Free Web NovelChapter 158: Into the Unknown
The departure of the Second Expedition became the defining event of the week.
Tower City had witnessed countless arrivals since its creation. Merchants, adventurers, scholars, nobles, and mercenaries continuously flowed through its streets like rivers converging toward a single destination. Yet the sight of hundreds of elite climbers entering the Tower together was something else entirely. It wasn’t merely an expedition. It was a statement.
Humanity had stopped observing.
Humanity had started climbing.
For days afterward, the city remained consumed by discussion. Taverns overflowed with speculation. Scholars debated likely outcomes. Merchants adjusted investment strategies based on potential discoveries. Every citizen possessed an opinion regarding what the Second Expedition might encounter beyond the First Floor.
Unfortunately, opinions were all anyone possessed.
The Tower remained silent.
No messages emerged.
No communication arrived.
The climbers had vanished beyond its gates.
Once again, humanity found itself waiting.
Aurelion hated waiting.
Not because he lacked patience. Years of political maneuvering had taught him patience better than most. Rather, he disliked inactivity. Waiting without purpose felt wasteful. If time must pass, it should pass productively.
Therefore, he trained.
Every morning began before sunrise.
Every day ended long after sunset.
The routine had become so consistent that even the servants assigned to his residence stopped questioning it. They simply accepted that the Crown Prince no longer appeared interested in ordinary schedules.
At dawn, he practiced swordsmanship.
By midday, magic.
During evenings, strategy and research.
By night, physical conditioning.
The process repeated relentlessly.
One particular morning found him inside a specialized combat chamber constructed by Imperial Archmages. The facility existed specifically to simulate dangerous combat scenarios. Powerful illusions created realistic opponents while enchanted barriers prevented serious injury.
Today, the chamber contained twelve enemies.
All attacking simultaneously.
Steel flashed through the air.
Aurelion moved.
Not backward.
Forward.
His sword intercepted the first strike before immediately transitioning into another movement. A second opponent fell. A third. Then a fourth. The battle resembled a dance more than combat. Precise. Efficient. Ruthless.
Yet despite his performance, something felt wrong.
The realization emerged gradually.
The chamber simulated battlefields.
The Tower wasn’t a battlefield.
Commander Reinhardt’s reports had made that much obvious.
The First Floor wasn’t conquered through combat.
It was understood.
Solved.
Survived.
Aurelion lowered his sword.
The simulation ended immediately.
Several instructors observing from nearby platforms exchanged confused glances.
One eventually spoke.
"Something wrong, Your Highness?"
Aurelion considered the question.
Then nodded.
"Yes."
The answer surprised everyone.
The instructors had just witnessed him defeat twelve elite simulations simultaneously.
From their perspective, the session had been successful.
Aurelion disagreed.
"I’m training for the wrong problem."
The statement lingered in the air.
Because the more he thought about it, the more accurate it became.
Strength mattered.
Of course it mattered.
Yet every piece of information gathered so far suggested the Tower valued more than strength alone.
Leadership.
Adaptability.
Intelligence.
Judgment.
Those qualities determined success just as often as combat ability.
Perhaps more often.
The thought remained with him throughout the rest of the day.
Meanwhile, Tower City continued growing.
If anything, the Second Expedition’s departure accelerated development further. More people arrived daily. More businesses opened. More organizations established headquarters. Entire districts appeared almost overnight.
One afternoon, Aurelion decided to walk through the city without escorts.
Technically, such behavior frustrated Imperial security personnel.
Aurelion ignored their complaints.
The city fascinated him.
More specifically, the people fascinated him.
Every individual walking these streets possessed a story.
A reason for being here.
Some sought power.
Some sought wealth.
Others sought meaning.
The Tower attracted all of them equally.
The central marketplace remained particularly crowded.
Merchants from dozens of nations operated side by side. Different languages echoed throughout the streets. Exotic goods appeared everywhere. One stall sold maps of known Tower routes despite no such routes actually existing. Another advertised "authentic First Floor survival supplies" created by someone who had clearly never entered the Tower.
People bought them anyway.
Aurelion found that amusing.
Humanity’s relationship with uncertainty was always interesting.
When knowledge became scarce, imagination filled the gaps.
Usually incorrectly.
As he continued walking, another trend became increasingly obvious.
The adventurers were changing.
Not physically.
Mentally.
Weeks ago, most conversations revolved around dreams.
Now they revolved around preparation.
Reality had begun replacing fantasy.
The First Expedition’s casualties ensured that.
People still desired the Tower.
They simply respected it more than before.
That distinction mattered.
Near one of the city’s larger training grounds, a crowd had gathered around a sparring match.
Curiosity led Aurelion closer.
Two combatants occupied the arena.
One appeared to be a veteran mercenary.
The other, a young swordsman.
The difference in experience became obvious almost immediately.
The veteran dominated.
Not through overwhelming strength.
Through efficiency.
Every movement served a purpose.
Every action created advantage.
The lesson felt strangely familiar.
Preparation.
Experience.
Judgment.
The same qualities necessary for climbing.
Eventually, the match concluded.
The younger fighter lost.
Badly.
Yet instead of anger, he bowed respectfully.
Then immediately began asking questions.
How did you do that?
Why did you move there?
What mistake did I make?
The veteran answered patiently.
The crowd listened carefully.
Aurelion smiled slightly.
Humanity really was adapting.
Later that evening, another meeting occurred within the Imperial District.
This one involved prospective members of Aurelion’s future climbing team.
The gathering remained informal.
No official commitments.
No final decisions.
Simply conversation.
Yet the importance was obvious.
For months, Aurelion had prepared individually.
The Tower increasingly demanded collective preparation.
The candidates varied significantly.
Military officers.
Researchers.
Mages.
Specialists.
Each possessed different strengths.
Different weaknesses.
Different motivations. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
The discussions lasted hours.
Not because anyone struggled to cooperate.
Because everyone understood the stakes.
Joining a climbing team wasn’t equivalent to accepting ordinary employment.
It represented commitment.
Danger.
Possibly years away from normal life.
Not everyone could accept that.
Not everyone should.
By the time the meeting concluded, no final roster existed.
Yet progress had been made.
The future gradually took shape.
One decision at a time.
One person at a time.
As midnight approached, Aurelion found himself once again standing atop one of Tower City’s highest observation towers.
The location had become something of a habit.
A place for thought.
A place for perspective.
Below, the city glowed with thousands of lights.
Above, stars stretched across the heavens.
And ahead...
The Tower.
Always the Tower.
It dominated every horizon.
Every conversation.
Every future.
Weeks had passed since its arrival.
Yet its presence remained overwhelming.
Aurelion leaned against the railing.
The cold wind felt refreshing.
His thoughts drifted toward the Second Expedition.
Hundreds had entered.
Hundreds were currently experiencing worlds unknown to humanity.
What were they seeing?
What were they learning?
Had they already reached the Second Floor?
The Third?
Were they succeeding?
Failing?
Dying?
Nobody knew.
The uncertainty remained frustrating.
Yet it also reinforced something important.
The Tower couldn’t be understood from the outside forever.
Eventually, participation became necessary.
Eventually, observation reached its limits.
A familiar voice interrupted his thoughts.
"You’ve been staring at that thing for ten minutes."
Grand Duke Caelion.
Naturally.
Aurelion didn’t even bother acting surprised anymore.
"I’ve stared longer."
"True."
The older man joined him beside the railing.
For several moments, both observed the horizon.
Then Caelion spoke.
"The Second Expedition changes things."
Not a question.
A statement.
Aurelion nodded.
"Yes."
"How?"
The answer arrived immediately.
"Scale."
The Grand Duke raised an eyebrow.
Aurelion continued.
"The First Expedition proved entry was possible."
"The Second Expedition proves participation is inevitable."
The distinction mattered enormously.
One expedition could be dismissed as exploration.
Two expeditions established a pattern.
The Tower was becoming part of civilization.
Not an event.
A reality.
Caelion considered the observation carefully.
Then laughed softly.
"You’ve already decided when you’re going in, haven’t you?"
Aurelion remained silent.
Which was answer enough.
The older man sighed dramatically.
"I was hoping you’d deny it."
"You know me better than that."
"Unfortunately."
Both men laughed.
The moment felt strangely peaceful.
Briefly.
Because both understood what came next.
Preparation.
More training.
More planning.
And eventually...
Action.
The Tower waited patiently.
It always would.
Yet Aurelion no longer viewed it as a distant challenge.
It felt closer now.
More tangible.
More real.
Every day brought him one step nearer.
The realization didn’t frighten him.
If anything, it strengthened his resolve.
The future remained uncertain.
The dangers remained unknown.
The risks remained immense.
Yet none of that changed the fundamental truth.
He would enter.
Not because destiny demanded it.
Not because others expected it.
Because he wanted answers.
And answers existed beyond those gates.
Far above, silver lightning illuminated the storm clouds surrounding the Tower’s upper reaches.
The colossal structure briefly glowed against the darkness.
Ancient.
Impossible.
Waiting.
Aurelion’s eyes remained fixed upon it.
Somewhere inside, history was unfolding.
Soon enough...
He intended to become part of it.
The cold wind swept across the observation tower while the city below continued its restless activity. Thousands of lights stretched across Tower City, illuminating streets filled with dreamers, adventurers, merchants, and scholars. Every single one of them looked toward the same destination. The same impossible structure. The same promise.
Aurelion remained motionless, his golden eyes fixed upon the Celestial Tower.
Weeks ago, it had been a mystery.
Now it was becoming destiny.
Not just for him.
For the entire world.
Kings adjusted their policies because of it. Armies reorganized because of it. Monsters evolved because of it. Entire cities were born because of it. The Tower had become the axis around which civilization itself now revolved.
And somehow, Aurelion felt that everything so far had merely been a beginning.
The First Floor.
The rewards.
The evolving monsters.
The expeditions.
All of it felt like pieces being arranged upon a board.
Preparations.
Nothing more.
Far above, silver lightning flashed once again through the dark clouds surrounding the summit. For a brief moment, the colossal structure illuminated the night sky like a divine pillar connecting heaven and earth.
Aurelion narrowed his eyes.
Soon.
Very soon.
The waiting would end.
And when he finally stepped through those gates, the true story of the Tower would begin.
[To Be Continued]
