Getting Stronger [6]

'No, Leo!'

A huge part of me was telling me that I was getting ahead of myself.

All I just had to do was follow my previous plan of steadily increasing my strength and passing the tutorial.

That I didn't need to do more than that.

That the little power I had now was nothing in the big picture.

Then I had another part of me telling me that I was too much of a coward.

That did I want to continue my life as nothing?

As insignificant as the little being I was back on earth that was duped?

Wasn't exploring this new world something I desired?

Didn't I require more strength to pursue such exploration?

Would passivity truly serve me well in the tower?

I was conflicted for a while.

It felt like I had more than one voice in my head with their own independent thoughts.

A part of me was saying this, and another part of me was saying another thing.

It felt like I had an angel and devil on my shoulder telling me things, except now, there was no clear devil.

"Ugh."

I couldn't help but groan in frustration as I tried my best not to think about my stats again.

It was difficult, as the temptation was high.

I knew my resolve to stay low-key was going to waver if I were to see what I just saw earlier again.

I tried but…

I failed.

'Status'

*

[Status]

[Strength: F2]

[Agility: F]

[Endurance: F4]

[Mana: G8]

{Skills}

None in possession.

{Mana Art}

None in possession.

{Special Gift}

Bind[0/1]

*

The sudden surge in my stats left me in awe.

Even though such growth might be expected from an epic-grade resource, it still surprised me.

Realising that I hadn't reached the limit of growth achievable with the mana water made my chest tighten with the realisation that I couldn't fully exploit its benefits.

'But should I?'

I found myself contemplating actions that the previous me, before entering the pond, would never have considered.

Actions that could make me stronger but also attract unwanted attention.

In the tutorial floor, such moves were akin to suicide.

Failing to reach the next floor of the tower within three days would result in my death, but that wasn't the only danger I faced.

On the subsequent levels of the tutorial, there were individuals more than willing to kill me if my identity was discovered.

In fact, they wouldn't hesitate to eliminate everyone I woke up with in the cave once our identities were exposed.

And what exactly was our identity?

We were outsiders—participants chosen by the tower, not native to its world.

In other words…

We hailed from a different dimension entirely unrelated to the tower.

On Earth, we would be foreigners, but here we were considered parasites.

The tower could be described as a collection of different spaces known as floors, and some of these floors were suitable for people to reside in.

In the tower, these were referred to as residential floors.

The tower constituted its own world with its own population, but not everyone could ascend it.

To put it simply, being born in the tower didn't guarantee the ability to climb it—you had to be chosen for that privilege.

No one was entitled to the tower, although some individuals believed otherwise after years of holding power.

One could gain anything from the tower; that was an undeniable fact. However, it was also undeniable that some opportunities could only be seized once.

This became more apparent the higher one climbed in the tower.

So, how would it feel when someone else walked into your territory and attempted to claim what you considered yours or sought to share in it?

However, this wasn't the only reason why my identity as an outsider was dangerous for me.

It was because the appearance of outsiders throughout the long history of the tower always heralded the coming of chaos.

The powerful beings of the tower didn't take kindly to this.

The idea that what they had built over hundreds of years could crumble because of an outsider vexed them more than any trouble caused by an original resident of the tower.

It was akin to the situation back on Earth, where the punishment for foreign offenders was often harsher than for locals.

If a local terrorist emerged, it was bad news, but if it was a foreign terrorist, it bordered on an act of war.

The fact that every appearance of outsiders in the tower inevitably led to the demise of powerful individuals known as "Gods" at the hands of an outsider within a few years only fueled the hatred towards outsiders.

When I considered the abundance of formidable individuals like Lionel among each group of outsiders, it was understandable that those hungry for power and stability would resort to eliminating outsiders before they grew too powerful.

That was the current state of affairs.

In blunt terms, outsiders were subjected to brutal discrimination due to the actions of our predecessors.

We were discriminated against and... feared.

Those outsider bastards!

It really left one in awe at what actions could scare gods.

Despite there being many in the tower willing to assist outsiders like us, they were unable to offer any help at this point.

My original plan was to keep a low profile and gradually build strength alongside Lionel.

When we encountered the true residents of the tower, I would blend in with my knowledge until I couldn't anymore.

However, nothing remains hidden under the sun forever, and with the enigmatic ways of the tower, I could only conceal my identity as an outsider for so long before it was exposed.

These seemingly powerful individuals are so fearful of outsiders that they periodically use their godlike powers to hunt down insignificant beings like us.

It's absurd.

Staying low-key would have granted us more time to develop ourselves.

But now...

I couldn't help but contemplate the idea of taking actions to potentially increase my strength to the level of the strong participants of the tower, while simultaneously drawing their attention.

After all, if I'm destined to clash with them in the future regardless of my actions, why not start now?

******

A certain change started to occur in Leo's mindset.

For years back on Earth, he had always been at the beck and call of others, and he had grown accustomed to it.

For once, he wanted to be different.

He had always yearned to break free from the mould, but now, for the first time in his life, he felt a strong urge to be radically different from his former self on Earth.

Why did he always have to cower?

Why did he always have to conform to the rules?

What Leo didn't realise was that he was already embarking on the path that led the residents of the tower to treat outsiders with fear.

It wasn't just because some outsiders had the potential to become exceptionally powerful and disrupt the Tower's power balance.

It was mainly because they didn't conform to the rules.

They sought to defy them, to become the embodiment of the rules themselves.