Rivyn woke to the dim light that seeped through the small, dirty window of the room he had let the previous night. The mattress beneath him was far from plush, its lumps digging into his back in most unsavory places, but that hardly mattered. He was in the Empire now, and today marked a beginning of sorts. A new life, he thought, swinging his legs out from under the bed with excitement. The racing of his heart was in anticipation - he was not in Velira anymore.
Yesterday had been one mad, chaotic whirl. From the entrance to the Empire, Rivyn had taken the guard's advice and headed in the general direction of the nearest city. The journey wasn't without its costs, but once he reached civilization, one of the first tasks he set himself was getting a residential permit; he just could not move freely or settle down anywhere without it. The bureaucracy was as tiresome to get through as any physical obstacle: it was the long lines of travelers and adventurers that stretched from the permit office to actually get into the Empire.
It had taken hours, but finally, Rivyn was through: he'd paid the 10 silver coins for his residence permit, wincing as his small pouch grew even lighter, and then plunged into the busy streets in search of a place to stay.
He had not needed anything too fancy, but he was conscious of his fast-depleting money. Soon enough, he found one: an inn near the Tower, one of the cheapest in town. The room was Spartan-no larger than the bunks themselves-a bed, a chair, and creaking floor with little else-yet perfect in one regard: situated not too far from the inn stood the imposing Tower; Rivyn had chosen the place for that.
Inns near the Tower were expensive, and this one was an excellent value considering the price and proximity.
The innkeeper had demanded 2 silver coins for it, leaving Rivyn with a few coins in his possession. Costly as it had been then; now, standing in that small, cramped room, he did not care: he was going to enter the Tower today.
Rivyn splashed his face with the lukewarm water from the basin placed in the corner of the room, pulled on worn clothes. He did not have much, nor did that matter. He was not here to look the part; he was here to be the part. He felt his chest stir in burgeoning excitement as he left the inn. Today he started his new life in earnest.
Rivyn's approach to the Tower had his wonder increasing: impossible in height, so lofty that a very peak was lost to cloud, a godly thing in dark stone, ancient, looming, and simply being near it threatening to make him feel so very small. When there would be an entrance, there would be an arch to lead towards it: an entrance like any which would mark the gate of commencement for something great and miraculous. Is it, he told himself, a grin spreading slowly across his face. Now or never.
Nobody was at the entrance of the Tower either because it worked on its own rules. Once inside, one's life was his own responsibility: no guides, no safety nets; all persons who dared go inside knew they gambled with their lives.
Rivyn had also heard tales about adventurers who did not come back, their bodies lost to the monsters inside. Yet for every tale of tragedy, there was too a tale of triumph-of those who had climbed the Tower and received wealth and power beyond imagination.
No restrictions made the Tower both tempting and dangerous. None had to prove worthy to get inside, though it was free for everyone to have a shot. The only barrier was your own strength and skill.
Rivyn took a step toward the entrance, and his heart started to hammer with anticipation. In front of him, the arch gaped, beckoning him ahead toward some ancient, sleeping beast. Taking a deep breath, he moved forward.
The moment he crossed, he was enveloped in a light so white it was blinding. At first, he panicked; this was wrong. Then, he noticed a few things were off. His eyes weren't on fire, and he wasn't blinded despite the brightness yet could still manage to see.
[$$$ is trying to connect to the host, would you like to assimilate it?]
Rivyn blinked; an eyebrow furrowed. What does that mean? He'd heard the other adventurers speak of the blue screen they gotten upon first entering the Tower, but his screen was the same foreboding red his System had always been.
Assimilate it?" he thought, rather less sure of what that was actually supposed to mean. Was it some function of the Tower's mystical interface, or of his own System? He had no idea, of course, but he knew one thing: so far, the System hadn't steered him wrong.
"Yes," he said after a little hesitation.
But in very the next instant, he heard another voice in his head: unemotional, flat-but for sure not the voice of the System.
[Welcome to the Tower. Would you like to begin the tutorial?]
Rivyn's eyes had widened in surprise. A tutorial? That's how the Tower works. Strange, though-why was his screen still red? Why hadn't it flipped to blue, as it was supposed to do? He filed that in the back of his mind for now. There would be a later time to worry about it.
"Yes, start the tutorial."
In an instant, as he accepted, the white around him flickered and Rivyn found himself standing amidst some huge openness; beneath his feet, the ground was featureless and smooth to his touch, reaching out to infinity in all directions. No sky, no wall-just endless white.
"Where am I?" he muttered incomprehensively within himself.
And then, as if by magic, a weapons rack was in front of him.
Jostling on it were several arms: swords, spears, axes, and many others. Rivyn went to it warily, thinking he was supposed to pick one up. So he reached for the hilt of a sword. Testing the heft, he found it solid and snug against his hand, like an extension of his body. No sooner had he taken the sword than the weapon rack vanished, leaving him again alone in the blank space.
[Quest: You've entered the Tower, and it wants to test the new challenger. Defeat the waves of monsters!]
[Rewards: 10 System Points]
Rivyn's heart did a stutter as the quest dawned literally in his eyes: waves of monsters? He remembered how people told him this tutorial was an utter cakewalk-just a few slimes, nothing dangerous at all. Before he could consider that even for an instant, a small, green form was visible in the distance, then suddenly charging closer. A goblin. His ugly, stooping visage all aglow with malice, his beady eyes fixed upon Rivyn as he charged, little sword at the ready.
"Alright, let's see what you've got," Rivyn muttered, gripping his sword tightly as he rushed forward to meet the goblin.
It swung its sword in a wide arc but Rivyn easily ducked beneath the attack. In return, Rivyn slashed across the goblin's chest so quick it could do nothing to stop the blade as it cut through like butter. It let out a gurgling cry as its body just seemed to disintegrate into nothing.
Rivyn slowly exhaled, loosening his stance.
[Goblin has been defeated. 0 XP earned.]
He frowned at the message. Zero XP? He hadn't been expecting much, but it did disappoint him somewhat, seeing that the fight was worth absolutely nothing. He killed a stray monster on his way to the Empire and hadn't seen such a message. He shrugged. I'll get XP when I reach F-rank. Until then, it seemed like he was just going through the motions.
No sooner had he gained his breath than two more sprang from nowhere, and assailed him with gashes from above and blows aimed straight at him.
Rivyn's eyes narrowed. So it doubles each time. In but a moment, he weighed the options and then dodged to the side, putting space between the two goblins. And in but a second, Rivyn realized how his calculations were off since one of them was still lagging behind. Rivyn whirled abruptly and swung at the nearer goblin, his sword slicing deep into its torso. This one, too, shrieked and then disappeared just like the first one.
The second goblin was on him in an instant, but Rivyn was prepared. He dodged its amateur attack and ran his sword through its chest. It too vanished into nothingness.
Rivyn brushed the sweat from his brow, heart pounding in his chest. For all that, the goblins just weren't that hard; even so, he knew better than to get cocky. Dangerous in numbers, he reminded himself, don't underestimate them.
Scarce had the thought occurred to him when up sprang four goblins. "Ah, come on," Rivyn grumbled, irritation beginning to curdle in his stomach. Is this just the tutorial? Why so many goblins? He had been told that their tutorials in the Tower, as per other adventurers, involved slimes-weak, mindless creatures that barely posed a threat. Why goblins? Why now?
The question would not have much more time for consideration on the part of Rivyn as four goblins then attacked him, and his thoughts had to move nimbly.