Chapter 2

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Chapter 2: Battle

It had been raining all day. In the library, Bai Yan sat by the window, still focused on his phone.

“Next will be Nightsaber’s first battle.”

Every operator had to complete a guide mission before officially joining Babel Tower.

In Babel Tower, the main mission was to save the world. Beyond that, there were daily missions, weekly missions, and side missions. Most enemies in the missions were Spawn, Cult, Stranger, Aliens, and foreign civilizations with supernatural powers. There were all sorts of challenging and interesting ways to defeat them, giving players a sense of novelty.

Bai Yan selected Nightsaber and started the guide mission.

The screen displayed on the phone resembled games like Soul Knight and Dead Cells.

The pixel-styled female crime hunter faced off against a huge tentacled monster on a dark street.

“Face your sins!” Nightsaber shouted her signature battle cry as she slowly drew her broadsword.

In the game, Nightsaber was a pure melee operator wielding two broadswords. Every attack she made would augment the mysterious power from her bloodline—the crime hunting Blood-Dark.

The monster roared and unleashed a mass of tentacles!

Its strength far exceeded Nightsaber’s. Bai Yan could only control her to fight while retreating, not daring to be greedy.

Nightsaber was newly summoned, and he hadn’t invested any resources in her training yet. Although her aptitude was top-tier, she wasn’t particularly strong at the moment.

“The starting operator’s stats are really poor. It’s tough to play from the beginning.”

Bai Yan’s playstyle was sublime. Through frequent movements and jumps, Nightsaber dodged the tentacles’ repeated mid-range attacks.

Each time Nightsaber avoided an attack, Bai Yan would immediately control her to slash at the monster before retreating.

As long as she maintained the distance skillfully, even with the huge difference in attributes, he was confident he could wear the monster down bit by bit.

However, Bai Yan missed one of his attacks, causing Nightsaber to be struck heavily by the monster’s black tentacles.

The phone buzzed.

Nightsaber’s figure on screen cracked, her body shattering into red pixels.

“Don’t forget me…” A young girl’s cry emerged from the phone.

These were the last words core operators spoke when defeated.

Babel Tower was highly challenging, and Bai Yan was mentally prepared. He shook his head and took a sip of water to calm himself.

He didn’t care for other beverages.

“Save” or “New game”

Bai Yan immediately selected “New game.”

If he chose “Save,” Nightsaber’s status would become death, requiring significant resources to revive her.

That would be wasteful.

Starting a new game was the proper choice, but endless retries weren’t possible because each mission had a one-hour time limit.

If the time limit expired, the mission status would automatically be preserved.

Bai Yan controlled Nightsaber to fight again and again.

The pixel figure darted up and down on screen. She dodged and attacked repeatedly until being hit, then returned to try again.

Again and again.

Bai Yan maintained complete focus. He grew increasingly familiar with the monster’s attack patterns. Relying on his quick reactions and growing proficiency, Nightsaber finally succeeded on the sixth attempt.

The tiny pixel figure weaved around and slashed at the monster, delivering the killing blow at the last moment.

He had fought a perfect battle.

This time, Nightsaber emerged unscathed, not taking a single hit.

The monster howled in pain as it fell, its massive body gradually turning to ash.

Rain fell on the sword as lightning streaked across the sky, momentarily turning darkness to day.

On screen, Nightsaber slowly sheathed her swords and said, “Mission accomplished.”

“The final scene makes you look impressive, but you actually died five times.”

Bai Yan heaved a sigh of relief as he read the game notifications.

“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 prolonged battle had left Bai Yan somewhat exhausted.

The newbie reward was usually decent. He felt lucky to obtain Deep Blue World, which he recalled was a powerful Mystical Power in the game.

“Seems I got pretty lucky.”

Bai Yan glanced at Nightsaber, who stood at her original position with full HP, and stretched his arms.

He took out the Mystical Power obtained from the mission and applied it directly to Nightsaber in the operators list.

It was a valuable item that could significantly boost Nightsaber’s early-stage strength.

Since he knew Nightsaber’s initial stats were too weak, Bai Yan decided to invest the Deep Blue World in her, given her high potential.

Most importantly, players had to save manually.

The game world in Babel Tower was dynamic. If players didn’t save, the story would progress automatically, not waiting for player completion.

If Bai Yan didn’t save here and left it alone, Nightsaber would face Gravity of Darkness a few hours later.

Based on his experience, such a situation would likely end in Nightsaber’s death.

“Save.”

[You have been chosen by fate, Nightsaber.] A young man’s voice resonated in her mind.

Who was it?

Mu Ling’s eyes filled with confusion and fear. She stepped forward, walking out of the alley like a marionette.

Where am I going?

The young girl slowly walked to the street. A profound fear surged from the depths of her heart. She couldn’t control her body or even speak. Following the male voice in her mind, she moved along this path like a puppet.

The young male voice spoke again in her mind.

[Stand by, Nightsaber.]

“Yes, my master.”

Mu Ling answered. A white mask suddenly materialized on her face.

She couldn’t control her facial muscles at all. Her voice emerged hollow, as if devoid of soul.

The girl involuntarily crouched down and slowly knelt on one knee. She lowered her head and waited in the middle of the street, overwhelmed with shame.

Mu Ling’s heart brimmed with fear and humiliation. She was a renowned crime hunter in Tatsumi City and the sole successor of a legendary family. She was noble, elegant, and powerful.

But now, she was like an animal on display, an obedient slave. She found it all too absurd and wondered if she was trapped in an illusion.

Who could it be?

Someone who could control her without detection. Could it be from the Eye of Empire, the Heart of Death, or the String of Time? Perhaps one of the powerful figures, like the Scarlet Moon Queen or the Pastor?

There was too little information to guess.

Mu Ling sensed vaguely that whoever controlled her might be an even greater and more mysterious existence.

Moreover, what was she waiting for?

The ground trembled.

Cracks spread across the street’s surface as tentacles wrapped around each other emerged from below. Ferocious black pupils slowly opened on every tentacle.

Mu Ling’s expression grew grave as her breathing quickened.

“The Spawn?”

She definitely couldn’t defeat it!

Mu Ling quickly assessed the difference in strength.

The monster far outmatched her—a single hit could prove fatal. She only had a slight chance of victory through agility. She had to escape!

Before it was too late!

However, she stood up obediently and slowly drew the black sword from her back.

Her lips moved beneath the mask again. “Face your sins!”

Mu Ling neared despair. She wanted to scream but couldn’t control her mouth. Damn it! She desperately wanted to stuff something in it!

“Awwww!”

The evil Gravity of Darkness released a sky-splitting roar. Invisible sound waves swept across the rainy street, shattering nearby glass. The tentacles shot through the rain like black fists.

She knew well that a single hit would severely injure her.

She had to dodge!

Mu Ling tried desperately to move! And succeeded!

However, she soon realized she wasn’t controlling her body.

The girl in black flew up and down like a butterfly, easily evading the tentacles’ attacks.

She stepped on the tentacles and slashed at the huge monster. Though each tentacle possessed terrifying offensive power that could easily crush vehicles and destroy streets, none could touch Mu Ling.

Mu Ling was astonished to find her body stronger than before.

Who was manipulating her?

Once, twice, ten times. Dozens of slashes pierced the monster.

The monster suffered increasingly severe injuries. It roared desperately but couldn’t counterattack effectively.

The massive tentacles collapsed with a thunderous crash, splashing water everywhere. Dark red blood surged across the ground like a flood, contaminating the rainwater. It began to bubble and boil.

Pieces of flesh and limbs continued rolling and squirming on the ground. After a long while, they finally lost all vitality.

The black broadsword slowly retracted. The slender girl clutched her chest as her body swayed, barely maintaining balance.

“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 still-living body before vanishing.

Mu Ling remained extremely shocked, unable to process what had happened.

She had defeated a powerful enemy she’d never faced before!

Mu Ling hadn’t expected to survive. Even now, it seemed unbelievable.

Tonight, she seemed to have received divine assistance in battle.

But was this deity evil or good?

Regardless, the mission was complete.

Could she leave now?

Mu Ling’s heart filled with fear. Being manipulated momentarily was somewhat acceptable.

But what if she became a puppet and slave for life?

Even suicide wouldn’t be possible.

The emotionless voice resonated in her mind again, making her tremble.

[I am the Savior.]

[We do everything to save the past and future of this world that’s about to collapse.]

Nightsaber.

[From today onward, you’re an operator of Babel Tower.]