Chapter 30

Leon blinked at the text boxes in front of him where he laid in a small white room with black edges.

CAUTION

You have reached 100% fatigue.

Penalty: Recoup fatigue 50% slower for 72 hours.

Strength, vitality, and agility are 75% less effective during the penalty period if you get exhausted.

After the penalty time has passed, the normal penalty for exhaustion will apply. Should you reach the limit again within 1 month, the penalty time will increase to 1 week.

You have cleared the first floor of the Tower of Katastroph. Congratulations! Your Status has reset and you are fully healed and at 0% fatigue. You have stopped bleeding.

Leon dismissed them and rose, rubbing his healed chest. His tattered shirt fell off him onto the floor and disappeared into dust. Hert sat against a white wall and stroked his unbroken leg, while Ava sat cross-legged a small distance away, playing with the frayed hem of her dress. She looked up as Leon started pacing the room.

“You made it,” she said. “I think you blacked out once you fell to the floor. Hert and I had to drag you through.”

“Thanks,” Leon said. He looked at Hert. “You okay?”

Hert didn’t reply.

“I think that broken leg got to him,” Ava said. “It healed as soon as we passed through the portal, but he seems to have frozen, anyway.”

Leon sighed. Of course Hert would react badly to something like that, especially after what his murderers did to him. Leon’s mother’s and sister’s voices entered his mind and he shook his head to get rid of them. The sound paled, and in their place came Sarah’s voice, after what she saw him do on the ship. A shiver ran down Leon’s back. How hadn’t he seen her? Had he been too focused on his goal? Leon drew in a breath.

“How long have we been here?”

Ava pushed a hand to the floor and got up. “About five minutes. Maybe less.”

Leon stared at his hands and stroke over his bare chest and back. The fang that had pierced him should have left him crippled, if not killed him. Why didn’t it? It felt weird that he had no injuries left, but he didn’t complain. The guide had told him about a status reset, but as he fell toward the throat of the beast, he’d never thought he’d live and decided he just wanted to go out fighting. If it wasn’t for Ava and Hert, it probably would have ended there, even though the flash of text had been right. His family would die without him, and for that reason, he needed to stay alive. Leon couldn’t have reached the portal without them.

Leon looked around the empty room. “Why aren’t we out yet?”

Ava bit her lip. “I don’t know. Maybe there’s another test?”

“You’re waiting for me,” a voice said.

Leon spun to the side. The guide, with her flowing white hair, stood with her hands loosely knit in front of her blue robe. She wore a radiant smile.

“That was close, wasn’t it?” She stepped forward and caressed Leon’s cheek. “But you pulled through.”

She turned to Ava. “Even you. Though, since you got help, I voted to revoke your part in the first floor.”

“What?” Ava stepped forward, and the guide pushed her back with a finger to her shoulder.

“Can you truly say you helped your party in the floor? Certainly not of your own volition.” She shrugged. “The only real reason your re-do didn’t happen was because of Ai’s interference.” She pursed her lips and made a sound of annoyance. “You see, the monsters you defeat in a party would count even if you took on the journey by yourself. Not that I think you would actually reach the behemoth without dying, but the others have faith in your growth as long as you stay with Leon.”

“Without Ava’s spells, we wouldn’t have gotten through,” Leon said. “And I would lie dead, even after the behemoth fell.”

“Yes, yes.” The guide waved her hands in a circular motion. “That’s what they said.” She sighed. “So, I suppose you want your rewards.”

“Yes,” Ava said. She clutched her staff and looked up at the guide.

“Tsk. Aren’t you eager?” She shrugged. “Well, you’ll see your contribution in the payout. The system will divide it based on your participation, so I guess you’ll get your fair share in the end.”

“So how do we get out of here?” Leon asked as he walked over to Hert. He kneeled beside him and shook his shoulder. “Hert, you’re safe here.” Leon took his hand, preventing him from continuing to stroke the leg.

Hert’s head snapped up and looked at him with wide eyes. Then, his eyes shifted to the guide. “You’re alive. We’re out? It’s actually over?”

“Yes,” the guide said.

Leon nodded.

Hert looked at his leg, and Leon let go of his arm. Hert rubbed his hand against his thigh. “It doesn’t hurt. But it broke. And now it’s whole.”

“So, now that all participants are here, it’s time to give out the rewards for clearing the floor.” The guide knit her hands again. “At least the immaterial stuff. Please line up.”

Leon helped Hert up on his feet and stood beside Ava. Once they were in a line in front of her, the guide’s hand dashed out to press her fingers on Ava’s forehead.

“Ouch!” Ava said and stepped back.

Party member Ava has unlocked the following skills:

Scry Health

Steal item

Party member Ava has increased the rank of Buff Morale.

Change: F — F+

For additional information about the skill: Ask the system once you’ve exited the tower. Party member Ava has reached level 9!

Ava’s eyes shone as she looked in front of her, but then she frowned. “Why do I get those skills?”

The guide tilted her head. “I’m not sure which ones you got. I only transfer them. But usually, the rewarded skills belong to an unlocked skill tree or your class. In rare instances, you get a skill based on previous actions.”

Leon sucked in his lips, thinking about the two skill trees he’d unlocked. If all this floor gave him was increased skills at chopping down trees, he wouldn’t hold himself responsible for his actions. They’d been through too much.

The guide stepped in front of Leon, frowned, and took another step to Hert. She pressed her fingers against his forehead.

Party member Hert has unlocked the following skills:

Nailer

Block Rank: F

Taunt Rank: F

Curl-Up

For additional information about the skill: Ask the system once you’ve exited the tower. Party member Hert has reached level 9!

“Why does he get one more skill than me?” Ava asked, tapping with a finger in front of her.

“I don’t have that information,” the guide said in a monotone voice.

She stepped in front of Leon and smiled. “Now, this will be interesting.”

“Why?” Leon furrowed his brow and crossed his arms.

“Because I got a message that they’ve decided what to do with your one-of-a-kind rabbit. Take it out.”

Leon hesitated a second, and then pulled Troublemaker out of the inventory, holding its chest with one hand and supporting the back with the other. Its dark gray fur had changed into a silky black, and the green marking across its jaw, chest, and reaching its lower back shone brighter. As soon as the last paw exited the inventory, a box showed up.

Your corrupted gray baby rabbit has matured into a corrupted black rabbit.

Do you wish to:

Release it into the wild

Sell it at the market

Use it to make a stew

Name it and keep it as a pet

Leon looked from the box to the rabbit in his hand. He hugged it to his chest, and the warmth felt good on his skin. He rubbed its head with a finger. “I said I’d release you into the wild when I picked you up. It will be sad, but I don’t have the right to keep you.”

“What?” Ava said. “You wouldn’t use it to help—”

The guide smiled at Leon and put a finger over Ava’s lips. “Is that what you choose to do?”

“I said I would. So, yes.”

The option highlighted in the box. Then another, smaller box appeared.

ERROR

There was an error when trying to complete this action.

Please choose another option.

Leon stared at the options that were left. “Why can’t I keep my promise?”

The guide tugged Leon into a quick hug. “Good! Very good!”

She pushed him away to look at him. Her icy touch caused Leon’s skin to prickle with goosebumps, and the rabbit’s body felt like a furnace toward his chest.

“What?” Leon asked, stroking the rabbit’s fur.

“It’s evolved into a sentient being. It can choose for itself. Your rabbit simply doesn’t want to leave you.”

Leon held it up in front of his face, as if waiting for confirmation. The rabbit was still, except for the twitching nose, but the purple eyes looked at Leon.

“Well… I guess I’ll give it a name, then.”

The option highlighted in the box, and another box appeared.

Name your rabbit:

Fluffy

Bones

Hoppy

Player save: Trouble

“What happened to Troublemaker?” Leon asked.

The guide smiled. “The system generally doesn’t like longer names for unproven entities.”

“Well, I like the name Troublemaker, and I think the rabbit did too.” Leon scratched the top of the rabbit’s head with a finger. “So, Trouble.”

He confirmed the name, and the rabbit grew both bigger and heavier in his hands. Leon set it down on the floor. Its ears shot up, its hind legs broadened and grew longer, the fur grew sleeker around its features. The growth finally stopped when its straight ears reached the height of Leon’s shoulders. A green tag popped up over its head as a finishing touch.

‘Level 1 Trouble’

Leon stared at the creature in front of him, and at the tag. “What the…”

The rabbit pressed its head against his chest and pushed, forcing Leon to take a step back. He cautiously stroke its head.

“Cool,” Ava said, and stepped closer. She bent her head to look at one of the rabbit’s eyes. Counting the length of its ears, Ava and it had the same height. Its ears twitched, and it turned the head to stare up at her.

“Well, looks like she’s yours now,” the guide said. “I hope you aren’t displeased with the development?”

“I… well… no,” Leon said, scratching his neck. Somehow, something about the rabbit unnerved him.

“Well,” the guide said, “Now that it’s finished, you only need to receive your skills. Then you can head out the door for the loot from the monsters you slew. This part is turned around in the first floor. Normally, you’d pick up the loot before exiting the portal, so keep that in mind if you decide to climb further up the tower.”

Without warning, the guide pressed her fingers on Leon’s forehead.

You have unlocked the following skills:

Cross Strike

Double Wield

Berserk

Call of the Wild

Special action unlock: Loyalty The following skill has evolved: Warrior’s Build—Warrior’s Build has increased its base points. For additional information about the skill: Ask the system once you’ve exited the tower. You have reached level 9!

“There,” the guide said, and nodded. “Skills distributed.”

A white square door with black edges appeared behind her.

“Go through there to get back into the lobby. There you will be rewarded with the loot for killing the monsters inside the floor.”

Hert and Ava started toward it.

“Can I ask you a question?” Leon asked.

The guide nodded.

“I had a saved level up reward that I tried to use, but couldn’t. We also got all these level ups at the end of this floor. Does that mean we can’t use saved rewards on other floors?”

She tapped her lip with a finger, glancing up at the ceiling. “It’s different depending on the duration and content of each floor. Like this first floor, where you’re supposed to show what you’ve accomplished; it’s pretty natural that you can’t level up, because that would defeat the purpose of the floor.”

Leon frowned. “I don’t get it.”

“Well, it isn’t guaranteed that you can use saved level ups on all floors, so you can’t depend on them. That’s all you need to know.”

“I suppose so, but—”

She grabbed his shoulder and pushed him toward the door. “Best of luck out there.”

Leon nodded. “Trouble, want to come?” He took off his backpack and opened it, curious how she would fit. Trouble ignored it and took a few trying jumps toward the door. Finding that she could reach Ava and Hert with just a few movements, she looked back at Leon with a twitching nose and whiskers, then stomped off, racing a circle around the small room, her ears swaying slightly behind her.

“Wow, fast!” Hert said, and Leon laughed.

Trouble came to a stop just by the door and stomped a foot on the floor, as if impatient. She looked from Leon to the two people beside her.

“Looks like someone’s ready to experience the world,” Leon said.

Hert nodded and turned the handle as the guide disappeared.

The four of them entered the same lobby where they started.

Quest completed: Visit the tower of Pura Reward: 500 EXP [Accept]

Leon thought the answer and approached the chest standing under the two monitors. It looked like one of the white stone chests they’d encountered in the floor. Ava crouched and stretched out her arms to lift the lid, but Hert put a hand on her shoulder.

“What if it’s a trap?”

Leon shrugged. “We’re not really well equipped, but at least we’re full health.” Leon drew the dagger, and Ava opened the chest.

You have received the following items:

455 coins

2 health potions

55 wolf’s fang

23 wolf’s claw

8 wolf’s eye

1 wooden imp dagger

3 imp eyes

Leon looked at the list. It made sense in one way, since they’d beaten all the monsters, but it was a huge haul. The only things he wished as extras were a new shirt and another boot. He was getting pretty cold. Maybe he’d get some in the level up boxes, but he wouldn’t have space to store the items. With the ones he just got, he had a full pack, since he had the rabbit’s foot and an iron shard from before, and also four boxes; one light gray one, and three black, meaning his saved level up must have been used, too. Nothing to do about that.

He closed the window and held out the dagger to Hert. “Here, this is yours.”

“Thanks.” Hert put it in his satchel. “So, what did you guys get?”

“A lot,” Leon said.

“Sixty-five coins, and a few other things that I can’t fit in my bag,” Ava said. “All normal wolf things, except for an imp eye.”

Leon opened his backpack, and Trouble pushed her head forward to sniff it. “Give them here. I’ll give you your things when you can sell them. It shouldn’t be a problem now that you’re not a Scab anymore, right?”

Ava nodded and handed over seven wolf’s fangs, three wolf’s claws, and one imp eye. It was pitifully little compared to what Leon got.

“And you get to choose something for your efforts,” he said. “That was our deal.”

Ava looked from the bag to Leon and twiddled her thumbs, then looked at the floor. “Really?”

“That was our deal. I got a lot, but the two health potions and the imp dagger might be the most valuable if you don’t count coins. I also got a lot of wolf parts, imp eyes, and one imp claw.”

Ava nodded. “Then I’ll take the health potions.”

“Sure.” Leon put the backpack back on. “Ah, crap.” He turned to Ava. “You didn’t get the extra points from the level ups now, either, right?”

Ava smiled. “I did, actually. I re-equipped the NooB-title the first night in camp, since we were fighting so many monsters.”

Leon grinned and patted her shoulder. “Great! Everyone ready to leave this place?”

Hert led the way to the portal on the wall. When he touched it, he drew back his hand and looked at the white text that popped up on top of it.

"AS YOU EXIT THIS PORTAL, EVERYTHING YOU HAVE SEEN OR EXPERIENCED WILL BE LOCKED FROM UTTERANCE, VOCAL OR OTHERWISE, EXCEPT FOR THE FOLLOWING: REWARDS, MEMORY FRAGMENTS, AND INFORMATION FROM THE GUIDE THAT DOESN’T PERTAIN TO THE FIRST FLOOR.

WE WISH TO PREVENT ANY DISCOURAGEMENT OR CHANGES TO PLAYERS’ WISHES TO GET STRONGER. WE APOLOGIZE FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE."

“What?” Ava said, crossing her arms.

“It makes sense,” Leon said. “That’s why no one could tell us any specifics about the first floor.”

“Yeah, I suppose,” Ava said, glancing at the portal.

“At least it isn’t a memory-wipe.” Leon stood between the two and put his hands on his hips. “I don’t know what you plan to do, but I haven’t changed my mind. I’m going to continue to scale the tower.”

“I’ll help you,” Ava said and hugged his arm with hers. Trouble let out a sort of growl and pushed her head between them, forcing Ava to let go.

“I’ll also scale the tower.” Hert looked at the portal leading back to the Slums and shook his head.

“What?” Leon asked. “I thought—”

“I need to get back to my family. Should have tried harder, long ago. You were desperate enough to take your own life to get here, which makes you a double-edged sword.” Hert sighed. “As long as your decisions benefit the group, I’m willing to bet on our success. I’ll climb with you. I’m desperate enough to give my all; my life, if it comes to that. I think I sort of understand that kind of desperation, now.”

Leon looked at the two people beside him. One could still be acting to gain leverage and take advantage of others’ trust and generosity, but said she’d changed. The other had been selfish and crude, but started to show he could cooperate, even through his past trauma. It wasn’t an optimal group, for sure, but it was his. They could make it work, somehow. And if not… well, there would be more willing people once he reached level 10 and could enter the bigger part of the city.

Leon stroked Trouble’s head and stepped into the darkness. One step closer to his goal.