“So how does this correlate with Stage Progress? As we increase our percentage, the body and mind gradually develop. Do these paths build on that, or are they independent?” I ask.
“Good question. I’m not sure,” Chiara says, her expression thoughtful. “From what I can gather, these paths don’t directly modify Stage Progress. Maybe a way to see it is that Stage Progress acts as a foundation—a baseline, or better yet, a measure of the resources we have available. Meanwhile,...
2025-03-20 01:00:05 +0000 UTC
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Earth, November 7, 2024
“I… I can’t believe what I’m seeing. It’s… it’s over.”
The commentator’s voice wavered, struggling to contain the sheer weight of the moment. The final image remained frozen on the screen—Alonso’s blade driven through the creature’s skull, its towering, reptilian form slumped in place, lifeless.
For a split second, there was silence.
A charged, electrified stillness.
Then—
T...
2025-03-19 01:00:03 +0000 UTC
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The image burns itself into my memory.
Dust hangs in the air, frozen in the aftermath of the impact. Tiny particles shimmer, catching the dim light as they drift weightless. Rocks remain suspended mid-fall, caught in the lingering pulse of force that still echoes from Imani’s charge.
The space between each heartbeat drags.
Chiara’s right arm lingers in the air—severed, weightless, as if gravity itself has yet to realize it’s no longer attached. Blood barely begins to...
2025-03-18 01:00:03 +0000 UTC
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That look in its eyes.
Slitted pupils, deep and unblinking. A predator’s gaze.
I grip my swords tighter.
The creature remains perfectly balanced, floating upside down with effortless ease. Its legs are planted at the very center of the dome’s ceiling, as if gravity itself bends to its will.
Its tails rest calmly, no intent to attack… yet.
Then—
A sudden shift.
It crouches again.
It’s going to jump back—
“Imani!”
But m...
2025-03-17 01:00:06 +0000 UTC
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My senses lock onto its movements—the subtle shifts, the slight adjustments of its tails before they take aim.
I see the lines. Vectors extending from its tails, mapping where the next shots will land.
I move.
A twist of my torso. A sudden burst of acceleration. My head shifts just enough—the bullets rip through the air, whistling past where I stood a fraction of a second ago.
Then another. And another.
The ground trembles with each impact, dirt and debris ki...
2025-03-15 01:00:07 +0000 UTC
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The sky burns.
A streak of fire, blinding even from here, tears through the clouds, leaving a thick trail of black smoke in its wake. The roar reaches us a second later—a deep, guttural tremor that rattles through my chest, vibrating in my bones.
Then—impact.
The world flashes white.
A thunderous boom follows, splitting the air like the sky itself just cracked apart. The ground beneath us shakes violently, and even from over 10 kilometers away, I feel the ...
2025-03-14 01:00:02 +0000 UTC
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I stare at the seven red orbs lying on the ground.
For some reason, I feel a bit disappointed. Is it bad that the fight went so… easy?
The sixth boss. A shapeshifting creature that randomly transformed into a slightly enhanced version of any of the previous six bosses we had faced so far. It wasn’t that it wasn’t strong—it’s just… the thrill I felt while fighting the giant lobster, the jellyfish, or even the dragon—it’s no longer there.
Chiara’s model, Luka...
2025-03-13 01:00:02 +0000 UTC
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November 1, 2024 - Washington, D.C., US
“This world is going to hell.”
“That’s a very optimistic way to start the day, Senator,” Renwick replied dryly.
“Huh. Senator—for how long?” Caldwell scoffed. “Elections are coming soon. And God only knows if we’ll even make it until then. The Tower, humans with superpowers, these mysterious guys in fancy suits showing up out of nowhere and calling the shots. Just a bunch of bullshi...
2025-03-12 01:00:03 +0000 UTC
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I always enjoyed watching the ocean.
Stretching as far as my eyes could see. The rolling waves, the shifting tones depending on the sky—there was a kind of beauty in it that vast expanses of open water could create.
Even the scent of salt and the faint, briny freshness of the sea breeze made me nostalgic. And now, flying at top speed over it, wind hitting my body, nothing but endless blue below me, it feels… it feels nice.
“Should we start?”
I smile. ...
2025-03-11 01:00:03 +0000 UTC
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Pablo stood frozen.
Oscar’s screams tore through the clearing, raw, agonized.
Blood gushed from the deep gash in his stomach, spilling onto the dirt in thick, pulsing waves.
His body convulsed, hands clutching desperately at the wound, fingers pressing into the torn flesh in a futile attempt to hold himself together. But it was useless. Blood, bile, and stomach fluids poured through his grasp, pooling beneath him.
The panther lay dead beside him, its dark fur slick w...
2025-03-10 01:00:04 +0000 UTC
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I run my fingers over the smooth surface. There is still something covering my face—no, not just my face, my head. A helmet.
It feels strange.
I glance downward.
The mask Lukas made is lying on the ground.
I touch my face again.
How do I take it off—oh.
My face is clear. The helmet is gone. No—not gone. I can still feel it.
I will it back on, and it seamlessly forms around my head again.
But where does it go?
I test it, dism...
2025-03-08 01:00:05 +0000 UTC
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Subject Name: Ayu
Mutation Classification: Pre-Act Reflexive Motion
Observed Characteristics:
Ayu’s mutation allows her body to react before conscious thought processes engage, effectively bypassing standard neural response times. Unlike typical reflexive actions, which are based on conditioned responses and sensory feedback loops, Ayu’s movement initiates before the threat is even registered by her higher cognition.
...
2025-03-07 02:00:02 +0000 UTC
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Sound.
It’s coming back.
The acrid smell.
The strain in my body is fading—slightly.
I send my waves outward, sensing everyone around me.
Lukas stands tense, eyes locked on the battlefield. Wang is beside me, his condition mirroring my own.
Chiara is still firing. Arjun too, further away.
Imani stands tall, resisting. Ayu is deeper in the battlefield, weaving between attacks, needles slicing past her in the toxic, ash-covered terrain.
<...
2025-03-07 01:00:03 +0000 UTC
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The centipede twitches violently, its fractured skull shifting unnaturally as if something inside is pushing against it. The cracks widen, splitting further as thick, gelatinous ichor seeps from within, bubbling like a festering wound.
Then, with a sickening, wet rip, the shattered exoskeleton peels away.
Flesh tears apart in uneven strips, sinew and muscle splitting as the remaining fragments of the head collapse inward. The centipede’s mandibles twitch even as they detach, the...
2025-03-06 01:00:05 +0000 UTC
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“It’s quiet.”
“Too quiet. If it weren’t for the erratic behavior of the arthropods and the rising toxicity in the air, I’d question whether the boss was even in this region.”
The ground is barren, a sea of scorched rock and fine ash stretching endlessly in every direction. The occasional tremor sends thin cracks through the brittle terrain, wisps of toxic fumes curling up from unseen fissures beneath the surface.
Far in the distance, sporadic ...
2025-03-05 01:00:03 +0000 UTC
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Only one day left until the next boss.
Good progress has been made this past week. But I still feel like something is missing.
Status Screen
Stage 1 - 6.861%
Wave control
Bonus from Hel...
2025-03-04 01:00:03 +0000 UTC
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Tier 2, First Stage - Alpha
The jungle was too quiet.
Pablo crouched low behind a thick root, gripping his sword tightly. Sweat dripped down his temple, but he didn’t dare wipe it away. His heart pounded in his ears, his grip tight around the hilt.
Somewhere in the distance, a faint rustling broke the silence. It was coming.
Eric raised a hand, signaling for everyone to hold. His eyes scanned the darkness, the faint glow of biolumine...
2025-03-03 01:00:04 +0000 UTC
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"What? You managed to do it?"
"Yes. It works. Thank you."
Chiara blinked, pushing down her surprise as she sat inside her cave, communicating over long distance with Arjun.
She hadn’t expected him to complete the revised model for the Pillar Enhancement in at least three days. Yet… it had only been one!
Had Arjun… suddenly become smarter? No… that… well…
"So, how do you feel? Is it stable? Can you passively maintain it?<...
2025-03-01 01:00:04 +0000 UTC
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Here we are. The Arena.
Nothing fancy, but solid—Lukas and the squads put it together over the past few days. A wide-open field, wooden barricades marking the perimeter, some reinforced with thick planks and whatever scraps they could scavenge.
It’s not much, but it works. A place to spar, to test limits, and to watch—one of the few distractions in a place like this.
At one end, a makeshift armory holds an assortment of blunt weapons—spears, swords, axes, wa...
2025-02-28 01:00:02 +0000 UTC
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"You gonna drop that, or should I start digging your grave now?"
Imani doesn’t answer immediately. He just grunts, lifting the massive boulder clean off the ground. His muscles tense, every fiber in his arms and legs bulging with strain, but his expression doesn’t change. He hoists the thing like this is just another day.
I dig my fingers into my own boulder and push up. The weight crushes down on me instantly. My arms burn, my back screams, but I keep going, knees locking as ...
2025-02-27 01:00:02 +0000 UTC
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Pillar Enhancement Technique
Abstract
The Pillar Enhancement Technique, originally developed by Chiara, leverages a feedback loop with the Pillar itself, enhancing performance, stability, and energy output beyond standard electromagnetic reinforcement methods.
This system represents a breakthrough in EM theory, advancing human scientific understanding beyond its current framework. While the sta...
2025-02-26 02:00:02 +0000 UTC
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What…
A surge of energy floods my body, a jolt so sudden it snaps me awake. My breath hitches.
I blink sluggishly, my vision adjusting beyond the haze. The sky stretches above—vast, endless, and impossibly clear. No storm. No suffocating darkness. Just the soft glow of the setting sun glinting off the salt-streaked edges of my lashes.
I feel… perfect. No, beyond perfect. My muscles hum with vitality, my mind sharp, my body whole. Yet, the sensation of...
2025-02-26 01:00:03 +0000 UTC
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October 24, 2024 - Gashaka, Nigeria
“They’re making their move—that precision, that speed—unbelievable!”
The TV flickered in the dimly lit room, standing out against the otherwise modest home. Imani’s wife sat stiffly, her hands clutched tightly. The children were motionless, eyes wide, the youngest gripping onto his mother’s sleeve. A man in a crisp suit stood behind them, arms crossed, unreadable.
“Oh my god—Imani took a ...
2025-02-25 01:00:03 +0000 UTC
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Imani…
My waves pulse outward, scanning through the water—but something distorts them. Interference. A disruption I can’t identify.
The boss?
The Tower itself?
Shit.
I hover above the surface, eyes locked on the dark abyss below, my heartbeat hammering in my chest. Since I was a kid, I’d always loved the ocean—and feared it. The unknown depths. The monsters that could lurk beneath.
And now, with that th...
2025-02-24 01:00:04 +0000 UTC
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I accelerate, weaving through the tendrils, dodging the spikes one after another. The salty spray crashes against me, seeping through the gaps in my armor, clinging cold to my skin. The wind roars past, whipping through the open spaces in my gear as I push forward.
The tentacles strike in rapid succession—erratic, fast, huge. More than eight. Their lengths vary, their speed shifting, the spikes launching at staggered intervals and angles.
So many variables, so many shifting elem...
2025-02-22 01:00:02 +0000 UTC
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“It’s quiet.”
“Too quiet.”
“I’m retreating to drop Ayu off.”
“Chiara, Wang, maintain at least 500 meters above the water level at all times. Report any anomalies.”
“Anomalies? I doubt that bastard wants to be seen. It’s probably waiting to ambush us, just like its minions.”
“Let’s give it a couple more minutes. If there’s no reaction, then… Alonso, can you initiate?”
...
2025-02-21 01:00:06 +0000 UTC
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October 24, 2024 - ???, Russia
“An event? What’s the exact prompt?”
“‘An Event is available for this Climber. Do you wish to proceed?’ Then two options: Yes and No.”
“Rather straightforward. How many are involved? What does it generate? Is it always the same?”
“All 25 Climbers from Gen-1 seem to be involved in this event. The visuals, based on information from the l...
2025-02-20 01:00:02 +0000 UTC
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Is this… the island? The second tier?
Pablo looked around—the warm sand beneath his feet, the rolling waves stretching endlessly, palm trees swaying ahead, and the vast, unbroken blue sky above.
It felt surreal.
The experience in those white rooms… it was nothing like the VR. Especially the moment his blade had pierced flesh, the weight of someone’s life pressed into his hands. Sure, he knew that person would return to Earth, but that didn’t change the fee...
2025-02-19 01:00:03 +0000 UTC
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A spar? With Wang? Now?
This certainly came out of nowhere.
I stare at him. His gaze is as serious as it gets.
Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Ayu watching me—expectant, maybe even a little excited.
Hmm. Well, we do have six hours with nothing to do…
“Sure, why not.”
He slightly bows. “Thank you.”
Chiara watches us with a slight frown, but a small smile tugs at her lips. Ayu, on the other hand, is outright beaming.
2025-02-18 01:00:03 +0000 UTC
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Arjun pulled a bullet from his pouch, holding it steady in the air with his waves.
The world around him stretched, every motion a slow crawl. A distant leaf, caught in the wind, drifted down in lazy spirals. The ripples in the lake expanded outward, inch by inch, their usual fluid motion reduced to something almost mechanical.
He ignored it. His focus sharpened as he began accelerating the bullet in a tight circular motion. The energy built with each rotation, each increment of sp...
2025-02-17 01:00:05 +0000 UTC
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