That day is spent with everyone on edge and no one mixing together, most teams choose rooms that are obvious as if one group attacks them if the others hear they will help to prevent it from happening to them in the future. The team with two less members are clearly showing paranoia and anxiety as they are now the most likely to be targeted, in an effort in survival their team leader approached Wyatt and request the right to remain with us that night.
We allow it if they allow us to lock the bedroom with them in it they are not to leave until tomorrow outside an emergency, we return to the room and the living room area has all our stuff in it with the window open.
A thick fog is outside now after two days of it slowly building, we tell them to close and leave close the blinds in the bedroom to avoid whatever is outside while we leave ours open.
We wish not just for the tower coins but also the revival coin and the only way to get it is to investigate the situation outside, we mark off a few more options due to how thick the fog has gotten. We settle in for the night and Wyatt sets a noise canceler to explain why he didn't need the food removed.
"I am a void person meaning we can consume anything and make it a part of ourselves allowing us to continuously advance and improve our bodies and potential. As long as we are more powerful then it we can consume or absorb anything, so never worry over my bodies adaption capability just keep watch on the others."
It was like a opposite matching cultivation to my own were I evolve using my own energy but he uses other more powerful species and energy to advance.
But no species is that simple everything has a cost, for most more innately talented species it is fertility and it is most likely the same if not even more complicated reason for their species. It is true everything comes at a cost my own cultivation is evidence as it is potent but slow, versatile but not very talented in any field, no restriction on potential but painful.
It looked perfect in all areas for a highly versatile low talented person but for a highly specialized talented person it was the worst possible cultivation.
At midnight a rustle sounded outside the window and suddenly a bang a small malformed creature with a too small head a obese body and pure bone and muscle wings on the back, it was a baby succubus the bigger ones had a larger head and malnourished bodies.
Ugly creatures and high in vanity for they seek out the best looking host it thinks it could posses and with my cultivation looking like a hardly awakened I am like the perfect meal.
I see the others grab the weapons and begin using energy but the succubus are repelled back by a energy barrier made around the building, although there were some incubus already in here the barrier prevents them from doing anything but infecting but the barrier will only last until the end of the week.
"Looks like they like you, your cultivation hides your energy making you appear a perfect meal for them, the ultimate bait in a way. We will use this to enter the fog and get their attention to you inside a barrier so we can properly search with less problems we test the poison tomorrow and see how it works, after wards we go out in groups of four with one blocker and attacker on each Team while tracker will be with me. " Wyatt says to this outcome.
We take turns sleeping with four always awake and the rest swapping out every two hours in groups of two, no other events happen as there are two teams together here and one is clearly very powerful.
When morning come we all head out and go to the waiting area to see who does and does not show up.
All teams show up but not all people do as about thirteen people less then yesterday show up and signs of fighting is on some teams clothes, it is easy to tell what has happened but the task will only be given to those who find the body before the case is solved so nothing can be done.
We head to the front of the hotel were the two door sets are closed and the smog is covering up all things, we head forward and enter the first door set and immediately are set upon by large amounts of baby succubus clearly hoping for a meal, at least two hundred covered the door in front of us and Terrance set up a barrier around me, him, and Corina.
We're all non front combat fighters mostly or not yet high enough grade, with that done Wyatt opened the door and attacked.
It took the group 20 minutes to clean the group up about a hundred mid grade monsters in ten minutes easily more it is both a show and a warning for the other teams not to touch us and it will most likely work as the goal is to stay alive not make the most tower coins.
With the path cleared Terrance drops the barrier and we head out to a small spot nearby that is fairly open for Terrance to set up his barrier for us three to use while they deal with the overwhelming numbers. After guaranteeing we are all set up I release a small amount of my mental energy and we are swarmed in seconds while the rest are heading out to try and find their origin point and if possible destroy it.
While we wait for over an hour the babies suddenly start to spasm and panic as though lost or confused they start to fly in the opposite direction of the hospital as quickly as possible.
The incubus in the hospital let out screeches and run out as though angered beyond belief and run in the same direction, completely ignoring us in there fury it is clear whatever they are doing is causing severe damage to the incubus.
For the next hour screeches and fighting is heard form multiple areas in front of us but no more attacks on the barrier occur, we wait when a massive energy shudder occurred in the area in front about ten minute run from us and all the sounds stop. Wyatt appears ten minutes later with the rest of the team some slightly worse then others but no more then scratches that will be quick to treat.
The poison is the same as the poison given to block absorption points but the antidotes taken intermittently is fine to prevent any problems.
The most difficult part Wyatt explained in our room later was the C-grade elder incubus blocking a man made link point to allow creatures here without problems, it allowed these things to enter the town and proliferate uncheck it would mean being out numbered in days.
With the portal closed no more can show up and with the elder gone they are easy to deal with as long as you hunt them continuously as the elder is the one who has to much stored energy causing them to be able to breed non stop outside of usual mating time, without her there numbers will plummet with active hunting and can now be killed off.
At midnight a tower announcement occurred.
---A team has successfully destroyed the cause of the poisonous smoke and have dealt with the largest danger, their team is rewarded one revival coin per person, the team with the most members in the best state with highest ranking scores will be rewarded the ten tower coins. Your team will now be sent to the next floor when ready---
Is what played out loud for all to hear while each team got an announcement for contribution and aide provided as well as the teams over all ranking.
[Team Asher:
Contribution list:
1st-Wyatt
2nd-Aadi
3rd-Adrian
(Expand to see full list)
Team ranking:
1st-Team Asher
2nd-Team Donner
3rd-Team Esther
(Expand to see full list)]
I look and feel a smugness at being second in the team while also being the first in the team ranking, I had chosen the group well.
Ten minute after the announcements we are all sent to our respective team room spaces and our access to the tower chat, trade, auction, and team status bars join our status screen, I reappear in my small blank room with only a bed but a door has now appeared in the room leading to the team connection area.
We can now alter the rooms and the team hang out area, I immediately use 100 tower coins to buy a beginner area blacksmith conjoined room.
It would be 50 if apart of the team as half the cost would come from the team members if they agreed but now it is mine and will follow me from one team to another and no one can enter without my permission first which prevents any future problems.
I also got no alerts for upgrades so assumed they were waiting for the team to agree on things or doing like me and making their own upgrades for personal use.
Entering the conjoined area there are three white sofas a whiteboard with black markers and a few whit seats in the otherwise empty room, it was quiet as no one else was in there yet most likely still upgrading their rooms when a door opened and Wyatt comes out.
The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
We both sit in a comfortable silence as neither asked what the other had done to their personal rooms and clearly neither of us wanted to talk about it.
About ten minutes later the rest come out and begin to discuss what to do now that we are one to one with the real world, I need to go inform Lucien of my progress and increase in floors as from this point on most tests are long ones that will usually require one to remain on a floor for a bit of time either hunting, making something, or achieving a feat that can only be done at certain times.
Telling them I had to tell my guardian about my advancement and will not be here for the following day it is decided to wait until two days from now to begin the eleventh floor.
Going out of the tower entry point I head home and see Lucien making out with Nilan in the living room I stumble in shock and accidently knock a lamp over making them disconnect and look at me in a clearly surprised way.
"Well you are back sooner then expected what has you home so early?" Lucien ask with a blank face.
"I am officially on the eleventh floor and am at a one to one ratio in the tower so will need to have my time limit changed, if you have an idea let me know." I can feel slight heat in my face at what I had walked into.
"You have a week at a time before checking back in, when you hit the twentieth floor tell me and I will extend it to a month now skedaddle to your room." I return to my room.
My plant is sitting in the window bay area made for it, despite the time passed it had still not done anything but look like a piece of grass with a leaf on it, it is clearly well and happy though so least it do what it wants it will grow when it grows.
Falling to sleep with a smile at how much my life has changed since I first got my plant.
Returning to the tower we talk about what to do on the next floor as we were only told it is usually a longer floor, but nothing but bring usual items for long time dungeon exploring. We figure it is like the first floor to hunt a number of monsters in a time frame and if we kill them ahead of time then we will finish sooner so we gat all the supplies needed from the store only costing about 5 coins for enough food and water to last us 6 months.
We then decided to start it as soon as possible, so after packing everything and making sure everyone is set we wait for the tower announcement.
---Your team leader has chosen to go to the eleventh floor, if you agree to the test do so if anyone disagrees then you will not be able to begin the test.
[Yes]
[No]
{Choosing no will make it so you can't attempt it for another week}---
We all agree and are transported to a run down town inside a cave with barriers all around, everything is made of stone from the barrier to the houses and fences it smells like a cess pit and the people look haggard and ill with yellow skin and black veins all over them.
But what stood out the most is there are no tower residents at all among those here but rather everyone is a tower climber, there raggedy and torn clothes and armor proves that as the tower residents are always clean and well dressed no matter their station or situation the tower guarantees their clothes and food.
So this is an entire town of tower climbers who have been here a while and look horrible from the situation, looking at the small stone stage area we appeared on it is clear this new floor is drastically different.
---The task is to have your team hunt 100 mole rats in their natural environment and get the front right nail from each without killing it and it must be healthy when you release it, half of your team must not have died for the task to count. The death count resets every month allowing those who have died to neutralize their deaths, if you are the fastest in your spawn group of 100 teams you will be rewarded ten tower coins and one less for each rank you fall down.---
We look at Wyatt to see his reaction and he looks at me and nods his head, "Aadi you are to heal the creature as well as enhance our speed to allow us to catch and release the creature without problem. Terrance we will surround it so set up a round barrier to prevent escape, everyone else your job is to help catch it while not killing or causing too serious of damage."
We immediately set out and begin our hunt but run into an unexpected problem as there are an abnormally large amount of slimes in the area, meaning we had spawned in a slime nest and no other creature would be here.
We decide to abandon this area and leave cutting the slimes that tried to surround us down while killing off a good portion we come across to make those who spawn here in the future task much easier for them. We continue out of the area at full speed taking us about 1 hour do to me being slower then most of them, we find a good spot to set up and begin our hunt.
By the end of the first day we have caught twenty and none were injured when released thanks to me healing them to complete health and even better health then some of them were in before we caught it.
We set up camp for the day with me giving Terrance a energy boost to last the night with him constantly using his ability today, we sleep peacefully through the night with the usual guard schedule in case of monsters or other teams, it only said the claws are what you need it never said anything about not stealing them as long as they are valid.
We continue to do the same thing the next day and caught thirty, we are half way done when another group comes across us and sees the nails in our hands with the gold hue meaning they are valid because you can't put them in a space and attack us.
They are dead and we settle in to sleep after their bodies disappear, five more nails on us we now have 55 nails.
We continue our hunt for the next two days when half way through the second day we get all that we need, with 100 valid nails in our hands the tower announces the first completion message along with the rewards.
---You have completed the task first, rewarding ten tower coins to all members, your team will now be sent to the next floor when ready---
[Team Asher:
Contribution list:
1st-Terrance
2nd-Aadi
3rd-Wyatt
(Expand to see full list)
Team ranking:
1st-Team Asher
2nd-Team Caelestis
3rd-Team Nuka
(Expand to see full list)]
We return to our rooms a second later with having completed the task in only 4 days despite them saying it is a long task, but we were simply to diverse of a group with someone able to heal injuries so less carful when catching, someone with a barrier so they couldn't run away and me enhancing speed to help in catching made this harder task easy.
The mole rats live in burrows underground in groups and usually attack people in large groups or escape using tunnels quickly as although no more then mid grade low level they are hard to catch due to speed.
They are easy to kill just smoke the holes or put poison in but doing so here has a high chance to kill them nd that would count as a fail.
With the task done early I return to my home with Lucien and can see his surprise at our rapid success as he said it took them two weeks to complete as they had to nurse back to health some of them to validate the nails and even killed a few on accident.
With that I took a nap with my plant then played push the emotions with my plant and returned downstairs to eat before heading to the practice room.
Me and Lucien sparred but I still couldn't even hit him his senses were to keen and he could see the way my muscles rippled to know how I would attack, it is something he had apparently picked up naturally after enough fights.
After the day break I return to the tower for the team meeting to decide our course of action, we had spent eight days from the tenth to twelfth floor and the were doing much better then most even by talented people standards. We decide to spend 6 days practicing together and let those with paperwork get it done.
After the second week of officially beginning our tower climb we prepare for the next floor we have been informed it is like the third floor but larger more complicated with more monsters and puzzles and no survival supplies outside of a weapon and armor can be brought in.
Meaning you will have to solve puzzles to get items and will need someone with a wide arrange of knowledge in creation field as they will be the most likely ones able to solve the problem.
With me having told them of having been in the production part of the tutorial floor it is agreed I will be aiding in puzzle solving alongside Kian who also has some info do to elven culture being more about production and growing things then fighting or killing.
After everyone is geared up we wait for the message.
---Your team leader has chosen to go to the twelfth floor, if you agree to the test do so if anyone disagrees then you will not be able to begin the test.
[Yes]
[No]
{Choosing no will make it so you can't attempt it for another week}---
Everyone affirms their choice and we appear in and we all appear in a large stone brick corridor with a stone carved sealing above us with patterns all over it and what looked like arches holding it up, it was much better then the cave maze back on floor third floor.
---Get to the center of the maze with at least half the team remaining, there are 100 teams attempting to finish the maze only a quarter will be allowed. The first group to finish the maze will have all members awarded ten tower coins.---
But in ten minutes we run into a kobold group of fifty, and a group of around 200 slimes only thirty minutes after that, while after a whole day of monster killing we still have yet to find a single supply chest.
As there is no way to know the time with no light and no clocks we instead use internal clocks to know when to rest and when to move, after the first two days we find our first supply chest filled with basic food and water, we use Amara's fire to cook the food supplied that night and Conner continues to senses the surrounding area for larger then average open areas using the amount of water vapor is in that area.
After 5 days of fighting and wandering he feels the area about a fifteen hour walk from our current position with a few dense monster groups on the way, we get there the next day making this task haven taken us 6 days to complete.
---Your Team is the first to past the test, awarding all team members ten tower coins, you will now be sent to the next floor when ready---
[Team Asher:
Contribution list:
1st- Conner
2nd-Aadi
3rd-Wyatt
(Expand to see full list)
Team ranking:
1st-Team Asher
2nd-Team Nuka
3rd-Team Donner
(Expand to see full list)]
We return to our room in just barely my week time frame if it had taken much longer I may have been in trouble, though Lucien will probably be more understanding as I was in a task not just an in-between section but he would still beat me the next week straight before letting me back into the tower.
I tell everyone I am heading back I head home and Lucien isn't there most likely with Nilan and at a hotel so as not to be interrupted again.
I go to bed and wake up the next day to the smell of breakfast, heading to the kitchen where Lucien no doubt is I instead see Nilan cooking. I am confused until I see Lucien have a slight off walk, I had assumed Nilan the bottom but apparently not and apparently Nilan isn't small either despite his smaller then usual for this worlds appearance.
I give Lucien a grin in amusement and he shows me his hicky covered neck while saying, " At least I am getting some what about you still a virgin I'm sure, and if not make sure to tell me who you let fuck you, cause you sure are not a top."
I sit down knowing I lost that argument hard and have nothing to defend myself with from that, we all eat together and I go back to the team after telling him we are heading to the thirteenth floor.
"I'll give you two weeks for this floor as it is a bit of a random fall one, so make sure to be on time or prepare for a beating. Oh and young one you are eighteen think of finding someone out there if only to release some stress, even if only for a single night so to have some experience whether male or female just don't let anyone get pregnant and it is fine." Lucien says and I rush out with a red face.
Returning to the tower for the fourteenth floor I contemplate who would be someone I would actually be willing to do that with, Nali has a lot of experience and would be a good teacher but she is to far away, I am unsure with anyone else I actually know and trust.
I can't help but think of captain as he really is a stunner by all means.