A week had passed since the Tower had opened up. Alex had continued to enter the Tower day in and day out. He kept his focus on fighting the monsters, leveling up, and getting stronger. He and the rest of his group had returned to the scene of the battle and the areas around it. The forest had returned to its original state. It no longer held signs of a battle. Alex didn’t like returning to this place. It brought up the memories far too easily.
Luckily, they hadn’t had a run-in with anyone else that had turned out violent. They did cross paths with people early in the forest nearest the village, but those encounters had always been fine. Despite that Alex always tensed up when he heard the sounds of other people in the forest. His hand gripped his knife a little tighter and his eyes would scan the area repeatedly.
He was put somewhat at ease by the knowledge that the others were now more on guard than before. They also recognized the danger that other people could pose while in the Tower. The thought of encountering other people, who could potentially be hostile, added another layer of danger to their already perilous journey. He tried to remain vigilant and alert at all times, especially when he heard any sounds that could indicate the presence of other people.
Continuing to return to the Tower had brought a few good things. The continual fighting had brought in more Tower Points allowing them to get a spatial bag to fill with their loot. This allowed them to gather more things form their kills and stay out in the forest and surrounding area for longer. For Alex, this meant more cash flow to pay for things on Earth and plenty of XP. He checked his status as he was getting close to leveling up.
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Name: Alex
Path: Magic (Sub-Path: Lightning)
Rating: G
Level: 4 (98%)
Abilities (1/1):
Manipulate Electricity [G]
Tower Points: 0
<<<>>>
Just one more of anything would bring him over the line to level five with everyone else. He had seen them grow in power after hitting level five. While they did not gain any new abilities their underlying stats had changed. Kai and Taylor had more mana to work with and held better control over their spells. Rich and Eric had more stamina and strength which allowed them to activate their abilities for better bleed, piercing, and the like.
For Alex, he hoped it would allow him more control and understanding of his own magic. It had laid dormant and rarely touched upon because he had better ways, the only way currently, to kill things. His knife skills had improved by necessity. If he didn’t get attacks and damage in on the monsters, then he didn’t get as much XP. If he didn’t get XP, then he would lag behind more than he already was. If he were to lag, then his teammates would leave him behind making the Tower even more dangerous than it already was.
Alex knew that leveling up was essential if he wanted to keep up with his teammates and survive in the Tower. He had been pushing himself harder and harder, honing his skills with his knife and taking down monsters with precision and efficiency. But he also knew that he couldn't rely on his knife skills forever. He needed to unlock his true potential and tap into his latent magic abilities.
As he approached level five, Alex could feel a surge of excitement and anticipation building within him. He knew that this was a critical moment in his journey, a turning point that would either make or break him. He had seen how his teammates had grown in power and ability after reaching level five, and he was determined to follow in their footsteps.
Alex fought against a mutated bear. It’s claws were sharpened and its joints jutted out with spikes. He moved in close and stabbed repeatedly before moving his arm up to his face. The bear’s claws scratched its way along the armor on his forearm. He followed up by stepping away. Taylor stepped in with her nature magic. The magical vines and roots trapped the beast before more shoved their way down the bear’s throat.
The bear thrashed and clawed at the vines tearing some of them while being further entangled in others. It’s life drained quickly soon after. A moment later the XP entered Alex’s body and he broke through the threshold into level 5.
Energy flooded his body, and he took a step back and slowed down. A headache washed over him for a moment before stopping. He blinked a few times letting his new senses adjust until the inputs could connect properly to his mind.
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He jumped back into the fighting and swung out with his dagger. He wasn’t much faster or stronger, but he could feel much more moment to moment. Everything seemed t be moving at a slower pace allowing him to make decisions faster. Allowing him to change the arc of his blade right when he needed to.
Alex checked the magic section of his status.
<<<>>>
Abilities (1/1):
Manipulate Electricity [G]
<<<>>>
Nothing had changed other than his level. In its simplicity, he couldn’t even evaluate how his mana or health had changed let alone any other attribute describing himself. As he attacked the next monster he tried to use his magic again. He reached out his hand and felt the well of magic stir within him. Alex tried to imagine sending bolts of lightning out from his fingertips. The reality was a bit different. His fingers twitched and his magic started to drain as he felt weaker. He immediately stopped when he felt a headache building. He knew that if he went further he might have passed out.
Alex cursed under his breath as he realized that his latent magic abilities were still beyond his control. He had hoped that reaching level five would unlock some hidden potential, but it seemed that he still had a long way to go before he could fully harness his magic. He needed to learn how to use it properly before he could rely on it in battle. A few minutes later he tried using his magic again to the same effect. In other words, nothing at all.
Dragging himself through the rest of the day's fighting, Alex did his best to maximize his downtime while suffering from the painful effects of the level-five change. His teammates were making quick work of enemies with their improved abilities, but Alex felt like a dead weight, slowing them down with every second he spent in combat.
If he were a fighter, he could at least use his skills to boost his weapon's damage and speed, but he had nothing to help him take down enemies. For now, Alex pushed his worries aside and focused on the task at hand, fighting the level-five monster pack alongside his teammates.
He strategically waited for Taylor to restrain a monster or Kai to blind one before jumping in, making the most of those restrictions to avoid danger and land more hits. Despite his best efforts, though, his muscles throbbed, and his strength was waning against the relentless monsters. Their teeth and claws reached out to grab him or the others and it was a combination of his armor, the others fighting, and his movement that kept him from gaining more than one scratch. His armor was taking a beating, especially these last two days. He had been forced to learn how to block using his armor and deflect attacks using it. Using his body weight and momentum he could twist and shift so that in the end attacks hurt less and did little to him in the long run.
The past few days had been like an all-out, all-day workout session. Even the hikes to and from the hunting grounds had been grueling, with Rich and Eric leading the way with their leveled-up strength. Alex's legs burned with every step, but he pushed through the pain, determined to keep up with his teammates and help them succeed.
As the fight raged on, Alex's mind raced with thoughts of how he could improve his abilities and contribute more to the team. He knew he had to work harder, push himself further, and become a better fighter if he wanted to keep up with the best of the best. The bears were bigger and stronger than any normal bear, with thick fur and razor-sharp claws that glinted in the sunlight.
Without hesitation, Alex sprang into action, dodging the first bear's attack and delivering a swift blow to its side. He could feel his muscles straining with the effort, but he pushed on, knowing that his teammates were counting on him.
As he fought, he noticed the bears' movements were becoming more erratic and aggressive, a sign that they were close to being defeated. Especially as the bears were slowed in their attacking and stopped from grouping up. This was caused by Taylor. Once she hit level five she started to use her spell casting for stronger spells. The vines with a few modifications to her current spell rose and intertwined before hardening. This created a hard barrier that they could use to their advantage. With renewed determination, Alex redoubled his efforts, unleashing a barrage of blows on the nearest bear.
As the pack dwindled in size, the remaining bears grew more desperate, lashing out with their claws and teeth in a frenzied attempt to take down their attackers. But the team was well-prepared, working together to dodge and parry the bears' attacks while landing devastating blows of their own. Rich swung his sword down on the bears and kept the beats at his shield instead of elsewhere. Eric dashed in at a time making swipes at the bears when their focus was elsewhere. Together they cut apart the bears with brutal efficiency.
Finally, the last bear fell with a resounding thud, its body twitching and convulsing as it lay on the ground. For a moment, there was silence as the team caught their breath and surveyed the carnage around them. Alex paused taking in the damage caused before them. He was reminded of the human bodies in a similar state as the Tower absorbed them as well. Alex briefly recalled the human bodies absorbed by the Tower, but he quickly shook off the dark thoughts. “There is no point going down that road again,” he thought to himself.
He had reached level five and he and his teammates had continued to survive with only minor injuries. They had also found more monsters around the level 4 and 5 range than usual. That in turn had helped boost all of them to level five. More power meant more dangerous monsters could be killed. Better kills meant better loot and resources. Those could be turned into money or gear for themselves, and the cycle could continue once they returned to the forest and wilderness.
Together they marched back after gathering the last of the loot from the bears. Alex was sweaty and tired from the fighting and the hike back only made it feel worse. In order to keep going he reminded himself of what he had done that day and what he had waiting for him at home.
As they began the trek back to the village, Alex was exhausted and aching, but grateful to be alive. He had survived the Tower for a week, and as the village's lantern-lit fence came into view, he felt a sense of safety, knowing that home, food, and a bed awaited him.