Ascending Endlessly: I Copy Skills

Oasis was, above all else, a mining city. What used to be a mountain range below us was now a desert, but a large deposit of iron remained deep beneath the layers of sand. Considering the demand for steel, the city was fortunate to at least have one stable source of revenue.

A large portion of our resources came from trade with other sanctuaries, considering most couldn't be produced here easily. However, the trade was monopolized by one man: Charles Mann. Our city's B-Rank hunter.

Outside of the sanctuary and the dungeons, the desert is extraordinarily hot. So hot, in fact, that ordinary people collapse within minutes. It was unnatural, certainly- but The Gloam caused many unnatural phenomena.

Most climates around the globe had similar issues, having their weather conditions pushed to an abnormal extreme. Forests with mazes of trees that don't stop growing, eerie planes which become endless expanses of nothing, jungles where the rain was ceaseless and flooded the soil. Not only was this common- in fact, it would be quite a challenge to find a single place on earth which remained ordinary and habitable.

The Gloam had done far more than just send monsters after us. It had corrupted our world from its heart, spreading outwards.

Regardless, the heat made it so few convoys would be capable of transporting resources through the massive desert, to or from. Our city's B-Rank hunter, however, could mitigate this with his ability. 

Charles Mann had the power to make barriers. Not only could he make defensive barriers, but he could also produce special barriers with utilities beyond simply protecting someone from damage. As such, he essentially became a walking 'Sanctuary' on his own, able to sit and create a barrier that would cool down the air which passed through it. This also enabled him to protect the miners from the heat while they worked. 

And now, I was sitting in the back of a truck experiencing it myself. 

I would never have been able to get in here without my past which I held in disdain. However, sometimes such a thing was necessary. Still, I was nervous to be taking such a long trip by ground. Traveling in these trucks definitely had its dangers. I only hoped Charles Mann knew what to do in case of an emergency.

I felt a little nostalgic for Oasis as I felt our fleet of iron carriers getting further and further away from it. When you live in a bad situation for long enough, you almost get attached to it, like it's an important part of you. However, I knew better.

I had something more to look forward to now. My plan was as such: I would travel from city to city, heading further inland as I go, collecting every possible skill I can from every dungeon I can find. My problem with mana could be solved in one other way besides using it purely.

I could still create mana batteries and just siphon their energy into other cards to supplement copied skills, making them cast faster and have a greater effect. With a massive variety of skills, I could shoot them off like a machine gun, catching enemies entirely off-guard. Of course, I still wanted to see if there was anything I could do about my mana capacity, but this seemed like the best idea for the time being.

After all, even if I couldn't use much mana, I could still be enabled to quickly and effectively use even S-Rank skills. 

It took us three days of non-stop travel to reach our destination. As the desert started to fade away, dirt and greenery entered my field of view for the first time in years. The sanctuary we were traveling towards was called Matherstown, named after its mayor.

Unlike the harsh desert landscape surrounding Oasis, Matherstown was square in the center of a verdant forest. As we crossed the end of the sand, the air instantly started to cool. However, what replaced it was a heavy fog. 

I could feel a shift in the surrounding mana. Charles must be shifting his barrier to match the environment here. In the woods surrounding Matherstown, a cloud of narcotic gas could be seen stretching for miles around it. Fortunately, Charles could filter it out and grant us clean air to breathe. I'd heard that the city itself had quite a large population, strangely due to the environmental change caused by The Gloam. 

People would willingly step outside and inhale the air to experience the pleasant, hedonistic haze it would impose on them. This caused quite a few deaths before security was tightened. It was even bottled and sold, being the city's largest export, albeit through a black market. 

Either way, this city, unlike Oasis, had two dungeons outside of its territory- one D-Rank, and one C-Rank. This would be an opportunity for me to gain stronger skills than I ever could have in Oasis, not that I could have stayed there any longer.

Fortunately, we arrived with no problems. The trip went without a hitch, and as we entered the barrier of the Sanctuary, I sighed in relief. It would be stupid if I died before ever getting to make use of my power. Just as the final truck crossed through into the city, I could feel mana fluctuations as Charles' barrier was dispelled. I acted quickly. The entire convoy was surrounded by the skill, so its signature should remain where I am.

Fortunately, I was correct. Unlike the other cards, which had turned black upon absorbing the Goblins' skills, this card turned green, similarly to the healing skill I had taken from the Vanguard hunter.

I wondered if that was an important detail. However, I didn't have much time to think. Shortly after our arrival, the trucks stopped and started to unload. Charles Mann approached me with a grim look on his face.

"Consider my debt repaid,"

Was all he said with a grimace as he walked away. I had actually interacted with him before my life in Oasis began, back when I was in an S-Rank party, where I'd saved his life by chance. He was a pretty shitty guy, but I was glad he at least honored me this once.

From here, so long as I could make money, there were more people who could take me further inland. The strongest dungeons existed on the equator, and I was still way north of my final destinations. I would have to farm as many lower-ranked dungeons as I could until I'd collected enough skills to challenge them. 

Still, this felt like a good start. As opposed to the way I was in Oasis, facing my own ego and overcoming it, as well as starting fresh in a new city filled me with determination. I'd rested enough on the trip here. Before I could even think about laying down roots, I needed money.

And, of course, how do hunters make money?

That's right. It's time to clear a dungeon.