes up or I will take back the privileges I just gave you."

"I'm not, look." Orthis took one of the many Talent Awakening Elixirs from his Inventory. He couldn't even show it to the prince before it suddenly disappeared from his hand and reappeared in the Headmasters.

"Impossible, it's real. How did you get this? This isn't something money can buy, it can only be found." The shock was clearly heard in his voice as he held the vial of shiny blue liquid.

Orthis couldn't answer because he was interrupted again. "What is it, Alian?" a tremble could be heard in the voice as the prince clearly noticed the shock and excitement his closest ally showed, something that never happened, no matter how crazy or expensive the method brought by his previous visitors. He was actually beginning to hope that this might be a solution, even if not a complete cure.

"Ellt, this.. this is a Talent Awakening Elixir. This might actually be able to help you." The old man got so emotional that he even forgot to put up an appearance and called him by his first name, not that either of the two cared about that at the moment.

"Give me that," he hurriedly asked, no, commanded. There was some hesitation in the Headmaster's eyes, but it quickly disappeared as he looked at the sickly figure of the child he saw as his grandson. Even if he was powerful, he still didn't have a Talent after thousands of years.

The only time he even saw this elixir was at an auction on the 50th Floor, but the price quickly went above anything he had, even today he would basically be poor after buying it at the price it was sold for, and the elixir ended up being auctioned to the High Elven Queen.

When the prince finally held the vial in his hands, his excitement calmed down a little. "What do you want from me? Not even a fool would give something this precious away out of goodwill. You already have my backing, what else do you want." Despite the situation, he still kept the political mind he was trained to have since infancy.

Orthis really didn't have any reason to give him this potion since both Urman, and he already had a Talent, and he even had a lot more in his inventory, but he knew that nobles would never accept something for free, be it out of fear of a trap or because they didn't want to look poor.

"I want access to the forbidden and ancient books, as well as the chance to team up with you, should you awaken a powerful Talent and are as strong as I feel you are when fully recovered," Orthis stated. If the other party insisted on repaying him, why not take a bit of advantage of him?

"That's it? Even if this doesn't cure me, just handing over the potion would give you enough merit for my father to consider letting you into the innermost vault of the treasury only he has access to, where artifacts and weapons from higher floors are stored."

"Believe me, Your Highness, the books are more valuable to me than any amount of weapons and wealth," Orthis said with a sly look and a small grin, he knew he wasn't exaggerating.

"Very well, I will talk to Father about your payment and put a reward of my own on top of it. Now leave, I wish to be alone."

After the three parted ways outside the prince's room, with the duo heading back to the banquet and the Headmaster going who-knows-where, Urman finally spoke up.

"Why did you do that? I know that they aren't valuable to us, but that was unusually careless of you to hand them over just because he needed them to get better. What if word gets out, and you will be captured and interrogated for how you got them?"

Orthis was well aware of the risk; he read enough history books in the library to know that some people and organizations are willing to go to great lengths to get what they want. He wouldn't have done this if he hadn't seen the potential this fourth prince had, which was also why he asked him to join him in climbing the floors in the future.

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[The royal family of Kersihm possesses a unique bloodline that exists nowhere else in the Tower. This variant of giants is far smaller and weaker but has the special characteristics that when bred with another species, only the best genes of both races will be preserved. This led to each member of the royal family having a mother from a different species.

Sadly, the new genes aren't inherited, and each generation only inherits the giant part plus the race of the other parent.]

[Dense Mana Deficiency is an almost incurable illness that is a death sentence. If the body and soul adjust to the Mana, it can be controlled. The Mana capacity will always be capped at a certain level that can never be increased. Instead of increasing in quantity with the Mind stat, it increases in quality as it gets denser and heavier.

While DMD still makes it impossible to cast even the most basic of magics due to its inability to leave the body, it is unmatched when it comes to physical enhancement, being hundreds of times more effective and capable of growing even more as the density increases.

Even passively, it increases endurance immensely, grants resistance against almost all magics, and increases physical growth by several times.]

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Giants, even if it's this weaker variant, and dwarfs are known for being rather robust and musculous. Combined with the DMD, he could turn out to be an unstoppable monster of raw power, and Orthis wouldn't want to miss out on such a teammate.