--- 24 Hours Earlier ---I studied the various statues of some of the most famous Adventurers that the region had produced over the st fifty years. What people now called the 'Emergence' had changed everything for everyone around the world, and for the first time humanity had been united as one to survive the horrors that had been unleashed.

  Those heroes had defied the odds and survived as humanity discovered the secrets of the towers and the dangers of the Labyrinth. Without them, we wouldn't have survived, much less thrived the st fifty years.

  I turned my focus towards the massive tower the guild had been built against, the base was slightly rger than normal skyscrapers but shot up and into the clouds far above. The stonework wasn't manmade or made by anything man had ever created, even with our new magical powers man couldn't replicate it. A squad of powerful golems guarded the entrance at the base of the tower, they were there to ensure only Adventurers entered and no monsters left.

  "Mr. Jones!" I looked over to see a man walking towards me. He looked like the stereotypical office worker, "I am Shawn, I will be going over your induction sir,' the man offered his hand, and I shook it, 'If you will follow me, we can get started." the man gestured for me to follow him.

  I did so without comment, "Do you think you will join them?" Shawn asked as he pointed to the nearest statue.

  I smirked and shook my head, "I am not interested in becoming a hero, not to mention that those that earn that survived when a whole lot of other people died." I reminded him, that the mortality of the first generation of Adventurers was near ninety percent the first year.

  The man gave me a nervous smile as he pointed down a hallway, "The Hall of the Fallen, is that way, sir." I grunted and shook my head.

  I understood why they did it this way, they wanted people going into the tower hopeful, ambitious, and full of aspirations, not reminded of all the people that had died before them. Yet I thought they should also be reminded of the fallen, so they would learn from their choices and mistakes, and perhaps not make the same ones that got them killed.

  Shawn cleared his throat, "Well after we get done with your induction, you will go through the Intergration process. You are aware of the risks that entails?" Shawn inquired as I followed him through a set of double doors and into a rge office space.

  I chuckled, it was grim but warranted, "Yes, twenty-five percent chance at survival at my age, but going through training the st three years the odds increased to thirty-five percent. Don't worry, no one will sue the guild if I die." I informed him.

  Shawn nodded his head in acknowledgment, "May I ask why you decided to become an Adventurer?" my mind went back five years, but I cmped down on the memories before they drove me into a spiral.

  "Personal reasons, leave it at that," I told him as we finally stepped into a cubicle. I produced the required paperwork and handed it over, "That included my psychological and medical evaluations, as well as physical eval." I told him as I sat down opposite of him.

  I noted the camera that was zeroed in on me that would record everything, "Thank you, Mr. Jones,' Shawn replied as he reviewed the information as he typed away at his computer, 'Do you pn on staying in Austin or do you pn on moving somewhere else?" the man inquired.

  I shook my head, "I live in Kyle, south of Austin and I pn on staying there for my first year. After that...who knows." I told him.

  I knew I had to stay at least one year in a location while paying off the debt to the guild, after that people could transfer regions once every year. "Noted, and you are aware you will go through an evaluation every year to measure your rank, which is scaled from 'F' to 'SSS'. As your rank increases, the more dangerous assignments you can take with the greater rewards. Only B rank and above are on the front line of the towers and only D rank or above can enter the Labyrinth." I nodded my head.

  That information was avaible to the public, "I understand." I told him.

  Shawn nodded his head absently as he continued to type away, "To pay the debt you will owe the guild, you will have to delve into the first and second floors of the nearest tower a minimum of ten times with the Guild getting twenty-five percent of anything you accrue, after that the Adventurers Guild cut is five percent. This tax does not include any Quest rewards, only drops from monsters and resources gathering." I nodded my head, it was a solid chunk of possible revenue but the cost to make an adventurer, train, and support them was expensive. So, I kept my mouth shut, "Groups delving into the towers are organized daily, and almost every group is advertising for newcomers if the guild doesn't arrange for a group for you. Most Adventuring Companies will not be interested in recruiting you until you get to C rank or above." Shawn cautioned me.

  I smirked, "I understand, and I am not interested in joining a company and pn to remain independent." I told him.

  Shawn looked at me, clearly surprised. "Are you sure, yes they take a bigger chunk of your earnings, but most companies can ensure that you get better training, gear, and a dependable paycheck..." I shook my head firmly. I had no interest in joining any company at the moment, "Very well, the Adventurers Guild does not require its members to join an Adventurers Company, it is just advisable and better for everyone." I smiled slightly, but it held no warmth, and it caused Shawn to pale slightly as he looked away.

  I had my reasons why I disliked Adventurer Companies, and they would not change for the foreseeable future, "What level have they pushed to?" my inquiry made him smile.

  I knew they had gained at least one Level over the st year, "Level one hundred and twenty-five globally, as you know all the Towers of Tribution are linked together and when we push to the next level all towers must be cleared within a year of each other, so the Adventurers Guild is trying to gain one level every six months currently. Yet as we push forward, the floors become more difficult not to mention the floor bosses that appear." Shawn expined.

  I nodded my head; the guild would have to coordinate globally and take into account losses and those who choose to retire. Facing violence and death constantly wore down people and Adventurers could only take so much before they cracked, thankfully the guild had set up safety measures to keep those sorts of problems in check as they didn't want Adventurers breaking in the middle of a fight getting themselves and others killed.

  Yet as time passed, it was discovered that some of the other races were better developed physically and psychologically, for the constant strife and battle. Orcs, Dark Elves, Badger-Kin, Demon-Kin, and Vampires were just some examples that almost excelled at being Adventurers and the violence that it entailed. They made up a rge percentage of the highest-ranked Adventurers around the world, but with the power came the constant dangers of diving into the towers, rifts, and Labyrinth.

  Yet the Adventurers were just the tip of the spear, with the influx of magic came new or very old professions that had fallen by the wayside. Hand-crafted items had made a rge comeback, smiths, leatherworkers, jewelers, the list went on and on, and the Crafters Guild had sprung up because of it. While they didn't have the combat power of the Adventurers Guild, they were crucial for equipping and maintaining the teams that did face the horrors.

  The two major guilds had a symbiotic retionship, both would fail without the other. Yet like all things, they had a few rough spots over the years, but they had smoothed things out, at least publicly over the st decade. "Ok Mr. Jones, everything has been approved. If you follow me, I will take you down to the injection chamber." Shawn stated as he stood up.

  I nodded my head and stood up as I followed Shawn towards the elevators, thankfully the man remained quiet as we descended to the floor where I assumed the room was located. The injection chambers were shielded as the injection of Mana almost always caused a discharge that could be detrimental to others which is why the chamber was shielded much like an x-ray room was.

  As we entered the reinforced chamber, Shawn walked towards the technician who was tapping away at the control panel while a couple of people in scrubs walked up to me. "Strip please and give us your clothing." one of them instructed. I did as they instructed but they could see my unasked question, "New Adventurers generally add between five and ten percent body mass, that doesn't include any major mutations." she expined as I stripped down to my birthday suit as they guided me to the modified chair in the middle of the room and started strapping me down.

  The restraints had been modified, "In the off chance you turn into an Orc, Dwarf, or something else that is bulky, the restraints will stretch for the added bone and muscle mass." one of them expined.

  The other one strapped in my head, "You understand how the injections work and where they are located?" the nurse inquired.

  I did my best to nod my head, "You inject liquid Mana into the theoretical chakra points throughout the human body, the injection forces open the Mana Focal Points and Channels throughout a person's body while providing the raw Mana the body will immediately need to survive. This allows the person to absorb, create, and channel Mana while also making a person all but immune to Mana poisoning. It's an extremely painful process that is both mentally and physically taxing, and even if a person survives, they will take days or even a couple of weeks to recuperate." I expined as they began to insert the first needles into my body.

  The nurse smiled slightly, "Correct sir and if you survive, you will be Integrated and capable of facing dangers that would kill a normal human in an instant, or injuries that would leave a normal human crippled for life." she added. Then she produced a mouth guard, I nodded and opened my mouth wide, "Good, we have had people stupid enough to decline it and they ended up with cracked teeth and even broken jaws." the nurse expined before she went back to inserting needles as I made sure to bite down firmly on the rubber mouthguard.

  The most painful needles would be the ones that went into my back and the base of my skull, but those injection points would be handled by the machine behind me. "Mr. Jones, are you ready?" the technician called out as the nurse pced the sensors on my chest and skull. I nodded my head and put up both thumbs as the nurses stepped away and Shawn left the chamber. "Ok Mr. Jones, I would suggest you bite down firmly and grab the handles in your hands so you can minimize your filing. Good luck and godspeed!" the man encouraged me as I did as he instructed.

  Then the pain hit me as the st of the needles were shoved into me, that pain quickly died down as I felt the liquid Mana being injected, which felt like red hot metal going into my body. I bit down harder and grabbed the handles as hard as I could as I used the mental trick I had been taught over the st three years, and my body began to shake as I did my best to endure and live!

  In the void of my mind's eye where I shoved the anger and pain, I could feel my heartbeat race at a nearly impossible pace. I could absently hear the technician saying something, but I ignored it as I just did my best to endure the pain. Then the pounding of my heart in the void and ears suddenly stopped, I found the absence of the sound disconcerting for a moment before everything went dark as the sudden burst of pain shattered the mental void and drove me into unconsciousness. My st absent thought was I wondered if I would wake or not...