VIP System

The blinding light faded, leaving behind a scene that seared itself into Leo's memory. He and Ai raced towards the epicenter of the commotion, the cats bounding alongside them. As they drew closer, the full horror of the situation unfolded before their eyes.

A group of adventurers lay sprawled within the fading remnants of a magic circle, their agonized cries piercing the air. The acrid smell of blood and burnt flesh assaulted Leo's enhanced senses, nearly overwhelming him. He fought back the urge to retch, forcing himself to take in the gruesome details.

A burly man cradled his arm, now a grotesque tangle of shattered bone and mangled flesh. His face was contorted in a silent scream, eyes wide with shock and pain. Beside him, a woman gasped for air, each labored breath a battle against her own battered body. Her chest rose and fell in an uneven rhythm, a testament to her desperate will to survive.

But it was the third adventurer that truly captured the horror of their situation. A man, his face pale and drawn, clutched at what remained of his left leg. The limb ended abruptly mid-thigh, the ragged edges of flesh and bone a clear reminder of the dangers that lurked within the World Tower. Blood pooled beneath him, spreading in a crimson stain across the ground.

A white-robed woman knelt beside one of the fallen, her hands trembling as she tended to their wounds. The injured adventurer lay still, almost doll-like in their unnatural stillness. Leo watched as the healer struggled to her feet, her once-pristine robes now smeared with blood and grime.

"Please," she rasped, desperation cracking her voice. "We need a Good Red Potion—anyone!"

Her pleas fell on deaf ears as the surrounding crowd shifted uncomfortably, averting their eyes from the gruesome scene. Undeterred, the healer staggered towards a larger group of adventurers, her movements fueled by desperation.

She reached out, her bloodied fingers grasping at the cape of one of the group's members. "Please, I beg you—"

Her words were cut short as a man in gleaming armor shoved her roughly away. His polished breastplate caught the sunlight, momentarily blinding Leo. The swordsman's face was twisted with disgust and anger.

"Back off!" he snarled, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. "It's your own damn fault for entering the tower unprepared. What did you expect?"

The healer stumbled but didn't fall. She turned back to face him, desperation etched into every line of her face. "We'll do anything! Please, just help us!"

The swordsman's laugh was cold and cruel. "With what? Those potions cost five gold coins each. Five! And you want us to just hand them over to you?"

"You think the tower cares about your sob story? It's eat or be eaten here. Next time, come prepared or don't come at all." The swordsman's voice softened slightly, a flicker of empathy crossing his face before hardening once more. "Now go, before you attract something worse than failure."

Leo felt something twist in his chest, a pain that had nothing to do with physical injury. This wasn't a game anymore.

The blood was real.

The pain was real.

The consequences were devastatingly real.

His eyes drifted back to the injured woman, her breath coming in shorter, more desperate gasps. In that moment, he saw not a stranger, but his sister. He remembered the last time he had seen her, pale and broken on the ground in the pool of her own blood.

The world around him seemed to fade away, leaving only the injured adventurers and the uncaring crowd. The contrast was stark—life and death, compassion and cruelty, all playing out in this small patch of ground before the looming World Tower.

Leo's fists clenched at his sides, nails digging into his palms. The ache in his chest grew, a mixture of empathy and anger that threatened to overwhelm him. He had come here seeking power, seeking a way to protect those he cared about. But what good was power if it couldn't be used to help others?

As the weight of the situation threatened to crush him, then he felt a sudden jolt across his face. The sensation was sharp and immediate, clearing the fog of anger and despair that had begun to cloud his mind. His eyes refocused, determination replacing the turmoil that had gripped him moments before.

Without a word, Leo began to walk towards the colossal gate of the World Tower. The massive structure loomed before him, its surface etched with intricate patterns that seemed to shift and change as he approached. At its center, a swirling portal pulsed with an infinite array of colors, rippling and undulating as adventurers stepped through its mesmerizing depths.

As he strode forward, purpose in every step, Leo turned to Ai. His voice was low, barely above a whisper, but filled with resolve. "Give them as many Great Red Potions as they need."

Ai nodded, her usual air of superiority tempered by the gravity of the situation. With practiced efficiency, her fingers danced through the air, navigating Leo's inventory with inhuman speed. The cats, attuned to the tension, wove around Leo's legs, their eyes flickering between him and the wounded. Their soft mews of concern were almost lost in the chaos, but Leo felt their presence as a comforting anchor amidst the turmoil.

The sound of glass containers hitting the ground and clinking against each other cut through the noise of suffering and indifference. The white-robed healer, who had been on her knees begging just moments ago, whirled around. Her eyes, red-rimmed and weary, widened in disbelief. Tears of relief and gratitude welled up, spilling down her cheeks as she scrambled towards the potions.

Her hands trembled as she grasped the first bottle, nearly dropping it in her haste. "This... this are Great Red Potions!" she gasped, her voice cracking with emotion.

Her exclamation sent a ripple through the crowd, whispers bubbling up like an uneasy tide. Eyes widened in disbelief, and hushed whispers of "Great Red Potions?" and "How is that possible?" swept through the onlookers. Some craned their necks to get a better view, while others nudged their companions in astonishment.

Overcome with gratitude, the healer flung her arms around Ai. For a moment, Ai stiffened—unaccustomed to such contact—but then gently patted the healer's back.

"Thank you, thank you!" she sobbed, her words muffled against Ai's shoulder.

Breaking away, the healer rushed back to her companions, clutching the precious potions to her chest. She knelt beside the man with the mangled leg, uncorking a bottle with shaking hands. As the vibrant red liquid passed his lips, the effect was almost instantaneous.

The ragged edges of his wound began to knit together, flesh and sinew reforming before their eyes. The man's agonized wails subsided, replaced by softer sobs of relief as the pain ebbed away. One by one, the healer moved among her companions, administering the life-saving elixir.

The burly man's shattered arm straightened, bones realigning and fusing as he watched in awe. The woman who had been gasping for breath drew in a deep, unhindered lungful of air, color returning to her pale cheeks.

As the potions worked their magic, the cacophony of pain and despair that had filled the air began to change. Wails of agony softened to sobs of relief, then to murmurs of disbelief and gratitude. The injured adventurers clung to each other, overwhelmed by their brush with death and miraculous recovery.

The crowd that had been so callously indifferent moments before now buzzed with whispers. Eyes darted between the healing adventurers and Leo's retreating form, trying to make sense of this unexpected act of kindness.

Leo, however, did not turn back. He continued his steady march towards the World Tower's entrance, the cries of gratitude fading behind him. The weight of what he had done, of the lives he had potentially saved, settled on his shoulders. It was a weight he found he could bear far more easily than the burden of inaction.

He approached the swirling portal, its myriad colors reflecting in his determined eyes. Without hesitation, he stepped forward, feeling the strange energy of the World Tower's entrance envelop him. The sounds of the outside world began to fade, replaced by an otherworldly hum that seemed to resonate within his very bones.

As his body sank deeper into the portal, Leo felt an unexpected shift. The once-yielding surface began to harden, as though the very fabric of the entrance was bending with him, resisting instead of letting him pass. Gritting his teeth, Leo pressed onward, his enhanced strength allowing him to make slow but steady progress against the growing force.

For a brief moment, he broke through. The cacophony of the gathering area vanished entirely, replaced by an eerie silence that pressed against his eardrums. Leo had just enough time to register this new sensation when he felt it—an immense, incomprehensible force building around him.

An instant later, the energy exploded outward. Leo felt himself being hurled backward, his body catapulted through the air as if he weighed nothing at all. The world spun around him, a blur of colors and shapes as he sailed through the air.

Despite the violent ejection, Leo's enhanced reflexes kicked in. He twisted in mid-air, managing to right himself just before impact. His feet hit the ground several meters from the gate, skidding backward. When he finally came to a stop, he was unharmed but utterly baffled.

Confusion etched deep lines across Leo's face as he stared at the portal, trying to make sense of what had just transpired. He had faced the void itself, absorbed the essence of its most fearsome predators, yet this entrance had repelled him as if he were nothing more than an unwanted insect.

Before he could comprehend what had happened, the portal's colors shifted violently. The swirling colors vanished, replaced by a deep, pulsing crimson that bathed the entire area in an ominous red glow.