But the golden sands stayed put other than the footsteps put in over the dunes. These sands were almost as hot as the sky itself, although it sure felt incorrect to say that. The issues with the desert weren’t just the sweltering heat that seemed to only grow hotter whenever they made a move to block it, it was the lack of food and drink.
The five knew they were as good as dead if they didn’t find an oasis within the next 3 days, and even if they did, they still need food. This Desert wasted alot of time, just in wandering, but then they found a knight in shining armor. Another person, standing at the top of a dune, with just two swords on their hip.
The other person slides down, his cloaked hood slipping down. The man was tall, with long brown hair, and palish skin not complementing, but giving contrast to his red eyes. Bariton immediately jumps back, just from the vibes this man gives.
Their eyes lock, but it’s clear they are both not checking one another out, but the stats of the other. The air thick in the tension, with the rest of the party members following Bariton. The stats he sees are terrifying,
[Shammus]
[Level: 1429]
[STATS:
Strength: ???
Dexterity: ???
Constitution: ???
Mana: ???]
[WARNING! ALL STATS ARE AT LEAST 100 ABOVE YOUR HIGHEST STAT!]
“Who are you?” Shammus asks, giving all of them a glance, drawing his swords and pointing one at the throat of Bariton.
“We’re just people sent here to clear out the tower.” Judine steps forward, to be pushed back by the same sword now being pointed at her own. She looks Shammus up and down, before continuing, “Who may you be?”
“Shammus.” He shrugs as he keeps the blade pointed, but he walks closer, bringing up the second blade towards Pallad’s throat. “Sent for the same reason as you, I suppose.”
“So why don’t we work together then?” Pallad steps towards the sharp point of the blade, the material some metal they haven’t seen before. “This floor seems like a bit of an issue since the last time anyone was authorized near the tower was over ten years ago. Maybe eleven or so?”
Sornid continued what Pallad was saying, getting the blade away from Judine and towards him, “Yes, we may have to have a party of even count for this floor. We all researched this tower thoroughly, there seem to be around 100 floors, and with this being the 40th, we’re bound to see floors with odd clear conditions. At least let’s work together through this floor.”
“Fine.” Shammus gives in, despite the clear hesitancy in his face. He puts his swords back in the sheathes, and shakes the hand of Sornid, as the little system notification pops up.
[Shammus has now joined the party!]
Then, a more unexpected one, something nobody really ever sees, because it’s common sense to only party up with people within 100 levels as you.
[WARNING! To prevent deadweight, rewards will no longer be split in order of contribution, and rather sent to those that need it more.]
“Huh?” Bariton makes a very confused sound at that notification, but then the environment itself changed… Instead of being stuck in the sweltering desert heat, they are within a chilly tower. Or at least a singular room containing a spiral staircase.
Bariton looked around to find himself completely alone, nobody else within the same room. It was sort of dark, but bright enough to see everything clearly still. The shadows were the same, it’s as though at the top was the moon, and its light was just always present.
Bariton began walking, calling out to his party. But when the only response was the echo of his own voice, he knew he’d never see them again, at least in here. The exact same feeling he had in his heart when he first left his party back on floor 39.
He continued walking, but the only change was that the ground got further away, until he couldn’t even see it. He still was unable to see the top. He kept walking for hours and hours, even as his system was blowing up with messages, constantly yelling.
[LEVEL UP!]
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
[Your level is now…]
[LEVEL UP!]
[Your level is now…]
[LEVEL UP!]
[Your level is now…]
[LEVEL UP!]
[Your level is now…]
[LEVEL UP!]
[Your level is now…]
[LEVEL UP!]
[Your level is now…]
[LEVEL UP!]
[Your level is now…]
He only managed to make it forward just a few more steps before he got the next notification, even when he began to run, the notifications were just the same, over and over. He doesn’t even know his level anymore, everytime he tries to read it, another Level Up notification pops up.
He continues rushing towards the top, but it never comes. There is no end to this spire, this layer of deceit he’s rushing through. Maybe his only goal in this tower is to make a name for himself, to get to fame no matter how hard it may be.
Maybe his only goal is to leave behind a legacy, even if he doesn’t even know a good definition, or example, of that word. But between every single notification of level up, he can’t even see out of his peripheral, only up.
Eventually, the movement doesn’t even feel natural, as if he’s using his legs. It’s as though he is but a bird, flying through the air towards the next day. No clue if he’ll survive, but he must entirely because that is his only wish at the core of it all.
He must survive, he must stay breathing. Bariton at the core of himself, knows he only strives for surviving until the next day, and his friends must survive for him to survive. His wishes are all selfish at the smallest increments.
They are all boorish, and all have one fundamental truth. He’s worried how his heart would react if someone would die. He doesn’t care if that person dies, not mentally. They don’t care either, at least through the mirror he uses to look at the world. Himself at the center of every belief.
Himself at the center of what others think. He doesn’t care if someone has a unique life, he only cares what they think of him. That’s why his wish is to leave a legacy. That’s why his wish is to survive, so he can continue to prove himself.
But what if he died, just now? Wouldn’t his legacy be made, wouldn’t his proving of himself end? Isn’t this self-destroying cycle bound to end at his death? But that doesn’t matter. He doesn’t want to die. He won’t die, because he doesn’t want to. It’s simple. His stats are increasing, and it’s obvious with how he’s flying through the tower at breakneck speed.
The top of the tower is still invisible, but as he continues to speed up, finally getting faster than the notifications, he realizes the tower itself is gone in the void, and so were the stairs.
He really was flying, his back carrying wings he never had before. The imagining himself as a bird was the most accurate thing he had. But now his conscience has returned. He realizes in the face of nothing, that he truly does feel for his party.
His ‘selfish’ thoughts of how he’d feel, isn’t that just how he’d feel if they died? Isn’t that proof he cares? And with that, the ground reforms, with his landing not too graceful, a loud thud ringing out the stone floor.
“Ow… Wouldn’t it be the spiral staircase I fall down?” Bariton asks nobody in particular, as he looks outward. It’s still lit up as though it’s not even a location, but just a room with a skylight.
There is no skylight however, towards all directions the stone floor continues onwards towards an inky black abyss, the floor clearly visible as though the exact same full moon was lighting it.
Bariton pulls out his new signature weapon, knives and daggers. He keeps them under his cloak at all times, with his lyre on his back. It’s a good look, and he’s constantly ready for battle, fitting his training to Level 100.
But the monsters surrounding him are familiar, beings he saw in a prophecy back when he was Level 79, of a tough battle alone in some kind of cellar. Well that’s odd that it came true a year later, but it should be an easier battle now that he’s over 21 levels past that.
Or so he thought. They are the same monsters, and yes the notifications are in the way a little, but with how much stronger he is, they should be so much easier. It doesn’t help that these monsters are just like him.
High dexterity, low tankiness, and as such they are a pain in the ass to even hit. Neither of them can hit each other all too often, but there’s a lot more of him on the enemy side. They can’t cast the same buffs he can, thank god, and their teamwork is scattered, allowing him to attempt to combat them one on one sometimes.
But these damned skeletons are difficult to catch even when they are fighting one on one, and it doesn’t help he doesn’t have the strengths and weaknesses to counter their weapon when they have the exact same weapon.
Thankfully, Bariton killed a single one, which showed just how much EXP these things gave.
[YOU WIN!]
[You earned 500,000,000 EXP and 70,000 Coin!]
Damn, these things at least paid well, giving well over the EXP needed to level up at Level 100… But that’s not his level, so it’s probably around a quarter, isn’t it?
Actually wait, if these guys scale with level, are all these notifications from Shammus fighting enemies of his similar level with enough EXP to level him up after killing four?
