“Heya Tomato,” said Bon. She really looked like a carrot today, with her hair all going up like that. “Can’t stay long. Two bowls of chicken dumplings.”

Tomato used her interface to summon their food and Bon quickly ate. “Why are you in such a rush?” she asked, staring in amazement as he dumped dumpling after dumpling in his mouth.

“Starting a speedrun. We’ll be seeing each other again very soon,” Bon smiled.

“The upper floors are harder than the lower ones,” she said. “Your speed will decrease, not increase.”

“We’ll see. See you soon,” Bon walked out the waiting room and onto the thirty sixth floor. This floor was one vast grassland. There were no buildings or trees, no people and most importantly, no restaurants.

Kill the Berserk Bull

A giant bull has gone on a rampage, disturbing the peace of the Sunny Plains. The bull must be dealt with before settlers can arrive to this virgin land and build a town. Gather a group of players and slay the bull.

(Quest requires a group of at least four members)

Completion of this quest will give players access to the 37th floor Rewards: 1 Epic Armor, 500 Gold, 85,000 EXP

There were monsters roaming around the plain. Bon took out his sickle and chain and began killing a few of them, controlling his strength to the max so that they died in three hits. By manipulating mana he could use the flame or the freeze effects, without bothering about the random chance of activation.

“Whoa Bon,” Phil was the first one to come. “That’s a cool weapon.”

“Forged it myself,” Bon said with pride. “I can make one for you too, if you like.”

“No thanks. It looks too complicated to use. I’ll stick with my spear.”

The others arrived, one after the other. Errel was the last.

“Where did you get that?” Bojana explained. “I want one too.”

“I’ll make one for you,” Bon promised. “Do you all want to see something cool?”

They all nodded.

Bon raised his hands and summoned a meteorite. He then summoned another and another. They fell from the sky with great force. Bon had made it big so that it had a wide area of effect. He protected everyone with a mana shield so that they wouldn’t be harmed. The monsters were all killed by the first meteorite. The second and third meteorites exploded with a great show of power, leaving a fiery trail in the air and burning grass on the ground. The earth trembled, and the explosion deafened everyone. The impacts left craters so big that it would take them an hour just to cross them. The sky immediately changed color, turning dark and it began to rain.

“Did you do that to the sky too?” asked Bojana.

“No,” Bon looked up with a frown. “It must be a side effect.”

“That was awesome,” said Phil. He had been left speechless after the meteorites had struck. “Siobhan, you should ask Bon for tips.”

The group then made their way to the Boss, whom Bon had already spotted using his Mana Sense augmented with qi. They kept a brisk pace and reached the Boss in half a day.

“Identify.”

BOSS Barza the Berserk Bull HP 200,000/200,000 MP 10,000/10,000 When Barza was young it was taken in by a mage who conducted experiments on him. The experiments made it grow into a giant and also turned it mad. It killed the mage and now roams the plains, killing everything in its path Powers Iron Bull

Increases armor by 100%

Bull Rush Charges at the enemy dealing damage and stunning everyone in its path Health Glow Increases HP regen by 500% Level Playing Field Increase in level depending on the number of foes faced

While the bull didn’t have many abilities it had high HP and defense. It would probably take his party a while to kill it. This would all depend on Bojana and Siobhan. Bojana had skills that could cut through armor, and Siobhan’s magic damage would really hurt the bull. Phil’s piercing attack might also do some decent damage. Toby was pretty much useless in this fight, except for his control skills.

“Phil,” Bon shouted, as the party drew nearer to the Boss, “Make sure its attention is always on you.”

“We really need a proper tank,” Phil shouted back.

“Don’t worry. I’ll take over when you guys need a break,” Bon played with his sickle and chain. “This sort of Boss usually needs a full party, so I’ll help you this one time.”

In the time they had spent together, their party had really grown in skill. Their teamwork was much better, and their movements were more fluid. They had all improved their footwork. Even Siobhan, who had been the clumsiest among them, was now as nimble as Errel. They chained their skills with very little delay, and their mana management was decent, but getting better. After a few more floors, they would become true Boss slayers.

Phil and Toby began their attack once everyone was in position. Once its attention was firmly fixed on Phil, Bojana attacked from behind it. She had to watch out for its hind legs, as they came out kicking at her. The AI of the bosses was improving as they climbed up higher. The bull was attacking in every direction. Phil couldn’t hold its attention. A fighter or a paladin would have a Provoke skill, but Phil was a lancer. The bull finally broke out of Phil’s attack and turned to attack Bojana. She quickly jumped away, dodging all its attacks.

The bull then tried to attack Siobhan, correctly thinking that she was the weakest link in their party. Siobhan ran as it chased after her, and Toby chased after the bull, activating his Berserk skill to move even faster. He managed to divert its attention, and he and Phil began dealing damage to the bull once more. The damage they dealt was minuscule, but at least it was something. Bojana was doing the best, dealing heavy damage when she engaged, and disengaging just before it could attack her. The Boss then used Bull Rush and everything turned to shit.

Siobhan got skewered and crashed onto the ground, while Errel tried desperately to heal her. Toby and Phil got stunned by its charge and were only able to move after five seconds. In that time, the bull was goring Siobhan, dealing heavy damage to her. They still had a lot to learn, Bon sighed. Just as he was going to take action, Bojana reached the bull’s back and stunned it, giving Siobhan enough time to run away, and Toby and Phil time to catch up.

“Awesome, Bojana,” Bon shouted, relaxing once more.

Siobhan was back to full health in no time at all. She had come very close to death. Her face was pale, and she was shaking a little, but her spells were still flying without interruption. The next time the bull charged, they were ready for it. Siobhan and Errel ran as fast as they could, not sure which one of them it was targeting. The charge came to a stop and everyone breathed easily once again. After that time, the Bull only made short charges. It was learning.

The bull began targeting Bojana a lot, but she would always use Stealth to disappear whenever it was about to stun her. The bull could do nothing except roar and bellow in frustration. She was doing so well that Bon decided to make her the MVP of this battle. Day soon turned to night, but they were still fighting the bull. It still had half its HP bar filled. This would be one long battle, Bon thought, as he sat on the grass. They kept gulping down mana potions as they fought, their mana replenishment skills woefully inadequate to deal with this situation. Towards dawn, the bull finally died.

You have killed (Boss) Berserk Bull Quest ‘Kill the Berserk Bull’ completed Rewards: 1xHorned Helm, 500 Gold, 85,000 EXP

It dropped a purple orb which Bojana picked up.

“Congratulations everybody,” Bon looked at their tired faces and sighed. He had overestimated their stamina. They all looked like they would fall on the ground any second.

“It looks like we need more practice,” Phil breathed heavily. “That was intense.”

“There was nothing wrong with your tactics,” said Bon. “Apart from the beginning, when you couldn’t handle the Charge. Our party composition is a little weird, which is what is making it difficult. The equipment helps mitigate this factor, but it still takes a hell of a long time to kill a boss like this one. Hopefully, we won’t encounter too many like this one.”

The exit portal appeared. Just as they were about to enter, another green portal appeared.

“What’s going on?” asked Phil.

Bon felt a strong suction force pulling him towards the green portal.

“Bon?” Bojana shouted.

He tried his best to stay firmly on the ground, but it was no use. It was pulling him in. He used all his strength to fight against this force. Bojana and the others ran towards him and tried pulling him away, but it was no use. Why weren’t they affected by this green portal. The pull of the portal grew stronger and Bon made deep furrows in the ground as he tried his best to stay in one place. Every second, the force on him increased. He shot fireballs at the green portal, but nothing happened.

It pulled him with a sudden jerk and his friends fell on the ground, unable to keep their hold on him. Bon got sucked into the portal and entered a new floor. He got a quest notification as soon as he was through.

Slay the Green Dragonling

The green dragonling has taken dominion of this land, subjecting the denizens to its cruel tyranny. Slay the dragonling.

(Quest requires a group of at least a thousand players)

Completion of this quest will allow players to exit the Tower Rewards: 1 Legendary Weapon, 500 Gold, 10,000,000 EXP

The quest description on this floor was plain and simple, as though whoever was coming up with the backstories had gotten tired. Could this be the 100th floor? How had he gotten here? In front of him was a small hut. By the hut was a pond and a fig tree. A man sat under the tree reading a book. He looked to be about the same age as Bon. Everything about this man was ordinary, except for the golden glow on his skin.

The man put down his book and stared at Bon for a while.

“Didn’t Tian Bu Ru tell you not to reveal your power?” he asked. “Do you have any idea how much energy I have had to use to cover up your displays of meteorites and comets?”

“How do you know Tian Bu Ru and what he said to me?” Bon asked. “Hold on a minute! Are you the Tower?”

“I don’t like that name,” the man said. “You can call me We-Ila. That is what your ancestors called me once.”

“Isn’t that some ancient god of the Sumerians?” Bon had a keen interest in ancient mythology.

“I was once a god, before these Sumerians even existed. What they told each other was a corruption of my true story. I did not sacrifice myself to create humanity. I did it to create this Tower. Humans have existed for far longer than I have lived.”

“Alright Wheeler,” Bon walked towards the man, gazing at him from head to toe. He looked just like anyone else. He was even wearing a black T-shirt, brown shorts and leather sandals. “Why did you bring me here? Take me back to my friends.”

“No can do,” We-ila, or Wheeler as Bon had taken to calling him, shook his head. “You’re too much of a trouble maker, and way too powerful. You’ll have to stay here until the other players arrive. I know it’s boring but don’t fret. I’ll make it up to you. I would send you to the outside world right now if I could, but there are rules.”

“I hid my power from everyone except my friends,” Bon said. “Wasn’t that enough?”

Wheeler laughed bitterly, “It would’ve been no problem if we were only concerned about humans. The problem is that other gods sometimes watch the Tower games for their amusement. If they found out about you they would capture you and possibly even kill you if you didn’t agree to their demands. There are many traitors among us.”

“Who is ‘us’ exactly? Why did you kidnap a million human beings?”

“I shouldn’t be telling you this,” Wheeler crossed his hands behind him and began to pace up and down. “But you’ll probably find out about sooner or later anyway. Many hundreds of thousands of years ago, gods and demons split into five factions. Four of these factions were constantly at war, and one remained neutral to all conflict. Suffice it to say that I belong to the neutral faction, and we are the only thing that is keeping your race from complete annihilation.”

“Annihilation from what? What’s attacking us? One of these other factions? Why?”

“I cannot say,” said Wheeler. “You’ll find out eventually, if you live. You’re stronger than most beings thanks to the Alpha Test. You alone have used up almost all my energy. It will take tens of millennia before I have a decent amount of reserves again,” he complained mournfully.

Bon had too many questions. “What energy? How are you doing all of this? Tian Bu Ru said that you can warp the laws of the Universe.”

“Life force energy, pure and unadulterated. Whenever you players kill something, you get experience, right? That experience is life force. I take a cut every time you make a kill. You cannot imagine how many players there are in the multiverse, killing things all the time after they graduate from the Tower. Overall, I make quite a profit.”

“So, you’re like a vampire?”

“Vampire?” Wheeler grew incensed. “How dare you compare me to those lowly creatures. I am a god—was a god.”

Bon sat on the grass, and pulled out a weed as he mused on the Tower’s words. He had wondered how the Tower was so powerful and how it could hire so many people. “Do you sell life force too?”

“We’re not supposed to,” Wheeler replied shiftily.

“That isn’t an answer.”

“Well, it’s all you’ll get.”

Bon had many questions that had been bugging him. “What’s the difference between mana and qi? They’re both energies derived from life force, aren’t they?” Tian Bu Ru had not given him a proper explanation.

“Yes,” Wheeler nodded. “Everything in the multiverse contains qi, but only a few things contain mana. With my power I can gift any being or object with the ability to absorb and manipulate mana. Mana is an external force, coming from a higher dimension, while qi is internal. Cultivating mana does not always require refinement like qi. Mana can create something out of nothing, while qi can only manipulate what is already there. All the food you’ve eaten in my Tower was made from mana.”

“Can you conjure up some food now?”

“Sure, what would you like?”

“Corn Flakes.”

After eating a bowl of Corn Flakes, Bon felt somewhat calmer. “You said you used to be a god. What happened? What’s your story?”

“I was once the greatest of the gods,” Wheeler boasted. “Seeing races being annihilated, my faction decided to do something about it. We needed more power, and to get that power the strongest one of us needed to be sacrificed. I was killed and got reborn as the Tower, an artifact capable of twisting the laws of Reality itself. From the greatest of gods, I became a slave to the faction. I lost my independence,” he said sadly.

“You seem pretty independent now,” said Bon.

“Within my body, I am king,” said Wheeler. “I cannot control what happens outside it. I am bound to the faction.”

“I’m guessing your faction isn’t as noble and good as you say they are.”

“They used to be,” Wheeler said. “Enough questions. Here,” he tossed Bon a bottle of pills. “This will help you reach the peak of Nascent Soul.”

“One more question,” said Bon. “You seem to be full of bugs. Have there been any others who were stuck in the Alpha Test like me, apart from Tian Bu Ru.”

“There are no bugs,” Wheeler scoffed. “What happened to you was an Act of God. It could never have happened otherwise.”

“God exists then?”

“I don’t know. I don’t have proof. It was just an expression,” Wheeler said, with a tetchy expression. “I didn’t notice you until you killed the Mangrove Giant, so I’m not sure how it all happened, but I know that it shouldn’t be possible. I’ll have to get someone to delete the Alpha Test. It’s a waste of resources. You really sucked me dry when you went there. Now go and meditate.”

“Last question, I swear this time,” said Bon. “Is my fiancee Sarah here?”

“Sarah,” Wheeler waved a hand and faces appeared in the air. “These are the Sarahs from your city.”

Bon was sure he would be able to recognize Sarah if he saw her face. None of the images were her. He shook his head and smiled. It was a good thing that she wasn’t here, but he really missed her.

“Tell you what,” said Wheeler. “I’ll give you something very rare, so rare that even gods would kill each other for it.” A wooden box appeared in Wheeler’s hand. “This is the Ice Dragon Seven Rings Fruit. It will change any woman’s physique to the Immortal Nine Ice Dragon Physique. With this physique, cultivation will be thousand times as fast as a normal physique. There’s a cultivation manual to go along with it. Give this to your Sarah, and you will be able to live together for thousands of years.”

“What do you want in return?”

“Think of it as compensation for taking you away from your friends,” said Wheeler. “And for that long period of torture you underwent in the Alpha Test. I’ll also give you this ring. It contains an independent world within it, that is many times slower than its surroundings. You can teleport into it whenever you like, by circulating your qi into it.”

“There must be some catch,” said Bon. “Why are you giving me all these precious things?”

“I’m pinning my hopes on you,” said Wheeler. He then went into his hut and shut the door.

Bon had many more questions, but Wheeler wouldn’t respond to his knocking. Bon then sat under the fig tree, swallowed one of the pills and began circulating his qi. He felt much better now, knowing that he wouldn’t have to see Sarah age without him.

As soon as he swallowed the pill, qi erupted within him. His body felt like it was red hot. He had to use his full concentration to circulate the energy within himself, letting his core and nascent soul absorb as much as it could. He could feel his vitality increase with each passing minute. This was really a miracle pill and there were another twenty three of them left. With this, he wouldn’t have a problem reaching the peak of Nascent Soul. He wondered what stage came after and how he could reach it. Wheeler would know, but his door was closed. Bon didn’t know when he would come out again.