After reading the last word, Nick sat down in his chair, staring out over the sea of clouds streaming below his boots. He kicked up his feet and closed his eyes, reflecting on what he had learned, as well as what he could infer from the presence of two distinct dialects of runes within his questing menus.

He eventually decided that this challenge seemed like a true collaboration between Taltos and the System. This quest felt completely different from those issued during Earth’s integration and humanity’s tutorial, when the two unimaginably powerful entities were working toward opposing ends, each seeking to gain advantage over the other.

So far, the System’s approach seemed to be designed to weed out the weak and foster the development of elite warriors, although he still had no clue as to why. On the other side of the coin, the Mad God’s goals were completely inscrutable.

Nick couldn’t even begin to guess as to whether he wanted the Earth to endure, perish, or was utterly indifferent to the fate of humanity. While Taltos was cruel and mercurial, appearing to act purely on whimsy while seeking only his own amusement, Nick had a hunch that the deity had a hidden agenda, far beyond his understanding. Either way, he was certain that Taltos’s involvement in the event would only make things harder for the survivors of Earth.

Reading between the lines, he was certain that the vanguard of Earth would be annihilated by the tower’s guardian if their performance in the first two stages was poor. Nick intended to do everything in his power to make sure that didn’t happen. He just hoped that he would be able to find a way to make a difference.

The first thing that he needed to do was get to the tower fast, then help everyone get organized and enter once they were fully prepared. That approach would maximize their odds of reaching the top alive. Mitigating the damage team Earth inflicted on themselves by having too many parties enter the tower before everyone arrived at the base. Nick would have to figure out the rest once he was on the ground and had a better feel for the true nature of the challenge ahead.

Ready to begin his preparations, he walked over to the display and opened the questing menu. The final prompt was back in the usual System writing, reminding him that he still needed to officially confirm his decision, even though he had already decided to throw his hat into the ring.

Contestants who choose not to participate in this quest will be transported to the Earth to begin repopulation.

Warning: if this quest is failed, the Earth will be recycled, and the lives of all contestants will be forfeit.

You have until the end of your rest period to decide if you will participate in the Mad God’s challenge event: the fate of Earth.

A part of Nick was tempted to sit this one out. To head back to Earth, start looking for his family, and begin laying the foundation of his long-term plans. The problem was, there wasn’t going to be a long-term if they weren’t able to overcome the Mad God’s challenge.

He knew that he wasn’t strong, smart, or generally important enough that humanity would win or lose by his efforts alone. But that isn’t what matters, he decided after long minutes of soul-searching. It was just like James had said. What mattered was whether or not his presence would improve their odds at all.

False humility aside, Nick was certain that it would. He might not be the highest-level person on team Earth, but he had a hunch that he was ahead of the curve, based on what he had experienced in the arena. He had no desire to witness more death and despair, but he knew deep in his heart that death would pave the path beneath his boots, no matter which road he walked from here. The System seemed to view conflict as a necessary ingredient for growth, while Taltos appeared to relish the struggles of others.

Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

Another part of him was excited to face the challenge ahead. Since his new life had begun, Nick had changed in myriad ways, including being infused with the desire to grow stronger. To see if he had what it took to make it in the magic-drenched multiverse. “There’s no need to draw it out,” he addressed the System with a sigh of resignation. “I’ll do it. You can sign me up, here and now. It’s time to go all in.”

Acknowledged. Contestant Nicholas Henry has accepted Taltos’s challenge.

You will be transported to Blackmist Bog at the end of your rest period. Good luck.

“Thanks,” he muttered, mulling over everything that he had learned. In the end, none of it changed where he wanted to invest his free attribute point. After a final moment of deliberation, he opened his menus and signaled his intent to put the point into magic, which was still below average compared to members of other newly integrated species. While his other attributes had begun to grow via conditioning, he hadn’t figured out the trick to train his baseline magic yet, and he wanted to make the most out of his new spell.

He walked back to his chair and sat down, leaning back with a grin of anticipation as the sensation of the System refining his energetic core rose within his chest. This was a valuable opportunity to get better at sensing the source of his mana. A point of heat centered a few inches below his heart. Nick poured all his concentration into the experience, noticing once more that his core seemed to be expanding and compacting at the same time. Five minutes later, the process was complete, and his awareness of his core faded away completely.

After a bit of contemplation, Nick decided to wait a while longer before spending his final tutorial knowledge points. Facing the next challenge head on had taken some of the wind out of his sails and he wanted to recharge before making any more choices that he couldn’t take back. Not wanting to waste any time either, he decided to check out his new equipment and then strategize on how to make the most out of his remaining hours within the safe room.

He walked over to the table in the corner of the open area, where the System had laid out his inventory after Nick completed his jaunt through the treasure vault. While most of the items were old friends to him by now, two of them were new acquaintances, both of which he was glad to have at his side.

He ran his fingertips over his new dagger, a prize that the management of the arena had given him for winning his first fight. It was a huge improvement over the rusted, worn down knives that he’d found on the ratmen back in the tutorial dungeon. The dagger was forged from silvery metal, heavy in his hand and a good six inches long.

Nick took an experimental slash, able to tell from the first stroke that this wasn’t just a tool, but a true weapon. Designed and balanced for use in combat. It had a hilt guard to protect his fingers and was wrapped with some manner of leather to keep his grip from slipping when wet.

The pommel was engraved with an image of the Grand Arena of Papillion, along with a single phrase. “Victory or death.” Unlike Nick’s old blade, which was starting to chip away at the edges, this weapon featured the eversharp modification, which would prevent it from breaking under all but the most extreme circumstances, keeping the blade sharp without requiring regular maintenance.

The dagger was a solid weapon for fighting up close, as well as environments where his sword would be more of a liability than an asset, such as confined spaces with narrow halls or low ceilings. It came with a custom leather sheath that slid neatly onto his toolbelt, so he would always have it close at hand.

Satisfied with his newest weapon, his next order of business was to take a closer look at his flask, the first rare item he had been able to acquire. He ran his gaze over the sparkling facets of clear crystal, amazed that something that looked so simple could be as awesome as the description had promised. Some manner of pink liquid had begun to coalesce within the length of crystal. By the time that Nick woke up again, the elixir should be ready to consume. He was excited to try it out and planned to use it over the next few days to get the most out of his training sessions.

After another lingering look, he moved on to figuring out how to attach the flask to his belt, where he could quaff it quickly during an emergency. With a bit of trial and error, he discovered how to secure it within the loops of his toolbelt. He pulled and prodded the arrangement, deciding that the fit was snug and the crystal tube was unlikely to fall out, even when running or fighting.

Soulbound or not, he had no intention of letting the flask out of his sight, certain that it would save his life more than once during the dark days ahead. After sifting through the rest of his inventory so that it would be fresh in his mind when he got busy planning, Nick was ready to move on to the next part of his day.

Looking down at the muddy pawprints stamped onto his backpack, he wondered what Bandit was up to, imagining the adventures his friend was undertaking in his absence.