Accidental Champion of Earth - Chapter 16 - Failure Here Means Death

“What?” Xavier blurted. He straightened on his stool, staring at the barkeep of this strange tavern on the bottom floor of the Tower of Champions, the pocket world he’d been sent to. “What do you mean my world won’t survive?”

“Oh, your world will survive. It’s a new resource, one that will be coveted by the more predatory kingdoms, empires and collectives among the Greater Universe. It’s your people”—he waved at Xavier—”who probably won’t last.” He tilted his head to the side. “Though you might…” His expression soured. “You might be made into slaves.”

Xavier’s shoulders slumped. He stared down at his glass of Jack. Downed the whole thing, then slapped the glass back onto the counter with a loud crack. For a second, he thought he’d broken the glass, but it was still intact. “Pour me another.” He pushed five Spirit Coins over to the man. He still had a few piles sitting on the bar. He tapped them, placing each of them into his Storage Ring.

The barkeep grabbed the bottle and gave a generous pour. Xavier snapped up the glass and downed every last drop, placed it back on the counter, then wiped his mouth.

Okay. I need to process this information and find out more. I already knew I would be fighting for my world, that’s why I chose Champion… this doesn’t really change anything. I mean, does it? He eyed Sam. “You said newly integrated worlds usually only have to deal with fighting evolved fauna and flora, so… why does my world have to deal with outside threats?” He thought of the goblins. He’d taken those invaders down and lived to talk about it.

“As I said, usually a newly integrated world is locked out of the Greater Universe until they have had a few years to… find their footing. But because interlopers discovered your world before it was integrated, that door has been opened, so to speak, and there is no way to close it again. Word will spread that your world isn’t locked down, and those looking to claim it… will send through their armies.”

“How many… how many worlds like mine survive being integrated this way?”

The barkeep rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, I think it’s roughly… one in a thousand.”

“One in a thousand,” Xavier muttered. “That’s… I mean, better odds than winning the lottery, I suppose, and people win that all the time…” Though a 0.1 percent chance of survival wasn’t exactly something to bet on.

“That, however, doesn’t take into account the race of those in the world. Humans are versatile! We thrive in the System. But…” Sam sagged. “We don’t tend to start off strong. So your chances are probably more like… one in ten thousand.”

The hits just kept on coming. Xavier produced another five Lesser Spirit Coins from his Storage Ring. Placed them on the counter. “Another drink. Please.”

He sat there and talked with the barkeep for a good long while as the man explained to him what was likely to happen to his planet. When Xavier had mentioned the quest he’d done, that he had been fighting goblins, the man had perked up and no longer looked quite as dour.

“Goblins!” Sam smiled, slapped a hand on the bar. The man had had a few drinks himself by this point. “That’s good. That’s good! They are one of the weakest—and, between you and me, dumbestraces in the Greater Universe. They’re intelligent, sentient beings, but they’re far weaker on average than humans.”

Xavier nodded along. “I guess that explains why I was able to defeat them.”

“Let me guess, they were all level 2?” The barkeep raised an eyebrow.

Xavier blinked at the man. “Yes, they were. How did you know?”

He leant his elbows on the bar. “Well, see, the System doesn’t leave worlds like yours completely defenceless. There are some restrictions in place. The main restriction is in the level of Denizen the System allows onto a new world.”

Xavier frowned, remembering when the first goblin had stepped out of that portal.

But that was before our world was integrated. “How can the System restrict the level of a… Denizen in a world that isn’t integrated?”

Sam smiled. “Good question. Well, you see, the System isn’t going to let any Denizen that is more than 1 level higher than the highest-level person on your world travel to it. And that’s specific to people, or Denizens. It refers to the sentient races, not the animals and plants that will have been changed by the integration.”

Xavier stared at the bar, trying to figure things out. “So, a wolf in the woods could be level 20, but if the highest human is level 10, a Denizen from outside of our world can only travel to Earth if they’re level 11?”

“Precisely!”

“And what happens if they’re a higher level?”

Sam shrugged. “They’ll die. Instantly.”

Xavier nodded. “Good.” He sighed. That was a damned relief. It was good to know that some level 200 beast couldn’t suddenly appear on Earth and destroy everything in an instant. “So that’s why they sent a level 2 goblin through the portal. Because the second they did, my world would become integrated.”

Sam nodded. “And Denizens above level 2 would have been destroyed.”

“Is that why there are titles for being the first to achieve something?” Xavier asked. Again, he wasn’t sure how much he wanted to tell the barkeep, but he wanted to figure these things out.

Sam chuckled. “You do catch on fast. That’s another thing the System rewards newly integrated worlds. They give what are called Progenitors—the first, second, third… all the way to tenth in a world to achieve things—advantages that no one else can ever gain. Gives them a fighting chance, and that’s not just worlds like yours. That’s all newly integrated worlds.”

That makes sense, Xavier thought. I’m only level 4, but as per my math earlier, my stats are that of someone at level 17. Or, at least, a human at level 17. Those goblins must have had weaker stats than humans. And there is no way that they would be able to send a Progenitor from another world, someone with stats well beyond their level. Any Progenitor with titles like mine would be a far, far higher level. That will be a real advantage if they can only send in enemies one level higher than me.

Though… he supposed that last part wasn’t true. He didn’t know if he was the highest-level person on Earth. “I need to get training.” He looked at the barkeep. “If all that you’re saying is true.” He stood. “I… I can’t just sit here.” He grabbed his staff, which had been resting against the counter. “I need to get stronger, as fast as I possibly can!”

The barkeep smiled again. “You’ve got a good attitude. A man hears their people have a one in ten thousand chance of being annihilated or turned into slaves, usually they might crumple up into a little ball and lose themselves to anguish.” He pointed at Xavier. “Not you. You’re raring and ready to go!”

Xavier tilted his head to the side. “My world’s at risk, what else is there to do?”

“Crumple into a ball, remember?” Sam shook his head. “There isn’t much you’re going to be able to do right now.” His eyes flicked up, as though he was looking at something, though they were a little unfocused. Is he reading a notification? The barkeep nodded. “It will still be another three days until orientation. Usually, it takes a while for Champions on newly integrated worlds to complete their first quest.”

Xavier frowned, realising something. “You’re saying there will be Champions from worlds that aren’t newly integrated?”

“Of course. Once a Denizen of the System gains access to the System at age sixteen, they’re given the chance of becoming a Champion, just like you were given the chance. Though, as you know, choosing Champion has its risks. The first test is a fight to the death. Roughly fifty percent of people don’t make it past that. Most Denizens of integrated worlds make it past their second test—a quest of varying difficulty—as they know what they’re getting into and have access to knowledge and items someone such as yourself does not, but not all make it. People from worlds like yours… perhaps.” He tilted his head to one side. “Ten percent of those who choose Champion make it to a tower.”

Xavier balked. “You mean… one in five don’t survive the quest? And what do you mean a tower? Are there more places like this one?”

The barkeep raised a hand, tilted it left to right. “Roughly that many survive. It varies. And of course, there are thousands of instances of the Tower of Champions.” He scratched his head. “Probably millions, actually.” He waved at the tavern. “Just like there are countless versions of this room.” He pointed at the door. “This section of the Tower of Champions is reserved only for those from your planet, though not everyone who walks through that door will enter my tavern. There are countless other establishments like my own within the Tower of Champions, but you’re locked to this one, along with five hundred others from your world. They’ll be considered your cohort.”

“Cohort?”

“Kind of like a class.”

“The Tower of Champions is an academy?”

“In a sense, though failure here means death. Unfortunately.”

Xavier slumped back down onto his stool, ran a hand through his hair. “I think I liked it better when I was in the dark,” he muttered, though that wasn’t strictly true. He needed to know what was going on, and considering the titles he’d received, he was likely the first person on Earth to learn any of this stuff. Though, perhaps that wasn’t the case. Perhaps he was simply the first who chose Champion to learn of it. Others on Earth would be going through their tutorials even as he spoke. “My tutorial will start after orientation?”

“That’s right. The rest of your cohort will be here by then. Though the tutorial will be a rehash of much that I’ve just said, there will be many other things it will teach you.” Sam wrapped a knuckle on the bar. “Like how to get more of those coins.”

Xavier gripped the shaft of his staff tightly. “Can I… can I return to Earth? Before the tutorial starts?” He couldn’t help but wonder how many other places those goblins were turning up. Or what if there were other, more dangerous races who’d found his world?

Sam sighed. “I’m afraid that’s impossible. You’re stuck here, in the tower, until the end of your first challenge. There… isn’t really much more I can tell you than that. There is a lot to learn about the System, but I’m only allowed to tell you of so much.”

“But… these Champions from other worlds… they’ll… they’ll have been training for this all their life, won’t they? They’ll know everything about the System? How to take advantage of it?” He remembered the stats he had been given when he was first integrated. If he had been stronger, or perhaps studied harder, or something, he would have started off with higher stats. He didn’t know how high, but it would have made a difference, wouldn’t it?

“Aye. That they will.” Sam’s eyes were a little sad as he spoke. “I’m sorry for the lot you and your world have been given.”

“It’s not your fault,” Xavier said. “You’ve been kind to me. Taught me things I didn’t know when all of this…” He flapped a hand. “Is just insane.” He sighed. “If I can’t get home yet, what can I do? I don’t want to just sit here and drink until this orientation starts.” Though he had to admit, a small part of him wondered if he had anything better to do. But he knew if he let himself wallow, that wallowing might never end.

Sam bit his lip. He glanced at the tavern’s door, then leant forward on the counter, inching closer to Xavier over the bar. He spoke in a hush, “There’s only so much I can say. But there are ways for you to train outside of gaining levels.”

Xavier waited for Sam to say more, but apparently that was it. He opened his mouth to ask another question, but the barkeep raised a hand.

“I can’t say more than I already have. I’m sorry, you’ll have to just wait until the orientation begins, and figure things out on your own until then.”