Entering the white room of the tower I take a breathe and try not to think of the scene that had last taken place here, I leave as soon as possible.
"Go to fifth floor."
Appearing in an collapsing small city with low grade monsters around along with a group of nine other people, the tower announces our task.
---Save the lives of 50 people within the collapsed city, ten tower coins will be given to the first team to complete the task, at least half of your group must be alive to succeed. Killing another person will also count as a failure.---
I don't bother waiting for them to speak before saying, "I am a healer/buffer if you find any injured immediately inform me, we should spread out in a one mile radius to find as many people as fast as possible while still being close enough to tell me."
I see joy light up there faces at my statement as having a healer on this floor is like being given a gift from God.
With all of them agreeing we don't bother introducing ourselves as little fighting is likely to occur as we will steer clear of monsters, unless able to handle them quickly on our own, in only five minutes I am running from one spot to another to help them heal people they are pulling out of the rubble and help stabilize those in the rubble so they can more easily move pieces off without risking the person they are saving.
An hour later the task is completed first once more.
---Your group is the first to pass the test, awarding all members ten tower coins, you will now be sent to the next floor when ready---
I appear in the white room once more, the last test was easy due to my energy type otherwise it will probably take most half a day to save that amount but they will have risked killing someone under the rubble and failing if they go that fast.
It is probably meant to take two days of rescuing and treating people but I allowed them to skip a lot of problems.
Not bothering to rest I head to the next floor.
"Go to sixth floor."
I appear on the coast of an island which has a volcano on the back side, groaning I can already guess this floors test most likely.
---You have washed up on this island after a crash, scour the island for any items that may have crashed here along side you and find a way to escape the island in the following week, beware the creatures on the island are disturbed due to the upcoming eruption. There are others on the island you can choose to team up or steal from each other, as long as you are past the safety line by the time the volcano erupts you will be considered to have succeeded. The person who spends the longest time behind the safety line will be awarded a revival coin.---
Frowning at that I know this is a competition meant for builders and crafters, but there is clearly an element of fighting as well both internally and externally, it is a type of challenge best made for a small team.
Sighing I then look at the trees and fauna in the area to decide what I can make, we were not given any tools other than a stone knife along with no armor.
With limited resources building a basic barely able to do it's job boat is a feat few in the crafting field could do with the fauna I can see as most of the trees are non floating types and the fauna are to weak to weave with.
He went further in to see if he can't find more viable things when a floater snake attacked me, surprised as these snakes are highly scared of people but figure it is cause of the scenario behind the task I kill it. A floater snake is perfect for building a small boat but killing them with there fast reflexes would be tricky for most crafters, especially as you need ten to make a boat that can float one person.
I begin to try and hunt more of them so as to start my boat when I come across a bamboo forest, this is perfect for building an emergency boat. The tower wouldn't make the task this easy, add on the revival coin reward and there are probably powerful monsters in the water that will sink the boat, meaning it needs to not only float but also be tough.
Just bamboo or floater snakes won't be good enough, but although the floater snakes aren't tough enough I can use enchantments with them to imbue a to heavy object with the ability to float for a period of time, it only says the person that spends the longest time past the safety line wins the coin not continuously stays behind the safety line.
As long as I am over the safety line when the volcano erupts everything else is fair game.
So I hunt the snakes all day and then chop a iron wood tree down and carve out the shape on the outside with the enchantment carved on the inside, based off the time it will take me to run out of mental energy I can spend an entire day across the safety line at a time but will only do half that to preserve energy.
So early the next morning I head out and stay out until the sun starts to set before coming in to rest, as I had suspected there were claw marks on the bottom of the boat, nothing to worry over as it didn't do more than get the skin level but if a weak boat more than enough to sink it.
I set up a trap around the area using bamboo rope that night to know if someone is coming, there is no prevention for killing each other this time around and although they are unlikely to be able to use the boat I would rather not have to remake it, I had the floater snakes needed to run it buried at my rest area to prevent those lacking in information from using it.
I repeat the same thing the next day, but am attacked by two people that night.
I kill both of them and watch their bodies disappear leaving their items behind for the people who killed them to take. I use a bamboo rope to hang up there system gifted knifes on a tree for all to see, it showed people I had killed two people already and that I wouldn't hesitate to do it again.
The next two days are peaceful, but people are now panicking so on the morning I am heading out they attack me and I kill another 3 people before heading out into the water and to far from those with rudimentary bows to hit I spend half the day out there before returning to spend the last night on the island.
I am attacked by five people that night, making it a total of ten stone daggers hanging on my tree, heading out that morning no one attacks me as they view me as taking to much time for killing and will probably aim for others now.
That mid day a few other boats set out, most are made using either bamboo or floater snakes that while may last a little while will not last more than an hour out here before being ripped apart, but the volcano erupts an hour later leaving many falling into the water leaving them to fight the monsters to survive or die while a few that waited longer were still barely hanging on but had less time so will do worse in the assessment.
Over all it was easy to tell I had won first place.
---You have spent the most time past the safety line and passed the test, awarding a revival coin, you will now be sent to the next floor when ready---
I return to the white room and take a deep breath, I had spent a day already in the tower and would need to leave to check into the school following this.
Leaving the tower I take the train back to school and go to the desk person to alert them of my return, after that I head to the room I am still sharing with Thomas as the school only assigns rooms at the start of the year.
Taking a shower and sleeping I head down to eat early that morning and head back to the tower not bothering to attend the theoretical classes.
Entering the tower I head to the next floor.
"Go to seventh floor." I am now on the same floor as Tila.
I look at my spawn area and see it is a colosseum with different gates with individual people in it, with a set of used leather armor thin clothes and a old spear I can guess this is a fighting floor meant to see brute strength.
---You will be sent out to fight rounds of monsters that are ever growing in strength and number, last past the first round and you succeed in the task, last as long as possible as the one to get the furthest will be rewarded the revival coin.---
I smile at this it is a fast paced one then, I see a board in the middle begin to have names flash across, ten names in total including mine.
It lands on the name Darius, a black man with pink hair and blue eyes comes out, a half-breed of the enchanter race known to be handsome and have hypnosis type energy, which this one seemed to have inherited.
He last till the mid part of the second round with five goblins, they are well known species to target women so his hypnosis didn't work as well.
Next is a man with long pointed ears and crystal white hair named Terfel he makes it to the end of the third round against ten kobolds but is unable to handle them all even with the aide of the plants he grew in the first round.
A weak looking women is next with the name Kaylee, she only makes it to the end of the first round against ten slimes, she is clearly a healer or buffer most likely.
My turn next I easily deal with the things to the end of third round when a Oni goblin start up, goblins with energy types and a horn the color of there energy type on there heads. I struggle but make it to round five where a werewolves appear an advance version of a kobold, I only last half way before they overwhelm me and I get my first death since entering the tower.
Laying on the provided mat I sleep to mentally rest after that, the voice of the tower awakens me.
---You made it the most rounds, awarding a revival coin, you will now be sent to the next floor when ready---
Once more I am in the white room, I took a nap in the last challenge so no need to rest.
"Go to eighth floor."
Appearing in a barracks in what I can see out the window looks like a army base.
---You will be aiding the general Yularen in defending the borders against an monster invasion, whoever provides the most aide whether killing, healing, or logistics will be rewarded the revival coin.---
I had six revival coins and although I don't need this one it is an easy to get one for me as I can help at all times during the siege, both during battle and in healing people when a lull happens.
So I do that for the next three days when the siege is finished.
---You have provided the most aide in battle, awarding a revival coin, you will now be sent to the next floor when ready---
I don't bother waiting, "Go to ninth floor."
Once I am done with this floor I will be sent to a tower city instead of my white room to join a team for the tenth floor.
I spawn in a tavern with people singing and dancing I immediately join in while waiting for the alert while looking at those not participating, best to keep track in case this is like the second floor it is best to remain hidden until all rules are known.
---There are ten people in this room who are challengers like you, spot three of them to pass the test, one wrong answer will remove a point while one correct one will give you one, if you are guessed you will also lose one, look at the person and think they are the challenger and they will be chosen, person with most points will be awarded a revival coin. You have 10 minutes killing others is prohibited.---
I wait and look at who are staring at the obvious ones to mark them, after marking two who were looking at them I wait and continue dancing before making myself look tired and sit down for a drink.
I look around and stare at the obvious female one while talking to the man next to me on who looks good, another one marked, then I ask him if any look good to him and he points in the general direction of another obvious girl who looks nervous.
I then ask the woman on my right who she thought looked best and she pointed in the direction around another obvious one so I pretended to see the wrong one.
Five of ten marked in a decently disguised manner, now for the others, I look at hands cause although we look different to fit in our hands are still callused in a way to indicate weapons rather than mining like most of them do.
My calluses are hard to identify due to my body healing most scarring in a way that hides it meaning they are unable to do the same to me. Handing out drinks and talking I get another 4, I had all of them but it would come down to if any could guess me.
---You have finished with nine points you have the most points, awarding a revival coin, you will now be sent to the next floor when ready---
I appear in a room that looks like a tavern room and noise coming from downstairs, tenth floor here I am.