“Sorry about that! I’ve just finished informing my co-workers what to d- WHAT IN TARNATION?” Officer Richard had poked his head through the doorway just to find himself watching a bizarre scene play out in front of him in terror.

“MERCY, PLEASE! MY HAND IS CRAMPING UP WAY TOO MUCH!”

“T-This is… not easy at all!”

“Isaac, your letters look as if a toddler has written them with their non-dominant hand. As for you Sophie, you’re doing fine so far, but your lines need to be a little straighter.”

Iris was sternly advising us of what we were doing right and wrong. She had a villainous smile on her lips as she watched the two of us struggle under the palm of her hand. I swear this woman is probably a sadist in hiding!

Officer Richard meekly walked over to the table and said, “Er… have I dropped in at a bad time?”

“No, NO! You’re fine. Please, take a seat,” I hurriedly answered as I massaged my muscles. I need a break from this bullshit or else my hand will fall off. He came in at the right time!

Now that everyone is here, we’ll start the meeting, the topic being these stages. I’m sure that my sister is discussing these matters with Chen Ling and Sam right about now. I can’t have her of all people one-up me…

****

I’m sure that my brother is going crazy right now thinking about those points and how to effectively use them. I know that boy all too well. He’s probably thinking about hoarding all the achievements for himself and being number one in contributions. Since I don’t know what these stages are exactly, I can’t say for certain that I’ll be there with him and bring him under control.

There are five minutes left on the countdown. As I watch the seconds tick by, my uneasiness grew and festered little by little, threatening to consume me whole. It’s like I was a spectator on the sidelines, watching a person standing on the edge of a high bridge ready to jump at a moment’s notice. I could only sit by and watch with bated breath, waiting for the inevitable.

“You look nervous. Lighten up a little,” Chen Ling laughed. He was scrolling through the Point Store with joy, like an excited child running through Toys "R" Us with his parents. Chen Ling told me that this Point Store will be very handy from now on. He advised everyone to get familiar with the store since everyone will be using it a lot.

I raised my head, locking eyes with the man. “How can I not be nervous in a situation like this? We have about three minutes left until this countdown is over. No matter how you look at it, these stages are bad news.”

“Strong folks like us shouldn’t be nervous about these types of things,” he scoffed, waving the screen in front of him away. “Expressing weak feelings like anxiety will make others think you’re weak. If you appear weak, others will try to take advantage of you.”

“They are welcome to try if they aren’t afraid of losing a hand or two,” I sneered. Solgac shook her head in agreement with my threat. I stroked the creature's head with a smile plastered on my face.

“Haha! That’s more like it!” Chen Ling got up from his seat and sauntered over to Sam who was minding his own business. He was clutching the area where his arm used to be and let out a heavy sigh.

Chen Ling plopped himself on the chair next to Sam. “So, Sam, was it?”

Sam moved his hand away and placed it on the edge of his shield that was leaning on his legs.

“The silent type, eh? It’s strange though… You were talkative back at the beach, and now you’re all quiet. What’s the deal?”

“…”

“Well, I can wait here all day waiting for a reply if that’s what you want!”

“…”

“Then so be it then,” Chen Ling said. He folded his arms and stared at Sam with wide-open eyes, waiting for a reply. I don’t know if this guy's an idiot or just too playful. Sometimes, I would think he’s both…

[The first stage will begin shortly. Please wait a moment while preparations are finalized.]

Just in the nick of time, the S.O. popped up, signaling that the wait was over. The room filled with superhumans fell silent as everyone received the notification at the same time.

“Everyone, be prepared for what’s to come! Just remember what we just discussed!” Fieys voice boomed throughout the tent.

“Yes, Officer Fiey!” The superhumans collectively roared. Me, Chen Ling, and Sam were still sitting together at a table, watching the others from afar. When I see them working together, I almost feel touched, even if we were in the midst of an apocalyptic scenario.

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

[Preparations have been completed. You will now be teleported to the First Stage]

And there it is. I knew that we were going to be teleported. It’s what happened when we first got our powers. It was either teleportation or the stage would occur here on Earth. The first scenario we all thought of came to mind. Just as I finished that thought, blue sparkles revolved around my entire body, as if I was in a circle of little sparklers one would see on the Fourth of July.

[Teleportation in five…]

[Four…]

[Three…]

[Two…]

[One…]

My vision blurred as a bright light filled my vision. I could feel every single particle and molecule in my body being deconstructed as I was being wisped away. Although that sounds very painful to hear, I felt no pain at all. Instead, I felt nothing. It was like my senses have been numbed to the point where not even a fiery hot rod would make me feel my skin and nerves burning.

Just as quickly as I felt nothing, I could feel my toes, and then my fingers, and finally, a cool draft. I slowly opened my eyes after confirming that the teleportation was finished. I looked over at my shoulder to see whether Solgac came with me. Sure enough, the dragon did follow along. Solgac was shaking her head while releasing soft murmuring sounds.

"Are you a little woozy from the teleportation, Solgac?"

I removed the dragon from my shoulders and placed her on the ground. The dragon wobbled around the floor in a daze like a drunk toddler. Whenever it looked like she would fall, I would catch her. This went on for a couple of minutes until the dragon finally felt better. It hung its head low, embarrassed that she showed me an unsightly display. I couldn't help but chuckle at the cute dragon.

"Don't worry about it, Solgac. You'll get over it soon. You're just a baby after all..."

Actually, how does a literal dragon have motion sickness? It's kind of ironic if you think about it.

"Up you go..."

I picked Solgac off the ground and placed her back on my shoulder.

“Okay then… where the hell am I?” I whispered. I was standing in a spacious area as big as a four-bedroom house. The design of the room had the standard four walls and a ceiling, all made of a dark-brown material. When I walked to the nearest wall, I raised a fist and lightly tapped it. What came out was a rat-tat-tat noise, similar to when you knock on wood, but the texture of the material was rough instead of smooth. Curious about what it may be, I cocked back my arm and punched the wall.

BAM!

“What the?”

I retracted my throbbing hand away from the wall as I spout out curses. This wasn't your regular wood at all. A punch from me should’ve split this whole wall in half. This thing was harder than metal! That would mean it's either wood as durable as metal, or it is a metal I’ve never heard of.

"...I should stop what I’m doing and instead focus on what this stage may be."

Wanting to erase this embarrassing moment from my brain, I quickly opened the S.O. and pressed on the Missions tab. Instead of a countdown, I was given a brief message that said:

[Welcome to the Tower of Strength! As stated by the name, it is a tower where challengers are welcome to test their mettle and might. There is a total of thirty floors in this tower. Each floor houses an opponent you must defeat. After defeating them, you are then able to move up to the next floor where another opponent awaits]

[The higher you climb, the more difficult the opponents. If you are unable to continue further, you are welcome to forfeit. This is only applicable to the First Stage. If you do forfeit, you will be teleported back to where you have been teleported from]

[One more thing. After you complete every floor, you are awarded points for your victory. The more floors you complete, the more points you gain. If you complete every floor in the Tower of Strength by defeating the boss, you will be granted a special reward for your efforts. A leaderboard will be shown at the end of your journey showcasing the current top five challengers. Those in the top five will receive an additional reward, so try your best to complete as many floors as possible!]

[Good luck!]

What an unnecessarily lengthy explanation that was. Basically, climb the tower and defeat whatever is in there. The difficulty increases the further along I am. At the top of the tower is where the boss will be located. Defeat them and you get a special reward. While the explanation is simple, I bet it’s the opposite. This will be a battle of endurance if you wish to reach the top. I’m sure Isaac is already completing the first floor right about now. He’s probably excited about fighting these new opponents and wants to reap the rewards. I should start my ascent then... When I first got teleported here, there was a door straight ahead. That must be where the first opponent will be waiting.

It only took me a second to find the door again. I gripped the study doorknob and flung the door open, walking into the same exact brightly lit room, except there was someone waiting for me, blocking another door behind. The person was wearing a full suit of silver armor, its head hidden behind a helmet that sported a blue feather on top. A brown sheathe was strapped to the hip.

“A challenger already? I thought we would have some time left before… never mind.”

It spoke in a tranquil voice. It was hard to discern whether a male or female was inside the armor. So, instead of questioning it, I quietly unsheathed my rapier while making eye contact.

The suit of armor grabbed the hilt of its sword and unsheathed its weapon, assuming a fighting stance. “I see… You’re the type to get on with the fight instead of indulging in idle talk. Very well then, challenger. Although it is shocking you are in possession of a dragon that appears only in myths, I will, nonetheless, be your opponent for the first floor of the Tower of Strength!”

After finishing its declaration, it charged headfirst with a defiant roar.

Sorry buddy, but I’m not here to make friends. I’ll need to earn as many points as I can, as quickly as possible. This Tower of Strength or whatever won’t stop me. I, Laila, will be the first to make it to the top floor first!