Chương 237: Chapter 233 - Second Ascent (XXXVII)

Ayu exhaled slowly, rolling her shoulders before settling into her stance. She shifted her weight effortlessly, feeling the ground beneath her feet as if it were an extension of her body. She focused. Activating Overdrive, she pushed it to her usual limit—only to notice something strange. Her thoughts were sharper than they should be. Less resistance. Less strain on her mind and body. She felt… she could push further. She hesitated for an instant, remembering Alonso's warning. But her instincts whispered otherwise.

It would be fine. And so… she did. The world sharpened. The damp air felt denser, the scent of salt and stone crisp and distinct. Her own breathing as it echoed against the rock walls. The distant crash of waves reached her ears in sharp clarity, layered beneath the subtle rustle of wind filtering into the cave. Her pulse. She felt every beat, every surge of blood flowing through her veins. Fast, but not erratic. Strong. Controlled. She moved. A jab. A sharp crack rang out as her fist met the cave wall.

The shock traveled through her arm, but she barely felt it—her body absorbed the impact, flowing effortlessly into the next motion. An elbow strike followed—hard, precise. The rock dented. Her body moved without hesitation, her reflexes sharper than ever. She pushed forward. A knee strike. The impact sent a deep tremor through the stone, dust spilling from above. The force behind it was… different. Heavier. Deeper. She moved again, gauntlets slamming into the rock face in rapid succession—each blow effortless.

She could hear the subtle distortion in the air, the snap of pressure waves trailing behind her movements. Faster. She had never felt this fast before. Another strike. Another. The sound of stone cracking filled the cave, each impact sending vibrations up her arms. Then she stopped. Her breathing was steady. Pulse strong. A wide grin spread across her face. For a long moment, she just stood there, taking it in. She had always been attuned to her body, but this—this was something else. A voice broke the silence.

"…Incredible." Chiara's gaze was fixed on her, but it was distant—lost in thought. Ayu turned to her, still grinning.

"Something on your mind?" Chiara exhaled, finally blinking back into focus.

"How much Overdrive did you use just now?" Ayu tilted her head, then let out a small laugh.

"I don't know. I just felt like I could push further than before." Chiara didn't respond immediately. She stood there, silent, eyes narrowed slightly. Then, finally—"This improvement is beyond what I expected." Chiara lifted her wristband, pulling up the data she had recorded.

"Your movements just now… Ayu, you were damn fast. During some of those strikes, I recorded a faster reaction time than Alonso at his best." Ayu blinked. That was… surprising. She, more than anyone, knew how fast Alonso could get when he went all out. Chiara turned to her fully this time, voice calm but analytical.

"How does it compare to when Lukas links with you? When he enhances your physical parameters?" Ayu hummed, considering it.

"There are similarities, but it feels different. Not only is Lukas' enhancement weaker, but it also doesn't give me the same level of control over my body. His link sharpens my senses, improves my reaction time, and increases my speed—but it doesn't actually make me stronger." Chiara nodded, her brow furrowing slightly.

"That makes sense. Lukas can't directly increase your mass through the link, so pure strength shouldn't be affected. But now… I'm not certain of the exact value, but Ayu—you're significantly heavier than before. I'd estimate an increase of more than 40%." Ayu laughed.

"First time someone tells me I gained weight, and I don't feel bad about it." Chiara flicked her fingers, half-distracted.

"Well, yeah, I mean good weight." She tapped her thigh.

"Anyway, based on my readings, your reaction time improved by over 73%. Your mass has increased by at least 44%, maybe even 50%. That 70% figure is likely influenced by your ability to push Overdrive further now, so I'd estimate your actual overall physical improvement from reaching the First Body State to be somewhere between 45 and 50%. I'll need more data from the others to refine the values."

"I see. Makes me wonder how much stronger I could get after reaching the next state," Ayu said, staring at her hands. She barely felt any pain from striking the rock, even if she had the gauntlets.

"But where does this strength come from, Chiara? Stage Progress hasn't increased, so… where is this weight gained from?"

"Good question. And the best answer I can give you is—from the Pillar itself," Chiara said, shifting slightly.

"You see, Ayu, in physics, there's something called mass-energy equivalence. Matter and energy are, in a way, interchangeable. The most well-known example is Einstein's famous equation. It tells us that energy can be converted into mass and vice versa. It's how stars burn, how nuclear reactions work. The problem is, in nature, converting energy into stable mass is incredibly inefficient and usually requires extreme conditions—think high-energy particle collisions or the cores of stars."

Ayu frowned slightly, absorbing the information. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Now, what you're doing," Chiara continued, "when you strike your cells with those microcurrents, you're introducing energy directly into your body—but not just any energy, energy coming from the Pillar. The key question is: how much of that energy is absorbed, and how much is wasted as heat? If your new cells are capturing even a fraction of that energy efficiently, they're growing denser, more resilient. In essence… they're carrying more mass." Ayu flexed her fingers.

"…So I'm literally making myself heavier just by training on the Body Path?"

"In a way, yes," Chiara nodded.

"Done over long hours, through thousands of pulses, combined with the superhuman regeneration we possess… this could be the reason behind your increase in weight and strength." She paused, then added, "That said, this explanation raises just as many questions. For instance, where does the Pillar get its energy? Is it drawing from the environment, or does it have a fixed supply? Did The Tower give us these Pillars with an unknown, incredibly vast, but finite energy reserve, and we're just gradually using it up? Or…

is the Pillar a gateway, linked to some external energy source?" Chiara's fingers tapped idly against her thigh.

"And what type of energy is it, exactly? Just electromagnetic? If so, how can it be localized—how can it be this strong? And more importantly, how does the force generated from the Pillar seem to violate Newton's third law? Where's the reaction force? Are our minds—the bare tissue of our brains—somehow moving hundreds of kilograms through the air? That's impossible. It has to be the Pillar. But where? How?" She exhaled, shaking her head slightly.

"There are too many unknowns, Ayu…" Then, she smiled, her gaze flickering with excitement.

"But we're slowly getting there. Maybe, as we climb, things will become clearer." She chuckled.

"Or maybe… we'll just end up with a whole new set of questions."

"Sounds fun," Ayu grinned.

"I'm not into the science stuff, but… I am curious. About The Tower. Its purpose. What lies ahead. And I know the journey will be long, brutal, painful. But…" she looked at Chiara, her smile pure, refreshing, "let's reach the peak together. Promise?"

"A promise?"

"Yes. To reach the top. I made that promise with Alonso, but I'd like to make one with you too." Chiara was quiet for a moment before nodding, a small smile tugging at her lips.

"Alright. Each of us with our own opposite paths—you, the body, and I, the mind… let's take them to the extreme. Let's reach the top, Ayu." The Tower, Tier 2, Stage 1, Oasis"Would you like to climb with us?" Pablo froze, unsure if he had heard correctly. Didn't she just reject his request to join? But he managed to snap out of it. Even if he didn't fully understand, if this was a path toward his goal, there was only one answer.

"Yes."

"Good. That will be my last question for you today, Pablo." Leonie smiled.

"And just to be clear—you won't be joining The Shadows as a member. You'll be my personal guest." Pablo's eyes widened. A guest? Him? Before he could respond, footsteps sounded behind him. A man entered, his face obscured by the signature black cloak.

"This is Henry. He'll brief you on everything you need to know. I'll call for you if I have further need of you." Leonie paused, then offered a slight nod.

"Nice meeting you, Pablo." The sudden turn of events left him scrambling to process everything, but he dared not linger. He stood, gave a small, respectful bow.

"Thanks." Then, without another word, he followed Henry outside. The man walked in silence, much like the one who had escorted him earlier, but Pablo could tell from his height and build that he was someone else. As they moved through the settlement, Pablo observed the refined wooden structures that made up The Shadows' settlement. He liked it—quiet, peaceful, clean—nothing like the barbaric, bloody environment of the rest of the Oasis. Soon, Henry stopped.

Before them stood a small tent—simple yet well-constructed. Its frame was reinforced with smooth wooden beams, the entrance covered by thick, woven fabric. Though modest, it was clearly built with practicality as its main focus.

"This is where you'll be sleeping," Henry said, his voice neutral.

"For food and water, there's a designated storage area near the main hall—rations are replenished daily. You're free to eat when you need, but don't waste resources. Bathing areas are to the west, limited to fifteen minutes per use." He paused briefly before continuing.

"You're free to roam the common areas, but don't disturb others. Do not enter private quarters or restricted meeting areas unless explicitly invited. If you need anything, speak to one of the designated attendants. And if you choose to leave the camp, that's your decision—but if you plan to exit the Oasis itself, you must inform someone first." Suddenly, without warning, a series of images flickered through Pablo's mind.

He tensed, momentarily disoriented as the visuals took shape—simple instructions, patterns, and sequences. Nothing overwhelming, but the experience itself was unsettling. He wasn't used to his brain suddenly translating waves into images. Henry didn't acknowledge his reaction.

"Those were the instructions for communication using electromagnetic waves instead of voice. You're expected to master it as soon as possible—everyone here uses it. We value discretion." Pablo nodded slowly, but his mind kept replaying the visuals. He knew his enhanced brain retained information easily, so he wouldn't forget it, but… the experience still lingered, unsettling in its suddenness. Henry regarded him for a moment before asking, "How many human orbs have you absorbed so far?" Human orbs? Oh…

"None." Henry didn't react. He reached into his waist pouch and handed Pablo a small bag.

"There are seven inside. You must absorb them yourself. Under no circumstances can you give them to others. That's all." Without another word, he turned and left. Pablo stared at the bag. It was light, yet it felt heavy in his hands. Seven orbs. Seven lives. Even knowing—hoping—that those people had returned to Earth, safe… something twisted in his stomach. He glanced around. The settlement moved on as if nothing had happened. A few figures passed nearby, their cloaks blending into the surroundings.

No one spared him a glance. He exhaled and stepped inside the tent. The interior was simple but well-kept. A woven mat, likely made from dried grass or palm fronds, covered the ground. Against one side rested a basic cot with a thick blanket, possibly layered plant fibers or softened hide. A small wooden crate served as storage. Against the far wall, a few water flasks were stacked neatly. Pablo was surprised—he had expected something more plain, yet it felt… almost cozy.

He decided to sit on the woven mat instead of the cot, not wanting to dirty the bed with his pants. He really needed a bath first. His gaze drifted to the bag of orbs. He knew what came next. The black residue would follow—better to deal with it now than after cleaning himself. Yet, as his hand reached for the bag, it hesitated. How did seven people die? In the arena? Did they suffer? And Leonie… She had called herself Alpha. Was that a rank? A title? Alpha was the first letter in the Greek alphabet.

Her tent was apart from the others, well-decorated, positioned right in front of the lake. Even Madelaine—an official high enough to take command from Captain Goodfred back at Sugarloaf—had deferred to her. Was she the leader of The Shadows? Not what he had expected from the leader of the strongest faction in a place as ruthless as the Oasis—certainly not a young, refined woman. Yet… she wasn't normal, either. Far from it. There was something undeniable about her presence.

Pablo leaned back against the wooden poles of the tent, exhaling. It had been a long day, even though the sun had barely risen. He could use a break. But before that… His eyes fell back to the bag. He had chosen his path. There was no turning back now.