Chapter 5: Entering the Tower.

It had been 40 days since Rigel received the invitation from the Tower. He was on his way to where the Tower was which was quite far from he lived, and his journey to the tower would be a challenge. The reason was the monsters had cut off the path and prevented any more Players from reaching the tower and killing as many as they could.

Rigel was taking a short break in an abandoned convenience store and believed he was the only one alive in that area. It was nighttime and he decided to stay the night there to be safe and to avoid unnecessary encounters with monsters.

"Status..." Rigel muttered as he sat down and held a bottle of water.

[---------------[Status Window]---------------]

Name: Rigel Eclair DeMargt (Invitee)

Level: 1 (Locked)

Condition: Exhausted, Healthy.

[----------------[Base Status]-----------------]

Strength: 5 (Locked)

Agility: 4 (Locked)

Dexterity: 5 (Locked)

Vitality: 4 (Locked)

Sense: 6 (Locked)

Mana: 0 (Locked)

Extra Point(s): 0

[-----------------[Skill Status]------------------]

[None]

[----------------------------------------------]

"My base status in my past life was all one. Seeing how I managed to change my pathetic state this much is quite rewarding," Rigel said as he looked at his status window. "I remember the average base status of invitees is between 2 to 4 points, but mine is beyond that," Rigel continued as he yawned.

"I better get some sleep now since I have to start moving before the sun rises," Rigel mumbled and then laid down to sleep.

The morning came and Rigel managed to get a car and he drove to another city, Reims where the tower appeared. It would take him half a day to reach Reims, but since the road and highway were empty, he might be able to reach there faster.

When he thought he would have a smooth ride, a roadblock could be seen in front of him. He got out and saw soldiers showering crawling monsters with bullets, preventing them from going further.

"Kid! What are you doing out here?! Get out of this place!" A soldier shouted as he looked at Rigel.

"I have to go to the tower," Rigel answered as he pointed at the tower in the distance.

"Another one?" The soldier sighed. "It's impossible for you to go there right now! The whole city of Reims is in chaos, you won't be able to survive if you go there alone!" he explained as bullets flew right next to him.

"Is there another way to go there?" Rigel asked calmly and didn't show any fear or anxiety because the battlefield was normal to him in his past life.

Before the soldier could answer his question, fighter jets flew past them and bombarded the ground to get rid of the monsters. It was already in chaos, but to think the whole city was in chaos, could be way worse than where Rigel was.

"We are trying to fight these monsters! We are the reinforcement and we are going to Reims. If you want, you can stay here with us and help us!" The soldier answered. "I don't know how long, but it would take at least five to ten days because we have to make parameters around the city!" he pointed out as he held up his helmet.

Rigel had no other choice but to agree, and so he joined a squad where five other players were there, on their way to the tower like him. It wasn't like he was in a hurry, and he still had more than ten days before the invitation expired.

"You're a Player?" A woman with long blonde hair, wearing a black tank top and a jacket that was tied to her waist.

"Yes, are you a Player as well?" Rigel asked as he looked at the woman and the 4 other men who were walking next to her.

"Nadia," The woman nodded her head as she offered him a handshake.

"Rigel," Rigel answered and shook Nadia's hand.

Rigel got to know the players in front of him, Nadia, Andrew, Daniel, Matthew, and Anthony. They had joined the reinforcements for more than three days, and Nadia was the first one. They were surprised when Rigel could handle guns and knew how to shoot, in fact, he was even better than them.

"Drakes? Like wingless dragons?" Rigel asked, his eyebrows furrowing in concern as he clutched the gun and made sure the gun was loaded and the safety was on. His calm demeanor shocked Nadia and the others.

"Yeah, we've encountered two of them in the past three days. They're tough sons of bitches, and we've lost a few tanks and other artillery because of them," Andrew replied, nodding his head as he adjusted his messy, curly brown hair. "Let's just hope we don't run into them again," he added with a sigh, scanning his surroundings.

Before Andrew could finish his sentence, a shout from the captain interrupted him. "Drake spotted! Get in formation!"

"Motherfuc-" Andrew's expletive was abruptly cut short as he swiftly loaded his assault rifle, ready for the imminent threat.

Rigel walked beside Nadia, who led their squad of players toward the rear of the battlefield. The confrontation had shifted from a battle for human lives to a clash of heavy machinery and powerful caliber bullets.

In the middle of the chaos, the soldiers urgently requested air support while tanks and armored vehicles took up strategic positions. As they made their request for backup, the deafening roar of the drake pierced the air, causing everyone to instinctively cover their ears.

Rigel's gaze fixed on the immense creature, its long neck adorned with thick, red scales that covered its entire body. The drake stood at an imposing 50 meters in height, its roar rallying the smaller monsters to its side as they charged relentlessly toward the soldiers.

The tanks unleashed their armor-piercing rounds, and it took three direct hits to breach the drake's tough skin and sturdy scales. Following this, high-explosive rounds were deployed to weaken other areas of the creature's body.

"Three armor-piercing rounds aren't enough to take it down," Rigel observed, his mind actively calculating the drake's formidable resilience.

Fighter jets swooped in, bombarding the horde and peppering the exposed areas with high-caliber bullets. It took hundreds of rounds to bring down the drake, a sight that filled Rigel with satisfaction as the colossal creature finally succumbed.

"This is the army! Whoo!" Andrew cheered in exhilaration as he witnessed the monsters being obliterated by bullets and explosions.

Nadia turned her attention to Rigel, who seemed deep in thought and noticed his fingers moving as if he were mentally calculating something.

"What are you doing?" Nadia raised her eyebrows, her gaze following Rigel's fingers.

"Just figuring out the amount of force required to bring down a drake. I tend to pay attention to details," Rigel replied since it had been a habit since his past life he always made the calculation for Commander Hugo to not waste a single resource.

"What a nerd," Nadia teased, shaking her head with a smile. "But in a good and interesting way," she added with a chuckle.

7 days had passed since their journey began, just as the soldier had predicted before Rigel and his companions finally arrived in the chaos-ridden state of Reims. The monsters seemed to be drawn to the tower, making the situation there appear almost irreparable.

"We're safe now. Once we enter the tower, we will be away from danger," Anthony said as he removed his vest over his head and his long messy yellow hair. "By the way, we haven't asked about your base status Rigel. Do you mind sharing it with us?" Anthony asked.

Rigel told them about his base status and their looks on their faces were enough to tell they were shocked. After the shock, they realized how strong he was because their average base status was three or four.

"I can see from your body that you're athletic. Once we enter the portal, anything can change and it would be better if we just focus on ourselves and don't compare each other unless it gives you motivation," Nadia said.

They were escorted by the soldiers to the tower, and that was when they realized how big and tall the tower was. It was mesmerizing and terrifying at the same time to see such a magnificent building appear in a single night.

"This is it. The future of the world is in our hands now," Andrew said as he looked at the gate. "Let's head in," Andrew continued as he walked toward the gate.

Rigel entered the gate and felt a barrier trying to stop him for a moment, but then he was pushed in by an unknown force. The moment he walked into the tower, a notification appeared right in front of him.

[Congratulations invitee!]

[You are now officially the 816,932,175th Player!]

[The 8,169,322nd Trial of Players will begin in 3 Hours! Please gather in the Hall of Players 5 minutes before the trial begins!]