C5 The World Towers

Al and his friends decided to return to their continent and walked through the bustling streets of Fortunate Isles, as they made their way to the Adventurers Guild Council. Approaching the council's building, they could see the various guild symbols displayed outside, each one representing a different group of adventurers.

They entered the building and were greeted by a friendly receptionist who asked them what they needed.

"Welcome to the Adventurers Guild Council! The name's Cesil, how can I help you today?"

"We want to register as a party," said Jun.

The receptionist nodded and gave them the necessary forms to fill out.

"You'll need to have at least three members to a maximum of five," she reminded them.

The four quickly filled out the forms and handed them over to the receptionist.

"Oh, from the Vens village."

She then started to read the forms one after the other.

"Let's see..."

"Isha Dail..."

"Rey Redhorn..."

"Jun Beifiel..."

"Al Gran?"

"Are you perhaps acquainted with Lady Aryyn?"

"Ah, you know mother?"

"Everyone here knows Lady Arryn kid.", an adventurer replied that overheard them. Standing on the opposite side of the table is a man with the appearance of a seasoned adventurer. He was adorned with scars and his physique and demeanor emit a sense of experience and expertise.

"And everyone also knows about the Tower Demon! I hope you never become one kid!"

He then took the money from the receptionist in front of him and walked out smirking. The room's atmosphere changed as the adventurers shift their attention to Al. Everyone knows the tragedy that took place 20 years ago which has been dubbed the Tower Demon's birth.

It occurred on the 51st floor of the World Tower. A group of adventurers stumbled upon an open door leading to the boss room and entered, expecting to assist those who had gone in ahead of them. However, upon entering, they were met with a gruesome sight. A demon, disguised as a swordsman, had brutally beaten a party of adventurers. One of the party members, Priest Arryn, was being lifted above the ground, stabbed by the demon, and the group heard her faint cry for help before she lost consciousness.

"Help me..."

It was then that Gaelan, one of the Legendary Adventurers happened to be patrolling the upper floors and rushed to the area after sensing the event. The demon was easily subdued by her and she was able to save all the members of the party. They said that the demon has been identified later as Al's father, Meged Gran. The report concluded that Gran used his unique skill Rage but was unable to control it which resulted in the unfortunate event.

"Don't worry guys, this doesn't affect me," he said, with a reassuring tone and a confident grin on his face. He had his arms crossed on his chest, and his body language suggested he was ready to take action. "Father wanted me to do something else but I insisted on becoming an adventurer. He told me the story long ago so, yeah!"

Cesil apologized for what happened considering it was their first time being adventurers. She then proceeded to give them their Moniker stone. A Moniker stone is provided to a party as a means of identification with other adventurers and guards stationed outside the World Tower. Additionally, it serves as the "key" that grants a party access to the tower and allows them to set a teleport point inside which they can return to the next time they enter the tower. Lastly, a Moniker stone can only be used to enter the World Tower of the continent where it has been issued.

She then finished their registration by discussing the mandatory adventurer and tower basics. It was so long that Al almost fell asleep and was scolded by the receptionist.

"I know it's long and kinda boring, but you need this to survive. We do not want to lose adventurers because they lack the information they need.", Cesil calmly said to the group.

It ended after a few more discussions but the most important ones are one, without a Moniker stone, a group will not be able to enter the tower. Two, adventurers are encouraged to help each other inside but kill-stealing is prohibited (a kill-steal is when another group hits your party's prey with the intention of getting its drops). Three, monsters, drop a certain amount of things; it can be part of their body, a magic gem, and even rare items that can be sold or used to craft other things like body sets and/or weapons. And lastly, the tower has floors that have a boss monster in them. A boss monster that cannot be bypassed (unless it has been defeated previously) resides on every 10th floor, starting from the first floor. These boss monsters can only be challenged by adventurers who have a level greater than 1. Although, on rare occasions, the tower may "permit" a group to challenge the floor boss despite their levels, as it "recognizes" the group's overall strength. However, this has only occurred once.

With their registration complete, they stepped out of the council, feeling excited and determined. They knew that registering as a party would give them access to new opportunities and adventures and the chance to tackle the World Tower and prove their strength as a team.

They decided to explore the main city, where magic and potion shops, diners, guild bases, and the central plaza could all be found. As they wandered the streets, they noticed a crowd of people gathering inside one of the buildings.

As Al approached a stall that appeared to be distributing something to those entering, he greeted the person in charge.

"Hello! What kind of event is taking place inside?"

"Oh, new adventurers! You've arrived at the perfect time. We're hosting a tournament for adventurers who have received class updates today!" The man said with a big smile.

The man then fastened a simple-looking circlet onto Al's wrists before pulling the four of them along as he entered the building. As they neared the inner circle of the structure, one of the organizers singled out Al and directed him toward another area.

"Oi, I'm with them!"

"Sure, but you're a participant.", he replied as he raised Al's hand focusing on the circlet.

"But I didn't sign up for..."

While Al tried to explain what happened to the organizer then let go of him and said. "So you're chickening out. Okay, go ahead and sit there with the ladies." The three already knew what would happen and just sighed as Al snapped and walked right through the participant's area. They continued to walk to their seats as the announcer came to the arena and was about to start the tournament. The announcer welcomed all the spectators and participants and added.

"And if this is your first time here, the Adventurers Fighting Circle is designated with high-level adventurers that will jump into the fray when they see that it will not be going to end well."

The first two pairs of adventurers fought so boringly that Al decided to concede when his turn arrives. The third fight was almost the same, the adventurers seems to just be flailing around their daggers aimlessly even tripping as they dash to their opponents. It's now Al's turn, he then approached the arena and was ready to concede.

[A special quest has been received.]

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