William slowly opened his eyes, regaining his consciousness, breathing heavily as if he had just fought a war or run for hours. His blurry vision began to clear. A strange ache pulsed through his knuckles and elbows. When he looked down, he saw his hands and elbows smeared with blood, his fingers bent unnaturally, and one arm hanging at a painful angle.
He lifted his head and froze.
The man who had been beating him moments ago now lay on the ground in a horrifying state. His face was so damaged it was impossible to recognize, his arms twisted at unnatural angles, and one lag torn off completely.
William's breath hitched. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Panic erupted inside him.
William: No… no… no… not this again! I-I'm sorry, sir… it's not my fault…
His voice cracked as he sobbed, trembling.
A girl stood a few steps away, having witnessed everything. Her face went pale as she screamed,
Girl: Y-you… you killed that guy! I saw everything! You're a monster!
The girl screamed for help, her voice echoing through the area. William tried desperately to calm her down, but his attempts only made her panic even more.
Guards appeared moments later, and they froze when they saw the scene in front of them. Without wasting a second, they forced William to the ground and tied his hands behind his back. One of the guards muttered that they needed to get him to a hospital immediately, he had lost too much blood.
William struggled to speak, trying to explain that he wasn't guilty, that the other man had attacked him first. But the guards ignored every word. One of them pulled out a small canister and sprayed a chemical across William's face. A cold numbness spread through his body, his vision dimming as the world slowly slipped away, pulling him into a deep, heavy sleep
William slowly opened his eyes, finding himself in a white room that looked a lot like a hospital. He tried to sit up, but stopped the moment he felt the cold tug of metal, his legs were chained to the bed.
Before he could process anything, he heard footsteps outside, someone fumbling with the door. It swung open, and Mr. Li rushed in, worry written all over his face. He hurried to William's side and spoke in a soft, anxious voice.
Mr. Li: Oh boy… what have you done to yourself?
William frowned. He thinks it was my fault…
He opened his mouth to explain that the strange man had attacked him first, but Mr. Li cut him off.
Mr. Li: You don't need to explain anything. It wasn't your fault. That guy lost control because of his core.
William: Core? What is that? You never told me about this on the train!
Mr. Li chuckled, rubbing the back of his head.
Mr. Li: Ah... sorry, sorry. My bad. I'm an old man, you'll have to forgive me.
William: Fine… but can you tell me about the core now?
Mr. Li: Of course. Listen carefully. A core is a special substance that drops after you kill a entity but not just any entity. It has to be one from a difficulty level higher than Orange. Only then will a core drop. You can sell it to the authorities for money, or keep it for yourself.
William leaned forward slightly, curiosity overpowering his confusion.
William: Can you tell me more about these difficulty levels?
Mr. Li nodded.
Mr. Li: "Sure, why not? The levels inside the Tower are divided into four main tiers, and each tier has two sub-types."
He raised four fingers and began explaining.
GREEN TIER
The easiest to clear, but the rewards are low.
Sub-types:
Green-1: Field-type levels. They take place in wide areas and follow a specific theme.
Green-2: Mini-game levels with no theme. You simply have to do whatever the entity tells you.
ORANGE TIER
Medium challenge with better chances of getting valuable rewards.
Sub-types:
Orange-1: Similar to Green-1, but the overall challenge is higher.
Orange-2: Like Green-2, but more demanding.
RED TIER
High to extreme challenge, but the rewards are impressive.
The sub-types are the same as before Field and Mini-game but both are pushed to dangerous extremes.
BLACK TIER
Mr. Li's expression darkened.
Mr. Li: We barely know anything about these. Only three Black Tier levels have ever appeared, and each one brought catastrophe. They don't take place inside the Tower. When the gate to a Black Level is opened, its effects spill out into the real world, and we're forced to deal with the entity outside.
Mr. Li folded his hands behind his back.
Mr. Li: "That's everything I know about the levels."
William hesitated.
William: "Then… what about the rewards from Black Tier levels?"
Mr. Li sighed.
Mr. Li: "Those rewards are unimaginably powerful—and strange. The reward for the first Black Level was three bases, and our base is one of them. As for the second and third… not even I know. The authorities seem determined to keep the details hidden."
He leaned closer, voice dropping.
Mr. Li: "But that's enough information for you. Remember—knowledge is a curse. The more you know, the more dangerous things become."
(Time skip – One Month Later)
William was completely healed, ready to be discharged. After thanking the doctor for taking care of him, Mr. Li walked over to William and slapped him lightly on the back in a teasing way.
Mr. Li: You're all healed now. It's time for you to climb your first level.