5 Arrival

He looked back at the Shop, nodding his heads sharply.

…Several minutes later…

'Status!' He called to mind his Status Screen.

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— - Status — -

Name: Micheal Care

Points: 0

Race: Human

Age: 18

- Stats -

Strength - 22

Endurance - 16

Recovery - 12

Soul - 10

- Abilities - (2/7)

Life Orb Master

Ki Cultivator (Mortal Tier)

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After looking over everything he could buy, Micheal had finally managed to spend the remainder of his Points. Since his Points would disappear upon leaving this starting area, there was no point in trying to save any of them up.

He had first obtained the Ki Cultivator Ability, the most common Ability in the 7 Layers. This Ability was so necessary and needed that he would be a fool not to pick it up. It was an Ability that one could grow naturally, without even needing to spend Points, though it was possible to speed up growth using Points. At higher levels, this Ability vastly enhanced one's strength to such a high degree that almost everyone chose it.

Because of the Ability, his Strength stat had already doubled, meaning he was slightly stronger than two average humans on Earth. His Endurance had been boosted, and his Recovery had even increased a little bit. His Soul stat remained unchanged, though not unexpectedly. It was the hardest stat to change.

In terms of physique, Micheal was already in better condition than most humans on a normal, non-Chosen Earth would ever be. While his body would appear like that of a slightly fit 18 year old, he was functionally equivalent to a top tier bodybuilder.

'And this is just the start…' He thought, clenching his fists and nodding.

'I should just automatically obtain my Sword Mastery Ability by swinging a sword once I enter the 7 Layers, too.' He thought, nodding his head again. It wasn't as if he had forgotten the many years of effort and practice he had put into his training.

'As for the Artifacts I purchased…'

The Holy Shop had two sections. One for Abilities and one for Artifacts.

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—-Artifacts—-

Food Selection - Custom

Drink Selection - Custom

Iris Holy Shield - 23,800,500 (0/1)

Angelic Sword - 15,900,000 (0/1)

Vast Dragon Chariot - 20,700,500 (0/1)

Golden Defense Formation - 8,800,400 (0/1)

Enhancement Staff - 15,000

Black Iron Mail - 6,000

Titan's Robe - 400,000 (1/25)

Spatial Backpack - 16,000 (40/100)

Green Firebomb - 20,000

Heldven's Blade - 450,000 (0/1)

Soaring Wings - 680,000 (1/25)

Black Wand - 15,000

Solar Glasses - 180,000 (2/25)

Fasfel Boots - 220,000 (12/200)

Ancient Shield - 18,000

Blackmire Bow - 15,000

Aeon Spear - 800,000 (0/10)

… (1/39 page)

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Abilities were something one could only purchase for oneself. They appeared in one of your 7 Ability Slots and could not be traded away.

Artifacts, on the other hand, had a plethora of usages and could be used for tons of different things.

Micheal looked down at his hand as he looked at the Artifact he had purchased for 1,000 Points.

A Low-Tier Spatial Ring. The ring had 3 cubic meters of space within it. It was a magical ring that let him carry huge amounts of supplies or tools, all within a ring that fit squarely on his pointer finger. One of the many impossible legends that had become a reality in the face of the apocalypse, and one that was pretty cheap too.

Spatial Rings were a necessity in the 7 Layers. Trying to live without one, especially in the higher Layers, was incredibly difficult.

'Many Artifacts are like the special Abilities. Only a limited number of them exist in the Shop. These Spatial Rings run out pretty soon if I recall.' He thought, nodding his head. Most of the spatial storing Artifacts would run out from the Shop after the Fourth Wave finished establishing itself.

Inside that Spatial Ring was a Steelborn Sword, a decent, well-made blade that would last him for a while. As a fighter that practiced the sword, going into the First Layer unarmed would be incredibly foolish.

The Steelborn Sword had taken up the last of his Points. There were a few other Artifacts he had considered, but he couldn't bear the idea of going into the First Layer with nothing to fight with but his hands.

'Or the Life Orbs too.' He thought, correcting himself. The Life Orbs were small blue orbs that would float around him once he spawned a few. According to the Ability, he could control them at will and technically use them as a weapon to bash into things, albeit one he had never used before. He had no idea how effective they would be.

"Spirit, can you send me to the First Layer now?" Micheal spoke aloud, his voice calm and collected.

An ethereal, feminine voice responded,

"You still have several minutes to decide on how to spend your Points. Are you certain you wish to proceed?"

"Yes, yes, I've already spent my Points. Please send me through." He responded, feeling slightly impatient.

After reaching this point, he was ready to get started. The First Layer was the most dangerous for many people, an incredibly unique world that defied logic and reason.

"Acknowledged. You will be sent through to the First Layer. Upon arrival, you will be informed upon the basics of the 7 Layers and then set free to do as you will." The voice of the Spirit of the Shop replied coolly.

WHOOSH

Bright light swarmed around Micheal before he could reply and, an instant later, he vanished, teleported away.

.. .. .. .. .. .. ..

'The First Layer…' As Micheal teleported, his mind raced.

What exactly were the 7 Layers?

According to what Micheal knew, the 7 Layers were a series of mystical worlds connected to each other. Each Layer grew more and more dangerous and was completely unique, extremely different from the previous Layer. Once you went up one Layer, returning to the previous Layer was usually impossibly difficult. As the years passed, the lower Layers would become more and more dangerous, forcing people to move upward.

The Human Race had been given a 'Goal.' That 'Goal' was to pass through all 7 Layers and achieve the 'Prize.' Heaven.

In this case, though, the 'Prize' also meant survival.

For, Humanity was not alone.

There were multiple other races from different universes competing in the 7 Layers, all fighting for survival. Most races had their own unique First Layer, hidden away from other races. The farther up the Layers one went, however, the more races one would meet as Layers began to merge.

The only way to survive was to pass the Seventh Layer. However, even now, Micheal had no clue how to achieve that. After all, Humanity had been killed the instant it stepped foot into the Seventh Layer. How could he possibly know what they were supposed to do there?

Who created the 7 Layers?

No one knew. No one knew how they came about, how all of these races came to be teleported into them, and what the true purpose of this all was. It was a brutal, deadly game that was incredibly unfair and killed billions.

The Human Race, Michael had learned, was one of the weakest possible races in existence in terms of base strength. As a result of this, humanity had been given something rather special.

The 'Shop.' No other race had access to the Shop. Only Humanity did. Some theorized that this was meant to help make up for the vast disparity in strength between the Human Race and the other races.

'Not that it helped us much in the end, though…' He mentally grumbled. They had still all died, after all. The 12 Tribes of Deities were far too powerful.

As these thoughts all flashed through his mind, the flashing light around him vanished.

Abruptly, he felt his body grow slow and heavy as gravity that felt much stronger than Earth's slammed into him. He felt his feet touch down on hard ground, bending his knees slightly to absorb the shock of the landing.

He slowly opened his eyes, taking a deep breath as he looked at the world around him.

He was standing atop the roof of a familiar, towering skyscraper. Around him, as far as the eye could see, were tens of thousands of skyscrapers. Some were connected to each other by long rope bridges set with dozens of wooden planks, while others had fancy steel bridges, or sheer wooden beams set directly across.

At the base of the skyscrapers, empty roads and streets could be seen, like that of a normal city, complete with sidewalks and traffic lights. Micheal shivered as he looked down at the ground level, his memory flashing back. The one rule of this world was that you must stay in the skyscrapers. Never, never go to the ground.

Only death waited down there.

He took a deep breath as he looked around, feeling a sensation of excitement fill him.

He was here. He had truly gotten a second chance.

The unique First Layer for the Human Race.

The World of Endless Skyscrapers.

He was back.

"Oi, looks like the newbies are arriving. Hey kid! Turn around!"