Return Of The Strongest Player

"Very well," the guard spoke in a rather solemn, raspy tone that seemed to differ from the one he usually used. Stepping backward, both guards knelt towards the statue, their faces buried between their knees.

Arthur watched silently.

Suddenly, an emerald aura burst from the gemstone. A streak of swirling shot past Arthur, alerting him to the point where he was forced to hurriedly unsheathe Skofnung again. His eyes reflected the emerald light, but it wasn't headed towards him.

Click!

The streak of emerald light collided with a familiar button, but instead of an hourglass, there was a "phi" symbol engraved between the rectangle. The "phi" symbol glowed a darker shade of green, before fading.

Suddenly, Arthur felt an odd sensation.

He blinked, and when he opened his eyes, the scenery was vastly different.

Before his eyes was a translucent, blue screen.

[Welcome to Heaven's Spire, the tower of your dreams.]

[Ascend through the 100-floor tower to receive a wish at the pinnacle.]

The notification was concise, yet marked the initiation of the First Era of the tower. Arthur cocked his head, scratching his head as he viewed the screen, unable to comprehend what was happening.

What time period was this?

Wait, had he time-traveled?

'I thought the explanation of those guards was metaphorical, but I guess not,' Arthur muttered internally, feeling a sense of crisis, yet also a spark of amusement and excitement. Had he really traveled to the initiation of Heaven's Spire?

Although still worried about the trial of the twelfth floor, and whether he would still be able to finish it, Arthur glanced at his surroundings.

He was lying in a field of grass. Above him was a sunny sky devoid of clouds, and beside him were a few tiny insects. Pushing himself up, Arthur looked at the world, realizing it was merely a grassland.

'There's nothing here… What floor is this?'

At that moment, a screen manifested before him.

[You have become the first player to step into the Outer District.]

Arthur's expression crumpled like a sheet of paper. 'The Outer District, eh? There are practically no resources or even trees… So were all the resources obtained from higher floors? No, where did people even obtain food?'

'If the Outer District was empty, the players would have starved…'

'Perhaps an expedition team was sent to conquer the first floor… Yes, that's the only logical option in this case.'

As Arthur stood up, began exploring the place.

However, before long, a screeching sound entered his ears, startling him. The sky turned ashen, while the clouds clouded the radiant rays of the Sun as if rain would start pouring at any second. Well, it didn't.

But something did pour.

Arthur felt as if the strength was being sucked from his body. A sense of weakness arose in his chest, while the world seemed to spin. Quickly, the energy of the surroundings condensed into a certain location.

A giant, midnight-blue sphere formed at the center of the Outer District. Strong winds swept across the world, causing the blades of grass to sway as if there was no tomorrow. Arthur held onto dear life.

His gaze fell upon the sphere.

Suddenly, as if enacting the process of budding, dozens of tiny spheres sprouted from the massive sphere, levitating across the vast grassland while emitting a dangerous aura that sent chills down Arthur's spine.

His gaze followed the spheres, his eyes glittering with curiosity.

It wasn't often that one received the opportunity to travel through the restricted domain of time.

Suddenly, the sphere burst into nothingness, spilling hundreds, thousands, perhaps millions of humans and lifeforms of other species. Their screams and squeals of confusion immediately caused a stir, while simultaneous movement caused an earthquake.

The air of confusion spread, with everyone wondering what had occurred.

Arthur was lost within the crowd. 'What the fuck…'

As the density of the crowd reduced significantly over a short period of time, Arthur had the opportunity to move around. It was obvious that these were the first people to step into Heaven's Spire.

But why were they so confused?

Had they not undergone the Tutorial? Were they not aware of the existence of the tower? 

"Hey, you," Arthur called out to a certain man dressed in an attire appropriate for office work. His stark black hair was swept back with a greasy substance, while an expression of terror was plastered across his face.

As he violently turned his head, the man locked eyes with Arthur. "...W–What?"

He raised his hands to guard himself, although his trembling legs were an obvious sign of his fear. The man couldn't fight off an ant trying to steal his meal. Arthur shook his head in disappointment but decided to continue.

"Do you know where we are?" Arthur inquired. "Do you know what the name of this place is?"

"No! I was brought here by force! When I was drinking tea and reading the newspaper, a mysterious force suddenly chucked me here!"

Arthur scrunched his eyebrows. "So you didn't enter the Tutorial World? So there wasn't a Tutorial you had to undergo? You were just tossed here without warning?"

"Y–Yes… Was there something like that for you? Why do you seem so calm? Do you know what's going on here?"

His eyes displayed hope.

Arthur calmly shook his head before walking away. He wasn't certain what to do, and talking to a stranger who wasn't aware of the situation definitely wouldn't be the optimal solution. 

As Arthur traversed through the grassland, he came across a certain boy.

His hair was blazing red, while his body was toned, despite being a mere child. With a detached gaze and a calm demeanor, he stuck out like a sore thumb. Arthur sensed something unique from the boy as if he were unlike everyone else in the Outer District.

He also seemed familiar.

"Hey, boy," Arthur called out. The boy slowly turned his head, facing the crimson-eyed man with a somewhat curious gaze.

"...You're strong."

Arthur ignored the boy's words. "What's your name?"

"Leon Cromwell."

Silence.