A loud explosion spread across the Grand Arena, making everyone's eyes widen in surprise.
Earlier, William was just not randomly fighting against the Black-robed man. He was busy planting Rune Mines, using the power of the Runemaster skill in preparation for this moment.
William knew that even though the players sided with him, their opponents were simply too strong, and organized. The agents' teamwork were superb, so an impromptu alliance wouldn't be much of a threat for them.
Since that was the case, William just planted as many mines as he could. He intended to make them explode simultaneously, to create a deadly attack that would instantly obliterate anyone who stepped upon them.
A dust cloud had settled inside the arena, and none were able to see the outcome of the battle. Two minutes later, the dust cloud receded showing a fifty-meter wide crater. At the edge of the crater, two figures stood.
William and Chiffon were safe and sound, but none of the agents could be seen anywhere.
The Half-Elf raised his head to look at the VIP seats of the Agnis Family. They were the family that had conquered the SecondFloor and had turned it into a place where they farmed tokens, and enslaved the players who wished to climb the tower.
If possible, William wanted to knock them off their high horse, but he also understood that he didn't have the power to do that right now.
As William thought of these things, a playful voice resounded inside his mind.
-----
[Congratulations! You have cleared the Second Floor of the Tower of Babylon!]
[You have been rewarded with 10,000 Tokens!]
[An additional reward of 2,000 Tokens will be rewarded because less than five players remained in the Grand Arena!]
[Tokens in Hand: 15,500]
[Would you like to proceed to the next floor?]
[Yes / No]
-----
William glanced at Chiffon, and the latter nodded her head. It was her way of telling William that she also heard a voice inside her head.
Before William could even say anything to the little girl, an arrogant voice echoed in the arena.
"Honored Guests, would you like to work with the Agnis Family?" a middle-aged man asked. "If you agree, not only will we help you climb the tower, we will also provide you with resources that will make your journey smoother.
"In return, all we ask is that you pledge your loyalty to our family. If you have further conditions, we are willing to accommodate them."
The Patriarch of the Agnis Family was moved by William's ability and fighting prowess. If he could make him a subordinate of their family, he would definitely bring them glory as he continued to climb the tower of Babylon.
William ignored the Patriarch and held Chiffon's hand firmly.
In truth, after finding out the Agnis Family's underhanded trick, William's impression of the rulers of the Second Floor had hit rock bottom. He felt very dirty staying on the Second Floor, so he wanted to leave the place as soon as possible.
"Let's go," William said.
He had no intention of becoming a subordinate of a family who enslaved others.
"Yes, Big Brother," Chiffon replied.
Two beams of light shot out towards the sky. Those who had been forced to work for the Agnis Family looked at this sight with tears in their eyes.
They had long lost their determination to climb the tower, but after seeing the two players win against all odds, their passion was reignited.
The Agnis family had no idea that after this incident, the foundation and power that they had built in the Tower of Babylon for many years would soon crumble under their feet.
-----
Oogwei happily ate the bowl of lettuce that was presented to him by Xod. It had been a while since new players had appeared on the Third Floor, where he supervised.
"I'll be back," Oogwei said after eating the last lettuce in the bowl. "I want to have a nice chat with that Half-Elf."
Xod snorted, but didn't say anything else. Although a bowl of lettuce was only worth a single token, the Guardian of the First Floor didn't like losing. Oogwei knew this, so it decided to leave its friend alone for the time being.
It was quite curious about William and wanted to have a chat with him. The Guardian of the Third Floor wanted to know why the Half-Elf was climbing the tower.
It was widely known in the Central Continent that If someone were to reach the Hundredth Floor of Babylon, they would be able to make a wish.
Whatever this wish would be, it would be granted without fail.
This was the promise of the God that created the tower, and since then, many had attempted to climb it. Unfortunately, all of them stopped at the 51st Floor and were never heard from again.
Oogwei wondered if William also came here to make a wish. Although it found the Half-Elf interesting, the Guardian of the Third Floor knew that no matter how strong he was, the red-headed teenager would not be able to get past the 51st Floor.
It was simply impossible. A fact that all the Guardians in the Tower of Babylon had long accepted by now.
-----
A Four-Tailed Black Fox, with a crescent moon on its forehead, landed on a mountain overlooking Silverwind City. Seated on its back was a delicate-looking teenage boy with silver-gray hair and blue eyes.
"Master said that Will is currently here," the teenage boy muttered. "I wonder what he will say when the two of us meet again."
The Black Fox turned its head to look at its companion.
[Are you perhaps afraid of meeting him?]
"I would be lying if I said that I said that I wasn't."
[Should we continue?]
The teenage boy nodded his head. "Nothing is going to happen if I stay behind the scenes. Let's go, Luna. I want to see how Will is doing."
[Do you miss him?]
The Black Fox asked with a smirk. It knew that its companion was still feeling guilty about what happened in the Southern Continent.
"Why should I miss him?" the teenage boy asked with a calm expression. "I'm sure that he has forgotten me by now. Enough of this, Luna. Let's go."
The Black Fox nodded its head and once again took flight. They had traveled from the Silvermoon Continent, and its companion was one of the four candidates that were chosen to participate in the Tournament of the Kraetor Empire.
Although the Elves had suffered terribly during the war, they were mostly the clans that were Anti-Human. Many in the Silvermoon Continent, including Arwen's father, Theoden, were against the war.
It had been too late when they discovered that something was amiss.
They didn't ask for it, and yet, they also suffered due to the selfishness of Shafel and the other Patriarch's that led the Anti-Human Faction.
With Sepheron and Eneru gone, the Elves were in no position to antagonize anyone. They only hoped that the Demons were still weakened from the war that happened many years ago, and would not launch another attack in their domain for the next hundred years.
The Tournament in the Kraetor Empire was a good way for the Elves to recover their dignity.. This was why they had sent their envoys to participate in the Grand Tournament that would be happening very soon.