Explanations Abound

Seeing kids like Killua, Simon, and Riko appear in the rankings, one of the people present in the lounge, a tall, muscular man with a handsome face, unkempt, sandy-brown hair that formed a long, thin ponytail that dangled over his left shoulder, issued a loud groan and asked, "What kind of Power Rankings are these? Nearly half the people listed are women or brats, and Ranks eight through ten didn't get a single elimination..."

"What, you think being old and male is an accomplishment? Congrats for getting to live your life on easy mode, old man," remarked a little girl with a notably petite build and doll-like features that included large, sharp, icy-blue eyes and messy blonde hair that framed her face and formed a loose ponytail at the back of her head. At a glance, she appeared to be no older than ten, but her apparel, consisting of a fur-lined, olive green turtle neck flight suit, a dark grey flak jacket, and black leather combat boots, made it clear she was no ordinary little girl.

"Hey, you better watch it, kid. I'm not above disciplining you in place of your parents..." remarked the man, his leaf-green eyes narrowing and a frown marring his face. The little girl adopted a distinctly sadistic smile in response, but before a fight could break out, a tall, pale, and exceedingly muscular man with emerald-green hair, a scar running diagonally across his face, and a prominent red gemstone embedded in his forehead, took it upon himself to step between them, his fierce green eyes focused on the man as he calmly stated, "You will not lay a hand on this child..."

Recognizing what the green-haired man was and sensing the powerful aura exuding from his body, the handsome brunette swallowed hard, a bead of sweat forming on the left side of his face as he raised his hands in mock surrender.

[Transporting all participants to the explanation venue. Please stand by] stated a synthetic-sounding, distinctly feminine voice that everyone but Vahn recognized as the Administrator. Immediately after that, everyone, including those confined or simply passing the time in their rooms, found themselves in a spacious, circle-shaped, white-and-blue stone chamber lined with multiple glowing portals. Its dimensions were at least 500m in diameter, with walls and a ceiling that was more than a kilometer tall and covered in intricate, spiraling murals, and each portal had words carved in its frame along with a large F, F+, or E posted next to it.

bwaaashu

Before most people had a chance to take stock of their surroundings, cylindrical barriers appeared around everyone, preventing them from moving freely and muffling all sounds they produced as a breathtakingly beautiful and mature woman with long crimson hair and steel-grey eyes appeared, dressed like a barmaid but with form-fitting dark brown pants in place of a dress or skirt. Virtually everyone present was taken aback by the woman's looks, but Vahn even more so as Sis confirmed, (This is the Avatar I made for my Administrator persona. It's ultimately just a spiritual projection, but what do you think? Is she cute~?)

'Are you kidding me? She's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen...' responded Vahn, spotting traces of virtually every woman he had ever loved or had a crush on in the Avatar. The strangest thing about this was that he didn't feel any attraction but admiration toward it, almost as if he were staring at his real flesh and blood sibling...

Meeting Vahn's gaze through the eyes of her Avatar, Sis adopted a faint, narrow-eyed smile before passing her gaze over the rest of the group as she relaxedly revealed, "As many of you have already deduced, I am the Administrator of this realm between dreams and reality, freshly anointed the Tower of Ascension. It's a pleasure to make everyone's acquaintance, and I look forward to improving the Tower along with everyone's help and feedback."

"Hmmm...?"

Though no one else was able to, Sis could hear the words of each person present, allowing her to calmly state, "While I understand why you might feel that way, none of you are trapped here. Once I am finished explaining things, you will be free to move about at your discretion. If you're unable to endure until then or have changed your mind about being here, you can leave at any time from within a safe zone by declaring or thinking that you would like to return to your world. From there, if you do not wish to return, you can ignore the prompt at the commencement of each calendar month or thirty-day period. Do that ten times, and it will never appear again."

Reacting to Sis's words, several people thought about returning to their homeworlds, prompting holographic confirmation windows that only they could see to appear before them. Fortunately, though many considered it, no one confirmed their return.

"Very well, then, let us proceed..." hummed Sis, her smile growing as she recounted many of the things Vahn had discussed with Himmel, including how they aged at a reduced rate, how to access the Tower Shop, and how to both increase their strength and acquire Tower Coins. When it came to the latter, she calmly explained, "The simplest way to acquire Tower Coins is by defeating the monsters and constructs that can be accessed via the portals here..."

Making things a bit easier for visual learners, Sis created a large display showing a Goblin with a large arrow pointing to an opaque, subtly glowing white crystal as she explained, "F-Rank Monsters, such as Lesser Goblins, leave behind F-Rank or White Crystals when defeated. If traded in, these particular crystals are valued between one and ninety-nine Tower Coins, depending on the monster's strength. If consumed and metabolized, they can either increase one of the Parameters listed in your Status or vest you a Skill related to the defeated monster."

Making a cross with her hands and forearms, Sis cautioned, "But be very careful when consuming crystals that exceed your capacity to metabolize. As a general rule, you should only consume crystals of the same rank as the parameter you wish to increase. In other words, if your Strength is F-Rank, you should consume F-Rank Strength Crystals. Consuming higher-grade crystals is not impossible, but it will strain your body tremendously, and much of the excess energy will be expelled. For example, if you were to ingest an S-Rank Strength Crystal with F-Rank Strength, you would be fortunate to absorb the equivalent of a D-Rank Crystal, wasting more than 99% of the stored energy."

Reacting to a question, Sis confirmed, "Yes, absorbing the energy from crystals takes time; that's why we refer to it as metabolizing. That said, it is best to consume the crystals in a safe place since, if you are eliminated and forced to respawn beforehand, the energy you had yet to absorb will be dissipated."

Turning her head, Sis patiently waited for another person to finish their question before shaking her head and clarifying, "While it is possible to acquire other strengthening items, Attribute and Skill Crystals cannot be purchased from the Tower Shop. They can, however, be traded and sold between Ascendees to promote the Tower's economy."

With several other people asking questions, Sis raised her right hand in a stopping gesture, stating, "As I mentioned, this Tower was only recently created. For those of you who are familiar with the term, you are basically the Alpha or Beta Testers that will help to shape the Tower and its System moving forward. If you wish to create private organizations or ascend to become Administrators yourself, that is well within the realm of possibility. To that end, it should be noted that the first thirteen people to qualify for and complete the 50th Floor's Trial of Ascension will gain recognition and Authority as Tower Monarchs."

Shaking her head, ostensibly in response to a question, Sis explained, "I can't explain what that entails as it hasn't been decided. Once the first of the Monarchs is appointed, we will coordinate with them to determine the extent of their Authority. The reason there is an odd number of Monarchs is to prevent deadlocks, and if you complete the Trial of Ascension as the fourteenth person or beyond, you will either be vested Authority over one of the lower Floors or have a personal wish or request granted. There will be restrictions, of course, but if it's something that affects you personally or the world you originate, virtually any wish can be granted."

Turning her head once again, Sis exhaled faintly from her nose, combed back the bangs framing the right side of her face, and stated, "As many of these questions are only relevant to a few of you, I will make this the last I answer before releasing you to your own devices. I am not a Goddess in the traditional sense, as I do not possess a Divinity, and I have no direct affiliation or agreement with any of the Gods or Divine Beings that govern or oversee your worlds. My principal duties include extending invitations to prospective Ascendees, providing explanations, and influencing the Tower's operational guidelines. Nearly everything else is regulated by the Tower's System."

"That said..." hummed Sis, clapping her hands together, narrowing her eyes, and stealing a glance at Vahn as the display behind her displayed his face, accompanied by her revealing, "The person you see behind me is Vahn Mason. While not directly involved in its construction and operation, he is one of the minds behind the Tower's inception. Within the Tower, he is an Ascendee like the rest of you, but if you have any recommendations, concerns, or complaints, he may be able to address them if you approach him cordially."

With the gazes of everyone in his surroundings turning to him, Vahn did his best not to appear too awkward as he offered a smile and raised his right hand. He knew that revealing his identity would make him a target in various ways, but since he didn't want to leave anyone feeling betrayed if the truth came to light months or years down the line, he decided to be as forthright as he could without revealing that everyone present existed in a virtual macrocosm.

Drawing attention back to herself, Sis adopted a smile that appeared to light up the spacious chamber as she said, "Now that the explanation is out of the way, you will be released to do as you please. Any additional information you require can be found on the terminals in your rooms, and remember to follow the safe zone's rules. If you violate them three times within a four-month cycle, you will be ousted until the commencement of the next. Particularly egregious violations could see you exiled, unable to return."

Finished with her explanation and warning, Sis clapped her hands twice, causing the cylindrical barriers encircling everyone to vanish along with her projection. As a result, Vahn abruptly found himself as the center of more than half the group's attention, the first to get his attention being a certain dark-skinned beauty with gold, cat-like eyes, and dark purple hair, appearing next to him in the blink of an eye.

"We meet again," hummed Yoruichi, sporting a playful smile and slightly narrowed eyes as she crossed her arms and asked, "Mind lending me a few minutes of your time? I would like to apologize for interrupting your conversation during the Battle Royale. If I had known you were such a big shot, I would have at least greeted you. I'm Yoruichi, by the way. Shihouin Yoruichi."

"Vahn Mason," responded Vahn, extending his right hand and smiling as he assured, "And no hard feelings."

Looking between Vahn's face and his extended hand, Yoruichi's smile broadened as she extended her own. Before she and Vahn could shake, however, a brown-haired, green tracksuit-wearing youth from the group's periphery shouted, "Hey! I want to file a complaint! I had the exact same score as the people who got eighth, ninth, and tenth place, so why was I eliminated and not them!?"

Recognizing the boy shouting as the 11th Ranked Satou Kazuma, Vahn exhaled faintly from his nose and responded, "Only those who secured eliminations or a top three position in the Battle Royal received a bonus reward and additional Tower Points. Everyone else, irrespective of their preliminary Ranking, was given 1,000 TP as a courtesy."

"Oh...I see..." responded Kazuma, sweat breaking out across his body as the eyes of many people, some of which could atomize him with a punch, were focused on him. His initial instinct was to demand compensation for the emotional pain and suffering he had to endure believing he was going to be erased, but after careful consideration, he sucked his lips in, turned around, and walked away like a poorly oiled robot...

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