Chapter 3 The Tower That Devoured the Sky

Adrian Chapman stood on the rooftop of a research facility. The sky above London was breaking apart. Black cracks spread across the clouds like veins. The ground shook with a rumble. This was the moment Adrian had been waiting for. The Black Tower was finally here. It brought a system that would change everything. No more waiting around. No more being weak. Every decision Adrian made would affect his progress.

The air felt heavy. People were screaming in the streets. Adrian checked his status one time before heading down.

Name: Adrian Chapman

Rank: E (78% to D Rank)

Class: Shadow Initiate ( Path: Abyss Tyrant)

Core Ability: Sin Authority. Devour (works 1.4 times on humans and monsters)

Skills: Intermediate Shadow Manipulation, Shadow Step (can be used again after 25 seconds) Basic Curse Resistance

Stats: Strength 38 Agility 52 Mana 79 Vitality 35 Perception 44

Adrian felt good about the progress he made from the fights the day before. His ability to Devour had helped him level up fast.. He knew the Tower would be much harder. He would need to be smart and adapt to make it through.

Thomas Riddler was getting his bag ready. It was full of bombs that could curse things. "The readings are off the charts, brother. This Tower gets stronger when people are desperate. What we do here will make it harder or easier for us."

Tobias Ohon was ready to go. His special senses were already working. "I can see groups heading to the entrance. We need to stick. We are a team. We share the kills and the progress."

Adrian nodded. He respected his brothers. "Agreed. On the floor we will see a lot of goblins. I will use my ability to control them and get them ready for Devour. Tobias use your senses to find the ones. Thomas figure out their weaknesses."

The three of them went down from the roof. Joined the chaos in the streets. There were vehicles and helicopters everywhere. The Black Tower had appeared a kilometers away but there were entrances all over the city. Adrian led his brothers to the entrance in Trafalgar Square.

Global System Announcement: The Black Tower is here. All players can enter. The first floor is about survival. Getting stronger. If you die you are gone for good. There is a 40% chance your soul will be erased if you fail.

Many people were running to the entrances. Some were still very weak. Did not know what to do. Adrian saw a group of five try to enter. They came back a minutes later broken and carried by the survivors. The system was not kind to the weak.

"Your stats matter from the start " Adrian said. "If you are weak you will not make it. We need to get stronger and reach the rank today."

They stepped through the entrance together.

The first floor was like a ruined city under a red sky. There were broken buildings and overgrown streets. People were. Running away. Adrian did not care about them. He just wanted to get stronger.

The first wave of monsters hit them within minutes. There were goblins with sharp blades. They were fast and strong. Adrian used his Intermediate Shadow Manipulation. Black tendrils came out of his shadow. Grabbed a group of goblins. He pulled them into an area.

"Time to Devour " he said.

He hit the goblins precisely. His Sin Authority worked on each of them. He felt a surge of energy as they disappeared.

Devour x4: Agility +6, Mana +11 Minor Goblin Blade Proficiency fragment acquired. Rank progress +12%.

Tobias was fighting like a predator. He was fast and strong. He killed five goblins with strikes. Each kill made him better.

Tobias Notification: Rank E (mid). New passive: Predator Tracking (marks enemy mana trails for 60 seconds). Shared party bonus: +10% experience for all.

Thomas was analyzing the goblins. "Their joints are weak. If we make a mess more goblins will come. Lets move carefully brothers."

They fought together like a team. Adrian used Shadow Step to get behind a goblin shaman. He Devoured it. Got a fragment of basic summoning resistance.

Updated Stats: Strength 41 Agility 59 Mana 92. Shadow Manipulation now supports tendril weapons.

The wave got stronger. More goblins. They were supported by bigger monsters. Adrian felt his mana burning. He was still strong. He was not afraid. He was angry at his failures. This time he was in control.

"Tobias go right. Draw the big monsters. Thomas bomb the center to funnel them toward me."

Tobias did it perfectly. Thomas threw bombs that weakened the goblins. Adrian Devoured them relentlessly. Each absorption made him stronger.

Major Devour on Hobgoblin Brute: Strength +9, Vitality +7. New skill fragment: Basic Brutal Charge (temporary strength burst). Overall rank: 94% to D.

When the wave cleared the system gave them a notification.

Floor 1 Wave 1 Cleared. Party Synergy Bonus: All members receive 500 experience points. Hidden condition met: elite control. Bonus relic chest unlocked.

A small chest appeared. Adrian got a Cursed Shadow Cloak that reduced his mana cost for Shadow Step. Tobias got a Predators Fang amulet that boosted his tracking range. Thomas got rune stones to make his weapons stronger.

"Progress is real " Adrian said. "We will reach the rank soon. The system gets harder as we go. We need to be strong to make it through."

They went deeper into the ruined city. The red sky seemed to watch them. More people died in battles nearby. Adrian saw Henry Sheldons group in the distance. He was using his Divine Light to heal and lead. Adrian would deal with him later. For now he just wanted to get stronger.

The second wave hit them harder. There were goblins with magic. Fireballs and poison darts flew everywhere. Adrian dodged using Shadow Step. Devoured an elite goblin.

Devour success: Fire Resistance upgraded to Intermediate. Mana pool expanded by 15 points.

Tobias tracked a shaman. "Mana signature here brothers. It is summoning monsters."

They. Killed the shaman. Adrian absorbed its core. Pushed his rank.

Rank Up: E to D Rank achieved.

Class evolution progress: Shadow Initiate to Shadow Enforcer.

New ability unlocked: Devour Pulse (area scan for absorbable targets within 100 meters). Stats recalibrated: Strength 52 Agility 68 Mana 112 Vitality 44 Perception 51.

Adrian felt a surge of power. His shadows got stronger and faster. This was the system working for those who were strong enough. Tobias and Thomas also leveled up. Got better passives.

They were determined to make it through. Adrians cold resolve hid his satisfaction at being of his past self. Tobias showed loyalty through his actions. Thomas was excited about the challenge and calculated strategies aloud.

The fog rolled in. They heard distant roars. A Floor Monarch scout had appeared earlier than usual. Adrian sensed the change in the floor mechanics. The Tower adapted to players.

"Prepare " Adrian warned. "This next fight will test our ranks. If we can Devour the Monarch fragments we will get a boost."

They moved cautiously. The goblins gave way to human remnants, cursed by the Tower. Adrian used Devour Pulse to find high-value targets. The battles were intense with mana management. Each kill broke down into stat explanations and skill applications.

Tobias marked trails for routing. "My Predator senses detect the one ahead. We hit it together for progression."

The scout monster revealed itself as a Shadow Lurker hybrid D rank with capabilities. It ambushed from the fog. Adrians new Devour Pulse countered it. The fight lasted twelve minutes of calculated exchanges. Thomas weakened it with curses. Tobias wore it down with strikes. Adrian delivered the finishing Devour.

Major Devour on Shadow Lurker Scout: Perception +12, skill: Shadow Veil (temporary invisibility in low light 45 seconds). Massive rank progress, toward mid D.

The party gained shared experience. As they stood amid the dissipating fog another announcement rang.

Floor 1 Wave Event Progress: 45% complete. Adaptive difficulty increased based on party performance. Hidden observer detected.

Adrians eyes narrowed. Henry Sheldon was watching from a distance. Adrian knew he was already thinking about how he could use this to make himself look good. This could cause problems later. For now it was making Adrian want to move faster.

"We will rest for a while and then we will continue " Adrian said. "If we want to get stronger we have to keep at it all the time. Let us talk about how we will use our points, brothers. We need to be strong to beat the enemies and we need Mana to use our special skills."

Tobias told everyone about what he had gained. Thomas drew pictures of weapons that they could make using the materials they got from killing monsters. The group was getting stronger because they were talking about how to survive and they were focused on beating the system.

There was still some tension. They knew that the Tower was really a machine that made gods and that was waiting for them on the floors. Adrian had some advantages because he knew about his lives but unexpected things could still happen, like his friends remembering things from before. Yannis Apollon was there somewhere and he was starting to get stronger. Adrian wanted to stop him before he could get too powerful.

As the red sky got darker they heard screams. The next group of monsters was. They were stronger than before. Adrian got ready using his shadows to prepare for battle. They were, on the first floor but every time they beat a monster and got stronger they were building a foundation for something bigger something that would help them become the Abyss Tyrant.

Tobias stood beside Adrian looking strong. "We are building power that nobody can stop " he said. "Lead the way brother."

Thomas nodded. "Just having this information will help us beat the floors that are coming next."