As Soji got out of the portal, his feet landed on solid ground, but it wasn't stone, wood, or metal. The platform beneath him shimmered like crystallized mana, suspended in a sky with no end, neither day nor night, only a strange luminescence.
Huge floating platforms hovered all around, each one connected by thin, almost invisible bridges of light. But what shocked Soji is... The players, or the so-called participants in this tower's game.
Each platform holds hundreds or maybe thousands of them. Thousands across the floating platforms, each radiating a different kind of aura. Some wore flowing robes inscribed with ancient runes, their eyes glowing with arcane knowledge.
Others were armored in jagged steel, blades larger than their bodies strapped to their backs. And then there were those who seemed barely clothed at all, wrapped in spiritual cloth, pulsing with internal chi.
Every passing second, a swirling portal tore open the air with a low hum, spitting out another challenger onto the vast arena, each one unique, radiating with presence. And everyone was speaking; their language and dialect are very different, but somehow Soji could understand them... Perhaps this is the work of the system.
A group of warriors dressed in traditional hanbok-like garbs with blades at their sides caught Soji's eye. They are the Murim cultivators. Their posture was elegant, but their energy screamed violence.
Just down ahead, Soji caught a glimpse of figures clad in gleaming knight armor—stoic, imposing, and radiating a palpable force. Their steps were disciplined, and their eyes were sharp with focus. He could feel it even from a distance that those are aura users.
Along with them are people with ancient-like robes—that must be the mages or spellcasters. The air around them seemed to shimmer faintly, distorted by the pressure of their presence alone.
And in every place there are already groups of people forming alliances, teams, and factions, as Soji was observing everywhere. Suddenly the system announced itself from the peak heights with a loud yet enough voice to notify everyone. Along with it the huge blue giant system where everyone can see.
[ WELCOME TO THE GATHERING ]
[ PLEASE BE ON STANDBY ]
[ THE OTHER PARTICIPANTS ARE CROSSING ]
[ THE 4TH TRIAL WILL BEGIN IN A MOMENT... ]
[ NEXT TRIAL INITIATING IN PROGESS ]
As Soji continued to scan the vast sea of challengers, his eyes landed on something that made his heart skip. His fantasy coming true...
Three Murim girls—exactly like in his fantasies. Each one is stunning in their own way, from their elegantly sharp features to the effortless grace of their movement. Their figures were athletic yet alluring, wrapped in traditional robes that hinted at both deadliness and beauty. It was like watching walking martial goddesses.
Soji blinked, momentarily dazed. "No way... Am I dreaming again?"
He muttered under his breath. As he keeps on staring at the three martial goddesses.
The first was tall and graceful, her silver hair flowing like water down her back. Her movements were fluid and elegant even; the way she stood radiated confidence. A crescent-shaped blade rested by her hip, pulsing faintly with internal energy.
The second was shorter, with red hair and more muscular, her crimson eyes scanning the area like a predator. Her robes were sleeveless, revealing arms wrapped in spiritual tattoos that glowed with chi. Her weapon was a heavy halberd that was slung lazily over her shoulder.
The third girl was sharp, her emerald-green eyes shimmering with curiosity, and her dark jet black hair was tied into two thick braids that fell past her feminine shoulders. She carried twin double-edge blades crossed on her back, their hilts worn from use but well cared for. Her stance was relaxed, but looking around like a kid.
But as his gaze lingered for a little too long, two of the girls caught it, which is the tall silver-haired girl along with the short red-haired girl. They exchanged a glance, then scoffed in unison—clearly unimpressed. One of them even turned her head with a slight roll of her eyes as she talks to the other one.
Soji was clearly hurt with this as he feels bad about himself... However, the third girl, which is the dark-haired one with the two braids hairstyle was also staring at him. She did not look away with disdain, unlike the others; instead, she gave back a small wave with her hand while smiling.
Soji blinked, completely caught off guard with the attention. Then he quickly straightened his posture, trying his best not to look like a starstruck fool and gave back a small wave.
"H-Hey... Nice," he muttered with a goofy grin.
"Maybe this tower isn't so bad after all~"
As Soji was enjoying a moment, suddenly a dark skinned guy with a dark presence wearing black fur-lined armor with eastern nomadic influence. A large twinblade can be seen on his back. His hair was a fine-tuned elegant dreadlocks. The talks to Soji in a casual tone. His arms were folded.
"Hey, not bad... Those girls are stunning. I can't believe you're making a progress with one of them already. I really want the red one..."
"I know right? Damn, I'm lucky that girl even paid attention to me... Look, she's still looking in this directio—oop, she looked away now..." Soji chuckles as he slightly points at her direction.
"Name's Karl Marx. Or call me the Black Khan. It's rare to see weak people like you surviving here... May the shadow be with you... Soji." His voice is stern and casual as he gestures his hand for a handshake.
"Wait—how did you... Ohh... So you have a skill that can identify people's stats? Yeah, I know my stats are trash; they are all in ones..." Soji muttered, impressed while pretending to be disappointed as he shook hands with the guy.
"Gladly~ Mostly the participants here average a stat of four, and the strong ones are at nine or above, especially those Murim girls that we were eyeing. They average a stat of seven... I heard the three of them are martial heirs to their own clan... Pretty strong, right?" he replied as he patted Soji's back.
"But don't give up... Stats don't mean anything unless you prove your love is true for that girl..." He reassured Soji before suddenly vanishing into his own shadow.
"What a strange chill guy..." Soji muttered as he tried to look for the dark-skinned guy, nowhere to be seen.
While Soji was observing once more, the system finally returned with another announcement.
[ WELCOME TO THE GATHERING ]
[ ALL PARTICIPANTS HAVE FINISHED CROSSING ]
[ COMMENCING THE 4TH TRIAL]
[ TRIAL 4: ESSENCE HUNTING ]
[ PLEASE FIND A TEAMMATE OR GO SOLO ]
[ OBJECTIVE: ACQUIRE 100 ESSENCES NEEDED FOR COMPLETION ]
[ Essences can be acquired by slaying monsters and participants. Essences can be given. ]
[ WARNING FAILING TO DO SO WILL RESULT IN FAILURE ]
[ COMMENCING TRIAL IN: 30 MINS ]
After hearing the announcement made by the system, Soji panicked, contemplating if he should either go solo or party up with someone. Soji decided it would be better if he had someone fighting with him, so he looked for anyone that would take him.
His first thought was looking for the Black guy with a Mongolian Eastern Dynasty fit, but he failed to do so... As there were no signs of him. His last hope was the murim martial goddess. The girl that waved back at her. He looked for the girl, and to his surprise, the trio of martial goddesses were floating above, laughing and watching as they enjoy participants panicking.
He was shocked to realize that the girl he was looking for was already staring at him in the sky... Both had eye contact, and the girl decided to descend towards Soji. Both of her companions were shocked by her decision but came along and are talking to her mid-descent.
As Soji approached the girl, he could feel the weight of attention shifting toward him. Murmurs spread. Eyes tracked his every move. For the first time, he was no longer just another forgettable face in the crowd. As to how come a simple, weak, average guy can interact with a martial goddess?
The martial goddess descended gracefully, landing just a few steps in front of Soji. A calm smile played on her lips as she greeted him with a smile.
Soji, still a little stunned, took a breath. "Would you... want to form a party with me for this trial my lady?"
Before she could respond, her two companions landed beside her with sharp, graceful movements. Their expressions were clear of disapproval. The red-haired one crossed her arms; the other silver-haired girl narrowed her eyes.
"Why did you come to him? He doesn't look like much..." The red-haired girl scoffed while crossing her arms.
"We don't have time to babysit. Let's go team up with the young master Zennia instead," the silver-haired girl recommends as she taps her shoulder.
"I want him on our team. Can we at least help him?" she said firmly, her gaze locked on Soji. The other two looked at her, confused.
"Why? Just why? Is it because you pity him? I know his soul power value is the weakest of all participants here, but that doesn't mean we can just help him!" exclaimed the red one, her hands placed furiously on her hips.
"Then I won't be coming with you all... I will help him..." as the black-haired one muttered taking sides with Soji.
'I can't fucking believe my alter ego is already working this far... First the Black dude was tricked, and now this goddess is taking my side because she thinks I'm weak?' Soji thought to himself, hiding his smile beneath his mask of expression.
With the argument heating up between the trio, the girl was able to convince her other two companions to take Soji with them.
"I'm sorry about them... My name's Nari... I would want to tell you their names, but they are mad at you right now... I'm sorry, but bear with it for now." Nari grabs Soji's hand with both of her hands, offering reassurance.
This, of course, in turn made Soji's heart beat faster and his face slightly turning red by the sudden hand interaction. So he just played it cool by acting nonchalant to the Nari.
"Don't worry... I'm just trying to survive, you know? Name's Soji by the way..." he replied, his gaze avoiding Nari's.
"Alright now follow us Soji!" Nari gestures as the trio started walking.
Soji follows them not knowing his experience will about to be fun at the 4th trial... Due to THE GATHERING.