Harry stared at the floating screen on his face. He couldn't understand what was happening.
He read the thick headlines displayed across the screen.
"An Arch Mage?" He asked himself. "Even in my wildest dreams I never imagine I'd be an Arch Mage."
He glanced down at the two options and remembered his resolve to stay alive for the sake of his mother.
3 seconds left....
With his last dying breath, Harry uttered. "I ACCEPT!"
The screen displayed new bold letters:
[CONGRATULATIONS...
YOU HAVE NOW ACQUIRED THE ARCH MAGE SYSTEM...
INITIALIZING REAWAKENING.....]
Harry felt a new wave of energy rush throughout his entire body.
Suddenly, a bright light flashed in his head, causing him great pains.
All his memories from the day he was born, his childhood, his teenage years and his present fast forwarded before his eyes.
Then he fell into a abyss of darkness.
* * * *
Harry snapped his eyes opened, breathing hard.
He found himself in a hospital bed. To his shock, his limbs had grown back, stronger than ever.
Even the wound in his guts were healed.
"Wha–what happened to me? Where I'm I?" He asked himself, sitting upright.
"You're in the hospital, kid," a man in white lab coat said. "I'm Dr. Kent. Don't fret, you're going to be fine.
Harry stared at the doctor. "The mantis... What happened?"
"Crimson Foxx took out all the mantis," Dr. Kent answered. "Too bad many rangers got killed. You're the only survivor of the Break-in."
Crimson Foxx was Infinite Guild's S-ranked ranger.
Harry jaws dropped. "I survived? How the hell did I survive? My limbs were chopped off. I was stabbed in my guts."
Dr. Kent adjusted his spectacles. "When Crimson Foxx found you, you were in one piece. Not a single scratch was found on your body."
Harry couldn't believe it. He survived a break-in.
A break-in has a high fatality rate and he was E-ranked.
"There is no way I could've survived that," Harry said. "I died. I know I did."
"I was told to keep an eye on you until you wake up," Dr Kent walked over to the door and opened it. "A guild agent is here to speak to you."
Elijah couldn't speak. He could only stare in surprise.
A handsome black man in charcoal-black suit and tie entered the room.
"Hello," he waved at Harry, taking off his dark glasses. "My name is Tom, and I'm an agent from Infinite Guild."
Elijah stared at him. He liked the friendly tone and the warm smile Tom gave off.
"I'm Harry," he managed to speak. "This is the first time a Guild agent has ever visited me."
Tom stood beside Harry's bed. "Well in your case, we had to, Harry. I'll go straight to the point. The break-in at Zone C was a massacre. We lost a third of our best C and B-ranked rangers."
Harry couldn't believe it. "A third? That's a lot."
"Yup," Tom sighed. "Before we could get Crimson Foxx to Zone C, everyone had been killed and eaten, except for you."
Harry swallowed. "Just how many rangers were killed at the Break-in?"
"112 rangers," Tom replied after a short pause. "It's a mess. We're currently lacking in rangers. Those mantis were higher A-ranked monsters."
Another silence. Harry couldn't understand how he managed to escape such a massacre.
Was he that lucky?
"You're here to investigate me, right?" Harry asked.
Tom shook his head. "Nope. We think we know how you survived. You've been reawakened."
Harry stiffened. "Rewakened? Did you just say reawakened?"
Tom brought out an iPad and scrolled through it. "When Crimson Foxx found you, he sensed some sort of power oozing out of you. Our record here states you're an E-rank ranger. You can only use fireball three times a day."
Harry rubbed the back of his head.
He felt awkward about his lacking abilities. "I'm not an impressive ranger."
"We know," Tom gave him a card. "Which is why we'd love to know more about your reawakening. Come to the infinite guild by the end of the week. We'd carry out an awakening test on you."
Harry took the card. "How long I'm I going to be here?"
"One week," Tom said. "The bills on us. After one week, you'll be discharged. We'll be expecting you, Harry."
* * * *
A week came and went like a breeze.
After being discharged, Harry ventured straight to the Infinite Guild to carry out his test.
He took the subway train to the Guild.
As he sat down in his booth, a beeping sound alerted him.
He couldn't afford a cell phone so where was that beeping noise coming from?
Suddenly, a floating screen appeared before his face just like last time.
Harry peered closely on the screen. It displayed some instructions:
[NEW QUEST!
CHOOSE A WEAPON.....]
Harry couldn't grasp what was happening. Three default weapons were displayed on the screen.
A dagger. A spear. A shield.
Harry had never used a weapon before. Mages don't use weapons. They're long range fighters.
Without thinking, he selected the dagger.
[NOTICE: YOU HAVE SELECTED A DAGGER!]
A black hole appeared under Harry's feet and Harry sank in with a yelp.
He landed on his face on a hard ground. "Ouch, that hurts. My nose."
He stiffened when he struggled to his feet and looked around himself.
Right infront of him, was a colossal tower stretching up to the sky.
Harry gulped. He had never seen anything like this in his life.
"What is this place?" He asked himself.
A screen appeared:
[THE ANCIENT IRONCLAD TOWER
CLEAR ALL 100 FLOORS AND LEVEL UP]
"Are you kidding me?" Harry gaped at the screen. "A hundred floors? Is that possible?"
The system didn't answer.
Harry sighed. "I guess I have no choice. If I don't clear the tower, I have no chance of returning home."
Reluctantly, he walked towards the giant tower and entered the first floor.
* * * *
[THE FIRST FLOOR]
Harry found himself in a desolated ruin filled with flaming torches on either sides of the wall.
The screen appeared again with the name of the hallway:
[THE HALL OF SORROWS
NEW QUEST:
CLEAR THE RUIN IN 5 MINUTES.....]
"Hey, five minutes?" Harry yelped. "With just a dagger? I've never used a dagger before!"
Suddenly, rattling noises echoed down the hall.
Harry stiffened when he saw two undead creatures approaching him with swords. Their eyes had unearthly red glow.
"Shit," Harry gritted his teeth. "I guess I'll use fireball."
He stretched out his hand and yelled. "Fireball!"
[ERROR !!!
THE SYSTEM HAS PROHIBITED THE USE OF MAGIC IN THIS QUEST!]
"Why?" Harry yelled, pulling his hair. "I'm a mage. I don't have close combat skills."
The undead kept coming closer and closer, eager to kill Harry.
"They're scary," Harry swallowed. "But if I chicken out like always, I'll get killed. Either way, I have to fight."
The undead creatures lunged at him and strikes.
Harry dodged most of their strikes but a few landed.
Wincing in pains, he gripped the dagger tightly with both hands and aimed for their vulnerable spots.
He slashed at joints and vital areas, letting his instincts guide him.
The first undead staggered back from the damage but the other pressed forward.
It's swords stabbed Harry's shoulder but Harry didn't give up.
Sweats glistened on his forehead as he parried it's attacks and strike back.
He landed a decisive blow on the last undead, causing it to crumble.
He stood on the pile of bones, breathing heavily.
The floating screen in front of him displayed a new message:
[YOU HAVE GAINED 10 EXPERIENCE POINTS.]
Another small screen appeared. A countdown screen.
[04:45:09 seconds]
"Shit," Harry ran down the hall. "I'm wasting time. I have to move fast."
As he turned around the corner, he encountered more undead creatures.
There were five of them now, charging towards him, their swords raised.
Harry's shoulder was bleeding badly but he paid little attention to it.
"I have to survive this," Harry took in a deep breath and strengthened his grip on the dagger. "I don't know what's going on but I must survive. I'll never give up."
He gave a wild yell and lunged after them with everything he had.