The Tutorial Starts!
In front of everyone around the world, a blue projection appeared simultaneously.
<Times up!>
The countdown to what most people thought would be the apocalypse finally reached its end. Anticipation about the impending change was evident in everyone, but... nothing happened! The whole Earth was silent; no one could be heard, not even a grunt. That is until the system decided to break the fragile silence.
<Merging of Earth with the Main-Universe is complete.>
<Welcome brave challengers!>
New words started to appear in front of all.
<The Ruined Tower has responded to your arrival. As a gift the new arrivals, The will grant title of 'Challenger' everyone.>
<A separate unique title will be granted to each individual based on their life experiences.>
<The qualification to take on the Ruined Tower's trial is revealed.>
<Qualifications:< em>
1. Must reach lv.10
2. Must have a class
3. Must have killed at least 500 monsters>
<Anyone who accomplishes all criteria can take on the trial of "Ruined Tower" to get a chance become climber.>
It seemed like the Ruined Tower, or whatever the system called it, was not as cruel as people assumed and was even throwing them some freebies. Or that's what the people thought until the next set of messages appeared in front of them.
<The first quest of the tutorial has arrived.>
_________
Quest: Survive!
Description: Earth has been merged with the "Ruined Tower". Soon various tower creatures will invade Earth, and you'll be caught up in the chaos. That said, you must survive this mayhem.
Quest clear objective: Survive for 3 days
Quest reward: Based on individual actions
_________
<May the odds be in your favor!>
The messages ended with that, leaving everyone contemplative about their next step.
***
A young man with pitch-black hair, its sleek strands falling effortlessly across his forehead, framed his face with a sense of youthful vigor. His dark eyes, akin to deep pools of mystery, contrasted sharply with the intensity of his hair. Seated on the couch, he directed his attention to the blue window before him.
Dressed in a manner that hinted at both comfort and style, he exuded a subtle confidence. The fabric of his attire seamlessly complemented the ambiance of the room, and his posture suggested a relaxed yet engaged demeanor.
By his side, a small black bag rested, harboring the essentials he had prepared for what was to come.
<Finding a suitable title based on your life experience.>
<Found a suitable title!>
<Congratulations! You have gained the title "Crafty Vengeance"!>
<Open your status window for description.>
Seeing the messages, Shiva raised his hand to his chin.
"The Tower is not aware of my return?" He wondered!
The Tower, in a sense, was akin to a supreme being. Shiva had thought the Tower would be able to recognize him as a regressor who came back to the past, but that wasn't the case. Even the Tower failed to find out about his return, and knowing this, a smile formed on Shiva's face.
"Isn't this great?" He exclaimed!
Firstly, if even the Tower couldn't find out the truth, then there was no way anyone else could discover his return.
Secondly, the title <Crafty Vengeance>. He was worried that he would not get the same title, but his worries now seemed unnecessary.
After all, it was the title that led him to become the strongest in the tower. It would have been very hard to get stronger without this skill.
"Status," Shiva called out.
____________________
<Status >
Name: Shiva
Race: Human
level: 0
Realm: Dormant
Sex: Male
Condition: Virgin
Class: none
Subclass: none
Titles: Challenger, Crafty vengeance
----------
<Stats >
Strength - 5+1 (measuring physical power and carrying capacity)
Constitution - 8 (measuring endurance, stamina, and good health)
Dexterity - 6 (measuring agility, balance, coordination, and reflexes)
Intelligence - 49 (measuring deductive reasoning, cognition, knowledge, memory, logic, and rationality)
Perception - 49 (measuring self-awareness, common sense, a person's surroundings, and the ability to see vague details)
Charisma - 10 (measuring force of personality and attractiveness)
-----------
free attribute points - 0
-------------
Skills: -
->Active: none
->Passive: none
________________
{Note: The stats for an average healthy individual are 5}
Shiva, going through his status, stopped for a second.
"...To think I, the demonic emperor, would be called a Virgin!" He chuckled and continued going through the status.
"Huh? What's with perception and intelligence?"
His perception and Intelligence were remarkably high! To the extent that they were the maximum one could achieve in the Tutorial! Other than that, all his other stats remained the same as he remembered. Maybe it was due to his past experience and memories; his perception and intelligence were judged quite highly.
"I can't seem to understand how the tower works."
Shiva thought the tower was not able to find out about his return, but it could access his high perception and intelligence. He didn't know how that was possible.
He knew for the fact that the tower decided the stats by considering two factor. The Mind and the Body.
The body determined an individual's strength, constitution, dexterity, and charisma, while the mind influenced intelligence and perception. There were also some other stats derived from various origins, but that was not important at the moment.
It appeared that the Tower had accurately assessed Shiva's stats. While he occupied the body of his past, his mind belonged to the demonic emperor, the almighty being who once ruled the tower!
Even with this knowledge, Shiva failed to comprehend how the Tower actually calculated the stats, but he chose to let it be for now. The one thing he had learned in the past was that the tower didn't adhere to common sense.
Instead, he focused on the title part, and a new window opened in front of him.
<Titles >
___________
Challenger (Unique):
Granted by the "Ruined Tower" to everyone who challenges the trial of the Tower.
Effect: Increase the lowest Stat of the host by 20%
Currently: Strength +1
____________
____________
Crafty Vengeance (Unique):
Title granted for a sly and vengeful person, who will never let anyone who wronged him go unharmed. The one with this title will always repay everything: a favor by ten times and revenge by a hundred.
Effect 1: If the opponent attacks you first, then your next attack will deal twice the damage.
Effect 2: If an enemy included as a vengeance target is killed, you will take a small part of the target's stats.
____________
"It's the same as before," Shiva said to himself, reading through the description thoroughly.
The first title was something that everyone would possess, enhancing the lowest stat of the person by 20%. At first glance, it might seem overpowered, but that wasn't the case. As one faced the tower creatures and grew stronger, most stats improved, with only charisma becoming the lowest stat, which was often useless.
Then there was his second title, <Crafty Vengeance>. The ability that propelled him through the tower so rapidly that it left others in the dust. It had not one but two effects. The first effect alone was incredibly powerful. Taking a hit first ensured that his next attack would have twice the impact. There were countless ways to combine it with other skills, maximizing its utility.
However, the real essence of the title lay in the second effect. As long as someone considered a vengeance target was killed, he would absorb a portion of the target's stats. Stats were challenging to achieve, with leveling up and extreme training being the primary methods. Having the ability to increase stats by eliminating enemies proved to be an incredible blessing, especially in the tower where there was no shortage of adversaries.
As Shiva organized his thoughts, his attention was caught by the sudden loud noises!
"It has begun, huh?"
Calmly rising, he gripped the black bag in his hand, strolled to the door, and swung it open.
There, in front of him, stretched thousands or tens of thousands of dark red space ruptures across the sky, unleashing various types of tower creatures.
Among them were green-skinned monsters, short red-tailed creatures with wolfish-lizard-like features, and even something resembling a ghoul.
"Shall we join the party?"
He extracted the small knife from the black bag and advanced.
One of the small creatures, a green goblin who had spotted Shiva, scurried towards him, emitting unpleasant noises.
-kiekeike
Shiva turned toward the green goblin, barely reaching the height of his waist, and patiently awaited its approach.
-stab!
There were no wasted movements; Shiva waited until the goblin was at arm's distance, and as soon as it entered his range, he effortlessly pushed his hand forward, stabbing the goblin right in the throat.
"Shh…."
He brought his other hand to his lips, whispering, "Don't make noise; I love silence." He withdrew the knife from the goblin's throat, and the creature collapsed, gasping for air.
KkieieiekkkKKK!!
"I said…."
However, the goblin wasn't dead, the strength of his past body wasn't enough to kill a goblin in one strike!
As the goblin struggled for its life, chilling words escaped Shiva's mouth.
"DO NOT MAKE NOISE."
-Stab!
-Stab!
-Stab!
If one strike couldn't dispatch it, then he would solve the issue with two or three, or however many it required.
Shiva continued to pierce the goblin until it completely stopped moving, and the sounds from it ceased.
<You have slain a lv.1 Goblin>
<You 50 have gained exp>
<You are the 32nd person to slay a monster on Earth>
<You will be rewarded with a random weapon box (rare)>
"32nd… huh? Let's take it a bit slower."
---***---
Author Ramblings:
Hey book buddies, occasional readers, and those who accidentally stumbled upon this story.
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