Free Web NovelChapter 156: Gathering the Future
The world was changing too quickly for anyone to remain idle.
That realization occupied Aurelion’s thoughts from the moment he woke until the moment he slept. Every day brought new reports. New monster evolutions. New Tower discoveries. New expeditions. New opportunities. Civilization itself felt like a river whose current had suddenly accelerated. Those who adapted would thrive. Those who hesitated would eventually be left behind.
And sooner or later, Aurelion intended to enter the Tower.
The decision had already been made.
The only remaining question was how.
More specifically...
With whom.
The thought lingered in his mind while he stood atop one of Tower City’s observation platforms overlooking the bustling settlement below. Weeks ago, he might have considered entering alone. Solitary action possessed certain advantages. Fewer variables. Fewer responsibilities. Fewer complications.
Unfortunately, the First Floor report had shattered that idea completely.
The Tower wasn’t a dungeon.
It wasn’t a simple battlefield.
It was a world.
Worlds contained politics.
Civilizations.
Conflicts.
Unexpected variables.
No matter how strong an individual became, some challenges simply demanded multiple perspectives.
Commander Reinhardt’s expedition had proven that.
The survivors hadn’t succeeded because of individual strength alone.
They survived because they worked together.
Aurelion slowly folded his arms.
Which meant it was time to begin assembling a team.
The realization felt strangely significant.
Not because he lacked allies.
Quite the opposite.
Throughout his years in the Empire, he had gathered countless capable individuals around him.
The problem was choosing.
Because entering the Tower wasn’t equivalent to joining a military campaign.
This wasn’t a temporary assignment.
This was potentially years of climbing.
Years of danger.
Years of uncertainty.
The people he selected would likely become central figures in the future itself.
That required careful consideration.
Very careful consideration.
A soft knock interrupted his thoughts.
A palace attendant stepped forward respectfully.
"Your Highness, the meeting chamber is prepared."
Aurelion nodded.
"It’s time."
The attendant appeared slightly confused.
Only because he had no idea how important this particular meeting truly was.
Several minutes later, Aurelion entered one of the Imperial administrative buildings recently established within Tower City.
The chamber itself remained relatively modest. A circular table occupied the center while several comfortable chairs surrounded it. Maps of the continent covered nearby walls alongside various reports regarding the Tower.
The room already contained three individuals.
Grand Duke Caelion.
General Marcus.
Archmage Seraphina.
Three people whose opinions Aurelion respected.
Three people who understood the significance of the situation.
The moment he entered, Caelion smirked.
"You finally admitted it."
Aurelion raised an eyebrow.
"Admitted what?"
"That you’re forming a climbing team."
The Grand Duke leaned back comfortably.
"It only took you a month."
Several others laughed.
Aurelion ignored them.
Mostly.
"We need to discuss candidates."
That immediately shifted the atmosphere.
The joking disappeared.
The seriousness returned.
Everyone present understood the importance of the topic.
Aurelion activated a magical display positioned above the table.
Dozens of names appeared.
Military officers.
Mages.
Researchers.
Knights.
Nobles.
Potential candidates.
The future.
General Marcus spoke first.
"Do you want strength?"
The question sounded simple.
It wasn’t.
Because strength alone wasn’t enough.
Aurelion shook his head.
"Not exclusively."
The general nodded.
Expected.
The First Floor had demonstrated that combat ability represented only one aspect of survival.
Politics.
Investigation.
Adaptability.
Leadership.
Diplomacy.
Every skill mattered.
Archmage Seraphina studied the list thoughtfully.
"We should begin with essential roles."
Aurelion agreed.
The discussion started there.
A healer.
Mandatory.
Nobody questioned that requirement.
The First Expedition had suffered devastating casualties. Future floors would likely prove equally dangerous.
A dedicated healer wasn’t optional.
It was necessary.
A scout.
Another essential role.
Someone capable of gathering information.
Tracking threats.
Identifying opportunities.
Knowledge saved lives.
A combat specialist.
Multiple, ideally.
The Tower contained dangers.
Combat remained inevitable.
A strategist.
A researcher.
A mage.
Role after role gradually emerged.
The list expanded steadily.
Hours passed.
The conversation became increasingly detailed.
Eventually, a different realization emerged.
Many of the best candidates were already obvious.
Which created an entirely different problem.
Convincing them.
Not everyone wanted to enter the Tower.
Many feared it.
Reasonably.
Others possessed responsibilities preventing long-term absence.
Kingdoms still required governance.
Military organizations still required leadership.
Families still required support.
The Tower demanded sacrifices.
Not everyone wished to pay that price.
As discussions continued, another question surfaced.
Who would lead?
The answer seemed obvious.
Yet it still deserved consideration.
Grand Duke Caelion eventually voiced the thought.
"If you’re building this team..."
He looked directly at Aurelion.
"You’re leading it."
Aurelion remained silent.
The others watched carefully.
Several moments passed.
Then he nodded.
"Yes."
Simple.
Direct.
Final.
The room accepted the answer immediately.
Nobody else made sense.
The Tower represented the future.
Aurelion would stand at the center of that future.
Everyone present understood it.
The meeting continued long into the afternoon.
Candidate lists expanded.
Evaluations occurred.
Potential problems were discussed.
By sunset, a preliminary roster had finally begun taking shape.
Not finalized.
Not yet.
But enough to establish direction.
Enough to begin.
As the others departed, Aurelion remained behind.
The room gradually emptied until silence returned.
His gaze drifted toward the names floating above the table.
Some would join him.
Some would refuse.
Some might not survive the future awaiting them.
The reality felt strangely heavy.
The Tower changed everything.
Even relationships.
Outside the building, Tower City remained alive with activity.
Construction crews worked beneath magical lights.
Merchants conducted late-night business. freёweɓnovel.com
Adventurers shared stories inside crowded taverns.
The city never truly rested anymore.
Everyone chased something.
Opportunity.
Power.
Purpose.
Aurelion stepped outside.
Cool evening air greeted him immediately.
The streets bustled with energy despite the late hour.
One particular sight captured his attention.
A group of young adventurers stood around a recruitment board discussing future expeditions.
Their equipment remained mediocre.
Their experience appeared limited.
Yet their enthusiasm was impossible to miss.
They genuinely believed they could conquer the Tower.
The optimism almost made him smile.
Almost.
Because reality was less forgiving than enthusiasm.
Commander Reinhardt’s expedition had entered with elite Imperial soldiers.
Many never returned.
The Tower didn’t care about confidence.
The Tower didn’t care about dreams.
It cared about results.
Yet perhaps that was precisely why people found it attractive.
For once, status mattered less.
Birth mattered less.
Titles mattered less.
The Tower judged performance.
Nothing else.
The thought lingered as he continued walking.
Eventually, he arrived at the outskirts of the city.
Beyond the walls stretched wilderness.
Dark forests.
Rolling plains.
Monster-infested regions.
A world gradually evolving beneath the Tower’s influence.
The night felt unusually quiet.
Not peaceful.
Expectant.
As though reality itself anticipated something.
Aurelion looked toward the horizon.
The Celestial Tower stood exactly where it always had.
Silent.
Watching.
Its immense structure pierced the heavens while silver runes illuminated the darkness surrounding it.
For several minutes, he simply observed.
Thinking.
Planning.
Preparing.
The future felt closer than ever.
The First Expedition had entered.
The world had learned about rewards.
Tower City had emerged.
Monsters had begun evolving.
Every piece was moving into position.
Soon, observation would no longer be enough.
Soon, preparation would become action.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
The uncertainty remained.
The danger remained.
The mystery remained.
Yet excitement existed too.
Genuine excitement.
The kind he hadn’t felt in years.
For so long, his life had been shaped by knowledge.
Knowledge of the original novel.
Knowledge of future events.
Knowledge of likely outcomes.
The Tower erased that advantage.
Everything beyond its gates remained unknown.
And strangely enough...
That made it interesting.
Behind him, Tower City continued growing.
Ahead of him, the Tower continued waiting.
Between those two worlds stood Aurelion.
A prince.
A professor.
A leader.
And soon...
A climber.
The age of preparation was nearing its end.
The age of ascent was about to begin.
Eventually, he arrived at the outskirts of the city.
Beyond the walls stretched wilderness.
Dark forests.
Rolling plains.
Monster-infested regions.
A world gradually evolving beneath the Tower’s influence.
The night felt unusually quiet.
Not peaceful.
Expectant.
As though reality itself anticipated something.
Aurelion looked toward the horizon.
The Celestial Tower stood exactly where it always had.
Silent.
Watching.
Its immense structure pierced the heavens while silver runes illuminated the darkness surrounding it.
For several minutes, he simply observed.
Thinking.
Planning.
Preparing.
The future felt closer than ever.
The First Expedition had entered.
The world had learned about rewards.
Tower City had emerged.
Monsters had begun evolving.
Every piece was moving into position.
Soon, observation would no longer be enough.
Soon, preparation would become action.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
The uncertainty remained.
The danger remained.
The mystery remained.
Yet excitement existed too.
Genuine excitement.
The kind he hadn’t felt in years.
For so long, his life had been shaped by knowledge.
Knowledge of the original novel.
Knowledge of future events.
Knowledge of likely outcomes.
The Tower erased that advantage.
Everything beyond its gates remained unknown.
And strangely enough...
That made it interesting.
Behind him, Tower City continued growing.
Ahead of him, the Tower continued waiting.
Between those two worlds stood Aurelion.
A prince.
A professor.
A leader.
And soon...
A climber.
The age of preparation was nearing its end.
The age of ascent was about to begin.
The wind grew stronger.
Far above, storm clouds continued circling the upper reaches of the Tower in an endless spiral. Occasionally, silver lightning flashed within their depths, illuminating enormous sections of the heavens before fading once more into darkness. The sight had become familiar over recent weeks, yet it never truly lost its impact. Every time Aurelion looked upon the structure, he was reminded of a simple fact.
The Tower should not exist.
Nothing about it made sense.
Its size defied reason.
Its worlds defied logic.
Its rewards defied understanding.
Yet despite all of that, humanity had already accepted its existence.
People were adaptable like that.
Present them with a miracle, and eventually it became part of daily life.
Present them with the impossible, and eventually they built cities around it.
Tower City itself was proof.
A month ago, the plains below had been empty.
Now thousands lived there.
Thousands worked there.
Thousands dreamed there.
The city lights stretched across the landscape like a sea of stars, illuminating roads that had not existed weeks before. Somewhere within those streets, countless individuals were making plans. Some planned to become adventurers. Some planned to become merchants. Some planned to become legends.
Most would fail.
Some would succeed.
History would remember only a handful.
Yet that never stopped people from trying.
Aurelion understood that better than most.
After all, he was no different.
He claimed to be cautious.
He claimed to be rational.
He claimed to be preparing carefully.
Yet beneath all of those justifications existed a simpler truth.
He wanted to enter.
The realization amused him.
The Tower was dangerous.
The Tower was unpredictable.
The Tower had already claimed the lives of elite Imperial soldiers.
And still...
He wanted to see it.
Wanted to understand it.
Wanted to challenge it.
Perhaps humanity’s greatest strength and greatest weakness were ultimately the same thing.
Curiosity.
The desire to step beyond familiar boundaries.
The desire to see what existed beyond the horizon.
The desire to climb.
Aurelion’s gaze slowly traveled upward along the impossible structure.
Past the black walls.
Past the glowing runes.
Past the celestial rings.
Toward the summit hidden somewhere beyond the clouds.
One hundred floors.
One hundred worlds.
One hundred mysteries.
And somewhere at the very top waited an answer.
An answer to why the Tower had appeared.
An answer to who had created it.
An answer to what humanity was truly being tested for.
He didn’t know how long it would take to reach that answer.
Years.
Perhaps decades.
Perhaps longer.
But for the first time since his reincarnation, the future no longer felt like a story he had already read.
It felt like a blank page.
A story that hadn’t been written yet.
A journey whose ending remained hidden.
And as the silver light of the Tower reflected within his golden eyes, Aurelion felt a quiet certainty settle within his heart.
Whatever awaited beyond those gates...
Whatever dangers lurked within those worlds...
Whatever secrets rested at the summit...
He would eventually reach them.
Not because he was destined to.
Not because he was special.
But because when humanity stood before an impossible mountain, someone always chose to climb.
And Aurelion intended to stand among the first.
[To Be Continued]
