Fifty years ago, life had been ordinary. Cities hummed with machines,oceans shined under the sun, forests stretched endlessly And then the ground cracked.
Millions of towers erupted across the world from one side of the continent called Valecrest which is frozen north, from the deserts of the Solara continent and the jungles of Nythera. Even the islands were not spared and also even in the oceans. No land or oceans were remained untouched. Humanity watched in terror as the ground itself tore open and from it rose these colossal obsidian pillars.
Inside the towers were connected and it was an one infinite mega structure The Grand Tower of Solaris. The thousand floors each as a separate realm yet all unified. People entering through different entrances around the globe walked into the same tower.
And then the message came,
[THE PLANET EATER APPROACHES]
[AWAKENING PROTOCOL ACTIVATED]
No one knew what it looked like. No one knew when it would arrive. Only that it would devour worlds and humanity had to prepare for the years to come not knowing when it would appear.
Awakeners were born from the tower. Every human who survived the First Floor trial gained a Talent and Sub skill. Some never awakened, some died the empty, weak, useless, feared never passed through the first trail of the floor. Most ranked from F- to S+, Only legends reached even higher to SS, SS+, SSS, SSS+ and finally to god, but those are just the myths no one knows.
Today, even after 50 years the strongest were on Floor 101, testing themselves against impossible foes. Lucien Vahl from the famous Vahl family consisting of strongest Magic swordsman family led the Eclipse Guild dominated the floors from 90-101. His name alone could freeze armies. Seraphine Ardius Mistress of Thin blades from the Ardius Family consisting of assassin family led the Silver Fang Guild slicing through monsters and rival awakeners alike. Dorain Kane a Titan of Stone from the Barbarian family independent and merciless challenged anyone foolish enough to cross him. But still at 50 years for god sake they are still at 101th floor, I wonder how its up there.
Below them the world scrambled. Floors became kingdoms. Bosses were super strong like gods. The economy thrived on awakening energy, awakened weapons and mercenaries. Politics, entertainment, trade all revolved around awakeners.
And me? Kael Ardent twenty years old, born in Genovia city of the continent called Papaerius and orphaned young, raised by an uncaring uncle and got the title called LATE AWAKENER and now I have got this F- trash talent Line drawer and a sub trash skill called Tap.
I leaned against the wall near the Floor 2 portal. My hands clutched my iron dagger which is already worn out. Other late awakeners shuffled nervously around me. Some whispered about their talents. Some tried to peek at the tiles hoping for the hidden treasures. Some just stared me. Pity, fear, amusement it was hard to tell.
"Hey... you're that Late Awakener guy" a boy muttered with a white hair and a smug grin, why does he look like straight out from a novel where the main character with the white hair, so annoying. "Late Awakener this is floor 2, good luck and you wont survive ten minutes hahaha"
"Yeah... thanks.." I muttered, staring at the portal to the 2nd floor.
Even after fifty years the empty were feared. Weal meant liability. Liability meant death. I didnt want to be one.
I stepped into the portal, where the chamber of floor 2 opened up and it was a wide stone corridor, walls covered in glowing blue runes, cracks ran through the stones like a lightning frozen in stone. Floating torches lit the space dimly flickering as if the air itself was alive.
A sign floated before me:
[FLOOR 2: THE LOWER CHAMBERS]
The air smelled faintly of damp stone and... something else like monsters, life and danger.
I tapped the floor instinctively a faint transparent screen appeared numbers and words floating above the stone.
[Stone durability: 81%]
[Residual mana: 0.05%]
[Hidden note: Stone replaced 47 years ago]
My heartbeat skipped tap wasn't a combat skill and it let me see the towers inner information.
And what does it mean the stone replaced 47 years ago, did something happen here so that the stone had to be replaced and it never replaced once even till now, strange!!...
I drew a faint line in the air and it hovered, shining softly. The space behind it bent slightly, A real boundary. But does anyone can see the line which I draw?
Trash talent? Maybe. But not useless. But it was not normal and very unnaturally wrong.
Nearby two awakeners whispered: "Did you see that? The red alert triggered which broadcasted planet eater is approaching as soon one person entered the tower"
"What is he doing pointing at the air? Weird is he a deranged person? maybe a newbie, Wait isn't he the Late Awakener? No wonder he's so clueless just like the word LATE hahaha"
I clenched my fists "We"ll see about that..."
The tower whispered in my head:
[DO NOT REVEAL YOUR CLASS AND ROLE]
[DO NOT SPEAK ABOUT YOUR SKILLS]
[DANGER LEVEL: ABSOLUTE DEATH IF BREACHED]
A chill went down my spine.
Architects, Fragments, Delimiters. Words I barely understood. But it meant one thing: I wasn't just the late awakener. I was tied to the tower itself. Something bigger than monsters, floors or something that could fight the Planet eater.
I exhaled and looked up at the ceiling. A thousand floors stretched infinitely above. Which was dangerous, beautiful and waiting for me to climb up.
Footsteps echoed, other awakeners tested their powers, some drew their swords, some used their magic, some used skills like healing, support magic and some where forced to fight. Every floor was a lesson which is a battlefield and a puzzle to be uncovered.
I focused on the floor ahead. Small slimes hopped out from shadows, Low level monsters meant for training. This is an easy prey.
I tapped one of the bouncy slimes and the data appeared.
[Monster type: Slime Lvl 2]
[Health: 25]
[Abilities: Basic bounce]
A small smile crossed my face. Tap worked perfectly here. I drew a faint line in the air. When the slime bounced it bounced back immediately. My first successful manipulation of space. The slime which was bounced back was confused, it tried many times and bounced back and it looked frustrated.
A loud booming laugh echoed from behind it was another awakener who was older, more confident, smirked as he drew a glowing sword from a sheath across his back.
"What are you experimenting with the monsters? Don't tell me the tower gave you some trash skills, as expected from a Late awakener" His nameplate floated above him: Ryan Torvald Level 12 a minor legend among rookies a floor 2 veteran.
"I... I'm just...testing," I stammered.
Ryan raised an eyebrow and muttered something under his breath clearly unimpressed, before disappearing into the shadows deeper into the corridors of floor 2 chamber.
I exhaled and tried to calm to calm my nerves. Step by step I remembered myself in thirteen months I have to clear 1000 floors I dont know how is this possible with my trash talents and skills and face of with Planet Eater.
The weight of it all passed down like a mountain on my shoulders.
I moved cautiously floor 2 was't empty. There were broken pillars, stone tiles, small puddles of stagnant water.... and tiles hummed faintly with residual mana. Each possible was a clue, a possible trap. I tapped tiles, stones, walls, puddles. Each revealed its secrets: Broken tiles replaced decades ago, hidden residues of old mana, faint etchings invisible to naked eye.
I noticed a faint flicker in a puddle near the wall, Tap revealed:
[Small slime detected- Level 3, weak regeneration]
It looked like a small slime, but sharper, quicker. I drew the line and it collided with the line and bounced back and confused. Kael killed the slime and gained small amount of Experience.
"Okay new plan" I muttered to myself. "If tap only on weaker monsters... then against stronger monsters how am i supposed to tap them, I should be very smart about it, cant just rely on it like a clutch".
I glanced at the faint runes along the walls. Rumors of floor 101 awakened legends reached even here. Lucein Vahl the Crimson god was rumored to have bent floors to his will controlling boss monsters and manipulating dungeon layouts like they were toys. Serpphine Ardius could vut through the dimension itself. Dorian Kane? Stone incarnate. Every step I took reminded me how small I was.
I crouched behind a broken pillar and three rookies passes by trading information.
"Did you hear? Eclipse guild just captured a mini boss on floor 101. Estimated level 3800" one whispered.
"Yeah the Eclipse guild claimed the reward", the other replied "Rookies like us who are below level 50 don't even matter".
A faint metallic clink echoed from above, something shifted. A chest partially hidden behind rubble. Chests like this will be spawned anywhere and anytime in every floors and it also ranked from Bronze, Silver, Gold, Diamond, Platinum and the ultimate chest the Obsidian chest. I tapped the chest.
[Bronze chest - Locked]
[Trap detected: Spike Pressure Plate]
[Residual mana: 0.2%]
I drew a line as soon as I opened the chest. The spikes triggered but got blocked of and broke. Now the chest was mine. This skill is broken for these situations haha.
Inside the chest a small mana crystal and a note was found.
"Floor 2- Remnants of first explorers, Beware of traps trust only what you see".
I pocketed the crystal and closed the note. The early awakeners left this message for the current era.
By mid Chamber, I noticed graffiti scratched into the wall: "Level 101 is a myth, Only gods exist above the floor 100".
I chuckled my life in Genovia had been small and unremarkable. Here, I felt like an ant under a mountain. And yet... the faint thrill of discovery kept me moving.
Another slime emerged, bigger than last , I need to be faster to tap and after tapping the text revealed:
[Slime level 4]
[Weakness: Soft surface]
[Strength: Absorbs magic residue]
I killed it easily and absorbed the Experience and it looks like I'm very close to level up.
Just like this I drew the line and tapped and killed so many slimes. Every small victory reminded that Floor 2 wasn't just the training ground, it was a puzzle a lesson a test.
I leaned against the wall, catching my breath. The tower whispered faintly. Not instructions, not guidance. Just the presence which is watching me, testing my limits and waiting.
I swallowed hard, tightening the grip on my dagger. Floor 2 is almost done and I must survive to climb up to 1000th floor and become more stronger.