NOVEL NEXT B1 | Chapter 42
Ashley
“And she has doooone iiiitttt!!!!” the MC of the System Event shouts, her voice damn near going hoarse as the tens of thousands of people in the audience roar out their excitement. “She has gotten her FIFTH win in as many days!!! It’s-”
I leave the event, returning to the System Hub while putting my hands in my jacket pockets. Then I proceed to open my Win Streak Menu, since I just hit my fifth win in a row. Meaning I can get my first win-streak reward.
Something I learned about after my third win in a row is that you get a reward for every interval in a win-streak based on which Class you’re in. With Class E getting a reward every fifth win. Class D getting one every fourth. Class C getting one every third, B every second, and A every single win.
Class S is the same as A in the win-streak rewards.
After opening the rewards, I find a message waiting for me.
Congratulations! You have won first place for five games in a row while at Class E!
You will now be given one hundred Skill Points!
I nod my head with more than a little satisfaction at the reward. Then I close out of the menu and begin searching through my many Skill Trees for what I want to spend my Skill Points on.
Which is probably going to be for one of my two best Skill Trees. The Goliath’s Skill Tree, which is where I spent my points on a couple days ago. For a new skill that increases my physical durability. Mostly just making my body harder to break.
A rather convenient skill, even if it cost me 200 Skill Points to get.
The skill let me tank a hammer to the back in one of my events after all. With nothing but a bruise.
And that was when the one who hit me was the same level as me.
At this point I really am becoming a tank.
But this time around, I’m planning on getting a skill that isn’t related to my physical durability.
This time I focus on the Decayed Arxol’s Skill Tree. Spending 150 Skill Points on one of the five different branch skills leading from the root of the tree.
A skill that directly increases my resistance to poisons while also making my own blood poisonous as well.
Of the other four skills in the Skill Tree I could get, all of them were either defensive skills or skills to boost my decay magic. But with the four different types of magic that I’ve gotten in the past few days, one of which I got just yesterday, that being lightning magic, I’ve got plenty of offensive powers at this point. And I already have a lot of directly defensive powers too.
So one that increases my resistance to poisons is always a welcome skill. Especially when it gives me that poisonous blood as well. Which should compound with the blood in my wings too.
After unlocking the skill, I go ahead and focus on the icon on the right side of my screen for Skill Points.
{You currently have 21 Skill Points.}
The corners of my lips turn downwards ever so slightly.
It really does take a while to get Skill Points… especially since the monsters outside of System Events don’t give them.
Hmm.
Well, guess it’s time then.
I leave the System Hub and return to my bedroom within my Spire. Only to frown when I realize how cold it is.
What’s up with the temperature here?
I walk over to the temperature control on the wall and increase the temperature a little. Then I head for the balcony, only to freeze when I see what is going on outside.
It’s snowing.
In the middle of Summer.
While it’s pouring down rain and humid in the areas surrounding my territory. Which looks bizarre.
For there to just be a bunch of snow here in the middle of the city surrounded by humid rain.
What’s going on?
“That would likely be my influence,” Chaos’s voice suddenly echoes in my mind, reminding me of his presence since he doesn’t talk all that much unless I need help. Like right now. “Remember how your Spire changed to my colors? That’s not all my Chaos influences around your Spire.”
My eyes narrow ever so slightly at that.
So the weather around here is going to be completely erratic.
“Yep,” he answers my thoughts.
Great.
I glance down at my feet as I realize I’ve grown more comfortable responding to his words over the past few days. Although only when all he is doing is just answering. If he tries to talk normally I still don’t feel comfortable.
He doesn’t do that much though. In fact, he’s done it less and less.
Makes me wonder if he’s doing this to gradually make me grow more comfortable with him or something.
I stare at my feet for a few seconds before shaking my head.
Whatever. I have bigger things to deal with right now.
I have almost two days including the rest of today before the stupid council meeting thing. And the forums say that there will be a total of two thousand Lords or Ladies for the two thousand Spires on the planet. The same as there are for every world.
In addition to that, there will be another up to two advisors for every Lord or Lady of the Spires. Which means even more people.
As for the actual layout of the Planetary Council, it varies with the world in question. But they do all have some similarities.
There will be one booth for every single Lord or Lady. One spanning about two cubic meters in space, with three chairs, and several features for the booths. Such as the ability to hide everything inside of the booth from those outside, to mute the sounds outside of the booth, and so on.
Then there’s the way the booths are distributed through the Planetary Council.
The councils are always spread out in a circle, with the higher profile council members being closest to the center. Meanwhile the people considered ‘higher profile’ are determined by several different factors.
Their level, age, how many wins they’ve obtained in System Events, how they did on the tutorial, how many System Stars they have, how many potential skills they have, and so on.
Although Successors are at the top automatically. So I’ll be front and center along with the other two Successors on our planet.
A thought that almost makes me frown due to the implications that come with it.
The implication that I’ll likely be right next to the man who is apparently my twin brother.
“I would suggest finding a representative or someone to deal with other people,” Chaos says, making me purse my lips a little. “Or you could just ignore everything entirely and only turn off the hide feature of your booth when you need to declare an opinion on something. You can even use the meeting as a way to keep an eye on the other figures of importance on your planet.”
His next words echo strongly in my head as I find myself blinking in thought.
“No one ever said you had to participate in the meeting. Just that you have to be there.”
That’s… not a bad idea.
I’ll think about it over the next couple days.
“Glad to hear it,” Chaos responds, almost making the corner of my lips twitch upwards a little. “I have work I need to deal with now, so I won’t be actively keeping an eye on you until the meeting. Call for me if you need help, okay my sweet daughter?”
I raise my head to stare out at the snow, only to glance at some lightning and thunder I see and hear above the snow.
Then I find myself quietly muttering, “You actually work?”
I feel his presence in the back of my mind for several seconds without him saying a word, then he just vanishes without a word.
Honestly thought Chaos didn’t do anything other than watch me all day.