Tower of Avarice: A LitRPG story

Chapter 170 – Floor 16: Part 1

Despite not receiving a new Discipline, Mathew still accumulated a large sum of Aether from his adventures on the 15th Floor. While he couldn’t level up, and there weren’t many items in the shop to purchase, a few Blessings left in his ‘Arcane Alterist’ Discipline could be helpful.

He needed a long-range attack, but his ‘Breath of Dragons’ didn’t reach far enough, and ‘Earthbind’ only stopped his enemies from moving. After entering the Tower and returning to the long absent elevator that would take him to the next Floor, Mathew spent some time browsing the Shop Blessings before making his selection.

Blessing: Disintegrate

Summary: Through the overwhelming force of your will and Mana, you destroy a single object or foe, leaving nothing but dust behind. This is the ultimate incarnation of Alteration. If a thing can be created, it can be destroyed.

Note: The effect of ‘Disintegrate’ is dependent on the Attributes and Level of the user. Success is not guaranteed. Failure will result in severe backlash to the user.

Mathew bought it with his remaining Aether and a few more healing and stamina potions to replenish his supply. When he arrived on the new floor, he needed to test it before using it in combat.

Leaning back against the metallic wall of the elevator, he was about to close his eyes and rest when he felt his momentum slow. The elevator was about to reach its destination.

The doors opened into the middle of a street in a bustling, modern-day city. There were people everywhere, standing around and staring at the sudden appearance of a pillar of light and the arrival of a strangely dressed man in black and silver armour.

Mathew stepped out of the elevator, and the doors closed behind him. It disappeared into motes of light, leaving him alone in the middle of the street. The area he was standing in had been cordoned off with yellow police tape, and a number of vehicles blocked the entrance, and their lights flashed red and blue.

His first thought was that he was home, but he didn’t recognize his surroundings. The buildings were tall enough that they towered over him, and the people wore clothing that wouldn’t stand out in his New York. They were bundled up in jackets and wore hats against the cold, and Mathew saw that the sidewalks had snow piled up on them.

Mathew barely felt a chill; his Aether-enhanced ‘Body’ Attribute had given him enough endurance and resistance that he could ward off even the harshest winter weather.

As he was looking around, a police officer approached him, along with a woman wearing a suit, a black winter’s coat and a badge around her neck that read ‘Homeland Defense and Containment.’

“Good Morning, I’m Agent Barlow with the HDC. We’re appreciative of the prompt response. The item is just over there; we’ve had to section off and clear the entire block.” The woman said while holding out her hand to shake Mathews.

“I apologize, but I have no idea what you are talking about.” Mathew replied in confusion as he released Agent Barrlow’s hand and looked around at the crowd and the city block she had referred to.

“You haven’t been briefed yet? I suggest you read the message your device has waiting for you.” Barlow replied as she pointed at the thick, silver wristband on Mathew’s right arm.

It had been trying to notify him, but Mathew had been so shocked by his return to a modern-day city that he hadn’t had the opportunity to read it yet. He raised his right arm and read the burning letters that immediately appeared.

Floor 16: A Hallowed Splinter

Summary: In every universe, beings of unimaginable power exist that do not possess the Divinity of the Gods. When these existences perish, their powerful souls are unable to pass on to the afterlife in their entirety. These mighty souls fragment, and some pieces disperse across the multiverse until they latch onto an object or person.

These become known as a ‘Hallowed Splinter.’ There is such an object in this city. Find it and contain its power before the entire world is destroyed.

Reward: Blessing: Mind Fortification (Constant Effect)

Mind Fortification: Grants resistance to the wielder against psychological and Mental attacks and limited resistance against Illusions. Ineffective against attacks or illusions well above the user's Level.

‘I need that Blessing.’ Mathew thought to himself, his memories turning to how easy it had been for the Abhorrent Corrupted Ancestral Beast to lure him out of their campsite and into the wilderness.

Lowering his arm and obscuring the burning letters of the message once more, Mathew turned his attention to Agent Barlow, who had been patiently waiting for several minutes for Mathew to read the notification and process its information.

“What kind of item is it?” Mathew asked.

Barlow gestured for him to follow her as she spoke. An officer lifted the police tape for the pair, and they were soon walking through an alleyway between a red-brick apartment building and a grey-stone parking garage.

“We’re not sure. There was a kid’s birthday party in the community center when everything started shaking. We have some sensors at the HDC to pick up supernatural objects or creatures, and they have started going haywire. That’s when we asked for someone from your group to come pick it up.” Barlow explained as they walked.

“You’ve met people like me before?” Mathew asked in surprise. Although, when he thought about it, it made sense. Barlow wasn’t surprised by his sudden appearance from a pillar of light or his wearing armour in the middle of the street.

“People from the Tower? Yeah, whenever something pops up that we can’t handle on our own. The HDC has been around for decades, and we have a lot of resources, but you guys are something else.” Barlow explained.

“You mentioned the HDC before; what is it?” Mathew inquired. They had left the alley and were walking down an empty back road, aside from a few green garbage bins and some parked cars. There was an energy in the air, a faint smell of Aether and a hint of mana.

The ‘Buzz’ began to give him a warning, and Mathew slowed down his steps until he could get all the information he needed for this Floor.

“Homeland Defense and Containment. We were formed to take care of this sort of thing, or at least contain and study them.” Barlow replied, tapping her gold badge that hung from her neck with her fingertip. Her long brown hair was tied up in a bun, and Mathew couldn’t see many of her features as her large sunglasses obscured her face. She looked like the typical G-Man.

“And you have the means to hold this object? It won’t be a danger to you?” Mathew queried.

“I can’t promise anything, but if you are here, that means the people you work for are confident that once you are finished, it will be fine.” Barlow responded.

“The people I work for…right.” Mathew muttered. He couldn’t argue with the fact that he was working for the gods. Did she know that, or did she just assume that the Tower was some kind of mystical force or place?

“I can’t go any further than this. The disturbance gets worse the closer you get to the community center. Just keep following this road, the building in on your right. Don’t worry about any bystanders; we’ve cleared everyone back for a mile on every side.” Barlow stopped walking and pointed in the direction of the community center before beginning to walk back in the direction they came from.

Letting out a breath of air, Mathew started his preparations. Before pulling out the Wrathful Blade, he placed a few healing and stamina potions on his belt, within easy reach in case he needed them. Letting the weight of the massive sword rest on his shoulder, he began to use his Blessings.

“Alter Self – Iron Bones.”

“Alter Self- Augmented Strength.”

“Alter Self – Thick Skin.”

“Righteous Aura of Subjugation.”

By the time he was finished, nearly half his overall mana was drained, but his physical abilities had doubled. He was sure that, if he wanted to, he could demolish any of the surrounding buildings in only a few blows.

But the ‘Buzz’ didn’t fade, even after the light of the Aura wrapped around him in a protective cocoon. Just what was this ‘Hallowed Splinter?’

Hefting the sword again, Mathew began walking down the deserted backroad. The sound of his boots hitting the pavement was the only thing that broke the silence. There weren’t even any birds overhead or sirens in the distance.

It was eerie, especially when it was clear that this was a heavily populated part of the city.

“She didn’t even ask for my name.” Mathew muttered to himself. After a few months wandering through the wilderness on the previous Floor, he had hoped to have a little downtime. Maybe have an actual shower with hot water. The cleaning tabs from the shop did their job, but it wasn’t the same.

“Let’s get this over with.” Mathew grumbled as he rounded the corner and found the Community Center.