Looking around, Robert found himself inside a plain empty tent. The transition to a new location appeared to be so instantaneous that he had no opportunity to check the katanas, which were left by the opponent. The latter, despite being strong and fast, was awfully predictable. Telegraphing each strike with a wild grimace, shouting the commands of the skills, preferring flashy moves over effective ones, betting everything on his ability to avoid wounds by using an ability that he couldn’t support for long, focusing only on killing the enemy fast – everything made this “Ghostly Slasher” a paper tiger in Rob’s eyes.
The young man was overwhelmingly strong against the weak but couldn’t surprise anyone with a similar level of power. Those somersaults were just another desire to show off. Robert might have ended the fight much sooner if not a wish to see the real capabilities of the challengers with high Combat Power. The result was a complete disappointment. It felt like so insanely fast growth in terms of abilities and attributes made them too overconfident, simultaneously not giving time to hone new skills. It was almost the same as when the poor won a lottery and used all the money in a short amount of time on different dumb things. No rational decisions, no self-restrains, no optimal usage of resources.
Obviously, there were exceptions, but Robert was sure that they were rare. The ability to double their physical strength in a matter of days or to create a flame with just willpower would make most common folks feel like superheroes. There was no way it wouldn’t have any consequences in the mentality of a person. The existence of the Status screen would lead to a race for numbers, decreasing the overall combat effectiveness. You simply couldn’t squeeze everything from your body, when the simple act of adding an attribute point would do the same without any effort.
I am not sure I am not falling for the same mistake myself… But at least I will try not to. Still, if my assumption is true, then the higher I get, the more children with dangerous guns there will be… it really depends on the time they spend in the Tower. The latter will uproot all unfit, giving enough opportunity to put those “children” in real danger. Yeah, no underestimation then.
Looking around, Robert sighed in regret. All his trophies were lost. Deep inside he had hope that he could sell that gear to the System, but it appeared the Tower didn’t need to pay him anything if it could take everything for free. However, it confirmed another thought – to rely on his own strength and not on the local equipment. After all, Rob went to this realm to increase his own power.
Okay, then let’s see what I got right now according to the Status screen.
Robert Flop (Mysterious Gladiator)
Combat Power: 153
Experience: 12237
Mana: -/- [+5 mana per second]
Title: The Transcendent Tower’s Guardian
Class: Rune Imbuer
Might - 33 [STR 57, SPD 43, END -]
Agility - 25 [CRD 24, FLXB 6, RCT 45]
Body - 16 [VIT -, TOU 32]
Mind - 21 [PRC 19, INT 32, WIS 12]
Magic - 0 [PWR -, SPRT -]
Personality - 8 [CHA 7, CUNN 9]
Skills (3/5):
1. Rune engraving [Rank 3 MAX: Efficiency, Power]
2. Instinctive Runes [Rank 1 MAX]
3. Rune Alteration [Rank 1 MAX]
Runes (4/7): Heavy, Reinforcement-Link, Meditation
Going through the long text and noting the changes, Robert pondered about the increase in Attributes. If the price of the rune’s alteration stayed the same, he had slightly over 2 thousand points to invest in his stats. It wasn’t much as he couldn’t directly increase a whole category, while improvement even by one point cost double the amount of CP. Therefore, he needed to carefully choose what he wanted to upgrade.
After a short consideration, he crossed out the Might and Body categories, as they both were slowly rising by themselves. Personality went next as he failed to see how it would increase his survivability or combat abilities. Magic couldn’t be improved at all. It left him with Agility and Mind. And taking into account his constant need to control his steel by the latter, it was an obvious pick. However, it was a pick for the future, as knowing the System, Rob was sure it might raise the cost of altering the rune just because it could mess with him. Or he might find a useful skill to upgrade. Overall, there was no life-threatening need to make the choice immediately. On the other hand, knowing the surroundings and current situation was crucial.
Dismissing the transparent windows, Robert stepped outside the tent only to appear in some kind of a fake military camp. The reason for such a conclusion was multiple identical tents all around with a campfire in front of them. And when he meant identical, he really did it, as even the spots of dirt were in the same places. Moreover, the whole place was emptied of anything, except some random barrels, boxes, and weapon racks. That wasn’t how a real camp had to look like according to his own experience.
Carefully moving through it, Robert finally noticed who was the owner of the place. Located right outside the camp, the huge army was readying for the attack on the city. The latter was less than a mile from the first row and had high walls with defensive towers, giving an expression of a seriously fortified stronghold. However, the attacking force didn’t show any fear. In fact, Rob doubted that they could feel anything at all as the undead usually failed in such things.
Indeed, almost the whole army consisted of zombies, skeletons with different weapons, and beastlike ghouls. Standing motionlessly and waiting for the order, they were silently looking at the city. Their glowing eyes were flickering with green flames inside the sockets, sending goosebumps over Rob’s spine. And not because he was scared, but because they looked awfully similar to his rune’s effect.
Cursing his luck, Robert redirected his attention to the back of the army, where the figures in black robes stood. Hidden under big hoods and clothes, they were holding the metal staves with skeleton palms. Still, those liches seemed not to be in control and were just another type of troops with magic capabilities. No, the leader and simultaneously the controller of the army appeared to be a tall Archi-Lich, dressed in an exquisite robe with golden patterns, a bone staff with a huge red crystal, and a golden crown on top of his skull. Surrounded by two dozen black knights, he was sitting on an enormous throne right behind the army, which was raised above the ground with a usage of the bone platform.
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From a distance, it was hard to see everything in detail. Even the notification with the evaluation of their strength couldn’t be summoned. Still, Rob noticed several human-like figures around the undead commander. They could be anything from advisors or servants to generals or champions. Moreover, Robert wasn’t sure that the Archi-Lich was the Overlord who seemed to be the biggest villain in the Tower. In a lack of knowledge, he didn’t want to make useless assumptions. However, there was a thought that was bothering him after observation of the army.
Why the hell do you need a camp if your army is made from the undead?
Of course, Robert knew the answer. The Tower was a game, so it needed a set of decorations for each floor. It was the same as with laboratory equipment. To show a believable picture with a limited effort. The camp might even look good from the distance. So was the army. However, after approaching the nearest skeletons and finally confirming their non-hostile status, Robert noticed how identical were these undead.
Separately they looked perfect. The dents and scratches on the metal surface of the rusty armor. The different tones of the bone were a mixture of white and yellow. The remnants of hair, which was seen under the helmet. The absence of few teeth. However, the very same appearance had the skeleton just a few meters away. Overall, there were approximately five or six variants that repeated throughout the whole army. Moreover, they had the corresponding pattern with a weapon in their hands. The bearded undead had an axe, while the owner of the gap in teeth had a sword and wooden shield.
Another reason was the absolute motionlessness of the necrotic force. Not even the Archi-Lich was moving, looking frozen in a moment. It felt not scary but disturbing as if something was simply not right. No wind, no sound, no motions, nothing. The best comparison was that Robert’s mind managed to produce a sense of pause, on which the whole world was put while waiting for the real players to join the game. The challengers.
Therefore, Robert patiently waited. Entering the ranks of the undead to hide himself from possible unwanted attention, he slowly checked the Combat Power of his undead allies. The skeletons ranged from 120 points to 130, clearly compensating for possible weakness with a quantity. The zombies were stronger, reaching 150. The beastlike ghouls had up to 180. The real powerhouses were black knights and liches. The power of both types was surprisingly the same – exactly 250 points. Only their small number might be the possible hope for the challengers. However, remembering the description of the floor, Rob knew that there was none. The city would fall no matter what.
Then it is my hope that they will not act at once, allowing me to earn merit… Especially the Archi-Lich, whose CP shows only question marks. Do not know what the consequence of failure to reach the needed amount will be, and don’t want to check.
Looking around, Robert noted how indifferently he felt among the forces of an undead, who would soon burn the city with living beings. It was like he resigned himself to this fate after the days spent in that chamber. Just an obedient soldier, who would execute any given order, no matter how bad it was, or else he would meet his own execution. The simple choice - was to execute or to be executed.
The thought once again reemerged inside his mind, lowering the mood, so he had to remind himself that it was the System, which was putting the rules; the Transcendent, who created this System and the Tower; Aether, who refused his attempt to travel into another realm in a desire to make any Transcendent stronger; the challengers that…
Oh, stop blaming others, Rob. You could simply die if you wanted not to bloody your hands.
Robert couldn’t simply lie to himself. Maybe he was a really bad guy in this story. A bastard, who valued his own life over anything else. A mass murderer. A monster. But it was his choice to do it. Still, the hardest part was to accept this without any attempts to justify himself, to whitewash his deeds, or to create an illusionary purpose for the sake of the redemption of his sins. No, Rob simply wanted to live.
Yep, I am a baddy. Let’s put a huge fat point on this topic. No more hesitation or pondering.
For the first time, he felt a relief. The determination to follow this path to the end felt like a liberation from self-put chains of conscience. He knew he was going to help the attacking force by capturing the city. He would kill. He would achieve the goal and proceed further through the damned Tower until the end. He was here for the power, and he would get it.
Let’s do it!... After anything starts. Such a long pause is good to clear my mind, but it lasts way too long.
“Hello, System!? Are you even there? Can you unpause everything? Please?”
Robert’s shout was ignored not only by the real ruler of the Tower but also by all undead, including the all-mighty Archi-Lich. Nothing moved in this frozen world. And after spending a few minutes in a futile waiting, Rob decided to check the city’s fortification. Squeezing between dense ranks of the undead, he soon reached the first row. Halting his steps for a second, he decisively went forward only to meet an invisible wall. It felt close to the same transparent obstacle that prevented him from leaving the chamber on the previous floor.
Here goes my idea to use this global pause… Okay, let’s inspect the target then.
The stone wall was quite tall, no less than five meters (around 16 ft.). The top of the fortification had many loopholes for shooting. The latter was much wider, clearly made not only for bow users but also for magic casters. The wooden canopy covered the top of the wall – another obstacle for attackers to get into a melee fight. Rob was sure that there was no direct path underneath, aside from a simple jump downwards from the huge height. Therefore, the undead had to cut through the wood, while being under the fire from the towers that gave even better sight for the surroundings. Taking into account that there was literally not a single siege machine, the Archi-Lich betted on the magic to penetrate such defense.
At least there was no water ditch around the city, as it was just too big for it. The absence of the pots with oil also was good. Their possible ineffectiveness against the skeletons might helped Rob to avoid the fate of being boiled or burned to death. Rob could see the closed gates from afar, but it wasn’t the place where he would go. The most obvious weak spot would definitely attract more enemies, making the fight very dangerous. Still, the need to make a noticeable merit to the battle made him ponder his possibilities.
Yep, I really lack the firepower… And I only have two runes to alter. Hm. “Heavy”. What can I change in your effect to raise my attacking power? Oh, I have an idea that may work.
However, before he managed to proceed with the explanation to the System, the giant eye had appeared above the army’s rank. It wasn’t moving, just staring without blinking, while floating in the air. The gaze felt uncomfortable. The sensation of being watched was intensified by such an odd presence to the insane level, making Rob lower his own eyes in an attempt to avoid any contact with this strange observer. In the next moment, Robert noticed the movement around himself as the thousands of the undead suddenly came to life, no matter how dumb it sounded. The whole world dropped from the state of “pause”, finally pushing the time to do its job properly. Then Robert heard a loud voice that seemed to envelop the whole floor of the Tower.
“For the glory of the Overlord, I, the second general, the immortal Archi-Lich, Tzax’zadidh, will bring destruction upon his enemies that in a laughable attempt to resist his majestic rule are trying to stop the inventible – his rise to the position of the Dark God. I am happy to be the first one to introduce to the whole world the real capabilities of his loyal servants. To show the extent of his desire to fulfill his sincere wish. To make a bloody example, so nobody sane will repeat the same mistake again as the wish of the Overlord is the law… And I will do everything in my power to engrave it on your skulls when your corpses would be risen to serve. My army, attack!”
Damn, it’s like a cutscene before the battle to introduce another big bad guy. And the eye works like a camera that shows an overview of the enemy’s force for the players. It is so stupid… Wait! It is me who is stupid. I am in the first row! Fuck! Let me go back, dumb skeletons!