The Tower of Eternity's first floor was known to climbers as the Floor of Beginnings. It was where they took their first steps into a world of danger, where dreams of power or fame were either born or shattered. For most, it was a place of excitement and hope—a chance for a new start. But for Reece, it was just another return to the same, worn-out routine, another layer in his endless cycle as a regressor.
This time, he found himself teleporting into an open clearing, a few miles from a bustling city nestled in the distance. The platform he stood on—a massive stone circle marked with teleportation runes—reminded him of the one outside the Adventurer's Association on Earth, where climbers queued up, hoping to gain entrance into the Tower's grounds.
Here, on the First Floor, the air buzzed with the presence of other climbers, all newly arrived from the tutorial. Some wore expressions of relief, others looked overwhelmed, and a few already had a gleam of ambition in their eyes.
"Master… it seems we've got company. Not only in front but behind as well," Prima's voice hummed in his mind, a note of caution evident. Her words drew Reece from his thoughts, and he took a quick glance around, noticing several pairs of eyes on him, each filled with a mix of curiosity and suspicion.
"Are newbies supposed to be geared up that much?" one of them muttered, eyeing Reece's attire with an uncertain frown.
Another gasped. "Forget that! I can't even identify his equipment. All my skill shows are a bunch of question marks!"
Reece resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He'd known that keeping a low profile on this floor would be difficult, but he hadn't expected to stand out quite this much. His simple black attire—carefully enhanced with durability and shielding enchantments—now seemed to attract more attention than he'd hoped. He shrugged it off, stepping forward and attempting to ignore the murmurs.
Just as he was about to move past the crowd, a burly figure, towering at over six and a half feet, blocked his way. His stance was firm, his gaze focused directly on Reece, and his tone, when he spoke, carried the authority of someone used to being obeyed.
"Hey, you over there! Wait !," the man called out, stepping closer. His brows furrowed as he took in Reece's appearance with a suspicious glare.
Before Reece could respond, he heard another familiar voice from behind. "Instructor Trent?" the voice called, tinged with surprise. Reece turned slightly, recognizing the speaker instantly.
"Ah, Havier!" Trent greeted, his tone warming as he acknowledged the newcomer. "Good timing! I was wondering if you'd made it through. But… what's the holdup back there?"
Instructor Trent's attention, however, quickly returned to Reece. His eyes narrowed, his posture rigid with authority. "Now then, lad, mind telling me how you came by those items? And first of all, what's your name?"
Reece's gaze remained calm, unreadable behind his mask, though he felt a familiar surge of annoyance rising within him. But it was Havier, who seemed to have finally recognized him, that broke the silence. His face twisted in a mix of anger and disbelief as he stepped forward, his voice shaking with suppressed frustration.
"You… you're him…" Havier stammered, his voice low but laced with fury. "You're Reece! No, wait… you're Prime! You thought you could hide behind that alias?"
The hostility in Havier's eyes flared as the words escaped him, and it was clear that he hadn't forgotten—or forgiven—the humiliation he'd endured back in the tutorial. Instructor Trent, sensing the tension, cast a wary glance between Havier and Reece, his expression hardening.
"What's going on here, Havier? Do you know this… Prime?" Trent asked, his tone shifting to one of caution.
"Yes… I know him," Havier said, his voice thick with resentment. "He's the one who finished the tutorial first—did it in less than three hours. Two hours and fifty-one minutes, to be exact. And his rating…" Havier trailed off, his voice lowering to a whisper that Trent, and most of the surrounding crowd, could still hear. "…it was a 9.5."
A murmur swept through the onlookers, their faces a mixture of shock, disbelief, with most being in abject shock. It wasn't just the speed or the rating that made Reece's achievement astonishing; it was the sheer impossibility of it. Considering that time was warped within the tutorial grounds, most climbers took days to finish the tutorial, struggling through challenges that tested every ounce of their resilience. And yet, this figure in black, this silent enigma before them, had not only completed it but shattered every record along the way.
Instructor Trent's initial skepticism faded, replaced by a sharp, calculating look. He turned to study Reece with renewed scrutiny, his instincts warning him that this was no ordinary recruit.
"Hey, Havier!" another voice broke in—a loud, brash figure pushing through the crowd. Greider, his face twisted in barely suppressed rage, stomped toward them. "Did you catch him? Where's that bastard?"
But Havier didn't respond, his gaze fixed intently on Reece. A memory of the tutorial flashed through his mind, the piercing gaze of the man who had forced him to his knees without lifting a finger. Only now did Havier grasp the true nature of that encounter. This person standing before him was dangerous—far more dangerous than he'd realized. Reece's calm silence only deepened his wariness.
Trent observed the scene, his instinct to intervene now battling with an uncomfortable sense of caution. There was something about Reece's posture, the way he moved without effort, that set off silent alarms in his mind. He chose to remain quiet, watching to see how this confrontation would unfold.
Greider, however, had no such restraint. His rage boiled over, and with a sudden burst of movement, he unsheathed the spear strapped to his back, his intent clear in the determined glint of his eyes.
"You prick!" he snarled, his voice echoing across the platform. "How dare you make me kneel? ME?! I'm going to make you pay for that humiliation!"
With a swift, forceful motion, Greider lunged forward, his spear aimed directly at Reece's shoulder, intent on forcing him down to his knees in a humiliating display of submission. In Greider's mind, Reece was nothing more than a lucky novice, undeserving of the strength or respect he seemed to command. He would relish breaking that confidence, tearing apart the calm arrogance he had seen in Reece's eyes back in the Crystal Abyss.
But as Greider's spear closed in, Reece simply shifted his weight, a subtle movement that carried him out of harm's way with an ease that left the onlookers, mostly those who were waiting for the trial takers, stunned and shocked. The spear grazed past, missing him by a hair's breadth. His reaction time was inhuman, the sort of speed and precision that belonged to those far beyond the capabilities of any newcomer.
Reece allowed himself a smirk, his tone almost amused as he replied in a low voice, "For a so-called 'genius' like you, I expected more… maybe I was wrong in hoping for a decent face-slapping..."
To the others, it was as if Reece had barely moved at all, his form blurring as he dodged the attack and sidestepped to Greider's left. His eyes remained focused, cold and steady, as he watched Greider stumble forward from the failed lunge, fury contorting the man's face.
"Well, Master," Prima chimed in, a note of warning in her tone, "just a gentle reminder—don't overdo it. You haven't reforged your body yet, but even so, with your primal mana veins alone, you have the strength of at least a Level 20 climber."
"Relax, Prima," he replied with a smirk. "Just a slap, nothing more."
With a swift, controlled motion, Reece brought his hand down on the back of Greider's head, delivering a backhanded slap that resounded across the platform. The impact sent Greider sprawling, his face hitting the ground with a sickening thud. He lay there, motionless, a thin trickle of blood dripping from a shallow wound on his scalp.
Reece shook his hand lightly, muttering under his breath. "Maybe I got a bit too heavy-handed there."
Silence engulfed the platform. Every pair of eyes was fixed on Reece, a mixture of fear, and disbelief. Most of the onlookers had expected him to be skewered by Greider's spear. But in the span of a single heartbeat, the tables had turned, and the towering, arrogant Greider was laid out on the ground, utterly defeated by a single, almost casual slap.
To those with trained eyes, like Instructor Trent, the reality was far more unsettling and pointedly horrifying. He recognized it immediately—Second Acceleration. Reece had achieved a level of mental speed and agility that most climbers only attained after months, even years, of grueling experience. It was a feat reserved for those who had attained an S rank and above in their agility, a sign of strength leagues beyond anyone at this stage.
"Second Acceleration… this kid…" Trent's voice was barely a whisper, his gaze fixated on Reece with a newfound wariness. "That means he's not just any climber. He's got a core… and a reaction speed above S."
Those who had come to welcome the new climbers began to exchange glances, each realizing just how extraordinary—and possibly dangerous—Reece truly was. Even those from the Tower who had climbed through some floors stood back, their eyes narrowed with a newfound respect for the silent figure before them.
Just then, a piercing voice broke through the silence, snapping everyone back to reality. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?! YOU'VE KILLED HIM!" It was Havier, his face a twisted mask of horror and fury as he pointed an accusing finger at Reece. His voice trembled, unsure whether he was enraged or simply afraid.
Reece almost laughed, but instead he raised a brow under his mask, unfazed by Havier's outburst. "Why's everyone today so loud?" he muttered, sighing in exasperation. He looked down at Greider, who was lying unconscious at his feet, and shrugged. "He's not dead, just knocked out. I held back enough to avoid killing him—though maybe I got a little heavy-handed." He gave an unseen half-smirk, then fixed his gaze back on Havier. "If you didn't want him hurt, you should've stopped him from attacking me."
Havier was momentarily stunned, and words failed him. He opened his mouth to respond, but before he could say anything, Instructor Trent stepped forward, his expression cautious but determined. He placed a firm hand on Havier's shoulder, holding him back. "Keep your mouth shut, boy," Trent growled under his breath, his voice barely loud enough for Havier to hear.
Havier's shock was palpable. He looked at his instructor, incredulous, but Trent's gaze was hard, leaving no room for argument. Around them, other instructors and experienced climbers who had come to observe were watching closely, their eyes narrowed as if silently warning their charges to stay quiet.
Reece noticed the silent exchange and gave a slight nod, a small glimmer of acknowledgment in his otherwise unreadable eyes. "At least you've got some sense." He paused, his gaze flicking over Trent with something close to acknowledgement. "Well, thanks for the intervention," he added, starting to walk away. But before he could fully turn, he stopped, glancing back over his shoulder. "I seem to recall you were pretty interested in my items earlier… still want to know where I got them?"
Trent's eyes darted to Reece's cloaked form, and he couldn't hide the unease that flickered across his face. The aura emanating from Reece was undeniably intimidating. It was as though a shadow was cast across the platform, deepening the chill in the air. Reece's mask only added to the effect; without a face to ground him, he seemed like a figure cut from darkness itself. For a newcomer to wield such presence, such control… it was beyond unsettling.
Trent swallowed, a hint of resignation in his voice as he replied quietly, "No, sir. I apologize for my earlier suspicion." His tone was carefully measured, respectful, almost as if he were addressing a superior. Around him, those who had just come out of the tutorial watched with wide eyes, their expressions a blend of shock and disbelief. They had known the name Prime—the climber who'd achieved a 9.5 rating and record-breaking time in the tutorial. But seeing him now, understanding that this was their peer, their leader of sorts… It was more than they had anticipated and too extreme.
Reece gave a curt nod. "Good. Have a nice day," he replied smoothly, his tone polite but dismissive. Without another word, he turned and resumed his path toward the city, leaving the gathered crowd behind. The muffled murmurs of astonished onlookers faded as he walked, the city's gates coming into view up ahead. His steps were steady, purposeful, but his mind was already moving beyond this minor confrontation.
"Well, Prima," he thought, the faintest hint of a smirk on his lips beneath the mask, "looks like we made quite the impression."
Prima's voice chimed in with a touch of satisfaction. "Indeed, Master. Though next time, perhaps we could avoid so much unwanted attention?"
Reece chuckled softly. "Maybe. But if this is the first floor… I think it's safe to say we're in for a lot more attention before long."
With that, he disappeared into the shadow of the towering city gates, the mysteries of the Floor of Beginnings stretching out before him.