Ascension of Chaos

Ashley

The next day

I watch without showing any hints of emotion on my face as I stand in the pre-event chamber of my second Official System Event. As the many other competitors in this event whisper amongst themselves while the MC of this particular event goes on and on interviewing others amongst them, and the crowd shown through a large screen surrounding the underwater chamber roars its excitement. Something I know from before I turned on the no interviews after entering this event.

This particular event is a race traversing through an obstacle course while surrounded by water on all sides.

If a competitor falls into the water, then they have to get themselves back out through their own powers, or through the checkpoints that are located every so often for those who can't. Otherwise they're at risk of being killed by one of the aquatic monsters in the water.

I'll be fine in that regard, since I can just fly out of the water with my wings. One of the reasons I chose this event.

Another reason is because it's another environmental combat event.

Amongst the events, there are three different types of events.

Environmental combat events, where the competitors are faced up against monsters and traps. Generally with them all begin together and trying to reach a goal in the same location. Against the same things.

There are no requirements to kill each other in these games, but some people still do depending on who they are and what people are competing.

Then there's the non-combat events, which are not focused on combat. And some of them don't even allow combat at all.

They often revolve around things like quizzes or puzzles. There are even a few races that don't allow combat. Or simple tests like strength tests. Whoever can put out the most strength wins.

After the non-combat events are the direct combat events. Events that are centered entirely around nothing but competitors fighting against each other.

Either to the death, or to surrender.

I prefer the environmental combat events since they give me the chance to get new Skill Trees from monsters and people alike.

But I do find the looks these people are giving me rather annoying. Whether it's the competitors, who are looking at me as a target, or the fans in the crowd, who are looking at me as, well, fans.

None of their looks are very comfortable to see.

Regardless, I wait a few more minutes before the MC finally leaves the chamber, joining the spectators in the spectating room. Then the MC – a kitsune woman wearing a fancy kimono with fox ears and a fox tail – announces the beginning of the event. Making the walls of water around us split on one side.

Revealing the obstacle course.

And the second it is revealed, everyone, me included, immediately rush straight towards the obstacle course. With several of us flying through the air through one means or another, and others run fast across the ground.

Everyone moves in their own ways.

But the moment everyone reaches the obstacle course, those who are flying through the air are forced closer to the ground when the gravity too high above the course quadruples. Meanwhile spouts of water shoot out from the large tunnel of water the obstacle course is in straight at those flying above.

I fly close to the ground while still avoiding having to deal with most of the obstacles, meanwhile anyone who gets close to me is immediately distracted by the obstacle course itself, or my altering my gravity to speed up or slow down.

Despite flying through the obstacle course, though, there is one thing I have planned already.

So while flying through the course, avoiding the attacks of two rather pesky competitors who won't stop chasing me – some sort of humanoid wasp along with a man with cat ears and a tail – I keep an eye on the water below. Looking for monsters who get close to the surface.

And when a monster does near the surface of the water, I immediately activate Assimilate and send a bolt of decay magic straight at the fish. Making half of the fish decay in an instant, killing the level ten monster.

{You have been granted 1 Skill Points for killing a monster within System Event #1,265,211.}

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

{You have slain a being while Assimilate is active. You have now unlocked the Skill Tree: Galrun Piranha}

{You have unlocked a new Skill Tree, therefore the root skill of the Skill Tree, Water Spout, is now unlocked for your usage.}

Nope. Not the skill I'm wanting.

Decay magic should be fine to show off since no one knows that the elite monster from the last event had decay magic itself. They just knew it had some sort of decay related skill.

So I keep moving through the obstacle course as the two chasers gradually get closer. Both of whom are higher level than me, even with my training all day up till now. With me having spent the day fighting monsters in my park to test out my new skills before entering this event.

Every time another fish monster nears the surface of the water, I use decay magic to send a bolt of decay mana at them. Killing half of them in one blow due to how small they are. And the fact that they're no doubt not meant to be hunted in the first place.

I get one skill after another from them.

All the way till I get one I'm wanting.

{You have been granted 1 Skill Points for killing a monster within System Event #1,265,211.}

{You have slain a being while Assimilate is active. You have now unlocked the Skill Tree: Galrun Dolphanal}

{You have unlocked a new Skill Tree, therefore the root skill of the Skill Tree, Hydrodynamic Burst, is now unlocked for your usage.}

After quickly checking the skill, I find the corner of my lips twitching ever so slightly upwards. Not enough for anyone to see, though.

Then I keep killing a few more of them until I get another skill from some sort of stingray-like monster.

{You have been granted 1 Skill Points for killing a monster within System Event #1,265,211.}

{You have slain a being while Assimilate is active. You have now unlocked the Skill Tree: Galrun Stinger}

{You have unlocked a new Skill Tree, therefore the root skill of the Skill Tree, Aquatic Maneuvering, is now unlocked for your usage.}

I give a light nod at that before taking a moment to look at the other competitors. Half of whom are ahead of me and half behind. With the two nuisances still chasing me like hunting dogs.

And after a brief moment of thought, I stop flying and land on a platform. No doubt confusing the MC and the crowd.

Then I jump straight down into the water, shocking my two tailgaters as I glance back at them mid-fall.

Within System Event #1,265,211

Inoue Kaori– the MC of the System Event – shouts with more than a little shock in her voice as she sees Ashley jumping down into the water, "Am I seeing this correctly?! Is the Successor jumping down into the water of her own accord?!"

Her shock quickly grows even stronger when she sees the Successor immediately begin to swim at an incredibly fast pace. One far faster than she was previously flying, simply because there are no obstacles in her way.

"First we see her reveal decay magic, and now this?!" Kaori exclaims, her voice echoing out over the roaring crowd. "Who would've ever guessed that the winged Successor of Chaos was such an incredible swimmer! But why didn't she try swimming until now? And will she be able to avoid the monsters down there?!"

Kaori's shock only continues to grow as she sees Ashley swimming through the water without getting hit by even a single monster. Passing by every last competitor one after another all the way until she reaches the very front of the pack.

Taking away first place from the previous holder. A demon known by the name Zephyrine Nocturne.

And under the gazes of both Kaori and all of the crowd watching, Ashley crosses straight through the expanse between the previous first place and the end of the obstacle course.

Winning the entire event through swimming while avoiding the obstacle course itself.

"And there we have it! She really won by traveling through the water!!!" Kaori shouts, her excitement echoed by the audience watching them all. "And there wasn't even a single death amongst the competitors this time around! No matter how hard both Naoka and Xclotl were trying!!!"

All of the competitors soon find themselves in the spectating room, following which Kaori immediately moves straight towards the Successor.

Only for her to vanish in moments. Just like in her first Official System Event.

Kaori pouts for a second before sighing and turning her attention to the crowd.

Having already prepared herself to recover from the winner's immediate exit.

Ashley

Well that was an interesting race.

I yawn a little as I leave the System Hub, returning to the living space within my Spire. Then I walk around towards the balcony to look outside at the park below.

The whole event was pretty beneficial. What with the new skills I got from the fish.

Even if most of them were rather useless.

I got some rather useful skills for underwater maneuverability. And on top of that, I even got a few more ranged water attacks.

No water mana manipulation though.

A pity.

But that's fine.

On another hand, I probably could've killed those two who were constantly chasing me. But that could've cost me the race if I took the time to fight both of them head on. Not to mention that the skills they were using while chasing after me didn't look interesting.

One of them just had some poison covering their feline claws, while the other had a swarm of insects hiding inside of its mouth.

Neither of which looked particularly appealing to me. Assuming I could even use them in the first place.

I lean on the stone railing of the Spire balcony while glancing down at the base of the Spire. Where more and more tents are being set up by the hour.

There even appear to be some houses being built down there.

I let out a faint sigh at that.

Well, whatever.

They can do what they want.

I turn my head up to look at the rest of the park.

By the end of my hunt earlier, the park was pretty empty of monsters. But there have been several Gates opening up. Not to mention more Gates that are in the city surrounding the park that is also under my Spire's control.

So I think I'm going to open up those particular Gates to any random person who wants to enter them.

And I'll go ahead and participate in more Official System Events over the next few days. Maybe even fight in a Gate myself.

Until the meeting with the leaders at least.

I stare out at the park for a few more seconds before heading inside.

Time to rest for now.

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