Chapter 1: The Snoring Corpse
The world changed the day the sky cracked open and the Towers descended. They weren't built; they were born, tearing through the earth like wounds made of concrete and magic.
The profession of "Adventurer" became every child's dream and every adult's greed. But standing in front of that colossal structure of white marble, pulsing with blue veins of mana, Bel Lulu felt only one thing: nausea.
"Don't puke, Bel. Do not puke," he repeated mentally, gripping the handle of his wooden blowgun until his knuckles turned white.
The Tower before him was a "White Class," the most common type, yet it emanated a pressure that made the air vibrate with the smell of ozone.
"Wow... these towers really are incredible," he muttered, trying to convince himself. His voice cracked. "Finally... finally, I'm going to challenge one."
He adjusted his backpack, took a deep breath, and took the first step toward the swirling energy portal. That was when he saw it.
Under a twisted tree, just a few meters from the entrance, there was a body.
Bel froze. The silence of the open field was suddenly filled by the sound of his own heart pounding in his ears. The stranger lying on the grass was motionless, limbs thrown carelessly, mouth slightly open.
Bel approached on tiptoes, shaking like a leaf.
"Is... is anyone there?" he whispered.
No answer. Not even the stranger's chest seemed to move.
"No signs of life." Bel clutched his head, panic taking over. "Oh my God, he's dead! He must have tried to enter alone and got repelled by the barrier! If an adventurer died out here, what's going to happen to me inside?!"
Bel's mind was already conjuring scenarios where he was being devoured by monsters when he decided to do the only sensible thing:
"I'm calling the police! I can't believe there's a dead body here, it's an omen, I knew I shouldn't have left the island, aaaaa—"
VROOOOOOOM!
The "corpse" shot up in a movement so sudden it displaced the air around them. He stretched his arms toward the sky, cracking his back with a sound that resembled breaking bones.
"GOOD MORNING!!!"
The shout was so loud that birds flew from the nearby trees.
Bel, caught off guard, tripped over his own feet and fell onto the grass, pale as a sheet.
The stranger looked around, blinking against the sun. He had messy black hair and chaotic energy. Finally, he looked down and saw Bel trembling on the ground.
"Huh? What's with all the screaming, kid?" the stranger asked, scratching his stomach.
"I-I... you..." Bel stuttered, pointing a finger. "You were dead!"
"Dead?" The boy laughed. "I'm Asuke Mishima, and I'm an adventurer. I was just taking a tactical nap."
"A nap?! In front of a Dungeon?!" Bel stood up, dusting off his pants, indignation momentarily overcoming fear. "My name is Bel Lulu. I thought the Tower had killed you!"
Asuke looked at the White Tower as if seeing it for the first time.
"Oh, right. The Tower." He placed a hand on his stomach, which responded with a thunderous growl. GRUUUUONC. "I was starving and broke. Some guy told me, 'Go there, a tower is gonna spawn,' so I came here to wait for some easy money and passed out. Man, I'm hungry!"
"You slept because of hunger?" Bel raised an eyebrow.
"Exactly!" Asuke grinned, showing all his teeth. "But now it's here. Hey, you look like someone who thinks too much. Is this tower yours?"
"I came to challenge it..." Bel looked down, insecurity returning. "But I'm late, and you're clearly stronger..."
Asuke took a step forward, invading Bel's personal space, and placed a heavy hand on his shoulder.
"Then come with me."
"What?"
"I'm starting a guild. I need companions. You can be the first one." Asuke spoke with unshakable certainty, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"You don't even know me! I only have this blowgun and my mana control is mediocre!" Bel protested.
Asuke ignored the protest and started walking toward the portal.
"If you came all this way shaking like that, it's because you have a pretty strong reason, right?" Asuke stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Think about that goal. If it's worth it, you'll get in."
Bel stood paralyzed. The image of his sister, Lu, came to his mind. Her pale face, the promise he made. He gritted his teeth.
"It's a trade of favors," Bel muttered to himself. "I use him as a shield, he uses me as support."
"I heard that!" Asuke shouted, already near the portal.
Bel ran to catch up.
Inside the Tower, reality was distorted. The blue sky was replaced by a ceiling of damp stone and purple crystals glowing in the darkness. The air was heavy, hard to breathe.
"Is this a cave?" Bel looked back. The entrance portal was gone. There was only a solid wall.
"Welcome to the belly of the beast," Asuke said, his voice echoing. "The exit portal only opens when the Boss Core breaks. No turning back, no crying."
Before Bel could complain, the ground shook.
CRACK-CRACK!
From the rocky ground, stones began to float, joining together magically. Five humanoid shapes rose up, each with an orange core pulsing in the center of its chest. Guardian Golems.
"Get ready, Bel. Here they come."
"O-Okay..." Bel brought the blowgun to his mouth, hands trembling.
The Golems didn't wait. They advanced with heavy steps.
"LET'S DO THIS!"
Asuke had no technique. He had no stance. He was pure explosion. He launched himself at the first Golem and threw a straight punch.
POW!
The stone exploded. The Golem's arm turned to dust.
"See that? I don't control my mana well, but I know how to hit!" Asuke laughed.
A second Golem tried to flank Asuke. Bel saw the opening. He inhaled, focused his small amount of mana into his lungs, and blew.
Floop!
A dart of bluish light cut through the air and hit the Golem's knee. The stone leg crumbled, and the monster fell.
"I hit it!" Bel smiled. "I thought they'd be tougher!"
The duo worked fast. Asuke smashed, Bel provided cover fire. In less than a minute, there was only gravel on the ground.
"Too easy!" Asuke dusted off his hands.
But then, a high-pitched sound filled the cave. ZUUUUUUUM.
The stones on the ground began to vibrate. As if a video were being rewound, the boulders flew back, reassembling the monsters' arms, legs, and heads.
"Asuke! They're regenerating!" Bel shouted.
"Dammit!" Asuke kicked a Golem that was getting up, knocking it down again. But the stones just glued themselves back together. "I'll break them a thousand times if I have to!"
"It's useless! It's reconstruction magic!" Bel backed away, eyes scanning the enemies. He needed to think. He wasn't strong like Asuke; his only weapon was his observation.
He noticed something. When the Golem rebuilt itself, the energy flowed from the stones to the center... to the orange core.
"The core..." Bel whispered. "The core is the brain!"
"Hey, Blowgun Nerd! Any ideas?" Asuke shouted, holding a Golem's head with his bare hands while its body tried to punch him.
"ASUKE! THE CRYSTAL IN THE CHEST! BREAK THE CRYSTAL!"
Asuke grinned.
"Got it!"
Bel aimed. Not at the leg, not at the head. He focused on the orange glow of a Golem running toward him.
"Mana Shot!"
FWOOSH!
The dart tore through the air and pierced the center of the crystal. There was a sound of shattering glass, and the Golem collapsed, turning into dead stone.
"It works!" Bel yelled.
Asuke didn't waste time. He let go of the monster's head, spun his body, and drove his fist into the enemy's chest. CRASH! The core exploded in sparks.
In seconds, the battle was over. This time, silence remained.
Asuke bent down and picked up a fragment of a core that was still faintly glowing.
"Die, shiny pebble. I think I'll take this to decorate my Christmas tree."
Bel let out the breath he didn't realize he was holding and fell sitting down, exhausted.
"You're crazy..." said Bel, panting. "But you hit hard."
A pure white light lit up at the back of the cave, revealing a circular platform.
"The elevator to the Boss," Asuke said, getting serious for the first time. He looked at his own hands, then at Bel. "Hey, Bel. Your aim is good. You saved my skin back there."
Bel blushed slightly at the compliment.
"And you... well, you're a decent human shield."
Asuke laughed loudly and walked to the elevator.
"Let's go. The main course is on the top floor."