The ladder’s ranking

Z stood in the doorway, leaning slightly against the frame as Hao and T-Jan stepped inside. Hao raised an eyebrow, as if expecting an immediate answer.

"So, how long have you two been knocking?" Z asked, his tone calm but with a hint of amusement.

Hao shrugged casually. "A few minutes," he replied. "We actually thought you were dead."

T-Jan, always blunt, added, "I was about to pick the lock and check if you were really dead."

Z gave a small smile. "Thankfully, I'm still alive," he said, stepping aside to allow them in. "Just contemplating things."

Hao smiled back, his curiosity piqued. "I'm curious," he said, moving to grab his walking cane. "How do you manage to survive the Ladder?"

Z paused for a moment, looking at the two of them, then replied with a sly grin. "I'm only ranked 2000."

Hao and T-Jan both stopped in their tracks, exchanging disbelieving glances.

"You're lying," T-Jan muttered, narrowing his eyes.

Z simply smiled again. "If you think so."

Hao chuckled softly, shaking his head. "For the sake of cooperation, you'll have to tell your ranking sooner or later. But for now," he said, tapping his cane lightly on the floor, "the others are waiting."

Z's thoughts wandered as Hao spoke. He recalled the Ladder's ranking system, a constant in his climb. The highest rank, number 1, was coveted by all, but it was no easy feat. The lower ranks, starting from 3000, made up the bulk of the Ladder's participants. 

Z himself was far from the top, and he knew that the higher ranks were filled with the most experienced Climbers. But it wasn't just the students from Sun Continent who sought to climb the Ladder—there were Climbers from all over, from different cities and beyond the borders. Some came for power, some for escape, others for reasons unknown.

As the trio moved through the hallway, Hao's gaze remained fixed on Z, his mind swirling with thoughts. Inside the Ladder, any ailment, whether physical or internal, is cured. There's no sickness, no scars, nothing that can't be healed here. But… Hao's eyes lingered on the stitched-up skin where Z's eyes used to be. The only blemish that doesn't go away is one left by a god.

He couldn't help but wonder about the scar that marred Z's face. It wasn't something the Ladder could heal. No, this was different—something darker, something that the Ladder can't touch. A mark of a god.

Soon, they reached a group of other Climbers. Z observed them closely—faces that ranged from familiar to completely unknown. 

Z's gaze swept across the group of other Climbers. There were six in total: three adults and three teenagers. One of the teenagers was Kai, and the others were a girl and a boy. Hao and T-Jan exchanged a brief glance, one that suggested they knew the girl and boy.

The muscular man among them, whose broad frame commanded attention, stepped forward. His voice was deep and commanding. "Alright, introductions. Name, class, path, and ranking. For the sake of cooperation, we need to be clear about our limitations. Hiding these things only makes the scenario harder. We've learned that the hard way from our predecessors."

He paused, his piercing eyes scanning the group, before continuing. "I'm Jack. Class: Warrior. Path: [God] of Order. Rank 1500." He stood tall, exuding confidence, and his rank was displayed as 1500.

The room fell silent for a moment, everyone processing the revelation. Jack's rank was impressive—far higher than the majority of Climbers Z had encountered. However, there was an unease in the air. A high-ranking Climber like Jack could change the difficulty of the scenario entirely, making it a far more dangerous challenge than it already was.

Jack's confident smirk barely faltered as he continued. "Now, you, your turn."

The man next to Jack, wearing glasses that he now removed with a playful flourish, stepped forward. "I'm Neo. Class: Undying. Path: [God] of Filth and Repose, rank, 1900," he announced with a grin that seemed to be permanently plastered on his face. His rank was 1900.

Z tilted his head slightly, his mind processing the details. Undying. It didn't mean the man couldn't die, but his class had a dark edge to it. The Undying had to kill, and from that, they gained power. They could summon the freshly dead, peel away their own skin without dying, and even perform sacrifice rituals during near-death situations, passing on their own death to others. It wasn't a well-liked class among Climbers. The moral implications alone were enough to make them stand out as dangerous.

The tension between Jack and Neo was palpable. Neo's jovial nature didn't seem to sit well with Jack, whose path of Order was in direct opposition to Neo's path of Filth and Repose.

Z then turned his attention to the woman, who had an air of mystery about her. She was striking, her long black hair flowing like a silk curtain around her shoulders. Her name wasn't immediately given, but her presence was commanding. She stepped forward with quiet confidence.

"I'm Naya," she said, her accent betraying her origins far from the Sun continent. "Class: Watcher. Path: [God] of [Order]. Rank, 1999."

Z's mind whirred as he processed the information. Watcher. This class was special. A Watcher's job was to observe, to understand, and to conclude. They were the best detectives in the world, capable of seeing patterns and understanding the most subtle of nuances. The better the Watcher, the higher their rank, which meant this woman was undoubtedly powerful, though her true skills could only be measured by her rank.

Next was the boy, who had an air of quiet confidence. He introduced himself simply, but his words carried weight. "I'm Anarmika, class: Luckbringer. Path: [Fate]."

Z couldn't help but note the subtle difference in terminology. While the others used the word [God] before their path, this boy had simply said [Fate], not [God] of Fate. Z knew exactly what that meant. Deities, when they climbed the Ladder, only had a small portion of their authority. The word [God] was attached to the authority, but removing it and simply stating the title—like the boy did with [Fate]—indicated something far more ambiguous. It wasn't a deity they were dealing with but something else, an Entity, who were ever-changing or an Existence—something incomprehensible and quite literally unnameable.

Z found the thought unsettling. So, we're dealing with an Entity. Fate's not something you can control, not like the gods…

Neo, seemingly unbothered by the tension in the air, let out a loud laugh. "A Luckbringer, huh? Must be nice to have fate on your side. Maybe I should call you Big Brother." His words were casual, but there was something playful in his tone.

The boy, however, didn't respond. He simply gave his rank, his voice cold and detached. "1501."

A heavy silence followed. Another high-ranking Climber. The difficulty of the scenario was only escalating with each new revelation. But Z's attention was still on the boy. 

It wasn't just because of his ranking. It was because Z knew something they didn't. The boy had just lied.