51 Book 3 Chapter 47 (1/2)

”Ugh, I can't wait all day,” Jason couldn't sit still any longer. He flipped off the wall and asked a passing ascender, ”Hey, where's Lavos?”

The woman answered respectfully, ”He went back to visit his tribe for a few days.”

”Okay, thanks.” Jason scratched Lavos off the list. It would take hours to reach the minotaur tribe, so why would he go there when someone was closer? Jason informed one of Peter's aids his intentions before taking the portal back to the robot floor. Since there were five such floors, he'd need to travel quite a bit to return to Sanctuary 06.

Instead, he teleported to his home on the community floor. This way, it only took about an hour to reach the portal to the first robot floor, which wasn't far from the Sanctuary.

The guards in exosuits stationed outside the Sanctuary recognized Jason and let him in. Too familiar with the place, Jason soon entered the headquarters, upon which he approached the receptionist. ”Is Commander Fox in?”

The receptionist, a stern middle-aged woman with military training, instantly recognized Jason, the hero of their world. If even he didn't have the clearance to ask about Fox's whereabouts, who did? She quickly rang up Fox, who just so happened to be in her office. After exchanging a few words, the receptionist turned to Jason, ”She's on floor 18.”

”Thanks.” Jason gave a warm smile before heading to the elevator. A few minutes later, he was standing before the door to Fox's office. Just before he was about to knock, her cold voice came from inside, ”Come in.”

Jason inspected the large office as he entered. It was barren, or rather, tidy. There were no pictures, paintings, or personal belongings. The room only had a desk and a few chairs for guests. Behind the desk sat Fox, who was typing away on a laptop. Jason took a seat as he inspected Fox closely, trying to find some secret. Instead, he only saw a mature woman with sharp features—nothing out of the ordinary.

Eventually, Fox closed the laptop and faced Jason for the first time. After a few moments of silence, Fox spoke, ”You've changed.”

”For the better, I hope?” Jason jested.

Fox gave a curt nod. ”What are you here for?”

”For you,” Jason gave a charming smile.

”Not interested,” Fox replied instantly.

Jason burst into laughter before turning serious. ”Are you one of the tower's masters?”

As soon as Fox announced her identity, the information hovering above her head changed. Her health pool and level increased drastically. To Jason's surprise, she was also the first artificial intelligence, the one they could never find. Jason expressed his dissatisfaction, ”Why say there are twenty m-serums up for grabs if, in reality, there's only nineteen?”

To this, Fox smirked. ”I have two identities: the first A.I., and a master of the tower. If you figured out the first, but not the second, would you have killed me?”

Jason immediately understood. Would they kill her, knowing she'd result in another m-serum? Over seven billion lives were on the line, so of course they would. However, doing so would result in the loss of a master, someone who taught ascenders valuable skills just under the gods.

Jason clicked his tongue at how sinister the tower was. Thankfully, he guessed correctly and didn't end up killing Fox. He gazed at her expectantly. ”What do you teach?”

Hearing this, Fox sat straight and met Jason's gaze. ”Soul techniques.”

Jason's eyes lit up expectantly. ”Can the chosen of gods receive your teachings?”

”Follow me,” Fox didn't answer directly and instead brought Jason to an underground training facility. The place had shooting ranges and rings for boxing, in the middle of which stood robots. Fox used a keycard to book a side-room the size of a basketball court. The place was empty. Fox pointed at a spot near the entrance, ”Stand here.”

Jason did as directed while Fox moved to the other side of the room. The two faced each other some thirty feet apart. Fox stood as straight as a rod with her hands clasped behind her back and asked, ”What do you know about souls?”

”Not much,” Jason admitted. ”My world can't even grasp its existence. Even now, only a handful of us can sense our soul and use it.”

Fox pursed her lips. ”Pitiful. Your world has no mana, so the growth of souls is nearly nonexistent. Let me explain then: a soul is the root of your ego, memories, and self. Like most mortal beings, your soul is weak and fragile at the start, so your brain and body take on the role of a host to protect it.” Fox paused. ”The growth of a soul is slow. Only by refining universal energy like mana can you expedite the process.”

Jason clicked his tongue. It almost made him feel like he should be grateful the tower arrived, or else humanity would never have encountered mana.

Fox continued regardless of his thoughts. ”Mana is the most basic form of energy. Not many things are as pure as mana, yet a soul is one of them. This purity allows your soul, once strong enough, to interact with and sense almost anything.”

”I call this the voice of the world,” Jason commented.

”Fitting,” Fox smiled. ”Once your soul can perceive beyond itself, then you have reached the basic requirement for me to teach you.”

Jason recounted his recent experience. ”I just fought a monster which could mask its voice and even deceive me with its intentions.”

”Child's play,�� Fox scoffed. ”Close your eyes. Imagine the form of your soul as an orb at the center of your being, inside which houses your memories, ego, and self.”

Jason did as told. Perhaps because of his experience with communicating with Tank, he quickly finished the task. In his inner mind was a grey round orb floating stationary in the void. He formed a body inside, where he found the transparent figure of Tank, sleeping silently.

”Good.” Fox continued to speak. ”The next step is to recognize the existence of the outside world, or as you say, the voice of the world. Spread your awareness to the edge of the orb.”

As soon as Jason did so, he saw the existence of countless wills entering his soul. They took on the shape of a line, almost like a ray of light. Just like before, he could sense his surroundings, except now he understood precisely what was happening. Upon seeing the thousands of lines interacting with his soul, he felt vulnerable, like he was defenseless.