Chapter 25

Leon lay awake in bed the next morning, staring at the ceiling. The first floor is easier the earlier you head inside. That was what Ai had said. After having paced the room last night, he was sure it pertained to the time spent in the world. When he’d talked to Yung, he’d said that he’d been in Gaitol for eight years, and only gone into the first level after four. Then he’d met his two mage companions, and they had scaled the rest of the tower in three years. So, the longer you waited, the harder it would be. If only that information was included in the tutorial.

Leon sighed and got up, petted Troublemaker and headed downstairs, where he ate breakfast alone and paid for the room another five nights. He’d have to figure out what to do with his inventory, and like it or not, Ava would have to figure out a way to store more items elsewhere. He didn’t have the space. She’d have to sell them off or maybe ask Margaret for a spare chest somewhere.

She had two spaces in her pouch; one with a health potion, and one that would hold her staff when she didn’t use it. Leon suspected she already had a second place for storing items, since she’d been able to hold the boxes she got from leveling up. He knew she wouldn’t have sold what was inside them because of what happened with excess coins when wearing the Scab title, but maybe all she’d gotten was junk? He stared out through the dining hall’s window, toward the plaza.

All those players out there, that didn’t dare to go into the tower, and had doomed themselves through not trying it out. Through waiting, they had unwittingly chosen the fate to be stuck here for the rest of their time. Maybe he’d set up a sign that told any new tower-climbers that, but at the same time, that would hurt the people who’d been here for years. It was just the psychic blow to send some into depression.

Maybe it would be easier for Leon and Ava because they hadn’t been here for that long. The system had to calculate the average, so if Hert didn’t decide to join them, maybe that would bring some advantage. But how did that calculate into difficulty?

Leon pushed the thoughts aside and rose to head into the forest. It was eight in the morning, so he should be able to gather a bit of coins and get some training. If he’d thought about it, maybe he should have joined the guard’s new runs. Though, why guards who didn’t want to scale the tower still wanted to raise their stats, he didn’t know.

As he made his way toward the door, Margaret approached him with a slim blue vial with a cork.

“Ava said she won’t join you today.”

Leon nodded. “Thanks.” He turned to leave, but stopped when Margaret spoke.

“It’s custom that the inns sell left over stuff at the market, but I saved this after a group went into the tower and didn’t come back last month. They forgot it in a chest.” She stretched forward the vial. “It’s my gift to Ava, but she doesn’t have the space to store it. So, I’m giving it to you.”

Margaret wants to gift you with a minor mana potion.

Do you accept this gift?

[Yes] [No]

“Thanks.”

The vial disappeared from her hands.

You have received: Minor Mana Potion

Rank: E

Effect: Restores 20 MP

Stacks up to 9 times.

[Close]

Margaret wrung her hands together. “You’ll protect her, won’t you?”

“I said I would.”

“I know, but…” Margaret sighed and patted Leon on the arm. A pink color spread over her cheeks, and her lips wobbled. “I hope you make it through. I truly do.” Then she stalked off, a hand raised to her face.

Leon stared after her, and his stomach lurched. She must be certain they had a challenge, a difficult one at that, set before them. His legs felt like they needed to move, that he needed to do something. He pressed his palm on the handle and walked outside. No matter what the tower had in store for them, the only choice they had was to either give up or to prepare.

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Leon’s mind conjured a picture of his mother, her face and body sunken in, white and lifeless. Just like Uncle Jerry’s had been. He was here to stop that. Another similar vision of Jane flooded into his mind, and a lump formed in his throat. He’d already given his life, knowing he had a hard task in front of him. There was no point with his death if he gave up now. Leon ran in the fruitless hope that he’d escape the images in his head.

Before he knew it, he had entered the forest. After Ai’s visit yesterday, he was fairly certain she’d stay back for the time being. But what worried him was if she had any say over what happened in the tower. What she’d said about being less than middle-management gave an odd comfort, because that likely meant that she had limited influence. But what had she meant with them having an office, and how many guides and other system-defining personnel were there? From the way she spoke, it sounded like a corporation ran the game. But what sort would it be, and why?

After he called out for the wolves, he thought about what the voice had said when he’d first entered the world. Something about political factions trying to overtake one another. So, which one did Ai belong to?

Leon’s thoughts stopped after the first wolf came out of the bush. It was too bad the shout only worked on wolves, but it would definitely do for stacking up coins.

*******

The following days followed the same routine. Leon would wake up around eight in the morning, head into the woods to slay a few five or six level wolves, and then continue with hitting trees with his fists. When he’d done two hundred hits, he’d jog back to the city and continue his run around the Slums. He’d almost given up looking for the girl, but kept the doll in his backpack all the same. His level had risen to an alarming percentage once he’d finished hunting the night before the market, and the coins he’d gathered were enough to purchase a lot of health potions and maybe even two camps. The wolves he fought were dangerous, but the payoff was worth the risk, as long as he was careful.

He’d talked with Ava, and they had decided to head into the tower after they had talked with the man in the hood. The feeling of waiting made Leon more agitated the more time passed. He paced the room most of the time that he didn’t spend on working out, which meant he spent all hours with either jogging or hitting random objects like walls or trees with his fists in order to save on the durability of his weapons. Since neither of the activities cost fatigue, he didn’t need to sleep, which was a good thing. The closer they got to the date when they would head into the tower, the more his nerves plagued him.

Even if he’d wanted to sleep, he wouldn’t be able to. So, on the fifth day, he joined the guards’ run in the morning. About twenty guards had gathered into a group, and Leon joined them as they jogged past the inn; armor clanging with each step and weapons in hand. A few offered greetings when he joined, but they were too out of breath to actually hold a conversation.

He broke off from the group as they passed the south gate and continued into the forest. A hundred hits in on a tree, he gained the awareness of a wolf, looked at the 79% percent mark beside his level, and headed back to Pura. He could take it on without increasing his level, but it was dumb to chance it.

Leon continued the interrupted run and looked at the time. It was a little before ten in the morning. In eleven hours, he would enter the market, and in about twenty-four, he and Ava would purchase the health potions and head to the tower.

As he approached the inn, he noticed Ava’s green-clad figure leaning against the wall, with her hands folded in front of her. She hadn’t joined him at all the days since they talked to the man or purchased their equipment.

She stepped forward as he passed the crafting fountain, and he stopped.

“Hey,” she said, scratching at her ear. “Sorry I haven’t spent much time with you these last few days.”

“No problem. What have you been up to? It must have been important for you to miss out on the training after you’ve nagged on me about it.”

Ava hesitated, then she gave him a nod.

“Don’t want to talk about it?” Leon massaged the skin over his knuckles. They ached from hitting things, but he hadn’t wanted to give up just yet; just the thought of the agility point made it feel worth it, on the off chance that his so-called training of other stats paid off.

“It’s just that… I’m nervous. I don’t want to die.” Ava sighed and looked at her feet. “Margaret doesn’t want me to go into the tower with you. She won’t say why, and she’s been teaching me a lot of different stuff about inn-keeping.” Ava swallowed. “She wants me to stay here.”

“And what do you want?” Leon asked.

“I—”

“Stop right there!” Hert exited his shop and sprinted to them, his face red. He stopped before them and pushed a finger on Leon’s shoulder. “How hard is it for you to keep to one place? I’ve needed to talk with you for days.”

Leon raised his eyebrows. “I’ve been where I’ve been for the last month and more. What’s up?”

“What’s up?” Hert shouted and threw his arms wide. “Three days ago, I got a quest. A quest which name is ‘prepare to enter the tower.’ It increases my level percentage by two per day until I enter the first level! Says it’s a reward for gaining over 85% level experience in level six.” Hert pushed a finger on Leon’s shoulder again with such force, Leon had to take a step back. “Now I have to enter the tower, and it’s all Ava’s and your fault.”

Ava stepped forward. Her red face clashed with her hair, and she, in turn, threw forward a finger into Hert’s chest. “You wanted to be in a party. The party was even called ‘Hert’s Party,’ so you have nothing to blame us for. You could have ended it at any time!”

“I should have, and I would have, but I thought ‘poor little Ava, she has such a tough time’ and didn’t! And this is my thanks!”

“We didn’t put that quest on you.” Ava clenched her fists.

“You did!” Hert stared into Ava’s eyes.

Leon scratched his neck. “So… you said you wanted to talk with me?”

Hert’s eyes snapped to Leon’s.

“Is it because you want to complete the first level with us?”

Hert clenched his jaw. “I have no choice, do I? You have no idea how many times I’ve regretted putting up that quest.”

Leon forced a smile. “Then we’ll see you around lunchtime tomorrow, outside the portal.”

“Yeah,” Hert mumbled. “I’ll be at 94%, then.” With those words, he turned around and walked on stilted legs to his shop, slamming the door behind him.

“We’re really doing this,” Ava said.

“My promise still stands. You can choose not to.”

Ava shook her head. “Not when there’s a way back. I don’t want to be stuck—I want to—” She bit her lip.

Leon patted her shoulder. “Then we go together.”