(XXX) The First Checkpoint

///Author's Note: It's XXX as in thirty! Not XXX as in... hehe! No! Stop! Get your mind out of the gutter!!!///

Jackson groaned as he stepped through the portal, landing on the sandy beach of La Cuarta Isla, looking around as the system window appeared:

[Modified Fourth Floor Challenge]

[Normally, you simply need to traverse the jungle to reach the next island. Instead, you are tasked with exterminating all Hollows on this island!]

[Time Limit: Sunrise]

The sun was setting as Jackson looked around the beach he was on, scanning the thick jungle in front of him. He had no idea what he would encounter.

Jackson sighed and began to make his way to the tree line, ensuring he was alone and going to run into something. He didn't want to be eaten by one of these monsters.

If he couldn't kill them quickly enough before sunrise, it meant game over... as usual.

Jackson took a deep breath and continued on as the streaks of sunlight slowly gave way to night, trying not to worry too much about his safety. After all, he wasn't the type who feared death. It was an end, nothing more; he felt no fear of dying, only the never-ending list of unanswered questions.

As the moonlight illuminated the shadows around him, ethereal wails rang through the trees repeatedly. Jackson began running through the trees. He reached into his Gobbii Bag, grabbing the <Hollow Whistle> and gripping it tightly.

"Now, to find a suitable place to bring them to me!" Jackson muttered under his heavy breathing, dashing past the numerous trees, searching for a clearing. As he moved swiftly and quietly, a loud wail pierced the air, and several more followed.

He burst through large fern leaves, grinning as he entered a small grotto within the jungle and a large enough open space away from the trees for him to stand his ground. He sprinted to the water's edge, turning his back to it, and pulled the <Hollow Whistle> to his lips and blew hard.

A piercing, high-pitched sound exploded from the whistle as the Hollows began wailing in pain. He returned the whistle to his bag and raised both fists in front of him, squaring up as he started bouncing back and forth on both feet, knowing they were quickly on their way.

Ten monkies with jet black fur and white skulls with flaming green glowing eyes appeared before him. The one nearest to Jackson opened its mouth, revealing two rows of razor-sharp teeth, and began pounding on its chest as it advanced toward Jackson.

He swung at the closest one with a powerful haymaker, knocking it off balance. Jackson then ran forward and struck two more simultaneously with a kick, and another with a punch, sending them flying through the air, landing amongst the ferns, twitching in pain.

He turned to face the next closest, swinging both fists at once and smashing both arms into the Hollow's torso, sending it tumbling to the ground with a cry.

Three charged toward him simultaneously, and he kicked one aside, striking the next in the head with an uppercut, knocking the Hollow backward onto its rear with a scream, and punched the other two down in a matter of moments, leaving the remaining four standing before him.

With swift and robust moves, Jackson grabbed one by its neck and threw it into the nearest tree, breaking the tree. He then spun and punched another in the chest, sending the Hollow spinning, crashing against a tree, and falling out of sight.

Two of the injured Hollows stood, screeching, joining the two remaining standing surrounding Jackson as he activated 'Twenty Moons Under the One Sun,' lightning arching from the ground underneath his boots.

"Who's next?!" he shouted, leaving an afterimage, lighting racing between all four Hollows as another afterimage appeared, punching through each and every one as if it was nothing, leaving only a few still standing. He then took out one more, knocking it to the ground and slamming a kick into its skull.

A third approached, but as soon as it stepped near, he kicked its feet out from under it, grabbed it by the head, and twisted it around, causing its head to snap as it slumped to the ground.

Jackson panted heavily, looking around at the lifeless bodies surrounding him; a window appeared before him, signaling the completion of the challenge.

"Piece of cake..." He chuckled breathlessly, swiping the window away as the floating orbs appeared, guiding him to the portal.

'Nice and simple...' Jackson thought as he began following the orbs, ignoring everything around him, his mind focused on a singular thing... Civilization!

***

Jackson arrived, stumbling onto a beach of La Quinta Isla, looking around to see a singular palm tree atop a hill, the leaves blowing in the wind. He walked to the top, gasping as he overlooked a massive walled city as the system window appeared:

[Modified Fifth Floor Challenge]

[La Quinta Isla is your first safe haven in God's Tower, but that doesn't mean it's safe! Ilasa Port is a hub for everyone in God's Tower, law-abiding citizens and players from the unsavory underworld! Locate The Syndicate to gain passage to the next floor!]

[Time Limit: N/A]

Ilasa Port has no official governing body—instead, it has a group of local thugs known as The Jackal Gang. While they have been known to help some climbers, it isn't uncommon to find one of their henchmen lurking around every corner!

The Jackal Gang has no official headquarters; instead, they use a set of large, interconnected warehouses as its base. In a sense, they're is organized into small cells that patrol certain areas.

The largest site controlled by The Jackal Gang is the southernmost part of the island, from the port to just north of the city gates. This area, known as the Port District, contained several dozen warehouses, inns, and bars.

Jackson walked down the hill, approaching the gate as sand gave way to stone streets; he heard the screeches and roars of various caged monsters echoing through the streets as handlers shouted, trying to grab customers' attention.

He strolled down the bustling street, approaching a plaza with a massive stone gazebo housing a colossal floating blue crystal, a continuous stream of people vanishing and appearing in flashes of white light; Climbers who reached it disappeared while others reappeared, walking away from it.

"Time to go home!" Jackson said, approaching the massive structure.