Chương 371: Chapter 361 - 77 Years Ago

Leonie reclined back in her chair, studying her brother's expression and giving him space to process everything. She watched him rub his lips with his thumb, a habit he had somehow kept even after all this time. She knew exactly what it meant. He was thinking deeply. So… they all live. That's… that's good. A deep wave of relief washed through him, like a nightmare that had clawed at him for the past week had finally taken its last step… and faded. He was glad. Very glad for them. They deserved to rest now.

They really did. As for him though… He raised his gaze and stared at his sister.

"This… is a lot to take in," he said.

"However, while I can't speak for the others, my choice is clear." He paused.

"The two people I love are here in The Tower. My friends are here. And… it's strange, but this place has become my life now, cruel as it is. And while I'd like to say I'm doing it for humanity… the truth is, my world is a bit smaller than that." He gave a faint, honest smile.

"You choose to fight. And I'm 100% sure, knowing Chiara, she'll want to keep going. Which means… so will I." Leonie smiled. It wasn't the reasoning she expected, but it was the answer she knew would come.

"I feel a bit jealous now that I'm not your only one." Lukas gave a quiet snort, the corner of his mouth lifting. The heaviness in his eyes didn't fade, but the warmth toward her was real.

"So… will you now tell me all about this 'secret' organisation of yours, or was that just bait?"

"Bait? For a decision like this? Come on, Lukas. I may be like that with others, but you are still my only family left," she said, grinning despite the flicker of something deeper in her eyes. Lukas smiled, but didn't comment. He knew Leonie too well. Her reputation often spoke louder than she did, and yet… with him she dropped the armour.

"Alright then. Where to start…" Leonie adjusted her posture and settled back into the chair.

"Let's jump back 77 years ago." Lukas raised a brow. That was certainly one way to open a story.

"Not long after the Second World War ended, something unexpected happened," Leonie continued.

"Several key figures around the world vanished from one day to the next. Scientists, officers, political strategists. People with influence and skill. The disappearances happened during a period of global instability, with the Cold War beginning to heat up. Governments dismissed the whole thing as kidnappings, assassinations or quiet defections. No one realised there was a pattern." She paused and looked at him.

"Can you guess how many were taken and where they ended up?" Lukas narrowed his eyes.

"Seven? The Tower."

"Yes." Leonie nodded.

"Seven humans. They found themselves in a foreign place with no explanation. And there, they were forced into trials. Similar to our white rooms, but not quite the same. When they completed them, they received a message.

'Trial Completed. Invitation acquired. The Tower will appear in 77 years. Be ready.'" Lukas felt his eyes widen. The information raised a storm of questions in his head, but he remained quiet.

"These seven reached a Stage Progress of 1% during their trials," she said.

"It may sound small to us now, but compared to the rest of humanity it was a massive advantage. They returned with early forms of EM control, cleaner biology, enhanced bodies, photographic memory and improved cognition." She let that settle between them before continuing.

"So there they were. Seven gifted individuals carrying abilities no human had ever possessed. Everything felt surreal and strange. Yet the abilities were real, which meant the threat behind the message was real as well. And these seven were not just random people. They were extremely talented and very well positioned. Some were even enemies, caught on opposite ends of the Cold War. Yet, in spite of everything, they made a choice." Lukas leaned forward slightly.

"They chose to stand for humanity," Leonie said, her voice low.

"They hid, made contact with each other in secret, and eventually formed an alliance. Or at least six of them did. The seventh… was killed. Internal conflict. It is not the most relevant detail." She continued after a brief pause.

"Now, imagine they went public back then. Imagine telling the world that an alien entity had tested them, granted powers, and promised to return in 77 years. The world was already fractured. Nuclear tension was rising. Countries were seconds away from new wars. If they revealed the truth, civilisation would have imploded long before The Tower ever arrived." Her tone hardened.

"So they prepared in the shadows. They used their intelligence and new abilities to accelerate technological progress without drawing attention. At first they nudged research quietly. A breakthrough here, an anonymous paper there. Soon they began recruiting trusted scientists using their private networks. They built laboratories no one knew existed. They developed tools and theories that were decades ahead of the outside world." Lukas listened closely, his expression tight and thoughtful.

"Over time they widened their recruitment beyond science," Leonie said.

"They selected people with potential. Athletes. Strategists. Martial artists. People with rare skill sets. Using early advanced bio-engineering and AI systems that would not appear publicly for another thirty years, they trained a new kind of human. Warriors capable of acting as champions when The Tower returned. They believed they would be the ones to choose who entered after all." She leaned back again and looked at him.

"They cured cancer before the seventies. They learned how to slow and eventually reverse aging, capable of bringing people back to their prime in a blink, practically cheating death. They discovered how to optimise the human body far beyond natural limits. They even built crude methods to mimic EM perception using nanomachines embedded into the human brain." If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. Her fingers tapped lightly against the armrest.

"And when their work demanded resources the world could not openly provide… the billionaire class was the easiest to persuade. Most of them barely needed convincing. Access to miracles tends to change priorities. Their support poured in, willingly, and in return their influence rose to absurd heights. Some became the financial backbone of the entire hidden project, shaping economies from the shadows while thinking they were simply buying themselves a place in the future." Her voice softened slightly.

"All of it hidden. All of it kept away from the world. And all of it done for one purpose. To prepare a generation of champions who would face The Tower when the seventy-seven years were up." She fell quiet for a moment.

"Eventually the time came, though it did not happen exactly as they had expected. Seventy-seven days before the fateful day, the whole world received a notice, as in a signal sent from far away. One your girlfriend probably told you about, since she was there in one of the first places to detect it." Lukas nodded.

"The message announced the arrival of The Tower to all, though it said little more than that. However, when the time finally came, instead of playing their games, The Tower chose one million humans at random for its trials. And funnily enough, not a single one of their trained seeds was chosen. Furthermore, the age limit between twenty and forty meant many candidates who had been training for decades and preparing, like the original seven themselves, were not, and probably could not be, chosen." Lukas frowned.

"So this seven… well, six now, if they held key positions in 1947… then what, are they all more than a hundred years old?"

"Yes. Though it is unclear how many remain alive. Not because they cannot. Even at 1% Stage Progress they could easily live well over a hundred years, not that they needed it with the technology they developed. But the truth is… no one outside their circle really knows. Right now, we call them Gen-Zero. A fitting name for the founders of everything that came after." She exhaled slowly.

"I actually met one of them. The one who told me everything I am telling you now. A Russian man who does not look a day older than sixty, who goes by the name of Viktor." Lukas rubbed his chin.

"So… what happened next?"

"They had to adapt," she said.

"Once they realised The Tower chose at random and not from their carefully trained seeds, they understood their old plan was useless, or at least partially so. So they changed it." She shifted her weight, her eyes sharpening.

"They stopped trying to hide. They did not step into the spotlight either, but they loosened the veil. And then they started releasing their technology to the world. Virtual Reality, advanced AI networks, global monitoring systems, mass-recruitment structures… all of it. They took control of the world from one day to the next, and now they shape the entire narrative that pushes humanity to overcome The Tower." She paused for a moment.

"And they are still growing. Processing returnees is a massive undertaking. If it is done wrong, the world collapses. If it is done right, every returnee becomes data, insight, technology, a template for the next generation. They study each one of us, and they improve their systems with every case. Right now… I am certain they are far ahead of where they were when I left." Lukas let out a slow breath.

"Not sure if I should feel relieved or terrified about all this. These people… do they really mean well for humanity? How can you tell they are not working for The Tower itself?" Leonie gave a short laugh.

"Working for The Tower? You do understand what The Tower represents… or at least the fraction of it we have seen. Any entity aligned with it would be a god to us. It would not need to hide behind subtle schemes. It could do whatever it wished." Her eyes sharpened.

"That misconception is common. They frame it like a war of worlds or civilizations… but it is not. The power imbalance is far too large for that. The Tower does not need agents here, nor intermediaries. And… I truly believe Gen-Zero was chosen for a reason. Those seven selections were not random. They were made in a way that could lead to this moment. To a fighting chance. Or rather… a chance to climb The Tower at all." Lukas leaned back in his chair.

"So… you were drafted by them. When did that happen?" Leonie's grin widened.

"It would be fun to tell you I was undercover for years, waiting for the perfect moment to reveal my brilliance. Sadly, they took their sweet time to notice my talents. I was contacted shortly after your disappearance, since I'm your only relative. A few days later an official came to my door and made me the offer." She lifted a shoulder, amused at the memory.

"I hesitated at first, but their resources and methods were… persuasive. After that I went through several aptitude tests. Apparently I showed great promise because they skipped all the lower ranks and made me the highest class of non-Climber seed available. A purple candidate. They trained me for two months before the Second Ascent." Lukas frowned.

"This training… what exactly is it? Combat classes? That nanomachine that mimics EM control?"

"A bit of everything. And no, they did not start by implanting anything in my brain. They used full-immersion VR. We learned basic EM manipulation to get a head start. They drilled martial combat into us, mostly focused on a sword, an exact copy of the one The Tower provided. We fought against every creature recorded in the visuals and against each other." She tapped her fingers lightly on the armrest.

"They also bio-engineered us to optimise metabolism and physical aptitude, though I suspect most of that is pointless now compared to what actual Climbers become. And speaking of things that turned irrelevant… they created a technique that mimics a weaker version of the First Pillar and Body State." Lukas nodded thoughtfully. The description reminded him of the early method Chiara had crafted before they unlocked the real States. Perhaps it came from the same line of thinking.

"I can see how that would give a head start," he said.

"But eventually… it can only push you so far, right?" Leonie nodded.

"Exactly. At the end, everything still depends on the individual. Which reminds me that it is my time to ask questions. A bit boring being on this side the whole time. So, tell me about you and the other five. What mutations do you have? How strong are you? How did you pass the last stage?"

"Mutations… yes. Well, we call them Awakenings, but the idea is the same. As for how strong…" Lukas let out a slow breath.

"That is difficult to answer. It depends on the reference point."

"Fair enough. What about how many are in the Third Extreme State? How did you defeat the Overseers? Do you have a talent in all three paths?" she asked. A flicker of expectation crossed her eyes. She was curious, but it was more than just curiosity. These answers mattered. They mattered a lot.

"You really are throwing back all I asked," Lukas muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Well… about the Third State, I think right now… we all are?" Leonie blinked. Her jaw loosened, a rare crack in her composure.

"You… you six are?" Lukas nodded.

"Yes. I mean, with 30% Stage Progress and seven days here in the…"

"What!? How do you have 30% Stage Progress? That cannot be… we…"

"Oh," Lukas said quietly, realising something.

"You did not defeat the seven-tails?" Leonie went still. A full second passed in silence before she spoke, voice barely above a whisper.

"And… you did?"

"Yes." Leonie's shoulders tightened. For a moment she felt weightless, as if something she had been holding onto collapsed under her. Had they misread the prophecy? Had fear blinded them? Was it not a trap but a challenge? But, she had felt it back then. Felt death waiting if they fought it. And now her brother and five others… had defeated it? Her training, her preparation, her pride in being chosen… all of it felt suddenly like a joke. Her hand trembled. She forced it still.

"Lukas… this seven-tails… you really defeated it? How?" Lukas inhaled slowly as the dark memories stirred. He exhaled.

"The bastard was strong. Too strong. It felt like something we were never meant to face. Doom itself, just like the prophecy said. An unwinnable fight. We should have really all died there. But… we didn't." He paused, eyes shadowed, though something faintly proud flickered beneath.

"Because we also have someone whose power defies sense." He held her gaze.

"You want to know how strong we are, sister? Then perhaps… you should meet him."

"Meet who?" she asked, though the answer was already forming in her mind. Lukas rose from his seat.

"The man who killed the seven-tail god."