Awakened Talent: 10,000 Exp Converter!

While riding with Valyn on her mount, the Silverwood Fox, Ferno, Vincent still had no idea where they were heading. He also noticed that despite Ferno's speed, he believed that if he continuously used his movement skill, One Step Shift, he would be much faster.

With Ferno's strength and speed, no primals dared to stop them. The journey was nearly three hours long and could be considered quite lengthy.

In the distance, Vincent noticed groups of origin warriors assembling near a massive, ancient tower. Their expressions mirrored mutual hostility, heightening the tension in the air.

"What is that?" he asked after hopping off Ferno.

He couldn't recall any information about the tower.

After dismounting, Valyn responded while gazing at the structure, "That is the Tower of Combat."

"Tower of Combat?"

"Yes," Valyn nodded and continued, "Once you go inside, your Origin Energy will be sealed, and you'll have to defeat the challengers assigned to you.

"The more wins you get without losing, the better the rewards!"

"Of course, you will only be fighting challengers of the same tier as you."

Vincent nodded in understanding before asking curiously, "Is there a maximum number of wins one can achieve?"

Valyn fell silent for a moment, her gaze landing on a large board with numerous names listed on it — the ranking board.

"Yes. Once you reach a certain number of wins, the tower will increase the strength of your opponents. However, only geniuses and top rankers have been able to achieve this."

Following her gaze, Vincent found the names listed on the ranking board.

There were three categories corresponding to the levels of strength: Novice Origin Warriors, Tier 1 to Tier 3.

At the Tier 1 Ranking, there were dozens of names listed. At the top of the list, one name and its battle record stood out:

1st — Criocliz Chrystals (Tier 1, 5★) 49 Wins 2 Loss

2nd — Drakoth Asher (Tier 1, 5★) 47 Wins 5 Losses

3rd — Shylvia Torn (Tier 1, 5★) 46 Wins 6 Losses

The list went on.

He also checked the rankings of other tiers. However, one name in the Tier 2 list caught his attention:

1st — Elvi Rolud (Tier 1, 5★) 49 Wins 1 Loss

He couldn't help but raise his eyebrows when he saw it.

A Tier 1 Origin Warrior competing against Tier 2 Origin Warriors?

It seemed this person had defeated most Tier 2 warriors, with only Tier 3 warriors managing to best him.

"Elvi Rolud…" Vincent muttered, as though engraving the name in his mind.

Valyn, standing beside him, overheard.

"Are you curious about him?"

Vincent simply nodded.

"Legend has it that Elvi Rolud was a nobody — a timid guy with weak talent who was often bullied. But one day, during the Novice Ranking Battle, he reappeared as if reborn, dominating the rankings. Despite being Tier 1, he defeated Origin Warriors far above his level. Even though he eventually lost to a higher-tier opponent, his performance was enough to make his name known throughout the Origin World.

"He didn't stop after the Novice Ranking Battle. He began challenging all the Fundamental Towers, including the Tower of Combat, revealing overwhelming power that dominated the rankings and shocked the Novice Continent. But one day, he vanished without a trace. Some say he was killed, but no one has ever proven it. To this day, his fate remains a mystery."

"He didn't ascend to the higher continent?" Vincent asked.

Valyn shook her head softly. "There's a rumor that he might have already ascended, but it's never been confirmed."

As she spoke, they walked closer to the Tower of Combat. Their presence began to attract attention, likely due to Ferno, the Silverwood Fox, and its master, Valyn.

Whispers filled the air.

"That's a Silverwood Fox, right? So that must be Valyn Aviss?"

"Yes, you're right. One of the Silver Rankers—Valyn Aviss, the Witch Fox."

Valyn Aviss? Silver Rankers? Witch Fox?

Vincent's mind raced with questions as he overheard the whispers.

She's related to Special Instructor Arthur?

What are Silver Rankers?

And Witch Fox must be her title…

At that moment, a purple-haired Thrygian woman approached them. She was a head shorter than male Thrygians but still taller than a human, with a bulky build.

Vincent frowned behind his mask, his impression of the Thrygian race soured by his earlier encounter with Grarik. He now assumed the entire race to be enemies of humanity.

Valyn, however, seemed familiar with the woman.

"What do you want, Garga?" she asked coldly, her usual high-pitched voice replaced with an emotionless tone.

Garga, the female Thrygian, flanked by two male Thrygians, crossed her arms over her chest and smirked.

"Nothing. I just wanted to confirm if the stinky smell I noticed was indeed yours. And I was right—nothing compares to your slutty scent."

The two male Thrygians burst into laughter as Garga smiled provocatively.

"It's alright to be jealous. You don't have to hide it. If I were ugly and had a face like yours, I'd be jealous of me too," Valyn retorted, shaking her head.

Her response left Garga fuming, and the two glared at each other, creating a suffocating tension in the air that Vincent immediately felt.

Fortunately, it didn't last long. The two women broke their staring contest with cold harrumphs.

"Just pray I don't meet you in the tower later!" Garga threatened before turning away.

"Hmph, I'm not sure who needs the prayer more, considering some purple fool has a lower ranking than me," Valyn said softly, her tone mocking.

Garga heard the jab and faltered briefly but chose to ignore it. Her male companions, however, were less composed.

They turned and faced Vincent, glaring at him instead of Valyn, which left him baffled.

"What?" he muttered. I didn't even say anything!

I was ignored the whole time, and now they're mad at me for doing nothing?

Valyn noticed the situation and glanced at Vincent, their confused expressions mirroring each other. Suddenly, she broke into soft giggles, which escalated into laughter.

"Haha!"

Vincent could only shake his head with a wry smile.

The brief exchange between Valyn and Garga had caught the attention of many, but both of them seemed unbothered by the stares. Valyn was clearly accustomed to it, while Vincent simply didn't care.

Curious, he asked a question that had been on his mind.

"Who was that?"

"Her? She's Garga Blackthorn."

Upon hearing the name, Vincent's eyebrows rose in recognition.

"Blackthorn? Is she related to Grarik?"

"Oh? You know Grarik?"

Vincent nodded.

"She's Grarik's older sister," Valyn revealed.

"I see… but how are you related to her?"

"I encountered her three years ago when I found Ferno," Valyn explained, her gaze falling on the Silverwood Fox resting under the shade of a massive tree.

"She tried to snatch Ferno from me. Fortunately, I wasn't any weaker than her, so I managed to retreat safely with Ferno."

Seeing her willingness to answer, Vincent didn't hold back and asked several more questions that had been bothering him.

Through their conversation, he learned a lot of valuable information.

The first was about the "Silver Rankers" mentioned earlier.

Rankers were those on the leaderboard of the Novice Ranking Battle. The ranks included Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. Valyn didn't elaborate further, saying he would learn more soon enough.

The second revelation was about experience points and the leveling speed of other Origin Warriors. Vincent had always wondered how others managed to increase their levels so quickly, especially those who didn't come from wealthy backgrounds.

If he calculated based on the experience points he needed to level up, it seemed absurd—ordinary Origin Warriors would require decades to increase their strength by even one level.

Valyn explained that the required experience points varied based on the rank of one's awakened talent. Those with lower-ranked talents needed fewer experience points to level up.

Additionally, there were special talents like Alchemist, which allowed the creation of potions that could directly grant experience points or temporarily boost experience gain. However, such items were incredibly expensive.

With her explanation, Vincent's doubts were finally resolved.

"Do you still have questions?" Valyn asked.

"Not for now."

"Alright then. In that case, it's time for you to challenge the Tower of Combat."