Climbing the Tower with Multidimensional Avatars - Chapter 163

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Episode 163. Galaxy Martial God Hall – Recognition (2)

I rose from my seat at the Family Head’s greeting and bowed respectfully.
“It is an honor to meet you, Family Head.”
At the same time, I observed him through my glasses.

[Name: Cheon Ja-su / Age: 693]
[Strength: 93 / Agility: 93 / Stamina: 93 / Intelligence: 75 / Mana: 93]
[Status: Normal]
[Ability: Martial Arts Lv 93]

The External Patriarch Cheon Gyeong-ho, who was at Level 90, was at Level 93? The Family Head, known for his mastery of the Moon Realm?
Didn’t the grades increase by five levels for every tier in the upper levels?
Could it be different starting from the Level 90s?
Now that I thought about it, I’d heard The Tower had one hundred levels in total.
“Enough. If I’d wanted formality, I wouldn’t have cleared everyone out.”
The Family Head, Cheon Ja-su, waved his hand for me to sit, then sipped his coffee leisurely before speaking.
“Gyeong-ho must have felt slighted because you have little affection for family. Of course, I’ve been just as neglectful as Gyeong-ho in my own way. Still, I’d like to think I’m better than that rascal, at least.”
I smiled slightly at the Family Head’s playful remark and replied.
“Not at all. Both of you hold positions dealing with major family matters, so it’s only natural that your time is limited.”
The emergency code I’d used this time was reissued, to be used if anything like this happened again.
Of course, this code wasn’t meant for my use—it was for Cheon So-yeon’s sake.
The Family Head looked at me with interest at my answer.
“Like Cheon So-yeon, you’re remarkably mature for your age. It’s not entirely good to be so adult-like at such a young age, you know.”
I wished he’d align his words with his expression before saying something like that.
“The reason I called you here is to discuss this matter in various ways and offer you some recognition.”
Recognition! That’s wonderful!
“Please feel free to ask me anything you wish.”
“Very well. First, let’s discuss your accomplishments. According to the investigation team I sent and Teacher Kim Do-hwa, you apparently dismantle the Communication Jamming Formation and the Gold Jade Lock-Binding Swift Formation.”
“It was merely a humble skill, nothing more.”
The Family Head’s brow furrowed at my response.
“Now, caution is fine, but I told you to speak freely, didn’t I? It makes me uncomfortable. Besides, if you’re going to be like this, there’s no point in clearing everyone out. Don’t go sounding like some stuffy old geezer, boy.”
At the Family Head’s words, I hesitated slightly before answering.
“Well, it was a modest skill I managed to pull off.”
The Family Head laughed heartily at my reply.
“Ah-ha-ha-ha! Yes, that’s so much better! How did you do it?”
I answered his question with an appropriately embellished account.
“I was skiing and accidentally went too far. I happened to discover the Communication Jamming Formation and reversed it to destroy the formation itself.”
In truth, I’d drawn an explosive Magical Formula and detonated it, but since the External Patriarch Cheon Gyeong-ho had purified the entire planet except for the resort, no evidence would remain.
I then recounted the attempted kidnapping incident from my perspective.
The Family Head, who had been listening with interest while nodding, wore a satisfied smile.
“Riven trained you well. You’ve exceeded my expectations. When I ordered you to be educated, I never thought it would reach this level. Do you have any interest in taking a position in the Military Division after graduation?”
The Military Division was the highest elite course—one where even those with lower cultivation realms could become key figures in the family.
The fact that the Family Head was directly scouting me for the Military Division meant he was taking responsibility for securing my future.
But….
“I apologize, but I’d prefer to explore my future slowly after graduation.”
I wasn’t here in this world to climb the family’s elite ladder.
My foremost goal was to enjoy this world and explore its mysteries.
My secondary goal was to hone my martial skills to climb The Tower.
Unless I was desperate for money or there was special merit in advancing my cultivation realm, I had no intention of taking employment.
A parasite living off the family’s wealth—isn’t that the true martial artist?
“I see. Given your current realm, going the warrior route would indeed be promising. Still, it’s a shame to let slip someone who’s single-handedly restored the lost Heterodox Path Sorcery….”
Did Teacher Kim Do-hwa tell him? Or did the AI Blue Eyes at the resort provide CCTV footage?
It could have been both.
The Family Head wrote a phone number and email address on a slip of paper and handed it to me.
“If you change your mind, contact me anytime. It’s not a direct line, but it’s a contact number my secretary will relay to me.”
“Ah, thank you very much.”
Even a non-direct line connected to the Family Head was rare.
“That said, I checked the CCTV footage, and they fought in a thoroughly cowardly way. Freezing legs and striking from ambush, slitting throats, trapping poisonous gas in sealed spaces and launching coordinated attacks—that sort of thing.”
Blue Eyes must have been the one to provide the CCTV recordings.
“Against an opponent stronger than myself, there was little choice.”
“Ahahaha! I know, I’m praising you. A true military strategist must never be choosy about methods and means.”
He still hadn’t given up the idea of grooming me into a strategist.
“Your contribution in this matter is substantial. However, there will be no public commendation for it.”
“Of course. That’s what I would prefer as well.”
Public praise would only paint a target on me the way Cheon So-yeon had become one.
The Family Head nodded, looking satisfied with my answer.
“Your merit in this affair will be classified as top secret. Only myself, the Information Division who conducted the investigation, Teacher Kim Do-hwa, and the Resort’s AI will know the truth. Publicly, what you did will be credited to the AI.”
“Thank you.”
Phew! I’d made it through.
“Still, you did accomplish something, so a reward will be given. However, since publicly it was the AI’s work, it won’t be monetary compensation. Instead, there will be indirect additional support through the Club. You’ll still establish that Elixir Club when you enter middle school, won’t you?”
“Of course.”
When I let my face fall slightly with disappointment, the Family Head laughed heartily.
“Ahahaha! Don’t be so disappointed. The additional support through the Club is just a bonus, after all. It’s difficult to grant proper recognition through such indirect channels.”
As my eyes brightened again, the Family Head rose from his seat.
“The reward will be given in Martial Arts instruction. But before that, I’d like you to come with me somewhere and have a look at something.”
At the Family Head’s words, I stood up awkwardly and asked, “What should I be looking at?”
“What should I be looking at?”
“It’s a bit difficult to explain here. Just come with me.”
The Family Head left the reception room, and I followed in his wake.
He descended into the underground levels of the Family Head Residence. As we went quite deep, the smell of blood became apparent.
“…Is this a torture chamber?”
“Goodness, don’t say such frightening things. Let’s call it an Interrogation Chamber.”
That’s the same thing!
What did he want me to see?
On the floor of the room I entered with the Family Head, blood had dried into hard, crusty patches, and on the table in the center lay a corpse with a familiar face.
It was the leader of the kidnappers who had ruined my school trip.
“Are you perhaps asking me to perform an autopsy?”
“Of course not. How many skilled forensic pathologists does the family have?”
With a slight smirk, the Family Head made his request in a tone that suggested he didn’t expect much.
“Is it possible to summon the spirit of a dead person using that Heterodox Path Sorcery and make them confess? This one endured to the end without breaking, possibly because some vicious binding curse was placed on him.”
At the Family Head’s words, I paused to consider.
“How long has it been since death?”
“He died early this morning. But does the time matter?”
“It does matter. To answer plainly, I can do something similar.”
The Family Head looked genuinely startled—apparently he really hadn’t expected it to be possible.
“You can?!”
Then why bring a child down to where corpses are kept if you didn’t expect it to work?
You could have explained it upstairs!
“There’s a complex Righteous Path method that respects both human ethics and heavenly law, and a simple Demonic Path method that discards both.”
“For now, use the Righteous Path method. We’re an Orthodox Faction, after all.”
“Understood. I’ll need several materials—can you procure them?”
I could pull them from my inventory, but if I produced items at a security checkpoint that hadn’t come through the checkpoint, it could cause problems.
“If it’s something difficult to obtain, it might take a while.”
“Simple materials. A syringe, ink, a bottle or small dish to hold the ink, a fountain pen or brush, and something about the size of a hand bell—a bell and some thread.”
“That’s nothing.”
The Family Head sent a message somewhere, and within a few minutes, all the items I’d requested had been delivered to this place.
The Family Head watched me with keen interest.
I drew blood from the dead man using the syringe.
Though the body had been dead so long the blood had nearly coagulated, it was still drawn up into the syringe.
I placed the blood and ink into the bottle and, infusing it with mana, shook the mixture together.
Then I coated the fountain pen with mana and the ink-stained blood, drawing intricate magical formulas on the forehead, heart, lower dantian, both wrists, and both ankles.
Finally, I inscribed the formula on the hand bell, soaked the thread in ink, and connected the bell to the corpse’s neck.
“Preparations are complete.”
“That’s simple?”
“Well, the preparations are straightforward. From here on, there’s a complex ritual and offerings needed, but I’ll skip those parts appropriately.”
I placed my hand on the corpse’s heart and channeled magic.
“Come forth, thou burdened with sin.”
At my command, translucent chains materialized from my limbs, and a form took shape as though a soul were being drawn from a corpse—the living image of the deceased.
“…This isn’t the Demonic Path method, is it?”
“No. The person has been dead too long; I couldn’t summon the spirit itself.”
“Then what is this?”
“This is that person’s Soul Fragment.”
I explained calmly.
A human is composed of Spirit, Soul, Ethereal Body, and Physical Body. The Spirit ascends to heaven and vanishes the moment of death; the Soul remains for seven days before scattering into the air; the Ethereal Body lingers for forty-nine days before seeping into the earth; and the Physical Body endures for roughly three years.
The Spirit is the person’s true essence and origin, the Soul is formed from the Spirit’s memories, and the Ethereal Body from the Physical Body’s memories.
“In other words, what I’ve summoned is essentially an artificial intelligence—a replica of the deceased’s memories. Using the Demonic Path method, I could bind and summon even the Spirit itself, but it’s far too cruel and unnecessarily taxing, so I’d rather not resort to it.”
“Hasn’t the Righteous Path method been called complicated?”
“Yes, well… it is complicated. Without me, the ritual would have taken three days and nights. I took shortcuts out of laziness, but if it’s possible to abbreviate, there’s no harm in trying. Though I doubt most could manage it.”
This was something only a high-tier Class 5 mage could accomplish.
If one used the Demonic Path method, even Class 2 could do it, but still.
The Family Head marveled at my answer.
“Extraordinary. The legendary Qi Spirit Conduit Body truly is different.”
“…Pardon?”
What body was he talking about?
“The Qi Spirit Conduit Body. When I heard you’d restored the Heterodox Path, I reviewed your physical examination records again and discovered they matched the records of the Qi Spirit Conduit Body.”
“Is that good for learning Martial Arts?”
I asked hopefully, and the Family Head chuckled before answering.
“No. If you’re born the dullest of dullards when it comes to body cultivation, there’s nothing good about it. For a martial artist, it’s rather like a death sentence, I’d imagine?”
My expression crumpled at the Family Head’s words.
Seeing my face, the Family Head laughed with delight.
“Ahahaha!”
I’d only just met him, but he struck me as some wretched old codger who made a hobby of tormenting his grandchildren.
Inwardly, I clicked my tongue.
“If you have questions, ask them quickly.”
“Haha, ahem! Are you sulking?”
“I’ve abbreviated a great deal, so this is consuming considerable Inner Power.”
At my words, the Family Head set aside his teasing for the moment and questioned the Soul Fragment.
“Who is your master?”
The Soul Fragment answered the Family Head’s question.
—I cannot say.
The Family Head’s expression twisted, and I felt laughter bubble up inside me.

(To be continued in the next installment)

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————