Chapter 32: Tower Climbing

Inside door number 21, where an S-rank monsters resides. A group of hunter finished their opponents in just 3 minutes.

"Are we already done? Isn't this a bit disappointing?" A girl with a shrill voice wiping off the monsters blood on her weapon stepped on monsters dead body.

"I doubt anyone here's competent enough to match us" two small horns were sticking out of his head.

"Let's go" another hunter with two horns in his head, his skin is that of a dragon's.

---

Leo let out a deep sighed every time he remembered that the system's always messing with him.

'Hah... I'm stuck with this useless sword. Tom and Evan got a good weapon and there's me with a beat up dagger'

Leo and company were transported back to Level 2. Many others had also passed the test and were resting after their long fight.

[Heh... how lucky they passed.] The level administrator said.

[Okay, all of the hunters who are present are the hunters who passed the test. You can now go down to Level 3, the administrator is waiting.]

They all came down one by one, the last one to go down was Leo and the two.

-

The settings on each Level are the same but'll changed when the Level test began. Just like the other two levels, they waited for the administrator whilst they sat down.

[Hello everyone~ I'm your level administrator. Hmm... I wonder what test to give you...]

"Is it a girl?" Hunters started to talked to each other.

"I think it's a girl"

"Just get on with it already"

[Wah..! Don't rush me guys I'm thinking.]

"Hurry, we're eager to fight some monsters!"

'Out of the 20 groups, 18 groups have passed the test. They must be really strong'

[Ahh..! Okay, I know now what test to give you. It's called 'Tower Climbing', I'll create a 100 hundred stories building, the last group to climb the tower will be eliminated. Hehe.. hehehe!]

"Give us a proper details!"

[Yes, yes... impatient bastards. Every story of the building contains monsters. As you go higher, monsters rank will also increase and at the top of the tower, there will be treasures you lots will love. You can also fight each other to be the first one to climb and have the greatest treasure at the top. But do remember tha one treasure per person. Good luck~ I hope you all die!!!]

"Ah! She's twisted"

[Level 3 test 'Tower Climbing' begin.]

-

'A 100 story building, I wonder how it's made' Leo, Tom and Evan were teleported to floor 1. The floor's vastness didn't end, and they were the only group there. The others must have been placed at another part of the floor.

They started to move through and search for the stairs.

[Oh right! There's not just one stair but many. And they all lead the way up to the floor above, but I can't guarantee that there won't be monsters waiting for you at the stairs or up the stairs. Good Luck! Hope you all Die!]

Leo can hear some footsteps coming from afar, having his sense stats increase is making him more sensitive.

"Let's not go that way, I can hear some footsteps coming from the north. Let's go west, there's not much sound coming from there"

'Someone's nearby, We have to avoid encountering other hunters as much as possible, for Tom's safety'

They moved away north to west where there's low probability of encountering monsters or other hunters.

There, they saw the stairs up to the second floor. It was a 20 steps wide stairs that can fit about 20 people at a time, going back and forth.

'No movements, I guess it's fine'

Leo told them that there's no enemy and it's safe to climb up. They took the stairs and climb up. They're halfway through it and still no movement or an enemy waiting above them.

And they reached the second floor unscathed.

[Oh ho! Someone had already reached the second floor. Keep going! Until you die!]

The other hunters have heard her said that and for some reason that serves as a fuel to end matters with the monsters and climbed up already. Right now what matters the most are the treasures at the very top of the tower. But will it be easy to climb the 100th floor?

-

Leo and the two others had climbed the 2nd floor. The stairs down to 1st floor had disappeared. The 2nd floor's settings had also change, torches lit, there are instersections and fake stairs with monsters waiting.

They changes courses every time they encounter monsters, they thought of reserving their stamina for it will be hard for them to fight stronger monsters if they are all exhausted because of some small fries.

[Oh other group had also climbed the stairs. Keep Going! Hehehe... Until you die!]

-

It wasn't hard looking for the stairs up to the next floor. Leo, Evan and Tom had already reached the 9th floor. The haven't fought any monsters so far thanks to Leo's skill 'Luck', and they already found the way up to the 10th floor.

[Luck, skill proficiency : 30.5%]

[Floor 10 has been reached! Now, for them to climb up to 11th floor they need to beat and kill the floor guardians. Every team has a floor guardian to beat to climb up to 11th floor. Goodluck! Just die already!]

And there it is the floor guardian of floor 10 waiting for them.

[Guardian of Floor 10, BloodMage]

Stoned statue turned into a living creature

[B-rank Monsters]

Leo and the two quickly prepared for battle.

"There's only one monster? Isn't this a bit easy?" Evan bumped his fist together as he looked directly at the flying gargoyle

"I didn't know that gargoyle's a mage?" Tom's wearing the treasure he got back in the ruined castle, where the selfish king resided.

[Magical Robe of the Spellthief, Peculator]

[A-rank item]

[Plus 100 magic power, 500 mana, magic resistance 20%,]

[Robe worn by the one of the greatest thief in the history of Morezo City, land of the thieves.]

[Passive skill - Pick-pocket, it can copy the skill of the hunter who cast a skill directly at the wearer and lost his skill for one minute. (Minute will increase when skill proficiency reaches 25% by one and a half, 50% will be two minutes, 75% will be three minutes and 100% will be five minutes. Mana cost - 10 per use of copied skill.]

Leo could've chosen that item if not for the cabal picking the sword of the king for him.

'Grim reaper usually use scythe as a weapon, so what's up with the sword?' Leo thought to himself and a reason came to his mind. 'Ah! It's a soul reaping sword and grim reapers loves soul... so that's why ha..ha...'

The Gargoyle flew around the area. The 10th floor's setting had changed again into a castle inside a tower, and the gargoyle had increased its size.

"Wow! The tower's so big that a castle fits inside and so is the gargoyle"

The gargoyle growled as it flapped it's wings back and forth.

"It's coming!" The gargoyle flew forward to them, Evan's took the front whilst Leo and Tom at the back.

"Lemme handle this!" The gargoyle was just flying straight to them and Evan's clenched tight fist packs a punch when it hits the gargoyle's face. It blew off and stopped for a moment.

"Was that it?" Evan said as he approached the not moving gargoyle.

"Ah! Come on, that's not all right!?"

"I can smell blood coming from the gargoyle"

"Huh!? But there's no blood when I hit h-" the gargoyle suddenly attack Evan, aiming for his eyes and was trying to poke them with its fingers.

Evan had dodged in time thanks to his newly acquired gauntlet from the treasures of the selfish king.

[Boxing Gauntlets, worn by the boxing champion of the Topaz City, land of the champs. He had won about a hundred fights using these gauntlets]

[A-rank item]

[Type - Gloves]

[Plus 150 attack damage, chances of a critical hit increased by 5%, attack speed also increased by 7%. Increase in sense in the battlefield.]

[Active Skill - Final Blow of the Champ, Finisher.]

[Upon activation of the skill, wearer's attack power will increase by 2x. Mana cost - 100]

"Playing dead huh!? You's still alive evem with your head blew off, but that's fine since you didn't spoil the fun"

"Just finish it already, we're getting bored here" the two of them sat on the ground as they watch Evan fights the gargoyle.

The fierce fight started between Evan and the gargoyle but the difference in strength show it all. Evan had turned the gargoyle into smithereens, piece by piece. The broken pieces shook, and began forming yet another gargoyle but not just one this time. There's so many gargoyles that came from those tiny piece of rock.

"What!? Now there's so many but they're not the same size as the other one. They became small"

The scent of blood splits from one to all of the gargoyles alive.

'Why do I smell blood? Wait there must be something' Leo heightened his senses and noticed something from the dark.

'My guess was right' Leo stood up from the ground.

"Evan! Just keep fighting them!" Leo yelled. Evan kept fighting even without Leo telling him. Leo then used 'Cloak' and went into the dark.

'Thanks to this skill I can move freely. Now let's meet him'

Leo reached the dark and saw someone hiding. It looks as though he was controlling the gargoyles.

Leo covered the eyes of the monster using his hand and leaned closer.

"Guess who's behind you... hehehe" the monster flinched in fear as goosebumps ran through his skin.

"Wh-who are you!? And when did you !?"

"Ooohhh! A talking one. Okay time for some questions. What trick do you think will I choose to kill you? I'll give you a minute to answer" Leo began counting.

"F-for you to know my language! You must be... Argh!"

"Hmm? What are you saying? I can't hear you. 18, 19"

His head aches the same as to what happened to the king back when Leo fought him inside the ruined castle.

"Hurry up! 24, 25, 26, 27"

Leo pressing the dagger in his throat as the time ticks. His neck bleed as Leo slowly pushed his dagger down to its neck.

"39, 40.., 44"

"Argh! Ahh!! What is this!? Who.. are you!?"

Leo was surprised when he asked who he is again.

'Was he just persistent?'

"56, 57, 58, not gonna tell me? 59, okay then 60!" Leo's dagger thrust into its neck, Leo then cut off his head and threw it to the ground. The gargoyles had lost the power to move so Evan finishes them off.

The stairs appears in front of them, that lead to the eleventh floor. They took the stairs and went up.

[Group A had reached the 11th floor. Keep fighting!]

"No more 'Die, die, die!' Huh?"

"I wonder who's on that group A. They should be strong"

"Stop talking guys, and kill that already"

The horned guy was stomping his foot on the monster whilst cutting its limbs slowly. I feel bad for the monster, exclaiming in pain.

"Drago, that's enough, kill that already and we're going up"

"Hai, hai, Are we going after the group A, Zest?"

"Yeah, and Ruhan" the horned girl, "What should we after we found them?"

"Isn't it obvious? We kill them, of course!"

And they ascended the 11th floor, chasing after Leo and the others. And they ascended group by group, up to the 11th floor.

With the same goal in mind, they strive to reach the top.

~