"Identification card, please." A stern, authoritative bulky man stopped Leonard's entry to the tower.
Leonard showed the official identification card from the Hunter's Guild, and he was permitted to enter.
'There is more I need to know about being a Player—my class and the opportunities. I need to learn them.'
Even without gear and equipment, Leonard was still permitted entry. The guards couldn't care less about suicidal maniacs who entered the tower without any protection.
Leonard's mature aura was still prominent, giving the guard confidence that Leonard wouldn't die on the lower floors.
As Leonard entered, he summoned the gaming status board and checked his current magic points.
[Magic: 50/50]
A smile appeared on his face as the magic points regenerated. It seemed he wouldn't have to worry about summoning Zeus for a while.
But he was taken aback by the first floor's environment—a pure forest of green and purple plants he had never seen before. The air was light and refreshing.
'They don't feel hazardous,' Leonard thought as he went deeper into the forest, following a trail that must have been created by others.
Each plant had a different appearance, making him awe and daze at their foreign yet majestic features.
'The plants and trees in the village seem normal to me.'
Taking a few steps deeper, he stopped when he heard a rustle nearby. He stood frozen, feeling the need to summon Zeus.
A lightning bolt appeared from the sky, and in front of him appeared Zeus, adorned in casual attire.
"What do you want?" Zeus asked, sounding impatient.
"Are you doing something? I'm thinking of leveling up. Can you help me?"
Hearing Leonard's polite request, Zeus's eyes changed. His mood became pleased and welcoming.
With his chest out, he asked, "What is it?"
"Help me kill monsters. I want to know if they give experience points. Can you do it?"
Zeus looked at Leonard with disdain. Killing monsters? Was he some kind of cleaner? That was a mortal job.
"Please give me an answer. Every second matters to me. You cost one magic point every two minutes."
Seeing Leonard's persuasive and pitiful eyes, Zeus grumbled in defeat.
"Alright. Stay there."
Zeus seemed to have understood Leonard's request. In the past few hours, he had returned to Olympus, begun researching, and sent letters to other gods from different mythologies to learn more about Leonard's world.
He learned about Players, the system, and the tower. They were interconnected, and sensing different waves of energy around, he speculated they were inside the tower.
Analyzing the surroundings, Zeus found it amusing. Towers were built for dimensional jumps to different small worlds. Divided by floors, a Player must complete missions and defeat bosses to ascend to higher floors.
Zeus raised his hands and closed his eyes, sensing any beings around that sounded different from humans. As he opened his eyes, they glowed blue, and electric energy bolts zapped out of his fingers in different directions.
The sky of the floor turned dark as blue lightning thundered and echoed. Leonard watched, sensing that Zeus had begun.
"This is basically a cheat. There's no fun in this… eh?" Leonard was left baffled as his magic points dropped dramatically. "Hey… this is not a good sign."
[Magic: 2/50]
[Experience Points +10]
[Experience Points +10]
[Experience Points +10]
…
[Experience Points: 560/1000]
"Stop, Zeus!" Leonard's worried shout thundered but came a second too late as Zeus unleashed another lightning bolt.
Zeus watched his lightning bolt disperse, the few threads of electrical energy diverging until they disappeared. He attempted again but failed to conjure another bolt.
"How odd. This is new to me." Zeus returned to Leonard's spot to ask what had just happened to his powers, but he only saw him lying down, his head resting on the ground with his upper body draped over it.
"Kissing the floor. Must be a single, unmarried fool of a young man."
Zeus kicked Leonard's buttocks. He then noticed something happening to his own body. His hands were becoming transparent, and the transparency was climbing up his body.
However, he wasn't shocked by what was happening, as he realized that Leonard must have the power to summon him, and now that he was down, it must be that Leonard's magic was exhausted from keeping him summoned.
"You have potential, but I guess your magic is just at a baby's level," Zeus remarked before seeing himself return to his abode.
Zeus stormed into the grand library of Olympus, his entrance heralded by a dramatic rumble of thunder and a blinding flash of lightning. The ancient, towering shelves of the library seemed to tremble slightly under the force of his presence. His voice boomed through the hallowed halls, echoing off the marble walls.
"Elara!"
Elara Thalassia, the librarian of Olympus, looked up from her work. Her serene expression remained unchanged as she regarded the king of the gods. The soft glow of the library's light reflected off her silver hair, giving her an almost otherworldly aura.
"Lord Zeus, what brings you to the library today?" she inquired, her tone calm and respectful.
Zeus approached her desk with a purposeful stride, his demeanor marked by a sense of urgency.
"I need your assistance. I want you to give me everything you know about another world from Earth. I've inquired with the other mythological gods, but they have been withholding information from me. This world is described as having towers to conquer and rare humans called Players, along with something called a gaming system. Do you have any knowledge of this?"
Elara's eyebrows lifted slightly, her curiosity clearly piqued. "Towers, Players, and a gaming system? This sounds unusual even for the breadth of our knowledge. I don't recall any such references within our current archives."
Zeus nodded, his expression reflecting his frustration. "Indeed. Hermes mentioned that this realm is known for its unique way of interaction, almost as if the world itself operates like a game with rules and challenges."
Elara considered this new information thoughtfully. Rising from her desk, she adjusted the flow of her elegant robes and gave Zeus a reassuring look. "A game, you say? That could imply a structured system of trials or competitions. It's possible that you're referring to concepts from Earth's mortals. Very well, I will see if I can locate any relevant information."
With that, Elara turned to the vast array of scrolls and tomes that filled the library, her movements graceful and deliberate. As she began her search, the library seemed to exhale a collective sigh of anticipation, ready to unveil the mysteries of this enigmatic world.
PassingNote: Let's have a trade.
For every 50 power stones, I will provide a bonus chapter. After chapter 15, the novel will be updated twice a day.