[The 100th floor has not been conquered.]
[All players will be eliminated due to the final quest being failed.]
Every living player stood frozen as they read the heart-stopping words.
Knees dropped to the floor, jaws slacked, and tears fell.
"T-This is the end? Am I gonna die?.." A man said as he read the semi-transparent panel in front of him.
"No...I-I worked so hard! Tower! System! S-Save us!" Another exclaimed, tears streaking down their cheeks.
The Tower
Nobody knows why it happened, or who created it, but it stands in the center of everything.
Mythical beings, magic, swords, whatever you can imagine, the tower had it all.
There was magic in the word 'Adventure'.
And those who wanted to climb said tower and adventure on and on were called:
Players.
The tower granted you strength and rewards equivalent to your hard work.
It was fair to those who tried, and all players understood that.
As said, the tower was the center of all things.
Meaning, it connected different dimensions, universes, and all.
So not only were there humans, monsters, dwarves, and elves...but Gods.
These Gods had authority, they quickly took over the top floors of the tower and created their legions and organizations of worship.
Though just like everyone else, these gods had to follow the rules of the tower. Because even they couldn't deny the tower's authority.
But, there was one man who surpassed even the gods.
Nathan Alexies.
A scourge.
Gods and mortals alike despised him.
Because he alone was the strongest.
No matter who he fought, he always seemed to know more about them than they did themselves.
Earning the title, "Nathan, The Clairvoyant."
Yet even he couldn't prevent the tower's erasure of all players.
God's also would be erased since they were considered players, they tried to use their authority to stop the end, but to no avail.
[99th Floor.]
Sitting atop a mountain of slain and mangled beasts was a handsome man.
His white hair extended to his neck, blowing slightly in the calm winds.
His mythical-looking dark sword jammed into the body of a deceased corpse.
He seemed to be breathing quite heavily as he gripped the handle of his sword and rested.
[The 100th floor has not been conquered.]
[All players will be eliminated due to the final quest being failed.]
He read the words, his gaze lowering with disappointment. He clenched his fist and teeth.
"Yet again....I failed. I couldn't change this fate once again." The man spoke in a self-loathing tone.
With a clenched fist, he exclaimed:
"I did everything I could, and yet...!"
[Erasure beginning....]
The third and final message appeared, everyone in the tower read it and accepted their fate. No matter how much begging, grieving, and pleading they did, it was inevitable.
The white-haired male looks up to see things slowly fading into nothing.
He let go of the blade, stood up and too accepted the end.
[Warning! The special trait 'Regressor' is nearing its limit. You have regressed 49/50 times. One chance remaining.]
"One more. I have one more chance."
With a sudden determination, the man squeezed his fist tighter than ever and said:
"With one last chance, I will succeed. I have to. I won't tolerate failure!"
[Ding! Regression beginning.]
[50/50 chances have been used. We wish you good luck.]
***
Opening his eyes, the same familiar sight met his eyes.
He stood in a large crowd of people.
The people looked distraught, turning and pushing others.
"W-Where am I?!"
"...How did I get here?!"
"Who are all of these people?.."
While others were shaken up, scared of the sudden teleportation, Nathan was calm and composed.
This was his 50th time going through this, and he was sure it wouldn't be any different than the last 49 times.
"Welcome future players! We invite you to a game of a lifetime. A place where you can fulfill your greatest fantasies. Magic, battling, power, reign, you can have it all."
A bright light was all they saw before them.
It was something beyond them, to the point they couldn't see the face of the being speaking.
They saw the humanoid body, yet not the divine face of said entity.
"W-What is that thing?.."
"My eyes are hurting."
"What does it mean game?"
"Is this even real? Yeah, No...I must be dreaming."
Seeing their confused and frightened faces, the feminine being quickly addressed them:
"I assure you that this is not a dream. This is real. And ##### invites you to his tower of power!"
"Tower of power?..."
"I've already pinched myself 10 times."
"Then...Then..goddess! Tell us, tell us exactly what you mean."
The "Goddess" turned to the man.
"Soon, you will awaken on Floor 1. With you, will be #####'s system. It will guide you, and help you keep track of everything else."
"W-Wait! Is that it?..."
The entity snapped their fingers and everything went black for everyone.
***
Feeling a warm breeze on his skin, the clear air, and the peaceful setting, Nathan knew exactly where he was.
"The lower floor. It's nice to see you again, always."
Wasting no time, he checked his status.
[Name: Nathan Alexies]
[Age: 19]
[Title: Regressor]
[Trait: Energized, Cool-headed, Regressor]
[Race: Human]
[Brawn: 16]
[Vigor: 16]
[Dexterity: 16]
[MP: 8]
[Skills: N/A]
"Same as always."
[Race - Human: You are biologically inferior in terms of power and potential compared to other races. You are more likely to be hated by other races. But, your limitations are more versatile compared to most.]
[Title - Regressor: Adds +5 points into every stat.]
[Trait(s) - Energized: You don't tire easily. You heal 35% faster when resting. Adds +3 points into Brawn, Vigor, and Dexterity.]
[Trait(s) - Cool-headed: In stressful situations, you relax and think clearly. You don't react easily. You adapt quickly to new things.]
[Trait(s) - Regressor: You know years worth of knowledge. You know future events, past events, and present events. Adds +3 points into all stats.]
[Brawn: Your muscular strength and physical ability.]
[Vigor: Your health, stamina, and endurance.]
[Dexterity: Your agility and flexibility]
[MP: Magic aptitude. The amount of mana you can conjure is put into numbers.]
[Skills: Different abilities and move sets that the player gains in due time.]
After reading through his status once more, Nathan looked around him.
In the very center of the warm plains, stood a seemingly endlessly tall tower.
'They called this place floor 1 when in reality it isn't even in the tower and is a tutorial. There is no guide, and you are put up to figure it out yourself. Players don't exactly figure this out until way later.'
'Many players also don't know of an easy way to get an overpowered skill right here in the tutorial. Because...'
"The first thing you have to do...is kill yourself."
[You have died.]
[Restarting...]
'On the first floor, there is no limit to how many times you can die since It's the tutorial. But, many players think that once you die it's the end, so they spend all their time trying to survive rather than grow stronger.'
[You were the first player to die.]
[Passive Skill obtained, 'Tenacity']
[Tenacity: When health drops below 20% all stats get an immense boost. You will ever hardly feel like giving up. +5 points will be added in vigor.]
"Who would've known a great title like this is available on the first floor? Except me..of course."
Trials.
When a player ascends a floor, they must complete the trial available on the floor to ascend the next. The trials can take up to months to complete, and if failed before the timer ends, you can always re-try. But if nobody completes the trial and the timer ends, then every player in the tower receives a penalty.
But on the first floor, there is no real trial, and there is no timer.
Meaning...
"I have all the time In the world."
Players start with 50 GC (Gold Coins).
Some may save it, and others spend it on anything they find cool, and most players likely get scammed out of it. But the first thing Nathan did was buy a cheap sword worth 10 GC.
"The second floor is the real "First Floor" in a way. Since you meet the first trial there. And due to it being combat related, many fail."
'My first goal is to gain as many stat points possible, and gain my first skill.'
After doing it so many times, and revising it over and over, Nathan figured out the best way to grow indefinitely, even for a beginning player.
'Repetition.'
The tower rewards those who work for what they want.
And the tower would of course reward a beginning player who tries his best.
So while others wander endlessly, steal from others, and try to survive, Nathan just had to do one thing.
[You have repeatedly swung your sword.]
[You have repeatedly swung your sword.]
[You have repeatedly swung your sword.]
[You have repeatedly swung your sword.]
[You have repeatedly swung your sword.]
[You have repeatedly swung....]
[You have repeat....]
[You have....]
[You....]
***
[You have spent 12 hours swinging your sword.]
[+5 points in Brawn, Vigor, and Dexterity.]
[Skill obtained, 'Basic Sword Skills.']
[You have done something incredible.]
[You are the first player to reach 20 points in all main stats on only the first floor.]
[Title obtained, "The Strongest Newbie."]
[Title - The Strongest Newbie: +3 points in all stats. When fighting lower-level beings or players, you stun them with intimidation for 4 seconds. You can do less and still earn more than most.]
"This was mostly thanks to my beginning titles and traits, if I didn't have them it would have taken forever."