Blinding light overwhelmed their eyes.
In an instant, the five of them froze. Their eyes widened. This wasn't some grimy dungeon or bloody battlefield like the ones in anime. What lay before them was an endless meadow, vivid and bright under a golden sky.
But the silence didn't last long.
Ding~
> "Welcome to the Tower. You're still in the tutorial phase. It ends once you clear the first floor. Confused? I bet you are. But before we go further... let's check the skills you've received. Excited?"
Ding!
A glowing system panel hovered in front of them.
[Player Stats & Skills]
Kael Veyr – Earth Element Manipulation (Rank S)
Zio Veyr – Berserker (Rank A)
Noa Lys – Gravity (Rank S+)
Ren Kuro – Summoner (Rank S)
Rayn Iskard – Aura (Rank F)
Rayn frowned. "...F?
Seriously?"
The system replied with a carefree tone.
> "Maybe you just got unlucky."
Rayn clenched his fists.
"Whatever…" he muttered.
Kael stepped forward. "So, what's next, System?"
> "Simple. The Tower has 100 floors. Every 10 floors, the difficulty spikes. To ascend, you must find the exit and survive each floor's monsters. You won't feel hunger or thirst here. Just fight, endure, survive."
> "I'll be watching... from the top."
Ding. The system panel vanished.
Silence returned.
Kael spoke first. "No point standing around. Let's find the path to the second floor."
Everyone nodded and started walking. But soon after, a loud explosion echoed through the field.
"What was that?" Rayn muttered.
They followed the sound and found a dark cave. Before anyone could speak—
"I'M GOING IN FIRST!!"
Zio charged straight into the cave.
"ZIO, WAIT—!"
Too late.
His Berserker skill had triggered. His eyes gleamed red. He'd lost all control.
He tore through goblins like a mad beast. One punch tore a hole through a goblin's gut. Blood sprayed. Intestines splattered the ground.
Zio laughed maniacally.
"What's wrong, bro? Scared? Killing goblins is fun!"
Kael rushed over and smacked him across the face.
"SNAP OUT OF IT, ZIO!!"
Zio staggered back. "Ow! That hurt!"
His madness faded slightly.
Everyone turned their gaze to Rayn, who was frozen, staring at the goblin corpses. Blank expression. Unblinking.
"...Oi, Rayn!" Noa called.
No response.
So Zio, Ren, and Noa decided to sneak up and startle him.
WHACK!
Rayn bonked all three of them on the head.
"The hell was that for?!" they yelled in unison.
Rayn just shrugged. "Whatever. Zio already cleared the cave before we even tested our skills."
"Then let's at least check for item drops," Ren suggested. "Like in games, right?"
They scavenged through the goblin bodies and found two swords and ten healing potions.
"Guess this'll do," Kael muttered.
They continued deeper into the floor and finally stumbled upon a glowing portal and a massive door.
"Is this it?" Ren asked.
Kael and Noa nodded, then pushed the door open.
Light swallowed them once again.
To be continued...