About three months after the calamity, during one of the guild's expeditions, they stumbled upon a towering structure near the site of the rift that had been tackled by the Imperial Army under Albert Constantine's command.
The main guild sent out multiple scouting missions to thoroughly survey the area. When the scouts returned, they delivered unexpected and rather shocking information that immediately caught the army's attention.
That the tower's first floor was akin to another dimension. It was an entire landscape with its own life, filled with creatures they had never seen before.
At least, up til that point.
They were already familiar with these creatures, as they belonged to the same species as the monsters that dominated the continent, where humanity no longer had control of.
After months of exploring the first floor, they discovered that each level was connected by a portal. The portal's coordinates led them directly to the next floor, which featured an entirely different landscape and monsters compared to the previous one.
It was absurd, and completely beyond the bounds of reality.
As of now, the main guild had successfully ascended to the 32nd floor.
Naturally, this information was kept strictly confidential for security reasons. Only rankers and guild members from various branches were privy to this knowledge, bound by a strict code of silence.
The guild's progress remained under tight control, as the dangers beyond each floor increased exponentially.
With the tower's abundant drops and rewards, rankers discovered new items daily.
The potential seemed limitless, and the guild soon realized they could transform this opportunity into their primary financial stream.
Of course, as partners, the guild and the Imperial Army saw no harm in giving cadets a first-hand experience of the tower, albeit through a simulation.
Dimensional Tower.
That was the name they had coined the tower with.
"They've all successfully entered the tower, Field Marshal Van."
It was Evelyn who reported this, glancing at the monitoring device on the wall.
"Good. Are the systems functioning properly?"
"Yes, everything's working smoothly, and their vitals are being displayed in real-time."
There were several instructors, who had subjects assigned for their respective classes.
On their hands were devices that displayed the vitality rate and status of each cadet ranging from Class A, B, and C.
The lower classes of D and E weren't allowed to take this kind of exam. For that reason, their exams were completely separate.
"Make sure to double check if a cadet isn't in their respective Tower IDs."
Tower IDs.
The information that specified that each cadet was separated for the first floor.
The initial phase consisted of three tutorial floors. After completing the third floor, cadets would be assigned a Tower ID, enabling them to either collaborate or compete against each other.
They had 24 hours to clear all five floors, and those who succeeded would automatically pass the practical exams.
Suddenly, a voice rang out.
"There seems to be a problem."
"Hm?"
Bellion's brows perked up and glanced at Evelyn, who made the report.
"Brandon Locke and Raven's Tower IDs are....."
"What about it?"
***
Brandon looked around the vast barren landscape, completely devoid of plant–life.
The sun blazed overhead, heat radiating from every direction. The air was thick, dry, and heavy, making each breath feel like swallowing warmth.
"...."
Brandon's skin prickled, the intensity of the heat was already weighing down on him.
He realized this was going to take a lot more time than expected, and it was only the first floor. The tutorial phase at that.
The only way to draw the others out was to cause a disturbance. He needed to force them to appear. Brandon gathered mana into his palm, creating a massive, glowing energy orb.
He released it into the sky.
Boom!
The orb exploded with a blinding flash, sending shockwaves across the desert-like terrain. Moments later, a shadow flickered in the distance.
"Here they come."
As the dust settled from the explosion, Brandon squinted at the horizon.
"...."
What he saw wasn't the expected Ash Drakes but a swarm of creatures quickly closing in on him. Their forms were sleek and serpentine, almost gliding above the cracked earth as they moved in unison.
"Sand Serpents?"
It had to be said, there was a system interface hovering above each creature that registered in his peripheral vision.
The interface contained relevant information such as; the creature's hp, and its name.
—Kiiiik!
Their dark, ashy bodies twisted and undulated in the air, and they emitted sharp, high-pitched screeches as they approached.
The ground trembled beneath them as they slithered forward, creating a wave of shifting sand in their wake.
"Of course, it couldn't be that easy."
He muttered under his breath, readying his sword once more. There were too many to fight head-on, so he opted for strategy instead.
Brandon quickly shifted into a defensive stance, his eyes tracking the swarm of Sand Serpents as they closed the distance.
They were fast, moving in erratic, unpredictable patterns, making it hard to focus on just one.
Tss~
In an instant, the first few Wyrms lunged at him, their sharp, fang-filled mouths snapping open as they sought to sink their teeth into his flesh.
Swoosh—!
Brandon slashed downward, the blade of his sword glowing as he channeled mana into it. His strike cleaved through the first two Serpent Snakes, turning them into clouds of blackened dust.
But the rest kept coming, leaving him with no room to adjust himself,
He pivoted, dodging another lunging Serpent, and sent a burst of energy toward the rest, knocking them back temporarily.
His eyes darted to the side as more shadows appeared from the distance.
"Hmm...."
It was interesting.
He wasn't facing too much difficulty, but the idea of having freedom to let–loose in this place echoed in his mind.
***
It took no time to clear the horde. By the time he finished, most probably seven minutes had passed.
But still, a frown spread across his face as he realized there were no signs of Ash Drakes around.
He traversed the vicinity, following the compass on the blue interface. His direction was north.
After walking for about twenty minutes, in the process, fighting a couple of monsters, in the distance, he could make out the silhouette of a humanoid creature, engaged in battle with several monsters
"No wait?"
Brandon's words trailed off, replaced with another conjecture.
"It's not a creature....."
It was a human.