Tower of Avarice: A LitRPG story

Chapter 114 – Floor 10: Part 1

A few days after Mathew’s ‘defeat.’

Algrond, the last remaining lord of the Aeolian Lineage, threw down the message in disgust.

“You expect me to believe that a few peasants managed to destroy the most powerful Demon Lord our world has ever seen?!” Algrond shouted. The few servants that had stayed to serve him cowered in fear at his outburst.

His lineage had fallen from grace with the people since his multiple losses at the hands of the Demon Lords. Worse, since the departure of the other Lords and Ladies, the populace of his lands were becoming used to ruling themselves.

They no longer saw Algrond as a saviour and protector of these lands. Rather, they remembered all the selfish acts he had done over the decades. Even though he had spent the last several years in training, allowing his people to assign their own governors, he couldn’t erase the past.

Algrond fell silent as the last of his servants ran from the room. He had dedicated himself to becoming stronger in order to defeat Mathew, yet a few farmers calling themselves ‘Heroes’ accomplished what his lineage could not.

It was humiliating and an obvious lie. It wasn’t possible for them to do it. There was a deception here, a ruse. The Demon Lord Mathew had fled their world; whatever task he had come to achieve was now done, and there was nothing here to bind him.

Algrond knew of the pact the other lineages had sealed with a deity for entrance to the Tower, and that was where Mathew had fled. He was sure of it.

His affairs here were concluded, and if Mathew was no longer present, then Algrond would chase him into the unknown of the Tower of Avarice.

Page Break

The doors of the elevator opened to reveal the 10th Floor. Unlike the previous floors, which had medieval aesthetics or fantasy-like environments, Mathew saw that the elevator opened to a modern building.

A wide open floor extended in front of him, a square highrise office structure that was completely wrapped in windows. Mathew could see that it was raining, and the thick cloud cover obscured the midday sun.

He was back in New York City. Mathew instantly recognized his surroundings. The exterior showed Central park stretching out in all directions. From his height, Mathew estimated that he was on the 10th floor of the building.

“I’m home.” Mathew whispered. He was drawn to the large windows and as he rested his hand against the cool glass, he looked down below. There was a crowd gathered to enter the Tower of Avarice, the same as it had been when he had entered over a decade ago.

Could it be that no time had passed here?

“Welcome back, Mathew Larson.” A woman spoke behind him. A familiar voice, Mathew turned to find the grey-suited young woman he had met in the lobby all those years below.

“Hello again.” Mathew muttered, turning away from the window.

“Is this my Earth?” Mathew asked, and the young woman nodded her head.

“Yes, and you are correct in thinking that only a few moments have passed here. You are no doubt aware that time works differently inside the Tower.” The young woman explained. Mathew wasn’t even surprised that the young woman could apparently read his thoughts; he had experienced things that were strangers inside the Tower than that.

“I’ve noticed. Why am I here? Do you have more bad news for me?” Mathew asked. The last time they had met, the young woman had shifted his path through the Tower to take him to the hellish 7th Floor. He couldn’t imagine her presence was anything good.

The young woman smiled at his words, not taking any offence.

“This is the 10th Floor. Every person from your Earth will arrive here, provided they survive, of course. The Tower is designed to have certain ‘barriers,’ or difficulty leaps after certain intervals. What you have experienced so far has been ‘easy’ when compared to what happens next.” The young woman explained, and Mathew felt a shudder course through his body.

The other Floors were considered ‘easy’?! He had seen countless people die, and Mathew had barely survived himself. Sure, some of the Floors were rather straightforward, but several of them had been straight out of a nightmare.

And they would only get worse from here!?

“And what, you’re here to just give me a warning? Or maybe you’re trying to recruit me as an Apostle to one of the gods?” Mathew accused, shaking his head in response to her words.

“I’m not going to become someone’s slave or a monster.” Mathew vowed.

“No, as I said, this is the Floor that everyone from your Earth will arrive in. It is a concession from the god of Games to the god of Prosperous Hardship. A chance to improve your Earth’s odds of surviving the challenges ahead. It is an opportunity, although one that carries a level of risk with it.” The young woman explained as she led Mathew through the empty office floor.

The building was bare concrete, with nothing but windows and empty space with a few wires hanging down from the ceiling. Mathew could see some construction tools and materials stacked on the far side, but it seemed like this place had been abandoned for awhile.

“What risk?” Mathew asked. This Floor was empty, and it didn’t seem like any hidden monsters or people would attack him from hidden spaces.

The young woman stopped near a pile of material that a white sheet had covered. Mathew could see there was something about five feet high and circular beneath. In front of it was a metal table, similar to a work bench but clean and barren.

“Prosperous Hardship is a gambler; it’s their sole Demesne, and they designed the 10th Floor accordingly. And so, the opportunity your Earth has been given is the chance to spin this Wheel.” The young woman said, pulling the sheet of the object.

It was a spinning prize wheel, similar to what you would find at a fare or used in a lottery. It was large, and Mathew could see thousands of different ‘wedges.’ Each of the Wedges had words on it that Mathew couldn’t read; they would twist and change as he tried to concentrate on the symbols.

“Is this a joke?” Mathew asked, and the young woman shrugged.

“No, this is an opportunity for you to survive the coming challenges. The rules of this game are simple. You will spin the wheel and be given something as a reward. Whether it is an item, Blessing or Discipline, the Wheel will grant you the selected boon.” The young woman explained, and Mathew frowned.

“That sounds awfully generous for a god titled ‘Prosperous Hardship.’ What’s the twist?” Mathew muttered, and the young woman smiled.

“The available rewards will be determined by what you are willing to gamble away. As you can see, the proffered prizes are currently quite limited.” The young woman touched the wheel, and the words that had been twisting and changing settled, and Mathew could see what they were.

Limited was an understatement. They were pure trash. Mathew could see that some of the prizes were snacks or items available for cheap in the shop. There were a few disciplines, but they were wedged in between junk, and even then, they seemed useless.

Clown. Martyr. Fool. None of them seemed like they would give Mathew any kind of edge. He wouldn't like his odds if the upcoming floors were truly awful enough to require the 10th floor to help him.

“You said ‘at the moment.’ What do I need to do to increase my chances of getting something decent?” Mathew asked as he turned away from the Wheel. The young woman walked next to the bare table and tapped it with her finger.

To Mathew’s surprise, everything in his inventory appeared. All his weapons, equipment, and even his clothing were transferred to the table. Mathew looked down to find that he was now dressed in the outfit he had been wearing when he first entered the Tower.

“You may offer these items to the Wheel to increase its offerings. But once offered, they are gone forever.” The young woman explained, sweeping her hand over the pile of weapons and items. Next to the wheel, a large bin appeared.

“That’s it?” Mathew asked warily. He had a feeling there was more to it.

“You may also offer Blessings and Levels to the Wheel. The return on investment for those offerings is significantly more…robust. These represent your Blessings.” The young woman said, and a pile of coins appeared. Mathew saw that they had different symbols on the front to show his different Blessings.

Conjure Flames had a fire, and Blur had a blurry image of Mathew.

The young woman wasn’t finished. She tapped the table again, and a jar of green marbles appeared. There were forty in total, and Mathew already knew what they were.

“These are your levels. Once you have made your decision, place your offerings in the bin, and the Wheel will change to reflect your improved odds.”