Chapter 11 - First Floor

The sun would soon rise which would imply the end of the pre-trial and Liam was still not on the top.

After paying respect to Christian's dead body, Liam hastily clambered the steep mountain.

Although he was a force of nature back on Earth and gained more overall body strength, speed, and improved senses due to the system's blessing to a like him, the steep and slippery mountain that was more than twice the height of the tallest mountain on Earth wasn't a joke.

He was sweating excessively, panting heavily and so tired that he could sleep for a million years.

Albeit his late start to the climbing race, he wasn't certain that every one of his opponents was far ahead of him.

They could be lurking somewhere close to him so he needed to stay focused on his surroundings despite picking up his pace.

Unbeknownst to him, everyone wasn't in the pre-trial anymore.

The system immediately transported the players to the as soon as they finished their objectives.

All that remained was him and the dead.

But it was too convenient in Liam's perspective to trust his senses alone without knowing fully what's possible in this different world called .

As time went by, Liam finally arrived with no unnecessary hassle at the mountain peak.

Shortly afterward, the system's mechanical voice tenderly whispered to his ears as the sumptuous-looking translucent screen appeared in front of him.

**Ding!**

[Congratulations!]

- You have finished the pre-trial. Now jump in the crater to teleport to the of the .

"I beg your pardon?!" Liam quickly let out and tilted his head in confusion as soon as he heard the system's description.

Seeming the system heard his confusion, the ground abruptly shook, alerting Liam that something beneath the ground's surface was moving.

The otherworldly deformed-looking trees and bushes swayed from the ground's violent movements.

He furrowed his brows and grabbed onto the nearest tree to retain his balance as he observed what's taking place in the vicinity.

BOOM!

An explosion in the middle of the mountain peak's area suddenly occurred, sending powerful gusts and small rocks in different directions.

Liam instantaneously hid behind the same tree he grabbed onto despite knowing that he wouldn't receive damage from those flying pebbles.

A speck of dirt was a speck of dirt, after all.

Once the ground stopped moving and the violent gust subsided, Liam peeked behind the otherworldly humongous tree, glimpsing a newly formed small crater that seemed wide as a utility hole.

He tilted his head once again and irresistibly scolded the system as if it could understand him, "Ah system, stop frightening me with an uncouth move like that. I humbly request for a peaceful way to do that next time!"

After complaining, he approached the crater and peered to the bottom where he could see nothing but darkness.

Experiencing firsthand how difficult it was to climb the highest mountain he saw made him imagine how painful it would be if he fell to the bottom.

Although the system guaranteed that those types of things wouldn't damage his , that's still a freaking painful experience.

He subconsciously gritted his teeth and clenched his fist as he whined 'fuck!' before he jumped in the crater.

In contrast to what he had imagined, an unseen force rapidly propelled him upwards which flabbergasted him.

"Woaaaaaah!!!" he exclaimed.

His eyes had almost fallen out of their socket as his distance from the mountain's peak continuously became longer.

The sight of the topographic view of the pre-trial's entire floor transpired in his eyes which were better than what he had seen in the as he continued floating in the sky.

Passing the altitude of the clouds, a floating city with a massive tower came into view once he looked up.

His ceaseless propulsion shifted its direction towards the bottom of the floating city which had spiky, icicle-like rocks pointing downwards.

In terms of Liam, his body was still vibrating violently because of the wind pressure from the sudden propulsion, and it felt like his face and skin would separate from his bones.

The vibrating extraneous noises reverberated in his improved hearing and destroyed his eardrums in the initial upward momentum.

It indeliberately brought Liam's hands to his ears, covering it fully as he regrettably tasted the unpleasant taste of his blood that dripped from both holes of his attractive nose.

'I believed the system said teleport. What is this?' was the thought or complaint that crossed Liam's head while being transported.

He forcibly closed his eyes since he couldn't take it anymore and let the system do its thing to him.

It wasn't because he trusted it but he couldn't do anything about it at this point.

Before he knew it, the vibrating sound changed to voices from various creatures as he appeared floating a few inches from the ground in the middle of an unfamiliar and bustling street town.

Once the system's unseen force was removed from Liam's body, his perky butt crashed onto the ground.

Simultaneously, the system's mechanical voice greeted him and the luxurious-looking translucent screen materialized in front of him.

**Ding!**

[Welcome to the qualified player!]

- You are in Imperial Garrison, a haven or for beginners who haven't chosen a .

- You have received a as a reward for arriving on this floor.

- Explore the world and find the right that will give you the quest to pass the floor's trial before talking to the .

After the system's mechanical voice had read the message, the luxurious-looking translucent screen instantly vanished.

Liam knitted his brows as he rose from the ground, brushing the dust off his perky butt with his hands.

He observantly glanced side to side in the bustling street of Imperial Garrison, noticing lizard-like bipedal creatures, tree-like creatures, serpent-like creatures, small goblins, dwarves, elves, and other species that he could not describe accurately yet.

Based on what was written below everyone's feet, he could discern whether they were , , , or like him.

, they were programmed to do certain things to aid .

, they were nothing like due to having an ability to feel emotions and think independently for themselves.

However, they can only exist on the floor they were on and could not take advantage of the , the only way to move between floors for the .

, they weren't the same as .

Although they were born in the , they still descended from that came from various planets in the multiverse.

They could decide if they want to become a or not.

And lastly, the .

They were the sole reason the trials existed, and every event made in the was for the only.

'Who could be the Ingenious Creature that could give me the quest to pass the first floor's trial?'