Trial Of The Tower (7)

15 hours had passed since Xavier had climbed the tower. He, Razer, and Melody had been fighting nonstop, fending off various types of monsters within the tower. Despite leveling up along the way, he had only managed to reach the 15th floor.

Xavier took shaky breaths, pulling an arrow from the giant tiger-like monster beneath his foot. The beast's fur was charred in some places, blood seeping from numerous wounds. Its body twitched slightly before going still. Xavier scanned the area, taking in the aftermath. Melody and Razer had respectively taken out their share of monsters, but they were noticeably tired.

Xavier sighed, frustration evident in his voice. "This is as far as I can go at my current level."

He pulled up his system screen, revealing his current status:

[System Notice]

Name: Xavier

Level: 25

Title: None

Job: None

Skills: Survivor's Instinct (Passive) [Level 2]

[Stats]

- Strength: 37

- Agility: 37

- Endurance: 37

- Intelligence: 28

- Perception: 24

He exhaled deeply, tilting his head back to gaze at the ceiling. He wished he could ascend higher, but at this rate, he'd be fighting monsters far above his level and possibly die. He wasn't about to take any unnecessary risks.

Turning his attention to Razer and Melody, he examined their system screens:

[System Notice]

-Name: Razer - Level 3

- Rank: Moderate

- Name: Melody - Level 4

- Rank: Squire

- Body Enhancement [Level 2]

Satisfied that his subordinates had grown stronger alongside him, he opened another system window, which presented two choices:

[System Notice]

Would you like to continue climbing the tower or leave?

[Continue] [Leave]

Xavier closed his eyes, deep in thought, before deciding to leave the tower. As soon as he made his selection, the system confirmed his request, activating an elevator that would take him back down to the first floor.

As the elevator doors closed, Xavier, Razer, and Melody stood in silence, reflecting on their battles. Moments later, they emerged outside the Tower of the Broken Ruined Empire State Building. Xavier gazed up at the towering structure, sighing. "I need to level up faster."

He reached into his inventory, pulling out a Return Stone—an item he had looted from one of the monsters. The stone allowed him to leave the dungeon without facing the boss.

Just as he was about to crush the stone, a thought struck him. "Wait... what about Razer and Melody?" He couldn't exactly take them into the outside world. He wasn't registered as a mage or a hunter, and having two powerful subordinates with him would raise too many questions.

Before he could dwell on it further, a system notification popped up:

[System Notice]

Congratulations! You have endured the tower for 15 hours and reached the 15th floor.

You have earned the following rewards:

[Claim Rewards?]

[Accept.] [Canel.]

Xavier's eyes widened. "Right... the system did mention rewards."

He pressed the accept button, and a blinding light filled his vision. When it subsided, three system windows appeared before him:

[Rewards]

[Reward 1: Dungeon Key]

- A key that allows access to this dungeon at any time.

]Reward 2: Crimson Fang (B-Rank Weapon)]

- A short sword with a crimson red and silver blade, curved at the end with jagged edges on the blunt side. The crossguard is obsidian black, and the hilt is smooth with the same hue.

- Skill: Double Piercing - Strikes twice in a single motion, bypassing armor.

[Reward 3: System Store Currency (20 Gold Coins)]

- Currency usable in the newly unlocked System Store.

Xavier was genuinely surprised. He had expected something small, but a B-Rank weapon and dungeon key were better than he had hoped. The key, in particular, solved his issue—Razer and Melody could remain in the dungeon while he returned to the outside world.

He grinned. "This is actually perfect."

Satisfied, he turned toward his subordinates. "Stay here and keep getting stronger. I'll be back."

With that, Xavier crushed the Return Stone in his hand, his body enveloped in shimmering light. As he vanished, he waved goodbye to Razer and Melody. His final thought before disappearing?

"For the first time in a long while... I'm actually excited to go back home. And not be empty handed."