31 The first nine levels of the tower

How do someone feel after passing out? He feels nothing. Everything is blank. Maybe he does feel, but don't remember what he feels.

Anyway, I woke up in the same spot where I fainted. Tulip was holding my head and crying. I decided not to do anything and stay still.

Unfortunately, my cover was blown by someone, or something, named Pangu.

"Hey, lad!" he said, "Can you stop fainting from time to time? You have a record, you know that?"

Instantly, Tulip stopped crying, and as you have guessed, she punched me. I opened my eyes and said, "We should definitely stop these meetings. My face is not a boxing bag."

She let outbthat beautiful laugh. Pangu mumbled something I couldn't make out, but I guess it was an imitation of my voice.

"You have been laying there for days," said Tulip, "Your heart beat have stopped. We thought that you were dead!"

"Of course he wasn't, missy," said Pangu, "I still sensed his presence over the past two days."

"Yeah yeah," I said while standing up, "Let's get on our way, we have wasted enough time."

We marched through the woods until Pangu said, "Here we are, the central part of Mount Evergreen."

This part of the forest didn't look different from the other parts. There was a long tower, covered by the tall green and snow covered trees.

As we passed, no beast intercepted us. We reached the tower and found someone that I didn't expect to see here.

He was a tall, bald, bulk, muscled, had pale white skin and red tattoo on his body. He was none other than our senior brother Fárbuati!

He wore a sleeveless green armor, where greek runes were drawn. He held a spear in one hand, and a shield in another. However, he had a goatee instead of a beard, and he looked younger.

When he spotted us, his posture didn't change. We greeted him and said, "Senior brother."

He nodded and said to me, "In order to get the piece of Pangu's blade, you'll have to face the ten levels of the tower. If you don't succeed, you'll die."

I nodded and replied, "Give me some time before I enter."

As I said that, I turned to Tulip and kissed her. We hugged, and I didn't want to let her go. I stroked her red hair and said, "Return to Scotland. Once I am done here, you can return."

She nodded and watched as I entered the tower. While I was at the doorstep, Fárbuati caught my hand and said, "I am not supposed to say this, but be careful, and don't underestimate your opponents."

He then released my hand and closed the door of the tower. I climbed the round stair case. Torches lit the corridor, showing the rock walls of the tower.

I reached to a small room with only one door. Beside the door, a sign was hanged, and it said," Level one of the blade tower. Enter the door and there will be your first test. You have only three tries, if on the third you failed, then you'll die."

I took a deep breath and opened the door. Instantly, I was in a blank room. I faced someone you wouldn't guess who he was, yes it was myself.

" On this level you have to defeat yourself," came the voice of Fárbuati from nowhere." It will use a sword technique. If you watch carefully, you may learn it."

Immediately, the other me charged at me. A sword appeared in its hand, as did mine. It moved with super speed, but also slow.

The other me was so agile that I had missed my attack. Fifteen minutes passed and I didn't succeed in hitting the projection.

"First chance is wasted," said the voice of Fárbuati. I was once again in the stone room. I sat for some time then reentered the door.

This time, I learned my lesson. I watched the way that the projection moved in. Yet I still failed the second time, but it was on purpose.

In the third time, I battled with the projection. This time, the other me gave up after five minutes and ot disappeared.

A round staircase appeared and went up. And so on, I passed through the tower from the first level to the tenth and final. I nearly died several times, especially on the ninth one. On the tenth level, there was a fight that awaits me there, but not an ordinary one.