[blondespiker: Guys I finally have the chip]
[Geese7: So you're a chosen one]
[Rooster13: Never doubted you man]
[Rooster13: Remember the first rule we share amongst us Shadow Game players]
[Rooster13: Do not challenge the Tower!!!]
[Rooster13: Go to the first dungeon called Summoner's Den]
[Geese7: Yeah man...Don't challenge the Tower ever]
[blondespiker: Alright copy]
[blondespiker: What's with the tower anyway]
[Rooster13: Once you enter it, you cannot leave it unless you beat the last floor]
[Rooster13: If you can't even beat the first floor, there's no way you can farm for shards and essences to make your spirits and heroes stronger. You'll be stuck there unable to progress]
[blondespiker: I saw that you're forcefully log out from the game once all your spirits are killed. What if I damage the monsters on the floor and come back later to finish them off]
[Geese7: Look man...a lot of us thought and thought of a way to beat it. Those who tried are stuck there....Remember that you can only create a single account in the game]
[Rooster13: Any damage done or guards killed are either healed or revived once you are logged out from the game if you didn't clear the floor]
[Geese7: Those who tried regretted challenging it...They can only share their experience to us]
[blondespiker: Alright. So we farm first and challenge it later]
[Rooster13: No. The tower cannot be challenged anymore if you do not enter it immediately. Once you enter a dungeon, the tower is lost forever]
[Geese7: Don't worry...There are many ways to descend the Shadow Realm. We are the 3rd batch to challenge the Gate of Doom...Before we go to the other side, we will leave valuable tips for new guys like you...hehe]
[blondespiker: Thanks man. Any tips on what type of heroes I should recruit?"
[Rooster13: Oh no!!! We will not spoil the fun. Explore it yourself and happy hunting]
[Geese7: good luck man]
With that, the conversation ended.
"Oh shit. I should warn Reyn about the tower!" Luke hurriedly searched for his phone in his chaotic room.
-----
Meanwhile, Reyn contemplated for a way to get to the next floor.
"Ascend to the next floor!"
"Ascend to the 2nd Floor!"
He tried shouting all sorts of things, but he remained on the platform. With the dim light coming from the center of the ceiling where a green gemstone was embedded, Reyn studied the place. The platform was erected 12 feet off the ground. He was almost 6 feet tall and needed to find a safe way down.
Reyn decided to climb down by hanging on the edge of the platform. With the length of his arms and his height, the fall was reduced to to almost 3 feet. With a soft thud, he landed on the ground, causing an abrupt arousal of dusts around his feet. He was surprised that he didn't sprained his ankle. Walking was his only exercise nowadays. He had forgotten the feeling of climbing trees and the rocky surface of the mountains back in the northern continent.
Just like his uncle used to say, "We are made to hunt, not farm." Reyn had a slim body, built to be fast and quick. Perhaps, only those who are light on their feet are qualified to be an explorer, that's why those words are infamously coming out of his uncle's mouth every often.
"What does that have to do with this?" He questioned himself, chuckling. The constitution of his body had nothing to do inside a game.
However, now that he realized it, he can feel the stagnant air in the dimly lit room, and a stench coming from a corner. It was cold, and he began to shiver.
"This is just too intense for a virtual reality..." Reyn complained. He saw a rock on the ground and picked it up. He can feel its weight on his hand, its hard husk pressed against his skin.
In a swift motion, he threw the rock into a dark corner, and saw some part of it shatter as it bounced off the wall, making a clattering noise. The sound it made, echoed like a cackle throughout the entire area, making it seem that something had awakened.
'Ain't this game a bit too realistic?' Reyn had a guilty look on his face after disturbing the silence. He rushed to the side of his spirits, his imagination scaring him as if a creature like a ghost would suddenly appear behind him.
Being close to the Spirit Swordsmen gave Reyn a form of security. He looked at them. The skulls under green light that danced like flames, made him wonder if they have any form of intelligence. Were they mocking him inside their head because he was a scaredy cat? Although they cannot change their expression, he could imagine their bony faces making a frown.
'Aren't they more scary than a ghost?' Reyn chuckled as he observed his spirits. There were no flesh under their tattered robes, with bony fingers clasped tightly around their medium sword that would seemingly slip their grasp at any moment.
"Why is it so cold?" Reyn instinctively rub his body only to touch skin. His eyes darted down and saw his dressless upper body but still wearing his black joggers, just like he was before he entered the game. He was momentarily shocked, yet curiousity took over quickly.
The walls were a bit darker even when they are illuminated by the small light from the ceiling. He moved closer to study it. To his surprise, the walls were built from the fabled black stones that were only known to be found in the Cathedral Sea, barrier between the main continent and the First Islands. The black stones composing the wall were covered in moist and dirt, unlike the one his uncle brought, shining like a black steel. It was obvious that he had treated it like gemstone to polish.
Reyn went back to the swordsmen and issued some random commands using his mind. Every order given was obediently followed. He was still not getting used to it.
After a dozen of minutes, the gash on the shoulder of one of the Swordsmen disappeared. Reyn decided to climb up to the next floor.
Light flickered from the black iron lanterns hung along the walls as he steadily followed his spirits that led the way under his command. When he reached the second floor, he saw a familiar green light just like the one lighting the room below. This time, however, was brighter and intense. It was coming from a huge green crystal located on the center of the second floor, surrounded by five figures.
Reyn decided to hung back and secretly observed his next opponents. Two of them were just like the guards below, another donned an armor around its body while proudly holding a spear with both hands. The last one was the furthest from the crystal. It wielded an axe and had an air about it that it was lighter than the rest.
The current situation made Reyn contemplate for a moment. He had 6 Spirit Shards and 3 Soul Essences. Considering how it ended below, he had made the right choice of choosing the Grapple Ability for the Swordsmen. It greatly boosted their close quarter combat ability. However, it would not help them much if they're outnumbered.
He could upgrade his Summon Spirit Swordsmen to decrease the cooldown and allow him to experiment more even if he's spirits are defeated, he could come back to the game faster. But this won't mean anything if he doesn't have enough manpower. He could try and try, even with a better strategy, but sometimes, numbers dictate the victor and it also boost the rate in which one would win a battle. Reyn hastily spent the Soul Essence to Spirit Cap and the Spirit Shards to the Skill attribute of the Swordsmen. Most of their abilities are dependent to Skill.
[Summoner Talent:
Spirit Capacity (3)+3
- You can summon 6 spirits.
(Upgradeable)
Spirit Regeneration
- When out of battle, your spirits can heal from the damage they sustained.
(Not upgradeable)
Summon Spirit Swordsmen
- 1 hour cooldown for each Swordsman
(Upgradeable)]
[Spirits:
Swordsmen: Attributed are but different than others.
Power: 10
Skill: 20(+6)
Speed: 5
Combat IQ: 15
Abilities:
Weapon Proficiency: Able to expertly handle their weapon, equal to their Skill.
Grapple: Your swordsmen remembers a few techniques in their past life. Allows them to catch, grab, trip and throw with their free hand. This ability is also dependent to Skill and slightly influenced by Power.]
"Hoho-ho! Maybe I should learn a new talent or add another ability to my swordsmen..." Reyn browsed through his spirits 'Learn Ability', and soon found a couple that he like.
[Shared Intent: Your Swordsmen will share the same vision of slaughtering their enemies. Allows them to coordinate an attack when an opportunity present itself. Dependent to Combat IQ and Intelligence.
Cost: 3 Shadow Quintessence]
'I don't have that much Shadow Quintessence. And my Swordsmen doesn't have an Intelligence attribute.' Reyn thought. He scrolled further and his eyes widened.
[Duelist: Your Swordsmen will now block, parry even deflect projectiles in their field of awareness. Also, increases their counter ability. Dependent on all attributes.
Cost: 5 Shadow Quintessence]