Chapter 30: The tower of ascension
The Tower of Ascension was physically located in country S, on the African sub-continent.
It was a monumental structure, whose construction methods went beyond the scope of modern engineering.
The base of the tower covered tens of kilometers in width, and it stretched nearly a hundred kilometers into the sky.
However, as the climbers that entered its grounds already knew, the tower's true expanse was not limited to its physical appearance and that there was a physical tower of the same dimension on every planet housing life across the universe.
The materials used in its construction when tested by scientists, appeared to be of unfamiliar origins, suggesting the use of techniques and resources not known to current mankind as the elements used in its construction seemed to be outside the scope of the periodic table entirely.
It was truly a mystical structure, and the only thing that was confirmed about it was the fact that the tower existed since before the first sentient lifeform was born in the universe.
Not just on Earth, but on every planet across the universe, the lore of the tower remained the same that it existed on their planet since the first sentient beings roamed.
Existing as it is, since time immemorial.
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While the tower only physically existed in Country S, there were several dimensional portals across the world which connected various major cities to the entrance of the tower.
These portals proved to be fast access points for climbers across the world to reach the tower, however, all the known portals in the world were guarded and monopolized by the Climber's Association, who restricted the entry of non-climbers inside the portal.
Today, as Rocky entered the tower for the first time ever, he was escorted by Pope Cole and a security team of several dozen climbers to the nearest portal in country X, where after having his documents verified, Rocky was given his climbers pass.
—------
Name - Rocky Yadav.
Age - 18
Talent - SSS
Floor - 0
Freight Limit - None ( Special )
—------
Usually, new climbers were given a white pass while they were newbies who had been a climber for less than one year.
This pass had a freight limit of 5kg for bringing luggage outside the tower, over which weight limit if one was carrying an artifact they needed to pay customs in TG.
Even if they were carrying freight under 5kg, if the value of goods carried was over 1000 TG, they still needed to pay customs, which was a great source of revenue for the Climber's Association.
Rocky, however, was issued a pink pass, the one that was usually reserved for Church personnel with an unlimited freight limit.
Usually, the church only gave this pass to their highest ranking officials such as bishops and archbishops, however, Pope Cole had specially instructed the Climbers Association to make one for Rocky as well.
It not only had no freight limit, but also had the privilege of the bearer paying no duty for goods valued under 100,000 TG, which was a big benefit for a new climber like Rocky.
" Gee, thanks Pope Cole" Rocky said looking at the pass, as tears welled up in Pope Cole's eyes for being complimented.
" Bless Gemini, the champion is such a kind soul. He thanks me for every small thing" Pope Cole said, as his voice started to break from becoming too emotional.
Rocky cringed listening to his response as to him it seemed like the Pope was becoming more and more emotional as days passed with his current rate of decline being such that he would soon begin crying whenever Rocky took a breath.
'Bless Gemini, the champion took a breath-'
Rocky could imagine him saying these words, as just the thought of it made him feel suffocated as he silently vowed to never complement the Pope again.
The duo then proceeded to walk through several layers of security, finally reaching the innermost room where the portal was located.
" Tower of ascension, here I come-" Rocky said, as with a deep breath he took a step into the portal, closely followed by Pope Cole and the security team as they were instantly teleported to Country S, where they walked out at yet another Climber Association facility.
[ Welcome To Ground Zero ]
A big banner informed Rocky that he was at the most famous point on Earth, the singular location where all the various portals across Earth converged to create the biggest operational hub for the Climber's Association.
"It's him! It's the champion! The champion is here!" someone shouted almost instantly, as the second that Rocky walked out on ground zero, he was greeted with a flurry of camera flashes and devout climbers.
" Nobody comes close to the Champion! Move, move! " His security team shouted, as they created a human shield around Rocky and escorted him outside the ground zero facility, as for the few minutes that it took for him to escape the crowd of climbers, Pope Cole beside him maintained a murderous aura of focus, as he was ready to cut-down anything that moved, unlike his usual calm demeanor.
Rocky entering that tower was a historic event for mankind and anticipation about his visit to ground zero had been building for days, which was why press spotted him the second he arrived.
While normal press could not access ground zero, there were still climber press who although smaller in number had the privilege to access ground zero and the battlefield of blood and cover all news regarding it.
This climber press had been awaiting Rocky's entrance for over 24 hours now, ever since he stepped foot outside the medical facility, as they waited to capture the historic event of his first entrance to the tower.
If not for his security, Rocky would have found it really hard to tackle this press, however he did not dare thank Pope Cole for it, fearing another emotional breakdown if he did.
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/// A/N - Bonus chapter for hitting the PS target! Good job everyone!
For this week, the target is one bonus for every 100 GT and 300 PS///
Chapter 31: Entering The Tower
The distance between ground zero and the Tower Of Ascension was roughly 10 kilometers.
And these 10 kilometers were easily the most heavily militarized zone on the entire planet.
Magical turrets, giant crossbows, mythical cannons, modern missile launchers, modern machine guns, if it was a weapon that could kill, it was sure to be present on this land which was deemed as the battlefield of blood.
Since ancient times, the battle between climbers of Earth and the monsters of the tower occured on this soil whose sands had now been permanently dyed red with the bloodshed that it had witnessed over the last dozens of centuries.
Labeled as 'Battlefield of Blood', it was the land where the climbers of Earth fought back against the monsters every four years when the year of death rolled around and the monster tide emerged.
From ground zero, after every 100 meters, there was a deep trench and defensive position built to fight the onslaught of monsters, with climbers manning the trenches 24x7 whenever the year of death rolled around.
As Rocky passed by all these defensive encampments in his armored vehicle, he could feel a sense of reverence for the hero's of mankind who were ready to lay down their lives to contain the monsters within the battlefield of blood.
'Someday soon, I'll join their ranks' Rocky thought, as he resolved to join their ranks someday when his services were needed.
Only one single road led from ground zero to the tower of ascension and this area was guarded so heavily that any climber that was not supposed to reach the tower could never hope to reach it, as without the permission of the climbers association, smuggling anyone into the tower was impossible.
Multiple checkpoints confirmed that only authorized individuals were allowed near the tower, as after a rough 20 minutes drive, Rocky finally reached the ' Bridge Of Hope' as he found himself at the base of the legendary Tower.
A deep trench spanning for 500 meters in length and 1000 feet in depth had been dug by humans all around the tower of ascension as the first and most effective line of defense against any monster tide, with a flimsy wooden bridge being the only connection to the tower's entrance.
In-case of a monster tide, it was protocol to burn the bridge of hope first. Removing the only land link to the tower.
However, except for the monster raid, it served as the iconic passage that led a climber to the tower of ascension as walking down it made Rocky feel excited, as he had often seen clips of famous climbers and movie stars walking down this same bridge in an iconic scene.
" Your first time entering the tower might be a little rough, Champion, the sudden shift in mana concentration may make you feel dizzy, however, don't feel alarmed, it's very normal to feel this way when you first enter" Pope Cole said to Rocky, as he tried to prepare Rocky for what was to come next.
" Vorithra Sylithen"
" Vorithra Sylithen"
" Vorithra Sylithen"
Rocky heard the wind whispering something in his ears when he approached the tower, however, he could not understand the meaning of the words that it was whispering.
" Vorithra Sylithen"
" Hey, Pope Cole, do you hear this?" Rocky asked Pope Cole, who looked at him in surprise as he said " Hear what?"
Rocky looked around and it seemed like his security detail also did not seem to hear the wind whispering anything, however, Rocky himself was sure that he was hearing a distinct chant.
As he got closer to the tower, the chants only kept getting louder and louder as his tattoo, which had not pained ever since he woke up in the medical facility, began to sting once again.
" VORITHRA SYLITHEN"
" VORITHRA SYLITHEN"
Rocky heard someone almost screaming in his ears uptil the point that he arrived at the entrance of the tower after which the voice magically vanished.
' What the fuck was that?' Rocky wondered, as he had no idea what to make of this bizarre incident, however, since he had company alongside him who he did not wish to keep waiting, he decided to think about this later as he took a step through the magical entrance of the tower, which only allowed it's chosen climbers to enter.
***************
"Pah" Rocky fell to his knees almost instantly after crossing the tower's entry threshold, as he felt every sense in his body going into overdrive.
It was as if he had been living and perceiving the world at 20% his real capacity and the second he stepped into the tower, it got boosted to 100%.
The colors he perceived became sharper and clearer than ever, the sound he could hear became crisp and detailed while he could pick up smells from his own body that he could not perceive just a moment ago.
He could distinctly smell the bacteria in his underarms, the perfume masking it, while also smelling the leather of his shoes and the detergent used to launder his jeans.
He could do all this, while feeling the subtle air currents around him, the pulsing blood in his veins and the thrumming beat of his heart against his chest, as all his senses seemed to have reached a hyperdrive that he had never experienced before.
" Breathe, just breathe. What you're feeling is your senses being enhanced by mana, it's okay. Just breathe, you will soon learn how to dampen your senses to the usual levels" Pope Cole said as he stroked Rocky's back in support, waiting patiently for him to regain his composure.
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/// A/N - Chapter 1/3 for the day, two more to go! ///
Gifts
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received Weekly Power Status
200+ Power
Ranking 
21 Power
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