They were officially on the first floor, and the world announcements were damn near impossible to ignore.
Loud. Bold. Overdramatic as hell. And paired with that annoying, overly classy cartoon music that sounded like it belonged in a Looney Tunes chase scene or some Tom and Jerry episode where somebody was about to get hit with a frying pan. It echoed through the stone hallways of the Tower, bouncing off red-lit walls and making the whole place feel less like a death trap and more like a circus that hated you personally.
Still, after the third message, the married couple had already tuned it out.
Which, apparently, impressed the Terra Blue Star A.I. more than it probably should have.
Are all humans like this?
Kamadeva sure as hell wasn't thinking about that right now.
"Bitch, can ya stop touching yourself for five minutes," he said, not even bothering to hide the irritation in his voice, because Rika had been at it for a long time now. And he meant long. Hands on her wings, her tail, her sides, her chest, like she had just discovered her own body for the first time and decided this was the exact wrong place and time to explore it.
Yeah, it was hot.
Also, very much not the moment.
Rika didn't even acknowledge him.
She was way too busy running her fingers over her tail, flexing her wings a little just to feel how the muscles moved, then brushing her hands over the smooth scales along her sides with a low, satisfied hum.
Fuck, her scales felt amazing.
And her boobs were just right too. Perfect size, perfect weight, and for once in her damn life, they didn't make her back hurt.
"Babe…" Kamadeva sighed, switching tactics. "I been told there's mold growin' in Wine Storage Forty-Five at UI Alcohol Storage Unit."
He paused, then added, because of course he had to explain it, "Didn't even know alcohol storage units was a successful business, but hey, I don't drink, you do. Point is, I'm afraid I gotta call them people and have 'em toss the whole thing."
Rika froze.
Slowly, very slowly, she turned her head.
"…Wine Storage Forty-Five?" she repeated.
The one where she kept the good shit. The expensive bottles. The rare stuff Aria had gifted her after every underground fight win. Booze you didn't even open unless the night was already legendary.
Her eye twitched.
"….Sexy motherfucker plays dirty," she muttered, letting out a small, frustrated sigh as she finally stopped touching herself and straightened up. Fine. If she was gonna enjoy this new body, she'd do it on her own time. And that didn't mean letting her tall, muscled, annoying-ass husband handle everything while she stood around admiring herself like some damn mirror NPC.
She rolled her shoulders, tail flicking once behind her.
"Let's get it done, babe."
Kamadeva immediately put a hand out, stopping her before she could charge forward like she was about to headbutt the entire Tower.
"Can we at least check the stats first?" he said. "Before you go dick-first like you're Leroy Jenkins himself."
She clicked her tongue but didn't move.
Because… yeah, fair.
He'd never had Ancient or Primordial Human traits before. Never been Beastman. Never been Ogre either. He had absolutely no idea what kind of bullshit those bloodlines came with, or what kind of side effects they were about to deal with once things actually started moving.
He pulled up his interface, eyes narrowing.
"How bad can it be," he muttered.
Somewhere ahead, something heavy shifted.
And the Tower finally remembered it was supposed to be trying to kill them.
Kamadeva flicked his wrist, forcing the interface open before Rika could lunge forward and start a problem they weren't ready for yet. The translucent panels unfolded in front of him, hovering in the blood-lit air of the Tower's first floor.
He stared.
"…Oh. That's not good," he muttered.
Rika leaned over his shoulder immediately. "What? What's not good?"
He didn't answer. He just expanded the window.
---------
[Player: BreakerMoore]
Race: Primordial Human
(Chinese-American-Japanese | Primordial Oni (Blue/Red) | Primordial Dragon (Black) | Primordial Phoenix (Red))
Level: 0
HP: 32,000 / 32,000
MP: 6,800 / 6,800
Stamina: 21,000 / 21,000
[Class Slots]
▶ Primary Class (1/1): Adepta Templar (Tier: 0)
▶ Secondary Class (1/4): Dragon Shaman (Tier: 0)
⛔ Tertiary Class (0/3): [Locked] — Requires [Crown of the First Sovereign: Stage II]
[Attributes]
Strength: 92
Agility: 71
Endurance: 89
Vitality: 96
Intelligence: 58
Willpower: 90
Luck: 46
Free Attribute Points: 15
[Combat Stats]
Physical Attack Power: 1,840
Defense: 2,150
Attack Speed: 1.35
Movement Speed: 1.30
Critical Rate: 18%
Mana Regeneration: +50/sec
HP Regeneration: +145/sec
Stamina Regeneration: +120/sec
[Weapon Mastery]
Giant Kanabō Mastery: Rank 0
Sword Mastery: Rank 0
[Bloodline Traits]
Primordial Human (Female)
• Attribute growth +25%
• Skill growth +25%
• Mana costs reduced by 15%.
• Cooldown reduction increased by +10%.
• Femininity Aspect Manifestation
Primordial Oni (Blue/Red)
• Physical Growth +25%
• Kanabō/Sword damage increased by +18%.
• Damage taken while attacking reduced by 15%.
• Crowd-control resistance increased by 25%.
• Enemies struck in melee suffer -10% Defense for 3 seconds.
Primordial Dragon (Black)
• All damage resistance increased by +12%.
• Defense increases by +1% per second while in combat (caps at 20%).
• Elemental damage taken reduced by 20%.
• Boss and elite enemies deal 10% less damage to the user.
• Large enemies are affected by knockback and stagger effects.
Primordial Phoenix (Red)
• HP regeneration increased by +40%.
• Taking lethal damage instead restores 25% HP (Cooldown: 10 minutes).
• Fire-based damage increased by +20%.
• Status damage (burn, poison, bleed) reduced by 50%.
• Recovery speed after knockdown increased by 35%.
Adepta Templar (Primary Class | Tier 0) Skills:
Consecrated Strike — Active
• Melee attack
• Damage: 160% Physical
• Cooldown: 6 sec
• On hit: Restores 2% HP
Sanctified Guard — Active
• Self-buff
• Defense: +20%
• Duration: 8 sec
• Cooldown: 20 sec
Judgment Pulse — Active
• Short-range AoE
• Damage: 120% Physical
• Applies: -10% Enemy Attack (5 sec)
• Cooldown: 15 sec
Faith Channel — Passive
• Willpower increases Defense scaling by +15%
• Healing effects increased by +10%
Templar Discipline — Passive
• Stamina costs for melee skills reduced by 10%
Dragon Shaman (Secondary Class | Tier 0) Skills:
Dragon Fang Swing — Active
• Kanabō attack
• Damage: 180% Physical + Fire
• Armor penetration: 15%
• Cooldown: 8 sec
Purifying Flame — Active
• Fire/Holy attack
• Damage: 140% Magic
• Applies Burn: 30 damage/sec (6 sec)
• Cooldown: 12 sec
Ritual Step — Active
• Movement skill
• Movement Speed: +30% (3 sec)
• Stylish Rank gain increased during effect
• Cooldown: 18 sec
Shamanic Endurance — Passive
• Vitality increases HP regeneration by +10%
• Fire damage taken reduced by 10%
Sacred Rhythm — Passive
• Alternating different skills increases damage by +5% per action (max 15%)
Judge's Combat Technique — Passive
• Improves her proficiency at handling holy flames, increasing Fire and Light Damages.
---------
Kamadeva eyes just dropped at the information. His wife is unstoppable if she ever hits something and kills it.
-----
[Player: Deva]
Race: Primordial Human
(African-American) (Haitian) | Beastman (Wolf) | Beastman (Crocodile) | Primordial Ogre)
Level: 0
HP: 28,500 / 28,500
MP: 14,200 / 14,200
Stamina: 18,000 / 18,000
[Class Slots]
▶ Primary Class (1/1): Arcane Magus (Tier: 0)
▶ Secondary Class (1/4): Chaser Mage
⛔ Tertiary Class (0/3): [Locked] — Requires [Crown of the First Sovereign: Stage II]
[Attributes]
Strength: 78
Agility: 62
Endurance: 95
Vitality: 88
Intelligence: 91
Willpower: 84
Luck: 41
Free Attribute Points: 15
[Combat Stats]
Physical Attack Power: 1,620
Magical Attack Power: 2,480
Defense: 1,980
Attack Speed: 1.40
Movement Speed: 1.45
Critical Rate: 16%
Mana Regeneration: +115/sec
HP Regeneration: +95/sec
Stamina Regeneration: +110/sec
[Weapon Mastery]
Unarmed Combat Mastery: Rank 0
Elemental Casting Mastery: Rank 0
Firearms Proficiency: Rank 0
Primordial Human (Male)
• All attribute gains increased by +25%.
• Skill EXP gain increased by +25%.
• Mana costs reduced by 15%.
• Cooldown reduction increased by +10%.
• Male Aspect Manifestation
Primordial Beastman (Wolf)
• Attack speed increased by +15%.
• Critical rate increased by +8%.
• Movement speed increased by +12%.
• Stylish Rank gain increased by 20%.
• Damage against bleeding or staggered enemies increased by +15%.
Primordial Beastman (Crocodile)
• Defense increased by +20%.
• Damage reduction increased by +12%.
• Stamina consumption reduced by 15%.
• Grab, grapple, and impact-based attacks deal +25% damage.
• Resistance to knockback and forced movement increased by 30%.
Primordial Ogre
• Maximum HP increased by +30%.
• Defense increased by an additional +15%.
• Stagger resistance increased by +40%.
• Damage dealt increases by +1% per second while continuously attacking (caps at +20%).
• Knockback immunity while attacking.
Arcane Magus (Primary Class | Tier 0)
Arcane Bolt — Active
• Ranged magic attack
• Damage: 150% Magic
• Mana Cost: 40
• Cooldown: 2 sec
Mana Weave — Active
• Self-buff
• Mana Regeneration: +30%
• Duration: 10 sec
• Cooldown: 25 sec
Elemental Shift — Active
• Change elemental alignment (Lightning / Water / Shadow / Nature)
• Next spell gains +20% damage and secondary effect
• Mana Cost: 25
• Cooldown: 8 sec
Arcane Stability — Passive
• Reduces spell interruption chance by 25%
• Casting speed increased by 10%
Focused Casting — Passive
• Consecutive spell hits on the same target increase Magic Damage by +5% (max 20%)
Chaser Mage (Secondary Class | Tier 0)
Mana Fist — Active
• Close-range strike
• Damage: 140% Physical + Magic
• Scales with Strength and Intelligence
• Cooldown: 3 sec
Arcane Dash — Active
• Movement skill
• Dash distance: 12 meters
• Leaves arcane trail (minor damage: 40% Magic)
• Cooldown: 10 sec
Elemental Drive — Active
• Infuse body with current element
• Physical attacks gain +25% elemental damage
• Duration: 6 sec
• Cooldown: 18 sec
Chaser Flow — Passive
• Using movement skills increases Attack Speed by 5% (max 15%)
• Effect lasts 6 sec
Close-Combat Casting — Passive
• Spells cast within 5 meters deal +15% damage
• Mana cost reduced by 10% at close range
-----
Kamadeva let the interface collapse back into light, the translucent panels dissolving into nothing as the Tower's red glow reclaimed the space around them.
"Nice," he said simply. At least the skills don't look different. Terra Blue Star skills and stats look nice. Everything looked like a game.
But underneath that polish, it was still built on realism.
Pain mattered. Positioning mattered. Momentum mattered. Timing mattered. And worst of all?
The enemy A.I. was leagues above what most players were prepared for.
These weren't scripted mobs that politely waited their turn. The world monsters didn't run on basic aggro tables or predictable patterns. Its enemies learned. They adapted. They punished repetition. Fight sloppy, and it corrected you. Fight clever, and it adjusted. Fight stylish, and it got faster.
"Hey you stupid motherfucker where are you goin'!" Rika snapped seeing Kamadeva walking towards the door without explaining shit. Don't weapons have stats or something she wondered.
Kamadeva didn't stop walking when she snapped at him. He kept moving toward the massive stone doorway at the far end of the arena, boots crunching over fractured rock, eyes locked on the seams where the Tower's mechanisms hid.
"If we don't hurry," he said calmly, voice carrying without effort, "the first-floor mobs are gonna keep spawning smarter, tighter, and closer together. That's how this place works. Stall too long and it stops being a warm-up and starts being a lesson."
The Tower answered him with motion.
Somewhere behind them, stone scraped. Not the heavy, singular movement of a boss this time, but lighter. Faster. Multiple points of contact. The sound of something reorganizing itself now that it had data.
Kamadeva slowed just enough to glance back over his shoulder.
Weapons did have stats. Rika wasn't wrong. But right now, stats weren't the problem.
"Floor one ain't about loot," he added, finally stopping at the door and placing a hand against the cold stone. "It's about tempo. Kill everything slow and clean, the Tower gets bored. Kill sloppy, it gets offended. Either way, you lose."
The door pulsed under his palm, runes shifting as if listening.
And exploded.
A giant red claw slammed down in front of the doorway Kamadeva had just touched, stone exploding outward in a violent shockwave that ripped through the hall like a bomb going off. The Tower doors didn't just crack—they ceased to exist, pulverized into glowing fragments that skittered across the floor before dissolving into motes of red light.
For a split second, everything went silent.
Then the arm pulled back.
Everyone watching—players in starter towns, guild halls, workshops, dorm rooms, underground fight gyms, corporate offices pretending not to stream at work—gaped.
The arm alone was bigger than a city bus.
Thick cords of muscle ran beneath crimson-black skin that looked more like forged metal than flesh, veins glowing faintly like molten lines under armor. Each claw was longer than a greatsword, curved, serrated, and dripping with heat distortion, as if the air itself didn't agree with its existence.
The livestream feed shook as the camera auto-adjusted, zooming out desperately.
The rest of the thing stepped forward.
A massive humanoid shape unfolded from the shadows, easily three stories tall, shoulders scraping the upper arches of the Tower corridor. Its torso was plated in jagged bone and iron-like growths, ribs exposed but reinforced, glowing sigils burned directly into its chest like brand marks. A horned skull crowned its head—half demon, half something older—and a single burning eye snapped open, locking directly onto the two players.
Not scanning.
Targeting.
"What the fuck is that thing!?" Rika shouted, her voice raw, cutting straight through the tension.
She wasn't alone.
That question echoed across the world.
It had only been ten minutes since the Terra Blue Star A.I. had opened the live feed of Deva and BreakerMoore, and the view count had already blown past three hundred million—still climbing so fast the counter blurred when it refreshed.
"Man you suck at this." The creature look down to the human talking to him. How did he escape the wrath of his claws. If his brothers find about this they will never let this go.
"Tip one Rika. Always check out the information on Monsters. Since there is no identify or scan skill you will have to look it up yourself."
"What the fuck? What dumbass, lame-ass, punk-ass little bitch designed this stupid shit?" Rika snapped.
Now she remembered exactly why she hated video games. It was always something—some overengineered, anti-fun mechanic cooked up by a gamer nerd who'd never been punched in the mouth. Sometimes an incel. Sometimes just an asshole.
"Stop bitchin'. Flow mana into your eyes and look at the dumb fucker with the pencil dick."
｢Name: Warton Skeleton (D) – Rook / HostileLevel: 0HP: 750,000 / 750,000MP: 400,000 / 400,000｣
Level zero.
Seven hundred and fifty thousand health.
And classified as a Rook.
The implications hit harder than the claw ever could.
Rika stood there, kanabō resting against her shoulder, eyes locked on the monster's frame as she slowly exhaled through her fangs and the moment Kamadeva said it, the sky above the Tower darkened.
Pressure descended.
Not magic. Not gravity. Something heavier—something that overrode both.
It slammed outward from the Tower like an invisible tide, sweeping across everything within a thousand kilometers. Monsters. Beasts. NPCs. Lesser entities on the first floor were erased instantly, their presence snuffed out as if they had never existed.
When the pressure finally settled, only three beings remained alive on the first floor.
Kamadeva, Rika. And the thing in front of them.
"YOU DARE!"
The roar came with the pressure, layered on top of it, amplified by rage so dense it distorted the air itself. The Skeleton's voice thundered through the ruins, tyrannical and absolute, shaking the Tower's foundations as its burning eye locked onto Kamadeva with murderous intent.
"Ya bro. Ye mad?"
"Die, human freak!"
The Warton Skeleton launched a heavy straight at Kamadeva, leaning forward and putting all its momentum into the hit.
Clank!
The Warton Skeleton had seen many things in its time inside the Tower. Countless adventurers had come and failed on the first floor because of its strength and the strength of its brothers. Sure, a few had managed to pass, but it was always predictable. Always fair.
So by the Heavens… why did this human just block him?
Kamadeva stood there, completely still, blocking the fist with the back of his right hand. His hand was coated in a black sheen that caught everyone off guard.
[Deadly!] a voice announced as the word appeared beside Kamadeva.
"Babe…" Rika was torn. On one hand, this was hot bullshit. On the other hand… she was completely wet right now.
"Lesson two: Mana reinforcement," Kamadeva said calmly, blocking and weaving the Warton Skeleton's follow-up strikes, switching his rhythm to keep the Style Gauge climbing. "It comes in three different forms, but we'll go with the second."
"Mana of Armament Mana, or simply Armament Mana, is putting mana into the body. Armament Mana coats your body parts, weapons, bullets, whatever, with mana, greatly increasing their power and resilience. This goes in tandem with physical enforcement, a magic that lets the user boost physical abilities like strength and speed."
"But I didn't see that on your skills…" Rika said, her pupils dilating as she watched the fight unfold in front of her. His mana was flowing like it wasn't costing him anything at all.
God, those legs are sexy.
"In this game, skills can either be learned through books, through teaching, or by figuring it out yourself," Kamadeva replied calmly as he continued moving with the Skeleton's attacks. "Since combat is based on a realism-ish model of actual fighting, some techniques aren't handed to you as buttons. I learned Mana Reinforcement and Armament Mana manually. They're basically required skills if you want to survive."
He shifted his stance, black sheen flashing as another strike glanced off his guard.
"After level zero, you won't be able to harm most monsters without it—"
The players watching the stream stared in shock.
Was that actually true?
Since the worldwide announcements, people had already begun suspecting that these two were beta testers. But even beta testers had only tested maps, skills, and quest systems. Combat itself had never been fully tested by players.
If what Kamadeva was saying was real, then this meant he wasn't just some lucky early adopter.
Most viewers could only reach one conclusion:
Deva had to be a beta tester who had play-tested the combat system… and dragged his hot girlfriend along for the ride.
"Try adding mana into your weapon."
Kamadeva didn't raise his voice. He didn't even look at her when he said it, like this was basic advice you gave someone before crossing the street. His right hand slid off the Skeleton's fist, black sheen rippling as the impact dispersed instead of traveling into his bones.
"Not dumping it," he added, shifting his weight as another strike came in. "Feed it. Slow. Like you're teaching the weapon how to breathe."
The Tower groaned as the Warton Skeleton overcommitted again, its momentum dragging its massive frame forward just a fraction too far.
"I got it!"
Rika didn't wait for confirmation. Her grip tightened around the kanabō, breath steadying as instinct took over, not force.
Kamadeva not shocked by this the skill leveling of reinforcement on weapons is the easiest thing to do the world.
The kanabō hummed.
Not loud. Not flashy. Just a deep, satisfied vibration that crawled up her arms and settled into her spine.
The moment the mana fully settled, a translucent prompt snapped into existence at the edge of Rika's vision.
[Skill Acquired]
Armament Mana — Weapon Reinforcement (Basic)Type: Active / ToggleProficiency: Rank 0
• Infuses a weapon with stabilized mana• Weapon durability increased by +35%• Physical damage increased by +20%• Mana consumption: 10 Mana per sec • Effect strength scales with Willpower and Weapon Mastery• Incompatible with uncontrolled mana surges
Note: Improper mana flow will result in backlash damage.
Sensing the mana from her weapon Kamadeva smirked she is good at this.
Nice," Kamadeva said, still weaving under another heavy swing, his movements smooth and annoyingly casual. "Now. Reinforce your hand. That'll unlock Body, and then you push mana into the muscles — that unlocks Body Reinforce."
Rika blinked, staring at her glowing weapon, then at her own fingers like they'd personally betrayed her.
"…Huh?" She flexed her hand experimentally. "Wait, I gotta reinforce my hand first? I get the muscle part, but why the hell the hand?"
Kamadeva deflected another strike with his forearm, black sheen flashing like polished obsidian. The impact rang through the hall like a bell.
"Because weapons don't swing themselves," he said flatly. "If you only armament the weapon, the metal survives — but your bones, joints, tendons? Those get absolutely fucked on impact."
He finally glanced back at her. "Ever punch a brick wall full power without gloves?"
Rika grimaced. "…Yeah. Once."
"Exactly. Now imagine doing that with a mana-boosted kanabō moving at monster speed. Weapon lives. You don't."
She muttered a curse under her breath and focused, drawing mana inward instead of outward this time. Instead of feeding the weapon, she let the energy settle into her palm, her fingers, her wrist — slow, controlled, like wrapping invisible armor around bone and sinew.
The sensation was weird as hell.
Warm. Dense. Like pressure without pain.
Another chime rang.
[Skill Acquired]
Body Reinforcement (Basic)Type: Active / ToggleProficiency: Rank 0
• Reinforces muscles with mana to enhance output• Strength increased by +20%• Movement speed increased by +10%• Stamina consumption increased by +15%• Mana cost: 67 per second• Scales with Strength and Endurance
Note: Prolonged use causes fatigue if stamina is depleted.
[Skill Acquired]
Mana Armament (Body / Basic) Type: Active / ToggleProficiency: Rank 0
• Coats the user's entire body in condensed mana• Strength increased by +25%• Endurance increased by +20%• Impact damage to the body reduced by 30%• Resistance to recoil, backlash, and internal damage increased• Allows physical strikes to interact with magical and reinforced targets• Mana cost: 78 per second• Scales with Strength, Endurance, and Willpower
"About time, girl."
Rika looked up.
Kamadeva was already sitting on top of the Warton Skeleton's massive forearm, one boot planted casually against the joint where bone met scorched metal, the other dangling like he was perched on a railing instead of a living siege engine.
The thing was still moving.
Still trying to tear him apart.
And he was treating it like furniture.
The black sheen of Mana Armament (Body) rolled over him in slow pulses, not flaring, not flashing—just there, like gravity had decided to pick a favorite. Every time the Skeleton flexed, Kamadeva shifted with it, weight perfectly balanced, posture relaxed, eyes sharp.
Rika stared for half a second longer than she meant to.
"…You know," she said finally, tail flicking behind her as heat coiled low in her gut, "you really pick the worst times to be hot."
Kamadeva snorted.
"I'm always hot."