Chapters (122)
- Tower Climber
- Jakob Tanner
- Contents
- Newsletter
- Dedication
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
- 15
- 16
- 17
- 18
- 19
- 20
- 21
- 22
- 23
- 24
- 25
- 26
- 27
- 28
- 29
- 30
- 31
- 32
- 33
- 34
- 35
- 36
- 37
- 38
- 39
- 40
- 41
- 42
- 43
- 44
- 45
- 46
- 47
- 48
- 49
- 50
- 51
- 52
- 53
- 54
- 55
- 56
- 57
- 58
- 59
- 60
- 61
- 62
- 63
- 64
- 65
- 66
- 67
- 68
- 69
- 70
- 71
- 72
- 73
- 74
- 75
- 76
- 77
- 78
- 79
- 80
- 81
- 82
- 83
- 84
- 85
- 86
- 87
- 88
- 89
- 90
- 91
- 92
- 93
- 94
- 95
- 96
- 97
- 98
- 99
- 100
- 101
- 102
- 103
- 104
- 105
- 106
- 107
- 108
- 109
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- Author’s Note
- A.K.O Book 1 Sample
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“If the boy fails this test,” said Sakura. “He won’t be able to become a climber. Give him some more time.”
“He doesn’t need any more time,” hissed Samuel. “Any half-witted kid would’ve figured out to use an offensive trait or break through the shield with their strength. You’re telling me your kid doesn’t have an offensive trait and is so woefully unprepared that he doesn’t have a strength stat high enough to compensate for that fact?”
“Let the boy take his time,” Sakura snapped back at the man.
The clerk returned to the conversation with a book in her hand.
“Climber’s guild regulations say the preliminary exam can last up to fifteen minutes,” said the clerk. “So Max still has ten minutes left to beat the slime at which point we’ll call the match.”
Samuel grinned at Sakura.
The woman looked down to the battle chamber below.
C’mon, Max. Do something.
* * *
Max circled the slime once more.
What was he going to do? The slime must have a weakness of some kind. He needed to break through that energy shield.
The adults on the balcony looked down at him. Samuel Archer crossed his arms and had an unimpressed scowl on his face. The clerk’s expression was placid like a referee. Then there was Sakura. She looked at him with deep concern in her eyes.
There must be a way to defeat this slime and pass the test. If he couldn’t, his whole dream was over. He wouldn’t be able to study at the climber academy. He wouldn’t be able to become a tower climber. He wouldn’t be able to search for his sister and see her again.
Everything he wanted, everything he dreamed for, it all hung in the balance of this one fight.
This fight that was an impossible match up for his particular ability.
He walked around the slime once more.
There must be an opening, he thought. Maybe the shield doesn’t completely surround its body?
Then he thought of something.
He rushed the slime once more from behind and threw out a punch.
The energy shield only formed when an attack came near. If Max was fast enough, maybe he could get an attack in before the creature could trigger its shield power.
THUD!
Max winced in pain as his punch made no penetration against the shield slime’s skin.
He wasn’t fast enough.
He had to give it everything he had.
Max threw out punch after punch into the slime.
His knuckles grew bloody as he tirelessly barraged the monster in an attempt to break through its shield with sheer overwhelming force.
After fifty punches, Max stood over the slime, out of breath. His fists were callused and bleeding.
The slime stood there, smiling.
Not a single one of his punches had made it through.