“Civilization at last! No forests or battlefields here, only wealth! Endless wealth! Cursed be thee who pursues wealth instead of power…” Nem’s demeanor fell grim and hateful. “But the Tower has spoken! Eat, rest, indulge, be merry! The gate will open in 30 days and all who possess value may pass through.”

  [ Fourth Trial - Bazaar ]

  ‘Amass wealth.’

  A finely made leather pouch appeared on his sash, and Gilgamesh inspected it.

  [ Spatial Bag - Mid Grade ]

  ‘Contains a subspace of 10 cubic feet.’

  As he connected his mana with it, Gilgamesh could sense that the space within the bag was far larger than the small pouch itself. He estimated it could hold as much as a chest the size of a bed.

  Gilgamesh then looked around the environment of this new trial and found commerce. Countless stores of all kinds. Blacksmiths, tailors, fletchers, alchemists, apothecaries, jewelers, leatherworkers, cooks, carpenters, artificers, toymakers, booksellers, painters, sculptors…

  There was a store for everything he could think of, but of more immediate interest were the people who ran them. Gilgamesh glanced at a fair-skinned woman of supernatural beauty with long-pointed ears.

  [ Elf - Storekeeper ]

  A race of fantasy, the kind that appeared in various myths and folklore around the world. Elves were not the only of such kind. Dwarves, gnomes, giants, orcs, centaurs, beastmen, and many other kinds comprised the storekeepers. As well as humans.

  Gilgamesh glanced down the street at the faceless Puppet Guards that patrolled the streets, and at the Puppet Clerks sat behind wooden tables located between the stores at regular intervals.

  Given that the puppets were not used for the stores, Gilgamesh suspected the storekeepers to be real. “Natives of the Tower…”

  They did all have a different bearing about them, but Gilgamesh could not glean how strong they were. Their labels within the Schema were also strange, an occupation instead of the usual Rank.

  “Why is the Trial concealing that…?”

  Gilgamesh stopped to read the simple sign that hung from one of the tables.

  ‘1 Shard for 1 day of labor.’

  “This whole place is based on commerce and work.” Gilgamesh concluded. He ignored the nonsense Nem said about taking it easy. “The goal is to amass wealth and since it has no goal, the more the better. Just as with the Third Trial.”

  “It specified ‘wealth’, not ‘money’. Whatever is purchased will likely retain its value.” Gilgamesh mused, as he set off down the street in search of a store that sold golems.

  “Leper Boy~” A storekeeper called out to him. Gilgamesh silently looked over to the pale-blue woman bound almost entirely in bandages and leather straps, save for her mouth.

  [ Vampire - Storekeeper ]

  “You should handle that curse of yours… before it grows beyond you~”

  “She does indeed seem to be real...” His prior speculation seemed to be the truth. “What do you sell?”

  “Talismans.” She smiled.

  “Are you a native of the Tower?” Gilgamesh bluntly asked. But the vampire did not answer. Her facial expression was as frozen in place as a living person’s could be.

  “...must be the same rules that keeps the gods silent.” Gilgamesh deduced. “How are talismans made?”

  “Mmhm~” She laughed coyly. “You have to pay to learn that~ A shard for a day.”

  “Later, perhaps.” Gilgamesh walked on. He had little interest in talismans, aside from the mysterious nature of his own bandages.

  “You must not delay too long, Leper Boy~” She sweetly called out after him. “The curse will grow~”

  The words faded behind him as he continued his search for a golem store, and soon he found it. A simple building made of stone and tiles, managed by an old gnome with a strange appearance.

  His misshapen face seemed as though it were half-sculpted from clay. Full leather armor was bolted to his body, and the lensless goggles strapped tightly around his face held crystals in place of his eyes.

  “What kinds of golems do you sell?” Gilgamesh approached him.

  “Made a fortune already, did ya?” The gnome snickered, then tapped on the board that hung on the side of the storefront.

  It looked to be nothing more than scribbled nonsense at a glance, which was why Gilgamesh paid it no mind before, but as he focused on it now he gained access to a menu much in the same vein as the Bronze tier Trait options.

  Though not nearly as vast as the options of Traits, the amount of golems available surprised and intrigued him. Gilgamesh’s mind raced with tactics and combinations that he had been limited in thus far, but there were two problems. Only Low Grade was offered, and more displeasing than that, were the prices.

  “3 jadestone for a Stone Ape?” He stared. “What is jadestone?”

  “Currency.” Lox snickered at his own joke. “10 Shards to a jadestone.”

  Gilgamesh’s face soured slightly. If he worked every single day for this entire trial, he would only be able to afford a single golem.

  “How do I make golems?” He asked.

  Lox's grin stretched wider. “1 shard for a day of apprenticeship. Best to come with 2 shards at least, ‘less yer some sort of genius. Name's Lox, by the way.”

  Gilgamesh lingered for a moment, then walked straight towards a labor stall and enlisted. There were no words exchanged. He simply found himself transported to the construction site of a massive ancient temple. Most of the other workers around him were puppets, but there were a few other heroes as well.

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  Gilgamesh walked towards a pile of large stone blocks. No one gave him instructions, but he knew intuitively that the job was to assist in the temple’s construction. Even though it should have been beyond his abilities, he was able to pick up the heavy blocks himself. And even though he was a golem, he felt the strain and fatigue of it.”

  “The Trial is making it so it is truly labor…” Gilgamesh deduced, as he readied himself for a few days of restless work.

  ---

  Gilgamesh appeared back in front of the Laborers Table. The fatigue from two full days of work vanished immediately, and two shards appeared in his hand.

  “What the fuck did you say?!”

  “You need me to say it louder, bastard?!”

  Just as he was about to walk on, two heroes nearby got into a heated dispute. The subject was of no interest to Gilgamesh, but one of them quickly lost his temper and killed the other. And that man was immediately killed by a Puppet Guard.

  Gilgamesh’s eyes sharpened. That puppet had moved faster than his eyes could even track. Were he to face an opponent of similar abilities, he would stand no chance. Gilgamesh walked on as tension rose among the rest of the crowd, having taken note of the hidden rule.

  “No violence…”

  He put 2 shards on the counter of the golemcrafting store. “Two days of apprenticeship.”

  Space distorted around him the moment he finished his words. It was as though space itself swallowed him whole and pulled him straight into the back of the store. Between the tables, boxes of scrap, and unfinished work, it seemed more of a workshop than a storehouse.”

  “Best get started then.” Lox dropped a box of small square iron plates on the table, and pulled out an awl. “First, ya need to learn the basic runes. Can’t do anything before that. Watch closely.”

  “Explain runes and golemcrafting first.” Gilgamesh interrupted the gnome just as he was about to carve something on one of the iron plates.

  “Yer the scholarly type, are ya? Can’t say I approve.” Lox muttered as he put down his awl and turned to face him. “But it’s part of the job, I suppose.”

  “There’s 14 basic runes, each of ‘em represents one of the fundamental forces in the world.”

  “The Rune of Good invokes harmony and purity.”

  “The Rune of Evil invokes strife and corruption.”

  “The Rune of Space determines where and the Rune of Time determines when.”

  “The Rune of Life heals and repairs.”

  “The Rune of Death harms and undoes.”

  “The Rune of Creation, well, creates, of course. And the Rune of Destruction destroys.”

  “The Rune of Power strengthens and the Rune of Limitation weakens.”

  “The Rune of Freedom liberates and the Rune of Hindrance impairs.”

  “The Rune of Truth reveals and the Rune of Mystery lies.”

  “Now, what they do exactly is just about anything ya can think of. There are no limits to runes, only what yer able to do with them.”

  “...What makes them fundamental forces?” Gilgamesh asked. He had expected magic and mysticism, naturally, but that term was of a more significant stature.

  Lox smiled as traces of zealotry crept into his enthusiasm. “These symbols hold the power of the words spoken during the Tower’s creation. The first words of the Supreme One.”

  “Supreme One?” Gilgamesh fixated. “Is the Tower not the ruler itself, but merely the kingdom of the ruler? Is this being the strongest god or something above them? What of that Red Light? Is that his as well...?”

  “Who is the Supreme One?” Gilgamesh asked. But just as with the vampire woman, the gnome did not answer.

  “...how do I carve runes?” Gilgamesh moved on from that dead end.

  “With yer soul.” Lox grinned. “Consumes mana, sure, like everything does. But runes require a bit more.”

  “...I must spend part of my soul?” Gilgamesh’s eyes narrowed.

  Lox laughed. “Nothing that serious, lad. But it does tax ya somethin’ fierce. And if you keep going past that…” The crazy old gnome gestured an explosion with his hands.

  “But enough of this book learnin’. A crafter needs to use his hands if he really wants to master somethin’.”

  Another awl of a simpler design appeared in his hands and he gave it to Gilgamesh. “This here will allow ya to channel yer soul properly. Now watch close.”

  [ Runeforging Awl - Artifact (Low Grade) ]

  'Enchantment: Soul Carving'

  'Facilitates the engraving of mana through the soul.'

  Mana Cost: 1 mote per second

  [ Artifact ]

  'An item that has been Enchanted.'

  Under Gilgamesh’s piercing gaze, Lox wielded his awl with impressive dexterity and carved a simple rune; a line straight down the middle and then a perfect circle within.

  “Phi?” Gilgamesh recognized its strong resemblance to the ancient Greek letter.

  “That there’s the Rune of Power. Carve it exactly like I did, and make sure yer soul’s giving off the right feeling. Imagine somethin’ powerful, like a giant’s hammer hitting an anvil or a monster lifting a mountain. When ya succeed at that, ya can start the next one. Ah…” Lox recalled something. “What’s yer Control?”

  “11.” Gilgamesh answered.

  “Hmmm…” Lox rubbed his chin. “Gonna be tough if it's that low. But not impossible. Give it yer best.”

  Lox headed back to the counter and Gilgamesh turned his focus to the rune-engraved plate left for him to study, as he keenly recalled the exact way it was carved.

  First, Gilgamesh focused his intent upon the awl and found that it accepted him quite easily. His mana poured in, and then the awl pulled on his soul until he could feel the carving tool almost become a part of himself.

  Gilgamesh stilled his mind and thought of something powerful. He thought of a man, a king of an ancient city. He thought of that peerless king forcing a horned wildman down to his knees by the strength of his arm alone.

  The presence of might seeped out from Gilgamesh, and he began to carve. Immediately, Gilgamesh felt the burden of Runeforging. His Soul strained as a normal body would lifting a heavy stone. The first part of this rune was just a simple straight line, something that ought not to have taken more than the blink of an eye. But carving that awl down was akin to a series of arduous steps with that heavy stone on his back.

  But Gilgamesh persisted. He continued that straight line down the iron plate, perfectly and calmly. And the plate suddenly cracked in half.

  Gilgamesh did not linger in the failure. He took another plate and heightened his focus further to try again. Again, he strained himself to carve the same straight line and this time he finished it. But as he attempted the circle within, the plate broke into several pieces.

  Gilgamesh paused. Runes were profound. The depth held within seemed to grow infinitely the more that was completed of it. It was something intuitive. Instinctual. Something he felt in his soul.

  Gilgamesh emptied his mind of everything but the Rune of Power and the concept of might. Then he carved again, slowly and firmly. He carved the straight line down and then the circle within. A dull flash washed out the instant the circle connected, before it settled into a subtle mystic glow.

  [ The Great Monk ] is somewhat impressed.

  [ Husband of the Golden Bride ] is paying attention.

  [ Scribe of the Gods ] glances your way.

  [ High Priest ] is watching.

  [ Three-Headed Snake ] is eager to see how deeply you sink.

  [ All-Father ] offers 1 Attribute Point if you succeed at all 14 runes within 2 days.

  [ Old Man of the Woods ] offers 1 Attribute point for the same task.

  [ Serpent of False Mysteries ] is startled.

  [ Serpent of False Mysteries ] offers 5 Attribute Points for the same task.

  [ Handsome Monkey King ] nearly falls out of his chair.

  [ Handsome Monkey King ] asks [ Serpent of False Mysteries ] if she thinks Attribute Points grow on trees.

  [ Illustrious True Lord ] marvels at [ Handsome Monkey King]’s shamelessness.

  [ Many gods criticize [ Serpent of False Mysteries ] for impropriety. ]

  [ Serpent of False Mysteries ] increases her offer to 10 Attribute Points.

  [ Many gods fall silent. ]

  “Oh?”

  Gilgamesh looked up to find Lox inspecting the rune he had just carved.

  “Thought that would take a bit longer. Well then, let’s start the second!”