The Glass Warrior [Weak to Strong LitRPG]

Before he could forget about this small matter, after greeting her the first thing Lucas asked Alva was about the strange symbol he'd seen in the tower's Waiting Room, inscribed on the VCR and the videogame.

At the time, unsure if it meant anything, Lucas had copied it onto a blank space in a book. Simply described, it consisted of a large outer circle, with some parallel lines in the background, a diamond shape occupying most of the space, and another smaller circle inside the diamond.

That was the drawing Lucas was now showing to the librarian.

Before she could say a word, recognition flashed in her eyes as she looked up.

"Yes, I recognize this. I've even seen it a few times myself on some remarkable objects. According to legends, it represents one of the smartest races in the galaxy, and just having it engraved on an item can increase its value, which has led to many fakes." She hesitated slightly before continuing. "Not much is known about the ones this symbol represents, especially on a planet as young as ours, but some say they went extinct, which is why we don't see much of their work anymore."

Lucas was taken aback by her explanation. He knew of elves and orcs, but what could "one of the smartest races in the galaxy" mean?

Another thing that piqued his curiosity was how much Alva, an NPC, seemed to know about their planet. While she didn't outright agree with Faruk's theory of it being a "tutorial planet" for immigrants from systemless worlds, she did acknowledge that their planet was young.

Despite pushing for more details about their world, Lucas couldn't get much out of the librarian. She only knew it was a young planet, somewhat isolated from the rest of the galaxy, and that was it.

"What do you know about Zoria's mayor?" Lucas asked, switching topics. "I mean, who is he, really?"

Alva thought for a moment before answering.

"Well, there's the version of him before he got married and became mayor, and the version after," she began. "In his youth, Kael made a name for himself with his strength, inspiring fear in many. His feats across Ponos became legendary, with songs sung about him.

"But after he got married and became mayor, he settled down. It's been years since anyone's seen him in action, but no one's been brave, or foolish enough to challenge him.

"As mayor, he hasn't been remarkable. He delegates most of the work to his assistants. Still, he's kept the peace and been somewhat kind to the townsfolk, which is more than many mayors can say. Since his wife's death, though, he's gone into seclusion and is rarely seen."

Lucas reflected on her words. It was more or less what he'd expected. In this world, power dictated everything, and Kael must've been incredibly strong to reach his position.

Whether that strength had faded with time was another question, but with Lucas still at level 15, even if Kael had weakened, there was no way he could take him on anytime soon.

No, he'd need another approach to start his shop. If the mushroom wasn't an option, then he'd have to find something else.

Satisfied with his conversation, Lucas turned to the rows of books awaiting him. He briefly considered showing Alva the latest progress with his orb but decided against it. She didn't seem to know much about it, and, honestly, the less people knew about it, the better.

Heading deeper into the library, Lucas had a few priorities for his research. The first was finding out if Ponos had any places where he could locate items similar to the Gloomfruit. The second was glass.

Before leaving the tower, Lucas had decided to look into alchemical solutions to strengthen his bones. To do that, he needed to understand what he was dealing with. His bones weren't literally made of glass, but with the system describing them as "glass-like," he figured there might be deeper similarities beyond transparency and fragility. Even if there weren't, studying it might still give him some insights.

Lastly, he wanted to learn more about skills and mana. His recent achievement allowed him to upgrade one of his skills, but he'd held off. He knew that without a clear plan, and some effort to guide the process, he'd only get the standard upgrade.

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Also, he wanted to see if he could find any information regarding space magic, as he needed a better understanding of the topic to improve his skill.

With his goals clear in mind, Lucas prepared himself for what he knew would be a long day.

…

In the magic section of Zoria's library, an elf stood pensively, scanning the books displayed in front of her.

Much like Lucas, Aysha had faced a very enlightening experience at the tower, one that made her question whether she had picked the right class.

At the beginning of her journey in Ponos, after being transported to this new world without the protections she had once enjoyed as royalty in her homeland, she turned to her archery lessons as a means of survival. Luckily, she had been taught how to make a bow, and it was the first thing she crafted upon realizing her circumstances.
At that time, her choice wasn't deeply considered. The idea of making a spear or any other weapon didn't even cross her mind. She chose the bow simply because it was something she knew, a tool to keep herself alive in a wild and unfamiliar place.

The first time she seriously considered becoming an Archer as her class was when she met Lucas, and together they started identifying the main classes available.

After the tutorial, Archer seemed like the obvious choice; it was familiar, and she was already fairly skilled with it. While she held a mild interest in magic, drawn by its eccentricity and wonder, she knew mastering something entirely new would be challenging.
In this world, where mistakes often equaled death, she couldn't afford indulgence. So she brushed aside any thoughts of magic. That is, until she entered the Tower.

Her worldview shifted entirely after what she witnessed there. Archery had always been a source of joy for her, but seeing what mages were capable of left her feeling—insufficient.

This was especially true on the final floor, where she was deeply impressed by the feats of Flavya, a girl who wielded a bow but wasn't an Archer. Even though Flavya had persistently tried to kill her during their encounters, Aysha couldn't help but admire her abilities.

Her newfound companions from that floor revealed that Flavya was a Witch. Aysha didn't know much about the class beyond the snippets of information she had gathered. Still, Witch or not, Aysha decided that once she left the Tower, she would find ways to combine magic with her archery. If the system gave her a new class as a result, so be it.

As for the fourth floor, Aysha found it to be exceptionally tricky. On the surface, it seemed like a simple game: be the last one standing. But after learning that she was up against two of the planet's greatest geniuses, Axis and Halyk, she realized there was more to it.

After a narrow escape in the first clash, her focus shifted to gathering information about her opponents. She needed to understand what she was up against. Eventually, she sought out others who weren't eager to die and had little hope of winning on their own. Through these alliances, she learned about Axis and Halyk, discovering they weren't just ordinary geniuses but the kind of prodigies that powerful families waited decades, even centuries, for.

It became clear that the fourth floor wasn't strictly about combat prowess. It was just as much about diplomacy and politics, fields she understood well, thanks to the intricate politics of royal life on her home planet.

Once she grasped her role, Aysha began forging alliances with anyone open to cooperation.

Some necessary eliminations had to be made, those unwilling to cooperate for one reason or another, but she eventually rallied a group of ten people, one-third of the total contestants.

Her success wasn't solely due to her diplomatic skills. Many of the contestants were desperate for protection, and Aysha's arguments gave them the push they needed to join her cause.

Among her group was a stealth specialist who could conceal their movements as long as they remained careful. With this advantage, they tracked Axis and Halyk, gradually maneuvering them into a confrontation.

The plan was simple: let the two geniuses battle it out, tire themselves, and then ambush the survivor with full force. Aysha explained this strategy to her allies from the start, making it clear that after the two were dealt with, their alliance would dissolve, and only the best would survive.

The plan worked. After a grueling fight, Halyk barely managed to defeat Axis, only to be overwhelmed by Aysha's group. Even with his illusions and desperate counterattacks, Halyk couldn't withstand the sheer numbers.

Yet the aftermath was anything but simple. The resulting battle among her allies was chaotic.

Flavya had been a thorn in her side from the very start, taking out one of Aysha's teammates early on with her spells, so Aysha was more than familiar with her capabilities.

During the final battle, Aysha threw everything she had into the fight, using every trick she knew, yet still struggled to keep up. It was painfully clear that Flavya was the superior fighter, at least in terms of raw skill. Though it bruised her pride somewhat, Aysha ultimately changed tactics, opting to exhaust Flavya's mana reserves instead of engaging directly. After what felt like hours, she finally saw her chance and took it, an arrow straight through the other girl's heart.

Even with what she considered a near-impossible victory, leaving her completely drained both physically and mentally, Aysha soon discovered that she had only managed to rank third on the scoreboards. The realization hit hard, solidifying her resolve to make changes to her fighting style. If she didn't adapt, she knew she'd only fall further behind.

With that thought in mind, she picked up a book that caught her eye. Slowly, she read the title, a smile forming on her lips: The Mystery of the Elementals.