Chapter 1.2 - Explanations ... or Close to it.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my original characters and artwork, so if you recognize it from somewhere else, surprise! That is not mine. Enjoy~

Author Note: The chapter was supposed to come out yesterday but since my Computer hates me, it blacked out.

Chapter 1 - Explanations ... Or Close to it.

''Nobody escapes from his past.''

- V.

...

In a wide field with the tall grass gently swaying in the wind.

The vegetation stretched as far as the eye could see, with vibrant colors and a sense of vastness and freedom. The sky was open, with slowly advancing white clouds, and the sun cast a golden light over the field, creating a serene and inspiring atmosphere.

It was almost completely round and with a small "Lake" in the center, while what appeared to be water possibly indicated a greater depth: He noticed that visibility into the water of the lake was extremely difficult. The water seemed murky and dark, which made it difficult to see the bottom of the lake. He could not see beyond a few centimeters in depth, which made him curious and a little apprehensive.

He also noticed that the liquid itself seemed to be relatively viscous as if there was some foreign substance mixed into the water. When he tried to move his hand over the surface of the water, he felt resistance, as if he were pushing something sticky.

This viscosity, combined with the low visibility, made the experience of observing the lake even more challenging. He could not clearly distinguish what was below the surface and had the feeling that something was hidden in that blackened liquid.

And at the end of this same field, there seemed to be a thin layer of a translucent barrier.

Mr. Skeleton looked around and saw the girl with a fairy-like expression standing beside the dark lake. He noticed that she was wearing a strange officer's uniform, her curly blond hair is tied up messily and she wears a pointy hat that is a little too big for her.

The girl, with blonde hair and cold blue eyes.

She has a fairy face, which looks sickly when combined with her pale complexion.

A face like that of a doll, but which gives the impression of a vampire because of her piercing eyes.

Her face resembled that of a doll, with delicate features and pale, flawless skin. However, her eyes were what drew the most attention.

The girl's eyes were penetrating, with an intensity that resembled that of a vampire. They were a deep shade of blue, with an almost hypnotizing glow. They seemed to capture the light of the dark lake, emitting a mysterious, enigmatic glow.

These piercing eyes contrasted with the girl's sweet and delicate appearance, creating an aura of mystery and fascination around her. Mr. Skeleton was attracted to these eyes, while at the same time feeling a certain uneasiness about their intensity.

Mr. Skeleton's expression contrasted sharply with the girl's appearance. While she displayed a mysterious and enigmatic aura, the skeleton seemed to be just another ordinary skeleton, with no notable features other than the blue flames burning in its eye sockets.

Its skull was of medium size, neither too big nor too small, with regular features that did not denote any emotional expression. His bone structure was symmetrical and proportional, with no signs of damage or deformity. His bones were white and clean, giving the impression of being well preserved.

The blue flames burning in his eye sockets were the only distinguishing feature of his face. They gave off an intense glow, creating a vivid contrast to the white tone of the bones. Mr. Skeleton looked impassive, showing no emotions or facial expressions.

While Mr. Skeleton remained motionless, his rib cage caught the eye of the most attentive observer. Inside it, there was a small black crystal sphere, glowing with a subtle intensity, emitting an aura of mystery.

The crystal sphere had a strange symbol engraved on its surface, which seemed to pulse slightly as if it were alive. The symbol was intricate and complex, with lines and shapes that seemed to move and change subtly, as if in constant flux.

The presence of the black crystal sphere contrasted with the monotony of the skeleton, adding an element of intrigue and mystery to its appearance. It was as if the sphere was the only thing that broke the monotony of his existence, making him unique and special in some way.

Mr. Skeleton looked at the girl with empty eyes, but his keen intuition made him realize that there was something different about her. Her appearance and behavior did not fit the common human standards.

Mr. Skeleton felt no hatred towards the girl when he saw her, but his intuition made him suspect that she was not human. He relied on her appearance, behavior, and the presence of the black crystal sphere on her chest to reach this conclusion.

Mr. Skeleton opened his mouth to speak, but his voice was cold and sinister: ''Welcome where? And who exactly are you?''

His tone was not exactly the kindest or most polite, as the little girl smiled broadly at him.

Truth be told, he was a little afraid of her. Something in him said that she could kill him in the blink of an eye.

Now that he noticed, some kind of knowledge was slowly seeping into his head. For now, he ignored it.

She said, the smile still on her face, "In answer to your first question ... I will be your guide, as for my name, hmm... I have many of them, but, you can call me Lucy.''

''... My Guide for what exactly? ... and why didn't you answer my question?'' He said. ''I don't care about your name.''

'So rude ... It was expected, I guess.'' Lucy thought, not taking the skeleton's unkind tone seriously, 'He looks like a newborn lamb with no fear of the world and its dangers.'

She knew that each new participant had their memories removed, only the knowledge remaining, but without the overall context.

So Lucy was not bothered by the skeleton's interruption, and that suspicious smile never left her face.

''You can say that I am one of the first of my race, a Primordial.'' She says. ''No, you can't ask what race.'' She spoke, leaving him no room for questions.

Remaining silent, Mr. Skeleton watched her silently.

Lucy and Mr. Skeleton kept their gaze fixed on each other for a few moments in silence. The girl's expression was calm and serene, while Bony looked puzzled and perhaps a little uncomfortable with the attention.

''Where am I exactly?'' He said, finally.

"Finally you asked the question.'' She laughed, radiating joy and enthusiasm. Her laughter was like a tinkling of bells, filling the air around her with magical energy.

''You are in a Tower ... As the name suggests, it is a tower, only, with many floors. Thousands of challengers daily try their best to reach the end.''

The skeleton seemed to be carefully absorbing what he was told.

'Does that mean I can't get out of this place?' he thought.

''Little Skeleton, you must be thinking that you won't be able to get out of the Tower, right?'' Lucy said suddenly.

With blue flames in his eye sockets, Mr. Skeleton said looking at her, ''How do you know? Can you read my mind?''

''Haha!'' She laughed cutely, ''No, I can't. It's not uncommon for new challengers to think we can read minds.''

''So, Mr. Skeleton, let's go back from the beginning. I am Lucy, your guide inside the Tower, you can ask me anything related to it. You have been chosen to climb the tower and change your life.'' She spoke softly. ''It's up to you.

"Can I get out of the tower?

She laughed: ''Yes, of course. But there are rules. You can't stay more than six months without challenging the Tower, otherwise, you will be punished.''

'''Are there other rules?''

''Yes. Another rule, this one is very important, you can't kill other Challengers without a good reason.''

''What happens if I get to the top of this Tower?''

Lucy shrugged and said, ''I have no idea.''

''No idea? Why?'' Mr. Skeleton commented curiously.

Lucy smiled broadly while making an exaggerated expression:

''Why, no one has ever made it to the top floor.'' She said while trying to control a giggle.

''Ah, I see ... Therefore, they were weak ... What do I do?'' He asked. His eyes seemed to burn even more as he displayed a sick desire behind them.

''Hahaha!'' Lucy suddenly began to laugh uncontrollably loud and infectious, echoing through the room, ''Good eyes you have there.''

She stopped laughing as she wiped a tear from the corner of her eyes.

"Ha! Let's start with your little tutorial, Little Skeleton. She commented casually.

You must have heard a voice in your head, right? Say 'Status window', you can think or say it out loud.'' Spoke Lucy with a wise expression.

'Status?' Murmured Mr. Skeleton.

A text box appeared in front of him, so he began to watch everything in silence.

Lucy seemed to be waiting for him to take his time, so he took everything in his own time.

[Status]

[Name: ---] [Race] : [Skeleton]

[Number of Titles: 0]

[Level: 1]

[Halo: ---]

[Life: 130/130]

[Mana: 10/10]

[Stats] :

Strength: (5) | Agility: (1) | Endurance: (3) [+10] | Magic Power: (1)

[Stats: 0]

[Talents] : [Undead] [Gluttony] [Pity] [Amorphism] [Item Box]

[Abilities] : [Appraisal]

''Halo? Stats? Talents? What's that?''

Lucy was watching Mr. Skeleton intently, she also seemed to be able to see his status.

She spoke with a voice full of excitement, ''Oh! 4 Talents and skill at once? Lucky bastard!''

''Is that rare?'' He asked and turned his attention back to Lucy.

''Mmm, a bit rare, Out of the thousands of Challengers, only 20% started with 4 Talents, and 5% started with 5 or more Talents,'' Lucy says.

''But for now, I will explain to you about your stats, they are an important part so I will start by explaining them first.'' She commented.

Then Lucy began to explain how the stats work ...

In short, this is what she had explained to Mr. Skeleton.

Strength: Increases physical strength, speed, and durability by improving the user's muscles. Since Mr. Skeleton didn't have any muscles he couldn't see the overall improvement so he only increased the durability of his bones.

Agility: Increases the user's perception of time and speed of thought, allowing him to see enemies on his level in slow motion, and increases the user's dexterity in performing an activity with precision, skill, and ease.

Endurance: Increases his health and resistance to negative status effects.

Magic Power: Magic power is a supernatural ability that allows the character to perform feats beyond the limits of reality, using mana as a tool. It increases mana and its regeneration, as well as the effectiveness of spells.

Mr. Skeleton seemed to enter some sort of understanding inside his hollow head, and ... which one should he increase? 'Strength' seemed to be the best in his view, perhaps because it was simple to understand.

Mr. Skeleton asked her: ''I understand how they work in general but, how do I increase them?''

''Ah yes, the stat boost is related to your levels, and by completing a floor you get a certain amount of points depending on your rank.''

'Rank? What are these''

''Yes, I'll explain them now, but before that ... it looks like our conversation might take a while so ...''

Tap ~ Tap ~

Lucy clapped her hands twice in a row, and a new person suddenly appeared next to Lucy.

''What can this one be useful for, My Lady?'' This person spoke in a rather polite tone.

She has light skin, pink hair with two braids, and a red horn that almost looks like a small wing attached to the front left part of her head. Her body is lean and without useless fat. She was wearing formal attire, especially those that go perfectly with a formal skirt and stockings. She was wearing white gloves.

However, her typical face has no trace of emotion, as if she had long ago burned the thing called emotions inside her.

Lucy turned her head towards the girl while Mr. Skeleton did the same.

''Lapis Lazuli, bring me some coffee, Mr. Skeleton and I are going to talk for a while.'' Commanded Lucy.

''Understood.'' Lapis complied with the order and disappeared with a 'poof'.

''So, Mr. Skeleton, before Lapis returns, let's choose your Halo.''

Mr. Skeleton asked in response: ''And what do you mean by choosing my halo? And who was she?''

Lucy answered his question while smiling: ''She is Lapis Lazuli, my assistant.''

[You Will Be Awakened as a Player]

[The Undying Fighter Reaches Out to You]

[The Emissary of the Underworld Reaches Out to You]

[The Silent Hunter Reaches Out to You]

Three new windows appeared in front of Mr. Skeleton.

The three new windows appeared in front of Mr. Skeleton, making him even more confused. The Windows were transparent, but had a bluish tint, making it even more difficult to see what was beyond them.