[ Preparing Class Introduction… ]
[ Unit, Lemigas, you have awakened the Spirit Streamer Class ]
[ Description: A Streamer has no apparent powers of their own. Much like a clown, they only have a talent to entertain and amuse others. ]
Lemigas's face squeezed in disbelief. 'Just what kind of Class is this? I have no powers and I just have to entertain people?!'
[ Title: Clown of the Underworld - Behold the jester of purgatory, the one who entertains the dead. Brighten their dark days and they shall shower you with the Skills and Items they held when they were alive ].
This time, Lemigas's brows raised with skeptical interest. 'Hm. Okay… now we're getting somewhere.'
[ These spirits are the collective dead of Asturias: The stream includes humans who died when the Towers first arrived, those killed by beasts over the years, and people who simply died of natural causes. It also gathers the fallen summoned—from the units who perished on the tutorial floor to the heroes who died challenging the higher levels. Ultimately, whenever someone dies in this world, they join the stream, becoming an otherworldly audience that you can interact with ].
Lemigas ascended the stone steps to the Heroes' Citadel, his dark blue eyes still glued to the floating transparent screen. 'So I just have to entertain them and they give me stuff? Is that it?'
He mentally swiped up. 'There has to be more.'
Before he had the chance to read any further, his focus was snatched away by the groaning of the Citadel's massive doors parting and Marion muttering a "whoa" in awe.
The sight was almost blinding. Lemigas had stepped into a hall so white it would have made the heavens jealous. Tall pillars rose from the ground like marble trees and touched the golden ceiling that was nearly a thousand feet above.
Aside from the the other awestruck Heroes, the only color in the hall came from a massive insignia dominating the glistening white floor.
A golden feathered shield bearing an eagle in the middle of the emblem and a broadsword slashed right at the center.
Lemigas quickly recognized it as the Heroes' Crest.
He had seen it hundreds of times throughout the months of playing TOA. There was barely anything he hadn't seen in the game, but this hall was a first for him.
He had admired the Citadel's majestic exterior countless times, but never its interior as Architects were not allowed inside. It was truly a magnificent sight. Here and there, other Heroes milled about, conferring with one another.
The newer arrivals, fresh from their awakening after the tutorial floor, gravitated toward the Citadel Wardens stationed behind various counters in the far corners.
They were who Lemigas, Marion and Amnet were here to meet as well.
"Come on," Marion urged them towards one of the Wardens.
Lemigas followed, briefly locking eyes with a squad of veteran Heroes. The tallest among them, muscular and wearing a shiny silver armor, seemed very familiar to him.
"Your Architect ranks very low in the eyes of the World Lords," Lemigas heard the Warden inform Marion. "Until his rank increases, you three will be allocated to a Bronze Facility."
Marion and Amnet traded uncertain glances. They didn't know exactly what the difference in quality was amongst the tiers, but the Warden's tone had given them the feeling that the Bronze facilities were the bottom of the barrel.
Most likely, that was the intention.
"Don't worry," the Warden beamed a robotic smile. "Your facility can eventually be upgraded using Crystals. They are special magical stones awarded to Architects by the World Lords for their good work in clearing the floors of the Towers."
Marion and Amnet smiled.
Lemigas, on the other hand, held back a scoff.
It was true that Crystals were earned by Architects as they cleared more floors, but the far more common way to get them was to purchase them. With real Earth money.
Some players (Architects) poured cash into the game early on, knowing that superior facilities accelerated their Heroes' growth. Others who didn't have the money to spend so early, suffered the grind to earn Crystals.
It seemed that Lemigas's Architect was not only a noob; they were probably broke as well.
"You have been designated to Facility 805,790 (Bronze). Follow the passageway to your right and step into the lifting light to be transported to your facility."
"Thank you," Marion said and they turned to leave. Amnet, his head down and shuffling nervously, didn't notice the massive figure stepping into his path until it was too late.
Thud.
Amnet rebounded off a chestplate of solid silver and stumbled backward.
"O-Ow..." He rubbed his head, looking up.
Standing above him was a giant of a man. He stood nearly seven feet tall, clad in radiant silver armor that was vibrating with holy magic. A proud mane of white gold fell from his head and his eyes were as bright and yellow as small suns.
Using basic appraisal, Amnet saw that he was a 2-Star Diamond Hero. A Paladin.
The Paladin looked down at Amnet like one might look at a cockroach.
"Are you blind?" he rumbled. He was not more than two years older than Amnet, yet his voice was unimaginably deep. "Can't you see that a Hero much greater than you is standing here?"
"I-I'm sorry!" Amnet waved his hands theatrically. "I didn't see you! Please, I didn't mean anything by it!"
"Pathetic," the Paladin sneered. "If you cannot even navigate a hallway, how do you expect to navigate a Tower? Perhaps I should teach you a lesson in deference."
Lemigas, standing just behind the teammates, narrowed his eyes. 'I thought I recognized this guy. He's definitely Leothur, one of HeavenGuard's strongest Heroes.'
His frown deepened as he studied the Paladin more intensely. 'But wasn't Leothur a 7-Star Diamond? When HeavenGuard tried to trade him for my Mage, I'm pretty sure he was a 7-Star Diamond.'
"What Architect do you belong to anyway?" Leothur asked, glaring holes into Amnet's eyes.
"That's enough."
Everyone's heads turned to the back of the group where Lemigas stood casually, armz folded with disinterest. "He apologized," Lemigas said, coldly raising his eyes to meet Leothur. "There's no need to escalate this any further."
Silence took hold for a moment. Amnet looked between Lemigas and Leothur, terrified of what was happening.
"Lemigas..." Amnet whispered.
Leothur squared up closer to Lemigas, glaring down at him with condescending eyes backed up by the vast power gap between them. A 1-Star Bronze standing up to a 2-Star Diamond.
It was like an ant challenging a boot.
"Besides," Lemigas added dismissively. "It's not like you're going to do anything. Not inside here."
Leothur's brow furrowed. "Seems like you know your stuff, newbie. Why don't you go ahead and tell me who your Architect is?"
"Why?" Lemigas cocked an uncaring brow. "So that you can mark our party and force us into being a sub-party for your Architect?"
Leothur's eyes widened with genuine surprise. 'Ngh! Isn't this Hero supposed to be a fresh summon?'
"We'll pass," Lemigas finalized. "If you don't mind, we'll be getting out of your way now."
Lemigas stepped to the side, then walked around Leothur and the other quieter Hero with pink hair whose face he couldn't quite place. Marion and Amnet hurried to fall in line behind him.
Together, in the silence that followed the scary encounter, they walked down the narrow corridor. Lemigas looked over his shoulder, locking eyes with Leothur… and Ryness — he remembered the other one's name.
Both Heroes were staring at him, perplexed. Lemigas worsened their confusion by giving them a smirk. They visibly lurched.
Soon, Lemigas and his party arrived at the lifting light. As the name suggested, it was a cylindrical portal with vertical beams of blue light speeding into the ceiling. Lemigas stepped into the matrix first. Then the others followed.
The vertical lines of blue light burned brighter, depositing the three Awakeners into their new home.
As Lemigas's vision adjusted, a floating prompt briefly materialized in the air followed by that heavenly voice:
[ Units, welcome to your designated Facility: Noobland (Tier: Bronze) ]
Lemigas took one look around and sighed inwardly. Calling it a facility was a generous exaggeration.
Instead of a proper base of operations, it was essentially a dilapidated starter village. The main plaza was nothing but packed dirt, centered around a crumbling stone fountain that hadn't seen water in ages.
Off to the side sat a single, run-down barracks made of wood and a thatched roof. It wasn't awful, but it wasn't great idea. Besides, it was more than enough to contain all three of them.
Amnet wrapped his arms around himself, anxiously analyzing the dreary, empty village. "This is... where we're supposed to live?"
Marion ran a hand over the rough stone of the dried-up fountain. A smile was on her face as she hid her own disappointment.
"It's just a starting point," she said, attempting to inject some optimism into the dreary space. "Once our Architect earns more Crystals, this entire plaza will be upgraded. We just have to do our part."
Lemigas ignored them both. He didn't think the living conditions was a big deal. Besides, when he started TOA, his facility hadn't look much different than this place.
His dark blue eyes swept the perimeter of the plaza, searching for something specific. Every facility, no matter how low-tier, was required to have a few basic zones baked into its architecture.
Not long after, he spotted it on the far edge of the settlement: a fenced-off patch of earth containing a few battered straw dummies and a rack of rusted iron weapons.
Without a word, Lemigas marched across the plaza, heading straight for it.
"Hey," Marion called out, turning away from the fountain. "Where are you going?"
"The training area," Lemigas replied without looking back. He pushed open the rickety wooden gate of the enclosure and stepped onto the training ground.
"OurArchitect will call us to deploy soon, and we need to be prepared. The First Floor of the Tower of Genesis is one of the most difficult floors in the entire Tower."
Amnet and Marion froze. "Huh?"
Marion stepped toward the training area staring at Lemigas with confused, creased brows. "Wait... I remember you saying the complete opposite back in the summon space. Didn't you tell the Architect that it was the easiest floor in all five Towers?"
Lemigas paused at the weapon rack. He picked up a rusted iron shortsword, testing its in his hand before looking over his shoulder at her.
His face was completely deadpan.
"What do you think?" Lemigas said coldly. "I lied."