Chapter 2: Battle
It’s been raining all day. On the seat by the window in the library, Bai Yan was still focused on playing with his phone.
“Next, it will be Nightsaber’s first battle.”
Every operator had to complete a guide mission before they could officially join Babel Tower.
In Babel Tower, the main mission was to save the world. Other than that, there were daily missions, weekly missions, and side missions. Most of the enemies in the mission were Spawn, Cult, Stranger, Aliens, and foreign civilizations with beyond powers. There were all sorts of difficult and interesting ways to defeat them, giving players a sense of novelty.
Bai Yan chose Nightsaber and started the guide mission.
The screen displayed on the phone was very similar to games like Soul Knight and Dead Cells.
The pixel-styled female crime hunter was fighting a huge monster with tentacles on the dark street.
“Face your sins!” Nightsaber shouted her exclusive battle line and slowly pulled out her broadsword.
In the game, Nightsaber is a pure melee operator with two broadswords. Every attack she makes would augment the mysterious power, crime hunting Blood—Dark, from her bloodline.
The monster roared and released a large number of tentacles!
Its strength far exceeded that of Nightsaber. Bai Yan could only control her to fight while retreating. He didn’t dare to be greedy.
Nightsaber was newly summoned and he had yet to invest any resources into her training. Although her aptitude was that of top level, she was not that strong right now.
“The starting operator’s value is really bad. It’s really hard to play from the beginning.”
Bai Yan’s playstyle was sublime. Through frequent movements and jumps, Nightsaber dodged the tentacles from repeated mid-range attacks..
Every time Nightsaber avoided the attack, Bai Yan would immediately control her to slash the monster and then run away.
As long as she kept the distance skillfully, even if there was a huge difference in attributes, he was confident that he could kill the monster bit by bit.
However, Bai Yan accidentally missed one of his attacks, causing Nightsaber to be heavily hit by the monster’s black tentacles.
The phone buzzed.
Nightsaber on the screen cracked, and her body shattered into red mosaics.
“Don’t forget me…” A young girl’s cry came from the phone.
There were the last words of core operators when they were defeated.
Babel Tower was very difficult, and Bai Yan was already prepared mentally. He shook his head and took a sip of water to calm himself down.
He didn’t like drinks.
“Save” or “New game”
Bai Yan immediately clicked on “New game.”
If he chooses “Save,” Nightsaber’s status would turn into death. He would have to invest lots of resources to revive her.
That would be a loss.
The proper choice was to start a new game, but it was impossible to start again indefinitely because the time limit for each mission was one hour.
If the completion time was over, the mission status would automatically be preserved.
Bai Yan controlled Nightsaber to fight again and again.
The pixel figure flew up and down on the screen. She dodged and attacked repeatedly until she was hit and came back.
Again and again
Bai Yan was fully focused. He was becoming more and more familiar with the monster’s attack patterns. Relying on his fast reaction and proficiency, Nighsaber had finally succeed in the sixth attempt.
The tiny pixel figure moved around and slashed at the monster, killing the monster at the last moment.
He had successfully fought a perfect battle.
Nightsaber was unharmed. This time, she was not even hit once.
The monster howled in pain as it fell, its massive body gradually turned into ashes.
The rain fell on the sword, and lightning streaked across the sky, turning the darkness into day.
On the screen, Nightsaber slowly put away her swords and said, “Mission accomplished.”
“In the final settlement, you look very beautiful, but you’ve actually died five times.”
Bai Yan heaved a sigh of relief and saw the following game notification.
“First victory, Babel Tower Legendary Point +50.”
“You have successfully collected the remains of the new monster, Gravity of Darkness. You can invest resources to develop new mutation techniques.”
“Newbie Reward: Mystical Power—Deep Blue World.”
The battle had dragged on for too long. Bai Yan was a little exhausted.
The newbie reward was usually not bad. He was lucky to obtain Deep Blue World. In his impression, it was a Mystical Power that was strong in the game.
“Seems like I’m kind of lucky.”
Bai Yan glanced at Nightsaber, who was standing at her original spot with full HP and stretched out his arms again.
He took out the Mystical Power obtained from the mission and directly used it on Nightsaber in the operators list.
It was a useful item that could significantly increase Nightsaber’s early-stage strength.
Since he knew that Nightsaber’s initial stats were too weak, Bai Yan decided to invest the Deep Blue World for her , thanks to her high potential.
And most importantly, players had to save the game manually.
The game world in Babel Tower was dynamic. If the player didn’t save, the story would go ahead automatically. It wouldn’t wait for the player to complete it.
If Bai Yan didn’t save the game here and left it alone, Nightsaber would fight Gravity of Darkness a few hours later.
Based on Bai Yan’s experience, such a situation would likely end with Nightsaber’s death.
“Save.”
[You have been chosen by fate, Nightsaber.] A young man’s voice sounded in her mind.
Who was it?
Mu Ling’s eyes were filled with confusion and fear. She took steps forward and walked out of the alley like a marionette.
Where am I going?
The young girl slowly walked to the street. A huge fear surged from the depths of her heart. She could not control her body or even speak. She followed the male voice in her mind. She came to this path like a puppet.
The young male voice in her mind spoke again.
[Stand by, Nightsaber.]
"Yes, my master."
Mu Ling answered. A white mask suddenly appeared on her face.
She couldn’t control her facial muscles at all. The sound she made was extremely hollow as if she had no soul.
The girl involuntarily crouched down and slowly got down on one knee. She lowered her head and waited in the middle of the street with huge shame.
Mu Ling’s heart was filled with fear and shame. She was a famous crime hunter in Tatsumi City and the only successor of a legendary family. She was noble, elegant, and powerful.
But now, she was like an animal on display, an obedient slave. She felt that all of this was too ridiculous and even thought that she had been trapped in an illusion.
Who was it?
The one can control her without anyone noticing. Could it be someone from the Eye of Empire, the Heart of Death, or the String of Time? Could it be some of the powerful figures, Scarlet Moon Queen or the Pastor?
There was too little information to guess.
Mu Ling could vaguely sense that the person controlling her might be a greater and more mysterious existence.
What’s more, what was she waiting for?
The ground trembled.
The cracks on the ground of the street continued to extend, and tentacles wrapped around each other crawled out from the ground. Ferocious black pupils slowly opened up on every tentacle.
Mu Ling’s expression was extremely grave as her breathing quickened.
“The Spawn?”
She definitely couldn’t defeat it!
Mu Ling estimated the difference in strength soon.
Her strength was far lower than the monster, as long as she was hit by it, she could die. So she only had a slight chance of winning with her agility. She had to escape!
Or it would be too late!
However, she stood up obediently and slowly pulled out the black sword on her back.
Her lips under the mask moved again. “Face your sins!”
Mu Ling was close to despair. She wanted to shout, but she couldn’t control her mouth. Shit! She really wanted to stuff her mouth!
“Awwww!”
The evil Gravity of Darkness produced a roar that almost split the sky. Invisible sound waves swept across the entire street on the rainy night, shattering the nearby glass. The tentacles shot through the rain like black fists.
She knew very well that she would be severely injured if she was hit once.
She had to dodge!
Mu Ling tried her best to move! And she made it!
However, she soon realized she couldn't control her body.
The girl in black flew up and down like a butterfly, easily dodging the attack of the tentacles.
She stepped on the tentacles and slashed at the huge monster. Even though each tentacle had a terrifying offensive power and could easily crush vehicles and destroy the streets, it was unable to touch Mu Ling.
Mu Ling was astonished that her body had become stronger than before.
Who was the one manipulating her?
Once, twice, ten times. Dozens of slashes pierced through the monster.
The monster suffered increasingly heavy injuries. It tried its best to roar, but it was unable to counterattack effectively.
The huge tentacle collapsed with a loud crash, splashing water everywhere. The flood-like dark red blood surged to the ground and contaminated the rainwater. It began to bubble and boil.
Pieces of flesh and limbs were still rolling and squirming on the ground. After a long time, it completely lost its vitality.
The black broadsword slowly retracted. The slender girl clutched her chest as her body swayed, barely managing to stand.
“Mission accomplished.” Once again, she heard her own voice, indifferent and calm.
A strange black mist rose from the ground and slowly engulfed the monster’s body that was still alive before disappearing.
Mu Ling was extremely shocked and had yet to recover.
She had defeated a strong enemy she had never faced before!
Mu Ling didn’t think that she could survive. Even now, she still thought it unbelievable.
Tonight, she seemed to have the help of a god in battle.
But was this god evil or good?
Anyway, the mission was completed.
Could I go?
Mu Ling’s heart was filled with fear. It was still acceptable if she was only manipulated for a moment.
What if she becomes a puppet and slave for the rest of her life?
Even suicide was not possible.
The emotionless voice sounded in her mind again, making her tremble.
[I’m the Savior.]
[We do everything to save the past and future for this world that is about to collapse.]
Nightsaber.
[From today onwards, you’re an operator of Babel Tower.]
