Chương 428: Chapter 416 - Acknowledged by The Tower

Alonso remained still as he processed the many prompts unfolding within his mind. When the fight ended, he had felt nothing but defiance toward this world, and by extension toward The Tower itself. But now… now he didn't quite know how to feel. For one thing, it was a huge shock. The implications of those prompts stretched far beyond the words themselves, hinting at what The Tower might truly be, what it expected of them, and the long road that lay ahead. It was simply… a lot.

The confirmation that others existed out there. Other civilizations undergoing The Tower's trials just as they were. And the quiet realization that sooner or later… they would be forced to face each other. Yet the prompts revealed something else as well. Despite crushing the world around him and forcing him through trial after trial, The Tower had now acknowledged his path. And that… struck deeper than he expected. Recognition from something so cold, so plain, so utterly ruthless.

An entity that had never wasted words on him before, now offering something close to respect for the road he had carved through blood and struggle. It felt… nice. Even if he didn't need approval from anyone. Even if his path would remain unchanged regardless of what The Tower thought about it. In the quiet that followed everything that had just happened… he still appreciated it. It was a strange kind of feeling. Something that pushed him toward death at every step…

and yet also granted him the strength and purpose to keep walking forward. He found himself smiling slightly despite the pain still lingering through his body. That same pain soon drew his gaze toward where the Fen Champion had fallen, and he reached for one of the seven red orbs that lay amidst the vast loot. Stage 1 – 42. 084% ➤ 42. 342% Fatigue melted away as the energy flowed through him. His battered body steadied, and what remained standing was his full self again, now stronger than he had ever been… by far.

The combination of the Grade 7 Title and the Contender rank compensations had raised his attributes to the point where they nearly bridged the difference between States. The increase was additive and interacted with his equipment rather than multiplying his base power the way a new State would… but even so, the gap had shrunk dramatically. Still, what truly captured his attention was the change in his Will.

Even without considering the conditional bonus from " More Than the Sum of Parts," or his Relic, his accumulated benefits were currently doubling his Power of Will. A full, 100% boost. And then there was the " +49% Resistance to all detrimental effects," something he valued almost as much as the increase to his Will. The memory of the hag surfaced briefly. The curse from Maerwyn. The countless afflictions and debilitations he had endured across the recent Dungeon runs. After everything he had experienced…

that single line of protection felt almost as valuable as raw power itself. Then there was the new attribute: Authority. The percentage was tiny compared to the rest, seventy times smaller actually, which made it feel both meaningless and strangely significant at the same time. Whatever it was… it had the weight of something important. He wondered if it tied somehow to that quiet control he could now feel over the battlefield after reaching his new Combat Realm. Right now he had no real way to measure it.

Without a reference, the number was just a number. Still, he felt certain that as he kept climbing… the meaning behind it would reveal itself sooner rather than later. As for the drawbacks of his new Rank… it was a lot to take in. Some parts barely bothered him. Death being final, for example, changed little in his eyes. The requirement to create his own Skills felt much the same. That had already been the road he walked. Other parts, though… those made him stop for a second.

The fact, for instance, that he had to design his own Fourth State, effectively branching in that aspect too from the given path, was something he had never envisioned, or even considered. Sure, his approach was different, but ultimately this whole search for his Fourth Combat Realm had always carried the same hope… that it could serve as the foundation for the next defined Fusion State, just as he had done three times before. And yet now… he had to create his own. He let that thought sit for a moment.

Then a small smile crept in. Maybe that wasn't such a bad thing. Maybe it wasn't actually a detriment, but The Tower showing him that his path could extend beyond ideas and Skills, and reach even into the structure of the States themselves. It was… enlightening in a way, and showed him that despite what others may have thought, it was now blatantly obvious that The Tower wanted you to tread your own road, not simply follow the one it gave you. All in all, his approach wouldn't really change.

Sure, he needed a new State, a unique one that suited him, and he had no idea how to do it, but one thing remained clear: he would definitely use his Fourth Combat Realm as the foundation for it. If before it had been a matter of hope… now it was the way. He would make it happen. As for the other limitation, the fact he couldn't grind more Titles below Grade 7 felt like a real wall ahead, meaning he now needed feats on a whole new level compared to what he had done so far.

And with The Tower openly stating the difficulty would be ramped up just for him, it was clear the chances to achieve those feats wouldn't be lacking… as long as he lived to tell the story. Still, it had thrown some great benefits at the end to balance things out, so he wasn't about to complain. In fact, he welcomed it, even if it smelled a bit like The Tower enjoying its own twisted version of the candy and stick method. And finally… there was the elephant in the room. The benefits of being a Contender.

Starting with that Unique Title he had just received: Wielder of the Stellar Expanse. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. He liked it. It sounded cool and hinted both at his Will Manifest and the very essence of his path. Which, given what the prompts had said at the start, felt like one of the reasons he had become a Contender in the first place… achieving a path solid and strong enough to be acknowledged by The Tower itself.

That probably meant the other Contenders out there might be similar to him… Climbers who had forged their own road and proven it worthy enough. In a way, it also tempered his arrogance a little. Maybe he stood as the strongest of humanity, its sole Contender, yet in the vast scheme of whatever The Tower truly encompassed… he was now simply another Contender. One among who knew how many others scattered across its instances… and perhaps one among many who would one day be forced to face each other in battle.

As for the rest of the benefits… what to say. It was clear he had been upgraded somehow. Maybe in capabilities, maybe in authority, maybe in something closer to admin rights… whatever the right word was, he was different now. Plainly put, in the eyes of The Tower he no longer stood on the same level as everyone else. Sure, most of those perks wouldn't really help his climb directly, aside from the first and the last… and maybe the additional rewards tied to defeating other Contenders.

Still, they made him feel more… recognised. Almost like gaining some sort of 'citizenship' inside The Tower itself. Voting rights, special permissions, little advantages that could benefit his home civilization. For starters, he now had a view of a far bigger scope of what was going on and what lay ahead… even if most of it still remained obscure. And heck, he could even travel back to Earth between stages, even if the time window remained limited. That… that was really appreciated.

There were some people he really wanted to see. His mom. Ayu's dad. Jack… and a few others. Another perk would notify him whenever the cameras were active, and he could even request they be turned off. No more being sneaked up on without notice… now a celebrity on stage. He chuckled at the thought. Another prompt also mentioned that six more Contender slots remained available for humanity, hinting as well at them being a Tier I civilization… whatever exactly that meant.

He wondered if one day one of the others could reach the rank he now held. After all, if his civilization, Earth and humanity, had to one day be represented by seven Contenders, he would prefer it to be them. That said… the path toward it was hard, extremely so if he used himself as the reference, and The Tower was fair. Whoever else reached it in the future… would have earned it. And well, last of all… the benefit he could perhaps exercise right now. One that made him pause for a moment.

[The Wielder of the Stellar Expanse may designate up to seven existences from his native civilization to participate in the next Ascent. This right may be exercised at any time and place, and applies to every Ascent granted to his civilization] His conversations with Leonie during the waiting rooms had helped him understand a bit better how the Ascent mechanic worked, even if there was still plenty she didn't understand either.

But apparently, and judging by the wording of the prompt, Gen-2—Leonie's and Pablo's—wouldn't be the last. Other Ascents would follow. He had no idea what exactly triggered them. Leonie had mentioned theirs happened shortly after the first group cleared the set of seven white rooms, which honestly didn't give him much to work with. He wondered if right now they were— Suddenly he froze. Information flashed through his mind. [Third Ascent: 291: 41: 13] What the…

As he snapped out of the sudden signal, he focused again and noticed the last numbers were counting down in seconds, which suggested… 12 days? So the third wave really was coming. Then did that mean he could select seven now and— Another signal flashed through his mind. This one felt… different. It wasn't a prompt or a line of text. It came more like knowledge. A quiet understanding settling directly into his thoughts. Yes, he could choose seven. And once he focused on someone and confirmed the choice in his mind…

The Tower would take care of the rest. Alonso let the thought linger. He tried to picture a few possibilities. The first name that surfaced was Arjun. Yet when he did… nothing happened. No response, no confirmation, no reaction from The Tower at all. Apparently the system had no interest in half-decisions. Either he committed to the choice… or nothing moved. Alonso exhaled slowly. This… wasn't easy. If he could talk it through, ask them, give them the chance to refuse… then it wouldn't be a problem.

It might even be an advantage. But from here… That option simply didn't exist. And he was fairly certain this wasn't the kind of choice he could make now and undo later. Which meant The Tower had just handed him something dangerous. The power to alter someone else's life… without their consent. Because entering The Tower wasn't some grand gift It was a road of pain and struggle… one that only grew harsher the higher you climbed. Sure… right now he had grown used to it.

In some strange way it had even started to feel like home. But that was because he wasn't alone. Because Ayu was here. Because friends stood beside him. Because when the battles ended, there were still people he could talk to, argue with, laugh with. If all that disappeared… The thought alone made his chest tighten. The Tower without that… without anyone… That kind of solitude would crush a person. And now he stood there holding the right to drag someone else onto that same road. He rubbed the back of his neck.

His eyes drifted across the surroundings, yet his focus remained inward. Seven lives. Seven people who would, in 31 days… suddenly find themselves inside The Tower. Forced to starve, fight, and grit their way through. Seven people whose future would change forever. Alonso stayed there for a moment, breathing slowly as the weight of it settled over him. In the end, he exhaled and let the thought go.

There was no rush to make this decision, and he knew that regardless of what he did, as Leonie had told him, millions would be chosen anyway. His choice alone wouldn't tilt the scale. Maybe… maybe this was just another test from The Tower. Another weight placed on his shoulders, asking him to bear the fate of others in his hands. He calmly walked toward the scattered loot and began storing the valuable pieces.

Among them he had actually gathered a new full set, the first one he had completed after more than a dozen Dungeons. Still, its effects leaned more toward Pillar specialists, and the whole thing carried a witch-like aesthetic that didn't really suit him. Truth be told, he liked his current set far more. By now it carried its own story of battles and struggles, and the active set effect had saved him more than once.

With the items stored in his Storage Bag, his attention shifted to the additional reward from the anomaly… the Relic. Grade 04 - Thalor Veyr's Medallion [Relic] (Cannot be tempered) Only one Relic may be equipped at a time Power of Will + 8% Resistance to Will Suppression +16% Alonso considered it for a breath, but in the end simply stored it away. He would gift it to one of the others.

Right now, the last thing he cared about was Will Suppression given the strength of his own Will, and he preferred his current one, Saint Maerwyn's Pendant, which helped against perception distortion… a far more problematic effect given his experience. In the end… all the loot had been useless to him. But that didn't bother him in the slightest. What he had gained from this fight… was priceless, and not just because of the rewards from The Tower. After all… he had done it.

He had reached the next breakthrough in his path. The Fourth Combat Realm. His perseverance… had been rewarded. A small smile formed on his lips. Now… now he had to keep going. He knew he was more than capable of fighting at the peak of Gold-rank as he was now, perhaps even higher. Maybe it was time to rejoin the others. But before that… Why not give that new State a try?