The System I Created

Chapter 11

Sebastian sensed what Dane was going to do, and Hamilton sensed it too, yet Hamilton could not stop his move as his momentum was already in motion, as his kick was a few centimeters from Dane in the face. The saboteur simultaneously raised the gravity of the octagon to 100. Dane took advantage of the moment the attack touched his skin to released enough mana and distribute it on his right foot as he plans to stomp at the for to gain leverage to move his upper body to twist his body and escape Hamilton's kick to hit his face.

The calculation was so fast Hamilton failed to counter even if he and Sebastian both sensed it, but before they could react, Dane's focused mana detonated from his step, destroying the octagon and blowing everyone away like rag dolls. The explosion caused mayhem and devastation as it sent shockwaves around the arena. In the midst of the confusion, Sebastian and Hamilton were left reeling and attempting to get their senses.

The window at the main entryway exploded violently, uprooting even the exercise equipment from the floor. Debris flew everywhere, and people rushed to safety as if a ballistic missile had just struck the building. The gym, which had been a place of order, was now in ruins. The gym, which had previously been a place of order, was now in ruins, with broken glass and twisted metal all over the floor.

Dane and Hamilton were at the center of the mana blast; all CCTV cameras were obliterated and became trash in a split second. The person who sabotage the octagon was fast on his feet; Sebastian's reaction was not quick enough., as he knew he was too emerged in the spar that he let his guard down.

The person who ruined the spar used the mana blast to escape quickly and without a trace. The reaction was perfect to the last nanoseconds. Those who witnessed it were all stunned, witnessing that another monster came from the Lazarus Clan. A few that were watching and were inside the training gym were all players who are associated with various guilds, teams, and organizations. A few were gifted with abilities for assessments, and these people were still trembling as they were more sensitive than most players.

One of them was the vice captain of the White Devil guild, Natasha Sokolov, a 20-year-old female Russian decent stand five feet seven, slender built, and level 21. Her abilities are spellcaster, main weapon, crossbow, element ice, and water. Younger sister of the guild leader, Dimitri Sokolov. She could not understand how a person who didn't even manifest any mana could instantly bust. such strong energy from nothing.

As they all know, those who gain their game avatars abilities based on the game instantly manifest their mana. A handful were able to hide their mana with the help of artifacts but considering these items were expensive and hard to obtain, most players simply allowed their mana to flow freely. Many tried to suppress their mana, but they could lower it to a certain degree , and not to level, there was zero manifestation. Level 50 players were seen and felt their mana in manner as if hot steam were coming out of their skin; the bigger and thinner the unseen mana, the more intense the sensation.

Nearly 40 present of players could feel there but only five percent could acutely seen it and one of these five percent was Natasha Sokolov, as his teammate help her stand up she was still staring at the area were the smash octagon was , mesmerized by the swirling colors of mana that only she could see. Her teammates exchanged confused glances, unsure of what she was seeing that they couldn't. Natasha's unique ability to perceive mana was now full open she could not believe the New player under the Lazarus flag was this abnormally powerful, the mana that remained from his body was still so thick and massive it was reaching the ceiling of the training facility that was ten meters tall.

And what made Natasha more shock was seeing the person instantly stops the flow of his mana like closing a faucet of running water, as she uttered the word " that's impossible!" her teammate heard her but could not understand what she meant .

" vice captain what do you mean?"

" ah ! It nothing , I will explain everything maybe later, but as for now make sure to pay close attention toward the man,"

" who? The new Lazarus member?"

"yes him, as you already know, we never interact with those Lazarus members unless it is absolutely necessary."

" Our dealings with the Lazarus clan in the past didn't end up well, so let's proceed with caution." "Understood, I'll keep a close eye on him and report back if anything seems off."

"We might have players who are stronger than them, but their way of facing adversaries is not normal, to say the least."

" We might have to adjust our strategy accordingly."

"They are the type that never stops until they get what they want, no matter the cost."

"those that cross line before , were ravage and never seen or heard from again."

"Ever since the Tower of Chaos, many players personally saw the consequences of never expecting that these monsters were capable of such destruction."

The players guild that gained reputation were instantly swept away when the Lazarus clan finally stepped foot into the tower of chaos limelight after a month."

"Those guilds that were on top were systematically purge by the Lazarus, as all of their clan members are players."

"Yeah, even the elder members.."

"One of them keeps blabbering the same nonsense before; he kept saying this phrase about 'The towers legacy is connected to their clan."

Dane was helping Hamilton to stand while Sebastian was probing the area, scanning for any left-over traces of the person that increased the octagon gravity to its maximum output. Dane was also doing his part as he searched for any clues that might indicate the identity of the mysterious person. When he saw the Russian woman looking at him intently, and a few others who were blown further away from the center of the his mana burst. A few new players who lacks information about the Lazarus were recovering from the shock of the event wanted to protest from what just happened when they were suddenly interrupted by a loud noise behind them.

It was multitudes of people wearing the Lazarus emblem on their clothing . Charlotte Lazarus entered with the other younger members of the Lazarus members that Dane hasn't formally met.

These were the people who he had been hearing so much about lately. They are younger, mostly under the age of 19, down to the very youngest age of 16. These younger Lazarus are known to be more straight-forward and less traditional than their older counterparts, but they are more bound to their clan's main tradition of protecting the clan members and its honor as a clan of hunters. the older Lazarus are the one that manages these youngling to follow the code that has been passed down for generations.

Each Lazarus are instinctively drawn toward each other hearing that they have a new kin in the ranks they all wanted to meet him when the explosion happened. Dane was surprise to see the vast number of different Lazarus players.

Even the other players who saw them came kept their mouths close and remained silent.

"Hold on to those all Lazarus clan members.?"

"Not all of them, to be exact; those people are just the faction under Charlotte Lazarus."

"We haven't seen those who are under the other three Lazarus guilds yet."

"Jesus Christ, they have an entire army with them."

"Charlotte Lazarus is the captain of the East Lazarus guild; under her are

Oliver Lazarus Hunter poison user Level 21 twenty followers

Farrah Lazarus Plants manipulator Level 20 twenty followers

Rainey Lazarus Insect summoner Level 20 twenty followers

Sabine Lazarus, Shapeshifter, Level 17 twenty followers

Noah Lazarus Metal body super strength Level 20 twenty followers

"You haven't even seen the three other Lazarus Guilds yet."

The members of the East Lazarus guild were standing behind the five younger Lazarus under the command of Charlotte, who was the only person who was allowed to interact with the other tree's older cousins. The five were waiting and observing their guild leader as she investigated what just happened. Her concerns were focused on Dane being the newest member. She knew that the other players would surely target the newest clan member.

as they will all assume he might still be ignorant, unaware of their clan's current status and potential weaknesses. She needed to ensure Dane was prepared and informed, ready to defend himself against any potential threats or betrayals from other players, but seeing the three were fine, she walked toward Dane, and as she addressed him first, Dane saw Charlotte was walking towards him, and she was already emanating her aura, not showing any opening of weakness toward the other players in a ruined training facility.

He understood this action too well, as he too did this act when he was still Damon with his older cousin, showing dominance toward those around them, intimidating all possible enemies; a power and authority play among the social playing fields was quite common. .

After a the four briefly talk to each other from a distance , as the the five younger members were waiting patiently until they were called by their guild leader; they could only look intensively toward the new member as they talked among each other ,

"I told you you should have received the uncle Emmitt's invitation.!"

"Uncle Emmitt always does this party summons for weird reasons."

"Most of his parties are always related to our exiled Uncle. I really don't get them sometimes."

"Yeah! It's really not that hard to reach out to our Uncle Damon, who I keep hearing from their stories when they were still young."

"But never did act on it,"

"I heard he became a recluse after his parents died."

"I heard he was a certified genius."

"who?"

"Uncle Damon, and even heard he was directly connected to Arcane Crusade."

"huh? Really! Arcane Crusade!"

"I guess maybe that's the reason why nearly all the Lazarus clan are forced to play that game; I guess it was an act to somehow honor him."

"It's a very complicated story, a very redundant and tear-jerking tale of family loyalty and sacrifice." "It's amazing how one person's legacy can have such a lasting impact on future generations."

"Maybe, and that person over there. is his only son, and they have confirmed it via DNA test."

"Ge'ez! The guild leader is sure taking her time."

"Introduce us already!"

Charlotte Lazarus their conversation and turn around and address the five: "Five sub captains, the man beside me is your older course name Dane Rinne Lazarus; introduce yourselves!"

While that was happening, the White Devil guild already went out of the ruin training facility. As the play association gathered details on what just happened, Natasha could still recall the power she witnessed, and she had to report the events to their guild leader, who was his older brother, Alexsei Sokolov Lvl 30.

The one thing that set her abilities apart was that she could see the players level within the moment they used their power; seeing that much mana like a car engine was unheard and unseen in the game before. From zero to a 100 and vice versa was beyond at wo-digit level..

As she made her way back to their guild by helicopter, Natasha couldn't shake the feeling that something big was about to happen in the world. And they need to be ready, especially for the Lazarus clan they are talking about. Those who were at the event were still confused; the three who were with Natasha were sure it was because the octagon ring malfunctioned, and it was the real reason why it exploded. Natasha wanted to explain, but she is required to tell her older brother first.

While they were about to take off from the open parking place beside the player association branch facility, Alexsei Sokolov called his sister as he was able to receive information concerning the training facility explosion. Natasha answered the call while they were in midair via the helicopter communication link. The other three were allowed to hear the siblings conversation; they were shocked to hear that a person could create that much mana without noticing any recoil or negative effects afterwards. Natasha quickly briefed her brother on the situation, promising to explain everything in detail once they landed safely. The rest of the team listened intently, realizing the gravity of the situation and preparing themselves for what was to come.

"From nothing that person can openly use his mana like it was an engine, propelling his energy without any limitations nor backlash," Natasha explained, her voice filled with a mixture of awe and concern. The team exchanged worried glances, knowing they saw that person was a Lazarus. "

"They were hiding that kind of person from the tower for a year?"

"Natasha, listen carefully., I know this is might be impossible, but we need to be sure,"

"Can you find a way to gather information on that new Lazarus member? he might not be fully involved with that clan yet."

"By the way, what is his mana level?"

"Brother, that is why I am bothered; what I saw was a three-digit mana wave length."

"It's short but really powerful; you know that the association octagon can survive a level 50 spar"

"But his level was blank!"

"Huh! A blank level! That's impossible.!"

"If he is a player, he should have a level; all that played the game had levels; after the tower came to life here on earth we gained those game levels as well."

"Maybe he's hiding his level for some reason, we should keep an eye on him just in case."

"That's impossible, sister; we tried everything to hide our level, but gaining artifacts from the tower is hard but not impossible."

"certain scenarios should be finished to even gain information on those artifacts."

"And after gaining the details, you need to befriend those specific tower residents just to get the request, which is the hardest part, as they see us players as a hindrance to their daily lives."

"Those gods copied everything from the darn game.,"

"Even after a year, we are still stuck on the first floor.."

"The information about the second floor entrance could only be obtained after defeating the sleepless army."

"understood guild leader."

"Sister, I also need information of those who witness this new Lazarus player power; they will surely know and sense his ability. Lets continue this conversation here in the guild building ."

The sleepless army is located at the far south-west decimated land of Karion, as the players called the graveyard empire, or the dreaded empire of the sleepless army, as an entire country cursed by the old gods as they dared summon an angel and imprison it to be used as a source of their military power.

The information about entrance toward the second floor is heavily guarded, and the only clue was at a certain guild bar that was regarded as a haven for murderers and criminals, requiring someone with the ability to conceal their mana in order to pass undetected the sleepless army and can use mana to awaken the imprisoned angel.

The entire country with nearly 4 million residents became soulless creatures of darkness as the land was cursed to be under the cloak of darkness until they gained atonement from the angel they imprisoned many years ago. Many guilds step huge amounts of manpower to even past the second city. At each of the six cities, hold the keys to unbind the chain that binds the angel, allowing it to bring light back to the land. The journey to each city is treacherous, with powerful monsters and traps blocking the way, making it a test of both strength and wit for those seeking to undo the curse. Just to gain information on the entrance toward the second floor.

Even when the tower was still a game in Arcane Crusade, many tried to conquer the quest, but nobody could even pass the third city and obtain the third key, and because there are countless scenarios, many players just ignored this quest because even after many years, most players were content at the first floor. Because the first floor was so huge, equivalent to four continents put together, the task request was never short of challenges and obstacles.

However, for those determined enough to reach the second floor, the rewards were said to be unimaginable, making it a goal worth pursuing for any adventurer brave enough to try. Many strong guilds still wanted to conquer the sleepless army task, and one of them was the White Devil guild.

Especially now as they are the only group that successfully gain the second key but with a huge amount of sacrifice in the game, but this time as the owner became real, sending his force toward the third city will be suicide, dying the game had on a penalty of not playing for 48 hours, but now the tower is real, failure means death.

Alexsei Sokolov guild leader knows these consequences very well, but he is still very determined to lead his guild to victory, even if it means risking their lives in the process. The stakes are higher than ever before, but Alexsei believes in his team's abilities to overcome any obstacle in their way.

Back at the player association facility after two hours, the training room was now closed while investigation continued, and the players who were in the area were now gone. The Lazarus clan had already taken care of the damages as they headed toward their own guild headquarters.

Hamilton and Sebastian agreed to oversee the incident discretely. Dane headed toward his own destination, as the Lazarus clan could never hinder or be a burden towards another's progress. and wish.

Dane wanted to be free to do what he wanted to do without anybody bothering him, as he sent off alone toward the tower on his own phase and time. Many of his relatives hated the idea, but this request is something that every Lazarus had to respect and obey. Absolute freedom was the hardest task any family member could ever do. Accidental encounters are normal, but imposing their own reason and awkwardly joining or manipulating another clan member's family is prohibited. Their choice should always be respected.

The elder created this rule based on what happened toward their own. When Damon decided to pursue his dream, many saw this act negatively, so when Emmitt and the rest became older and headed the Lazarus clan, they changed the rules so that the possibility that another clan member might distance themselves or wanted to be left alone would not create any negative impact on the clan dynamics. The elder's intention was to foster a sense of unity and respect among clan members, ensuring that everyone's choices and personal boundaries are honored within the clan..

"Better get some plane tickets bound toward the tower."

"Forgot this very crucial part; I don't have enough cash on me."

"Hay buddy, are you a player?"

"Need some extra cash?"

"Why not join a mercenary group and earn some cash?"

"Doing what?"

"Bunty hunting; we are connected with the player association; there are many players turned to criminals; capturing one gets you paid big time."

"Here, take this wanted poster; there are requirements needed; it's simple; capture the wanted player; report it once they confirm the identity; you will get paid; and don't worry, all transactions are hidden."

"You look like you are having second thoughts. Here, see, I am a member of the player association. My name is Mr. Boone."

"Your identification looks legit!"

"Of course it's legit; do I look suspicious to you?"

"Actually, you look like a scammer."

"Ouch! Don't you have any respect toward you elders?"

"I might look like an average old guy, but I'm one of the top officers in the association, young man."

"No disrespect, Mr. Boone, you came out on no where and started handing out these flayers in the most unpopulated place in the city, where I am currently at.."

"Your action, by any means, looked very suspicious and questionable. I apologize if I offended you, but I am just trying to be cautious."

"I understand your concern, but I assure you that the flyers are for a legitimate task hosted by the association."

"Always its your call; what's your name, by the way?"

"Ge'ez kids these days are too quick to judge."

"My name is Dane; nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too; I'm glad we could clear up any misunderstandings."

"Anyway got to go and move on; these flyers won't distribute by themselves; see you when I see you, Dane."

"Okay! Thanks, hmm.. What a weird guy."

"Better get a place to stay until I get everything in order."

Dane headed toward the only place he recalled to have decent and cheap rooms for rent. Lucky uncle Emmit gave him a cellphone with internet access. Seeing the plane ticket bound to the tawor was worth a month of his developer salary, he needs to plan ahead, and he is now considering the bounty hunt. As he saw the poster had some low-ranking criminals, mostly toward non-player crime. Level increases are really hard to obtain, and you can only do it while inside the tower of chaos.

So many players decided to just feed their desires to do criminal acts because they were still stronger than any average person. Many police officers that became players untimely left their jobs to pursue a more lucrative career in the tower. So many had to rely on bounty hunters to control the increasing crime rate within the city. As a result, the balance between criminals and law enforcement outside the tower became even more precarious, leading to constant clashes and power struggles.

However, this is where Dane Power is useful because he could find every gamer by using his developer privileges, also known as permissions, which are a collection of rights that provide him access to safe resources and features. Depending on the degree of access needed and from what he understands, the back door of the tower of chaos is still very much accessible to him.

Locating players was part of the system law he coded before; this was to locate those who were illegally doing criminals acts in the virtual world before,

" hmm.. Lets try if my own system can still connect to the main tower command system without getting notice by those gods"

"Better create a multi layers of encryption to ensure my access remains undetected and secure."

As Dane reached his temporary rental room, he could only pay upfront for a 3-day stay in a cheap, worn-down hotel room. The old Italian man gave Dane the room key and pointed toward the staircase as the elevator was broken , the only sentence the old Italian man spoke was

"No music, no party, no visitors inside the room, Capeesh?"

Dane nodded and took the old key and went up and proceeded toward his room. It was smelly, damp, and dimly lit, but Dane was grateful for a place to rest his head after a long day of travel. He hoped that the bed was at least somewhat comfortable. Sadly, it wasn't. So without any choice, he just laid down on the lumpy mattress and closed his eyes, hoping to get some much-needed sleep before starting his day. The sound of dripping water from a leaky faucet echoed through the room, creating a rhythmic lullaby that eventually helped Dane drift off into a restless slumber.

Meanwhile

"Greeting Mr. Boone, how was your head hunting?

"Ah! Mr. Charles, it was somewhat of a success. Luckily, that man was different from the rest of his clan, he is more reasonable and accommodating than the rest of his relatives ."

"But he still cautious and always on guards, but I believe there is potential for a mutually beneficial partnership in the future."

"Being the player association president has its perks, but being lucky is also a huge factor."

"Imagine the chances of secretly being here when. that young man released enough mana that only a rank 50 could do."

"The chance was so slim, but I had to do something; sadly we can't just recruit him on the spot; he's still a Lazarus; they are known to act impulsive and unpredictably very territorial."

"Waging war with that clan is very costly and time-consuming, so we need to approach this situation with caution and strategic planning."

"It's crucial that we establish a solid foundation of trust and respect before moving forward with any potential alliance."

"But with a proper push toward the right direction, it may create an opening and opportunity for us."

"The last thing we want is to provoke a conflict that could have been avoided with careful diplomacy."

"Let's take the time to gather more information and assess our options before making any hasty decisions later on."

"noted Sir."