Nar carried Rel back to the sleeping party, and dropped her back onto her makeshift bed without waking her up. The alfin mumbled something in her sleep, but didn’t wake.

He sat down at his own spot and brought up his UI.

As expected, the notification sign flashed at him.

Gains from the completion of the quest, The Final Stretch, have been calculated!

You have leveled up!

You have leveled up!

You have gained:

Constitution 23 -> 24

Agility 20 -> 21

Speed 24 -> 25

Aura** 142 (86 + 56 Mod.) -> 156 (91 + 65 Mod.)

Instinct 25 -> 26

Sight 16 -> 17

Gains threshold exceeded!

Stat points will be allocated during sleep!

(Stat points have already been allocated)

No [Stamina] again.

Nar willed the window away, and checked his aura bar.

780/1560. Wow…

Compared to his aura bar, the other two were completely full.

The sight of them made him chuckle and shake his head. At first glance, when considering all three bars, green, yellow and gray, their same length almost fooled one into believing that they were all the same. It was laughable to have that gray bar be the same size as the other two.

My life in three bars…

He shook his head again and checked his status.

NAR293457741235645XAV

Auramancer 5

Health Points: 240/240

Stamina: 250/250

Stats

● Strength: 18

● Constitution: 24

● Stamina: 25

● Agility: 21

● Speed: 25

● Aura**: 156 (91 + 65 Mod.)

● ???: 20

● ???: 25

● Might: 7

● Endurance: 12

● Instinct: 26

● Reflex: 22

● Hearing: 17

● Sight: 17

● Smell: 9

● NPC: 5

Auramancer 5. That’s me.

He had reached the end a much different class than he expected at the start.

His [Strength] and [Constitution] were supposed to have been his two main stats. One for tanking and one for dealing damage. It was supposed to have been simple, and everything had seemed perfect after his tutorial gains. He had even unlocked [Might] and [Endurance]. But damn, how things had changed.

[Stamina] was now apparently turning into some sort of useless, unnecessary attribute. His sense attributes had come out of nowhere, especially his [Instinct]. His movement attributes had surpassed his [Strength] and he had even gained his [NPC] in order to keep up with them. And there were still those two same [???] unknown attributes.

They had been there since the very beginning of his Climb, and now, totaling a whooping 45 points between the two, they were still an unknown to him. It was a lot of points into something he didn’t even know what it was, or if it was even useful for his path.

Uh… Now that I think about it, I’ve been surprisingly relaxed about those two.

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But had he been relaxed, or had he just resigned himself to the fact that if the System didn’t want him to know something, then he wouldn’t?

Yeah… Let’s go with that.

Finally, there was his [Aura].

He pushed aways his status. Enough had been said, and asked, and debated, and thought about that topic. He rather not think about it for the moment. Hopefully, for better or for worse, he would soon be outside, and then, he would know what was what…

He took a deep breath.

The air was surprisingly temperate, considering how many Climbers were in that room. Frowning, he would even say that the air was somewhat lighter. Somewhat… He didn’t know exactly how to describe it. Only that maybe there was something more to it. That it was different somehow.

Is this the air from the outside? He suddenly wondered.

He inhaled deeply again.

Wow. That feels… Nice?

He closed his eyes and breathed.

Crystal. That’s something.

He opened his eyes again, and stared at the dim ceiling above him. It was all a massive light.

Light and color. His dad’s stories had been a source of comfort and motivation to keep him going forward, no matter what had been thrown at him on that Climb.

However, looking at that enormous light, he recalled the talk he had had with Rel, back when they walked amongst the Pressure columns.

He still didn’t know what he actually looked forward to in the outside world.

What was true light?

How many colors would there be?

Would he even be able to stare at such bright lights? See such vibrant colors? He had been born in the dark and in the dark he had lived his entire life. Would his eyes even be able to take in the sights and wonders that awaited him beyond that dark chasm?

He snorted quietly.

Was that even something to worry about? He could see in the dark for Crystal’s sake!

The System will do something… I’m sure of it. Something dumb like [Bright Sight] or something like that. Or maybe it will just go ahead and change my eyes, why not?

Yeah. The System would take care of it.

He just had to get there.

Once he left those doors, he would be a sinner no longer. He would be welcomed by the Crystal and the System. They would stop throwing things at him. Hating him. Pushing him towards death.

He would be free. Clean. Ready to start a new life.

But what sort of life would that be like?

Once he’d taken in the light and the color, then what?

Funny… I really never thought about it.

He inhaled deeply again.

Did it matter?

No… No, it doesn’t.

He sighed.

Anyways, we’re not out yet.

He crossed his legs and closed his eyes. He might as well use his [Meditation] to top up his external aura. The Climb was not over yet.

He held his hands. Then unclasped them. Then he moved them onto his knees.

Crystal. I never know what to do with them…

*********

He noticed the light getting brighter behind his closed eyelids, but he didn’t emerge from his [Meditation]. That gray bar needed to be filled, and he might as well take care of doing it as soon as possible.

He easily faded back into the almost blank state that he found himself in when he used his [Meditation], and time carried on.

When he felt himself raising up to consciousness again, a long time later, he opened his eyes to brightness and sharpness, and the sound of thousands filled his ears.

He looked around him, slowly, and noticed that he sat somewhat alone.

Of the two parties, only Kur, Cen, Row and Cor were around. Cen and Cor chatted away very animatedly, holding and comparing the lights at the tip of their staffs, and Kur and Row were similarly engrossed in their own conversation.

They were now somewhat surrounded by parties, meaning that more Climbers had continued to arrive.

He checked the timer.

A bit over a day left.

A party walked by, drawing his attention. Their clothes were torn and burned, and like themselves had, they carried an injured, passed out party member.

Nar looked back, towards the massive opening. Even now, crowds of Climbers continue to pour into the room.

I wonder if that thing is just going to close in someone’s face, when the timer runs out.

He shivered. The thought of that was devastating. Imagine! Coming all this way, only to be blocked at the last second. For some reason, he had no doubt believing, and even expecting, that that was actually going to happen to someone. Probably a lot of someones...

“Nar.”

He looked behind him and found Kur staring at him.

“All done?” he asked.

Nar nodded. He noticed that Row was staring at him with a strange intensity, and Kur also noticed.

“Knock it off,” he said, smiling. “No interrogating my people.”

“But he took so long! Just how much aura do you have, Nar?”

Nar shook his head. “Way too much.”

“Ugh… This is going to kill my brain!”

Kur chuckled. “Ignore her. The others are by the chasm, trading pointers.”

He looked over and sure enough, he found the bulk of two parties off by the chasm, where he and Rel had had their late-night stroll to.

Gad and Tun were off to one side, doing slow shield movements and pointing at each other. Rel and Tuk were engaged in a boisterous conversation with Jaz and Lim, and a bit to their side, Jul and Teb seemed to be talking as well. The last pair was Viy and Raf.

Nar frowned. Viy was twirling her spear around her at such speeds that it was just a ring of light around her. A few steps away from her, Raf was staring with his mouth wide open.

That’s a strange pairing…

“Show off,” Row said.

Kur sighed. “Give her a break. She’s been through a lot.”

“I know. I was just messing,” Row said. “I’m happy for her. Happy for all of you.”

The red-haired party leader looked at Nar.

“Actually, why don’t you go use the facilities, Nar? It would be nice to blast the Climb off of you. Everyone else has already gone.”

Kur nodded in agreement.

“Sure. That sounds like a good idea,” Nar said, standing up into a stretch.

“And don’t bother with those clothes,” Kur said. “No point in keeping them.”

Nar looked down at himself. Burns, cuts, rips. His gear barely looked purple anymore.

He twisted his nose at it. “Will do.”

“Want me to go with you?” Kur asked.

“Nah. I’ll be fine.”

“They’re just in rows on either side of the stairs. If you don’t know how to come back, just wait by the stairs and signal us.”

“Got it.”

Nar cast one last glance at the two parties and their friendly demonstrations.

In particular, Jul and Teb. The two of them probably had a lot in common regarding fighting styles, excepting that maybe Jul’s style was a bit sneakier and backstabbier…

But the fact she was there, talking, by herself? It swelled him such joy and pride he thought he might burst from it.

She looked so confident. She radiated such certainty. It was worth everything they had gone through just to see her like that.

That guy better behave though… Nar thought, frowning. The last time he’d seen the quam, he had been a downright ass.

With one last glare at the rude swordsman, he waved at Kur and Row, and waded backwards through the crowd of Climbers.

The atmosphere was light and filled with laughter. However, here and there, he spotted clusters of people who sat around in tight, quiet circles. He even caught a few, silent tears.

It wasn’t hard to guess what had happened to those parties. Not everybody had made it to the end.

The thought of it made him stop.

There were thousands upon thousands of Climbers there. And those were just the survivors.

How many had failed the tutorial? How many had been claimed by the Sentry boss? How many had perished on those bridges, or failed to cross the Pressure boundaries?

How many had found themselves on dead ends and broken paths, gone forever in the dark, into places as mysterious and as unknown as that strange circular chasm they had encountered?

How many had found themselves in the hands of cannibals?

How many cubeplants were there? How many workers? How many Climbers? Each and every year?

The immensity of the numbers and the sadness of the likely reality mixed together, and in that moment, he felt sad and a little bit lost.

Just how big was the Nexus? Just how far would he go, away from his dad and everything he had ever known?

Color and light and… What else?

Nar shook his head and started walking again.

You’re thinking too much. None of this really matters.

It was hard to convince himself of that though.

A few minutes later, he joined the queue for the toilet. It was slow moving, and there were hundreds of Climbers queuing to use the facilities. Bored, he soon lapsed back into depressing thoughts.

By the time he walked back towards their spot, hours later, he was in a weird mood despite the amazing blasting session and new clean gear.

Suddenly, sound blared from above.

His sword was out and in his hand before he even knew what was happening, and he wasn’t the only one with such a reaction. Climbers were in formations around him, weapons drawn and eyes nervously scanning their surroundings.

The sound faded away. The loud, background murmur was replaced by a whispering silence and interjecting shhhhs, and the light dimmed.

Nar, sword still in hand, quickly ran back towards his party.

What’s happening? It’s not time yet!

Someone pointed up and soon, everyone else around him was looking up too.

Nar followed their stares as he ran.

Holes had appeared in the ceiling, and thousands upon thousands of little black specks were flying out of them. At the same time, a bright white line spread from one side of the ceiling to the other, right where the room ended and the chasm began.

Is this happening right now? Crystal damn it!