Reece's vision slowly adjusted as he landed on the teleportation pad of the first zone. The teleportation flash faded, and he found himself in the midst of a jungle under a constant, heavy rain. Thick foliage stretched in every direction, shrouding the area in darkness despite the perpetual gray twilight filtering down through a dense canopy of trees towering twenty meters above. The air was thick and humid, with the scent of wet earth and decaying leaves heavy around him.
He took a moment to extend his senses. Visibility was terrible, but that didn't concern him. He could detect no other humans within a hundred meters of his position, thanks to the radius of his soul sense—a far superior and evolved ability compared to the basic mana sense most climbers used.
Normal mana sense was limited to perceiving the ambient mana in the area, detecting disturbances or unusual movements of energy. It was useful, but rudimentary. When one's wisdom stat was ranked high enough, mana sense could evolve to the point of perceiving the use of skills or techniques that utilized mana. But soul sense took things to another level entirely.
Soul sense allowed him to detect life itself, perceiving beings based on their souls rather than their mana signatures. With this ability, he didn't have to reveal his position by channeling mana and risk alerting other climbers or monsters to his presence. Instead, he could simply feel the spectral outlines of living creatures around him—a faint, ghostly glow amidst the darkness of the jungle.
Through his soul sense, Reece saw faint silhouettes scattered around him. Some were distant, moving erratically, while others loomed nearby, barely distinguishable from the shadows of the trees. From the size and movements of these shapes, he guessed they were the various creatures that called this zone home, some of them likely locked in battles for dominance and others simply looking for today's lunch from the very humans that were taking this zone as their testing grounds.
"Master, based on the amount of time it took to bring both cores and me online, why are there still people here?" Prima's voice chimed in his mind, curious.
"Most likely because they're the ones who rushed in without proper preparation," Reece replied, a trace of amusement in his tone. He stretched his arms, testing the flexibility of his newly enhanced muscles, and shook the rain from his clothes, circulating mana within his body to warm himself up as well.
Prima's voice was incredulous. "You're telling me they came here without even achieving mana sense? They just… jumped in?"
"That's exactly what they did," Reece said, chuckling. "You've seen it happen a few times before. Why does it surprise you now?"
"It never ceases to amaze me how reckless some people are," she muttered. "You'd think they would learn…"
"Most people don't. They're blinded by greed. They see the Tower as a shortcut to power and glory, and they ignore the reality of the risks involved. They want to be heroes or legends without putting in the work," Reece said, a faint edge of disdain in his voice. He finished stretching, then directed a flow of primal mana through his muscles, letting the energy saturate his entire body, heating his veins and muscles. The rain evaporated in faint wisps of steam as the mana burned away the water clinging to his skin and clothes.
Taking a deep breath, he gathered primal mana into his legs, coiling it around his muscle fibers until they felt like compressed springs.
With a thunderous BOOM, he launched himself forward, accelerating from zero to over fifty miles per hour in an instant. The shockwave of his departure sent the foliage around him trembling, cracking branches and shaking leaves loose from the trees. The sound reverberated through the jungle, a deafening clap that seemed to make the very air vibrate. The impact of his movement was so intense that it startled all living beings in the vicinity—humans and monsters alike.
Creatures scattered in confusion, while any climbers nearby stumbled back in shock, unprepared for the sudden, resounding explosion of sound.
"Prima, be a dear and map out the path to the exit pad for me," Reece said, maintaining his incredible speed.
"On it, master. Permission to cast [Zone Sync] to get the details of this zone?," she replied, her tone crisp and professional despite the ongoing chaos.
"Are you sure we have enough mana? I might have used a bit too much just getting up to this speed," he replied, a confused tone in his voice as he dodged branches and thick vines, his movements fluid and effortless.
In response, Prima brought up a semi-transparent status screen, overlaying it within his vision:
[Race: Primal Human]
[Evolution: normal primal human]
[HP: 100%]
[PM (Primal Mana): Mana Heart: 75%, Mana Brain: 99%]
[Gifts:]
RegressionUnknown…
[Stats:]
Strength: S+
Vitality: A
Agility: S
Intelligence: SS+
Wisdom: EX
[Passive Skills + Techniques + Spells:]
Technique: Soul sense - active
[Active Skills + Techniques + Spells:]
[None]
[Comments:] Talk about being weak, master… a training montage is needed soon. Adding it to your planner ^_^
"Really? Was that last part necessary?" Reece grumbled, ducking under a low branch as he continued his sprint. Prima just giggled, clearly pleased with her small jab.
As he barreled through the jungle, he suddenly activated [Zone Sync]. This was a spell he had developed over countless lifetimes, one he created out of sheer annoyance at the randomized tutorial zones that forced him to navigate unfamiliar terrain each time. The spell allowed him to sync his soul sense with the spatial mana that formed the boundaries of each zone, essentially mapping out the entire area.
Almost immediately, a wealth of information poured into his senses, showing him the layout of the jungle, the paths, obstacles, and even the locations of creatures lurking in the darkness. Prima acted as a filter, processing the feedback and displaying only the essential information in his vision—a faint, glowing blue path that marked the fastest route to the exit pad.
"Thanks, Prima," Reece said, smiling as he adjusted his direction and increased his speed.
The other newbies and creatures in the jungle were oblivious to the force speeding through their midst. To them, the jungle was a deadly maze, filled with threats lurking around every corner. Treants with razor-sharp fangs lurked among the trees, waiting to entrap the unwary in their branches, while camouflaged gritterfangs lay in wait to spew corrosive venom at any passerby. Ripplewraiths manipulated torrents of rainwater, forming deadly whirlpools designed to drown their prey.
For the unprepared, this place was a nightmare. Many newbies had already banded together, hoping their combined strength would see them through the jungle's dangers. But even in groups, most were struggling to survive. Monsters struck without warning, and those who showed even a moment of weakness were swiftly taken down. And in the midst of all this chaos, a sudden booming shockwave had thrown everyone into further disarray.
The sound had struck terror into the climbers, many of whom assumed it was some colossal beast crashing through the jungle. Some broke into panicked sprints, only to make themselves easy targets for the creatures lying in ambush. Others froze, their eyes darting in every direction, weapons raised and bodies trembling as they searched for the source of the noise, praying it was not remotely even close to them.
To the unlucky newbies directly in Reece's path, his passing was a blur—a gust of wind that howled through the trees, leaving them dazed and bewildered. Those who were fighting for their lives found themselves thrown off balance, some saved by the disruption as monsters scattered, others falling victim to distracted movements that opened them up to lethal attacks.
Reece noticed none of this. His focus was singular, locked onto the mana signature of the exit pad revealed by [Zone Sync]. To him, these other climbers and their struggles were nothing more than passing shadows.
The thrill of running at full speed brought a sense of exhilaration. He felt his primal mana flowing through his veins, empowering every muscle in his body. This raw sensation, the purity of unrestrained motion, was something he had missed dearly. For so long, he had been limited, constrained by the weaker bodies of each regression. But now, with his mana heart pumping primal energy through him, he was free again.
"Zone pad in 600 meters, master," Prima announced, snapping him back to focus. She projected the remaining path directly into his vision, highlighting obstacles and creatures that lay between him and the exit.
In response, Reece adjusted his approach, veering slightly to the left to avoid a cluster of treants whose branches writhed like snakes, ready to entangle anything that ventured too close. His steps were silent now, his primal mana perfectly in sync with his movements, his soul sense picking out every creature and hazard within range. He moved like a shadow through the trees, his presence only marked by the faint rustling of leaves and the subtle crunch of wet earth beneath his feet.
Within moments, he was upon the teleportation pad, a stone circle embedded in the ground, faintly glowing with an ethereal light. The rain continued to pour around him, but in the center of the pad, it felt strangely quiet, as if the jungle itself had stilled in anticipation.
He stepped onto the pad, feeling the familiar tingle of energy as it prepared to transport him to the next zone. The rain pattered softly around him, droplets sliding down his face, his clothes soaked but his body warm from the primal energy coursing through him.
"Prima," he murmured, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Let's get this over and done with."
"Ready when you are, master," she replied, her tone laced with excitement.
The jungle faded around him, dissolving in a flash of light as the teleportation activated. In an instant, Reece felt himself being pulled from the rainy depths of the jungle, leaving behind the chaos of creatures and climbers struggling for survival. He closed his eyes, letting the sensation wash over him as he prepared for whatever lay ahead in the next zone.
Within the tutorial zone's control center...
The Administrator watched in stunned silence, his gaze fixed on the display monitoring Reece's progress. The young man's performance was unlike anything he'd ever seen, absurdly so. Reece had navigated the jungle zone with an ease that defied logic, moving as though he already knew the terrain by heart.
He leaned back on his opulent chair, eager to see what Reece would do next as the young climber continued his journey, aware or unaware of the forces that were beginning to take notice of his progress in the Tower's depths.