Tower of Avarice: A LitRPG story

Floor 63: Find the cause of the local disturbance and end it.

Reward: N/A

Mathew stepped out of the elevator expecting the usual lightness of solid ground beneath his feet. Instead, an unbearable force slammed into him like an unseen wave. His knees buckled instantly, and Mathew staggered. His arms barely steadied himself against the ground before his face struck the earth.

A sharp gasp escaped his lips, but even breathing felt like a chore. It was as though his lungs had to fight against an invisible weight pressing down on his chest. The elevator doors behind him slid shut with a mechanical hiss, but the sound was irrelevant to him when compared to the crushing force of this strange world.

The sky was a pale, familiar blue and clouds drifted sluggishly overhead. But something felt off about the landscape. The sunlight filtered down in thick beams as if struggling to penetrate the dense air. The land that stretched out before him had deep fractures in the soil with strange formations of rock that jutted out at angles.

It gave everything a crushed appearance, like a giant hand had pressed down on the earth and pushed, squeezing the soft land.

Mathew gritted his teeth and forced himself upright, only to feel as if a mountain had settled on his shoulders. Every movement required ten times the effort, and his muscles trembled with the sheer exertion of lifting his own limbs.

His jacket, which had once felt weightless, now pulled at his spine as if it had been replaced with lead. He shrugged it off with a pained groan, and the impact of its hitting the ground sent a dull tremor through the cracked dirt.

A bird, at least something that resembled one, had crashed into the ground nearby. It was only recognizable by its feathers that were embedded into the soil. The few trees around him were twisted and bent, their thick trunks barely able to support themselves, but their branches were broken and lay on the ground.

Even the wind felt heavier, more dense and sluggish. It resisted moving, and he had to put effort into each breath he took.

Mathew attempted to take a step forward, but his legs screamed in protest. Even with mana cycling through his body, every motion was a battle. Every single joint in his body felt as if it were being ground down under its own weight, and each step felt like he was wading through thick mud.

Everything around him bore the scars of immense gravity. Distant hills had their tops flattened, and the grass smoothed, rivers chugged along, the water barely able to move and spilled out the sides of the riverbed.

Mathew scanned the landscape, looking for anything that resembled a structure or some sign of where he should go. The corruption was working with the increased gravity to attack his body, and Mathew did his best to ignore it.

As he slowly moved, Mathew concentrated on his mana, willing it to move. A tingling sensation pulsed in response and flowed through his arms and legs like liquid fire. It fought against the effects of the corruption, leaving only a small amount left to do as he wanted.

He inhaled deeply, and the air didn't feel quite so oppressive anymore. His chest expanded with more ease, and his muscles no longer trembled with every step. He was adapting to the gravity.

Mathew took another step, and this time, his foot landed with more control. The crushing force no longer threatened to pull into the ground. With his mana reinforcing his body, he could move.

That was until he made it a dozen feet from where he had started, and the gravity suddenly doubled.

There was a sudden shift in the air that sent a shiver through Mathew's spine. For a brief moment, the world seemed to ground around him as the ground beneath his feet vibrated with an ominous hum. It was followed by a force of gravity that slammed into him, and his body crumpled instantly.

His legs, which had just begun to adjust to the extreme gravity, folded beneath him like brittle sticks. His entire body plummeted to the ground and struck the cracked hearth with a loud thud. A shockwave of pain exploded through his ribs, and Mathew's vision blurred.

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Mathew tried to move, to push himself up, but it was difficult. His body was being slowly pressed into the ground, and his limbs refused to obey. His face was in the dirt, and he could see the soil rise past his eyes as he descended into the ground from the weight.

His breath came in short, ragged gasps, and each inhalation was a struggle. His bones ached, and his muscles screamed in agony.

But Mathew refused to surrender. He had been named 'The Enduring' for a reason. Clenching his teeth, his fingers twitched against the ground. He focused inwards and searched for the flickering warmth of mana. It was still there, but he needed more.

He needed to push past the limits that had been imposed on him by the Tower and the corruption of Mischievous Depravity.

Summoning every ounce of willpower, Mathew forced his mana to move. The tingling warmth surged within him, but it was sluggish at first. As it grew stronger and fiercer, Mathew spat out black blood. As he expended more mana, there was less to counteract the effects of the corruption.

The war inside his body was taking a turn, but he didn't have any choice but to continue. With a growl, he pressed his hands against the ground and pushed. Mathew's arms shook violently, and the effort sent bolts of pain through his shoulders.

Inch by inch, Mathew lifted himself off the ground. Blood flowed from his eyes, leaving streaks on his cheeks before hitting the ground with an unnatural weight in the high gravity. The bones in his fingers cracked and fragmented, but he ignored it.

A crack formed beneath his palms as Mathew's energy surged. The dirt split around him from the force of his struggle. Blood, both red and black, coated his face and hands, but he refused to stop. With a final push, Mathew staggered to his feet.

Panting, he reached out with his bloody right hand and gripped the hilt of the Godslaying Blade of Wrath with his broken fingers. There was a flood of new mana that penetrated his body from the weapon, and he could feel new strength enter his limbs.

With the corruption and gravity wreaking havoc on his body, Mathew continued walking.

He lost track of time. The struggle against the intense gravity only intensified as he travelled. Rather than coming in a wave like it did when he first arrived in this world, the gravity increased slowly, one step at a time.

Just when Mathew thought his body would be ground to dust, he saw it. The object he had been sent to this floor to retrieve.

A short distance away, half-buried in the fractured earth, was a massive sphere. Its surface was a blend of dark metal and smooth, glass-like stone. It pulsed faintly with light, and it emitted a low, thrumming hum that reverberated through the air.

The ground around the sphere was warped, crushed inwards from the intense pressure of the gravity it was emitting.

Staring at the object, Mathew saw that there was a massive chunk of Crystallized Aether at the center of sphere that was suspended in a complex lattice of twisted metallic veins. Its surface shimmered like liquid and Mathew could feel the energy within as it crackled and pulsed.

There was enough Aether there to earn a dozen levels, along with new abilities and items from the shop.

Before Mathew could approach closer, he heard a familiar 'ding' of a notification.

The God of Transactional Consequence requests that you retrieve the object and place it in your inventory for transfer.

Mathew ignored the burning letters and approached closer.

The closer he got to the pulsating sphere, the heavier everything became. His knees shook, and his breath came out in short, ragged gasps, but he refused to stop. His vision blurred for a moment, and black spots crept into the edges of his sight.

With a pained grunt, Mathew drove the Godslaying Blade into the ground and used it as a crutch to keep himself upright. The sword hummed in his grip, the vibration a counterpoint to the sphere in front of him.

Each pulse from the Aether Crystal sent another wave of pressure crashing into him, threatening to flatten him against the ground or crush him completely. Mathew heard his bones snap and his muscles tear, but he refused to stop.

When he was close, Mathew's legs finally gave out, and he collapsed onto one knee. His entire body trembled from the strain. The corruption was ravaging his body, leaving dark marks on his skin, and his veins felt like they were filled with acid that was eating him from the inside.

With an angry and hate-filled shout that cursed the Tower and the gods that ruled it, Mathew began to crawl forward. His broken fingers clutched at the dirt as he dragged his broken and battered body forward, inch by inch.

Finally, when he was on the edge of death, he felt his fingers touch the crystal.

'Ding!'

The God of Transaction Consequence is pleased with your success and offers you the following reward.

Reward: 1 Redemption Token for any item in the shop.

Mathew, his hand still outreached and fingertips brushing the crystal, made a choice.

"Screw you!" Mathew shouted.

A maelstrom of raw Aether surged outward, twisting the air into spiralling torrents of chaotic power. The ground beneath the sphere shattered further as chunks of stone and dust ascended upwards into the vortex. Threads of energy lashed out like whips, carving deep scars into the fractured land around him.

The force of the energy slammed into him, and pure Aether ripped through the air, distorting reality. New power surged through his body, healing his wounds and driving back the corruption that had been on the verge of killing him.

'Ding.'

The god of Transaction Consequence is displeased with your choice.