The Ascender's Legacy [A CHAOTIC STORM LITRPG]

The arena was already bustling with students when they arrived, and all the seats with the best views had been taken. As usual, a large holographic screen dominated the sky, displaying a shuffling list of second-year students currently inside the tower.

There were a few familiar names on the list, but only the names of two people really stood out to Aodhán. Erdania Lockwood—principal Zatya's former pet project—and then Zaxus, whose name was climbing up the list at an insane speed.

Aodhán wasn't close with any of the second-year students, or any of the other years for that matter, mostly because he never really had the time or inclination to mingle, but it was interesting to see the power structure this way. Erdania stood at the top of the list—unsurprisingly, but that was the only constant on the list. Every other name shuffled constantly, almost dizzyingly, as they raced through the lower levels of the advanced class.

"Talk about a mad rush," Daruk muttered.

Aodhán nodded in agreement. "It's the first challenge of the term. Everyone is eager to show off their growth during the break. Even second years, I guess."

Yurin scoffed in annoyance and muttered something under his breath, still sullen about the results.

"Don't be a hypocrite." Daruk jabbed Yurin playfully in the ribs. "You're going to do the same thing when we enter the tower."

"That's because I don't want to start the term with a poor showing."

"Which is exactly what they are doing." Andrew chuckled.

Yurin grunted, reluctantly accepting that they were right, yet still annoyed for some reason. Wanting to cheer him up, Aodhán placed an arm across his shoulder and smiled at him. "Come on, let's go sign up. You'll feel better when the challenge starts."

Yurin hesitantly followed while Daruk and Andrew followed behind them. They signed themselves up as challengers of the evolved class, and after receiving their ejectors, they moved to join the queue of first-year students standing by the tower's entrance.

"I guess the second-years aren't the only ones eager to put up a good showing today," Andrew muttered, his gaze raking past the long line of first-year students waiting their turn.

Nearly everyone was present, each person excited to show off the improvements they had made during the holidays and compare themselves against the rest of the class. Aodhán wasn't too surprised to see the queue, his gaze raking past the sea of chatting students without stopping until he spotted Scarlett in the line. It wasn't Scarlett who caused him to pause, though, but the girl standing beside her, slightly hidden behind Ursaz Urdania's big stature.

At first, he thought his eyes were deceiving him, but as they moved closer, and he confirmed her identity, his eyes narrowed in confusion. He opened his mouth to speak, but Yurin beat him to it, his usual charming personality returning as he burst out with laughter. "What the fuck?! Is that Ayisha? What is she doing here?"

Yurin's laughter cut through the noise of the crowd, and Aodhán smiled when he saw Ayisha cringe and shrink slightly, trying to hide. He wouldn't let that happen.

Grinning, he and Yurin rushed forward, ambushing Ayisha before she could hide or run away. "My, my, my." Yurin tutted with a wolfish grin. "What do we have here?"

Ayisha growled, eyes glaring at them from under the hood she was wearing. "Can you guys not go anywhere without creating a scene?"

"Don't change the topic." Aodhán pointed a finger at her. "What are you doing here? Surely, you don't mean to tell us that you of all people want to show off your abilities to the world?"

"That would be the day the sky falls." Andrew quipped as he and Daruk joined them to form an inescapable circle around Ayisha.

Ayisha shrunk into herself even further from all the attention they were attracting, and she stuttered. "I…

"Are we sure she's in her right senses?" Daruk asked and then narrowed his gaze in suspicion. "Guys, check her neck; we have to confirm that there isn't a noose somewhere."

"Trust me, I've checked." Scarlett laughed as she and Ursaz came to join them. "I was just as shocked as you guys when she snuck behind me a few minutes ago."

"I didn't sneak." Ayisha hissed and pulled her uniform tighter around herself. "I lost a bet against my brother, and this is my penance. Now, move. I hate all this attention on me."

Aodhán scoffed. "I'm not sure if that's the truth, but I'll take it. Hell, I'll take any chance to see you work those pathways."

Daruk and Yurin burst out laughing, while Andrew and Ursaz simply looked on with amused smiles.

"Okay, that's enough." Scarlett chuckled as she pulled Ayisha from the human prison they had made. "She has suffered enough in my hands before you guys got here."

"Well, I wish you good luck," Aodhán said with a chuckle, but Ayisha scowled.

"I don't want it. I just want this nightmare to be over."

They let her go and joined the queue, still muttering and chuckling amongst themselves. It was so weird to see Ayisha here, knowing how secretive she was about her abilities. Whatever bet she had lost against her brother must have been very serious for it to carry such a penance, but Aodhán was glad to see her. If she gave the challenge her all, it would be very interesting to see how high she placed against him and the other top students.

While they waited their turn, they chatted and discussed the ascension of those still within the tower. While Aodhán was unfamiliar with many of them, the others weren't, and one by one they pointed out what they knew about each challenger, discussing their affinities, tiers, and even seals.

This continued for the next half hour until only four challengers remained, the last of whom was Zaxus. The blood-awakened was already reaching his limit—that much was obvious—and Aodhán doubted it would be long before he ejected himself from the tower. He had barely completed the thought when Zaxus appeared on the stage, covered in blood and viscera, none of which were his.

Cheers rang out from the audience, and even Aodhán chimed in, clapping his hands in encouragement. Zaxus had done well, fighting up a whole three tiers before ejecting, and although that wasn't champion-worthy, three advanced tiers were nothing to sniff at. Perhaps, if he'd been allowed to use his sword, he would have done better, but then again, so would everyone else.

Another fifteen minutes passed, and finally, there was only one person left in the tower. Erdania Lockwood. Aodhán watched her ascension carefully, curious to know what Zatya had seen in her. He wasn't jealous, just curious.

From what Eldrith told him, she had failed to meet Zatya's impossible expectations, and that was why she'd been replaced with him. Aodhán wondered what those expectations were and if the same thing was expected from him. Or was his case even worse than he thought?

Another roar of cheers brought his mind back to the screen just as Erdania ascended to the 39th level. Eyes widening slightly, he asked Ayisha. "Didn't you say she was at the 34th tier?"

"She was the last time we spoke," Ayisha responded, casually throwing out the fact that she and the heiress of the Lockwood duchy were on speaking terms. Aodhán filed the information away and returned his gaze to the screen.

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If Erdania was still at the 34th tier, then this level should be her limit. Any further would mean she was fighting six tiers up, and that was not an expectation Aodhán thought he could meet yet. That was monster-level. What else could top that?

His heart beat frantically as the seconds passed, and still, Erdania refused to come out.

"Do you think she'll make it to level 40?" Daruk asked, but no one responded, their eyes glued to the screen in nervous anticipation. A minute passed, and then another. Aodhán's palms sweated, his clothes itched, but just when he thought he couldn't take it anymore, the screen glitched, and a bloodstained figure appeared on the stage, her uniform torn and tattered, revealing a host of runic tattoos on her skin.

Cheers exploded out from the audience, but Aodhán was too focused on core sense to participate. He scanned her core lightly, trying to get a feel of her power and strength without prying too much.

He pulled back his senses a few seconds later and smiled in relief. Erdania Lockwood was nearly at the peak of the 35th tier with a very strong bloodline rooted in null affinity and very respectable spiritual cultivation. He didn't have much information since he hadn't dug too much, but the simple fact that she wasn't as much of a monster as he had feared filled him with relief.

She might be the strongest student in the second year, but Aodhán felt he now understood why Principal Zatya had dumped her. Aside from her bloodline and affinity for nothingness (null), which was pretty rare, there wasn't really anything special about her, all things considered.

What he didn't understand was why Principal Zatya had dumped Eldrith for her in the first place. Despite his obvious mental instabilities, Eldrith was far more impressive than Erdania in nearly all ramifications. He was stronger, with an affinity much rarer, and a mental state just as broken as she liked. He was perfect, and most importantly, he was willing. Why then had she replaced him? What had she seen in Erdania to make such a decision?

He didn't have much time to dwell on the matter because Daruk nudged him and asked. "Do you think this is why the senior years keep attending our arena matches: to understand our power structure?"

Aodhán shrugged. "I'm not sure, but I think they do gain something from watching us." He frowned and then chuckled. "It's crazy how we haven't just thought to ask them."

Daruk blinked and shook his head. "I feel like a fool."

"You are a fool." Yurin chimed in carelessly, and Daruk responded with a freezing touch on his shoulders.

Chuckling at their antics, he turned his gaze to Andrew, who had been silent for a while now, and asked. "What's going on in that mind of yours?"

"Nothing much." Andrew shrugged. "I'm just thinking about the tournament. If I'm selected to participate, then I need to get an item."

Ugh.

Aodhán groaned as Andrew's words reminded him of a dilemma he had yet to solve himself. He still hadn't managed to come up with an idea for his item yet, and the matter was weighing heavily on him. He needed to at least come up with something soon.

"Do you have any idea what you want to get?" he asked.

"Not really." Andrew shrugged again. "I'm thinking of a staff or something to boost my plant manipulation abilities in limiting environments. I'm leaning towards the latter, but I still have no idea what I want it to be."

Aodhán nodded, understanding Andrew's dilemma perfectly. Picking out an item was serious business, and as he frowned in contemplation, his gaze stretched past the arena and landed on a building he hadn't visited in a while. Smiling, he turned back to Andrew and asked. "What do you say we go to the library after this to source ideas?"

Andrew nodded. "That's a good idea. It'll also give me a chance to add a bunch of new plants to my mental library."

"Cool. I—

A deep hum cut him off as the tower was calibrated back to the evolved class, its entrance now flashing green to indicate that it was ready for new challengers. The handlers beckoned them forward, and with a surge of excitement, Aodhán and his friends rushed forward, leaving Ayisha to trudge reluctantly behind them.

They stepped through the flashing entrance a moment later, and as usual, the world blurred, teleporting them from reality into simulated space. The teleportation was completely seamless, and when Aodhán next opened his eyes, he found himself in the circular white room with a shimmering portal labeled zero.

Without hesitation, he hooked his ejector into one of his necklaces and stepped through the swirling portal into the first level. Almost immediately, the {Earth Ifrit} attacked, but a simple wave of his hands sent the creature flying. It splattered against the wall of the cavern, its body bursting like a bag of blood.

Before the spray of blood even touched the ground, Aodhán had already stepped into the second level. The water ifrit died in much the same manner, and the fire ifrit died even faster. Things continued in this manner for the next few minutes until Aodhán reached level 18, where he reduced the Mamacore ape to a pile of ash with a crackling ball of black electricity.

It was the first time he used a skill ever since he stepped into the tower, and that little feat filled him with excitement. It proved just how much stronger he had become since the last time he challenged the tower. It was a testament to his growth that despite what seemed to be a stagnancy in his status screen, it reassured him that he was growing stronger every day.

His spiritual cultivation had soared since the last time he challenged the tower; his control had nearly doubled, and his understanding of his affinity had matured greatly. These little things had come together to make sure that despite only gaining a single tier in the last month, his strength had greatly improved and his approach to the creatures had vastly changed.

Chuckling to himself, Aodhán raced through the tower unimpeded, tearing through each level with minimal effort, and it wasn't until he reached level 24 that he finally paused, watching the juvenile Kraken erupt from the watery depths with a narrowed gaze.

This wasn't a creature he could defeat with simple skill or a careless wave of his palms. He had to enforce his spiritual cultivation here.

Still, the creature that had required him to use his strongest skill and a seal to defeat before now simply perished under two beams of red lightning—empowered by eleven strands of energized willpower and an ample amount of chaos. Like threads of disaster, the two beams merged and punched through the Kraken's head, tearing a hole two feet in diameter through its skull.

The Kraken died before it could even screech, its tentacles flapping uselessly in the water as it slowly sank to the bottom of the ocean.

The next portal appeared, and with a grin, Aodhán flew towards it. This was where things became interesting. The Silverwing Icedrake was an intelligent enemy that usually required both him and Varéc working together to take down, but Aodhán intended to change that today. At least in part.

He flew into the swirling portal, and as usual, the Icedrake glanced at him from its icy mountain and then dismissed him as unimportant. Aodhán scowled and clenched his fist in anger.

Dismissing him as unthreatening was a big mistake, and Aodhán would make sure the Icedrake paid dearly for it, even if it was just a construct that would repeat the same actions the next time he challenged the tower.

Rising higher in the air, Aodhán activated his merge perk and smiled as a torrent of untamed power suddenly surged within him. His body morphed into that of a dragonkin, and a layer of strong, black scales suddenly replaced his skin. His eyes grew slitted, huge black wings erupted from his back, his fingers and toes elongated into claws, and horns jutted out of his head. A blade-whip of a tail erupted from his lower back, and Aodhán hummed in pleasure as Varéc's senses overlayed his, making everything sharper and clearer.

A bestial strength coursed through him, rushing like lightning in his veins, but Aodhán wasn't satisfied. He wanted to take out the drake with a single punch, to overwhelm it so greatly that it shattered to pieces, and for that, he needed more than just strength. He needed chaos. He needed rage. But most importantly, he needed a vast amount of willpower.

Opening his spirit up to the origin plane of storm, Aodhán tapped into the swirling rage around his mind and pulled—drawing in a torrent of turbulent emotions into his bastion of peace and calm. The rage lit a fire within him, and his vision turned crimson. Willpower surged within him in a wave, uncontrolled and undirected by any technique. It clashed with the chaos still pouring into his spirit, and Aodhán groaned in savage pleasure as his entire body vibrated with power.

He felt like a dam about to burst, power thrumming within him like a barely contained storm, and with his wings spread wide, Aodhán shot towards the Icedrake like a bullet—his body a blur of lightning as he tore through the frozen air faster than any arrow.

The Icedrake barely had time to react before his fist struck, unleashing an explosion of such magnitude that the ice mountain beneath them didn't just crack—it shattered, collapsing in an avalanche of frozen debris, but Aodhán had no time to admire the destruction.

His fist slammed into the drake's stomach, and it burst apart in a gory eruption of blood, entrails, and chilling viscera, painting the shattered mountain in wet crimson. The drake roared, its massive body twisting desperately to break free.

Before it could escape, Aodhán activated {Lightning Beam—Red} right there with his hands still in its gut.

The world turned red.

A beam of raw, crackling electricity burst out of his palms, searing through organs and tissues in an instant. And then—he clenched his fist.

The beam exploded and tore through the drake from the inside, shattering bone, rupturing flesh, and annihilating everything in its path. Its spine snapped like brittle twigs, bones pulverized in an instant as its ribcage collapsed inward, spearing its own organs. Blood erupted from every orifice—its eyes, its mouth, its nostrils—and for a moment the sound of shattering bone was all Aodhán could hear.

The drake died an instant later, its body collapsing like a puppet with its strings severed. It crashed to the blood-soaked ground with a sickening crunch—Aodhán landing beside it, his arm still buried in its ruined gut.

With a grunt, he finally ripped his arm free, chunks of flesh and viscera sliding off his arms as it exited the ruined corpse.

Wiping the blood from his brow, Aodhán stared at the drake and muttered, "Next time, I better be able to kill it with a single punch."