Player Zero

Chapter 24

"Silly girl, I am Lirael Schafer, sub captain of the Brilliance Guild. I would never risk tarnishing my reputation by associating with someone of such low standing. It's all about appearances in this world, after all."

Lirael's words cut deep into Emma's heart, leaving her feeling small and insignificant. She realized then that she would have to prove herself worthy of Lirael's respect if she ever wanted to be taken seriously in the guild. Like any other guild, everything she said and did was all for publicity and personal gain. Emman was new, and she never expected that the person she admired before was like this, but being part of the Brilliance Guild, Emma was tied down to whatever Lirael Schafer wanted to do.

She was a fake person; her portrayal of a nice person was her way to gain control over the public, as news reporters love the idea that players like her were compassionate and kind toward the weak. Emma struggled with the realization that her idol was not who she thought she was. Despite feeling trapped by Lirael's manipulative ways, Emma knew she had to find a way to break free from the guild and be true to herself.

Lirael Schafer was really called two-faced among her own team. Tower players are now beyond just heroes; they were considered role models for young aspiring athletes. Emma knew she had to distance herself from Lirael's toxic influence in order to stay true to her own values and integrity.

She noticed that the individual Lirael Schafer was assisting was genuinely new and low level; his response at the main gate entrance was similar to her own initial feelings of confusion and overwhelm upon arriving on the new continent. Knowing that this new player might die inside the tower made her uneasy.

Upon entering the gate, a huge gatekeeper was seen watching those who were walking inside; these beings were very intimidating for new players, but Dane was more fascinated seeing the gatekeeper than feeling scared. The mana it was emitting was strong, but compared to what Dane has, in comparison it was lower than his. As the weakest gatekeeper, he has level 60 in mana but a high level in speed and strength enough to break a level 50 monster in half.

Dane was seen staring at his creation; the gatekeepers were actually his personal creation. He spent hours designing and creating complex backgrounds for each one of these divine creatures. Their abilities were coded and developed to be a neutral force in the tower; they might look weaker compared to an ancient dragon, but the one thing that makes these beings so terrifying was their ability to see the weakness of their enemy.

Gatekeepers are known to hold high esteem toward their kind and see other beings to be lower than them, but they always hunger for new knowledge. Many players assumed that gatekeepers are greedy toward gaining mana stones, but these payments are one of the few fundamental payment currencies inside the tower. Only a few high-level players were able to truly understand these beings desire, like the developers of the virtual game they were created to have the same personality of being a knowledge seeker. Submitting new knowledge will increase the player connection and affiliation toward these beings, but the manner in which to give this knowledge needs to come from asking a question that they don't know the answer to.

This will trigger the gatekeeper to acknowledge the player that could stimulate these conditions. But as for now, Dane has a schedule that he needs to follow. He needs to place the three largest guilds to accomplish the Evolve Drake quest without getting involved with Charlotte's task. He knows very well how stubborn and prideful players are when it comes to gaining full credit for accomplishing a mission. Dane understands the importance of maintaining a balance between completing quests efficiently and avoiding unnecessary conflicts. He must strategize carefully to ensure the success of the Evolve Drake quest while also navigating the complexities of the other player guilds dynamics within the tower.

Opening the gate toward the second floor will reveal the tower's real purpose. As the player goes up the tower, the main scenario will eventually surface if the path the players took aligns toward the main scenario. But first they need to clear the empire of graves.

And the best way to gain King Deryth Cererindur's trust and assistance in that particular quest issthrough hiss third wife, the queen's consort, Aranel Finrod, because one of the victims of the Drake attack was her younger brother. Obtaining the Drake heart is the key that will open the quest to clear the Empire of graves.

Dane was delighted seeing his design function to what he wanted them to do as he got scanned. And walking at the heart of the gatekeepers domain, he understood that being a player now still presents a huge amount of segregation from those who are strong and weak; nothing even changes. Even in a world where opportunity is free to obtain, there will always be a divide between the powerful and the weak. Dane knew that in order to truly succeed in this world, he would need to align himself with the strongest players and prove his worth through skill and determination. This realization fueled his determination to rise above the rest and become a force to be reckoned with in the game.

The veteran players were seen to be more arrogant based on how they see the lower-level players. It's something that never goes away. Dane just casually walked past these types of people and hoped that everything would go smoothly. He wasn't even wearing any player armor nor carrying a weapon; even the lower player wears a leather breastplate and a standard weapon of choice. Dane was just wearing his casual clothing that he never finds to be out of place. He thus has the mindset of an old person, so he was never accustomed to dressing up the fact that his formless armor was overpowered already.

This was something he thought would be a good pretense disguise to look average, but he failed to see the difference of generational attitude; older players never once reacted to what he was wearing. These older players were more focused on skill and strategy rather than appearances, making Dane's choice of attire irrelevant in their eyes. Despite his attempt to blend in, because in his mind Dane was still a 53-year-old man in a reconstructed body of a 23-year-old body of his in his prime.

Sadly, this particular generation of players was more into personal gain, self-indulgence, and social acknowledgment, having to wear advanced gear and weaponry. To show status and superiority, rather than focusing on the fundamentals of the tower's survival experience. This realization left Dane feeling out of place and disconnected from the community he once thought he could seamlessly join.

Despite his confidence in his unconventional approach, Dane quickly realized that he was at a disadvantage in the game due to his outdated attire. This made him reconsider his strategy and adapt to the changing dynamics of the new generation.

Everybody was laughing at him, and they were mocking his appearance and lack of player gear. But he never cared to act on it. He was more focused on the thing he needed to do, but some players are born as thugs and gain pleasure in insulting others. One player crossed that line and went over to Dane, attempting to physically intimidate him. Dane stood his ground, refusing to be bullied, and calmly reminded the player that the Tower of Chaos was about skill, not appearance. This unexpected response caught the player off guard and earned Dane an unwanted attack. Killing a player inside the tower was not illegal nor bound to any of the royalty, as they were still in the gatekeeper's domain.

This was actually the best place to free kill another player, and the winner will not be held accountable for his or her actions. Okay, killing is allowed. in this area. However, Dane was prepared for this possibility and unconsciously activated his killing intent. This action was made aware when Khamael, manager of the gatekeepers of the tower, instantly recalled the same energy; it moved in a blink of an eye, and they saw the person who was emanating the raw killing energy. I was not strong enough to paralyze the enemy in fear; Khamael, manager of the gatekeepers, felt some more than just fear; it was life-threatening for them.

The hate and anger it felt were new and alien to its existence, as it was far more sensitive than the rest of the gatekeepers. Khamael realized that this new threat was unlike anything they had encountered before; sensing a level of hate and anger in its body was very unsettling for a prode being. As the manager of the gatekeepers, Khamael knew that it needed to do something, but what could it do? This question was beyond what it was created for.

The first and last time it went out was to confront the same being; after retiring to its original post, the pain it felt was beyond anything it had felt before. Then the voice of the tower reprimanded Khamael for taking action without proper authorization, warning of dire consequences if it happened again. Despite the fear of punishment, Khamael knew that the safety of the gatekeepers and their realm was at stake, forcing it to make a difficult decision. It had to find a way to protect its domain without defying the tower's orders.

Dane was able to neutralize the situation and felt a strong gaze was looking at him. He toned down his killing intent as the player who was about to physically harm him was temporarily paralyzed with fear. Dane was able to see the secondary gate leading inside the tower; a particular building was seen in the gate opening in the distance, and the location was good enough for him to teleport to that location, knowing full well using abilities inside the gatekeeper's domain was never prohibited. He just needed the right opportunity to leave, so when the player's teammate noticed something was wrong, they all ran toward the two, causing a small disturbance as many players from different guilds were already converging on the Dane location. The sudden dash of these players accidentally bumps with the incoming mass of players.

Within those few minutes, the place was like a train station main lobby floor; dozens of people suddenly rushed inside. This was the moment Dane wanted to happen; the timing was perfect. Khamael was standing a few meters away from where the incident happened; his appearances were not known in their domain, as many players already knew who this being was, and because they hardly react to any situation inside their premises, especially if there were no laws broken. Each player just casually walked and passed the gatekeepers.

Khamael saw what the person did; he teleported out and officially set foot inside the tower. The manager of the gate now needs to decide if this event is worth reporting. Basically nothing happened; the incident was between anotherplayer. Khamael observed the situation unfold with keen interest, contemplating whether or not to intervene. As he pondered his next move, the other players continued on their way, unfazed by the minor disturbance that had occurred. Ultimately, Khamael decided to keep a close eye on the situation before making any further decisions.

As soon as Dane stepped on the inner part of the tower, a notification was prompted, and his information was automatically written down in the gatekeeper's logbook.

" ATTENTION ENTRY LOG CONFIRMS PLAYER NAME DAMON RINNE LAZARUS LEVEL ERROR"

"Due TO AN ANOMALY, LEVEL QUESTIONABLE, BASED ON MAIN CORE SYSTEM DATA IS UNDETERMINE ANDBASED ON THIS , TOWER RULE WILL BE APPLIED ."

" LEVEL WILL BE REDUCE TO ZERO"

"REMAINING EXPERIENCE POINT ALSO BE REDUCE TO ZERO."

" SENDING ANOMALY TO TOWER ADMINISTRATOR TO CONFIRM AND GAIN PROPER ASSESSMENT AND RESOLUTION."

"TOWER ADMINISTRATOR CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE,"

"SCANNING AVAILABLE TOWER MANAGERS, RESOLUTION NOW PENDING"

"PROCEED WITH CAUTION UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. ANY ATTEMPT TO BYPASS TOWER RULE WILL RESULT IN IMMEDIATE DISCIPLINARY ACTION. STAY ALERT FOR FURTHER UPDATES FROM TOWER ADMINISTRATION. "

"WOULD YOU LIKE TO BYPASS TOWER RULES?"

"YES OR NO?"

"No, retain zero level and register as a new player; eliminate any remaining information from previous sessions before proceeding. This will ensure a fresh start and prevent any potential anomalies from resurfacing in the future."

"Failure to comply with these instructions may result in system errors and data corruption."

"Better start from the bottom."

"TOWER SYSTEM CROSS CHECKING, ALL AVAILABLE LAWS CORRESPONDING TO ANOMALY,"

"INITIATING RESET OF PLAYER, IN THREE, TWO, ONE…"

"CONFIRMED, PLAYER CAN NOW BEGIN."

"REGISTRATION OF NAME... "ERROR!"

"COULD NOT COMPLY, NAME ILIGIBILITY CONSIDERED ANOMALY, "

"MAIN SYSTEM COULD NOT COMPLY, SCANNING RULES FOR ANOMALY ..."

"NONE! "

"SCANNING SECONDARY SYSTEM BY LAW..."

"NONE! "

"SCANNING , LOOKING FOR SOLUTION. "

"FOUND!"

" ANOMALY CAN REGISTER, PROVIDED PLAYER HAS TITLE."

" "SCANNING .... ZERO TITLE."

" RESPONDING , BASED ON CORE SYSTEM LAW AND SECONDARY BY LAW..."

"PROCEED..."

"REGISTRATION IS NOW COMPLETED.,"

"SURVIVE THE TOWER OF CHAOS GOOD LUCK"

"PLAYER ZERO,"

"Huh! Player Zero, what's that all about?"

" Sigh... Whatever, as long as I can participate in the tower quest. I really don't mind."