The atmosphere was dark, yet the tavern was thriving. People laughed, played games, and drank. Behind a wooden counter, the bartender stood, facing a row of ten chairs—only one of them occupied.
"Hey! Bartender, give me one more of the red one!"
The cloaked figure sitting in front of him pointed at a bottle of wine behind the counter. The bartender smiled.
"Sure thing, that'll be five gold coins."
The figure reached into their pocket, pulled out five coins, and placed them on the counter.
The bartender smirked.
"You know, it's not every day I see someone carrying around coins."
"Yeah, I don't like keeping it in my inventory."
As the cloaked figure withdrew their hand, the bartender caught sight of a small tattoo on their hand. It was a delicate bird's wing, inked entirely in black except for three letters etched in white:
"FOV."
"Hold up, you're from the Feather Guild, aren't you? And not just that, you're a FUCKING FOLLOWER OF VALORIA!"
The bartender screamed, his voice shaking the air around them.
The cloaked figure smiled, their white teeth visible even under the hood that covered most of their face. They reached out their right hand, and to the bartender's shock, a mouth began to form on it. The hand quickly grew to the size of the bartender, and the mouth opened wide. Without warning, it swallowed him whole before the hand shrank back to its normal size.
Blood splattered as the figure removed her hood, revealing long blonde hair that cascaded to her waist, bright blue eyes that gleamed with excitement, and pale skin. She looked around, noticing the angry stares from everyone in the tavern.
"Don't mind me…"
"No way… that's 'Cacophony'… no—no way she's here…"
said one of the men.
"I never really liked that nickname, but it's better than my actual one, so I can't complain too much,"
Said 'Cacophony' with a smirk.
The same man shouted, eyes wide.
"Her bounty is a thousand gold, isn't it? Catch her!"
'Cacophony''s eyes widened as she thought, "Wow, they know who I am, yet they still come after me? They've got balls, I'll give them that much."
She stood up from her chair, turning to face the forty men charging toward her. With a swift motion, she extended both hands and summoned two crystal black daggers.
Before anyone could blink, every single man was sliced into pieces, their bodies falling to the floor in a bloody mess. The tavern floor was soon covered in blood, and 'Cacophony' looked down, clearly annoyed.
"My new shoes…"
she muttered.
"Well, it's whatever."
A voice rang out.
"What are you doing here, Nyra? You don't usually come to the ninety-first floor."
Nyra turned her gaze toward the source of the voice. In the corner of the tavern stood a man, cloaked in a black robe. He had broad shoulders and exuded confidence, his long black hair cascading down to his feet.
"Who are you? How do you know my name?" Nyra asked as she tilted her head.
"I am Zanderausisiasom, but you may call me Zander. I am from the Black Claw Guild, and recently, you and your guild have been up to no good. I'm afraid I'll have to claim the bounty on your head."
Nyra smiled, gripping her daggers tightly. Without hesitation, she dashed toward Zander. As she lunged forward, her right dagger aimed for his chest. But just before the blade could make contact, Zander exploded into a cloud of black dust.
Zander suddenly appeared behind Nyra, grabbing her by the hair. Nyra shot him a quick glance before he threw her forcefully into the wall of the tavern.
She hit the wall with a thud and fell, face-first, to the ground. Wiping the dust from her face, Nyra stood up, her voice dripping with annoyance.
"You grabbed my hair… you coward! You should've broken my arm or something."
Zander sighed before extending his right hand. A black ball, crackling with red sparks, began to form in the air. He lowered his hand, and the ball slowly started moving toward Nyra. As it did, the very fabric of reality seemed to warp around it, distorting the space in its wake.
"Constellation Army…"
Nyra thought to herself.
A black goo began to spill from her body, and Zander's expression shifted to one of surprise.
"You know, my attack is slow, but once it hits, it erases you from our universe, reality, and timeline. I wasn't expecting you to try and stop it."
Nyra smirked. Small monsters made of black goo began to emerge from the mass, crawling toward Zander. His eyes widened in realization.
"Shifters…?"
One of the shifters leaped in front of the attack. It was completely obliterated, vanishing without a trace, but the others kept advancing toward Zander.
Nyra pointed the dagger in her left hand at him, her voice dripping with mockery.
"Hey, Zander, what does the word 'mongrel' mean…? Actually, I don't care what it means. Don't underestimate me, mongrel."
Zander dashed past all the shifters, closing the gap between him and Nyra in an instant.
"Shift: Bird."
Nyra Tought.
In a flash, an explosion of bright light erupted, sending Zander flying backward. Where Nyra had stood just moments before, there was now a bluebird perched, flapping its wings.
"Ha! You wouldn't dare hurt a bird, would you?"
Nyra's voice rang out from the bird's form.
Zander scoffed and extended his right hand. In an instant, the ground beneath them transformed into a grassy field. The tavern's wooden walls turned to stone, and the once familiar surroundings shifted into a new, unsettling landscape.
Nyra reverted back to her human form, her shifters vanishing. Zander began walking toward her, his pace slow and deliberate.
"This is my level ten ability, you can't use abilities in here."
Nyra stood up and sighed, rolling her eyes.
"You underestimate me, mongrel! I only need my daggers!"
But when she looked down at her hands, both daggers were gone. They had been created by one of her abilities.
"Uh— I only— I only need my hands!"
Zander dashed toward her, unleashing a barrage of punches. Nyra dodged each one with ease, her speed placing her leagues above him. She countered with a quick uppercut.
But Zander took no damage. Her strength wasn't enough to break his defense. He responded with a swift kick to her stomach, sending her sliding back across the floor.
Nyra spat out blood, Zander closed the distance in a flash, Nyra reached into her cloak and pulled out something Zander hadn't seen before.
It was a bomb—a time bomb. Without hesitation, she threw it at Zander, and an explosion erupted, catching him completely off guard.
When the smoke cleared, Zander was nowhere to be seen—or so it seemedvv. The figure that lay on the ground was an old man, frail and on death's door. Nyra walked up to him and looked down with a smirk.
"You'll soon be added to my wheel of transformations! So, you'll live on."
With that, Nyra dropped to all fours and began tearing Zander apart. Moments later, she was back in the tavern, a blue screen appearing before her.
"You have killed Zanderausisiasom Liasuishauansh!
200,000 XP gained!"
Nyra stood up, her thin, pale fingers and mouth stained with blood. She stared at the glowing blue screen in front of her for a moment, her expression unreadable.
"I really need to find out who placed this bounty on me. It's getting annoying, Wait… how close am I to level eleven? Description."
Another blue screen appeared in front of her.
"Profile-
Name- Nyra Spear
Age- 19
Level- 10
Class- Custom, Human Shifter
HP- 878,528/1,000,000
Level 1 abilities- Dagger Summon, Shifter Manipulation, Healing (Passive)
Level 2 abilities- Bloodlust, Shifter Sunnin, Nightvision (Passive)
Level 3 abilities- Constellation Army, Puddle Transformation, Poison Resistance (Passive)
Level 4 abilities- Absorbation, Transformation, Physical Enhancement (Passive)
Level 5 abilities- Weapon Creation, Size Manipulation, Explosion Resistance (Passive)
Level 6 abilities- Ruthless, Constellation Waves, Temperature Regulation (Passive)
Level 7 abilities- Mouth Summon, Star Explosions, Quick Magic Energy Recovery (Passive)
Level 8 abilities- Big Bang Blast, Gold Heart, Thought Acceleration (Passive)
Level 9 abilities- Remove Emotion, Destination
Level 10 abilities- Black Pedal Bloom
Magic Energy- 2,498,822/2,500,00"
Titles- Chaos, Cacophony
Human Kills- 72,482
Monster Kills- 1,828,371
XP- 18,700,000/20,000,000
Copper coins- 158,289
Silver coins- 88,629,720
Gold coins- 34,292,829"
"Oh shucks… I still need over a million, I don't feel like killing any more monsters."
Her face brightened as an idea hit her.
"Oh! I know what I'll do. I'll find whoever placed this bounty on me and kill everyone related to them. Surely, I'll level up!"
"I know who placed the bounty on you,"
A voice echoed through the tavern.
Nyra glanced over and spotted a man sitting calmly. He had short chestnut-brown hair and wore circular crystal glasses that caught the dim light. His high-collared robe gave him a powerful presence, he sat with his left leg crossed over his right.
"What the hell is it with people showing up out of nowhere? Who are you?"
Nyra asked, clearly annoyed.
"I am… a man who only wishes to advance the world forward, to push the tower forward,"
the man replied, his green eyes focused on his lap.
"That doesn't answer my question. Who the hell are you?"
The man finally looked up.
"I am Luke. Luke Shmichender."
Nyra's eyes widened in recognition.
"The Luke Shmichender? As in The Great Intellect? You're pretty famous throughout the entire tower. What's a celebrity like you doing talking to a wanted criminal like me?"
"I want to help you, I want you to kill someone for me. The man who placed the bounty on you is my enemy."
Nyra placed her right index finger on her chin, tilting her head in thought.
"So who is this man, Luke?"
"Are you familiar with the Celestine family? One of them escaped my grasp, and now he's a threat to me and my plans of becoming a celestial god."
Nyra burst out laughing.
"Cele—Celestial god?! You might be a genius, but you're also delusional."
Luke shook his head.
"Give me twenty-seven more years, and I'll achieve my goals."
Nyra composed herself.
"Alright, so who's the one that placed the bounty on me? And the one getting in your way?"
"The new king of the Vinceglen Kingdom on the ninety-third floor, James Celestine."