It took some time for Bon to digest the medicine. Once he was done, he wandered around the hundredth floor. Sometimes, he would come across monsters and kill them. The monsters here were strong, but it only took a hit at twenty percent of his strength to kill them. He soon came to an enchanted forest, with lanterns hanging from trees and ethereal wisps moving through the scenery. His Mana Sense told him that the Boss was close by. He planned on seeing how strong the final Boss was, as he had nothing better to do.

Eventually he came upon a green dragon, walking through the forest, with two streams of green fumes coming out its nose.

“Identify.”

BOSS Qukgar the Green Dragonling HP 50,000,000/50,000,000 MP 25,000,000/25,000,000 The green dragonlings are the lowest subspecies of dragons. Qukgar, unable to accept this, created a method to evolve itself into a greater form through killing. Eliminate this scourge before it grows too powerful. Powers Fire Breath

Bathes a region in green fire that deals heavy damage as well as damage over time

Tail Missiles Launches the spikes on its tail, that targets the nearest opponent Poison Mist Area of effect poison attack Dragon Blood Burns its blood, gaining a great boost to its stats Armor of the Prince Scales become harder, boosting defense Rapid Fire Shoots small bursts of green fire every three seconds I Am Dragon

Inflicts Fear Effect to everyone within range

Reverse Scale

Goes berserk, increasing damage by 300%, speed by 100% and all regen by 200% (Cannot use skills while berserk)

Tail Stomp

Bangs its tail on the ground, stunning everyone in the area

Qukgur’s Roar

Inflicts Silence in the area

Level Playing Field

Increase in level depending on the number of foes faced

This Boss was quite impressive, but he was getting the same sense of danger from it as he got from the Abyssal Dragon in the Alpha Test. He would first play with the dragon with his sword. Qukgar roared as soon as he came near. Silence was resisted, and Bon laughed. The dragon charged towards him and breathed out green flames, but thanks to his fire resistance he didn’t feel a thing. He took an experimental swipe at the dragon, using only 1% of his strength. A chunk of red disappeared from its HP bar and it cried out in pain.

The dragon flapped its wings and took to the air. It seemed to smile, as though mocking him. Bon used Flight to fly into the air as well. It began blowing fire at him every three seconds but it did nothing. Bon decided to try and use a skill. Maybe the dragon had enough HP to survive. He used Reisman’s Revolutions, a Fighter’s skill.

Reismann’s Revolutions Attacks a target from all sides very quickly, dealing 100% damage at the first strike. Damage increases by 10% with each strike. Can strike a maximum of sixteen times. Skill lasts five seconds. Mana cost: 2000 Cooldown: 1 hour

He seemed to disappear in the air, only the fiery trails of his sword visible as it struck the dragon. After five seconds, the dragon had lost half its HP. It wailed and fell to the ground. Then, red light began shimmering around it. It was burning its blood. It then went berserk. It seemed that those two skills could stack. Bon took out his sickle and chain. It would be more fun this way.

He wrapped the chain around its leg and pulled with such force that Qukgar fell to the ground. He rushed to the dragon and began cutting it with his sickle. When it was a sliver away from dying, Bon found that he couldn’t move.

“Stop,” roared Wheeler, appearing before him. “You’ve used up enough energy. What good would killing it do?”

“I like to see my numbers go up,” Bon replied.

“The numbers don’t mean a thing for you. Even if you gained a hundred more levels you would still be the same. You’ve reached a plateau. The only way forward with mana is to increase your familiarity with it and craft your own skills.”

“I’ll stop,” said Bon, “If you give me cultivation manuals and pills for my parents.”

“Fine,” said Wheeler. A manual and two bottles of pills appeared before Bon, who grabbed them eagerly.

“Why does this godly faction want to destroy us humans anyway?” Bon asked. He had wanted to ask this question before but Wheeler had run away and hidden in his hut before he could.

“Us humans? You aren’t exactly human in your current state. You evolved into a demigod during the Alpha Test. As for why they’re doing it, they aren’t trying to kill humans. Humans are just pests in their way, which is why the Neutral Faction is able to help you.”

Demigod? He remembered he had eaten something in the Alpha Test and got a notification saying he had evolved. That must have been it. “There’s a good chance we can save the Earth then, with your help?”

“No chance,” said Wheeler. “But there’s a chance that many of you can survive.”

“What does that mean?”

“You’ll see,” Wheeler said mysteriously. He then vanished.

What had Wheeler meant that they could only survive? If humanity had no chance of winning this war, then what was the point of all this mana training in the Tower? Pests in the way? Every time Wheeler said something, it just left him with more questions.

He now felt determined to reach the peak of Nascent Soul as soon as possible. He used the ring that contained the independent world and got sucked into it. Within the ring, there were grassy plains that stretched for miles. One spot was as good as the other, so Bon sat down and began meditating. Wheeler hadn't told him what the time ratio was like in here. Perhaps he didn't know. Bon swallowed one of the pills and felt a huge influx of energy burst within his dantian. Day turned to night, but the temperature hardly changed within the mini world.

Thousands of years must have passed, but Bon meditated in tranquility. It was as though time held no meaning while he meditated. All that he was aware of was the flow of qi. He had lost himself in meditation. He finally advanced to peak Nascent Soul. He felt like he had the power to destroy planets now, not that he would ever do such a horrible thing. The entire world shook when he made his breakthrough. He quickly got out of the ring, scared that he would ruin it if he stayed there any longer. He completed his breakthrough to Nascent Soul Stage on the hundredth floor, and noticed that Wheeler was watching him from a distance away.

“Congratulations,” Wheeler said, after Bon had finished. “You can now be considered a powerhouse, even on the world of Amra.”

“Thanks.”

“Your friends will be here soon. You can come and fish with me to pass the time, as long as you don’t ask any more questions.”

“Alright.” Bon followed Wheeler to a small stream and was given a fishing rod. They fished together in silence. Neither of them caught a single thing.

“Are there even fish in there?” Bon asked. He knew there were fish by using his Mana Sense, but none of them came near. He just felt frustrated—about so many things.

“No questions—remember?” Wheeler sighed. “Fishing is all about patience.”

“I have patience,” Bon protested. “If I didn’t, I would have gone mad by now.”

“It’s true that you have a strong and resilient mind, but it is still lacking in many things. Keep fishing. It will help you.”

He wanted to ask Wheeler about what being a demigod entailed, but he knew Wheeler wouldn’t answer. Wheeler was miserly with his words.

“I led your friend Steve down a false trail when he started investigating you,” said Wheeler. “He thinks your secret is a special Title. I’ve now given him a special Title to shut him up. It was quite well done, if I do say so myself. I made him think that he had found a great secret of the Tower. His girlfriends have also got some minor titles. It cost me quite a bit of energy to do all this, but not as much as you if you had killed that dragonling on your own.”

“What secret of the Tower does he think he know?”

“A guide to gaining ten Unique Titles. He gave the method to that Yuri fellow as well. He’s quite a generous guy.”

Bon nodded.

Time passed and they still hadn’t caught a thing. Bon meditated while he fished. He examined the inside of his body constantly, trying to find some clue to advance from the Nascent Soul stage.

“Your friends have arrived,” Wheeler said.

“I’ll take my leave then,” Bon put aside the fishing rod and expanded his Mana Sense to find the players. There was a large group of them, about fifteen thousand players in all. Bon didn’t fly. He didn’t want to startle them. He still wanted to play it low-key. He found that he preferred it that way. Besides, the gods of the neutral faction would be looking at this floor now. It wasn’t safe to show his power. He ran through the land and met up with them half a day later.

“Bon!” Bojana called out. “Thank God you’re okay.”

The rest of his friends came and hugged him one by one.

“What happened?” Toby asked.

“That portal that sucked me in brought me here,” Bon explained. “I’ve been waiting ever since.”

“You seem different somehow,” Phil said.

Bon just shrugged and grinned. “Let’s kill that Boss and go back home.”

They joined the mob of fifteen thousand and walked towards the Boss. It seemed that many of the mages had learned how to modify their Mana Sense for more range.

“Siobhan,” he asked, “How many spells have you learned to cast on your own?”

“Twenty five,” she said with a smile.

“That’s great. What are all your levels?”

“We’re all one hundred and seventy,” she replied.

“Except for me,” said Phil. “I’m two hundred and three, thanks to my Title. Steve’s the highest in this group. He’s two hundred and eighty five.”

“Wow,” said Bon. “That’s quite a large discrepancy. He must have worked very hard.”

“He has,” nodded Bojana. “He’s been handing out Legendaries to his people like they were candies. He must have been hunting some very ferocious monsters. Thanks to him, all the Boss kills have been smooth. I thought he was an asshole in the beginning, but he’s actually pretty nice and more importantly, he’s competent.”

“Yeah, everybody loves Steve,” said Phil in a dry voice. “I’m not fooled though.”

“You’re just jealous,” Siobhan poked him. “We forgot to introduce Al.”

Bon had been wondering who the man standing silently with them was. He was wearing a cowboy hat and had two pistols strapped to a holster on his waist.

“Bon—Al, Al—Bon,” said Bojana. They smiled and nodded at each other.

“You’re a gunslinger?” asked Bon.

“Yep,” Al said. “Pleasure.” He seemed to be a man of few words, just like Jim and Aisha. He looked like he had sharp eyes, and his hands were always near his guns. He had a southern drawl, and reminded Bon of Alan Ladd from that old cowboy movie ‘Shane.’

It felt good to be back with his friends. They made their way to the green dragonling and the players got into their groups. Bon took out his guitar and made ready while a few people joined their team to make their numbers ten.

“Attack!” roared Steve, raising his sword.

The teams of players went into action like well-oiled machinery. They attacked the dragonling in waves, moving in and out of range with no delay. Bon buffed his team as soon as they entered the field, and they attacked the dragonling. He cured everyone’s Fear status when the dragonling cast its ‘I Am Dragon’ skill. Poison was a problem, but Errel, the half elf, was able to cure them of it. Errel and everyone else had improved tremendously.

The dragonling burned its blood and went berserk. The teams started kiting the dragon, running away from it and hitting it from range so that it couldn’t come near and damage them. The dragon took to the air, and swooped down at them, but was quickly hit with one stun after another. Bon’s team was signaled to rotate and they ran out of range, assembling with the waiting players once more. They had to go back into battle ten times more before the dragonling was killed.

You have killed (BOSS) Green Dragonling

Quest ‘Slay the Green Dragonling’ completed Rewards: 1xLyre of David, 500 Gold, 10,000,000 EXP

Wheeler then appeared in the sky, above everyone.

“Congratulations on clearing the Tower,” his voice was not loud, but everyone could hear him. “As you have no doubt guessed, the Tower was sent to train you into warriors. Trouble is coming to your world soon, and you must prepare for it. The Tower System will stay with you forever, but your Titles and some of your skills will not work, and your equipment may not work at their optimal levels. Many of you have already realized that as you get stronger, the bonuses that your equipment gives you reduces. A stated 100% increase in movement speed, might only give you 50% in reality. For some of you who are very fast already,” he glanced at Bon, “The bonus might even only be 1%. Also, there will be about a 200 millisecond delay in casting your skills outside the Tower, so you will have to adjust accordingly. Your stuns and targeted damage skills might miss because of this, unless you predict and aim very carefully. I would give you all Legendary equipment if I could, to better prepare you for the coming tribulation, but there are rules that even I must follow. Twenty three days has passed on your world since you came here. Good luck.”

Wheeler disappeared and a gigantic blue portal opened not far from the crowd of players. Nobody ran towards the portal. Everyone waited for Steve to give the order.

Wheeler appeared in front of them once again and scratched his head while smiling sheepishly. "I forgot to mention that your gold is useless outside. Spend it all in this shop," he waved his hand and a gigantic holographic screen appeared in front of everyone, displaying many of the Tower's items. "These are the only things you can buy now. Just interface with the Store using a mental command. The items you purchase will appear in your inventory. Hurry now, while stocks last." He waved at them and disappeared once again.

Bon didn't bother spending his money. There was nothing there he wanted. He transferred the rest of his money to his friends who were staring at the giant screen with rapt attention. New items appeared and disappeared very quickly, After everyone had finished spending their money, Steve gathered them all into a big group.

“Teams one to fifty,” Steve shouted, “Enter the portal.”

After some time it was Bon’s team’s turn to enter the portal. Bon couldn’t help laughing like a madman. There were many others who were doing the same. They entered the portal and appeared in their university grounds, before the Tower. The area around the Tower was fenced and there were soldiers patrolling. The soldiers were staring at the players, not sure what they were supposed to do.

Only around a hundred people appeared out of the university portal. The rest must have been teleported to wherever they had entered from. Bon recognized some of them. There were many students and some professors among them. They waited outside the Tower, while the soldiers outside trained their rifles on them.

“You’re the missing people,” a woman in a suit shouted, and instructed the soldiers to put down their weapons. “I’ll arrange some transportation for you. Everyone, stay where you are for a little while longer.” The players did as she asked. They were still a little dazed from suddenly being back on Earth again.

They were ushered into trucks and taken to a location outside the city. It looked like a holiday resort, but there were soldiers patrolling outside.

“Everyone,” the woman in the suit said, “My name is Hilda, and I’ll be in charge of taking care of you. You shall be given rooms for now. Please stay there until you are called for debriefing. It might take a few days. Be patient.”

“Can I borrow a phone in the mean time?” asked Bon.

“I’m afraid not,” the woman said. “Your family will be informed as soon as we sort everything. Please sign against your name and address on the register and then collect your key.

His happiness dissipated a little. It would take some time to see Sarah and his family again. He had been waiting for this moment for thousands of years. He could wait a few more days.

Nobody protested, and everyone signed the register one by one. People stared strangely at Errel. He looked like he could understand English. The Tower system was probably translating everything for him. Bon noticed Hilda talking to Errel animatedly. Judging from their expressions, Errel would be fine.

Bon knew that it wouldn’t be as peaceful as this everywhere. Players had waited too long to come back. Some would be very impatient to get back to their families. He would probably get to see it on the news, he thought as he went to the room and turned on the television. He used his qi sense to scan the city while the news anchor droned on. He looked at San Francisco from a bird's eye view. He found a familiar neighborhood and moved in closer. He spotted his father's house, and saw his parents sitting at the dining table.They seemed to be fine, physically at least. He then used his qi sense to view Sarah's flat. She was there, watching TV. Everyone was okay. He sighed with relief and went back to watching the news, though he was very temped to keep on peeping on his loved ones. The Tower had taught him patience. He could wait.