At the very bottom of the staircase, Bild hurried into a room behind a locked iron door that contained hundreds of glass tubes along the ceiling and walls. Bild ran past the glass tubes and stood in front of a purple stone lying in the back of the room. Something red, dark, and murky poured into the stone from the glass tubes.

It was the energy they’d collected from countless players. For the past few years, Bild and Leonte had been calling it “Quintessence” as they’d tried any means possible to produce more of it. However, the situation had greatly changed.  

Bild tore out all the glass tubes, which leaked the Quintessence. As it evaporated, it dyed the air red. But none of that mattered to Bild. His mind was solely focused on the purple stone, and he picked it up with a trembling hand. He’d wasted so many years making this stone, and during that time, his old teammates had grown much stronger and climbed even higher up the Tower.

Bild had wanted to follow his teammates, but in the end,...