The world outside the Tower of Trials was anything but stagnant. The Wish Event had reshaped the Earth into a place of both wonder and danger.
As the days passed, new powers began to rise, each carving out their place in this strange new reality. Whilst AJ and the others battled their way through the Tower, others were forging their own paths—some for survival, others for dominance.
---
Maria sat in the corner of a dimly lit room within Richard's Safe Zone, her hands trembling as she clutched a cup of lukewarm tea.
The Safe Zone had grown since the others had left, its makeshift buildings now reinforced with stone and wood.
Basic facilities had been established—housing, food production, and rudimentary tool-making workshops. But beneath the surface of this burgeoning town, a darker reality festered.
Richard's influence was absolute. He had taken control of the Safe Zone with a combination of charisma and ruthlessness, promising safety and order in exchange for loyalty.
Those who questioned him were quickly silenced, either through intimidation or outright expulsion. Maria had seen it happen more than once, and each time, her resolve to protect her children grew stronger.
She had joined Richard, but her true intentions were far from loyal. Richard had taken her children hostage, using them as leverage to ensure her cooperation.
Maria played the part of a devoted follower, all whilst secretly gathering followers and looking for opportunities to strike back. She knew Richard's weaknesses—his arrogance, his reliance on fear—but she also knew she couldn't act alone. She needed allies, and she needed more time.
As she sipped her tea, Maria's thoughts turned to the group she had left. She wondered how they were faring in the wilderness, and whether they would ever return.
If they do, she thought, they'll find a very different Safe Zone waiting for them. She clenched her fists, her resolve hardening. I'll make sure of it.
---
Not so far from the Tower of Trials, a new power was rising. A woman named Kael had discovered an Obsidian Obelisk similar to the one AJ's group had encountered.
With it, she had unlocked secrets of cultivation that surpassed even what AJ and his companions had managed to uncover. The obelisk had granted her a profound understanding of mana and the ability to manipulate it with great precision.
Under her leadership, a sect had formed, its members drawn to the promise of power, enlightenment, and a new way of life.
The sect's headquarters was a sprawling complex built around the obelisk, its architecture a blend of ancient building techniques and modern architecture.
The complex was a place of both beauty and discipline, with towering stone structures that seemed to pulse with mana. The sect's followers lived a monk-like existence, dedicating themselves entirely to the pursuit of cultivation and the mastery of mana.
Their days were structured around rigorous training, meditation, and communal rituals designed to strengthen their connection to the obelisk and the energy that flowed through the world.
Kael's followers trained tirelessly, honing their abilities and pushing the boundaries of what was thought possible. They practised martial arts infused with mana, their movements fluid and precise, each strike or block enhanced by the energy they channelled.
They meditated for hours, sitting in perfect stillness as they attuned themselves to the flow of mana, learning to draw it into their bodies and refine it into a source of power.
Their strength, speed, and endurance exceeded that of ordinary humans, their control over mana allowing them to perform feats that seemed almost supernatural.
Kael herself was a figure of awe and fear. Her presence radiated power, and her followers revered her as a prophet of the new world.
She spoke of a future where humanity would transcend its limitations, where the strong would lead the world into a utopia free from the chaos and destruction of the past.
Her vision was one of order and harmony, a world where the cultivation of mana would elevate humanity to new heights. But beneath her lofty ideals lay a ruthless ambition.
Kael saw the Wish Event as an opportunity—a chance to reshape the world in her image, with herself as its guiding force.
As the sect grew, so did its influence. Kael's followers ventured out into the world, seeking resources, recruits, and other obelisks. They travelled in small, highly disciplined groups, their movements swift and silent.
They clashed with other factions that roamed the wilderness, their superior strength giving them an edge in battle. They were not merely fighters—they were artisans of combat, their every move filled with strength and precision.
Tales of their battles, their mastery of mana, and their unyielding discipline was beginning to spread. The Obsidian Sect became a name whispered in both fear and admiration.
To some, they were saviours, a beacon of hope in a chaotic world. To others, they were a threat, a force that sought to impose its will on all who stood in its way.
---
In the remnants of a small town, built in a different safe zone, a group of ex-military soldiers had banded together to form the Iron Vanguard.
Led by a grizzled veteran, Captain Marcus Hale, the Vanguard was a mercenary group that offered its services to the highest bidder.
Their ranks were filled with former soldiers, survivalists, and those hardened by the chaos of the Wish Event—a world where the remnants of modern civilisation had vanished entirely.
The Iron Vanguard operated out of a fortified compound, its walls lined with crude barricades made from stone and other scavenged materials.
The compound was a hive of activity, with soldiers drilling in the courtyard, blacksmiths forging stone tools and weapons, and scouts returning with reports of nearby threats or opportunities.
Armed with simple stone weapons and clad in makeshift armour, they were a disciplined and well-trained force, their tactics and cohesion setting them apart from the scattered bands of survivors that roamed the untamed lands.
But what truly made them formidable was their adaptability. They had quickly learned to harness mana, not to the same degree as the obsidian sect. But they were able to use it to augment their physical abilities and gain an edge in a world where survival was a daily battle.
Captain Hale was a pragmatic leader, more concerned with survival than ideology. "The world's changed," he often said.
"The old rules don't apply anymore. We do what we have to in the name of survival." Under his command, the Vanguard took on dangerous missions.
Clearing out monster-infested areas, escorting groups through treacherous terrain, and clashing with rival groups vying for control of local resources.
---
In the shadowed corners of the world, far from the burgeoning Safe Zones and the disciplined sects, a darker force was rising.
The Cult of the Shattered Veil had emerged from the chaos of the Wish Event, its followers fervently devoted to the worship of the God of Chaos.
That was what they called the entity that had granted the wishes that reshaped the world. To them, the Wish Event was not a calamity but a divine act, a cleansing fire that had burned away the old world to make way for a new, chaotic order.
The cult's origins were shrouded in mystery, but its rise was swift. It began with whispers in the darkest corners of the wilderness, where survivors spoke of a man known only as The Harbinger.
A former scholar turned zealot, The Harbinger claimed to have received visions from the God of Chaos, who had chosen him as its prophet.
According to his teachings, the world's transformation was not an accident but a deliberate act of divine will.
The God of Chaos, they believed, sought to break the chains of order and hierarchy, to return the world to a state of primal, unfettered freedom.
The cult's headquarters was a makeshift temple carved into the side of a jagged mountain. Its entrance marked by a massive, crumbling archway adorned with chaotic, swirling symbols
Inside, the temple was a labyrinth of twisting corridors and cavernous chambers, lit by flickering torches and the eerie glow of mana-infused crystals.
The air was thick with the scent of incense and the low, rhythmic chanting of the cult's followers.
The cult's followers were a diverse and fanatical group, united by their belief in the God of Chaos and their rejection of the old world's order.
They saw themselves as agents of change, tasked with spreading chaos and destruction to pave the way for the God of Chaos's ultimate vision.
Their ranks included former criminals and disillusioned survivors who had grown tired of the rigid structures of the old world.
The cult's rituals were as dark as their beliefs. Each night, they gathered in the temple's central chamber, a vast, circular room dominated by a massive altar carved from black stone.
The altar was inscribed with the same chaotic symbols that adorned the temple's entrance, and at its centre burned an eternal flame, said to be a gift from the God of Chaos itself.
The followers would kneel before the altar, their voices rising in a cacophony of chants and prayers as they offered sacrifices—sometimes food or valuables, but more often, living creatures or even their own blood.
The Harbinger presided over these rituals, his tall, gaunt figure draped in tattered robes adorned with jagged crystals.
His eyes burned with a fervent intensity as he preached to his followers, his voice echoing through the chamber like a thunderclap.
"The God of Chaos has chosen us," he would proclaim. "We are the instruments of its will, the harbingers of a new world. Through chaos, we find freedom. Through destruction, we find rebirth."
---
As new powers rose, the world became increasingly fragmented. Safe Zones like Richard's offered refuge.
Sects like Kael's promised power, mercenary groups like the Iron Vanguard provided protection but only for a price.
And the cults who demanded loyalty to an extreme degree with the promise of a god's favour. Amidst it all, ordinary people struggled to survive, caught between the ambitions of the powerful and the dangers of the wild.
The Wish Event had not only reshaped the Earth but also the people who inhabited it. Some, like Kael, saw it as an opportunity to ascend to greatness.
Those like The Harbinger were seeking to cause chaos and destruction. Others, like Maria, fought to protect what little they had left.
Then there were those like AJ and his group, who sought to carve out their own path in a world that seemed determined to break them.
As they continued climbing the Tower of Trials, the world outside moved forward, its future uncertain but its potential limitless.
The stage was set for a new era—one defined by power, ambition, and the choices of those who dared to shape it.