As they let the kid back onto the boat, the captain could even feel the presence of his mana. It was stronger than it had been when they had left him on the island two weeks prior.

The captain turned to the kid with an impressed look on his face.

“I guess you gotta get back for your exam then. When does it start?”

The boy grinned, his face dirty and his eyes slightly manic.

“The final exam starts tomorrow.”

80

It was hard to believe that the very next day, Max woke up on a comfortable bed in Sakura’s apartment.

He’d grown used to the wild living of Ogre Island.

He felt a groggy strange feeling—almost like what he imagined jet lag to feel like—which must have been what happened to you when you spent so much time on one floor and then returned to another.

Beyond a physical tiredness, it was just psychologically strange to go from a tropical ocean world of islands to the semi-dystopian city state of Zestiris.

He could see why the captain and his crew, amongst others, preferred to live out their lives on other floors.

The archipelagos didn’t have the rules, walls, and secrets of Zestiris.

It felt more free up there somehow.

Max couldn’t wait to climb even higher in the tower.

But first he had to compete in the final climber exams.

He could worry about everything else later.

He rolled out of bed and quickly reviewed his stat sheet, going over the gains from his training.

Name: Max Rainhart

Rank: E

Trait (Unique): Mimic. Unleash the last move you were hit with at double the power.

You may choose to retain one ability you’re hit with, adding it to your arsenal of attacks at double the power.

Ability Slot: Shadow Blink (Rare)

Strength: 19

Agility: 19

Endurance: 16

Mana Affinity: 18

Passive Skills:

Kokoro (Warrior Spirit)

With stats nearing almost twenty, Max was about to exceed and go beyond the strength and agility of a professional athlete. Even now, a punch—especially one imbued with mana—would seriously hurt the average thug in the outer-rim.

To normal humans, he was now a serious threat that one wouldn’t want to mess with. Yet in the world of climbers, he was still near the bottom of the totem pole.

But so were the students he’d be competing against today. Or, at least, he hoped.

He got up, showered, and ate a decent breakfast. He didn’t want to overload himself as that might slow him down and make him sick during the tournament fights, but he also didn’t want to get hungry. He felt like he had struck a good balance that morning.

As he ate, he saw Sakura had left a note for him.

“Good luck Max! I’ll be cheering you on from the stands! Don’t wait up for me, I had to leave early for a meeting with the other branch commanders.”