A resounding boom echoed into the silence as an enormous and ancient door sealed shut. It was the first time the door had ever been disturbed.
The silhouette responsible for such a feat limped its way forward into a vast room.
Iridescent markings and glyphs covered the pitch-black walls and ceiling, while the floor below was hidden underneath a film of wispy shadows.
Other than the meager light radiating from the engravings, the only source of illumination in the room was located in the center. From the floor, a giant column of light shot upwards, piercing the ceiling, and traveling forever onward.
The silhouette, eventually taking the form of a middle-aged man, limped toward the blinding column.
Loose in his hand hung a shattered sword, while his armor, made of unique scales, was chipped and tattered. From head to toe, fresh wounds oozed profusely, leaving a bloody trail in his wake.
It was as if he were the lone survivor of some great calamity.
The most haunting aspect of his image wasn’t his war-torn body. It was the desolation in his faded eyes, which only enriched the sorrow laced shadows etched across his face.
What was supposed to be a short walk to the center of the room, took a pitifully large amount of time. Despite his failing body, the man eventually found himself standing before the column of light.
An omnipotent and deep voice disturbed the silence.
“I did not expect anyone to pass the tower’s trials so soon… let alone two people.”
The air vibrated with energy and a humanoid entity took shape within the column of light. Its body was ethereal with blue and white energies flowing within.
Two people?
The man froze. His heartbeat quickened and his eyes regained some lost color before tearing up.
“She’s…alive?”
He crashed to his knees in exhaustion, gazing upward at the towering entity.
“Barely. Although she’s on her last breath, it still counts as a clear.”
The deep voice rumbled through the unstable man’s heart like an earthquake. The entity continued speaking.
“I am this tower’s sentinel. Congratulations brave adventurer, for completing the tower’s trials you- “
“Where is she? C-Can I see her?!”
The sentinel was quickly interrupted by the man, who had gained newfound hope.
“…”
The sentinel paused for a moment.
It was unknown whether it was in deep thought, or perhaps angered by the interruption. Just as an uneasy feeling crept along the man’s spine, the sentinel spoke once again.
“Each person enters their own instance of this room…alone. This is to prevent unnecessary distractions and to give individuals the respect of privacy for their decisions.”
The man settled his gaze onto the floor, lost in thought. A faraway look consumed him as the sentinel continued its prior explanation.
“For completing all trials of the tower, you may choose to ascend into the upper realm, or enter the cycle of reincarnation. If you are undecided, you may delay your choice and come back another day.”
The man’s eyes once again flicked upwards.
“Upper realm?”
“Choosing ascension will result in your memories being removed or compacted, excluding those pertaining to skills and significant events that have taken place before and within the tower. Additionally, if you are over the age of 22 then your age and body will be reverted back to 22 with all ailments cured.”
The man frowned in thought and replied.
“So, it’s like pursuing a higher sky.”
“The vastness of the upper realm is incomprehensible at your level.”
The sentinel’s body twisted with energy. Although it was without a face, its bearing almost seemed condescending.
“Then what about reincarnation? Why would anyone choose that?”
“Should you choose reincarnation then you will be granted a wish, which will carry over into your next life. However, doing so will increase the difficulty of the tower trials. Additionally, you will reincarnate with your memories intact.”
The man’s eyes glimmered.
“What kind of wishes may be granted?”
“That will depend on what you wish for. Some wishes will need compensation in order to maintain balance. While the base wish is your reward for completing the tower, nothing is without a price.”
“In that case, I choose to make a wish. I wish to always be able to find my partner after I’ve been reincarnated.”
The man voiced his desires with resolution.
The sentinel’s eyes dimmed. Once again, its thoughts were hidden within its immaterial body. After a few breaths, its eyes flashed.
“This wish will require compensation. Additionally, you will need to obtain permission from the individual before this wish can be granted.”
The man cast his gaze down toward the blinding white column in the center.
“I have nothing to compensate you with…”
He murmured. Suddenly, his eyes lit up.
“You said I would be reincarnated with my memories? If my memories were to be sealed, then…perhaps…will that be enough compensation?”
The sentinel’s body churned and pulsed a flashing light.
“It is enough. Your memories would be sealed upon reincarnation, only unlocking after enough time passes or achieving unique conditions. This eliminates your core advantage as a reincarnate. Are you sure?”
The man sighed in relief.
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“I am sure. I choose that as my wish. Please ask her if this is okay.”
He smiled inwardly as he already knew what her answer would be.
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Meanwhile, at the entrance of a similar room, a woman lay in a pool of her own blood. The light in her eyes faded further away with each shallow breath.
Despite her failing body, her lips formed a content smile.
In front of the woman stood the same humanoid entity that spoke with the man. It looked down at her, expecting an answer.
The woman struggled her head upward and made a small nodding gesture.
“Then it shall be done. Although that is his wish. Do you intend to make a wish or ascend to the upper realm?”
The sentinel’s voice boomed as it continued to gaze down at her, uncaring about her condition.
“Wish…”
The woman barely managed an audible whisper.
“Then what is it that you shall wish for?”
The sentinel waited patiently as the woman’s labored lungs fought against fate.
“Never…forget…him.”
By the time she completed the third word, the dim light in her eyes disappeared forever.
“Your wish will be granted, good luck.”
The sentinel’s words hung in the air as it dematerialized into nothingness.
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Hundreds of years later, a middle-aged man walked through the lonely ancient doors. A smile hung on his face and his stride exuded confidence.
He approached the column of light in the center of the room and the sentinel materialized once more.
“It’s you again.”
The sentinel’s resounding voice rumbled through the chamber.
“Congratulations. Choose once more. Would you like to ascend to a higher sky? Or make a wish and undergo reincarnation.”
The man’s smile vanished, his expression now solemn. He looked directly at the sentinel’s face, unfazed by the eerie, pitch-black vortexes that acted as eyes.
“The tower’s trials were difficult, more difficult than I was prepared for. My wife and I, we struggled greatly and only succeeded through impeccable teamwork.”
The man’s heartbeat quickened; hesitation set in.
“There were times I thought I had lost her. There were times I thought to be my end. However, the memories we made, the experiences we shared, all of them are irreplaceable. We wish to do it again—to pursue reincarnation and adventure together once more.”
His eyes shined with a radiance that matched the sun. His confidence was restored. He could feel it deep within, this time would be different.
“Very well, what is your wish.”
“I wish for more strength.”
“Your wish will be granted, good luck.”
The sentinel nodded in response before dematerializing.
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Thousands of years later, a broken man collapsed onto his knees before the sentinel. Tears stained his face as he clenched his fists.
“Strength…I wish for more strength.”
It was no more than a murmur under his breath. Immune to the man’s sentiments, the sentinel shook its head in response.
“Your wish may not be granted as you have already achieved the maximum natural strength stat.”
“Please…I couldn’t save her. I need more power.”
This was not the third, or even the fourth time that the man entered the ascension room.
And now, the man reincarnated and completed the tower’s trials so many times that he could no longer increase his strength stat. However, despite having maximum strength, the increased difficulty of the tower still bared its fangs.
He gazed vacantly at the floor.
What could he do without more strength? Was their adventure to end here? Were they fated to ascend to the upper realms separately?
This wasn’t the first time he couldn’t save her either. Most iterations he would enter the ascension room with confidence, but other times, such as now, he would enter as an empty husk of his previous glory.
Although it happened rarely, it was clear when his beloved failed to endure the tower’s trials till the end.
Over the years he learned a quirk about the tower. Should an individual die within the tower, their soul would return to their home world and experience reincarnation, but there was a catch.
No one who reincarnated after death would know about their past selves. Only those who had completed the tower’s trials at least once and chose rebirth could retain their memories.
Although the man’s lover died prematurely, she would still keep her memories in her next life since she had already completed the tower in a past life.
However, an adventure filled with turmoil and grief was not what he envisioned. Each time he witnessed her death was like taking his sanity and tossing it into a pot of hellfire.
“If I can’t wish for more strength… then can you increase the rest of my stats evenly?”
His logic was simple. He didn’t know the answer to success, but he knew that it wasn’t additional strength. Therefore, he decided to guess blindly and increase his overall foundation.
“Your wish will be granted, good luck.”
A simple, yet familiar, response.
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Tens of thousands of years later, a younger man stood in front of the sentinel. With each passing reincarnation, he was able to increase the speed at which he challenged the tower.
“Your wish may not be granted as… you have already achieved the maximum base stats.”
For some reason the sentinel’s tone seemed odd, and its usual swirling vortexes for eyes were stagnant—however only briefly.
The man’s eyebrows narrowed. He pondered.
“I know there are hidden stats. Am I able to wish for those to be increased?”
The sentinel’s body glowed with warm energy. It nodded in response.
“I want to wish for maximum mental acuity. I once had a theory. Is it possible to think so fast that time slows to a crawl? Perhaps I could also wish for increased charm, perhaps she would like that.”
Mental acuity was a hidden stat that increased the speed at which someone could process information. At the same time, charm was an innate stat that was provided at birth. The amount of people who knew about these hidden stats could easily be counted on one hand.
Although there were natural ways to train one’s mental acuity or charm, they were extraordinarily slow with minimal effect. Sadly, it was the same for every hidden stat.
“This wish is too great…it will require additional compensation.”
“Hmm, I don’t need my character sheet anymore. How about you remove my ability to see it? Is that enough?”
Whenever an adventurer entered the tower for the first time, they would be given a token. When activated, the token would reveal the adventurer’s current trial as well as their attribute numbers.
The sentinel pulsed with energy and grew still, its mysterious eyes spinning rapidly. It was almost as if it were calculating.
“Your wish shall be granted. Your attributes will no longer be available, good luck.”
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Over the years, both the man and woman repeatedly challenged the tower’s trials. With every reincarnation, they adventured and created legends together.
Reality shattering tales and mind-boggling feats of strength were easily achieved. By the end each cycle, their age and appearance grew younger, more beautiful, more perfect. With every wish they improved their vast arsenal of skills, while the man maximized every hidden stat he could.
An untold number of years later, a young man in his mid-20’s walked into the ascension room. His hands were clasped behind his back and his extraordinarily handsome face held traces of amusement.
A resounding voice echoed out.
“You’re here again.”
The sentinel appeared before the man.
“I shall give you the options. You may choose to ascend into the upper realm, or you may choose reincarnation.”
The man, seemingly lost in thought, looked off into the distance as the sentinel continued to speak.
“You have acquired maximum primary stats and discovered the secret on the hidden floor. Should you choose ascension, you may choose to forgo these stats and ascend with mediocrity. In return, you will be given the opportunity to surpass your limits in the upper realm.”
The young man wasn’t surprised at this new option, as this was not the first time hearing it.
Many reincarnations ago, the man came across a hidden floor within the tower. Afterwards, the sentinel unveiled the hidden option every time he returned to the ascension room.
Just as the man was about to reply, the sentinel’s voice continued to resonate outward.
“Since you have completed the tower’s trials so many times, this will be your last reincarnation should you choose it.”
A blue fire kindled in the depths of the sentinel’s eyes.
“The trials increase in difficulty with every reincarnation. Your next reincarnation cycle will set the tower to its absolute maximum difficulty. In essence, you will not be able to reincarnate again on your next completion and will be forced to ascend.”
The man processed the information with shocked eyes. After some thought, he replied.
“The last time huh? Then…what can I do to help her find the hidden floor?”
He wanted his beloved to ascend with the same opportunity.
“There is nothing you can do to help her. Only an immense amount of luck will allow someone to find the hidden floor.”
The man raised his eyebrows before giving his final answer.
“Then I choose reincarnation, one last time.”
“Your wish?”
The sentinel responded, unfazed by the man’s decision.
“I wish to max out her luck stat.”
The hidden stat, luck, was an ephemeral concept, but over the many cycles of reincarnation the man had maxed it out long ago along with everything else. However, this was not the case for his wife, as she, although rarely, experienced death and was a few wishes behind.
“This wish will require significant compensation-“
“I will sacrifice my own luck.”
The man confidently gazed upward at the sentinel. He watched its eyes swirl wondrously, possibly performing its exquisite calculations for him a final time.
“For every two points of luck that you lose, she will gain one. Are you certain that you wish to max out her luck?”
“Of course I am. Replace my luck with maximum misfortune if you must—but allow her to have maximum luck instead.”
The dim light from the surrounding glyphs fluctuated for the briefest of moments before the sentinel responded.
“Your wish shall be granted, good… luck.”