Chapter 22

As Ava walked, her shoulders relaxed, and once they came to the board that would transport them into the first floor, she breathed in deeply, then turned around.

“Sorry. I guess I’m a little on edge.”

Leon nodded. “That’s fine.”

They sat down, leaning their backs against the wall while waiting for Hert to show up. They didn’t speak—all that was in their minds was the tower and what they would face. They had talked circles around the same thing, and it had even stopped feeling better to voice their thoughts and worries.

Leon opened up his inventory and scanned it through. He’d finally bit the bullet and opened the two black boxes. Both had contained bundles of straw classed as junk. He’d thrown them away, leaving three empty spaces in his inventory. He’d hoped to fill up two of those spots with items from the store—health potions and the wooden sword, just in case his weapons broke.

For once he had too many coins stacked up, because he couldn’t use them. So many, in fact, that he’d almost recouped what he’d spent earlier on weapons and such. No wonder that the prices were expensive, really. Once you got up in levels, it would probably feel easier to spend the money because you made more from using stronger weapons. The faster you could kill monsters, the safer it was, and the more money you made. Leon almost wished he hadn’t haggled as ruthlessly as he did. Maybe they would have been allowed in. He closed the window and looked at the rows of houses to the side of them.

A girl with ruffled blonde braids sat leaned toward the wall, almost hidden by a group of Scabs. She drew with her fingers between the cobblestones, and Leon shot up on his feet.

“What is it?” Ava asked from where she sat.

“I’ll go talk to that girl. I’ll be back soon.”

Leon jogged to the group of Scabs, who looked up and immediately stretched out their hands. He ignored the requests and made his way to the girl. When he cast a shadow over her, she looked up. If he wasn’t mistaken, there was a glint of recognition in her eyes.

Leon opened the inventory and took out the rag doll. He stretched it out with both hands, holding it in the arms. “She’s for you. I told you; you look almost like twins.”

Her smile shot up to reach her ears, and with a squeal, she grabbed the doll and hugged it tight.

“Thank you, mister!” Her gleaming eyes turned toward the doll, and as Leon turned around to leave, a box popped up.

Quest Unlocked: Beggar’s Mercy

Gift coins to Scabs

Rank: U

Through showing kindness to the less fortunate, you have filled the quota to unlock a hidden quest.

Special: Unique Quest

First time information: Unique quests must be accepted or declined as soon as they are offered and can only be active for one player at a time. Should the player die or choose not to complete the quest, the penalty will be issued, the memory of what prompted the quest will disappear, and the quest will open for another player to find, unlock, and accept.

Rewards: Title [hidden], Extra Request (You get [hidden] once you [hidden]. The Extra Request can also be [hidden] if you decide to [hidden].)

If ignored or failed: Start over with the tutorial and lose your levels and skills

Special: Timed Quest

Do you accept this quest?

[Accept] [Decline]

Leon stared at the words in front of him. What should he do? It didn’t even specify the amount of coins, and the rewards were all but clear. The penalty for failing was enormous, but did that translate into the rewards as well? What if the rewards could help him scale the tower?

Leon cursed under his breath, hoping he didn’t commit a grave mistake. “Accept.”

Quest accepted!

Quest: Beggar’s Mercy

Gift coins to Scabs

Rank: U

Progress: 0/100 000

Time left: 499 days 23 hours 59 minutes

Rewards: Title [hidden], Extra Request (You get [hidden] once you [hidden]. The Extra Request can also be [hidden] if you decide to [hidden].)

If ignored or failed: Start over from the tutorial and lose your levels and skills; should you fail this quest, no coins will be reimbursed

Leon gaped at the text. One. Hundred. Thousand. Coins. No. No, no, no. Why did he accept the quest?

“Can I change my mind?” Leon asked into the air.

Do you wish to cancel this quest?

Warning: Canceling a quest will trigger the quest’s penalty

[Yes] [No]

“No,” he whispered. Now would be the best time if he wanted to get rid of the quest, but he’d worked too hard. Even if Ava and Hert didn’t count on him to venture inside with them, it would be a poor decision to let the penalty kick in. The more time it took for him to enter the tower, the harder it would be to beat.

He looked at his balance, which stood at a little over 500 coins for four days of killing wolves and selling the loot. Even if he continued that pace, it would take much longer to gather the funds than the time limit allowed. He drew in a shaky breath. No, as he rose in levels, the monsters would give off more money. Maybe he could do this within the time limit if he raised his level and got more.

Leon bit his cheek and turned toward the group.

“Do you want coins?”

“Please, sir, give me a coin.”

Seven boxes cropped up over each other. Leon pressed “yes” on all of them in quick succession and saw seven coins disappear from his account balance.

Another box appeared.

You have activated Beggar’s Curse

Leon stared at the box. He’d forgotten about that. He backed away as the Scabs down the street started ambling toward him. How was he supposed to give all that money if the Beggar’s Curse got activated each time?

Then he stopped with a grin.

A hand pulled on his shoulder as the Scabs started to gather.

“Leon, what are you doing?”

He turned his head to Ava. “I got a hidden quest. To give 100 000 coins to Scabs.”

She pulled him away.

Leon stopped, frowning. “I didn’t think the Beggar’s Curse would activate, but it’s a great way to distribute coins.”

“It’s not! Come!” Ava ran, and Leon followed.

”Wait, explain!”

“Outside the arch.”

They continued past the guards, where Ava halted. “Why did you have to do that?”

“I had to accept or decline the quest straight away.”

“Not that.” She waved his words away and looked into his face with a stern expression. “Why did you have to start the Beggar’s Curse? We’re heading into the tower, remember?”

“Of course I do. I just forgot about it. But why can’t I just stay there and give a little to those who come?”

“Because it probably won’t count.” Ava sighed and crossed her arms. “When the Beggar’s Curse activates, they will still ask the question, but it doesn’t matter if accept, decline, or ignore them, because if they come close enough, they’ll take what you have, no matter what your answer is. They’d take your backpack, too.”

Leon swore. “The quest said to gift the Scabs with coins. And that way, it wouldn’t count. Is that what you’re trying to say?”

Ava nodded. “That aside, why would you gift them with anything at all? I’ve told you, nothing really happens to this part of the town. They don’t have the brains to do something worthwhile, no matter what kind. Never mind renovations.” Ava narrowed her eyes and shook her head. “You’re going to throw away a fortune, and for what?”

Leon frowned. “How come you aren’t affected by the curse in any way?”

She shrugged. “I’m not a sting of code.”

“Fair point.” Leon leaned against the wall with his shoulder and looked at the Scabs that had followed them. One by one, they turned around to go back to their spots on the road. “Sorry for starting up the curse.”

“It’s fine.”

“Hey, what if I gift you the coins? That would count, right?”

Ava scratched her cheek. “I suppose. Would you give me a coin, please?”

A box popped up, and Leon accepted it. A coin disappeared from his account, and he looked at the quest. The progress had increased by one. “It works! Perfect.”

“Good. But let’s do more after the tower, since you don’t really have a choice about it anymore. So stu—” Ava cleared her throat and sighed. “I suppose I’ll go to the portal to wait for Hert. I’ll come back to tell you when he’s there.” She turned to leave. “Just… when I come back, be ready to run.”

*******

Leon ran past the groups of Scabs gathering before and to the sides of him, tackled a man, and saw the board outside the tower.

“Hert, now,” Ava said, and the box for joining the party popped up.

Leon pressed yes and dismissed the box with the boons—they looked to be the exact same as earlier.

A wall made of jute clothes made Leon try to slide between two Scabs, but whatever they seemed to do in movies didn’t work. Hands grabbed at him, and though he didn’t see any coins leaving, a message popped up that his account balance held ten fewer coins. Once the two got what they looked for, they released him, and Leon scrambled up on his feet.

More and more Scabs grouped up, and he barely avoided their outstretched arms. He ran toward the board, and Hert, who’d changed from his leather apron to the tank outfit of a metal square over wool, pressed his hand on the board.

Suddenly, Leon’s vision went dark, and he stopped running. He looked around, but saw nothing. Then, a white text floated in front of him.

Welcome to: Tower of Katastroph

You have entered the Tower of Katastroph in Pura for the first time and will soon land together with your group in the special lobby for level 1.

This is where you will discuss strategies and make yourselves ready for the level.

Once you enter the first floor, a guide will tell you about your objective(s).

Good luck, Warrior.

When the text faded, Leon found himself in a brightly lit square room with a modern-looking setting of white, smooth walls and three red soft chairs standing on a black rug. Two gigantic monitors sat mounted on the wall, displaying text and numbers.

Status of Current Playthroughs

Level

Active Players

Killed Players

Completed

2

0

0

0

3

7

1

2

4

12

3

1

5

22

2

4

Leon looked at the second monitor.

Time for Current Playthroughs

Level

Playthrough closes in

Time left to enter

2

47 hours 26 minutes

27 hours 26 minutes

3

36 hours 15 minutes

26 hours 15 minutes

4

1 hours 33 minutes

ENTRY CLOSED

5

24 hours 58 minutes

9 hours 58 minutes

“So this is what it looks like inside the tower,” Ava said.

Leon turned toward her. She and Hert stood with their backs to a white wooden door with a golden handle, and a black “1” sat on the top of the frame.

“Wow,” Hert said, ogling the monitors. “Never thought I’d see digital stuff in this world. Except for the status windows and whatever.”

“Yeah…” Leon said, shifting his eyes back to the screens. “But I wonder why the first level isn’t there.”

“It’s probably because the first level is special,” Ava said. She stepped forward to get a closer look. “One has died on the third level.”

Leon swallowed. “Yeah.” He cleared his throat. “Are we ready to head inside?”

“As ready as we’ll ever be,” Ava said. She took out her staff.

“I never wanted this,” Hert mumbled as he took out his hammer and shield.

With those words, Leon stepped forward and pressed down the handle.

INITIATING INTRODUCTION TO LEVEL 1

*******

A brown-skinned woman in a long blue robe with white straight hair stood before them in an empty white room. She stretched her arms wide. “Welcome, Players, to level one. I am your guide and will explain how scaling the tower works, and why this first level is so—” She stopped. “How did a Scab get in here?”

“She’s a player,” Leon said, automatically.

The woman frowned, creating deep wrinkles between her eyebrows. “That’s not possible.” She stepped forward on bare feet and circled Ava, looking her up and down. “How did you get the title?”

”I…” Ava wet her lips. ”I…”

“Ai, the tutorial guide, put it on her,” Leon said.

The woman stopped to look at him with eyes so dark they were almost black. “I see.” She mumbled something that sounded like “low-level-arrogance” and waved her hand over Ava.

She sighed. “There. Now you’re back with the title you should have, but I can’t give you the points you should have gotten. I’ll bring up the unofficial title to our manager.” She patted Ava’s head with thin fingers. “I’m sorry for the inconvenience.”

Leon’s eyebrows shot up. “Inconvenience? She—”

Ava stepped forward and grabbed the woman’s hands. “Thank you. Thank you, so so much!”

The woman forced a smile and pulled her hands free from Ava’s grasp.

“We are here to make things difficult to encourage growth, not hinder it. And you have the toughest challenge we’ve ever set up in front of you, based on how busy you’ve been and on recent events. It isn’t in our interest to kill players or hinder their progression; our interest lies in strengthening them. And for a player to be hindered in such a way… it’s a waste. No matter the reason behind it.” Then she smiled at Leon. “Or maybe it’s fate. I also have bets on you.”

Leon stood with his mouth ajar. Why did these guides look at them like toys? She’d just ripped away a title from Ava, like it was nothing, when she had suffered the consequences of the title for a year. More. And she had lost so many status points because of it, too.

The guild blinked. “Did something I said upset you?”

Leon bit his tongue, even though he wanted to shout. There was no logic in pissing off a guide who could make their lives even more miserable when she’d already stated that they had a challenge ahead.

“Why do we get the highest difficulty?” he said with a trembling voice. “I thought the difficulty got determined based on how long one has been in Gaitol.”

“Ah, yes.” The woman tapped a finger on her full lips. “I can see why you would interpret it like that. Ai boasted about how she’d sent an overpowered monster your way and what she then told you. She thought she was funny, but she actually did you a huge favor, you know?”

“How?” In the corner of his eyes, he saw Hert back away.

The woman chuckled. “Great segue into what I’m here to tell you. You see, the first level of the tower is completely unique in three ways.” She held up a finger. “Floor one is something one could call part two of the tutorial. To see what knowledge you’ve gained.” She held up another finger. “The second one is for you to see what you fight for and why you should grow stronger. That one’s pretty personal.” The woman popped up a third finger, then cupped her hand around Leon’s cheek. Her touch was freezing. “The third is to see what effort should be put into you by the guides, to help you find your destined path.”

Leon stepped back. “What does that even mean?”

The woman moved her lips to one side and put her hands on her hips. “You’ll see, soon enough. Just remember this when you feel in danger—the more you endure, the more valuable gifts you stand to gain.” She clapped her hands once. “You will meet a guide on each level who will tell you the goal or goals of each playthrough. Once you’ve finished the tasks, you can head to the end of the level. When you’re there, you will have completed the floor, your status will reset, and you can proceed to the next one, or head back to the city. That is true for this level as well.”

“The door has disappeared,” Hert said. “There’s nowhere to go!”

Leon looked around. Hert walked along the wall, feeling the paint for edges.

“Oh, didn’t you read the instructions?” the guide said. “You can’t exit the first floor once you start it, not until you beat it. Then, provided you wish to continue to climb the tower, you can raise your level and head into floor two and upwards.”

“B-But you said that we’re going to have the highest difficulty! I don’t want that. Let me enter a different one.”

“Tsk. Be quiet. There’s more information, and you don’t want me to forget to mention it because you want to escape. You can’t.” She snapped her fingers and a brown, empty box appeared on the lower right side of Leon’s vision.

Mini-map unlocked!

The mini-map will track your steps as you venture into the different floors in the tower. Once you’ve mapped ten playthroughs, the mini-map will update and start to track visits to dungeons and other mappable areas outside the tower.

Command: activate/deactivate mini-map

Cost or cooldown: N/A

“Use this to guide you around the levels. It will show the path you’ve treaded, chests you’ve found but not looted, and other useful things like that. Monsters won’t be visible on the map, except for when a skill says so. You, Leon, have gotten pretty close to unlock it. You just haven’t found the trigger.”

Leon frowned and opened his mouth, but Ava spoke first. “You still haven’t explained why we get a high difficulty.”

“Oh, no. Not a high one. The highest we’ve put out,” the guide said. Her cheeks flushed and her smile radiated. “You’ve done well, and you’ve attracted attention from more than one guide who wants to see how you fare. Now it’s time for you to head inside.”

A black tunnel appeared behind her, and it crept closer to them, overtaking the white walls.

“Your goal for this level is to open twelve chests. Once you’ve completed that goal, you can go to the portal. There you will get a reminder. Once you’ve stepped through it, you will find the loot if you’ve killed all monsters, a reset status, and a prize, based on what you’ve lived through. I’ll repeat this; you cannot exit the floor before you’ve lived through opening the twelve chests and walked through the portal, and if you don’t open the chests within a certain time, they will start to open themselves. Good luck.”

She dimmed and disappeared as the tunnel spread out over half of the room. Hert pressed his back against the wall and held his shield up in front of his body. Ava grabbed at Leon’s arm, pulling him toward her.

“We can’t go back,” Leon said, staring at the blackness. “We’re in this, whether we like it or not.”