Return Of The Strongest Player

Placing ten gemstones on the altar, the bodies of Arthur and the others blurred. An illusory effect was cast, and the newbies were drowned in endless pleasure for a split second, which felt like an eternity.

Their visions were dyed white.

Suddenly, a pleasant scent tickled their nostrils, and their visions transitioned from pitch black towards a light shade of blue. Eventually, as their eyelids fluttered, they were greeted by what could only be described as "Paradise."

Upon his awakening, Arthur took in the mesmerizing scenery, commenting internally about its beauty. What lay before him was the world above clouds. Beneath him were clouds hardened using mana, while above him was a light-blue sky, through which a ball of flames was peeking.

'The exchange center,' Arthur muttered internally, walking forward. The sensation beneath his feet was calming, as if he were laying in a bed of flowers. His feet bounced on each step, causing the cloud beneath him to shake.

'The gravity and air pressure are low,' Arthur commented. He glanced at the others, who seemed incredibly perplexed. In reality, Arthur had visited the exchange center, but it was vastly different from what lay before him.

It seemed the venue had been altered between the four year interval, after which the crimson-eyed man entered the tower in his former life.

The gemstone count was displayed on the back of Arthur's palm. A "43" was written on his skin in bold. The gemstones had vanished, leaving nothing but a bit of purple dust in Arthur's pockets and bag.

Paying no mind to the others, the crimson-eyed man walked forward, towards a certain booth in the center of the area. The booth presented a screen in the front, and was veiled using metal walls.

'This is to hide the newbies' choices,' Arthur commented, entering the booth. The door shut behind him. 

Arthur turned on the screen, browsing the items that he was capable of exchanging. Only the items in his price range were displayed, ranging from 1 gemstone to 43. There were thousands of items on display.

They ranged from mere water and food to armor and weapons forged with a certain kind of ore only found in the tower. However, there was only one item that caught Arthur's fantasy across the entire collage.

After scrolling for a few minutes, he finally found it.

A miniature Sun.

'I can use this to obtain the blessing of the Sun,' thought Arthur, making up his mind. The item cost 40 gemstones, and narrowly fit in the crimson-eyed man's price range. However, its value far exceeded the price tag.

In fact, Arthur was certain that the miniature Sun was priceless.

'It's all because of the Blessing of the Sun,' thought Arthur, allowing a greedy smile to blossom upon his face. The Blessing of the Sun was the prerequisite to acquiring the Sun Set, and was a blessing that allowed its user to step onto the path of the Sun.

The Path of the Sun led to the Attainment of the Sun.

Immediately, Arthur pressed on the "buy" option, and a tiny Sun manifested atop his palm. The item emanated faint warmth. Its radiance was stunning, and the light it provided vastly exceeded its meager size.

Arthur curled his fingers, closing his palm. He then stuffed the Sun into his pocket before exchanging the remaining gemstones for tokens.

It wasn't long before he exited the booth.

'30 tokens,' thought Arthur, glancing at the bronze coins in his hand. The tokens should be enough to stay at a hotel in the Outer District for a few days, stock up on food, and head towards the first floor of the tower.

The first ten floors were the easiest, after which the difficulty increased several fold. Arthur planned to speed through the first ten floors in a couple of weeks, but he wasn't certain how long it would truly take.

Using his knowledge, he planned to gather resources before stepping into the eleventh floor.

'I should at least be as powerful as a Novice Beast by the time I'm done on the tenth floor,' commented Arthur. Novice Beasts were a level above regular players, and a level below Elite Rankers.

The others seemed perplexed at Arthur's choice of purchase, but didn't put much thought into it.

Randy bought a set of armor, while Jenny bought a sword. Harry bought mana-conducting gloves, and Dino purchased daggers. 

The lanky man was switching back to using daggers, which the others found perplexing, but didn't question his decision. It seemed Dino was finally settling on a weapon to wield in the long term.

Once the exchange was complete, the newbies were encompassed in a layer of an unknown energy. Immediately, their figures vanished, and their visions darkened.

Finally, they entered the tower.

*

'It's nice to be back,' thought Arthur as his vision returned. His ears were bombarded with the voices of thousands of newbies, who had now become players. The cheers, screams of happiness, and cries were all vivid.

The spectators were quite lively, too.

Some of the experienced players greeted their siblings, who had only just entered the tower. Some mourned the loss of their relatives, as they had failed to become players. Others simply watched with interest.

Every single person in the Outer District was a player or had been a player. 

A few could still reside outside the tower–in small, separated dimensions–but couldn't enter the Outer District, as they first had to undergo the tutorial. 

The new players were led towards a stage, on which a dokkaebi the size of a human head stood. With fur coating his body and a devious smile he stood in front of a large screen that displayed the rankings.

The rankings were based on the amount of gemstones each newbie had amassed.

'Ah, so every batch underwent the same second trial this time,' thought Arthur. 

The minor details were altered every now and then, and were very difficult to predict accurately.

'Let's see… where am I?'

[4. Arthur Solace: 53 Gemstones]