Nasar turned a vengeful eye toward the sky.
For nine years, he had been the leader of the prestigious guild Dark Elven. Under his command, the guild had successfully climbed to the 50th floor of the tower. He'd endured all kinds of suffering and hardship but he succeeded in the end. Dark Elven could now be considered the second-largest guild in the tower. However, the only thing he could do now was lay on a cold floor and stared at the sky. His name had been erased from the guild and his contributions forgotten.
All of this happened because he didn't accept the board's decision to raid some dungeons. The board chairman forced him to resign from the guild and return to the 1st floor, which effectively erased all his levels. All he received was one hundred thousand energy stones as a retirement fee. Such an amount was not even half his monthly salary. And he would have to lobby and possibly even bribe the financial department in Morocco to access it.
Nine years of wasted efforts...
His body trembled at the realization. He had given everything to the guild and this was his reward. He swore to take revenge for what they did to him. He would climb back to the 50th floor even if he had to crawl his way up.
A woman's voice interrupted his thoughts. "You are on the 1st floor. The exit portal will close in a few minutes. You can leave the tower now or stay and clear the floor. But you can not leave once the portal is closed. You're advised to withdraw since you are the only person present on your team. Percentage of success in a one-man team is less than 0.07%."
The ethereal doorway in front of him that was supposed to be the exit portal shone brightly as if inviting him to leave. He could leave the tower behind, give up everything, and live the rest of his days as an ordinary man. But he wouldn't do that. The tower wanted to convince him about it but it was futile. He would survive, climb to the highest floor, and have his revenge.
The woman repeated the same warning three times, each time louder than the previous. And then the portal blurred and disappeared.
He took a deep and looked away. He might be a one-man team but he came from a floor that was thousands of times more difficult than this one. And he had been on this floor before, so he was aware of the hidden traps and challenges.
He opened his skill tab. Although, as a punishment for returning to the 1st floor, he had lost his skills and could only start from the beginning, the warlock classification offered two skills at the start. They should be enough for the challenge waiting for him on the floor.
Congratulations, you have activated the mountain system due to your weight.
The mountain system? What about his beginner skills?
Due to your sheer weight, which is caused by your abnormal attributes, you can not sit, stand, or walk. Your hands have been spared for the meantime, so you can drag your body on the ground and crawl.
The description didn't answer any of his questions. Was this even him or was he looking at someone else's system?
He tried to sit but his body wouldn't move. He tried again, with all his might, but to no avail. With a deep frown, he tried to raise his hand, but also couldn't.
Now that he thought about it, he was feeling unusually heavy. He took a glance at his chest from his lying position. He was still slim, so why was he feeling a lot heavier all of a sudden?
The mountain system...? Was this some sick joke?
He tried turning around so he could lie on his stomach. Maybe, then, he could push himself up and stand.
The first attempt failed, miserably. He couldn't turn because of his heavy body and he couldn't maneuver his hands because they were heavy as well.
He willed his attributes tab to appear. The mountain system had claimed that his attributes were the reason for his current predicament. But that didn't make any sense. Most people on the first floor began climbing the tower with the same attributes. Even the unusual ones weren't so different, they would have a difference of two or three points and that was it.
User: Nasar
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System: the mountain system
Level: 1 (0/20)
Strength: 1
Speed: 1
Constitution: 4,053
Nasar stared at the last figure which was his constitution. It didn't reset like his strength and speed, which meant that, despite being at level 1 currently, he had the constitution of a warlock at level 120. That was insane and unbelievable. It would give him a massive starting advantage over others. If this constitution was redistributed between the other attributes, he would immediately jump to a much higher level.
And his HP would now be 40,530 with every point of constitution amounting to 10 points of HP. Even high-level and highly skilled individuals from the floors above would not drain him so easily. His body would be very tough and resilient, rendering attacks from opponents on the first few floors ineffective. He was undoubtedly the most powerful tank on the first floor.
But, then, that could be the exact reason he had the mountain system. Constitution raised weight and agility reduced it. The two countered each other and helped a person maintain their normal weight. He didn't have any points in agility at the moment and so his weight would be much higher than it used to be.
He had seen something like that before. There was this hunter on the thirty-something floor who had focused too much on his agility and neglected his constitution. In the end, he died because he was so light and imbalanced and couldn't control his body while fighting.
It was a mild case compared to the mountain system. Nasar hadn't seen the attributes of that hunter, but it was unlikely to be as bad as he was having it now.
He tried lifting his right arm and it took him several long seconds to do it. The mountain system said his hands were spared. It didn't seem like that.
He was conflicted about this new system: on one hand, it gave him a nigh-indestructible body at least for his current level and floor; on the other, it was taking away his mobility.
He still had hope. The warlock classification could easily remedy his immobility.
He opened the classification tab.
Classification: warlock
Status: inactive (because it's not compatible with your current attributes)
HP: 40,530/40,530
Lifespan: 50 days
Nasar found it hard to swallow any saliva. His classification had been his closest companion over the years. He had mastered it and could survive bitter odds just by depending on it.
He was getting more conflicted. Could the mountain system replace his warlock classification in the meantime?
Fortunately, he didn't lose the warlock classification for good. All he needed to access it was to raise his agility and reduce his weight. In the meantime, he would adapt to the mountain system. That was what he'd been doing over the past decade: adapting to impossible situations. He wouldn't have reached the 50th floor otherwise.
He tried lifting his legs and it felt like he was lifting a car with a finger. He tried using his hands to crawl and, for once, he succeeded. The mountain system had allowed that much.
You have a daily quest available. Crawl for five meters every day.
Reward: 5 exp. Accept? Y/N?
Another new tab appeared beside the classification tab. It was the quest system. He clicked on it.
Daily quest available: 1 {crawl for 5 meters; reward: 5 exp}
Main quest available: 1 {reach level 10; reward: unknown}
He needed a total of 20 exp to reach level 2. So, in just four days, even if he did nothing but the daily quest, he would level up. He pressed yes.
Daily quest accepted.
He looked around him. It had been many years since he left this floor but everything looked the same as he knew it. It was called the snake forest. An empty hall that was built at the center of a dense tropical forest filled with snakes. The hall was small and was built into a pentagon with five connecting walls. Several stone pillars supported a transparent roof, which was the only window to the outside world. Through the roof, he could see a dark mist covering the clouds and snakes crawling over the top of the roof, looking for a way to slide inside the hall. Fortunately, there was no such hole on the roof.
Nasar turned to one of the five walls. Small but visible holes littered the lower part of the wall. As soon as the challenge began, the snakes would rush in through those holes. He was required to kill them to clear the floor.
The stone pillars were part of the hidden traps. Once he touched any of them, either by his body or weapon, it would crumble. And then it would release some unknown chemical that would dissolve the other pillars and they would all disappear. The roof would fall on him and the snakes would have free reign in entering the hall.
Nasar was fully aware of the situation and the traps because he had been there before. He would complete his daily quest first and then clear the floor later.
He put his hands forward and dragged the rest of his body along. It wasn't as difficult as he'd expected - courtesy of the mountain system, he assumed.
After five minutes, he reached the end of the hall and completed the quest.
Daily quest completed.
You have received 5 exp.
Level: 1 (5/20)