Despite heading to an early sleep, morning comes all too soon. The sun isn’t even awake yet when I finally get out of bed, despite the fact that I’ve tried and mostly failed to go back to sleep three times already. I suppose I’m still nervous about heading to that strange tower that appeared downtown last night. And this time, unlike yesterday, I don’t think it’s all excitement.

  I check the garage door and confirm that Chloe’s mother didn’t come home last night. We both expected as much, but I still held out hope that she might arrive late in the evening. I’m sure Chloe feels the same. I head downstairs to take one final shower, in the main bathroom this time to avoid waking my friend up. One final quick shower, I correct the instant the icy water hits my skin. Nope, I had a warm shower last night and I’m not letting the frigid liquid come anywhere close to my hair.

  With that done, I do some stretching, mostly to distract myself as I wait for Chloe to get ready. I double check all of our gathered food and other supplies for our journey. Notably, I make sure that we have a couple of lighters Chloe’s mother still has lying around, along with a pot in which we can boil water if the need arises. Hopefully it doesn’t, but I don’t know how long the journey is going to take, or how many challenges we might face along the way.

  Chloe heads downstairs about ten minutes after dawn, having forgone the opportunity for one final shower before we depart. Breakfast is simple, consisting of cereal with milk and berries. I have a couple of slices of cheese to go with it, noting that it might be quite a while before I can again enjoy my savory yellowy goodness. And with that, our journey begins.

  This time, I actually do bring a light jacket to wear over my blouse. I appreciate it immediately as a chilly northerly breeze blows at us, sending my hair flying all about. Chloe, on the other hand, has her hair up in a bun. After that bout of embarrassment, compounded by my best friend’s laughter, I follow suit.

  The sun rises and the air warms as we head through the suburbs at a comfortable pace. Without a car, it’ll take the lion’s share of the morning to make it downtown, but we make do with the resources at our disposal. We do get some weird looks from members of the National Guard patrolling the streets in their various assortment of vehicles, but none of them question or try to detain us.

  I wonder how they are being so cavalier about their consumption of fuel after yesterday, but if any group is going to get the highest priority for petroleum-based products, it’s always the military at the expense of the downtrodden.

  The city itself doesn’t seem all that much different from before in terms of size and shape. None of the lights are on, and few people are out and about. Other than the National Guard and local cops, I only spot a small handful of cars driving by. I’m a little surprised not to see electrical crews running maintenance, but the issue is probably less with the local grids than with the high-tension lines connecting and stabilizing the national grid. With that in mind, their absence makes way more sense.

  A few otherworldly creatures approach us, expecting easy prey. We quickly disappoint them and continue on our way. Much to my chagrin, however, the System imposes some sort of Experience scaling, and defeating the level 1 [Frenetic Imps] and level 2 [Lesser Hellspawn] no longer provide any Experience for their trouble. I’m a little disappointed that I’ve also not encountered any treasure from encounters outside of the dungeon. Must be some incentive put in place to encourage more dungeon diving. Again, I wish I could understand why the System wants us to do so.

  The quiet, empty streets gradually fill with more traffic, a mix of foot traffic and cars uncharacteristic for such a car-dominated city. With our heightened [Speed] and [Vitality] and concerns about an impending fuel shortage, it seems imminent necessity has forced the people to finally seek alternative means of transportation. I then get the idea of a motorized Ethertech bicycle as a simple means to get around. Yet more things to add to the list of things I want to do. I silently curse my lack of access to Ethertech to dissect and reverse engineer! I do hope this new tower provides where the dungeon didn’t.

  As we near the structure, I realize I may have exaggerated the height of the new tower that’s appeared just south of downtown. It’s perhaps only fifteen hundred feet tall, not half a mile as I originally speculated. Still, it easily dwarfs even the tallest buildings which previously existed in the city, none of which break seven hundred feet.

  Not unexpectedly, there’s already a police barricade around the structure, and a lectern has been set up, where the mayor is holding an impromptu press conference. The chief of police, several people in suits who I presume are city councilors, and several armed guards flank him.

  He answers meaningless questions from media personnel also wearing full suit jackets. Where did it come from? Is it dangerous? What will happen to the displaced population? That question’s answer, as it turns out, is that there was no displacement. The world simply grew to accommodate the tower, and no buildings are reported lost or destroyed as a result. The people living within a block’s radius are being encouraged to evacuate due to unspecified ‘potential hazards’, and the media steadfastly refuses to press further on what that might entail.

  If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  They don’t ask if anyone is allowed inside. It’s almost like no one is interested in seeing and experiencing what lies within a tower built by technology and literal magic, or at least what might as well be considered magic to our eyes. Damned cowards, one and all, hiding behind the so-called ‘safety’ and ‘security’ of the life they once knew without even comprehending what malevolence might lie in wait, feasting upon our vain attempts at ‘security’.

  As such, I expect to be rebuffed when we simply walk up and approach the police line. We do so mostly to assuage Chloe’s conscience on the matter. She is starting to understand the danger I sense behind the System’s actions. Moreover, she has expressed her trust in me on numerous occasions. And I believe, egotistical though it may be, it is in the best interests of the world, if not far more, that we investigate and understand the secrets that lie within, and sooner rather than later.

  “Halt, this is a restricted space,” the nearest officer says once we reach the barricade. “Until further notice, civilians are not allowed inside.”

  “And there’s no way you would let us investigate for ourselves? I’m prepared to sign a waiver to disclaim any responsibility you or anyone else might face for anything that might befall me while inside, if this is a matter of liability. Same policy as the dungeon about fifteen miles south of here?”

  “And let a couple of suspicious-looking schoolgirls just waltz right in?”

  “Suspicious looking?” Chloe asks. “What’s so suspicious?”

  The officer grows more irate with us. “A massive tower suddenly appears, and rather than taking steps to stay safe like kids your age should be, you just waltz up without a care in the world about your own well being? It doesn’t matter how much you ask, no means no!”

  I respect the logic, just as I respect a man who comprehends that no does, in fact, mean no. However, I still plan to get inside. Understanding the irony after yesterday’s debacle and how my thoughts make me sound like a bit of a hypocrite, I decide to push the issue just a bit further before resorting to alternative measures to sneak my way in.

  “Pardon me, officer,” I say, “but wouldn’t it be in the best interests of everyone to get this investigation done as soon as possible so we can all move on with our lives? I doubt the force can spare enough hands to do so themselves. Communication networks across the planet have shut down, I’m sure there’s hundreds of other such towers across the country, so it might be a matter of weeks, months, or even years before the army and the feds are able to send a team to investigate under official auspices. Besides, the System gave me a class that specifically deals with System-based technology. I doubt there are many people more qualified for the task.”

  Unfortunately, I don’t feel comfortable mentioning anything about my reincarnation. That seems like a quick way to get thrown in an institution for seventy-two hours. Or however many weeks it takes for a judge to finally implement oversight while we are still, technically, in a state of martial law.

  “I’m going to need to ask you two to please leave now. This is your final warning. If you choose to persist, you will be arrested on charges of trespass, disturbing the peace and interfering with a police officer.”

  I nod, and the two of us take our leave without further incident. We could simply barrel through; I trust my [Barrier Gauntlets], low grade or not, to defend against conventional bullets from the officer’s small handgun. However, that would likely cause further bloodshed, which neither of us want. I form a plan, though I dare not speak it aloud while we’re so close to the tower, and especially not within earshot or eyesight of the officer who’s still watching us warily.

  I take a couple of Ether Crystals out of my pouch. Thanks to my work synthesizing more during the trip here, I have in excess of two hundred stored away; I hope not to need this many, but better to have and not need than the reverse. I grab Chloe’s hand and the two of us make our way back through the crowd of onlookers, while the useless press conference continues uninterrupted. There are some questions about the return of electricity and other public services that the mayor deftly dodges by redirecting the press to the office of the local utility company.

  It’s time to make use of my [Trick Shot], which I can apply to my [Ether Bullets] even when thrown rather than shot out through my [Simple Blowgun]. With a flick of my finger, I fire one up and over the crowd, using my Skill to send it flying higher and further into the air. Then, at the apex of its flight, I will it to explode.

  It evaporates into a flash of light and sound which startles the crowd. Since the bullet is entirely composed of Ether itself, there’s no need to worry about shrapnel raining down upon innocents. And better still, there’s no forensic evidence left behind that can link it back to me. Still, that officer from before will probably assume I’m responsible, even without any physical evidence that I did anything. That’s a problem for later.

  One more [Ether Bullet] sent in the same vicinity and the police quickly join ranks to protect the mayor and his staff. Chloe and I sneak off with the crowd, doing our best to appear frightened as everyone else scatters in a mad panic. We get half a block to the north when I look to the left, then the right, then back to the left, looking for any signs that we’re being watched. Seeing nothing, I activate the [Barrier] skill in my gauntlets and take the lead, pushing through the police line and sneaking into the tower with only Chloe in pursuit.

  We make our way past the threshold and I take a deep breath. There’s so much potential lurking within here, and I can’t wait to see and take all the treasures I find.