In the old Nexus days, players would spend hours debating the "safe" way to pluck the fruits of the Willow Tree. Some suggested shields; others suggested distraction tactics. But as a veteran who had dissected this game's code through a hundred different lives, I knew there was a path far more fruitful than a measly +3 stat point boost.
As I took a breath to step forward, a man in his late twenties shoulder-checked me. He was a solid gym-rat with the kind of confident posture that usually gets people killed in the Tower.
"Back off, kid," he barked, his voice carrying over the whimpers of the survivors. "I played the early beta. I know how this thing works."
I stopped and tilted my head. I wasn't arrogant enough to think I was the only one with a brain, so I decided to hear him out. Maybe he'd found a patch note I'd missed.
"Listen up!" he shouted to the others. "The tree's defense is triggered by motion and height. If we all crouch-walk together, slow and steady, one step at a time, we stay under its 'threat radar.' It's a proximity sensor glitch. We move as one, we eat as one. Who's with me?"
It sounded incredibly convincing. The logic was sound—if this were a standard stealth game. If I hadn't already cleared Floor 100, I might have actually believed him. But I knew the truth: the Willow Tree didn't have a "radar." It had hunger. It sensed biological heat within its radius, and it didn't care if you were sprinting or crawling.
"Actually," I said, keeping my voice calm and neutral, "that's not going to work. The range is absolute. You'll just be giving it a slower target to hit."
The man scoffed, glancing at my average build and the kitchen knife in my hand. "Stick to your mobile games, kid. Let the veterans handle the Tower."
He led the others into the kill zone. They crouched, moving with agonizing slowness, their eyes fixed on the glowing red fruits. For a moment, the tree was still. Then, the ground shivered.
Splat.
It wasn't even a fight. The roots erupted upward, skewering the "veteran" and his followers in one synchronized motion. They didn't even have time to stand up before they were hoisted into the air, becoming mere fertilizer for the tree's next growth cycle. I sighed, a dull ache of regret in my chest. I didn't want to see senseless death as we would need every capable body we could get for the higher floors—but greed and overconfidence are the two fastest ways to end a tutorial.
Now that I was alone, I got to work on my original plan. It wasn't elegant, and it certainly wasn't "brave," but it was efficient.
I left the fountain area for a few minutes, scavenging petroleum and gasoline from the abandoned vehicles littering the nearby street. I returned with several makeshift glass bottles filled with the fuel. Standing just outside the root-spike range, I started lobbing them.
The Willow Tree, programmed to intercept incoming projectiles, lashed out with its branches, shattering the bottles in mid-air. It thought it was defending itself. In reality, it was just draping its own bark in highly flammable gasoline.
I struck a lighter and tossed a simple Molotov cocktail into the center of the mess.
WHOOSH.
The tree went up like a torch. The screeching sound it made wasn't quite human, but it was loud enough to drown out the distant goblin roars. As the flames licked higher, the nine bright red fruits withered, blackened, and turned to ash.
A notification popped up, glowing with a golden hue.
[Congratulations! You are the first to kill the 'Nine-Fruits Willow Tree'!]
[Your achievements will be recorded in the Tower of Trials' 'Hall of Fame' for the next 24 hours.]
I ignored the Hall of Fame. That was just vanity. I waited for the fire to die down, watching the skeletal remains of the tree crumble. Most players would think I was an idiot for burning the +3 stat fruits. But then, as the last of the charred bark fell away, I saw it—a glowing red sphere pulsing in the ashes.
[Congratulations! You are the first to discover the hidden item.]
[You have obtained the 'Core of the Willow Tree'!]
And then, a notification I didn't recognize from the VR days:
[Your strange methods surprised some Viewers! 500 coins have been sponsored!]
"Viewers?" I muttered. I felt a chill that had nothing to do with the wind. In the real-world Tower, we weren't just players. We were entertainment. These 'Constellations' or 'Gods' were watching us like a reality show. I'd have to deal with them later.
For now, I picked up the glowing red sphere.
The fruits were a trap for the greedy. They gave you +3 points to distribute. But the Core? The Core was the reward for the "heretic" who chose to destroy the prize.
I crushed the sphere in my hand.
A surge of raw, violent energy flooded my nervous system. My vision sharpened, my muscles tightened, and the fatigue from my 29-hour gaming session vanished instantly.
[The Core has been consumed! All stats have increased by +3.]
Not just +3 points to spend. +3 to every single stat. Strength, Agility, Vitality, Intelligence—everything.
I flexed my fingers, feeling the terrifying weight of the power coursing through me. I was still Level 1, but in terms of raw data, I was already a monster. I was, without a doubt, the strongest Level 1 on the planet.