Awakener's Guide to Climbing the Tower

Had she somehow managed to catch the attention of the administrator or something?

From what she knew from the comics she used to read, towers were always governed by administrators or overseers so if this tower followed the same logic, then there was a high chance this tower would have one since it already has a guide, right?

What if the tower has a mind of its own? No administrators? No overseers?

[So you survived nya nya!]

Hearing the familiar voice, Misha immediately turned her head and glared at the floating cat-like creature nearby. "Of course I did! I’m not dying on Floor One!"

[This is the Basement Floor nya.]

"Whatever," she huffed.

[Right, right... Congratulations then nyauh...] King clapped his paws slowly, though his expression looked far less enthusiastic than his words suggested.

"That doesn’t sound like you mean it," she huffed as she crossed her arms.

[Anyway! It is time for you to choose your awakening skill n6a!]

"I already felt like I’ve awakened though..."

[This is why humans are dumb nya nya!]

Her brow twitched in annoyance. "I was just saying!"

The cat-like creature rolled his eyes dramatically before flicking its tails. [Anyway, stop wasting time and choose your awakening ability already nya!]

With a casual wave of his paw in the air, cards appeared before her.

Her eyes scanned them and saw that the cards were blank and identical to the others.

[Every card represents a unique awakening. From this point onward, your chosen awakening skill will serve as the bedrock of your growth nya. A second awakening cannot be obtained.]

"Eh? Only one? I thought we were supposed to gain more skills as we climbed the tower?"

King looked at her as though she had asked something obvious.

[The awakening skill you’ll pick will be your path. It’s not going to be collectible powers nya. Your growth direction becomes fixed once you’ve chosen. Just like this, you won’t gain new [Traits] either. [Traits] are reflections of qualities you already possess. The Tower only recognizes and enhances them nya nya.]

Learning that her [Traits] were innate, Misha couldn’t help but silently thank every difficult patient she encountered throughout her career. The entitled patients, spoiled children, and the endless documents she had to analyze while juggling multiple responsibilities, all of it had unknowingly shaped the [Traits] that carried her through the tutorial.

"Then I guess leveling up through the tower mostly comes down to gaining EXP and obtaining items? Is that correct?"

[Finally! You’re starting to understand nya! The Tower gives you tools. What you do with those tools is your responsibility. Give a legendary sword to an idiot and he’ll still find a way to die nya. Give a rusty dagger to the right person and they’ll climb farther than anyone expects nya nya.]

He stretched out the claws from his paws. [The Tower doesn’t do the climbing for you nya~]

Misha nodded slowly. With her questions answered, she shifted her gaze back to the floating cards. A quick count revealed exactly 21 cards suspended in the air.

Since every card looked identical, spending hours agonizing over the choice felt pointless since any decision would be nothing more than a guess so she went with the last card.

Stretching out her hand, Misha plucked it from the air. As her fingers brushed the card, an illustration gradually appeared.

A mysterious veiled woman occupied the center of the card. Resting in her hands was a silver bowl filled with stars that glittered like fireflies.

King leaned forward slightly just to take a peek on her card.

[Huh.] King sounded mildly impressed.

[Looks like fortune favors you nya nya.]

Before Misha could respond, the card began radiating light. Its physical form slowly broke apart into particles before condensing into a single ball of light. The sphere flew directly into her chest and vanished inside her body.

「 Congratulations! A Super Rare (SR) ability has been inherited! 」

「 Class Acquired: Soulbinder 」

「 Skill Unlocked: Microscopic Examination 」

「 Rank Promotion Complete! ☆ → ☆☆☆☆ 」

After the messages disappeared, Misha stood there expectantly.

A glow. A surge of power. Maybe even a dramatic gust of wind. But nothing happened, there was no dramatic aura, and no explosion of power.

She looked down at her dirty self. "Am I supposed to glow or something?"

King stared blankly at her, as though she had lost several brain cells. [Humans are not supposed to glow nya.]

"Now that’s incredibly underwhelming." She sighed in disappointment.

"System, show me my Status. And include the skill descriptions."

「 〔STATUS WINDOW〕

Tower Name: Misha Apocalypse

Name: Misha Reyes

Level: 2 (EXP: 100/150)

Rank: ☆☆☆☆

Class: Soulbinder

Affiliation: Tower of Hellfire

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