The man waiting for us looks human, but something feels off. If I only saw his face, I would assume he was a victim of starvation, and if I only saw his body, I would assume he was an athlete. His hands and feet are as thin as his face, and look oversized compared to the rest of his body. There is a chain around his ankle, binding him to the ground, but there is enough slack that his movement probably won’t be too inhibited. Based on his ki, he’s around what would have been known as 1st rate back on the old Earth.
“Welcome, Aspirants,” he says in a hoarse voice.
“Hello,” I reply. “Are you guarding the way forward?”
“I am,” he replies.
I look at the door behind him, wondering if there’s any way to get past him. He’s nowhere near as strong as I was, but he’s nothing to scoff at either. If I had even a basic ki center, I could take him on without issue, but as I am now, it wouldn’t be easy, if it's even possible at all. I’m not completely removed from my peak, since I was an assassin not long ago, but my martial arts are definitely a bit rusty.
“We’re leaving,” I say to Vanessa as I turn around.
She seems to sense that he’s no easy target, and follows me without a word.
“Wait!” calls the man. “I guard this door, but you don’t have to fight me!”
I pause, and turn around slowly.
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“I’m supposed to test you,” he explains. “I guard the door, but only from foolish Aspirants. Those that cannot sense the difference in skill and choose to fight anyway. You’ve passed the test. You are free to go on.”
“Oh, really?” says Vanessa, clearly not fully believing him.
I narrow my eyes as I stare at his face. He’s not making any kind of discernable expression, but there’s a hunger in his eyes that I don’t like. It’s suspicious that he called us back instead of just letting us go. Perhaps it truly was a test of our senses, as the rest of the maze has been, but still, the look in his eyes…
“Why did you call us back?” I ask. “Why not just let us go? Are you obligated to grant us the reward if we pass the test?”
“Not obligated,” he says. “But it would be a shame for two talented Aspirants to miss out on such an excellent reward when they’ve already passed the test to receive the reward.”
I glance down at his manacled ankle. “Why are you chained up then?”
“Sorry?” he asks.
“If you were simply guarding the way forward and testing us, why do you need to be chained up?”
“It’s part of the test,” he responds with a weak smile. “It shows how far I can move, making me seem more like a stationary obstacle. If I wasn’t chained, would you have been so quick to turn your back to me and leave?”
…He does have a point. If he was free to roam, I would probably assume that I have to fight him. With no limiter on his motion, he could follow us out of the room and into the trap-filled hallways. It would be incredibly foolish to turn my back to such a powerful foe like I did just now.
“If you still don’t trust me, why not stay and chat for a while, at least?” he continues. “My name is Jin Jinlan. I’m a Climber like you, though right now I’m working as an Administrator. I heard your Batch is from outside the Tower, right? Even my common knowledge could be useful to you. And even if you decide to leave afterward, just talking for a bit would still be worthwhile, no?”
I contemplate for a moment, then turn back and stop at the entrance to the room. I lean against the doorway, just a bit outside of his reach and stare him down.
“Alright. What is this Tower anyway?”
“The Tower is the Tower,” he says. “And before you get angry, I honestly don’t have a better explanation than that. It just is. We climb it, hoping to reach the top to achieve our dreams. There are trials we must pass. Growth we must achieve. That’s it.”
“How big is the Tower?” I ask. “This is supposed to be the bottom floor, right? Why is there sky?”
“There is no sky,” he replies. “That is just the ceiling. Flight isn’t usually possible at this level, but if you could fly straight up, you would reach a hard barrier. All the Floors are like this except the top Floor, which is said to be open to the sky. I’ve never been there though, of course, and I’ve never met anyone who has. Ascendants are few and far between.”
“How many Floors are there?”
“128.”
“Wow,” says Vanessa. “What floor did you reach?”
“I was only able to reach the third.” For a moment, there is a deep sadness in his eyes, but it vanishes as he begins speaking again. “But that’s why I’m here, working as an Administrator. Hopefully, I’ll be able to get strong enough to make another attempt at Climbing.”
“You were only able to reach the third Floor?” I ask. “Is it that difficult to climb?”
“For those without talent like me? Yes.”
I wouldn’t exactly call him talentless. Reaching first rate isn’t something most people can do, and he still seems to have plenty of room to grow. Then again, while 1st rate was somewhat impressive on Earth, if Ganyu is anything to go off of, it’s basically nothing for those within the Tower. And if he could only reach that high despite living here with the dense ki, perhaps he truly is lacking in talent.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
Still, not being able to pass even the 3rd Floor with first rate martial artist skills is concerning. I should be able to reach that level within a month, but even if I return to my peak, it’s possible that power level would only take me to the tenth floor or so. I have a long way to go before I can reach the top.
“You said you were an Administrator,” I say. “We have an Administrator guiding us through the trials. Are you the same as him?”
“Not quite,” says the man. “The one guiding you is probably much stronger than me, which is why he was given a larger responsibility. I’m not strong enough to handle the ones from the Tower’s established forces, so I’m here, assisting with trials. We are probably both here for the same reason. If at any point, a Climber feels they have reached a wall and cannot go on, they can return to the first Floor to work as an Administrator. While the ki is less dense down here, often what we need is not raw power, but enlightenment, and that is easier to get through teaching than through practice.
“You’ll find that most Administrators are more like your Batch leader, and are those who have reached higher floors and feel they are missing something. People like me are rarer.” The sadness returns to his eyes. “Most people who reach a wall in the earlier Floors don’t fully realize it, and try to keep pressing forward. They usually end up dead. I- I should be dead as well. I’m only alive because my companions sacrificed themselves to save me. I realized that I couldn’t go on like that any more, which is why I’ve come down here.”
“So the Administrators are failed Climbers?”
“Not failed,” he replies. “Just stalled. There have been instances where people who worked as Administrators were able to continue their Climb and become Ascendants. It is rare, but possible, and that hope is what keeps so many Climbers coming back here.”
“I see,” I say. “So you’re simply here to test us?”
“Yes,” he says with another smile. “And you’ve passed the test. You’re free to go on, if you can trust me. I won’t stop you. You’ve already proven your discernment, which is all I was testing. And while I may still seem suspicious, you won’t want to miss out on the treasure in the room behind me.”
“What is the treasure?”
“I don’t know.”
“Then how do you know that we won’t want to miss out on it?”
“Because it’s a treasure designed to be a valid reward in case you failed the discernment test, but defeated me anyway. A Climber without Oum defeating a third Floor Climber is truly an impressive feat. The reward doesn’t change by not fighting me. You just got it the easy way.”
I stare at him for a few seconds longer. I still don’t trust him. The hunger in his eyes is still there. Perhaps that’s just his desire to grow strong enough to continue his Climb, but I’m not so sure. On the other hand, if the reward is something fitting for defeating him despite the difference in power level, it should be pretty good. I’m not sure if it’s worth risking my life for, but if there really are 128 floors, I’ll want all the help I can get. A spirit herb able to give off ki this vibrant would accelerate my growth by a lot.
I think I can probably beat him in a fight. I’m not familiar with any martial arts present in the tower, but I’m familiar enough with martial arts as a whole that whatever he knows, it shouldn’t trouble me. Unless he has some strange biology that’s not obvious at the moment, it won’t be anything too alien. More importantly, he is a true first rate martial artist with the experiences of a first rate martial artist. I may not have a ki center, but I reached the zenith of Earth. I have not only the knowledge and experience, but also the confidence and conviction of a superior martial artist.
It’s still risky, but in the worst case scenario, I believe that at the very least, I’ll be able to escape his range before any permanent damage is done. Whatever treasure is behind him will hopefully be worth the risk. If he’s telling the truth about letting us through, even better. It would be a shame to miss out on something good due to an over-abundance of caution. Before I express that resolution though, there’s more information I can get from him.
“Are all the Floors like this one?”
“No, not at all,” he says, shaking his head. “The first Floor is unique. This maze trial is more similar to what you’ll encounter on higher floors, but even then, you won’t be forced into it like you were here. Each Batch in the first Floor has to go through two to four trials, and after that, you’ll be given some Opportunities. You’ll hear a better explanation from your Batch leader when you finish this trial, but basically, the first Floor is highly controlled, while the upper floors generally aren’t.”
“I see. So the Tower is a series of trials like this one, and you have to pass them all to reach the next Floors?”
“Upper Floors generally only have a single trial,” explains Jin. “That’s another way the first Floor is unique. Also, calling the Tower a series of trials is a bit misleading. It is technically that, but each Floor is like its own world. You can, of course, simply take each Ascension Test as you reach it, ignoring everything else around, but you may miss out on treasures, companions, and important information.”
“I see.”
I continue barraging him with questions for the next half hour, learning as much as I can about the Tower. Most of it is simple information, such as the different races of people living within the Tower, the number of people, the powerful families, and so on. It’s information that I would have probably been able to get elsewhere, and information that I will need to verify firsthand to truly understand it, but it’s all interesting.
I’d like to keep asking more questions, but I don’t know how much longer this maze is, and I can tell that both Jinlan and Vanessa are starting to get a bit tired of all the questions.
“Thanks for all the information,” I say after he finishes up a description of the differences between a few of the major clans. “I think we need to get going soon. I’m not sure how much further we need to go to reach the end.”
“You’re not going to get the treasure?” asked Jinlan, looking a bit too disappointed.
“I will go for it,” I say.
Vanessa turns to me in surprise. It seems that she too noticed that there’s something off about Jinlan.
“You will?” she asks.
“Yes,” I say. “But you stay here. No matter what happens, don’t enter the room.”
“I’m not going to hurt you,” says Jinlan. “As I said, you passed the trial. I have no reason to fight you anymore.”
I don’t believe that. The hunger in his eyes is back and stronger than ever. He really wants us to go for the treasure, and I can think of three possible reasons. First, he truly does just want us to have the treasure. Second is that he wants us to get the treasure so he can take it from us on our way back. Third, he just wants to kill us.
The first is the least likely, but if it turns out to be the true option, then there’s no point in turning down free treasure. The second is the most likely, in my opinion, in which case, I’m interested to see the treasure. If he’s trying so desperately to get it, then it must be good. Ganyu did mention that we could find things that even he would covet in here. I doubt this is one of them, but anything a first rate martial artist would covet is something that would be useful to me as well. If it’s the third… Well, I’m confident I can at least retreat safely.
“Don’t enter the room,” I repeat to Vanessa.
“Alright,” she says, looking nervous. “Are you sure though?”
“It’ll be fine.”
I turn to Jinlan and take a step into the room. He backs away and moves to the side, probably in an attempt to look less threatening, but the look in his eyes never vanishes. I walk further into the room, and he doesn’t react when I enter his range. I walk a bit further, pretending to be less conscious than I am, but he still doesn’t move.
When I reach just beyond the halfway point though, right as I’m beginning to think he might really just want me to get to the treasure, he suddenly dashes at me, arms outstretched.