Rainey barely dodged the creature's lunge, the beast's claws scraping the stone floor with a screech that echoed through the chamber. His heart pounded, and his breath came in ragged bursts as he stumbled to regain his footing. The sword in his hand felt heavy, its unfamiliar weight a constant reminder that he had no idea how to truly use it.
The creature circled him, its glowing eyes locked on him with a cold, predatory intelligence. Its massive body rippled with raw power, each movement deliberate, as though it knew Rainey was outmatched. And Rainey knew it too.
He gripped the sword tighter, his knuckles turning white. The tower had given him something—power, maybe—but he didn't know how to harness it. He wasn't like the climbers he'd seen in the battle above, wielding elemental forces with ease. He was barely surviving, and this beast was going to tear him apart if he didn't figure something out.
The creature growled low in its throat and lunged again, faster this time.
Rainey sidestepped, the beast's claws missing him by inches, but the force of the attack sent him crashing to the ground. Pain shot through his side, and he gasped for breath as he rolled onto his back. The creature loomed over him, its mouth open wide, revealing rows of sharp, jagged teeth.
This is it.
The thought flashed through his mind, cold and final. He wasn't going to survive this.
But as the beast prepared to strike, something changed.
A faint flicker of light appeared in front of him—more glowing symbols. They shimmered in the air, and then, just like before, they began to shift and rearrange into words he could understand.
"Emergency Skill Activation: Unstable. Anomaly Detected."
Rainey barely had time to process the message before a surge of energy exploded through his body. His muscles tensed, and his vision blurred as the power overtook him, but this time, it didn't feel like the chaotic force from before. It was something sharper, more focused.
The sword in his hand pulsed with energy, and Rainey's grip tightened. His instincts kicked in, guiding his movements as he raised the blade just as the beast lunged. He moved faster than he thought possible, sidestepping the attack and bringing the sword down with all his strength.
The blade cut through the creature's thick hide, slicing deep into its shoulder. The beast howled in pain, reeling back as dark blood spilled onto the stone floor. It stumbled, its movements slower now, more erratic. Rainey felt the energy surging through him, his body moving on its own, driven by the power of the tower.
The beast snarled, turning to face him again, but this time Rainey didn't hesitate.
He lunged forward, his body reacting with a speed and precision that he didn't understand but welcomed all the same. The sword flashed through the air, cutting deep into the creature's side. The beast let out one final roar before collapsing, its body hitting the ground with a heavy thud.
Rainey stood over the beast's lifeless form, his chest heaving, the sword still trembling in his hand. His entire body buzzed with energy, the remnants of the tower's power still pulsing through him. He stared at the beast for a long moment, unable to believe what had just happened.
He had won.
Before he could even begin to process it, more symbols appeared in front of him, glowing faintly in the dim light of the chamber.
"First Trial Complete. Tutorial Progress: 20%."
Rainey frowned. Trial? Was that what this was? A test? He didn't have time to dwell on the thought before another message appeared.
"Reward Unlocked: Skill—Basic Energy Manipulation."
The words hung in the air, and Rainey's breath caught in his throat. Energy Manipulation? He had seen the climbers in the battle above wield elemental forces like fire and lightning, and now the tower was giving him a similar ability?
He didn't know what to think. His body still hummed with the aftershocks of the energy, but he didn't feel different. There was no sudden understanding of how to use this new power. No grand revelation. Just a vague sense of… something waiting beneath the surface.
The chamber rumbled, and the cracks in the stone walls widened, pieces of the ceiling falling around him. The message flickered, then disappeared as the ground beneath him shook violently. Rainey steadied himself, his hand gripping the sword tightly as he tried to make sense of what was happening.
Was the tower collapsing?
He didn't have time to think. A new path opened at the far end of the chamber, the stone sliding aside to reveal a dark corridor that seemed to descend even deeper into the tower. Without any other options, Rainey took a deep breath and stepped forward, following the path into the unknown.
The corridor was narrow, its walls lined with more of the strange glowing symbols that Rainey had seen throughout the tower. They pulsed faintly with an otherworldly light, casting long shadows as he moved deeper into the labyrinth. The air was thick with the same energy he had felt during the trial, though it was calmer now, more stable.
His mind raced as he walked, the events of the last few moments replaying over and over in his head. The beast, the trial, the messages—the tower was testing him. That much was clear. But why? And why did the tower refer to him as an anomaly?
He couldn't remember anything about who he was or how he had gotten here, but the tower seemed to think he didn't belong. The system had glitched, called him an error, and now it was testing him like it didn't know what to do with him.
As he moved deeper into the corridor, Rainey felt the weight of the sword in his hand. The blade was still slick with the beast's blood, its dark surface shimmering faintly in the glow of the symbols. It wasn't just a weapon—it was tied to the tower, somehow connected to the energy that flowed through this place.
He had felt it when the system activated his skill. The sword had pulsed with energy, reacting to his will in a way that didn't feel natural. But despite the power the tower had given him, there was no sense of mastery. He didn't understand how to control it, only that it was there, lurking beneath the surface.
His thoughts were interrupted by a soft hum of energy. Ahead of him, the corridor opened into another chamber, this one larger than the last. In the center stood another obelisk, taller than the one before, its surface covered in more glowing symbols.
Rainey approached it cautiously, the sword still held at the ready. The obelisk pulsed with energy, a faint light shimmering across its surface. As he drew closer, a familiar flicker of light appeared in front of him—more messages.
"Second Trial Initiating… Difficulty Increased."
Rainey's heart sank. Another trial? He had barely survived the first one. The sword hummed in his hand as if in response, and Rainey tightened his grip. There was no turning back now.
Before he could react, the ground beneath his feet shifted, and the walls of the chamber began to move. Massive stone slabs slid into place, sealing off the entrance behind him. The only way out now was forward.
A low growl echoed through the chamber, and Rainey's pulse quickened. He recognized the sound—the same predatory growl he had heard before. Another beast, larger than the last, emerged from the shadows, its eyes glowing with the same cold malice.
Rainey took a deep breath, the energy in his veins buzzing with anticipation. He didn't know if he could survive this, but he had no choice.
The trial had begun.