Tier 3+ - Accidental Champion (Book 2) - Chapter 77 - Prepare Yourself

“You really think we have something to worry about?” Justin asked.

They were sitting around a table of their own in the tavern. Xavier had taken a seat, nursing his whiskey as he’d listened to them tell the parties present all the details about the floors they’d just been through. When they reached the end, the three of them came to join him, and he’d told them of Sam’s words, and that he hinted a warning within them.

“I don’t know.” Xavier shrugged. “But we shouldn’t take his words lightly. I don’t think he would have said anything if it wasn’t important.”

Howard shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. We need to go on that floor. We need to get home.”

Xavier nodded slowly. “I hear you. But what if I went to the floor first, to scope it out?”

“You mean, without us?” Siobhan asked. She pursed her lips. “I’m not sure that’s a great idea.”

Xavier frowned at Siobhan. “Why wouldn’t it be?” He looked at each of their faces. None of them seemed to like the idea of him going onto the floor before them. He hadn’t realised it would be an issue. “I’m not going to leave the three of you behind. I’d think you’d know that by now.”

Justin rubbed the back of his head. “We don’t think you would do that, it’s just…” He glanced at Siobhan.

“We know nothing about the tenth floor. It’s the final floor before Earth. A milestone. You’ve been saying you’ve got a weird feeling about this floor. Well, what if you’re right and there is something… different about it? What if the floor locks you in, and it can only be done once? Do you know what that would mean for us?”

Xavier bit his lip. He did know what that would mean for them. As far as he knew, there was no way to enter a floor of the Tower of Champions one had already fully cleared. He couldn’t go back and do any of the floors he’d just done. The only floor he and the others could enter was the tenth floor. Because Xavier had been doing all the heavy lifting, they were under-levelled for the floor they were up to. The extra titles they’d received for being in his party would no doubt make up for that, but it wasn’t guaranteed.

Without him, they might not be able to complete the tenth floor.

“You’re worried you’ll get stuck.”

Howard shrugged. “It’s something we’ve considered before, but we know it would never actually happen—that you don’t plan to leave us behind. Still, we want to be on that floor with you. I sincerely doubt we’d be in any real danger. And if we are, better to have you there with us.”

Xavier leant back in his seat. He supposed he didn’t really know what the danger of this floor was, or even if he’d understood Sam’s words correctly. He was worried about his friends, about their safety, but he also trusted their judgement and their choices. If they wanted to come along, then he wasn’t going to talk them out of it without a truly good reason. He sighed. “All right.” He stood from his chair. “Let’s get going.”

Howard grinned. He slapped the table as he stood. “Finally!” The man looked ready and eager.

Xavier wondered what it would be like on Earth. He hoped that when they got there, Howard and the others would actually be able to find their loved ones. He had a feeling it wouldn’t be easy.

Before they entered the floor, Siobhan had a look in the System Shop at Xavier’s request. He didn’t reallythink this would be the last time they could look in the shop before returning to Earth, but just in case it was, he wanted to see if he could get that communication blocking device Sam had mentioned.

“Did he happen to say what it was called?” Siobhan asked after standing at the System Shop’s terminal for several minutes. “Because the search terms I’m using aren’t coming up with anything relevant at all.”

“No, he certainly didn’t,” Xavier said. He tapped his foot on the floor of the Staging Room, growing a little impatient after about ten minutes had passed.

Finally, Siobhan let out a great big sigh and pushed away from the pedestal. “Sorry. I’m not having any luck.”

“That’s all right.” Xavier ran a hand through his hair. “Honestly, an item like that did sound a little too good to be true. It would probably be far too expensive.”

Howard slapped him on the shoulder. “Maybe we’ll be able to find what we need on Earth. Or maybe you’ll get one in your next loot box.” The man didn’t sound overly confident of that, but there was a bit of enthusiasm in his voice anyway.

Xavier took the hint. “Yes, right. Let’s go, then.”

~

Xavier materialised in a completely white room, so white he couldn’t see where the floor met the walls. It reminded him of somewhere the System had sent him before, when he’d first been integrated.

This is strange.

He gazed around, but there was no sign of the other members of his party.

We’ve been separated?

That wasn’t good. Not for the others.

He summoned Charon’s Scythe to his hand, something he hadn’t bothered doing before coming onto the floor. He didn’t have a good feeling about this.

Welcome to the tenth floor of the Tower of Champions! Congratulations for making it this far!

The Tower of Champions is a true test of the might of Denizens from different worlds all over the Greater Universe. The tenth floor differs from other floors in the tower, as it pits you against other Champions in real time!

Xavier tilted his head to the side as he read through the notification, not liking where it was going one bit.

As this floor is not a test of how well you work together as a team, you have been separated from the other members of your party. Each member of your party is off in an identical room, receiving the same information as you. Do not worry about them, for it is your own life that is at stake!

Well, that’s bloody ominous, Xavier thought.

No wonder he’d had a bad feeling about this floor. This must have been what Sam had tried warning him about.

Couldn’t have been a little more specific in your warning, could you, Sam?

He sighed, and kept reading the notification.

The challenge on this floor is called The Melee.

The Melee?

His mind went to the first challenge the System had given him when he’d decided to become a Champion, foolishly not realising the consequences—though he would make the same choice again if he had to relive it. He’d been forced to fight another person from Earth who’d chosen to fight for their world, and had chosen to be a Champion.

He still hated that the System had made every one of them do that. So many good people had died. Had been forced to kill.

Xavier hadn’t fought. He’d only lived by chance—because the man he’d faced was too honourable for the System he’d found himself in.

That SEAL could have killed me with one squeeze of his trigger.

Was this tenth-floor challenge going to something like that?

Soon, you will be thrown into an arena and matched up with eleven other Champions from around the Greater Universe who have been deemed most similar in skill to you. Though this is not a fight to the death, many do not survive the encounter. Unlike on other floors, Champions who’ve reached the tenth floor and join the melee have the option to yield to the enemy. Though the System does not tolerate cowards, there are some instances where surrender is the most prudent choice a Denizen can make.

However, surrender has consequences. Though it is an option, it is a shameful one.

Xavier shook his head as he read through the text. He was finding it hard to believe that the System would let anyone surrender. Not after what he’d seen happen to that SEAL.

He was struck by lightning simply because he said he wouldn’t fight. He hadn’t even been given so much as a warning.

He still saw the man, sometimes, when he closed his eyes. That sacrifice, even though it hadn’t been intentional, still sat with him.

If a Champion surrenders during this melee, they will be barred from the Tower of Champions, lose half their levels, and not be allowed to return to their home planet for a hundred years.

He blinked, tilting his head to the side as he read the consequences. It made him worry about the other members of his party. Being separated from them. This melee… he imagined it was a fight to the death, right? Why else would people be given the option to surrender? Siobhan was the one he was most worried about. She was a healer. Then again, she did have her Divine Guardian spell, giving her the ability to summon a construct to her side whenever she needed it.

Will she be strong enough to survive this?

Justin was fast, and had the ability to fly. Xavier imagined the teenager would be safe enough, especially since the System supposedly sets people up that are on a similar level of skill.

Howard, he knew, would neversurrender. The man was simply too stubborn for that. More than anything that man wanted to get back to his family. Being barred from Earth for a hundred years… it wasn’t necessarily a death sentence. It wasn’t even the worst thing that could happen to them. But for that man, it wouldn’t be seen as an option at all.

Never in a million years could I imagine Howard abandoning his family.

There was no more text to read. Xavier paced around the white room, recalling Sam’s words: “You won’t have any trouble.”

Finally, after he’d paced back and forth five times, a notification appeared.

You are being sent to The Melee in 3 seconds. Prepare yourself!