Chapter 39
Dane calculated that his creation was the right amount for the journey; he limited Miko and Ward's function so the main tower system wouldn't perceive them to be a threat. With the adjustments made, they were able to safely navigate through the tower undetected; the poison the snake ward could be adjusted based on the enemy. increasing its potency against stronger foes. While Miko the owl's needle projectiles have paralyzing effects.
The burning amber smoke the two were made of made it difficult for the enemy to see clearly.
The hot ember mixed with the thick and hazy smoke; it was truly an offspring of the formless armor. The formless armor was created by one of the twelve main developers on Arcane Crusade. It was part of the sub quest line related to the main story, but when Miko was given access to the ability to combine the six skills Dane got after eliminating those criminals, he was able to obtain it because the independent system that revived Damon Lazarus from death allowed him to transfer it to himself.
The separate system might be the anomaly that the tower's main system needed to destroy. But because the tower could not kill the player directly and it was against its main function, it responded by sealing its capability until it aligned itself to the main system's logic.
"Master Dane, I am thankful that you gave us both a physical form."
"Ward is correct, master. I am delighted I could serve you again, but sadly my functions are now limited."
"I could no longer assist you in the way you desire."
"Please explain, Miko?"
"Remember when we were still inside the curse cave? I was still able to fully accomplish your last command."
"The formless armor can now be used with minimal mana consumption and integrated with the tree magic skills you were able to obtain."
"These are lightning, fire, and healing."
"But with wards help, I was able to isolate the six skills, a small portion of the six magic skills that opened and regulated the creation of the formless armor."
"The system confirmed that the formless armor you have is just a prototype."
"Because it's not the actual god-tier weapon, but it has similar traits."
"Collecting the six true remains associated with the formless god will establish a connection to what you have now."
"The problem now is locating those unknown remnants."
"When we decided to split up the game's main scenario into an interconnected story and gave the smaller branch scenario to somewhat connect to the main story based on the player's choices, allowing for a more immersive and personalized gaming experience."
"He created a simple yet effective method of placing these remnants in a random and secret location within the tower."
"I never knew combining the six skills would connect this to the formless armor, as Derick Collins was the one who made the script code regarding the formless god remnants."
"I knew he granted me access to that script, but I never tested it. Based on how good he was back then, I never once doubted its effectiveness."
"Back then it was a very risky move, but one that paid off in the end."
"His innovative approach in hiding the remnants was both impressive and effective, ensuring that they remained hidden for years to come."
"The connection between the skills and the formless armor truly showcased Derick Collins 'is a master in crafting a complex and intricate system of protection."
"Ward, how long and durable can your snake form be?"
"I could extend for about 100 feet and carry a weight of 500 kilos and divide it into ten with a reach of ten feet each, with no mana consumption."
"What about you, Miko?"
"I could detach from you and fly with a distance of 200 feet and a speed of 60 miles per hour, with a limited time of one hour before needing to rest and recharge for five hours."
"The further away I am from the main host, the weaker my connection becomes, making it more difficult for me to maintain my form and abilities."
"This limitation can change, as for now it is necessary to ensure that I can quickly return to the main host if needed in case of danger or emergency situations."
"I could throw multiple paralyzing needles with precision accuracy, immobilizing any threats within a 50-foot radius."
"This ability allows me to protect the main host while maintaining a safe distance to avoid being compromised."
"We both could also use our heightened senses to detect danger before it manifests and reach the main host."
"Might I suggest creating an outfit to hide your appearance, Master Dane?"
"You still have a few mana cores in your possession. Remember when you were recuperating inside the curse cave? The formless armor activated, and with minimal mana consumption, I gathered all the mana cores in the vicinity."
"By utilizing the mana cores, we can enhance your abilities and create a disguise that will help you blend in seamlessly with the environment. This will provide an extra layer of protection and ensure that you remain undetected while carrying out your mission."
"I was always fascinated with my father's previous job as a military soldier. I love how they integrate all their equipment into their uniforms to be prepared for any situation. It's designed for strategic and tactical advantages. The current items in your storage can be changed, and with the formless armor and the remaining cores, I think Miko and I could incorporate it into your attic seamlessly. .
"Please proceed with this as I enter the first floor again." Everything went as planned, but as Dane was about to leave, he noticed a picture that caught his attention. To his surprise, it was an old poster about a missing person, and the boy's identity was seen staring back at him. Given how old and faded the poster appeared, it's possible that the missing person investigation has been open for a while.
"This wasn't part of any scenario. Was this part of Derick's branch-out storyline? Why would he use my face as a composite design for this missing child's face?"
"Hiring players is part of the sub-scenario, but the tower decided to go beyond its usual scope by involving non-players to enter."
"Chances are these NPCs are no longer bound to what we programmed them in the past. Oh well, we made the tower grow and learn, so we might as well accept this as it is."
Dane was amused and somewhat smiled as he did recall the task storyline that Derick Collin made, but sadly it never gained much popularity among the players. Dane was the head developer of the virtual game , but he gave his team the freedom to create their own substoryline because of the code he created were each non playable characters has random personalities and backstories, and many of these characters have quest lines that players can explore. This unique feature allowed for a more immersive and dynamic gaming experience, but unfortunately, not all storylines created by the team were well-received by players. Despite this, Dane was proud of the creativity and effort his team put into developing these substorylines.
"What prompted this sudden change?" asked Dane, considering there were no notifications. h he stared at the poster as player walk right passed him, Khamael once again came out to monitor Dane as he was previously entered with a lingering unknown issues before, but when a gatekeeper was ordered to retrieve his unconscious body outside the curse cave , the managing leader of a gatekeepers took notice to Dane because of the anomaly that the tower had detected in his presence.
Many gatekeeper staff were monitoring him and scanning him for any irregularities, but nothing came out. The poster he was looking at was placed with other announcement posters related to the first floor seven known empires and kingdoms willingness to accept hire personnel from beyond the tower gate. as the passed and signed the mutual services agreement contract.
Dane saw rude players would just rip off the poster and take it with them as they headed out of the gatekeeper's main receiving lobby.
The four players who had sought to extort from Dane finally awoke, but the consequences of their previous actions weighed heavily upon them. Though they were still alive, they lay in a state of utter disarray, their bodies bewildered and their arms and limbs refusing to respond.
Passersby, many of whom were also struggling with their own journeys through the tower simply glanced at the unfortunate quartet sprawled on the ground, their expressions inscrutable as they walked by without a second thought. Ignored and abandoned, the four thugs found themselves wrestling not just with physical incapacitation but also with the stark reality of their failed intentions. They had once plotted retribution against the nameless novice player who had dared to turn the tables on them, but now, ironically, it was they who faced the consequences of their own hubris.
In a scene that only deepened the irony, these self-proclaimed enforcers of the Brilliance Guild, notorious for their bullying tactics, found themselves powerless and vulnerable. Their eyes darted around, filled with a mix of disbelief and outrage, as they struggled to comprehend how they had ended up in such a pitiable position. Charged with a relentless arrogance and often cloaked in a façade of dignity, the members of the Brilliance Guild had long thrived on intimidation, using their numbers to prey upon newly awakened players who dared to traverse the tower's entrance.
Yet, in this moment of humiliation, it became painfully clear to them that the very traits that had once empowered their tyranny had now rendered them utterly defenseless. As the weight of their actions settled around them, their ego was still far stronger than their rational thinking.
They remembered his face and made sure to get revenge the moment they gained information from the vice captain, who had the ability to see the players basic information and statistics. This made the Brilliance Guild grow, as they could use this information for their own benefit.
The four help each other to return to their guild base inside the Solnara Cererindu empire. Miko warns Dane that the four who attack him near the exit alley street connecting to the association clinic are going up the stairs leading to the gate entrance. Ward suggested wearing his new upgraded equipment, and as soon as Dane agreed to change his clothing, he was now wearing a Rogue Hoodie Full Zip Black Multicam Black upper clothing, and his father's old gas mask became lightweight and more breathable.
The canister mount was now slimmer, and the design was redesigned to look much fiercer and much more intimidating. Influenced by the Japanese demon Oni, Ward made sure to add some black tactical gloves, boots, and tactical pants to complete the look.
When the players in the gatekeeper lobby noticed this, they thought it was simply the player-mixed gear from the old days of video games. Due to the fact that these magical tools are more about appearance than functionality, it was typical to observe that many players shared a similar aesthetic and metamorphosis.
The four members of the Brilliance Guild went into the receiving room in the tower lobby. They couldn't identify Dane, so they went by him. Since many players still aspire to be famous and well-known in the tower community, some of them chose to hide their faces. The guild members looked at each other in confusion, wondering if the player was a bit of a recluse.
But Dane never paid attention to those who saw him; he wasn't reclusive nor antisocial; he just didn't see any reason or merit to interact with other people that might betray his trust. He preferred to keep to himself and focus on his own goals rather than seeking approval or validation from others.
Dane took the poster and folded it as it vanished and got stored inside her dimensional storage. Having the same face with the missing son of Duchess Elleena Rothchester could be helpful at some point. But he needed to investigate further; his main concern now was reaching the target location of Lúthien. The burst teleportation he used before was now downgraded to short burst teleportation. The Dane personal system had to submit to the main tower system as Dane's ability was seen as an anomaly, so to correct these issues, many of the formless armor abilities were downgraded..
Dane casually walked and didn't mind the gatekeepers, as he didn't do anything that wasn't a normal part of the majority of players routine. He had to stay focused on his mission, knowing that any deviation could jeopardize his chances of reaching Lúthien and help his relatives obtain the king's reward and acknowledgment.
Dane asks Miko if she can gather information on the god remnants from the subsystem that subsequently linked to him. Miko accessed the subsystem and found a few broken pieces of information, but three scenarios were somewhat connected to the god remnants. One scenario was about a mage player that would conduct magic unification at the magic university, accidentally opening one of the scenarios that might lead toward the sub story related to the god remnants.
The second choice quest was reaching an uncharted area in the first tower and locating a locked chamber where the god remnants were rumored to be located at the Empire of Graves. The connection between the scenarios and the god remnants hinted at a larger, more dangerous plot unfolding within the tower.
And the third was still hidden; a clue would be given to the one that would obtain the random god remnants at the Empire of Grave at the swamp land of Karion..
Dane knew a few details of the actual number of the god remnants, so he wasn't sure if Derick Collins, Miranda Saunders, and Shawn Booth finished laying out this sub story before they mysteriously died; all of them reached the limit of their age, and Dane, who was Damon, was the last person to pass away when the tower came to be.
"The main story I created and plotted was done. The issue now is the connection and adaptation of these sub-stories to the main narrative," Dane thought to himself as he carefully reviewed the email messages left behind by his deceased colleague mentally. He reached the exit gate as he walked down the stairs toward the vast open territory of the first floor. Many players who were observing those who entered saw a peculiar person wearing a black military multicam clothing.
He was different, as most players were wearing metal armor and mythological equipment.
Identifying what profession these players belong to was seen in their gear and equipment.
The native people living in the tower never once thought of going out of the tower to explore what was outside their domain; all sentient beings besides the monster were bound to never consciously leave the tower. The arrival of the peculiar person in military attire sparked curiosity and intrigue among both players and native inhabitants, as his presence hinted at a world beyond their familiar confines.
Many players laugh at his equipment, thinking he was unaware that human equipment is useless inside, not unless some thought he was wearing customized clothing from when Nexus started to sell unique clothing as a selling point. However, after a month, many players at that time stopped using these customized clothing items, as they were not part of the main gameplay, rendering them useless against monsters in the virtual game before.
He was without a doubt the most unprepared player in the area. Player gears were seen to have a thin radiant glow based on the player's mana, but Dane clothing had none, and most gears were forged, came from their game avatar equipment, and were lately obtained inside the tower, but again, this wasn't new to the first floor; many new players without any resources did this, hoping to change their lives once they started completing quests..
Dane never reacted to these people's stares as he was busy listening to what Miko was telling him; the physical form of Miko was on Dane's left shoulder; its movement was minimal and subtle, almost like a whisper in his ear. Despite the distractions around him, Dane remained focused on Miko's information on the third
"Master, I think the third scenario is related to the missing son of the Duchess, but I am still not sure."
The child was supposed to have been killed by the assailant that was hired by one of the wives of Solnara Cererindur to create tension among the nobles. This story was being created when Damon Lazarus Parent also passed away due to an accident. The storyline never progressed as most players were not interested in solving the missing child case and instead focused on other quests and missions to earn rewards and gold coins.
"It's fine, Miko. We have a lot of time to spare the moment we finish our task in securing the Lazarus clan position on the evolve Drake quest.."
"We need to plan our trip to Lúthien,"
"We need help from them. The transportation guild?"