I was just the typical product-of-society office worker, living off minimum wage, trapped in a relentless 9-to-5 routine. Eat. Sleep. Work. Repeat. With each new day, I experienced the constant torrent of daily beat downs from my domineering boss and whispers of workplace gossip taking over my entirety. The monotony of my life became insufferable, my will to start the day deteriorating daily. Only upon reaching my wooden apartment door of home did the stress relinquish its hold slightly.
Yet, amidst the temporal concerns of human existence, I clung to a hope for a fairytale romance. My soulmate–a person only dreams could conjure. As time progressed, my faith in finding that single individual out of 7 billion other individuals faded. With this realization, I sought solace within the comforting pages of novels. Yet, overtime, I began to realize that this dream was unachievable, so I began to focus myself into novels. I, too, smelled the Gingerbread houses and candy gardens of Hansel and Gretel. I sang to the birds in the woods with Snow White. With the turning of a new page I ascended to a new reality; a reality much more palatable, a reality were I was not my self. I was something better. It served not only as an escape from my job, but I had felt that it turned me into something that I was not, something better.
One cold winter evening, as I almost finished my third reading of my favorite novel before the last chapter was released, I met my maker.
Donning my favorite dark-grey jumper, I ventured from my apartment towards the eighty-year-old convenience store, lured by the fragrant, warm taste of instant-ramen before the final chapter. The broken-down complex I occupied and the quaint restaurant adjacent to it marked my well-trodden late night path across the road. There, at the crosswalk, I stood observing each car as they passed by, patiently waiting for the moment the light across from me would change colors and grant me passage.
Finally, the signal switched, and I began to continue my trechorous journey, gaze cast downwards, in avoidance of the eyes of others. There, on the blackened asphalt, fortune had given me a crisp hundo–hundred dollar bill–beckoning to me like a pirates treasure in this jungle of a metropolitan city. I bent my stiffened knees, quickly grabbing and pocketing the piece of paper like a devout follower thanking their creator. It felt as if this gift was an acknowledgement from the universe of my life's constant trials and tribulations, an auspicious stroke of luck. I was wrong.
Bright white lights, most akin to those they shine during dentist visits, or eye exams, hurled towards me with immense speed. I was a deer in headlights, truly. It was as if I could sense that my existence was about to cease, yet I did not move or even shed a tear. My body shot away from the place I had knelt just seconds before, like a broken puppet kicked to the curb. My soul seemd to lag behind as my bones split into millions of tiny fragments. Only then could I withstand the cold weather. Only then as my warm blood seeped out of every crevice of my body, did it seem my life force had a will to keep on, I needed to escape.
In that tormenting moment, I yearned for salvation, that mysterious vision straight from the novels I had lived for. But alas, no handsome hero appeared to save me, leaving me to bear the excruciating agony of a lonesome death.
As I took my final breaths of city air, I thought in contemplation of my life. I lived with many regrets, but the most prominent was leaving myself with the world's biggest cliffhanger.
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My consciousness seemed to idle in a world of complete darkness, suspended in a realm in which time held no pretense. It was a void of everything. A void of sound, light, existence. Even as I screamed, begging for someone to release me from the nothingness, nothing would answer. As I tried to peel my eyes open, the void continued to engulf me. As I coped with my death, I found solace. My surroundings were a sanctuary of loneliness, a haven in which my actions had no significance. There was a sense of peace in the air, in the soundless environment, the nothingness was my lullaby.
Yet, after some span of time–could be seconds, minutes, years, decades, for all I knew–a shift took place. The darkness gave way to a blood-red hue, and I felt the same warmth that I had in my fleeting minutes. With that change, I begun to become aware of my limbs, grateful for even a fraction of movement. I stretched my fingers first, moving each one individually, progressively intensifying their movement like Mozart on a piano. My toes, while less graceful, joined in the symphony of life.
At first I was reluctant to open my eyes, scared that my sanctuary of peace had been destroyed, and I would return to anxiety-filled, stress-ridden life of a regular being. But, with my first attempts to rise, I found that I was tightly restrained, held captive by an unknown force. I was hesitant for a moment to open my eyes after so long. I was worried that I would be disappointed that I was still living. I decided to sit up first and then open my eyes, but when I used my strength, I still was unable to move. I was being held in something or by someone. Curiosity and apprehension filled my mind as I cautiously opened my eyes.
The scene that greeted me was something of movies, like a vivid dream. A fire was lit in the center of the cavernous room with smoke swirling around the warmth. With each change of air flow, the refractions of light shifted around the room like a kaleidoscope of golden and vermillion hues. Great, endless stone walls whispered tales of ancient secrets and untold stories learnt through their countless years of simply being.
As a flash of sharp pain rushed through my body, I was shocked back into reality and I shot my gaze behind me to the source of my captivity. My heart skipped. Behold, a creature unlike anything that ever roamed the temporal earth. It bore the semblance of a jurassic creature, no. Not a dinosaur, instead it was like the treasure hoarding, elusive creatures told only in story: a dragon. It's sinewy body and distinct face, defied every single truth I had learned over my years of living in Tokyo, a place much more familiar with the buzz of modernity than the presence of mythical beings. I could feel its the rhythm in each of it's breaths, as they grew shallower–fading away. As it sunk into a deeper sleep, it's grasp began to slip. Mustering all the courage and strength left in me, I forced myself up and ran to the opposite corner of the room.
In the haze of confusion and utter disbelief, I questioned whether this all was a messed up dream that I had fallen into, some realm created by my innermost fears and trauma. The overwhelming fear that had controlled me only seconds before seemed to wane as I felt a strange detachment from the surreal scene in front of me, as if I had disassociated. I assumed that I must have been in a dream. I had heard that some people have odd dreams after they experience extreme trauma, maybe that was it. I must have been so badly hurt that my body fell into a coma.
Scanning the cavern once more, I spotted a small opening the size of a basketball partially obscured by the resting creature. My escape route lay only feet in front of me, but the risks for freedom were large.
I took only a few minutes to think of my plan, when I felt that familiar warm sensation again. Something trickled into my eye, stinging it. I unconsciously wiped my forehead, only to reveal a crimson stain smudging my hand. My eyes shot back to the dragon, finding a pool of blood dripping of its front claw. Fuck, it got me. Yet, not only did I see my own blood, I saw the midnight blue blood of the dragon trickling out of a large gash along the dragon's back.
I went back to staring at the fire in contemplation of my next move, where a long sharp metal rod laid under the ashes, glowing white from the heat. As if sensing the creature's resurgence, I turned back to face it, meeting its golden gaze. An inexplicable pressure bore down on me, as if the dragon had sought to command me. Surrendering, I leapt to the fire and firmly grasped the metal rod. I screamed from the agonizing pain as the metal burned my hands turning my skin into ashes in an instant. Ignoring the torment, I gathered all my strength throwing my arms behind my head then striking the creature's weakened spine. I could smell the burning of the flesh and hear the cries of the monster. The dragon roared in undeniable anger and it curried enough strength to begin to try and shake me off. Its head turned around widening its mouth as if to bite me once again. I thrust the metal spear deeper into its body with each strike more desperate than the precious.
Finally, the creature's struggle subsided, it's breathing ceased, and, once again, I was surrounded by silence.
Congratulations on defeating the Great Dragon, Ruler of the Eight Worlds. What was going on? What was this notification? It was just like a scene in a novel, where the male lead had finally defeated a monster and was gaining the skills. Then more screens began to pop up...
Title gained: Dragon Slayer
This title is given as a result of defeating the Great Dragon, Ruler of the Eight Worlds who was able to complete all floors until Floor 98. Grants an additional boost of 100% to all stats. Associated with "Control" skill which exudes a great pressure on enemies that makes stats 10% lowered for 10 minutes (Proficiency 0%). Associated with "Eternal Beast Body" skill which grants the user a reinforced body with heightened senses along with greater defense (Proficiency 0%). This skills associated benefits are temporarily locked and will be revealed as proficiency level increases.
Title gained: 1st Tower Ascender
This title is given to the human who was accidentally relocated to Floor 13 of the tower before the opening of the tower on their home planet. Associated quest: Complete floors 14 through 60 of the Tower before other humans are able to climb to Floor 13. Associated with "Trailblazer" skill which gains additionally rewards and has a 100% likelihood of gaining a rare artifact from completing a level or finding hidden chests. As new accomplishments are achieved skill will produce better rewards and generate higher rankings (Proficiency 0%).
Artifact gained: Dragon's Eyes
The eyes of the dragon, Ruler of Eight Worlds, grants the user the ability to see the mana flow of the world. Additional skill granted for the 1st Tower Ascender: the user is able to use the memories of the Dragon at their will to navigate through the tower.
Artifact gained: Dragon's Mana
All the mana that had been circulating through the Great Dragon has been greatly condensed and is turned into a consumable item to be used only by those with the "Eternal Beast Body" and gives an unlimited supply of mana from the immortal. This consumable is slowly used as proficiency increases and level increases so the body does not explode as a result.
Artifact gained: Dragon's Treasury
An artifact that was passed down from generations within the Dragon family that has held the belongings of the Great Dragon for the entirety of its life. The space inside the Treasury can be accessed by teleportation runes engrained within and contains 100 hectares of land. Space inside artifact increases as user's level increases.
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