Return Of The Strongest Player

"A Divine Ranker of Olympus has been caught trying to harm a player," the Guardian spoke in a firm voice, contacting another Guardian using a device clutched between his fingers. "Requesting for backup."

Hermes directed a glare at Arthur, who shuddered. However, the latter did not relent, and glared back. 

Unwilling to attract trouble, Hermes could only drop Jenny to the ground. With a snap of his fingers, a portal appeared, and within the blink of an eye, the Divine Ranker had disappeared into thin air.

The Guardian thanked Arthur before leaving the scene, planning on pursuing Hermes. It wasn't Olympus's first blunder, and it certainly would not be there last. Hermes had failed his father. It would bring Zeus great disappointment.

Jenny stabilized herself, landing on her feet. Her expression still seemed dark, but she glanced at Arthur, nodding. It was as if that was Jenny's way of thanking the crimson-eyed man, who nodded back.

In a few moments, a lot had occurred.

Arthur had crossed paths with an entity that filled him with fear, Jenny had almost given up on her goal, and the Divine Ranker was now under chase for attempting to harm a player in the Outer District.

Such hegemons couldn't interfere in the lower floors, and harming a player was crossing the Tower Administration's bottom line. Such an act was surely going to affect Olympus's influence for a couple of years.

Arthur quickly grabbed Skofnung.

[The Demonic Blade 'Skofnung' shivers.]

[The Demonic Blade 'Skofnung' is fearful.]

The sword physically trembled within Arthur's arms, which caught the crimson-eyed man's attention. It seemed Hermes's aura was overwhelming, even for a demonic blade. Skofnung was not making cheeky remarks, and was instead scared shitless.

Although Arthur and Jenny had escaped their fate for a certain amount of time, as they progressed through floors, Hermes was surely going to return. As they climb higher, the Divine Ranker would receive more leeway to attack.

Eventually, he would be able to attack without restraint.

'I'll worry about that later,' thought the crimson-eyed man, taking a deep breath. 'If push comes to shove, I'll forcefully join a clan and make myself valuable enough for them to take the initiative to protect me.'

It was laughable, the means Arthur had to pursue simply in order to survive. Yet, that was the reality of the tower.

It stripped the arrogance of the weak. Even the strong weren't immune.

Arthur glanced at Jenny. The latter's eyes were unfocused, and her body stiff. She gazed at the sky blankly, unaware of what was occurring around her. Arthur suddenly approached Jenny, his eyes narrowed to slits.

"Who are you?" Arthur inquired, staring into her eyes. 

"I was hoping you wouldn't bring it up."

"I know," replied the crimson-eyed man. "But, what I did could potentially endanger my life. I think I deserve to know what I risked my life… or who I risked my life for. Since Hermes came to recruit you, I don't think you're ordinary."

Jenny revealed a faint smile. "Do you mind waiting?"

"Not for long."

"How about I tell you on the 15th floor?" 

*

Once the two finished their conversation, they cooperated in bringing Dino, Randy, and Harry to a nearby inn. Since the three were unconscious, it was quite difficult to carry them for a longer distance.

After spending a few tokens to reserve two rooms–one for Dino, Harry, and Jenny, and one for Randy and Arthur–they carried the unconscious bodies to the particular rooms. Jenny preferred to reserve a room for herself, but due to a lack of tokens, she was forced to reside alongside the other two.

Once he'd settled in, Arthur headed out for a quick walk.

'The 15th floor… that's…'

Arthur could somewhat guess Jenny's origins through those words. He wasn't unbeknownst to the layout of the tower, after all. 

As he crossed the bustling streets of the Outer District, nostalgia arose in his chest. The gray, brick roads, the cheerful shopkeepers, the clueless players… Even the sight of a few new players being scammed aroused a sense of belonging in Arthur's chest.

After spending decades in Heaven's Spire, it wasn't difficult to label the tower as his home. However, Arthur's gaze suddenly hardened. Suddenly, all things that belonged to the tower became worthless.

'I do not wish for destruction… at least, not for my home,' Arthur spoke internally, observing the Outer District in all its glory. The so-called "peace" would soon be disrupted. 'I wish to reach the apex.'

His goal was similar to almost all players, but for him, it wasn't a matter of hope.

For him, it was only a matter of time.

'I should probably try to stack up on tokens…' Arthur strolled across the busy streets, thinking about his future. Tokens weren't always earnt in the form of bronze coins, and could simply be credited to one's account.

One's account was linked to their system.

Tokens could be gained by clearing floors and stacking achievements, but they could also be earnt by completing certain jobs. A shopkeeper in the Outer District could pay their employee tokens.

'But that's too simple of a way…' Arthur said internally, baring his fangs. He immediately headed towards the East side of the market. He passed by several dozens of shops, yet he ignored them all.

Finally, as he entered the East side, he spotted a certain shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper had lime-colored, spiky hair, along with navy-blue eyes. He had fair skin with a few freckles along his nose. With a sly gaze and a tendency to scam his customers, he was often on the receiving end of many brutal beatdowns.

However, he mostly managed to escape using disguises or by allying with a stronger force, which he then betrayed almost immediately, resulting in another chase. This was done solely towards the purpose of earning tokens.

Why did a man who was a mere shopkeeper in the Outer District require so many tokens?

Every man had a weakness. It was only a matter of how well one could conceal it. Some concealed it perfectly, removing any possibility of manipulation. However, some drew the short end of the stick.

Like the lime-haired man before Arthur.