Level Up Legacy

"Another challenger has been summoned!" called an old voice as someone rushed toward him, but Arthur could not be threatened because it was a limping old man. One of his eyes had been bandaged, and his teeth were yellow. "Welcome, brave one!"

"Who are you?" asked Arthur with a frown as he examined the surrounding. The old man seemed harmless, but Arthur remained vigilant as he examined the temple. He was standing in the middle of an altar that looked like an array.

"This is Sith Town, brave one!" said the old man as he kept his distance. "I understand that things look too suspicious, but I am not a monster, but a human! Please, accompany me!"

As the old man explained in a fluster, he forgot to introduce himself. Arthur was still wary as he walked behind the man, trying to glean any clues for traps. However, it looked like an ordinary temple, covered in vines and mosses.

The old man walked through the long hallway until he reached a small yard with a well at the center. The old man walked toward the will and sat beside it before turning toward Arthur.

"My name is Peter, brave challenger! I used to be a challenger like you, aspiring to find wealth and power inside the Red Tower before I lost my eye and my leg! My new job is to guide challengers like you to fulfill their destiny!"

"And what destiny is that?"

"Conquering this tower and becoming its master!" said Peter with zeal in his dim eye. Then, he turned toward the well and started pulling the bucket upward as he kept explaining. "This Red Tower contains a whole new world inside it. Sith Town is just one among many on the first floor, and no one knows how many floors there are because no one who leaves the first floor ever returns!"

"You keep mentioning this Sith Town, but are there really humans living here?" asked Arthur with a frown as he watched the old wrinkled hands pull on the loose rope. "And if there is, how did they get here?"

"Humans, elves, dwarves, werewolves, and dragonkin are just of the few races here inside the Red Tower. There are races from all worlds trapped inside this prison and vying for supremacy. I even heard that one challenger was of the demonic race, and he obliterated the entire town as soon as they arrived."

"Wait a second, what do you mean by worlds?" asked Arthur with a frown. "Are you telling me there is more than just one world?"

"You came here without knowing something as simple?" asked Peter with shock before he pulled the bucket out of the well and lowered it to the ground. "This Red Tower is one to connect every world there is, and those that challenge it can never leave. Come, come here!"

Peter was gesturing for Arthur to come forward and look at the water. Although cautious, Arthur was still curious as he walked to see what this man was fussing about. The water surface was glistering as it showed his reflection.

"What are you showing me, old man?"

"I am not showing you a thing," said Peter with a shake of his head. "Take this water and give it to the old nanny on the outskirts of the town. Beware the monsters that roam there! The old woman needs this water for her terrible joints, so don't spill a drop, or you will fail the quest!"

[You have received a new Quest from Peter.]

Arthur saw the notification pop out as soon as the old man finished talking, and he was sure that if he opened the book, he would find the information about the quest there. This old man seemed here to give him his first quest and introduce him.

"This looks like a game," said Arthur with a frown as he stared at the bucket of water. Then, he turned toward Old Peter. "What happens if I fail the quest?"

"It is a game, but one of life and death!" said Peter with a shake of his head. "Don't underestimate Quests, brave one. If one fails them, he will be punished by the Red Tower!"

"What is the punishment?"

"Your level will decrease, and each time that happens, every attribute you have will be halved! These reflect your actual strength, so avoiding failing a quest at all costs would be wise!"

"And what if my level hits zero?"

"You will end up like me, a man who can never advance in the tower, and his only hope to survive is relying on others," said Old Peter as he rose from the well. "However, it also means I can give quests and build a bridge for others to advance!"

After that, Old Peter disappeared. Arthur looked at him briefly before turning toward the bucket and taking out his book. As he suspected, his Quest section now had a new entry. Furthermore, as Peter explained, failing would result in severe punishment.

Arthur could not help but feel he was inside some sort of game, but this world looked too realistic. He could see the clouds high above in the sky, with birds and monsters mottling its blue. Thus, he could not help but feel that this Red Tower was more than meets the eye.

The bucket was as light as a feather, but Arthur had to be sure that not a single drop fell from it. It was stated in the quest that if a single drop fell, it would result in an instant failure because the old nanny needed her treatment.

As soon as he found the exit from the temple, Arthur was greeted by an empty street. The sounds of a bustling marketplace were close-by, so Arthur had to avoid it at all costs. However, he also had no idea where to find the old nanny.

"This Quest might be too difficult for a person who just arrived here," muttered Arthur as he stared at the water. "In any case, I just have to find someone to ask them. It might be the best way to end this quickly."

A cloaked person entered from one end of the street as he looked around the empty alleyway. Arthur lowered his bucket as he raised his hand to greet them.

"Excuse me, can you guide me to the old nanny?" asked Arthur politely, but the cloaked person flinched with fright. They backed away as they looked at him, and Arthur saw their face.

Their face was covered with hair, and their beastly eyes looked at him with wariness. Before this humanoid creature could answer him, shouts came from the end of the street.

"There he is! That thief has an accomplice!" shouted several figures at the end of the street, and Arthur was confused. The cloaked humanoid creature bolted, leaving him in the dust, as the angry crowd rushed toward Arthur.

"I am not…"

Arthur wanted to explain that he was just a passerby, but a single look at their angry faces convinced him otherwise. Thus, he picked up his bucket and bolted behind the humanoid creature, running away from the crowd.

The greatest challenge was to run without spilling a single drop from his bucket, which Arthur prevented by letting the bucket dangle behind him as he ran, hoping he could somehow find a way to stop running without spilling the water.

"Tell them that I'm not an accomplice!" shouted Arthur toward the humanoid creature, who looked back at him with surprise before rushing faster. Arthur turned toward the crowd and shouted the same thing at them, but none listened.

Arthur had no idea where to go, so he ran after the cloaked creature and hoped for the best. Arthur would have knocked them unconscious with a single wave of his hand if he had his runes and used another to carry this troublesome bucket.

The humanoid creature seemed like a fish in the water as he bolted from one alleyway to another, jumping over walls and climbing through roofs. Arthur had difficulty following him, but their pursuers had a harder time.

Thus, after a few turns and jumps, the humanoid creature hid behind a small cottage atop a roof, and Arthur followed suit. He lowered his bucket of water before placing his back against the wall and hiding.

They could hear the angry and confused shouts of the crowd grow more distant, and the two sighed in relief at the same time. Then, they turned toward each other, and Arthur looked at the same beastly eyes and furry face.

"You could have explained to them that I'm not an accomplice," said Arthur with disapproving eyes. "You better guide me to the old nanny, or I am throwing hands."

"What does that mean?" asked a gruff and hissing sound as the beastly eyes glared at him. However, the creature sighed before taking off his hood and revealing his face. Arthur was speechless to find that he had been talking to a humanoid cat with a scar over its eye.