Amanda watched the playing video before her with shock. For a moment, she felt as though she had been slapped hard in the face.
As much as she wanted to deny the fact , the proof was right before her. Lucas Grimstone. There was only one Lucas Grimstone in Oslon City academy, the same person she had dumped a few days ago at the cafeteria.
Is this the Lucas I dumped?... Just how did he?
There was obvious regret, anger and jealousy flooding through her at the moment. She stared blankly at Lucas' efficient display of skill on the second floor, then bit her lips in frustration. She remembered how her parents and friends had advised her to cast aside this fellow.
To them, Lucas was worth having around because of his parents, but now that they were gone, they did not agree to her relationship with him anymore. That, coupled with the mockery showered on her by her classmates due to her relationship with him made her more geared to abandon him.
She had a face to maintain. At that time, she thought to herself that she would have nothing to lose by leaving such a wastrel like Lucas. She had to leave him. Because she could not afford to have others look down on her because of her association with him. To her, he was like a tumor that ate at her self dignity, and needed to be excised....
Not to mention that she started to develop a certain level of affection for someone else, a rumored prodigy who happened to join the student council, Carl Swann. Even though Carl showed no obvious interest in her, she convinced herself that Carl was a better person to pursue.... even if it meant leaving Lucas who she had cultivated a certain level of relationship with....
But now... It was obvious that she had messed up big time... She felt like a clown.
....
Lucas' POV.
After receiving the notification that I had received 5000 student credits for clearing the second floor of the tower in the hard mode in thirty seconds, I relaxed during my free fall, my vision shrouded by darkness for a few seconds.
Suddenly, I found myself in the midst of a marsh that stretched as far as the eyes could see...
Towering weeds that overshadowed my sight surrounded me, reducing my visibility. Just then, the usual AI of the tower rung in my ears, a holographic screen appearing before me.
As usual, the hard mode required that I survived the assault of the vines of the marsh for 5 hours. If I failed the challenge, I would be banned from challenging the tower for a month.
"This is quite over the bar isn't it?... Also I do not see any vines?...Only ginormous grass ". I sighed inwardly. It was as though the AI of the tower held a grudge towards me.
I was supposed to survive this nauseating marsh for 5 hours ... And if I failed I would be banned from challenging the tower for a month?...
Before I proceeded in my rumblings, I came across a piece of information that made me assume a rather positive disposition compared to my demeanor a few breaths ago.
The reward for successfully completing the challenge in the stipulated time was access to the next 3 floors of the tower without any payment of student credits. This reward were to expire in a month's time.
" I suppose hard mode it is then... ".
I chuckled, as I proceeded to choose the hard difficulty mode option, neglecting the other options of difficulty.
"High risk, high return"...
What?... You think that my greed got the better of me?... Come on... Who wouldn't want free food?... Ahem...
Anyways, a minute countdown for the challenge begun....
I tried to analyze my situation to decide a possible strategy to survive...
To survive meant no matter what kind of danger would be thrown my way, I had to be prepared to do whatever it took to ensure that it would not end in my elimination before the five hours time is up....
"The key is to survive".. I chanted this to myself like a mantra, awaiting the end of the countdown, managing to calm my nervous heart down. I could not be blamed for being nervous you know..
This virtual reality was a 100 percent simulation of pain, emotion, thinking... I mean.. It was so realistic that there was a chance of forgetting that this was virtual reality. I actually felt like I was standing on an unknown battlefield awaiting the descent of an enemy who's strategies I knew not.. Ahem... Enough jiberjaber...I know I am branching off topic... and this is beginning to sound cringe... Ahem...
The awaited countdown came to a terminal.
The challenge had officially begun.
Fortunately for me, the AI of the tower was generous enough to land me on the only hard, non sinking piece of land in this marshy region.
With vigilance, I observed my surroundings...
[Flame Maestro activated].
Blue flames danced in both palms, ready to fire away, in case any strange entity approached me out of nowhere.
To my shock...
Shooosshhh!!
Out of the nearby towering grasses, a strange looking vine shot towards my direction with lightning speed.
Not in the least bit prepared for such an attack, the vine attached itself to the dorsum of my left hand.
Suddenly my vision begun to get blurry...
And I started to feel oddly weak...
However, I channeled the flames in my left palm completely towards the direction of my dorsum where the vine was stuck, eviscerating the vine.
"That was a close one ... Just what are those vines? "...
Standing on the solid ground, with water and tall grasses surrounding me, I wondered what these terrifying vines which emerged out of the grasses were . I grew more vigilant this time, as a migraine encumbered me, slowly depreciating with time...
There definitely were more grasses that could potentially house these terrifying vines...
I needed to do something quickly, else....