The tower

Jason found himself in his personal room, a plain white square with just a bed. Each player had their own space, separate from the others, but they could teleport to a public square with a  thought. An instruction manual had been provided, explaining the workings of this place. Each player had a system with different abilities, and while everyone started with a basic room, they could upgrade to luxurious penthouses for an exorbitant price of 2 million gold coins. Even with his earnings from the guide, Jason had only amassed 100 silver coins.

Curious about his new skill, Jason examined it in the system interface.

  Skill: Air Step

- Rank: F

- Description: Allows the user to use the air as a foothold, costing 10 mana per second when standing and 10 mana per use. The skill has a maximum stack of 10 seconds or 10 steps.

Satisfied with the skill, he reviewed his stats:

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 System Window:

- Name: Jason

- Bloodline: Human

- Level: 1

- Mana: 100/100

- Health: 130/130

  STATS:

- Strength: 11

- Agility: 9

- Endurance: 10

- Intelligence: 10

- Senses: 8

Special Abilities: Game's Guide

Skills: Air Step

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Jason noted that while he wasn't the strongest, he was among the top 50 out of the 500 remaining players after the qualifying trial.

Feeling adventurous, he teleported to the public square, a bustling hub where players mingled. His presence drew attention since he was the first to complete the previous trial. As he explored, he accidentally bumped into a girl named Lily. She fell to the ground with a soft "Owwch" but quickly thanked him shyly when he helped her up.

Lily had black hair, brown eyes, and a slightly blushing face with defined curves. Despite her beauty, she was one of the weakest players and struggled with combat. Jason offered her some tips but reminded himself to stay focused and not get distracted by others, especially since he planned to go solo.

Drawing on his experience as a gamer, Jason knew how to strategize and fight monsters, but he lacked attack skills and weapons. Still, he felt confident in his ability to progress.

Feeling tired, he teleported back to his room and settled into bed….