Chapter 5 – The Tower's First Floor
The world shimmered as Aiden stepped through the entry gate.
For an instant, there was only silence. Then the air cracked open like shattered glass. Wind roared past him, and gravity flipped upside down. His feet hit solid stone with a heavy thud, and the system flared to life in his vision.
[You have entered: Tower – Floor 1][Recommended Level: 10–20][Objective: Survive and reach the Floor Core.][Warning: Resurrection not available until synchronization reaches 25%.]
The ground beneath him was a circular platform made of black crystal, floating above an endless abyss. Dozens of other figures materialized around him—humans, beastkin, scaled warriors, and even metallic humanoids whose eyes glowed faintly with blue light.
The first floor was a meeting ground. A place where climbers from different worlds tested themselves before the real ascent began.
Aiden scanned his surroundings. To the north, the platform extended into a ruined city suspended in midair. Broken towers, flickering lights, and bridges made of energy connected distant islands. Monsters lurked among the ruins—he could feel their killing intent.
He tightened his grip on his spear.
Someone nearby laughed, loud and coarse. A human man in white combat armor, level tag reading [Lv. 15 – Vanguard Squad], eyed the newcomers like a predator.
"Another batch of weaklings," the man sneered. "Half of you won't last an hour."
Aiden ignored him, checking his interface. His synchronization had reached 12%—still low, but stable. The Drop Artisan class was integrating properly, and the passive "Material Resonance" was already responding to the ambient mana.
[Drop Maker Sync: 74%.][Skill Available: Forge Node – Tier I.]
He summoned the new skill. A faint golden circle appeared on the ground before him—a portable forge sigil. The air rippled around it, gathering fragments of mana into usable materials.
"Good," Aiden muttered. "Let's see how this works in the field."
He placed two Mana Dust fragments and one Crystal Fang on the circle. The air hissed, and the system responded.
[Crafting in Progress...][Result: Temporary Weapon Core – Unstable.]
A blue crystal sphere formed in his hand, humming softly. It wasn't perfect—but it would do. He slotted it into the base of his spear, feeling the weapon hum alive.
[Spear Modified – Damage +10%, Mana Infusion Enabled.]
He barely had time to admire the result before a sharp, metallic cry echoed through the air. Shadows leapt from the ruins—a pack of insectoid beasts with translucent wings and glowing green eyes.
[Monsters Detected: Skyrazor Swarm – Lv. 11–14.]
Screams followed as unprepared climbers were torn apart. Aiden darted aside just as a Skyrazor lunged for his throat. The thing's mandibles snapped shut an inch from his neck. He thrust his spear up, piercing through the beast's underbelly. The mana core exploded with a hiss, coating his arm with ash.
[Kill Confirmed.][EXP +110.]
Three more swooped in. Aiden dropped low, sweeping the spear horizontally. The enhanced weapon sliced through a wing, and the creature spiraled downward.
Nearby, a mage from another world conjured flame spheres, blasting two more Skyrazors apart. But he overextended—the last one speared through his chest. The mage vanished in light.
[User Death Recorded.][Drop Created.]
The system created loot even from fallen climbers. Aiden grimaced, grabbing the dropped orb before the others noticed.
[Item Obtained: Ember Fragment (Rare – Human Mage Source).][Material Resonance Detected.]
His weapon pulsed again, absorbing part of the fragment. The spear's blade shimmered red.
[Weapon Upgraded: Ember-Tipped Spear – Tier I.]
The Skyrazor's carapace split open with the next strike. The corpse dissolved, leaving glowing drops.
[Loot Options:]
Chitin Plate (Common)
Sky Essence (Uncommon)
Core of Motion (Rare – Conditional)**
He picked Sky Essence. His mana swelled instantly.
The battle lasted twenty minutes before the swarm finally thinned. The survivors—less than half of the original group—gathered around the glowing center of the platform where a holographic monument floated.
[Floor System Active.][Objective Update: Clear the Ruined City Core.][Optional Mission: Form a Raid Party.]
The Vanguard Squad leader barked an order. "Form up by world origin! We'll claim this floor before the next cycle."
Several humans rallied around him, but others—especially beastkin and offworlders—hesitated. Alliances here were temporary. Trust was currency.
Aiden stayed in the back, listening.
"First timers," someone whispered nearby. A tall woman with silver hair and a rifle slung across her back stood next to him. Her tag read [Lv. 12 – Sharpshooter], and her emblem was different—a crescent sigil instead of a world mark.
"Independent?" Aiden asked.
She nodded. "Celestian frontier. You?"
"Earth," he said simply.
"Ah. The newly reconnected world," she murmured. "You people are interesting—system treated you like anomalies."
That caught his attention. "What do you mean?"
She smiled faintly. "Your synchronization grows differently. You're still half-outside the universal weave. Makes you harder to read—and harder to kill."
That lined up disturbingly well with what the Drop Maker had hinted before.
The Vanguard leader called out again, "Anyone below level 12, stay out of the main route! You'll slow us down!"
Aiden and the sharpshooter exchanged glances.
"You planning to follow them?" she asked.
"No," Aiden said. "They'll clear the front path and trigger most traps. We'll take the secondary route."
Her smile widened slightly. "Clever. I like that."
The two of them slipped away from the main crowd, moving through a cracked bridge that led to the lower ruins.
The air here was dense with mana residue. The buildings leaned at impossible angles, fragments floating midair as though time itself had frozen mid-collapse.
The sharpshooter introduced herself quietly. "Name's Lira. I take contracts from different worlds—mostly hunting and scouting. You?"
"Aiden. First time climbing."
"Then stay close," she said. "The Tower isn't kind to beginners."
They advanced through a corridor littered with fallen weapons and dried blood. The runes on the walls flickered faintly, reacting to their presence.
[Environmental Hazard Detected: Residual Mana Distortion.][Recommendation: Limit spell usage.]
"Guess that means no fireballs," Lira muttered.
"Good thing I'm not a mage."
They turned a corner—and froze.
A humanoid creature stood at the end of the hall, tall and thin, its skin metallic silver, eyes glowing white. Its presence made the air hum.
[Sentinel Construct – Lv. 14.]
It raised a hand. A spear of light shot forward, piercing the ground where Aiden had been standing.
"Move!" Lira shouted. She fired, the bullet ricocheting off the construct's head with a metallic clang.
Aiden dashed forward, using the recoil of the light blast to close distance. His spear flared crimson as he channeled Sky Essence into it.
He struck once—twice—each blow resonating through the stone. Cracks spread along the construct's torso, but it didn't falter. Instead, it extended its arm and impaled Aiden through the shoulder.
He gasped, blood splattering across the floor.
[Health –35.][Bleeding (Moderate).]
Pain blurred his vision, but his hands didn't stop. He forced mana into the weapon, activating the Drop Maker instinctively.
[Emergency Craft Triggered.][Combining Ember Fragment + Sky Essence + Core Material.][Result: Flameburst Spearhead (Tier II Prototype).]
The weapon erupted in his grip, flames spiraling around the blade. He drove it upward into the construct's chest. The resulting explosion consumed them both in fire.
When the smoke cleared, Aiden was on his knees, panting. The construct's upper half lay scattered across the floor, its core glowing faintly.
[Kill Confirmed.][EXP +320.][Level Up – Lv. 11.][Drop Obtained: Sentinel Core (Rare).]
Lira lowered her rifle, eyes wide. "You just… crafted in the middle of combat?"
Aiden wiped blood from his chin. "I don't always get to choose when."
She stared at him, then laughed softly. "You're insane. But I think we might actually make it."
Hours later, they reached the heart of the ruins. A massive gate of shifting crystal blocked the path forward. The system interface shimmered above it.
[Floor Core Chamber Detected.][Requirement: Activate with Three Sentinel Cores.]
Lira glanced at him. "We've got one. That Vanguard group must have the others."
As if summoned, explosions echoed from the upper levels. Flames and energy bursts lit the sky.
Aiden's expression hardened. "Then we take them."
He and Lira ascended through a collapsed stairway, reaching an overlook where they could see the Vanguard squad fighting another Sentinel.
Their leader, Darius, was holding a glowing core in one hand. His teammates were exhausted, two already down.
"Perfect," Lira whispered.
Aiden nodded. He leapt down silently, rolling behind a broken wall. When Darius turned to issue another command, Aiden struck—hurling his spear with all the force his body could muster.
The weapon pierced Darius's shoulder, sending him sprawling. His men turned instantly, shouting.
Lira fired from above, picking them off one by one with perfect precision. The battlefield dissolved into chaos.
Aiden retrieved his spear and faced Darius, who was bleeding but defiant. "You think you can steal from me, runt?"
Aiden's voice was calm. "Just evening the odds."
They clashed—Darius's twin blades against Aiden's spear. Sparks lit the dark air. Darius was faster, more experienced, but every strike he landed, Aiden's system adapted.
[Combat Analysis: Adapting Pattern.][Counter Efficiency +12%.]
When Darius lunged again, Aiden sidestepped, thrusting his weapon through the man's armor. The blade stopped an inch from his heart.
Darius dropped the cores, coughing blood. "You're… not normal."
"No one here is," Aiden said quietly.
He knocked Darius out instead of killing him. The Tower didn't need another corpse—yet.
[Items Obtained: Sentinel Core x2.]
They returned to the main gate, placing all three cores in the sockets. The barrier dissolved, revealing a glowing stairway that spiraled upward into light.
[Floor Clear: Tower – Floor 1.][Synchronization +5%.][Access Unlocked: Floor 2.][Reward: System Talent Selection Available.]
Aiden stared into the rising light. The path ahead was infinite—but for the first time, he felt ready.
"Guess we're not done climbing," Lira said softly.
He smiled faintly. "Not even close."
They stepped through the gate together.