After completing the exchange with Cassandra, we both said goodbye and went our separate ways.
"Transport me to the Tower of Trials," I told the fairy accompanying me.
In an instant, a flash of light enveloped me. When the light dissipated, I found myself at the entrance to the Tower of Trials.
I had to look slightly up to catch even a fragment of its enormous structure.
The Tower soared into the sky, and probably beyond it. There weren't many people at the Tower's entrance.
Upon entering Floor 1, I found that the waiting room was identical to that of the Safe Zone, a simple white room.
There were twelve other people in it, all with diverse expressions of expectation and anxiety.
Each one gave me a brief glance before returning to their own affairs, lost in thoughts about the mission that awaited them.
After a few minutes of waiting, a loud and clear voice interrupted the silence in the room.
"Hello everyone!" a young man greeted energetically. He drew the attention of everyone present, who turned their gaze towards him. "My name is Radiant, I'm a Rank D Reincarnated." Everyone looked at him more attentively, especially when he showed the tattoo on his forearm that certified it.
"We all know how dangerous the Tower of Trials is, and what awaits us after completing 'The Tomorrow War'!" His voice had a decidedly firm tone. "I propose we form an alliance among all of us and complete the mission together."
There were a few people who agreed and approached Radiant, accepting the idea of forming an alliance to increase their chances of survival.
However, the vast majority ignored him the moment he proposed the union.
Alliances in the Tower of Trials are very different from what one might imagine.
When an alliance is formed and a mission is completed, the rewards are divided equally among all members.
Most prefer the gains over anything else, myself included, so being part of an alliance is not for me.
Some might think that forming an alliance is a good strategy to receive help and then betray their companions to keep everything...
But let me tell you, that is impossible!
While in an alliance, no member can harm their companions.
If someone attempted to do so, the Reincarnation Space would eliminate them.
It is because of things like this that the Reincarnated have a lot of respect for the rules of the Reincarnation Space.
Radiant finally gave up on his attempt to convince the others and moved to a corner with those who had decided to follow him.
I have no idea what they talked about after that, nor am I interested.
An hour later, the announcement echoed in the room, informing that the dungeon was about to begin.
Everyone mentally prepared for what was to come.
At this moment, there were almost fifty people in the waiting room, many more than there were at the beginning.
During that hour, more alliances had formed besides Radiant's, which indicated that many had decided that cooperation was their best option.
People who were alone, like me, were rare to see. Most preferred to join groups, seeking security.
Finally, everyone in the white room was enveloped in a bright red light.
A few seconds later, we all disappeared from the location.
...
When my vision finally cleared, I found myself standing in the middle of a bustling street, with people walking around me, busy with their lives, completely unaware of what was about to happen.
On one side of the street, a worn sign read "California."
[ Attention! Main Mission Issued! ]
[ Main Mission: Eliminate 10 White Spikes. ]
[ Time Limit: 7 days ]
[ Warning! If the required number is not eliminated to complete the mission, the Reincarnated will be eliminated. ]
After reading the mission, I couldn't help but smile with some irony. "Seven days to find a frozen alien ship in Russia and fill it with explosives? Too easy!"
I took the search card that Cassandra gave me from my personal warehouse.
"Search for Dan Forester," I muttered softly.
The card began to float slowly in the air, pointing me in the direction to find him.
The strange thing was that only I could see it; no one else seemed to notice its presence, which was quite convenient.
Dan Forester... Only he has the resources to take me to Russia and end an entire race of aliens. If anyone could help me complete this mission, it was him.
I started walking down the street with a briefcase in my hand, following the direction indicated by the search card.
My destination? A high school where Dan Forester worked as a biology teacher.
...
In a school parking lot, I sat on the hood of a car, waiting for Dan Forester to appear.
I already had an idea of how to convince him to help me; I simply had to lie.
And fortunately, I was very good at it.
When I saw him approach, he was looking for his car keys in his pockets, talking on the phone with headphones on. Just as he was about to get into his car and leave, I stopped him.
"Dan Forester?" I asked, as if unsure, which made him stop and take off his headphones.
"Do you need something?" he replied.
The man is identical to Chris Pratt.
"I come from the future," I blurted out, making him laugh.
Of course, he already knew what was happening in the world, the alien war of the future, the whole planet knew.
But for someone to approach him in the middle of the parking lot saying they came from the future.
Now that was funny.
"I don't have time for jokes. If this is some kind of scam, don't involve me in it." Dan said, trying to get into the car.
But I stopped him again.
"In seven years, you will die in a car accident," I dropped, seriously.
That made him stop and look at me more attentively.
"What the hell do you want? Money?" he asked, frowning, clearly irritated.
"I am your grandson. Muri's son. She is in danger."
This time, his expression changed. I caught him by surprise, and he was starting to believe me.
All of this was clearly a lie invented to get his help to complete the mission.
What better lie than telling him I was Muri's son, his grandson?
If there was one thing Dan Forester loved... it was his family.
"If you're my grandson, what's my favorite food?" he asked, trying to challenge me.
"Like I said, you die in seven years. When I was born, you were already dead. Although it would have been funny to dig you up and ask you," I replied, standing firm.
Dan looked at me in silence for a few seconds, then nodded seriously.
"This is not a good place to talk," he finally said. "Get in the car."
Dan didn't believe any of my words, but he had to make sure.
The world was very strange these days...