B4 - Chapter 5: The Leaderboards

Seth made his way through Asethka's bustling streets toward the tower. The detour to the location served no real purpose beyond satisfying his curiosity.

He wanted to see the giant structure with his own eyes—and, more importantly, see the rankings with his father's name before heading to the Primalist's Den.

'Making a Unique spell like yours,' Nightmare began through Link. 'That's officially my new goal.'

Seth sidestepped a loaded merchant cart. 'You build it from the ground up. Modifying an existing spell is risky unless you know exactly what you're trying to create. So first, you need to figure out exactly what you want your spell to do.'

'I already know.' Nightmare's voice sounded utterly convinced. 'I want a spell that instantly kills everyone.' A brief pause followed. 'Well... all enemies.'

Seth rolled his eyes. 'I highly doubt you can achieve that with a single spell.'

'Watch me,' the direwolf retorted. 'Although... making a Unique spell is likely harder for me than it was for you. You had that weird affinity of yours to work with.'

'Probably,' Seth answered.

He knew quite well that Nightmare was only protecting his pride. The direwolf had the habit of turning absolutely everything into a competition.

Seth didn't really mind.

It pushed Nightmare to grow stronger every day, and thanks to that, he'd gained the strength to save numerous lives during the war. Even if the direwolf was too proud to admit it, Seth knew that had become one of the things driving him.

'Seth! Seth!' Colossus's excited voice suddenly boomed through Link.

'Yes, Colossus?'

'Lumi actually said a word!'

Seth blinked. 'Really?'

He projected his consciousness into the teardrop necklace. The glowing otter hovered in the middle of the oasis, staring at the scorpion.

Colossus leaned forward. "Lumi," he said aloud. "Can you say it again?"

Lumi's small ears perked up. She puffed out her chest for a moment and finally chirped a single sound.

"He-luu?"

Seth frowned. Was that supposed to be hello? he thought to himself.

Nightmare erupted into laughter. 'That was even worse than my first attempt!' he said. 'I told you she was definitely the slowest of her litter!'

'She doesn't have a bond with Seth to help her understand words and sounds!' the scorpion protested, coming to Lumi's defense before Seth could say anything. 'Give her a chance!'

Seth let the ensuing argument fade into the background as he continued weaving through Asethka's crowded streets until they finally sprawled open into a huge plaza.

Shenlong's Tower stood before him, dominating most of the landscape.

The colossal structure rose in levels of deep blue stone, each stacked upon the next in an impressive display. Its base alone dwarfed Okson's coliseum, while the spire soared straight through the clouds.

There must be over a hundred floors, Seth thought, looking up.

High in the sky, beasts flew around the peak in slow circles. Seth picked out the silhouette of a griffon and several eagle-like creatures before dragging his gaze back down.

The sheer size of the crowd at the base of the tower was as impressive as the structure itself.

The plaza stretched across an expanse of stone, extending so far that its edges disappeared into the sea of people. Thousands of travelers, merchants, and adventurers filled the square in distinct clusters.

Near the western side, rows of wooden pavilions stood beneath several banners that fluttered in the breeze.

Seth recognized the emblems of Asethka's Five Pillars right away. Well-dressed nobles, wealthy merchants, and mercenaries lounged around the area. For them, the plaza was visibly a place for socializing.

Next to the tower's entrance, what looked like a hundred challengers had gathered before a giant obsidian monolith covered in glowing text.

Seth was still too far to read it, but he could guess that this was the leaderboard.

Yet the largest crowd was the one occupying the eastern side of the plaza. The atmosphere there was almost crackling with excitement.

More than a thousand people stood shoulder to shoulder, shouting over one another while waving coin pouches in the air.

Intrigued, Seth moved closer.

A dozen merchants stood atop a long wooden platform, each pointing toward people approaching the tower, while their assistants scribbled names and numbers across slate boards behind.

"One hundred gold he clears the twentieth floor!" a mercenary bellowed.

"Five hundred he doesn't make it past twenty-four!" another man roared next as he slammed a pouch against a table in front of him.

They're betting on the climbers, Seth thought with a smile, the entire place reminding him of the gambling area inside the Primalist's Den on a larger scale.

He continued to study the plaza.

Vendors assembled and dismantled temporary stalls, while those next to them promoted food, artifacts, equipment, and other goods to the people passing close to them.

Beyond the area stood a ring of stone buildings.

Seth blinked in surprise as he examined them: not a single one seemed to be a shop. They were all inns.

Probably for the families and friends waiting for contestants to finish their climbs, he realized.

From his discussions with Marcus and Kaelen, Seth had learned that Shenlong's Tower operated differently than the Trials Tower at Trogan Academy.

Very few challengers attempted to conquer the thing in an hour, or even in a day.

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Each floor had a resting area where climbers could recover their aether, heal their wounds, and prepare for the next trial, since there was no timer. As long as a Wielder stayed inside the tower, they could challenge the same floor as many times as they wanted.

And because of that, those who couldn't afford to pay the regular entrance price often remained inside for days—even a week—to reattempt the same floor over and over, until they had no choice but to accept they lacked the strength to move up.

Those with enough wealth did the opposite.

When they reached a floor they couldn't clear, they just left, took several weeks to recover, talked with their mentors, then paid the outrageous fee to resume their climb from the highest floor they had previously cleared.

There was no need to start from the bottom once someone left the tower.

Pain also served as one of the limiting factors.

Unlike in the tower of Trogan Academy, challengers couldn't rely on protective barriers or artifacts. Shenlong intervened only to prevent any death and nothing more. So injuries were extremely common.

And many abandoned their climbs because their wounds demanded immediate treatment.

The trials themselves varied just as much as the injuries one could get.

Some floors required defeating a strong beast in classic combat, while others demanded surviving waves of monsters for a certain amount of time, or protecting a target.

It was all to make sure no class or fighting style held an advantage for every challenge.

When he'd first learned the concept, Seth had been impressed.

However, the moment he had praised Shenlong for creating such a great system, Vorath had quickly interrupted him. The wyvern had wanted to make it clear that Shenlong wasn't the tower's creator; the beast was merely its keeper and had been entrusted to protect both the spire and the Domain Flower at its summit.

The tower itself had been built by a god.

One whose absolute mastery over summons and grand illusions had allowed them to create trials capable of testing Wielders in such a wide variety of ways.

Seth tore his gaze away from the inn and surveyed the plaza once again. Off to his right, he spotted several pavilions bearing the prominent white A of the Adventurers' Guild.

A group of fighters had gathered beneath the banners. Their armor was stained with dried mud and old blood, leaving little doubt they had come from the Primalist's Den. Nobles and well-dressed merchants wrinkled their noses as they walked by, openly disgusted that the men hadn't even bothered to wash before coming here.

Seth nearly laughed.

The sight reminded him of Elena and her complaints whenever he returned from a hunt looking much the same.

Maybe she replied to my last message, he realized.

He reached into his pouch and retrieved his communication orb to make sure he hadn't missed a message.

Nothing.

Seth slipped the orb back into his pouch with a grimace and approached the obsidian monolith that bore the rankings.

Golden runes shimmered across its surface. As he drew closer, the divisions became evident.

Challengers were separated into several distinct categories. First by Tier, beginning with Iron and ending with Platinum, then into Legacy and Non-Legacy challengers.

Finally, every category was further divided into All-Time and Past Year records.

Seth's gaze drifted toward the Non-Legacy Gold rankings. He skimmed the Past Year board, barely glancing at the names in the top five.

Non-Legacy Gold | Past year

1st: Vaelor Ashborne ~ Floor 62

2nd: Thalirion Starweave ~ Floor 61.

3rd: Kragor of Stonevein ~ Floor 61.

4th: Zha’kareth Voss ~ Floor 61.

5th: Rhazek Bloodfang ~ Floor 61.

His eyes then settled on the All-Time column right next to it.

Non-Legacy Gold | All time

1st: Ulric Elrod ~ Floor 72

2nd: Kaedryn Valoris ~ Floor 69.

3rd: Mansy of Moonthorn ~ Floor 68.

4th: Varkesh Stormscale ~ Floor 68.

5th: Bromgar Ironroot ~ Floor 68.

Seth smiled. His father had outshone all of them.

His memories of the man were hazy, since Seth had been barely seven years old the last time he had seen Ulric. But he still remembered the way everyone in Sunatown had looked at his father with admiration and respect.

None of them had ever known they were living alongside a man who was a legend to so many.

Part of Seth couldn't help but feel disappointed. Because of Kreytorus's Legacy, he could never truly challenge his father's records. Yet another part of him was also relieved.

When he eventually climbed the tower, his name would appear on the Legacy rankings. There would be no way for him to move down his father's name. The man's achievements would continue to stand as a symbol for future generations.

Seth shifted his attention to the four Iron-tier leaderboards.

Non-Legacy Iron | Past year

1st: Skaresh Vyr ~ Floor 15

2nd: Korvath Stormtusk ~ Floor 15.

3rd: Draegor Ashclaw ~ Floor 14.

4th: Tharok Ironmane ~ Floor 14.

5th: Kharvek Bloodscale ~ Floor 14.

Non-Legacy Iron | All time

1st: Kaedryn Valoris ~ Floor 18.

2nd: Varkesh Stormscale ~ Floor 18.

3rd: Eryndra Silverbough~ Floor 17.

4th: Mansy of Moonthorn ~ Floor 17.

5th: Ulric Elrod ~ Floor 17.

Legacy Iron | Past year

1st: Sylvaren Presynira ~ Floor 18.

2nd: Ilyrion of Starfall~ Floor 17.

3rd: Darshee Grava ~ Floor 16.

4th: Saeryth of Dawnscar ~ Floor 16.

5th: Maelira Frostveil ~ Floor 15.

Legacy Iron | All Time

1st: Vaedric Thornvale. ~ Floor 19.

2nd: Kharzen of Veyrl ~ Floor 19.

3rd: Eryndel of Moonshade ~ Floor 19.

4th: Ayleen Velaris ~ Floor 19.

5th: Sylvaren Presynira ~ Floor 18.

His eyes quickly found his father on the list again in fifth place.

He probably didn't stand out as much as an Iron Wielder, Seth thought.

His gaze lingered for a moment before moving to another name.

Ayleen Velaris. Seth's eyes narrowed. Velaris.

According to Vorath, that was the name of Seth's mother's House.

Was this Ayleen some distant ancestor of his? Someone who had died decades—or even centuries—ago? Or could she still be alive?

Seth stared at the name before forcing his attention back to the Legacy rankings. One other name stood out.

Sylvaren Presynira.

He had already noticed it while skimming the All-Time rankings, and now he saw it again at the very top of the Past Year leaderboard.

'I changed my mind. You should mate with her instead of the crimson-haired woman,' Nightmare said bluntly through Link. 'Your offspring would be stronger.'

'Don't say that!' Colossus protested. 'Elena is strong too!'

'Not that strong,' Nightmare replied with a scoff.

'I'll gladly tell Elena what you think the next time we see her,' Seth answered, not taking his eyes off the glowing leaderboard.

Nightmare snorted. 'As if that scares me.'

Seth raised an eyebrow.

The direwolf suddenly fell silent, and a few seconds passed. '...she'll obviously know I was joking.'

"Hmm." The sound escaped Seth's lips before he realized it.

Seth finally turned away from the obsidian monolith and looked across the sprawling plaza.

People chatted and laughed while climbers celebrated victories or lamented defeats with friends and family. The atmosphere felt strangely… peaceful. After everything he had experienced over the past months, it made him feel odd.

Then, amid the shifting crowd, something caught his eye. A lone figure stood perfectly still in the distance, staring at him.

An ash-gray cloak concealed their body, hood drawn low over a dark mask that covered all their face. Gloves covered their hands, and high boots disappeared beneath the cloak, leaving not a single patch of skin exposed.

A prickle ran down Seth's spine, yet he didn't feel any Identify cast on his Well.

They might still know who I am, he thought.

Having seen everything he wanted here, Seth pivoted on his heel and headed toward the Primalists' Den.

He slipped through the stream of people while weaving between merchant stalls and groups of adventurers. Without making it obvious, he cast a casual glance over his shoulder.

The hooded figure was following.

They drifted through the sea of people and matched Seth's route almost perfectly. They remained just far enough away not to draw the attention of passersby.

Seth didn't get the same overwhelming sense of danger he had felt around people like Zakar or Vorath. Whoever that person was, he doubted they were multiple Tiers above him.

'Do you think they're from Draeria? ' Nightmare asked, rising inside his pocket-realm.

'I don't know,' Seth answered.

Keeping his pace, he left the wide avenue, passed a blacksmith's forge, and slipped into an alley squeezed between two inns.

'We'll find out soon enough.'

He walked another dozen paces into the shadows, until the sounds of the passersby faded behind him. Then he planted his boots on the cobblestones and whipped around, hand moving up, ready to confront his pursuer face-to-face.

But the alley was empty.