It felt like he stood there for hours, tormented by the weight above. He found himself wondering what it would have been like for his titanic namesake, holding up the weight of everything for eons on end. It was good for him that he was simply a myth.

Sam pulsed Dao energy through his body, trying to shore up his failing E Rank form. There were limits to everything, and even a living demigod had them. Fighting a beast that seemed lifted straight from the pages of some epic mythological text was one of them.

Just as Sam’s arms were about to fail, the pressure suddenly lifted as the monster finally succumbed to its many wounds. It stumbled backwards, and collapsed to the ground, too injured to move. As it lay there, Sam clenched his fists around his hammer. It was time for revenge.

He teleported miles into the sky, continuing until the monster below was just a speck. Then he hung there for a few seconds, regaining his lost resources. As his mana and elemental energy coursed back into his form, he pumped them into his hammer, layering them with the raw might of his Dao. His hammer glowed brighter and brighter, until it eclipsed the sun in the sky.

Below him, the other fighters scattered, knowing what was to come. Those here had all survived Sam’s final attack during the battle royale event, and they knew just how strong it was. He fell from the sky, invisible next to the glorious light of his hammer. Sam let out a whoop of exhilaration as he fell, safe in the knowledge that the fall could not hurt him anymore.

The monster floundered below, trying to rise, but failing. Still, its body was beginning to heal slightly. Though, it was too late. Just like the dinosaurs, this particular reptile was about to be ended by a meteor. A living meteor.

Sam’s body transformed into a pillar of pure energy as he fell, and he burned his Dao energy, drawing upon all of the pain this fight had caused him to empower it beyond its normal limits. By this point, all of the E Rankers had made a few dozen miles of distance between them and the Avatar of the Volcano, anticipating what was to come.

Sam let out a wordless cry, the noise echoing throughout the realm. Because he no longer had to rely on lungs to produce noise, it could be as loud as he wanted, within reason.

His hammer rose and fell at the last moment, and all of his momentum was transferred downwards into the monster below. He was tossed back up into the air by the recoil, the hammer acting like a giant lever. That was just as well, as the monster burst apart into a storm of obsidian shards and heavily durable E Rank flesh. It was like a shrapnel bomb, but on the scale that could destroy an entire city. Supersonic pieces of flesh harder than diamonds scoured the land around the monster, carving deep furrows into the ground. As Sam rose into the air, an influx of essence poured into him. Two entire levels rocked his being, and he exploded with power, bolts of energy radiating off his body.

He quickly opened his stat sheet, feeling the power pulse through him.

Sam Atlas

Human: E Rank

Enlightened Tier

E Rank

Class: Lesser Dao Paragon

Level 153

(221 stat points unspent)

Strength

2727

2.17x

Constitution

2325

2.12x

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Resilience

2347

2.12x

Dexterity

2269

2.17x

Intelligence

2376

2.12x

Wisdom

2445

2.12x

* Health 52304/52304

* Mana 53451/53451

* Stamina 61360/61360

* Karma: 54

* Road to Zenith

Stage 2

* Dao

Dao Echo of Inspiration

Dao Seed of the Avenger(Second Step)

* Skills

1x Rare, 2x Epic, 5x Legendary, 6x Mythical, 2x Ancient, 1x Primal, 1x Unique

* Titles

1x Legendary, 3x Mythical, 3x Ancient, 1x Transcendent

* Temporary Titles

1x Epic, 1x Legendary, 1x Mythical

* Dao Heritage

Dao Incarnation of Existence(Second Step)

* Party

None

* Skill Branches

* Lightning Neurons (Level 2)

Iron Body(Level 2)

Iron Bones (Level 2)

Muscle Density Enhancement(Level 1)

Basic Weapon Knowledge: Blunt(Level 1)

Dao Resonance(Level 1)

Karmic Cycle(Level 1)

Lucky(Level 1)

Increased Blood Flow (Level 1)

* Weapon Style

Flowing Water Style

* Weapon Mastery: Brotherhood Stage 6

* Elemental Affinities

Earth: 15% Mastery

* Elemental Boons

Elemental Infusion: Stoneskin

* Quests

The Sacred Bond: Impossible

Engines of the End Times: S

* Professions

Smith: Apprentice Stage 3

Dao Smith: Apprentice Stage 1

Sam had quite a few stat points saved up, but it was nothing compared to how much he earned from just leveling at this point. Judging by his performance against the monster, he wouldn’t struggle until much later in the tower.

Sam landed on the ground a few moments later, executing a perfect three point landing. As the remainder of the monster splattered to the ground, Sam felt reality twist and tear, transporting him and everyone else back to the real segment of the Tower.

He appeared in the center of the clearing, surrounded by the survivors. There were only about three thousand left. It seemed that the twenty fifth floor was a significant cutoff. Either that, or the majority of the E Rankers who had been placed with Sam were especially weak.

It could have been both, to be honest. Remembering the information from the texts he had read from the Interweb, the cutoff rate here should have been a bit lower. It was only closer to the 50th floor that people really started to fail.

A System notification blared in his vision, and he quickly opened it.

Congratulations to all of you who still remain!

The top five competitors are as follows: Sam Atlas, Jacob Atlas, Glakassa Androvi, Jakano Laron and Jakana Laron. In a minute, sponsorship gifts will be delivered to those who have received them. Stand by.