With the activation of the Fiery Golden Eyes for the first time, Cyruz tried looking at the status window of another person which he was never been able to do even before his regression.
[Status Window]
「 Name: Raven
Class: None
Titles: None
Health: 61 / 61
Mana: 4 / 4
Strength: 3 Stamina: 4
Agility: 10 Intelligence: 2 」
Of course, because he could see Raven's status window, Cyruz tried to look at his unique skill, wondering whether it was actually the reason for him to become the number one assassin.
[Shadow King's Descendant]
Rank: SS
[Carries the legacy of the notorious Shadow King, the speed of learning assassination skills will increase by 500 times.
* Fades into the shadows, becoming invisible that no one can see and only those you allow can see you.
* While invisible, you move 25% faster and grants each attack a 30% chance to deal 150% bonus damage to the target. (Effects will be doubled at night.)
* When attacking from behind, bonus damage is applied based on current agility.
Mana Consumption: None.
Cooldown Time: None.]
…
Looking at the skill, Cyruz was flabbergasted. It was so broken that it didn't made sense. With this skill, he can cut any foes, using the advantage of surprise, quietly slitting the throats of one enemy after another.
The skill's description was so incredible that it made Cyruz feel thrilled. Even the learning speed of assassination skills alone were already impressive and yet, he can also be permanently invisible. No wonder he became the best assassin and the 4th strongest among all of the players.
Permanent invisibility might seem simple at first glance but actually its not. Normal stealth or invisibility skills can only last for a duration of 10 seconds or slightly more which was a very short time in crucial situations. While Cyruz displays his admiration to the skill of Raven, he suddenly felt that the space around him fluctuated. It didn't take long for a portal open at his side.
An indication that someone was being transported here in the waiting room. As Cyruz turned his head, he saw someone emerging from it indicating that another person has successfully past the trial of the previous floor.
'Only one person?'
Cyruz wondered as he stared at a slender girl since he knew how hard it was to survive the third floor. It was normally impossible for someone to survive alone at that stage and yet, there was someone who made it to the fourth floor's waiting room alone. But the moment he saw her face for the first time, Cyruz genuinely felt like he had seen an angel. He had seen many beauties that made his heart beat faster, however he had never felt like what he was feeling right now.
Cyruz just stared at her face as he could feel his heart beating out of his chest. He was not aroused, but he felt heat in his body, as his cheeks flushed.
However, Cyruz was jolted back to reality and he quickly regained his calm the moment he saw her state. Her clothes were severely ripped, and she was covered with blood and cuts all over her body. Of course, she was swiftly healing in real time now that she had made it to the waiting area.
「 Fiery Golden Eyes have been activated. 」
「 Your gaze has looked at Sierra. Her status window is forcibly revealed. 」
Not disregarding the fact that she has made it here, Cyruz was not hesitant about using the newly acquired skill since he was intrigued by the abilities that enabled her to reach this particular area after the extremely challenging ordeal on the third floor.
[Status Window]
「 Name: Sierra
Class: None
Titles: None
Health: 86 / 86
Mana: 6 / 6
Strength: 7 Stamina: 5
Agility: 8 Intelligence: 3 」
'Sierra..!'
Seeing her name, Cyruz recognized who she is. This pretty girl with waist-length dark-green hair with her bangs parted on the right side, and yellow-green eyes was an alchemist who would rise to Rank 10 status in the future despite not being focused in combat.
[Alchemy Lord]
Rank: SS
[The miraculous master of alchemy. All alchemy products produced will be 500 times more effective.
* The duration of all consumed potion, pills and elixirs' effect will become infinite. Same effects can be stacked up to 5 times.
Mana Consumption: None.
Cooldown Time: None.]
Finally knowing what's her skill is, Cyruz could only say in his mind.
'No wonder I couldn't make a transaction with her.'
Her unique skill isn't inferior compared to Raven's at all. Before his rebirth, she became someone he couldn't meet even with his status as a ranker. Thinking about it, Cyruz couldn't help but be envious since what he has in the past is an A-rank innate skill while these people were gifted with SS-rank skills. Not to mention that these skills were the exact reasons why there was a big gap between each rankers.
Now what's an alchemist? They are the one who can produce a wide range of supernatural effects by mixing together the right substances combined with the proper method. For Cyruz who never ventured in the path of alchemy before, alchemy is the power to change or create things in a way which seems mysterious and magical.
Well thanks to alchemy, Cyruz could access various potions that could greatly benefit him.
Potions are liquids created through alchemy that give restoration or buffs upon consumption. These potions have grades that indicate how effective they are. These grades go from Low to Ultimate. Graded potions are all created with the same materials, though the grade given is random.
[Low Strength Potion]
Rating: Normal
* Increases your strength by 5 points for 5 minutes.
「 Price: 5 gold coins. 」
[Low Agility Potion]
Rating: Normal
* Increases your agility by 5 points for 5 minutes.
「 Price: 5 gold coins. 」
Based on her status window, Cyruz guessed that Sierra must have already consumed a single piece for each of this. After consumption, it must have provided her some stat points which will last for unlimited amount of time.
Since there's still no equipment to start alchemy in floor 4 and below, Sierra could only purchase these portions at the shop at 500 points each which was very expensive. But still, Cyruz wouldn't deny that her skill is too broken.
If she used a health potion, Sierra will permanently recover in every second. If she uses an invisibility potion, she permanently gained the ability to stealthily move around and if she used a speed enhancement potion, her speed will also permanently increase.
"Are you okay?"
Cyruz asked her a question, expressing some sincerity as he could also see the anguish in her expression.
Sierra didn't reply at him but look at Cyruz warily. He didn't mind her silence since its only natural for her to he vigilant since she just experienced a life and death situation. Sierra's gaze shifted from Cyruz to the two sleeping figure of Jin and Raven which she could guess the reason why there were in slumber.
"You're now in the waiting room. You can relax here in the meantime."
Cyruz continued to speak calmly at her. It would be a lie if he didn't have an ulterior motive in approaching but Cyruz is determined. Since Sierra is a ranker who's stronger than him in the past, he would be an utter fool if he let this chance to be on the same team with her to pass.
In the future, she was an alchemist that he couldn't easily approach despite being a ranker, but this time was different. If she's an ordinary person, Cyruz might not consider forming a connection with her.
The weak dies. This was the nature of the Tower of Trials.
In his last life, Cyruz did not consider this and tried to keep everyone alive to the best of his ability but after his regression, he had become coldly calculative.
Those with poor ability or nature will not be allowed to continue.
It was true that the more 'people left to climb the tower' the better, but in the end, only the best would remain anyway. That's why, he would carefully select the 'Chosen Ones' as his comrades.
"Can I really rest in here?"
When Cyruz spoke that she could rest in this place, Sierra breathed out of relief. Her situation was just like the same as the three of them so she's currently drowsy. Since there's three strangers in front of her, Sierra gathered her willpower to endure the sleepiness just to be safe.
"Of course. That's why the three of us are taking a breather and recharge our strength."
"I see."
Sierra nodded at him as she slowly lied down.
"For you to reach this far all by yourself, you must have it hard."
In a consoling tone, Cyruz speaks once again. This time, Sierra's entire body momentarily shook and flinched.
"My friends… they all died."
As if it was hard for her to speak out those words, Sierra muttered with a pained expression.
「 The target states the truth. 」
Fiery Golden Eyes, an ability gifted to him by the constellation, Great Sage Heaven's Equal which grants him the ability to see the lies of others.
Just then, Sierra's slender figure slowly began to fall. Due to the accumulated fatigue from the trial which surpasses what she could normally handle, made her close her eyes and fall asleep. Since he saw her, Cyruz caught her and then gently placed her.
Just then.
While Cyruz placed Sierra to a comfortable position, system messages appears in his vision.
「 Confirmed as the first player to achieve consecutive 1st places in the overall ranking. 」
「 Congratulations! You are the first to consecutively achieve the 1st rank. Currently, you holds the top position in both the overall rankings. 」
「 You have accomplished an unbelievable feat! 」
「 You will now be granted the title 'Undefeated King' 」
「 As the reward for ranking first overall, you has acquired Magic Mango as an achievement reward. 」
At the same time as the message appeared, his whole body shivered, as if he had been electrocuted.
"Haaaa…"
The exhilaration of his body and mind growing at once was so electric. This was the effect of receiving a title.
[Title – Undefeated King]
– Requirement for Acquisition: First to achieve consecutive 1st places in the overall ranking.
– Effect: You become stronger and mightier the longer you fight but if you are defeated in a fight, the skill will be deleted.
* Every time you fight without losing, you will gain a large number of additional rewards. ]
A subtle smile curved at the corner of his lips as he read the message.
"I've obtained the title as planned."
Originally, this was the title Jin had in his previous life. The legendary tier title that significantly contributed for him becoming the strongest player in the last round.
[Magic Mango]
Rating: Normal
[Instantly increases your mana capacity by 100 mana.
* This item can only be consume five times per person.]
Hoh, incredible.
Cyruz thought as his gaze was fixed to a mango surrounded with blue lights in his hands and had a sweet and refreshing scent like a flower. Without hesitation, he swiftly took a bte and devoured it.
The moment Cyruz swallowed the last piece of it, he rapidly felt a surging power in his body as a majestic spiritual energy exploded within him.
「 You have taken the Magic Mango. 」
「 A significant amount of mana is flowing throughout your body. 」
「 Your mana has permanently risen by 100. 」
Cyruz was overjoyed when he felt the surge of mana surge through his body. Not only did it make him grin, but the boost in his maximum mana pool now allows him to use the skills bestowed upon him.
Cyruz took a deep breath, feeling the newly awakened mana circulating smoothly through his veins. The suffocating emptiness he had felt in his mana since his regression was completely gone.
He looked down at his own hands, then turned his gaze back toward the three sleeping figures around him. Jin, the future apex powerhouse; Raven, the ultimate shadow assassin; and Sierra, the miraculous alchemy lord.
Thinking about the upper floors, Cyruz contemplated. Before his regression, players used to endlessly debate the optimal distribution of status points. The common consensus among the masses was always biased toward pure offensive power. Strength and Agility were worshipped by warriors and assassins, while Intelligence was coveted by mages.
On the other hand, stats like Stamina and especially Intelligence for non-mage classes were often overlooked, labeled as secondary or inefficient. But looking at the broken, SS-rank skills of the monsters sleeping in front of him, Cyruz couldn't help but scoff at the ignorance of the past.
Raven's agility allowed him to strike from the shadows with lethal, scaling multipliers. Sierra's seemingly low physical stats were completely irrelevant because her infinite potion duration meant she could artificially stack any attribute she desired to absolute perfection.
Even his own newly acquired title, Undefeated King, demanded high Stamina to endure prolonged battles and receive its compounding rewards.
There's no stats that can be considered as trash at all.
Every single point in a status window had a purpose, a hidden potential waiting to be unlocked by the right skill, the right title, or the right user.
Sitting down cross-legged between his future comrades, Cyruz closed his eyes. The waiting room was silent save for the soft, synchronized breathing of the sleeping rankers. He had successfully rewritten the start of his history and secured a legendary title.
When the fourth floor opened, the world would see a completely different Cyruz. He wouldn't just survive this time, he would dominate.