Chapter 1
When humans think about death, what comes to your mind? a peaceful meadow with your loved ones welcoming you with open arms? or perhaps the flaming pits of hell with your worst nightmares ready to torture you for all eternity? or who knows, maybe there was no afterlife, you simply rotted in your coffin, maggots feasting on your decomposing flesh. What most people probably won't expect is a empty void, lines of text floating in front of them.
[Game Over.]
[Would you like to start a new game?]
[Yes?] [No?]
And of course the young man pressed yes, cause why the hell not. What he didn't expect was the void around him shattering like glass, revealing a cavern with an immensely high ceiling, murals of heroes fighting against ferocious beasts. Turning his attention to himself, he could see that he was still a he, thankfully enough. And that he was wearing the clothes he died in, a light grey jacket with a buttoned high collar reaching up to his nose, his grey shirt underneath it, black slacks and sneakers.
His self-examination was cut short as a voice spoke up from behind him. "My my, I seem to have a lot of guests today." turning around, he saw a being reminiscent of a white rabbit wearing blue armor, carrying a staff with two green balls at each end. Above the being, our surprised protagonist could see a scroll of text above the creature.
[Observation]
/Guardian\
Headon, Caretaker of the Tower LV:-
/All\
HP:-
MP:-
Level up Observation to see stats, Perks/Buffs/Debuffs, Titles, etc…
The young man froze as he read the name of the being in front of him. 'Oh Shit, I'm in the Tower of God.' as he came to terms with the implications of this, Headon observed this new irregular in front of him. Unlike the foolish girl and the boy, the young man in front of him had an aura of indifference about him, yet when he appeared in front of the Irregular, his eyes gained a glint of recognition and fear in them, how curious...
"I welcome you to the Tower young man, my name is Headon, Guardian of the lowest floor of the Tower, what is your name?" Headon introduced himself as the Irregular calmed down somewhat.
"My name is Edward Smith." Edward introduced himself to the Guardian, keeping himself cordial to the closest thing to a god in this Tower, and he'd rather not get erased.
"Hmm...a rather odd name. Might I ask why have you entered this Tower?" Headon asked Edward, waiting for what his answer may be. Would the boy answer like the girl, wanting to climb the Tower based on a children's story book, to try and defy fate? Or would he be like the one the Tower chose, searching for a friend?
Edward absentmindedly scratched his mop of brown hair before answering. "Well, I don't know how I came to be here but... I suppose I could climb this tower to satisfy my boredom." Of course, that was a lie, to a certain extent, but still a lie.
"... You're quite different from the previous two, I see." Headon stated, laughing on the inside. A Irregular entering the Tower, just to satisfy his boredom? Ludicrous! Headon hadn't heard such a statement, not since Zahard and his group entered the Tower. Well, if this Irregular wanted to satisfy his boredom, he certainly found the right place.
"But, climbing this Tower is a long, dangerous and difficult journey." Headon warned, turning his back to Edward, who simply grinned underneath the collar of his jacket. If Headon's words were any indication, Baam and Rachel had just left. That meant that he could still change things. Sure, killing Rachel might be out of the question as long as her pet monster was still around.
Besides, every story needed an Antagonist...or an opposing force at the very least.
"I'm sorry, but if you're trying to convince me to give up, then you might as well give up, since I'm going to climb this Tower, and see what it has to throw at me." Edward taunted, sticking his hands in his pockets, taking pause as his right hand bumped into something. Grasping it, Edward could tell that it's a handle of some sorts, definitely longer than what would fit into the pockets of his pants. Pulling the mystery object out of his pocket, Edward could see that it was a two-handed War Hammer, with a 2'5 ft long shaft, with a mean looking hammer at the tip, the little nubs on the head of the hammer resembling horns and a quartet of grooves at the side giving it a imitation of closed eyes, a zigzagging groove along it resembling the jaws of an animal.
[Ignition Weapon: Haensing yuchung {Equipped}]
LV: -
Dur: -
- STR+120[+? During Ignition]
- VIT+80[+? During Ignition]
- ?[Ignition only]
- ?[Ignition only]
- ?[Ignition only]
- ?[Unlocked after Ignition]
A Ignition weapon made by the Great Ashul Edwaru in a attempt to create a sentient weapon that could keep on improving, using notes touching upon the process Macseth, the father of the Workshop used to create Artificial Lifeforms. This attempt however was deemed a failure that Ashul abandoned and threw away once he started working on the 13 Month series
"I hope that you'll hold onto that conviction." Headon stated, the tone of his voice making it hard to tell whether he was serious or sarcastic. "Then, to test whether you have what it takes to climb this tower, shall we begin your test?" Headon questioned, a window of text appearing in front of Edward's eyes.
[Story Quest: Pass Headon's test!]
-Clear the mission that Headon gives you, in order to move on to the second floor.
Rewards:
Victory:
- Passage to the 2nd floor
Failure:
-Death
"Let's." Edward said, accepting the Quest, wondering what kind of test Headon would throw at him. It probably wouldn't be "Ball", since Baam already cleared it. Besides, that was meant to put Rachel on a path that would send Baam to the "gentle" hands of FUG. One of possible ones was defeating the White Steel Eel, if the fanfics are any indication.
"Watch, this is the test of the lowest floor," With that answer, Headon simply tapped the wall behind him, causing it to peel away, revealing a familiar sight to Edward, a White Steel Eel swimming in liquid Shinsoo, a black ball floating at the back of the cage. Although it seems to be smaller than the one Baam had to face. "Ball."
[Observation]
/Shinheuh\
White Steel Eel LV: BOSS
/All\
HP: 2250
MP: 320
Perks/Buffs/Debuffs:
Medium Shinsoo Resistance Lv4: the ability to resist Shinsoo.{-40% damage taken from MP attacks. Ignore AGI Debuffs in areas with Medium or lower Shinsoo.}
Tough Hide:{-20% from attacks.}
Edward simply grinned, already knowing the rules. "All I need to do is pop the ball right?" he asked Headon who simply nodded. "Correct, you must enter the cage, either avoid or defeat the White Steel Eel and pop the balloon." Headon explained, crossing his arms. "But, I should warn you, while the White Steel Eels are normally mild mannered but..." Headon paused as he looked at the Eel glaring at Edward with clear frustration in it's eyes.
[Side Quest: Defeat the White Steel Eel]
- Defeat the White Steel Eel on order to make your test easier
Rewards:
Victory:
- 7500 EXP
- White Steel Eel Pack
- A-Rank Pocket
Failure:
-Death
"On top of it being the breeding season, this one hasn't eaten in a month." Headon finished his statement, which Edward ignored in favor of checking what skills he had.
[Skills:]
Gamer's Mind |?|
Passive LV: MAX
Gamer's Body |?|
Passive LV: MAX
Observation |?|
Active/Passive LV: 1
Exp: 20/100
ID Create |?|
Active LV: 1
Exp: 0/100
ID Escape |?|
Active LV: 1
Exp: 0/100
Explosion Manipulation |?|
Skill Tree LV: 1
Exp: 0/200
{Current Skills of this Skill Tree available}
Explosive Combat |The ability to fuse physical combat with explosions.|
Passive LV: 1{Explosion damage: 40}
Exp: 0/100
Explosive Physiology |The power to use the traits of bombs|
Passive LV: 1{Explosion types available: Smoke, Regular}
Exp: 0/100
Explosion Immunity |The power to be immune to explosions.|
Passive LV: 1{Damage taken from explosions -80%, the user will feel the secondary effects of the explosions, such as Poison, Blindness, Etc...}
Exp: 0/100
Explosion Inducement |The user can cause an explosion of any scale, with varying effects ranging from stunning to total annihilation.|
Active LV: 1{Methods of inducement available: Touch, Are of effect: 20 feet feet radius from the point of inducement. MP Cost: 15}
Exp: 0/100
'Okay, so I'm going to be the demoman, Let's move on to my stats.' Edward thought to himself as he switched to the stats window.
/Irregular\
Edward Smith LV: 5
/Power\
Exp: 0/500
HP: 230
MP: 94
STR: 9{+120}
INT: 27
VIT: 10{+80}
WIS: 28
DEX: 12
AGI: 8
Points: 0
Perks/Buffs/Debuffs:
'A tanky demoman.' Edward noted as he looked at his stats. The strength and Vitality boost from Haensing yuchung would come in handy when he'd go up against the Eel. The lack of magic-based attacks pushed Edward out of his comfort zone, forcing him to be front liner. On the plus side, the explosive powers should come in handy.
"My, that's a problem, for you to be scared of a fish like that. It's unfortunate, but if you cannot pass this test, you cannot go onto the next level." Headon taunted Edward as he closed the window, listening to what Headon was saying. "Then, you won't be able to find that excitement you're looking for... But young man, think logically. For you to pop that ball is nearly imbossible." Headon's attempt at discouraging Edward proved null as he walked towards the cage.
"That monster is very fast and nimble within these waters. You will never be able to get away with your life." Edward continued ignoring Headon's attempt at discouraging him as he passed him and continues walking towards cage, and the agitated Shinheuh waiting inside.
"Keh keh, I sincerely welcome you to the Tower. Young man." Headon snickered as Edward entered the cage. With three new Irregulars, well more like two and a half entering the Tower, a great change was bound to come about.
As soon as he entered the cage, Edward fell to his knees as a great amount of force descended upon him. 'What the hell! I-Is this what Shinsoo does to someone with no Shinsoo resistance.' The WS Eel stared down its new prey, taking its time to analyze it, to deduce whether the prey was truly incapable of moving or just playing possum.
'An Irregular is supposed to have ungodly Shinsoo Resistance, so what the Fuck!' during his internal ranting, an idea popped into Edward's mind as his gaze drew towards Haensing yuchung still in his grasps. Struggling to stand up as the WS Eel rears it's head back to lunge at him, Edward grabbed the ignition weapon tightly with both hands.
"I'm not sure what you do, but let's see if your name is accurate (1). IGNITE, Haensing yuchung!" he shouted, swinging it at the WS Eel's head, an explosion knocking the Eel back. [-60 HP]
"Interesting, he decided to fight the Eel instead of trying to escape."Headon noted as he watches the test with rapt attention.
As the smoke from the explosion cleared away, Haensing's new form became clear to see. The rectangular head of the hammer had transformed into a shape that reminded Edward of a dragon's head. Two of the four eyes have opened, revealing slit pupils like those of a snake, the zig-zag groove also opened, revealing sharp fangs, fitting of a shark.
[Observation]
[Ignition Weapon: Haensing yuchung {Ignited}{Equipped}]
LV: -
Dur: Near Unbreakable
- STR+120[+200 During Ignition]
- VIT+80[+ 90 During Ignition]
- Restore users HP by 10%, decrease foes' total MP by 10% per strike[Ignition only]
- Damage taken from attacks decreases by -35%[Ignition only]
- Ignore Medium&Low Shinsoo Resistance[Ignition only]
- High Shinsoo Resistance LV:1 to user[Unlocked after Ignition]
=So I've been awakened, = Haensing noted with a clearly male voice as he(it?) stared at Edward. A ordinary looking guy, weird clothes though, but the guy managed to wake him up, so he had got that going for him.
"So you can talk. Heh, that's interesting." Edward muttered. =Of course I can, but we should postpone our discussion for later, that worm is getting back up.=Haensing promptly shut up as Edward charged at the WS Eel, surprised at how easily he was moving when compared to before.
Ignoring this new development, Edward swung his Ignition weapon against the WS Eel's skull with an overhead swing, another explosion enhancing the blow, sending it tumbling to the ground.[-70 HP] The WS Eel retaliated by slapping Edward to the ground with its tail.[-55 HP]
[Through a specific action, the Passive skill: Physical Endurance has been unlocked.]
Physical Endurance: The body's durability increases, allowing for less damage taken.
Passive Skill Effect: {1% decrease in damage taken from Physical attacks}
Passive Skill LV:1
EXP: 0/100
"Yay." Edward coughed, getting up from the rubble. Assessing the situation, Edward realized that he has two choices: Either fight the WS Eel for a huge EXP drop, or wuss out and attack the ball. "Hey, Haensing, got anything to kill that thing?" Edward asked his weapon. The weapon's face twisted into a thoughtful expression, well as thoughtful as a weapon with a face could take. =Strike at it's weak points or something= he suggested, unsure of what to do. It had been a long while since he ahd been awake, and he hadn't fought against any White Steel Eels.
"Weak points... oh right, I forgot, Stupid!" Edward facepalmed as he remembered the WS Eel's weak spot from the Manhwa. Seeing that the WS Eel was charging at him with its maw gaping wide open, Edward jumped and slammed Haensing down on it's lower jaw, knocking a row of sharp fangs loose.[-40 HP] Capitalizing on the WS Eel's paralysis, Edward slammed his palm down on the Shinheuh's tongue.
"'Explosion Inducement'." A orange glow emitted from his hand, traveling down the throat of the stunned Eel, before exploding in a chain reaction.[-40 HP x20] "Art is an Explosion!" Not letting up, Edward delivered a barrage of explosive blows with Haensing to the WS Eel. [-45 HP x8] Feeling the Eel start trembling, Edward made haste, jumping out of the Eels mouth as it started screeching in pain and anger at a lowly human dealing so much damage to it.
[Observation]
/Shinheuh\
White Steel Eel LV: BOSS
/All\
HP: 920/2250
MP: 1220/1320
Perks/Buffs/Debuffs:
Medium Shinsoo Resistance Lv4 : the ability to resist Shinsoo.{-40% damage taken from MP attacks. Ignore AGI Debuffs in areas with Medium or lower Shinsoo.}
Tough Hide:{-20% from attacks.}
De-fanged:{-20% attack dealt using the mouth}
Berserker Rage:{+50 STR, +20 AGI, +20% damage taken.}
The WS Eel put the buff to good use as it rammed Ed, sending him flying. "Aw crap baskets" Edward groaned as he skidded along the floor, eventually hitting a wall.[-15 HP] Scraping himself off the floor, Edward tried coming up with a plan of attack. He was doubtful that he could do that combo again, the Eel was too fast and probably too pissed to just swallow him whole, it would just tear him to pieces.
Noticing some ruble lying around, Edward started launching the ruble at the Eel, but all they're doing was angering it more, crumbling to rubble as they collided with the hard armor of the Eel.
Apparently, the Eel had enough, as it roared, charging at Edward, who jumped to the side, hoping that the eel would crash into the wall, but unfortunately the eel swerved away from the wall just before it could crash into it head-on, hitting its side instead. [-10 HP] The shinheuh recovered quickly as it gave chase, not even staggered as the ground in front of it exploded like a landmine, providing a cover of dust and debris.
Slamming his left hand to the ground, Edward lets the information ingrained by the Gamer power to guide his 'Explosive Inducement' to it's intended destination, right underneath the eel, the ground underneath it exploding in a glorious burst of concussive energy, launching shrapnel and fire at the tender underbelly of the shinheuh.[-70 HP]
"What glorious fireworks, but I can make even better..." Edward smirked with glee as he dashed at the WS Eel, his speed enhanced by using explosions as means of jet propulsion. Ignoring the text window saying that he unlocked a new skill, he swung Haensing at the Eels' eye, further enhancing it with a explosion, just to make sure it hurt like a motherfucker. [-40 HP, Reduced accuracy 50%] Jumping upwards, taking himself higher with his pseudo-flight.
[Through a specific action, Active Skill: Bomb Dash has been created]
Bomb Dash: Using Explosive Inducement, the user can propel himself further with explosions
Active Skill Effect: {+50 AGI, 3-dimensional movement. MP Cost: 5 per minute/dash}
Active Skill LV: 1
Exp: 0/100
=What're you doing?!= Haensing questioned as it looked warily at the height they were reaching, approximately 30-40 feet or so.
"Something completely insane." Edward replied in monotone as they reached a height he thought was appropriate, Edward let gravity take hold as he plummeted towards the WS Eel, he started rolling, adding momentum to Haensing with each spin.
=Ugh, I'm going to puke soon.= Haensing groaned, feeling nauseous as they dropped faster towards the WS Eel, which was swimming, or flying depending on your perspective through the Shinsoo in order to try and eat them.
Managing to time his spinning jsut right, Edward managed hit the WS Eel right on the cranial skull[-400 HP], sending it tumbling down to the ground with a resounding crash.[-360 HP, 5 Minute Stun]
"I guess... they don't... call them white steel eels... for nothing, am I right Haensing." Edward panted, and slightly nauseous tired from that attack, as Haensing was busy dry-heaving, nothing coming out, due to him having no stomach. They probably shouldn't try that tactic again in the near future.
Intent on finishing the WS Eel before the stun wore off, Edward bashed the Eel's other eye to mush with a overhead swing, finishing the fight. [-50 HP] Collapsing to his knees from exhaustion, Edward couldn't help but start laughing. He had actually managed to kill something that Regulars up to Floor 20 would shit their pants fighting against! He would dominate the next floors with ease!
Results:
- 7500 EXP
- White Steel Eel Armor Pack
- A-Rank Pocket
[Gamer: Edward has reached LV: 12]
[Through a specific action, Passive Skill: Hammer Mastery has been Unlocked]
Hammer Mastery: Allows the user to freely handle hammers.
Passive Skill Effect: {+10% DMG when using a hammer, +1% attack speed when using a hammer, +10% Efficiency when crafting with a hammer.}
Passive Skill LV: 1
Exp: 0/100
"Splendid, but you still need to pop that ball in order to pass."Headon stated, clapping his hands to the performance that he had kust witnessed. The previous one simply evaded the Eel and popped the ball. But this one, after adjusting to the amount of Shinsoo in the cage fought the White Steel Eel head-on. And what a battle it was, although it was mostly due to his Ignition weapon that his attacks even affected the beast. The caretaker could taste the void of shinsoo around the weapon.
"Oh right, the ball." Edward picked himself up, noticing the loot drop from the battle. Opening his Inventory, Edward saw a white jacket with red highlights, more than likely made from WS Eel skin, along with pants and a pair of boots presumably made from the same material. Thankfully, there was a couple of text scrolls hanging over their inventory icons
[Observation]
[Upper body armor: White Steel Eel Jacket{Unequipped}]
LV:-
Dur: 300/300
A jacket made from the hide of a adolescent White steel eel. Very resistant against Shinsoo.
- STR +90
- Shinsoo Resistance +20%
[Observation]
[Lower body armor: White Steel Eel Pants{Unequipped}]
LV:-
Dur: 300/300
Pants made from the hide of a adolescent White steel eel. Very resistant against Shinsoo.
- VIT +80
- Chance of rare times from loot drops +5%
- Shinsoo Resistance +10%
[Observation]
[Lower body armor: White Steel Eel Pants{Unequipped}]
LV:-
Dur: 300/300
A pair of boots made from the hide of a adolescent White steel eel. Very resistant against Shinsoo.
- AGI+30
- Chance of rare times from loot drops +5%
- Shinsoo Resistance +10%
[Observation]
[A-Rank Pocket{Unequipped}]
LV:-
Dur: 3000
A device made of suspendium, which allows it to float even in High-Shinsoo areas.
- PM
- Timer
- Light
- Translator
- Tracking
- Guardian Contract
- Invisible mode{Off}
Equip?
{Yes}{No}
Doing what any sensible person would do in this situation, any sensible person with the Gamer would do, Edward equipped the new gear, which appeared on him with a flash of light, replacing his old clothes. =So, uh, about that ball...= Haensing spoke up, reminding his partner of the task at hand.
"Yeah, yeah, just give me a moment." Edward said dismissively as he gathered the fangs he knocked out of his defeated foe's mouth, before walking up to the black ball, still floating where it was before Edward entered the cage, without a speck of dust or a dent on it.
"Let's try this out." Edward said, attempting to stab the ball with one of the fangs, easily the size of his forearm. =Oh, I see what you're doing, I'll try something that should help with that.=Haensing said, before he started grunting as he starts compressing himself, until he was the size of a one-handed mallet.
"You're just going to keep surprising me aren't you." Edward asked rhetorically, Haensing giving him a prideful smirk in return. Setting the WS Eel fangs against the surface of the ball, Edward struck the fang with Haensing's smaller and heavier form, popping the ball.
Before Edward could react, the remaining pieces of the popped ball, started emitting black electricity as Edwards vision started fading, the black energy surrounding him, before disappearing with him, leaving nothing on the cold stone floor of the Tower's 1st Floor.
[2nd Floor: Evankhell's Floor...]
Appearing onto the grass of the 2nd Floors preliminary area, Edward couldn't help but feel pumped for the next test. Noticing the pocket floating next to him, he turned the Invisibile mode on, causing the ball to shimmer out of sight. Preparing for a surprise attack, Edward entered the tall grass, disappearing out of sight.
The yellow lighthouse floating in the sky buzzes to life. #Mike test! Mike test! One! Two! Three!# a male voice speaks through the light house, getting everyone's attention.
#Hello Regulars who have entered the Tower! This the 2nd Floor, and I sincerely welcome you to the Evankhell's Floor!# the person greeted the Regulars with excitement, whether it was genuine or a well-done act is left up to question.
#Evankhell's Floor is also known as the 'Floor of Test', because this is the Floor where you are deemed worthy to climb this Tower!# he explained further.
#Then- minor details aside, shall we begin with a simple test first? You might as well get a good warm-up exercise!# a snort escapes Edward as he heard the "Proctor's" attempt at a joke. 'Oh, I've had quite the warm-up exercise already.' Edward thought to himself. Most of the people here shouldn't be even a problem for him.
#The first test is very simple! I will begin announcing the rules, so listen carefully!# the proctor said as he began his explanation.
#These are the rules for the first test: The number of Regulars on this floor are 400! All you have to do is make that 400 go down to 200 by any means necessary! The moment the number of Regular go down to 200, the first test will end. Try your best everyone!# the proctor stated as the feed from the Lighthouse cut off, soon replaced with the sound of people fighting to the bitter end.
[Story Quest: Thin out the competition]
- Decrease the number of people from 400 to 200 by any means necessary
Rewards:
Victory:
- 1000 EXP
- the right to participate in the next test
Failure:
-Death
"Talk about high stakes." Edward noted as the sound of a gunshot rang out.
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That's all for now folks! I'll be continuing this when I feel like I got no idea for Replay or A.G.a.P, or when I get inspired. So, what position do you guys think Edward would fit in?
1: Haensing/Enhancing Yuchung/Symbiote
EDIT 2: I meant 40, instead of 4025, that was a mistake on my part
Also, Here's a bit of explanation regarding "Bangs" and MP(Myun points, which are all the stats combined, minus the Equipment buffs adn Debuffs): 100 MP= 1 LV: 4 Bang, or 4 LV: 1 Bangs. the strength of a Bang-based attack depends on the level of bang you use. when two bang-attack of equal level clash, the one with more MP in them wins. if they have equal amount of MP, then it comes down to the attack itself.
VIT and HP: 5 point in VIT= 10 in HP 10 HP per Level. and for non-gamers, just the 10 HP per Level. Bosses have a set amount of HP and MP.
Shinsoo and AGI stat: areas with high amount of Shinsoo in them cause beings with inadequate Shinsoo resistance will receive a speed Debuff, if not outright paralysis. for example a area with high amounts of Shinsoo/ 25000 MP wouldn't affect someone who's Shinsoo resistance buff is high grade and maxed out in term of levels(10)
The Shinsoo Resistance goes like this: there's 3 tiers of Shinsoo resistance, Low, Medium and High, each tier having 10 levels. each level takes 100 Exp times the level of resistance, save for the Level 1 of the next tier. This means that when moving up a tier, let's say leveling up from level 10 of Low tier into level 1 of Medium tier, it would take 1200 Exp, and as for how you get Exp for the Shinsoo Resistance, you get it by taking hits from Shinsoo attacks, or by being in areas with a higher amount of Shinsoo. Also, when you do reach Medium level 1, you'd still need 1300 Exp to get to Level M2
Also, I've come up with a way to count Physical Attack and Defense. P-Attack= STR+DEX+AGI, divided by 3( 50% of the Equipment buffs included). P-Defense= STR+VIT, divided by 2( 50% of the Equipment buffs included). If you have a better way, feel free to suggest them. Also, feel free to suggest teammates for him.
And before the reviews are flooded with comments saying that Edward is too OP and stuff like that, then listen. Yes, Edward is powerful, but only with his equipment and weapons on him. Take away all that, his only advantage is his INT and WIS stat and his explosions, but compared to other characters like Koon and Ship, they both outclass him in terms of strategy and physical skill, the only thing evening the odds are his explosions.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone