Bianca wouldn't understand without context, so I hadn't told her another reason everyone in the Tower would want her.

She was the perfect weapon.

Her Master could shape her into anything they wanted and freely change her attributes to fit their objectives. Well, not freely. They couldn't do it all the time. But three times a day was ridiculous enough, since doing it even once was forbiddingly expensive.

Pleasure or business, it didn't matter. People who focused on either would go to impressive lengths to have her.

Epic classes and better had requirements so unique that they couldn't be mass produced no matter how powerful one was. I didn't know what the requirements of a [Targeted Submissive] was, but I was sure the Goddess of Revenge hadn't met them.

All classes had specialties, a magic of their own. How many depended on its tier.

Common classes had one; rare classes, two; epic, three; legendary, four.

Bianca's class specialties were the dominant-submissive soul link, the embodiment of all the fantasies of the Master, free attribute relocation and skill growth shaping.

Skill growth shaping meant me subconsciously deciding which skills she would have an easier time growing, while making the opposite ones harder. But because of how I wanted her to be as free as possible, it was wasted on us.

Not that I care, the characteristics of just having a legendary class were enough to make her capable of following me anywhere in the Lower Floors:

1000 attributes points and double TP gain.

Yes, it was ridiculous. The epic tier only got 500 points and 50% extra AP gain. Rare, 250 points and 25%. Common classes, 100 points and 10%.

The good thing was, changing classes was possible. The bad thing was, the bonus attribute points didn't stack. If I got a rare class after getting a common one, I would only receive the 150 attributes points missing. The extra TP gain wasn't retroactive either.

Anyway, between [Awakening] and getting a class, she had at least 1045 attribute points to distribute, plus any she might have bought spending TP earned from skills. But I would only use around 100. I would attract enough attention as it was, and people would find ways to check both our attributes. It was better for her to look average.

'Sub Status,' I thought.

 

Status
Name: Bianca, First Woman of the Black Reaper
Power: Novice 106
Titles: Awakened — Class Holder — First Legend

 

There were many things to pay attention to right in the first section of her status.

First, she had changed her name to something ridiculous out of jealousy. She knew how I felt about Sophie and they would meet, eventually. That was unacceptable and I would have to punish her for it.

While the system said it was impossible to change the name later, there was an item that could do it a second time. It was expensive and could only be bought at the Fiftieth Floor though. I didn't want to waste resources on it and it wouldn't matter by then, anyway.

But the punishment could come later. More important than that was her last title, [First Legend], which she got for being the first to unlock a legendary class. I had forgotten about it because I could never compete for titles related to being the first to unlock a class tier; the Chosen always got those.

People in the Lower Floors couldn't recognize it for what it was. But when we started climbing higher, people would know it meant she was the first to unlock a legendary class. And that would bring trouble.

Even Chosen had to wait until the Sixty-Fifth Floor to get a legendary class. Everyone would know Bianca was breaking Tower Law.

My plans for the near future changed right then.

Tower denizens would have the [Inspect] skill as soon as on the Third Floor, and some forces in the Tower had an extensive spy network. Not to mention humans could buy the skill there too. If someone [Inspected] Bianca, they might remember it and tell it to the wrong person on the Middle or even Higher Floors.

Instead of taking the time to farm the Second Floor for TP, like I originally intended, we would have to rush to the Third Floor in record time. Then rush to kill a merchant to steal a [Skill Book] from him before he sold it to people too strong for the current me to deal with.

The Tower was fair in that any skill had a counter. The [Skill Book] I wanted would give Bianca the skill she needed to counter [Inspect].

 

Attributes
[TP: 8]
[Class Free Attributes: 1,000]
Physical
    Strength: 106 — Agility: 106 — Constitution: 106
Spiritual
    Pool: 106 — Regeneration: 106 — Control: 106
Social
    Charisma: 108 — Persuasion: 107 — Presence: 106

 

Skills
Social
    Novice Servitude — 4 / 10
    Novice Leadership — 1 / 10

 

The [First Legend] title gave her 100 points to each attribute, and [Awakener], 5. Since I hadn't wanted her to be shaped by me previously, all her class attribute points remained unspent. She had accumulated 38 TP in total and used 30 to put two points on charisma and one in persuasion.

Even without the class attributes, she could kill me easily. Good thing we immediately got used to any attributes we got, or she might kill herself too. Sadly for Iron Bull, it didn't work the other way around.

Bianca wouldn't have trouble because she didn't have any fighting experience using those attributes though.

The [Servitude] skill at the Novice Tier simply made her understand better what her superior wanted her to do. It wasn't a surprise she hadn't raised it so much. It depended on the mindset of wanting to obey the best they could. Not many people could get to it.

And the [Leadership] skill had probably been unlocked when she created the Council.

I quickly rearranged her attributes.

 

Attributes
[TP: 8]
[Class Free Attributes: 1,843]
Physical
    Strength: 10 — Agility: 15 — Constitution: 50
Spiritual
    Pool: 6 — Regeneration: 6 — Control: 6
Social
    Charisma: 6 — Persuasion: 6 — Presence: 6

 

I focused on her constitution so she could survive better. That was the most important thing for now. She could also pass up as a tank as we climbed. And I put a little strength and agility beyond what a simple [Awakener] would have to help her hunt.

The second most important thing was keeping her social attributes low. The fewer people noticed her, the better. If it wouldn't be too obvious to make an [Awakener] have less than 6 to any attribute, I'd set it all her social attributes to 1.

Her high constitution wouldn't attract any attention. She had the attributes of a [Class Holder] who had focused on one attribute. A weak one at that, who hadn't invested in unlocking or leveling up skills. People would just assume she was a Chosen, which wasn't a lie.

It was just perfect.

Punishing her would have to wait because I had no idea how to punish her. Anything I did to her would end up bringing her satisfaction because punishing her for the slight would satisfy me. I needed to be creative.

"Let's go hunt," I said.

"Yes, my Master," she replied at once.

 

---

 

Bianca was standing on top of a dead wolf, breathing hard out of shock from her first kill. The stone knife in her hand was full of blood.

"Pathetic," I said right after I killed the fifth wolf. As I trained her, I trained my skills too.

"I'm sorry, my Master!"

 

---

 

"Hit me lower!" I yelled. She punched me in the belly. "Lower!" She punched my upper leg. "I said lower!" She awkwardly punched my shin.

"This position feels weird, my Master," she complained.

"Of course it does! I told you to hit me, not punch me! Why are you twisting your body like that?"

"I saw you kill a wolf like this, my Master."

I flicked her forehead. "Before learning how to attack from any position, you must first learn how to merely attack! Go for simple movements! Take the path of least resistance! Do the easiest things first!"

"Yes, my Master! I'm sorry, my Master!"

 

---

 

We were sitting on a rock.

"...and because of how hard it is to get TP for other people, I'll make sure to prioritize one attribute category over all others in your status. In each category, you'll always have an attribute on which I'll focus more, too.

"I chose constitution because it gives you extra survivability. This is the safest path to take in the Tower, no matter how much people fear the pain from taking damage for their teams. Monsters aren't mindless, they will always focus on the weaker back lines when they find an opening. Squish ranged attackers die much more than tanks."

 

Skill unlocked: Teaching
Level: 1 / 10
Type: Social
Attribute: Persuasion
Effects:
» +2.2% (0.1 + 2.1) easier to be understood when teaching something

 

"Got it," I said.

"Congratulations, my Master!" she said happily and hugged me.

I'm ashamed to admit I hugged her back. I was taking advantage of her and I knew it, but this just felt too nice.

"Are you prepared to listen to me talk nonstop?" I asked.

"No, but I will tank it. I'm a tanker, am I not?" she with a fist.

I smiled. It felt nice when she refused me, even in minor things. It gave me hope that one day her broken mind might recover.

"We'll see," I said. "Now, let me tell you the secrets about attribute evolution..."

 

---

 

We were fighting against each other again.

"[Offensive Martial Arts], check," she said and just threw herself on the ground in the middle of her movement.

"What the hell?" I asked. "We can't even tire on the First Floor!"

"I'm bored," she said. "I love you, my Master, but I hate fighting. I'm sorry."

"Do you remember you yourself saying you're a tank? Guess what? Time to learn [Defensive Martial Arts]!"

She threw her hands to the air. "Nooooooo!"

 

---

 

We were sitting close to a bonfire, eating meat skewers. In less than ten minutes, the doors to the Second Floor would open.

"Bianca, I know how to punish you."

She looked surprised at me. "What did I do, my Master?"

"Your name."

"Oh," was all she said.

"Why did you do it?"

She didn't even blush to reply. "I want her to know. The one you're obsessed with. That I got to you first."

"It'll cause all kinds of problems for us both. Do you remember when I said there are only a couple skills I never tried before?"

"I do. Can you tell me now how this is even possible?" she insisted, filled with hope.

"No," I replied dryly. I trusted her, but the two resets I told anyone I was a time traveler, shit hit the fan hard. I knew better now. "And that's not important. The important thing is that there's a reason I never tried the [Singing] skill."

She was interested. "Why is it, my Master?"

"I suck at it. My mother... she wasn't a kind woman. The time she got the least happy with me was because I destroyed a song she really liked with my voice when she was hearing it."

Sympathy came from the soul link. "That's terrible!"

I shrugged. "It doesn't matter. Anyway, I don't think I suck that much, but she did hit hard. Today, I give you the Ice Cream Man by Van Halen." I snapped my fingers for the rhythm and started singing.

"Now summertime's here babe, need somethin' to keep you cool

"Ah now summertime's here babe, need somethin' to keep you cool

"Better look out now though, Dave's got somethin' for you

"Tell ya what it is

"I'm your ice cream man, stop me when I'm passin' by

"Oh my my, I'm your ice cream man, stop me when I'm passin' by

"See now all my flavors are guaranteed to satisfy..."

I kept singing the old song I barely remembered. I'm sure I made plenty of mistakes.

Bianca laughed at times, covered her ears at other moments, and clapped to accompany me. At the end, she had a tear running from her eye from laughing too much.

"My Master, that was the lamest lyrics and the worst singing I have ever heard."

"Good," I said with a smile, then my voice got cold. "This is your first and only warning, Bianca. Never do something like this again."

She looked seriously at me, but then said something I didn't expect. "Okay, but on two conditions."

I frowned at that, and my voice got even colder. And dangerous. I had been pushed around enough in the Tower to develop a strong repulsion to it.

Only the amusement I was feeling from her made me curious enough to ask, "What do you want?"

"Please sing for me more times. This was dreadful, but also strangely lovely and delightful. And if there's any ice cream in the Tower, promise me you'll take me there, my ice cream man," she said impishly.

I opened my mouth to reply, but she beat it to me.

"But only me, my Master. Sing only to me. If you never did it before, you also didn't do it for that other one. Please let me have just this one thing and I promise I'll never demand anything else from you ever again."

Hope and absolute fear from refusal came from the soul link.

It was so strong that I immediately felt miserable.

What was I thinking? I knew she couldn't betray me, but I still treated her like a threat. She was so bound by her artificial love for me that she wanted nothing more than to have a tiny part of me no one else had.

"Of course," I said with a soft voice. "To both. I'll get you that ice cream."

Bliss came from the soul link and she just threw herself at me in a hug. "Thank you. Thank you," she said repeatedly.

Still feeling like shit from my earlier reaction, mixed with the warmth from her reaction, I didn't know what to do.

Luckily, the First Floor bells rang a little after, announcing it had been three days since we got there.

It was time to climb.