The staircase from the previous floor dissolved into particles of light behind Kael as he stepped onto the 23rd floor of the Tower.
For a moment there was only silence then the world around him slowly formed.
A vast valley stretched before him surrounded by jagged black mountains. The sky above was grey and clouded as if the sun itself had abandoned this place long ago. Dry wind blew across the barren ground, carrying dust and fragments of bone.
Kael immediately noticed something strange, he noticed something that looked like bones. They were everywhere. Skulls half-buried in the dirt. Broken rib cages scattered across the plains. Old rusted weapons lying beside skeletal remains.
It looked less like a battlefield and more like an ancient graveyard.
Shen Yao floated beside him observing the environment with mild curiosity.
"Well" he said lazily "this place certainly has a theme."
Before Kael could respond the system appeared.
[23rd Floor – Commander's Trial]
[Objective: Lead your assigned army to defeat the enemy force or survive the battle.
Preparation Time: 7 Days
Assigned Army: Bone Legion
Enemy Army: Goblin War Horde
Commander of Enemy Forces: Hobgoblin Warlords
Victory Condition: Defeat the enemy army through effective command and leadership or survive the battle.]
As the system window faded the ground began shaking. The bones scattered across the battlefield started moving.
Click. Clack and Snap.
Skulls rolled across the dirt and connected to spines. Arms reattached to rib cages. Leg bones locked into place.
Within seconds hundreds then thousands of skeleton soldiers stood up from the battlefield.
They were holding old rusty swords, broken shield, and mismatched armour pieces.
The army slowly turned toward Kael. Then every skeleton froze in place.
One of them raised its arm awkwardly.
Its jaw moved.
"Clack…?"
Another skeleton turned its skull upside down. One tried walking and immediately tripped over its own leg.
Kael stared at them.
Silence filled the valley.
Shen Yao slowly covered his face with one hand.
"Oh no…"
One skeleton accidentally detached its own arm and stared at it in confusion. Another skeleton walked into a rock and continued pushing against it as if it expected the rock to move.
Kael sighed.
"They're idiots."
Shen Yao nodded.
"Complete idiots."
Kael watched as two skeletons started fighting each other over a rusty helmet. One of them tried to wear the helmet backwards. Another skeleton somehow managed to put its skull on the wrong body.
Kael rubbed his forehead.
"This is my army?"
Shen Yao chuckled.
"The Tower has a sense of humor. So, what are you going to do with your amazing undead army".
The system had given Kael seven days before the war would begin.
Kael did hear from the forum that as soon as you enter 23rd floor, you will be assigned a random army. Some got goblins, foxes, knights, elves and sometimes slimes. But I even I heard someone did get the undead army he just survived the battle and went on to the next floor because how idiots were these skeletons.
At first Kael wasn't too concerned.
After all he had defeated entire armies before.
Even if these skeletons were useless, he could simply defeat the enemy himself.
Still, he decided to at least arm them properly.
Kael raised his hand. Thin glowing lines appeared in the air.
His Absolute Boundary Definition responded instantly.
He began drawing shapes in midair.
Spears, shields, swords, bow and arrow and armours.
Thousands of weapons materialized and fell onto the ground. The skeletons immediately rushed toward the weapons.
Then chaos began.
One skeleton grabbed a spear and started poking the ground randomly. Another skeleton held a sword backwards and cut its own arm off. A group of skeletons started throwing shields at each other. One skeleton picked up three swords and tried juggling them.
Kael stared at them for a long time.
Then he spoke calmly.
"This army is doomed."
Shen Yao burst out laughing.
"I agree."
Still Kael didn't do anything else.
He simply gave them weapons and waited.
If the enemy army appeared he would just crush them himself.
That was enough.
Or so he thought.
Seven days passed quickly in tower time.
War horns suddenly echoed across the valley.
The ground trembled as the enemy army appeared from the distant hills.
Thousands of goblins marched forward.
There was green skin, sharp teeth, crude armour.
Behind them were larger figures.
Hobgoblins.
Twice the size of normal goblins they were muscular and strong and they were armed with massive axes and iron shields.
System windows appeared again.
[Enemy Commander: Hobgoblin Warlord
Enemy Army Level: 120 – 135
Enemy Units: 6,000]
'Hmm the level is low when compared to the commander of 22nd floor, I'll clear this floor very quickly'
The goblin army roared loudly. Their war cries echoed across the valley.
Meanwhile Kael turned toward his skeleton army.
Half of them were lying on the ground.
A few skeletons were still trying to figure out how shields worked.
One skeleton had somehow lost both legs and was crawling forward using its arms.
Kael sighed again.
"Stay here."
Then he walked forward alone.
The goblin army charged. Thousands of creatures rushed toward Kael.
Kael raised his hand a glowing line appeared in the air, then another and then dozens.
His authority expanded. Lines crossed through the battlefield like threads of light.
"Delimited Edge."
The lines suddenly sharpened.
The goblin army collapsed instantly. Their bodies split apart as if reality itself had been cut.
Thousands died within seconds.
The goblins panicked.
But Kael continued walking forward.
Another wave of lines appeared.
Entire groups of goblins were erased from existence.
The hobgoblin commanders roared and charged toward him. Their axes swung with tremendous force.
Kael stepped forward.
One clean slash.
The warlord's body split into two pieces.
Within minutes the entire goblin army was dead.
The battlefield became silent again.
Kael wiped the blood from his blade.
He waited.
The system should appear now.
The floor should be cleared.
But nothing happened there was no message appeared.
Kael frowned slightly.
Then suddenly the ground shook again more goblins appeared which was the same army. The same hobgoblin commanders.
They charged again. Kael killed them again.
Still there was no system message.
This happened again.
And again.
And again.
Kael destroyed the goblin army five times.
Yet the floor remained uncleared.
Finally, Kael stopped. He looked around the battlefield. Then at the skeleton army behind him. They were still standing uselessly.
One skeleton was digging a hole for no reason. Another skeleton was using a spear as a walking stick.
Kael suddenly understood something was wrong.
He looked toward Shen Yao.
"What am I missing?"
Shen Yao smiled faintly.
"Well…"
"You're winning the battle."
"But you're failing the trial."
Kael narrowed his eyes.
"What trial?"
Shen Yao pointed behind him.
"At your army."
Kael turned.
The skeletons stared back at him with empty eye sockets.
Shen Yao continued calmly.
"The objective isn't just winning."
"It's leadership."
"You're supposed to lead the army and not to fight alone."
Kael looked back at the skeletons again.
They were completely useless. He thought he could clear this floor just by killing the leader of the army and he was himself was enough, but he was so wrong. Was the tower telling him to stop being overconfident.
But suddenly…
A new system window appeared.
[Army Command Authority Available
Summonable Unit: Captain Roderic – War Commander
Status: Bound to Supreme Commander Kael.]
Kael blinked. Then he smiled slightly.
"Wow I never thought the previous commander was still under my wing and this actually works."
A glowing circle appeared on the ground. Light gathered inside the formation. Then a familiar figure stepped out.
The same thing heavy armour, his calm eyes, confident posture.
Captain Roderic.
The commander looked around the battlefield.
Then he saw the skeleton army. He was confused for a second
He paused "Where am I?".
And then see's Kael and gets shocked.
"…my lord."
Kael nodded.
"I need your help."
Roderic looked at the skeletons again.
One skeleton was attempting to wear two helmets. Another skeleton accidentally removed its own head.
Captain Roderic understood why Kael was asking for his help, it was to help this pitiful army.
The captain slowly turned back to Kael.
"…this will be difficult my lord"
Kael crossed his arms.
"Can you do it?"
Roderic smiled slightly with this left hand scratching his head.
"I have trained worse soldiers."
Shen Yao burst out laughing.
The training began immediately.
Roderic gathered the skeleton army in formation.
"Stand straight!"
Half the skeletons fell over.
Roderic sighed.
Then he began teaching them basic movement.
Step.
Turn.
Hold weapons properly.
Block attacks.
Form ranks.
At first the skeletons were completely hopeless.
But they had one advantage that is they never got tired. They could repeat the same training endlessly. Day after day. Night after night.
Since the preparation period was over the goblins army was spawning nonstop, so Kael had to clear it repeatedly so that he could allow Captain Roderic to train his army and then Kael got an idea , he knew where the army was being spawned, so he built a huge barrier using his talent and left them just there.
Kael watched everything carefully but he wasn't just observing.
He joined the training.
Roderic noticed this quickly.
"My lord?"
Kael spoke calmly.
"If I want to teach them, I must learn first."
The captain nodded respectfully.
"It's such an honor to hear this my lord, you are a true commander."
So, Kael trained with them.
He learned formation control, battle signals, strategic positioning, army coordination.
He learned everything.
The skeletons slowly improved. Their movements became synchronized. Their attacks became organized.
What was once a chaotic pile of bones slowly transformed into a disciplined army.
By the end of the week of tower time.
The Bone Legion stood in perfect formation.
Thousands of skeleton soldiers holding weapons correctly. Waiting for orders.
Roderic looked at Kael proudly.
"They're ready my lord."
Kael turned toward the distant hills where he kept the barrier on check.
War horns echoed again.
The goblin army was waiting when the battle will begin.
But this time Kael wasn't alone.
He raised his sword.
And gave his first true command.
"Bone Legion."
"Prepare for war."
Thousands of skeleton soldiers raised their weapons at the same time.
Their bones clattered like thunder.
The battlefield trembled.
Kael truly stood as a commander of an army.
And the real war of the 23rd floor was about to begin.