— Good.It's time for me...to invite our future Conquerors.
He let out a slight sigh, almost human.
— Why was I assigned to this race?
He paused, staring at an invisible point in space.
— Is it chance...or is there a deeper logic behind it?
Silence.
Then, as if answering himself:
— No.
His gaze hardened.
— Chance doesn't exist.Not here.Not with the Cosmic Axis.
— If it assigned me...then there is a reason.
A cosmic reason.I'm certain of it.
He raised his head.A cold gleam crossed his eyes.
— Then let's do this work.
A low rumble swept through the space.The black mist slowly parted,as if cleaved by a higher will.
The first arrived alone.Two.Then three.Then five...
And soon, many more.Always strangely familiar numbers.Irregular...almost prime.
71 silhouettes in total.Projected one by one from the rifts suspended in the void.
Their bodies were gently placed at regular distances from one another,in a circle, at the edge of the central Dome.
Some stumbled.Others stayed on their knees, disoriented.One or two figures immediately stood up —sharp, instinctive gazes.
— My little Fibonacci would have enjoyed this count.
He let the remark float in the air,without explaining.Just... for himself.
The ground beneath their feet was neither rock, nor metal, nor dust.Just a black surface.Smooth.Non-reflective.
Alive, perhaps.Or dead for too long.
At the center, fifty meters high, floated the Guide.Hands clasped behind his back.Black suit.Upright silhouette.Gaze turned towards them — or through them.
He had not spoken a word.Yet an overwhelming presence weighed on every thought.
One by one, the newcomers found their breath.
Adam looked up, lost.Veda clenched her fists.Gravyor growled, shoulders tense like a predator.Narcisse feigned contempt to hide his fear.Kiyoshi closed his eyes, silently.Kael... did not move.
His gaze was fixed.His mind elsewhere.
One word circled in his head:
Lyana.
Then, the Guide's voice rang out.Calm.Inhuman.
— Welcome.
— Before we begin,I will announce three points to remember well.
— First:never make me,I said never,repeat what I say.No matter the reason.
— Second:do not interrupt me when I speak.It has the power to awaken my murderous impulses.
— And finally, third:never forget that currently,you are inferior to insects,for most of you,in my eyes.
— We will begin.
I will first explain the "Tower" — as you like to call it —followed by yourselves,and we will finish with your first weapon for your tutorial.
He stretched out his hand.A pulse of black Magia briefly fractured the space around him.
A three-dimensional hologram slowly emerged in the void:a complete tier, suspended in levitation.Ten floors stacked vertically,like the bars of an inverted cage.
Between each tier:a thin membrane of energy,vibrant, unstable.
Around each floor:colored mists.
Stylized representations of biomes:neon jungle, fractal desert, drowned ruins, inverted caves...
He observed them for a few seconds, silently.Then, in an almost pedagogical tone:
— Floors one to four:Exploration.Adaptation.Resistance.
— Floor five... mid-boss.A necessary evil.Not always lethal...but rarely merciful.
He isolated floor 5.A creature materialized:massive, asymmetrical, lurking in the shadow of a broken temple.An empty gaze.Hungry.An unstable aura.
— Floors six to eight:Tension.Disruption.Deliberate confusion.
Then...
He stopped.Slowly, his gaze slid to the top of the hologram.
— Floor nine.
A colossal entity formed in the void.Humanoid silhouette...but too smooth.Too symmetrical.
No emotion.Just... waiting.
— The tier boss.Access key to the Floor City.
Non-negotiable.Unavoidable.Infallible.
He was silent for a few seconds.Then relaunched the hologram.
An arc of light rose above floor 9.A sort of gate to another world.
— Here is the basic rhythm.One tier = one progression.One floor = one trial.And at the top:a new frontier.
He pinched two fingers in the air:the hologram dissipated in a black breath.
— This is the base.Even you should understand that... right?
He remained silent for a few moments.Then, in a low voice:
— Provided you survive the first floor.
— Let's get to the rewards.
After all...if there is suffering,there must be some semblance of compensation, right?
— Each floor will offer you a standard reward,in addition to allowing access to the next floor,if you complete the main objective.
— Additional rewards will be grantedfor secondary objectives.
— As for the hidden objective...to simplify:its rewards surpassthose of the main and secondary objectives combined.
— But...
(He pauses)
— A fourth reward may also be grantedif you complete all objectives —main, secondary, and hidden —in a single attempt.
If you aim for the highest rewards...excellence will be required,from the very first try.
(He slightly raises his chin)
— I won't list every type of reward.Just the main ones:
• Enhancement Catalysts:
— You will not receive "points."You will receive fragments.Relics.Crystallized residues of growth.
(He made two floating objects appear:one glowing red,the other translucent, almost pearly.)
— This one is crystallized Magia.It feeds your flame.Thickens it.Strengthens it.
It circulates to the core...and awakens what lies dormant.
— That one is a Katharsis Jewel.It works deeper.It shapes the Avatar:body, endurance, instincts.
But it also resonates,slightly,with the Magia flame.
— Their use is not without risk.Poorly digested crystallization...and you implode from within.
You master nothing here.You catalyze.Or you break.
• Hidden Objective Hint – Intermediate Rank:Given at floor X,if all objectives from the previous floor have been completed —even without a first try.
• Hidden Objective Hint – Major Rank:Given at floor X,only if all objectives from the previous floorwere completed on the first try.
• Conquest Points:Earned for each validated objectiveor monster killed.
They are the currency of the Tower,mainly used in the Conquest Shop.
• Merit Points:Granted upon completion of the hidden objective,full clean of a floor, or upon elimination of bosses,named monsters, or bounties claimed.(This system is still provisional and will evolve later.)
(He slowly turned around, scanning the 71 with his gaze.)
— But all these rewards have no raw value.Without interface.Without processing system.They are like seeds in sterile soil.
— And that's where your attributes come in.
— Your foundations revolve around four axes.
(He slowly raised four fingers, as if to drive the truth into your bones.)
Magia.Spirit.Anima.Avatar.
— Magia does not flow by default.It is not enough to believe in it, or to concentrate.It requires a flame.A living energy source anchored in the heart.
(He pointed to his chest, palm open. Slowly. Gravely.)
— Some of you haven't even formed it yet.Not even as a germ.You are... empty. Dormant. Passive.
And yet, the Tower will force you to react.
— On the first floor...the shock will activate this force flame.Brutally. Instinctively.
And when this fire erupts without guidance, without channel, without balance...
Your flesh will turn against you.
(He closed his eyes, almost in prayer.)
— Your muscles will twist.Your veins will roar.Some will die without understanding why.Not from weakness.From ignorance.
Most of you will already be dead before floor 2.For the others... you will find out.
A dull pulse resonated in the ground.As if the Tower had listened.As if it... approved.
On the black walls of the Dome, thin cracks appeared.They slowly opened, silently, like ancient eyelids.
From these interstices, 71 black orbs emerged.One per Conqueror.
They floated a moment, hesitant...Then shot straight toward their respective recipients.
Each orb stabilized in its chosen one's palm.Warm.Pulsing.Alive.
The Guide, still suspended halfway up,finally spoke.
— Here is your first relic.— Martial Revelation Orb – Lower Rank.
— Each of them is a fragment of the Tower.Sectioned.Calibrated.Modified.
(He slowly turned on himself,fixing each face.)
— It will analyze your affinities...and transform into the weapon most suited to your hidden potential.
— This weapon is yours.Definitive.Irrevocable.
A Conqueror raised his hand, hesitant.
— Why "martial" in the name...?
A cold smile brushed the Guide's lips.
— Because I heard that word recently...
(He made a vague gesture.)
— And it sounded good.
— Otherwise, its original name was Cosmic Revelation Orb.But I doubt your cortex would have appreciated it.
Slowly, the orbs reacted.A bright light.A vibration.Then... metamorphosis.
In each hand, a unique weapon appeared.
Shadow swords.Frost blades.Vibrating bows.Crystalline claws.Spectral maces.
Some stepped back, mouths agape.Others, like Kael, did not blink.
The weapon had found its bearer.
The Guide resumed, in a clinical tone:
— The orb will also transmit your initial information.— Attributes.— Active skills.— Passive skills.— Innate gift.— Potential awakening.
— Learn.Test.Understand.Or die.
Silence fell again.Heavy.Charged with electricity.
— The Tower watches you, he concluded.
A deep, dull beat resonated from the depths of the Dome.Then... nothing.
A shiver ran through the ranks.
A brunette woman, agile silhouette,twirled a pair of daggers etched with bluish arabesques —their edges whistled with each movement.
A young man with calm eyes watched his segmented spear bend,then reassemble,like a living metallic beast.
A massive man, arms tattooed,lifted a heavy black stone mace...before realizing it was levitating slightly in his hand.
A nervous laugh burst out.
— What is this madness...
Another, more assured, murmured:
— It's better than I thought...
But at the center of the circle, something froze.
Gravyor, silent until then,had just stopped abruptly.His eyes were fixed on Kael.His pupils had contracted.His breath was stuck in his throat.
— ...You?
One word.Muffled.Almost a breath.
Then he stepped back one step.Then two.
As if he had just seen a ghost.As if something...or someone...had truly frightened him.
No one understood.
But Kael, himself, now held something in his hand.His gaze was empty.Distant.As if none of this concerned him.
And the Tower remained silent.