The Tower II-1st Floor

As I stood in the Tower, surrounded by the mysterious darkness that seemed to pulse with ancient energy, an interface reminiscent of an old-school game appeared before me. Its display flickered with ethereal light, offering me the opportunity to design a new body.

The options presented to me were purely cosmetic, allowing me to customize my appearance without altering my fundamental abilities or identity. With a mixture of excitement and curiosity, I began to explore the possibilities, scrolling through a myriad of choices for every aspect of my new form.

"Let's not waste this chance!"

I adjusted my height, opting for a stature that exuded strength and confidence. 200 cm only a bit taller than I already was. Next, I selected my build, opting for a lean yet muscular physique that spoke of years of dedication to physical training. Then came my face, I removed the beard and refined my face to perfection, creating an appearance that surpassed even the cyberware and surgery enhanced models the rich liked to advertise. Of course I left a shadow of my old appearance.

As I continued to customize my appearance, the interface responded in real-time, updating to reflect my choices with each selection. I experimented with different hairstyles and facial features, seeking the perfect combination that would capture the essence of who I was while also allowing for a fresh start in this new body. My hair color remained the same, a pitch black and long form. My eyes remained the purple-ish wine color they were and my scars were left untouched.

"It's looking good so far." I thought.

With each adjustment, I felt a sense of excitement building within me, the prospect of unveiling my new appearance filling me with anticipation. It was a chance to redefine myself, to leave behind the constraints of my old body and embrace a new identity forged in the depths of the Tower. An identity as [The Immortal].

"Is this really okay?"

But even as I indulged in the thrill of customization, a part of me couldn't help but wonder about the implications of my choices. Would this new appearance truly bring me the fulfillment I sought, or was it merely a superficial change in the grand scheme of things?

"Who cares, let's do what I want and make a chrome masterpiece!"

With a shake of my head, I pushed aside the doubts that threatened to cloud my mind. This was my opportunity to start anew, to embrace a fresh beginning in a world filled with infinite possibilities. And as I made my final selections, I felt a surge of excitement coursing through me, eager to see the results of my transformation.

[Appearance change is permanent within and outside the tower, so make a definite choice. If you manage to survive the first 15 floors of the tower's [Suicide] difficutly that is.]

"I'm sure."

[Change will begin in 1….2…3!]

Darkness covered my mind suddenly, a similar feeling to death. Soon, I reopened my eyes, my point of view noticeably higher than before and my body larger.

"It feels really good!"

[2nd Boon [Name Choice] will now take effect.]

[Choose a permanent name for within the tower. All rankings, achievements, documents, and other aspects within the tower will only use this name.]

"A name? Sure, let's go with something shorter then…." I contemplated my new name carefully.

"Let's go with [The Immortal]. That'll be a nice touch for the rankings."

[Name Registered.]

[3rd Boon [Tower Shop] will be unlocked after the 5th floor.]

[You will transported to the [Suicide] difficulty's 1st floor shortly. Good luck, John Avery, you'll need it!]

"Thanks but I have something better than luck…"

In an instant the scene around me changed.

A new scene of desert area appeared. The winds, the sands and even the burning sun, all of it was real.

"This is real..?"

[Welcome to the first floor of the tower's [Suicide] difficulty.]

[Your mission is to hunt down 10 C-rank scorpion bosses!.]

[Failure to complete the mission in the allotted time of 1 hour will result in instant death.]

[Trial Start!]

"Huh? But there are no monsters?" I said as I looked around and searched for any traces of the scorpions. The large countdown in the sky went down fast as I searched and yet I found nothing.

"If they're scorpions the"

*SHOOGH* was the sound of the scorpion's tail piercing through my back and coming out from my chest.

"AGHHHHHHHH!!!!" I shouted in pain, the darkness of death came and went in the time it took for my sword to almost reach the ground. The instant after I returned I grabbed [Wolf's Ravaging Edge] and released the wolves.

As for the scorpion, its tail was held firmly by my other hand.

"Go wolves! Kill it!"

"Wooo!!" X3

The wolves leaped toward the exposed parts of its black scorpion body and tore it to shreds.

[You have eliminated 1/10 scorpions]

[You have 50 minutes remaining.]

"Fuck! It took a death just to kill a single scorpion, I need to draw them all out or I'll fail this floor!" I said as my mind sped through paths to achieve my goal.

In the end, I only had one path forward. A path only I could use.

"It's only the first floor and i'm already using Kamikaze traps, *Sigh* pups listen up."

"Woo?"X3

"I'll hurt myself so the scorpions come out and then the three of you will attack them, understood?"

"Wooo! Woo?"

"I know I know but I have to spill some blood to bait them out, so the three of you hide in the sword until I give the signal, alright?"

"Wooo!" X3

"Alright, let's ace the first floor!"

"Woo!"

I stood in the middle of the desert area and after taking in a deep breath, I cut my own wrist as deeply as I could.

"The difficulty is finally earning its name…"

In that moment as if the earth had come to life, moving bumps in the dirt began to home in on my flowing blood.

"Here they come-"

In an instant, their tails had pierced through my body. Just before the lights went out, I grabbed hold of them with every fiber of my strength.

Just as the crimson energy snapped me back I called out to the wolves.

"….WOLVES!!"

The sword's red crystal shone and they appeared surrounding me, in an instant they leaped forward and with their iron-like claws they ripped apart the scorpions.

[You have eliminated 8/10 scorpions]

[You have 40 minutes left]

"No, you don't!"

To my left, a bump in the sand was escaping as fast as it could.

"[Projection]! Flame!"

A ball of living flame instantly materialized in my hand and with incredible speed, I threw it toward the bulb in the sand. A string of my Mana still connected to the ball of flames allowed me to control its direction and target, though only slightly.

*Boom!* the flame struck its target and blood splattered.

[You have eliminated 9/10 scorpions]

[You have 30 minutes left!]

[Considering the time and targets left, a change will be made to the remaining scorpion.]

"A change? Why are things never simple? The petty gods aren't watching and yet I still have to be annoyed by the tower?"

[A B-rank [Abyss Venom Scorpion] has spawned!]

[Rewards will be changed to: 2 Levels and C-Rank [Wind-Blessed Shoulder Armor.].]

"*Sigh* maybe I should have just went with hell or hard, [Suicide] might become annoying even if I can't die."

Right after the notification, the earth began to shake and a bulp appeared in the sand. Second by second it grew bigger and bigger and soon, a black horn pierced through the sands.

"That doesn't bode well! Retreat pups!"

"Who?" X3

We quickly retreated as the area where we were sanding was pierced by a giant scorpion's tail, its form finally revealed it let out a fierce call, and the winds raged.

"GREEEEEEE!!" It called out.

Its size was nearly 3 times that of a normal scorpion and the so-called 'normal' scorpions were already boss monsters the size of tanks.

"It's a big one! Pups, avoid it's tail! I'll distract it and attack that crystal on its head, I bet that's it's head!"

"WOOO!" they replied with fierce expressions.

"GO!"

I Leaped into the scorpion's vision and it's tail soon came after, I dodged it and jumped towards it's crystal. My sword poised to strike, and I felt a sudden resistance as it collided with the crystal's surface. With a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach, I realized that my blade was stuck, trapped within the crystal.

"GREEEEE!!!"

"Fuck! It couldn't break it!" Cursing under my breath, I quickly retreated, narrowly avoiding the scorpion's thrashing tail as it lashed out in fury. I turned to the wolves, urgency flashing in my eyes.

"Wolves, block its vision!" I commanded, knowing that without sight, the scorpion would be vulnerable to our attacks.

"Wooo!"

With a nod of understanding, they sprang into action, using their bodies and speed to create a thick veil of darkness that enveloped the creature, obscuring its vision.

Seizing the opportunity, I focused my energy, summoning a massive fireball into existence before me. As I put more mana from the air and my heart into it, it's size increased bit by bit, finally reaching the size of a large watermelon. With a flick of my wrist, I sent the blazing sphere hurtling towards my trapped sword, as the fireball collided with my blade, I felt the crystal begin to crack and splinter under the intense pressure. With a final surge of energy, I pushed forward, driving the sword deeper into the weakened structure with my Mana until, with a resounding crack, the crystal shattered into a thousand glittering fragments.

"Yeah!!"

With a triumphant shout, I watched as the giant scorpion writhed in agony, its monstrous form convulsing as the life drained from its body. And then, with one last shuddering breath, it collapsed to the ground, defeated.

[1st Floor completed!]

[Rewards will be granted.]

[Teleporting climber to the recovery room.]

In an instant me and the wolves arrived in a white space, in it only a bed, and some water and jerky. My mind was elsewhere though.

I held the [Wolf's Ravaging Edge] in my hand with an expectant expression.

"Use [Curse Absorption]!

…