Another figure emerged from the broken viewer’s box at the top of the arena. The figure leapt from high up and seconds later landed gracefully on the arena floor.

It was Sakura.

She marched up to Max and Casey.

Max did not like the pale worried face she had on. She was one of the most powerful climbers he knew. If she was concerned, then things were going really badly.

She materialized two mana potions from her pouch and handed one to each of those.

“Okay, you two,” said Sakura. “Drink those mana potions and listen to me. You’re now receiving your first high-level assignment. You and Casey need to get to the tower-zone’s central wall where there’s a back-up mana generator. You’ll be able to manually turn on all the defensive wards that are currently off at the moment. After that, join the other defense climbers and city climbers and push back against the monster wave.”

“What about Samuel?” asked Max, looking to the megalomaniac hovering in the sky above them.

Sakura grinned. “Leave him to me.”

94

Max and Casey hurried out of the tower arena.

Monsters roared out as they wreaked havoc on the city. Citizens screamed in panic, rushing in every direction.

Max’s heart raced as he ran and looked around the city. There were horrible green slime monsters lording over people, harpies in the sky, and rock golems smashing into windows.

“What are we going to do?” shouted Max, looking in every direction.

“Sakura gave us an assignment,” said Casey, tugging at his arms.

“These people need are help though,” Max said.

If they ran past them now, who was going to help them? They could die here on their own?

“More people are going to die if we don’t get those defensive wards powered back up,” said Casey. “There’ll be reinforcement climbers to help with the pandemonium. We’re on an official climber assignment now—we have to believe that everyone else on our side is working together to succeed and save the most amount of people.”

Max watched a group of E-rankers take down two harpies.

Casey was right.

They continued moving forward. The central wall was about three miles ahead of them. If they didn’t have any interruptions, it would take them just under fifteen minutes due to their enhanced climber agility. If they did get interrupted though, who knew how long it could take.

The lives of the citizens were in their hands.

They rushed down a block full of cars with smashed roofs. Ahead of them a squad of climbers took on a massive ogre with over thirty eyeballs on its head.

Down another street was a tentacled monster that hoovered up people, cars, street lamps, or anything into its body.

“Just keep running,” Casey muttered to herself. “Keep your head down. No need to look at all the scary disturbing monster around us. They’re not important right now.”