"What are you waiting for, Rye? Put your things at the back of the car already."
"Alright, Ma," Rye replied as he lifted the boxes filled with his old belongings.
It seems Mom can't see the screen at all… even though it's literally hovering right in front of me, he thought, glancing at the faintly glowing system window floating beside him.
A few minutes later:
"That's everything, Ma,"
"Alright, let's go then." His mother smiled.
They both climbed into the car and drove off toward the Tower district. Rye stared out the window, watching the tall buildings pass by until the massive Tower came into view, piercing the sky.
---
The Tower was encased in an impenetrable barrier. No physical or magical attack could scratch its surface, and climbing the outer wall was impossible. Anyone who tried to fly up whether with magic or flying vehicles either died mysteriously or simply… couldn't continue. Even mechanical flight shut down upon reaching a certain altitude.
---
"Hahh… to think I'll finally be able to climb the Tower," he murmured.
"But since the reason is financial, I can't exactly be excited…" He forced a smirk.
He turned to the floating screen and reread his info.
Ding!
[Name: Rye]
[Class: Necromancer]
[Skill: Summon undead Lv.1, Aura Detection Lv.1, Commander Lv.1]
[Traits: Coward]
[Magic power: 10]
[Strength: 1]
Necromancer? Why that? Rye thought, scratching his cheek, and 3 skills? Isn't this like alot? Let's see.... It's summon undead, Aura Detection, and Commander... I have no idea what those 2 do at the moment though... But if summon undead is what I think it should be... Could I maybe summon hundred of army like those novels I've read about? He grinned to himself.
Then his eyes fell on the trait.
Coward? Really? Just because I'm easily scared by things doesn't make me a total coward… He sighed angrily.
And one strength? I'm not THAT weak…
But magic power 10 is kinda solid though… He smirked.
An hour passed.
"We're here, Rye," his mom said, glancing back at him.
"Oh, right." He stretched and yawned after waking up from a short nap.
The moment Rye stepped out of the car, his jaw dropped. The Tower stood right before him, impossibly tall.
"It's huge!" he shouted.
At the base not far from where he's standing, he spotted groups of people wearing strange outfits, light armor, robes, metal plating, strange weapons. Entering the gate that separates the area of the tower from the main town.
"So, Rye, this will be your new home for the time being," his mother said, pointing at a small apartment complex.
"Mhm." He nodded.
He carried his boxes up the stairs.
"So my room is on the second floor… room 13…" he muttered, climbing carefully.
---
CRASH!
"ARGH!" Rye yelped.
"Ouch!" someone else screamed.
"Watch where you're going!" Rye snapped.
"You should be the one watching where YOU'RE going!" the stranger shouted back.
A woman? Rye blinked.
Long black pearl-like hair, thick glasses, rings on her lips. Beautiful brown eyes. A punk-rock outfit combined with armored leggings and shoulder pads.
Is that a climber.?
"Tsk…" She stood up quickly and ran down the stairs.
"Hey! Not even an apology?!" Rye yelled.
"F*ck you!" she shouted back.
What a rude woman… he thought, dusting himself off.
He kept going, carrying the boxes and finally reaching his room. When he opened the door, he paused.
The room was tidy and cozy. A single bed in the corner, a small table with a lamp, a small flat-screen TV facing a one-seat couch. A tiny kitchen with a fridge and cupboards. A small bathroom. Simple yet warm.
Rye smiled to himself.
This will be home for now… though my real house isn't even that far.
He set the boxes down and began arranging his things.
After a few minutes, his mom walked in.
"Like the new place, hon?"
"Yeah. Thanks, Ma. Love it a lot," he replied with a genuine smile.
"Well, I'll be going now. And here's food I cooked. Eat it before going to the Tower."
"Oh—wow. Thanks a lot." He gratefully accepted the packaged meal.
"And please… keep safe, son." She hugged him.
"Will do." Rye hugged her back.
After waving goodbye, she left.
"Well then… let's tidy up," he said, hands on his waist.
Thirty minutes later, everything was in place. He admired his work proudly.
Bzzzt!
[Announcement]
[Announcement]
The loud speaker blasted through the air, startling Rye so much that he almost dropped the box he was holding.
[5 days from now, Floor 121 will be attempted to be sercured.]
[5 days from now, Floor 121 will be attempted to be secured.]
---
This was no ordinary announcement.
A floor securement event was equivalent to a city-wide sendoff. Multiple elite groups would attempt to locate the waypoint on Floor 121 to force it into a "secured" state, halting monster respawns entirely. However, each floor was massive, like a world of its own. Finding the waypoint was like searching for a leaf in a forest during a storm.
It's the most dangerous job in the world.
But the rewards for success?
Materials. Wealth. Prestige.
A leap forward for the entire continent.
Brookvein was the only continent to reach Floor 120; the other 6 were stuck on lower floors except for another continent who reached the 119th floor.
That was why announcements were made publicly so the people could honor those risking their lives.
---
I was far from the Tower, but I didn't think the announcement would be THAT loud, Rye complained internally.
"It's been a while since they attempted it… The last squad was a disaster. Out of the 125 who went in, only 30 made it back… and none of them brought anything out. Most of the survivors ended up with PTSD…" he muttered.
"Well… let's hurry this up so I can register as a climber." He puffed himself up, eating the food his mother left.
After an hour, he finally reached the Tower grounds.
"The facility should be right here," he said, peeking through the gate dividing the city from the Tower base.
He stepped through the enormous entrance, taller than a four-story building, and stared.
Wide tiled pathways spread out across the area. A large statue of nine heroes stood in the center, the statue resembles the 9 people spoken in books.
Climbers walked everywhere, archers, mages, swordsmen, heavy-armored tanks, gadget users. All so different from one another.
It was Rye's first time seeing them this close.
He reached into his pocket and took out five gold coins, his final allowance from his parents. Registering cost one gold, and came with basic beginner equipment.
With a deep breath, he stepped toward the registration building.