All Contenders will be transported to the base of the Tower in: 00:24:06

  Winston paced anxiously around the recently ransacked pantry. He had eaten and slept all he could, and now all he could do was wait. Turning, he dismissed the window. In the past hours, he had learned that he could call and dismiss the countdown at will.

  As the timer slowly crept downward, Winston felt his anxiety growing. He had so many questions, and even more worries. He had never been an anxious corgi, but now, he found himself panting even in the cool pantry. As his heart hammered, he pulled up the countdown once more—ten more minutes.

  What would happen when he arrived at the Tower? What even was the tower? Who were the other Contenders? Each question made Winston even more nervous. At least he would get a guide upon his arrival.

  Pulling himself up the pantry stairs, Winston let out a burp. He didn’t know what exactly he was doing, but he did it anyway. Mind still filled with endless questions, he found himself curled up on the soft cushions of a couch. With five minutes left until he was transported, Winston made himself as comfortable as possible. If something terrible were to happen later, he wanted to at least be happy now.

  Three minutes. Two. One. Thirty seconds. Winston braced himself, eyes squeezed shut, and then he was no longer there.

  ?? ′?? ? ??` ??

  For a brief moment, no more than a fraction of a second, Winston felt as though he were floating. And as fast as it came, it was gone. Eyes snapping open, Winston took in his surroundings, eyeing everything warily.

  He was in a massive courtyard of…crystal? It reminded him of the cobblestone roads he had seen on the big screen—what had his humans called it? ‘Television’? The only difference was that instead of stone, it was shining, pearlescent crystal. The sunlight was almost blinding as it reflected off the many facets of the gems.

  As Winston blinked, trying to shield his eyes, he almost forgot to take in the rest of the courtyard. Turning around, eyes still squinted, Winston leaped back in surprise as a figure appeared just meters from him. As he recovered from his shock, he realized that there were hundreds of similar figures. Backing up, he found himself backed against a sheer wall at the edge of the courtyard. Trying to shrink himself down into the shadows, he glanced around the crystal courtyard once more.

  Around him were countless blue-skinned humanoids, each covered in glowing gems. As he watched further, it seemed as though the sunlight reflecting off the courtyard was being absorbed by the creatures.

  Even as he watched, more and more appeared. Each one was clad in shimmering crystals that matched the color of the courtyard. Squinting his eyes through the rays of sunlight, he tried to take in the rest of the area. In his panic and confusion, he hadn’t bothered to take a good look around the rest of the space. His eyes following the wall he had his back against, he saw it stretched on as far as he could see with only a slight bend.

  Looking over the heads of the thousands of humanoids, he found that he couldn’t see the wall on the other side of the courtyard either. While Winston could make sense of some things, the crystals themselves had him at a loss. With their shifting nature, he couldn’t even name their color—they gave off a glow that constantly moved between yellow and orange and countless other hues. The only thing he knew was that they always matched the gems adorning the blue figures.

  The blue-skinned people wore a variety of clothes, and at least half of them were armed with weapons Winston had only ever seen when he’d watched movies with his family. Swords, spears, and things he’d never seen before in his life.

  Still pressed against the wall, he waited. Winston knew something was going to happen. Whenever a bunch of humans gathered like this, something would happen. Whether it would be a speech or fireworks, he didn’t know.

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  As though something had heard his thoughts, a blinding light appeared. Flinching, Winston let out a growl as he felt the light burn into his retinas. He blinked away dark spots as his vision returned to him. In the center of the courtyard stood a towering figure. The grey humanoid stood hundreds of feet tall, its featureless face staring down at those below it.

  Contenders, I represent the System! Welcome to the Tower!

  The System? Was that what the screens were?

  I assume you all know what you’re doing, so I’ll keep this brief.

  Winston growled softly at the being, trying not to make his presence known. Why would it assume he knew what he was doing?

  As new initiates to the System, you have been brought to the Tower as a tutorial. The Tower has 100 floors. From floor 11 onwards, there will be other sapient inhabitants in the Tower. These will consist of some species that you are familiar with, as well as some newer creatures. These consist of Elves, Dwarves, Cephalopods, and a new race that calls itself “Humans.” These species will not be Contenders.

  The creatures within the courtyard began snickering, muttering about how stupid “Human” was as a name. Winston wasn’t sure how he understood them, but his mind was elsewhere. He just stood there, dumbfounded as he tried to take in everything. And what were these other species? Elves and dwarves sounded vaguely familiar, but what was a ‘Cephalopod’?

  Most of you have gear from your leaders, but to those who don’t, fear not. The system will provide a way to purchase gear whilst on the early floors of the Tower.

  Winston felt himself relax ever so slightly upon hearing this. At least he would get something, although he had no idea what that something was.

  Before you go, the System has requested that I brief you on a few things. You are the 112th generation of Caltherans to be initiated by the system, so you most likely have a general understanding of the Tower. This inherent knowledge is a great advantage. However, some things have changed. First, there will now be leaderboards based on your rank and System Credits, as well as the floor that you are on. Second, you will not be the only species competing within the Tower.

  Upon hearing this, the assembled Caltherans let out a collective gasp before breaking into incomprehensible muttering. Winston, however, understood none of what the being had said. Sitting there, head tilted to the side, he tried to process everything, but it was too much.

  From floor 11 onward, there will be 3 other species of Contenders within the tower. I cannot share any information about them, however. Viewing the leaderboards is simple. Just like how you will view your status screen, concentrate on ‘leaderboards’ and they will appear. You may view the leaderboard of only your group or the leaderboard of all Contenders within the tower.

  The chatter fading to a dull buzz, Winston focused, trying to bring up the leaderboards.

  Leaderboards:

  Floor

  Rank

  Wealth

  Jumping back in surprise, Winston rammed his butt against the wall. Letting out a small yip of pain, he focused on Rank.

  Group Leaderboard

  Tower Leaderboard

  Still cowering, he glanced around himself, making sure none of the Caltherans had seen him. Winston shut his eyes for a moment, calming himself before selecting Group Leaderboard.

  Rank Leaderboard (Group):

  1st: Kaelen (Initiate 1)

  2nd: Laora Hale (Initiate 1)

  3rd: Sol (Initiate 1)

  4th: Kiro (Initiate 1)

  5th: Oryn (Initiate 1)

  …

  87,255th: Winston (Initiate 1)

  Winston’s eyes widened. Just how many people were in the group? Using his mind, he scrolled down to the bottom of the leaderboard. 100,001. Assuming he was the extra Contender, that meant that in the other three groups, there would be 300,000 more. He had a hard time wrapping his head around the number. Even with the thousands of Caltherans around him as a reference, he couldn’t picture such an amount. His train of thought was broken as the featureless titan spoke once more.

  We are currently located at the base of the tower. You can think of it as a sort of rest area or safe zone. As I’m sure you’ve all noticed, the courtyard has been constructed of crystals to replenish you. These crystals will never run out of power and will refresh all of your resources. As well as this, they make it practically impossible to kill any of you within this space. As such, I’m sure this will become a haven for many.

  Winston blinked. That wasn’t fair! Why didn’t it replenish him? He would be the only one who could be killed! Pouting, Winston glared at the towering figure.

  Now then, I believe I’ve covered everything! I know you’ve been waiting for this your entire lives, so I won’t make you wait any longer! Please know that you may return here at any time via the exit of every floor except for the first, which will not have an entrance. Good luck and goodbye, Contenders!

  Eyes wide, Winston let out a yip, but it was drowned out by the deafening cheers of the Caltherans. As he cowered farther back, ears pushed back, he found himself being whisked away once more.

  I don't really know what to put here...