READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 5: Forming Party and The Black Token
Nathan stared at the blonde-haired man in shock, his heart pounding in disbelief.
'What is he doing here?' he questioned himself, his mind racing. This man was supposed to be dead.
Nathan felt his grip on rationality slipping, the edges of his thoughts unraveling as a chilling question clawed its way into his mind. Was he himself alive, or did he die as well?
The blonde-haired man, hearing Nathan's outburst, turned toward him. His expression was one of genuine confusion as he tilted his head slightly and asked,
"I'm sorry, do I know you?"
"It's me, Nathan, Nathaniel Owen, the brother of Emily Owen who was your fiancée," Nathan said, his voice tightened with a mixture of emotions as the memories surged. He stopped for a moment, recalling how they had been madly in love a year ago, planning a future together, until everything fell apart.
"How are you alive?" Nathan demanded, barely able to contain his anger.
The blonde-haired man's face expressed a hint of shock as recognition flickered in his eyes, realizing who Nathan was. He wasn't just emily's brother, but a reminder of his past.
Her family had been middle class, but that had never mattered to him. He had loved Emily deeply. Yet, when he discovered the overwhelming debt her family carried, caused by her irresponsible brother, he had made a choice.
A cowardly choice. He had faked his death to escape the burden and leave her behind.
"Bastard, answer me!" Nathan yelled, his voice shaking with fury.
He could still picture it clearly, the day Emily had broken down, her tears flowing endlessly as she heard the news of her fiancé dying in a tragic accident. He remembered how she had mourned, her vibrant spirit crushed, sinking into despair as she carried the weight of that loss.
And now, here that same man stood, alive and well, as if none of it had ever happened.
"Ah... Nathan. You've changed so much, I barely recognized you," the blonde-haired man said, his expression carrying a flicker of recognition and an unsettling calmness, as if standing before him carried no weight or consequence at all.
That was it. The final straw. Nathan snapped.
Without a second thought, he shoved the man backward, sending him sprawling onto the ground.
"Don't change the subject, Dante!" Nathan's voice was raw with anger and pain. "I want to know why you did it! Why you betrayed us! How could you do that to my sister? After everything..."
His voice faltered, trailing off as a flood of painful memories surged through his mind, each one cutting deeper than the last.
This man was the reason he had fought with his sister, who, in a fit of rage and despair, had accused him of Dante's death. Though she knew deep down that he wasn't involved, her grief and anger had needed an outlet. She had chosen him, her brother, as the target for her pain.
Nathan could still hear her words, sharp and venomous, echoing in his mind. She had blamed him for their family's downfall, for the loss of their wealth, their respect in society, and the friends who had abandoned them. She hadn't regretted a single accusation. To her, Nathan had already taken so much, and in her eyes, he deserved her wrath.
Yet now, standing before him, calmly dusting his clothes as if nothing had happened, was the very man who had sparked it all.
Dante opened his mouth to speak, his tone as calm and detached as ever.
"What do you expect me to say, Nathan? 'I'm sorry for faking my death to escape the burden your family carried?'"
Nathan said nothing, his glare burning with unspoken fury. Dante, unbothered by the silence, continued, his voice laced with mockery.
"A burden that fell on them because of your mistakes? Why should I have been tied to their sinking ship when I did nothing wrong?"
Nathan bit his lip in frustration, his teeth sinking into the flesh as if to hold back the surge of emotions threatening to spill out.
A part of him understood his reasining. On a purely logical level, what Dante had done was the best choice for himself. But the way he had done it, to leave Emily to suffer, having Nathan to take the blame, was unforgivable.
He had been branded a murderer, whispered about in hushed tones, shunned without proof. No police investigation had followed due to the lack of evidence, but the damage to his reputation had been done.
Or maybe this bastard had a hand in that too,' Nathan thought bitterly, the idea taking root in his mind. To him, Dante had fallen so low that there was no limit to what he might have done. He took a deep breath to calm himself as he spoke with an edge,
"Because of you, Dante... My sister blamed me for your 'accidental death.' I had a fallout with her, and my father kicked me out."
His voice trembled with restrained anger, the weight of the years of resentment and frustration pressing down on him. Each word felt like a punch, a release of all the pent-up emotions he had carried in silence.
As Dante was about to speak, both of their attentions snapped to the sides.
Murmurs in the crowd grew into a deafening roar. All eyes turned toward the center of attention.
There, standing tall and imposing, was a man whose very presence seemed to command the air around him. His body was a masterpiece of muscle, a towering figure of raw power. In his grip was a massive greatsword that gleamed ominously in the dim light.
The grin on his face, sharp and self-assured, exuded an arrogance so intense it was almost perceptible.
The moment he spoke, his voice cut through the chaos like a sharp blade, drawing the attention of everyone within earshot.
"I am Taizen Walpurgis, the scion of the Walpurgis Family from the Skarundal Domain," he announced. His tone dripped with pride and authority. His words were not a mere introduction, but a declaration that shook the very ground beneath them.
"I do not need to waste my time, mingling with a swarm of insects to clear the quests. If any of you feel offended by my words, then step forward. Come at me, if you dare."
His gaze swept across the crowd, eyes burning with a challenge that pierced the hearts of those who dared to meet them. He gestured carelessly at the shattered, mangled corpses scattered around him, as if they were little more than discarded toys.
"Your end will be no different," he said, his smirk widening. His voice was laced with chilling certainty. "Just like them."
Nathan couldn't help but notice the unsettling contrast. Despite the blood and gore staining the ground, not a single drop had touched Taizen.
The man wore a crimson cuirass that radiated brightly amidst the chaos around him. His aura was so commanding that the others had been rendered blind to the carnage around them.
Only when Taizen pointed at them did the others took note of them. Their expressions turned from admiration to horror at the sight.
But Taizen wasn't the only one attracting attention, Nathan turned around and saw many arguments and fights going on at distant locations, Only this one had settled quickly due to Taizen's immense strength and he walked out unscathed, making a bold declaration as he marched off from the gathering.
The rest had also started leaving, trying to look for a partner to team as they conversed with themselves.
' If I could have him in Party', Nathan shook his head at the idea, he had just heard Taizer's bold announcement. But he also knew how crucial it was to form a party with the right individuals.
As of now, he could only form a party of two on the First Floor. But with each ascension, the party limit would grow, eventually allowing them to form a Guild.
Nathan knew that with his weak strength, completing the quest was a pipe dream. He needed someone strong in his party to have any chance of completing the five private quests.
"So, this is how it is," he heard Dante's voice from behind, his tone observant as he scanned the surroundings.
Nathan turned, about to shout at him, but Dante raised a hand, stopping him before he could speak.
"I know you don't like me, Nathan, and I don't like you either. But I think we both should form a party for mutual benefit."
Nathan poked his ears, as if trying to clean them, and asked, "I'm sorry, but can you say that again? I think I didn't hear it properly."
Dante's voice remained steady. "I said, let's form a party."
"No!"
Nathan's rejection was immediate. He turned to walk away, his pride refusing to let him team up with this man. He would rather go solo than join forces with Dante. But as he walked off, he heard Dante's voice once again, calm and unwavering.
"I'm the only one you know here. It's better to have a known enemy than a stranger, Nathan. I'll wait for your answer at the village in the north. Think about it wisely."
With that, Dante turned and walked away as well. His words lingered in the air, a challenge, a reminder of the reality Nathan faced.
After parting ways with Dante, Nathan observed the others silently blending into the background, as if he had turned invisible. In all those conversations, he noticed a pattern. Most people formed parties based on three things, their race, their affiliation, and the token they used to come here.
He already failed in the first two. He was from one of the weakest races, and he had no affiliation.
That left him with only one hope, the black token he had received from Hestia. Taking a deep breath, he summoned the
The token's color signified what they were given at the start of the journey, and it was very detrimental on what kind of a partner you wanted to form a party with.
His inventory currently had a space of 10m x 10m x 10m, the size would expand as he ranked up and unlocked the tower's other features along with the shop upgrade.
He scrolled through the index, quickly finding the page number for the topic 'Token Signification' Excitement bubbled within him as he thought about the things he had heard regarding other token colors.
Red- an armor type,
Green- x10 Healing Potions, x10 Antidote Potions, x1 Poison Serum
Blue- a weapon type,
Orange- x2 Other type,
Yellow- x1000 Gold, x5 Healing Potions
Pink- an accessory type,
These were just the basics. Nathan had seen golden, white, indigo, violet, and black spheres above some ascenders during the space lock. Those colors were incredibly rare.
"Hehe... it must mean something good," he grinned, flipping through the pages in a hurry.
When he finally stopped at the black token's description, his jaw dropped. His face lost all color as he read the notes repeatedly, his hands trembling slightly.
He read it once. Then twice. Then three more times to ensure his eyes were not betraying him.
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The Black Token (also known as a slave pact)
-> The individual with this is given the
-> They cannot gain anything from the Master/ The one who invited them to the tower, they only share the anima they absorb with the master.
->The Master can however end the life of the host whenever they want, they can also bless them with a blessing which can be revoked anytime.
-> If you are a black invitee, Select your name in the status screen to know who is your master
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Nathan stood motionless as the book slipped from his grasp and hit the ground. His gaze shifted to the status screen he had summoned, his heart was pounding with accumulating stress.
Holding his breath, Nathan pressed his trembling finger on his name. The screen expanded slightly, revealing the hidden detail he dreaded to see.
--------------------------
-{ STATUS }-
Name: Nathaniel Owen (Human)
Owner: Hestia Olphis
...
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A dry chuckle escaped his lips as he stared up at the dark sky. He did not know what to feel. It seems he was played yet again.
It felt like he was destined for this.
As his emotions reached a boiling point, he cursed out loud,
"I got fucking scammed again!"
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A/N:
Do not worry, I know what you fear. That I will make the MC look weak and pathetic throughout the story, but No, I don't plan on making a sadistic novel.
This story is more focused on character development of MC and the enormous World Building, So I humbly ask for your Patience.
Sayonara!!!!
----------[ Extra Notes ]-------------
Rule 6: You can form a party to complete quests. For Floor Quests, the reward is the same for all members and is distributed equally. However, for Private and Special Quests, the reward is collective and must be shared among the party members.