Tower Ascension

"So, this is the first floor. Not bad I would say!" When Peter appeared in the Green grassland, he looked around at and few trees and scorching sun in the sky. The cold wind blew around him.

"Ahem! Hello Climber, nice to meet you!" Suddenly, a voice distracted him as he turned around. Following the voice, he looked at the ground and saw a hamster wearing a coat.

'I guess, every animal is going to be an admin. Well, this proves animals are getting smarter and developing the games for humans to play.' Peter laughed inside while looking at the cute hamster. He slightly crouched down and shook his hand.

"Hello!"

"Since you have successfully reached the first floor, your journey has now started. But, be careful, not every floor dungeon has the same challenges you faced in the previous dungeon. I don't think I have many things to explain. Just don't forget to do the quests and interact with the people."

As he said, he instantly disappeared. It was kind of a surprise for Peter but he didn't think too much. He has two missions on the first floor. First, he wants to level up. Second, he must find Alice and remove the inheritance tracker.

Once he is done, he can be good to leave. Though this is not what he wanted. Saying goodbye is hard and that's why he sent her to the upper floor without getting benefits. He took a deep breath and said "Level up!"

The energy burst inside his body and the mana gets sucked in. At the same time, the internal energy grew. As for his physical attributes, they were breaking the sealing. It's like he didn't have any limits.

But, that didn't stop there. The EXP was so full that he leveled up again and again. After leveling up four times, he finally stopped. At the same time, a newly updated screen appeared in front of his eyes.

[Climber- Peter Johnson

Age- 21

Level- 9 (EXP- 1570/51200)

Trait- Adaptability, Stone Heart, Mind of a Hero, Triple Personalities

HP- 55

MP- 45

Internal Energy- 45

Genetic Power- 10

STR- 36

AGI- 46

VIT- 31

STM- 31

Passive Skills- Greed (Lv.1- 6%), Dying Divine Breath (Lv.1- 20%), Iron Body (Lv.4- 20%), Energy Absorption Skill (Lv.1- 10%)

Active Skills- Basic Sword Skill (Lv.6- 70%), Burning Sun Skill (Lv.4- 90%), Lesser Demon Transformation (Lv.3- 90%), Spirit Assimilation Skill (Lv.1- 80%)

Stat Points- 30

Fame Points- 80

Items- Sword*2, Ring*2, Passive Skill*1, Armor*1 Active Skill*1Wooden Arrows Skill, Mana Coins*1090, Key of Guardian*1, Trident of Destruction, Mana Crystals*5000]

[Quest No.1- Kill Ten Hounds

Time Limit- Three Days

Reward- 500 EXP, 50 Mana Coins, 50 Stat Points, 100 Fame Points, and Healing Potion*3

Punishment- Deduct 1000 EXP]

[Quest No.2- Kill Ten Red Goblins

Time Limit- Seven Days

Reward- 1000 EXP, 100 Mana Coins, 50 Stat Points, 100 Fame Points, and Healing Potions*6

Punishment- Deduct 2000 EXP]

[Quest No.3- Kill Ten Fire Lizard

Time Limit- Two Weeks

Reward- 2000 EXP, 200 Mana Coins, 50 Stat Points, 100 Fame Points, Common Treasure Chest*1, and Healing Potions*9]

"Seriously?" Peter looked at the screens with confusion and pain. He didn't want to enter the tower but it feels like he can't escape these quests. Even though he could leave this world, it doesn't mean he can abandon everything.

'This is going to be a serious problem. If I continue this, it will be like me trying to live different lives. It might feel easy but I have read those comic books. I know how hard it can be to hide your identity. It's not like everyone is a man with the bat cave or a man bitten the radioactive spider.'

'If I choose tower, I can gain strength. I can get powerful and hold fate in my own hand. But, if I do that, what about being a son or brother? What about being a boyfriend? I don't want to be paranoid but I still feel like I am going to have a heart attack soon.'

'Peter, how clueless can you be? Did you forget what happened eighteen years ago? Did you forget there are beings that can potentially destroy your world? I didn't become a hero. I never get a chance to be a one but I will protect my family.'

'I broke that promise but I don't want her to fake the smile like me. I want to live with them. I want to protect my family.'

Suddenly, his eyes narrowed.

'And, I will protect my family, starting from you!'

As he spoke, his body disappeared. A few hundred meters away, a figure covered with a hood was rushing towards the forest. That figure was none other than Alice. Behind her, there were few men. They were holding on to a digital compass.

"Are you sure she is the one? We have abandoned a quest. I don't want to get in lose." One of them asked as he hurriedly rushed towards Alice. He had a slender body with spiky red hair

"Of course! Do you think a machine will lie? This detector showed the red dot which means people who practice Burning Sun Skill. And, you know only those who haven't gone through baptism but still train Burning Sun Skill are those people."

"We don't know her identity but we can earn five hundred mana coins just by catching her. Good thing that she is only level five. Do you still think this is a bad idea?" A bald man spoke.

"Nope!" The spiky red-haired man shook his head.

"But, I do." Suddenly, a voice rang in their ears. Like a wind, a person appeared in front of them before they could realize it.

"Who the fu*k are you?" The red-haired man shouted. He didn't stop rather clenched his fist and rushed towards Peter.

But, Peter raised his hand and easily caught the fist. Disbelieve appeared in that man's eyes but before he could make a move, Peter punched his stomach.

Splash!

His fist pierced his stomach and came out with the blood dripping from it.

"Run! Run away!" The bald man widen his eyes and shouted as he turned around. His body got out of balance but he maintained himself and rushed away.

"No one is running away." Suddenly, the flames burst out of him. When those people tried to run away, the flames condensed into a ball of fire and moved towards them.

"Exploding Sun!"

Boom!

As soon as it reached between them, the ball of flame exploded, engulfing everyone. Peter turned around and walked towards Alice who watched him stupidly. Slowly, crystal tears fell down her cheeks as she rushed towards Peter and jumped into his embrace.

"I... Sniff! Sniff! I thought I would never see you again."

Her body was trembling as she tightly hold him. She was scared. Not because she was going to die rather she couldn't see him again. After all, if she dies, she will never get a chance to meet him. He said he might return but she didn't know when.

"Hush! If you act like this, how am I supposed to leave? This is why I want to be evil." Peter sighed after holding her. He could feel her sadness. Living life in poverty, she became tough to live. But when someone like her finds someone else who could support her, then she becomes overly dependent.

From one perspective, this is not bad but if you start depending on someone just because you never get a chance, you will slowly become the person that everyone wants to avoid. Maybe, Alice understood this.

That's why when Peter spoke, she slowly left his embrace and muttered "But, you are not evil, at least to the people whom you know and love."

"I know! I know! I can't be the cold-hearted evil guy to my people but I can't be someone whom you can depend on forever. You know I am still going to leave this tower, right?" Peter asked.

"I don't want to be your burden. I know I might not be the child of prophecy or someone with incredible talent but you give me a chance and I will prove that you weren't wrong. I will prove that when you save me, you didn't make a mistake." Alice wiped out her eyes though they were still red.

She looked at Peter and spoke with all the courage she had.

Peter took out the trident and touched her chest with its tip. She didn't even flinch as if she had hundred percent trust in Peter. Unlike Peter, she didn't have Dying Divine Breath, so she can only rely on her own instinct.

For her, Peter wasn't easy to read through his emotions rather he can easily read through his actions. He does what seems to be true to his heart and doesn't do things that his heart tells him not to do. And, his heart is controlled by three of his personalities.

Two of them were present after the age of sixteen and the third one only came out when he actually entered the tower. After removing the inheritance tracker from her soul, he took back the trident and patted her head.

"It seems until I get strong, I can't control my fate. So, I will come soon. Until then, do me a favor and live. Live for yourself, and live for your new brother."

As he finished speaking, he disappeared. At this moment, crystal tears burst out of her eyes once again. Peter returned back to floor zero with the ring and took out the key.

When he hold the key, a piece of information entered his mind. He raised his hand and pointed at the thin air. He twists his hand while holding a key. Slowly, a portal appeared in front of him. Without a single thought, he left the tower.

"Hmm! It seems he got that key. But, I can't be too hasty. I need to wait till he gets the key from the twenty-fifth floor as well." A few miles away from him, a lady was sitting on a chair while watching Peter leave through a handheld telescope.

"So, are we not going to reveal his information, my lady?" Miya stood next to her and asked.

"Nope, he has a chance. Being forceful isn't always the right thing to do, Miya. Sometimes, we need to read the situation and comprehend the talent of a person.." The lady held her chin in her fist as she spoke with a beautiful smile.