Chapter 6. The Tower - Residential Tier 10 (1)
As I reached the 10th floor, I blinked at a notification that appeared before I could even check my surroundings.
“Woah, 2 slots?!”
Does this mean I can conquer the Tower with two Avatars?
Surprised, I pulled up the Ability Window and tapped on the newly created 2nd slot.
[Searching for dimensions...]
[Search complete]
[Dimensions available for Avatar creation: 1. Earth / 2. #33669 / 3. #759990 / 4....]
The number of dimensions available for Avatar creation had increased, but they were just strings of unknown numbers, and the Tower was nowhere to be seen.
I guess a dual-track approach wasn't possible after all.
Then again, I didn't even have a clue how to control an Avatar once one was created.
Still, I couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed.
I had been looking forward to what could have been a cheat-like ability.
The scenery of the 10th floor, where I had just arrived, had an atmosphere somewhat like a cathedral.
Since there was no immediate threat, I proceeded to check the new notifications.
[The function for the common ability 'Tower Shop' has been unlocked. The 'Tower Shop' inventory has been updated.]
[You have acquired the common abilities 'Mini-map', 'Tower Community', and 'Translation'.]
New items and common abilities had been added.
Checking the shop window, the variety of items had expanded significantly, and the prices had skyrocketed as well.
There was a wider range of one-handed swords and shields, and their prices varied accordingly.
The price of the one-handed sword I had previously purchased had jumped to 10 points.
If a one-handed sword costs this much, wouldn't the price of a High-grade Recovery Potion have increased by 50 times?
As I thought this, I checked the potion prices, and my jaw dropped.
"Are you kidding me?! What is this!"
[Low-grade Recovery Potion: 10 points]
[Mid-grade Recovery Potion: 100 points]
[High-grade Recovery Potion: 1,000 points]
[Top-grade Recovery Potion: 10,000 points]
The price hadn't jumped 10 times or 50 times, but 1,000 times.
Are they insane?!
"It wasn't a bargain price at all!"
If I had known this, I would have just emptied my points and bought potions!
As I shouted, a middle-aged man dressed as a priest entered from outside.
"Oh, are you a new Climber?"
When I cast a wary glance at his sudden appearance, the priest offered a good-natured smile and said,
"If you're thinking of attacking, please stop. According to the laws of the Tower, in the 'Common Tier', Climbers cannot harm us indigenous people, and indigenous people cannot harm Climbers or engage in illegal acts."
"…Is that so?"
I wasn't exactly planning to attack.
I was just going to run away if he did.
But are the laws of the Tower and illegal acts different things?
"Yes. If you commit an illegal act, the fearsome Messengers of the Tower will come to take you away and impose a very terrifying punishment."
I felt a sense of unease at the priest's words.
"If Climbers cannot harm indigenous people and indigenous people cannot harm Climbers, does that mean the opposite is possible?"
At my question, he chuckled heartily.
"Usually, people are curious about the Messengers of the Tower or whether the restrictions only apply to the Common Tier, so that's a unique question. That is correct. Climbers must be wary of other climbers, and indigenous people must be wary of other indigenous people."
"I see. So, the 'in the Common Tier' part implies that friction with indigenous people is allowed on other floors?"
"That is what they say. Though I have never even left this city, let alone the Common Tier."
I nodded at the priest's words and asked,
"Then what are the Messengers of the Tower?"
"They are the ones who enforce the law. It is said they are a special force composed of experts who are at least at the level of the Middle Tier. I, having lived a virtuous life, have never met them, but… the Tower is like a single nation. In the world of Climbers, don't you have a profession called guards, or police as you might call them? You can think of the Messengers of the Tower as the strong ones in that line of work."
I was surprised by his answer.
"You know about the police?"
The priest nodded at my question.
"Of course. It has already been about 25 years since the Tower connected with your world. There has been quite a bit of exchange, known and unknown, over that time."
25 years? Not 10?
As if reading my thoughts, the priest continued.
"Ah, did you say 10 years by the standards of your world? It is said that time flows more slowly the lower you go in the Tower, and faster as you go higher. I have never experienced it myself, as I was born here and have never left."
The priest pointed to a booklet placed next to the entrance where he was standing.
"This is from your world… what was it called? World Protection Organization?"
"Do you mean the World Protection Treaty Organization?"
"Ah! Yes, that was the name. Anyway, it is an informational booklet distributed there for new Climbers like you. Why don't you take a copy and read it?"
With that, the priest offered a greeting without even introducing himself and started to head somewhere.
"W-wait a moment! Do you happen to know where I can sell scrap metal?"
"If it's scrap metal, a blacksmith or a weapon shop will buy it. The locations are well-marked in this booklet. Even the people of this city often refer to it, so it will be helpful. If you don't have a place to sleep tonight, come back here. Isn't it the duty of a religious person to care for a wandering lamb?"
The priest smiled brightly and left. I took a copy of the booklet, put it in my Inventory, and shifted my consciousness back to my main body.
* * *
For now, the 10th floor seemed to be a safe zone, but just in case, I checked for additional abilities from my main body.
[Dimensions available for Avatar creation: 1. Earth / 2. #33669 / 3. #759990 / 4....]
Unlike before, the number of dimensions I could choose from had increased in the second slot.
However, unlike Earth or the Tower, they were only written in unknown numbers.
It seemed that because Earth and the Tower were clear concepts in my mind, they had names, while the other dimensions did not.
"How am I supposed to know which dimension it is if it's only expressed in numbers?"
I glared at the Ability Window.
At that moment, a vague image of the numbered dimension surfaced.
At the same time, I realized that the newly added dimension was one that had formed a causal link with me due to the 'Azure Wood Sword', an ability I had newly mastered.
"So, I can only create an Avatar if a causal link is formed, like with an ability or an object."
Then, could these be dimensions like the martial arts novels I've read, related to swordsmanship?
The thought that came to me while using the Azure Wood Sword was that it felt like a sword technique from a martial arts novel.
As I stared at the Azure Wood Sword and the Multidimensional Avatar simultaneously, I could feel which dimension was most deeply connected to the Azure Wood Sword I had mastered.
Dimension #33669.
I see. Is the order of dimensions available for Avatar creation the order in which I have formed a deep connection?
I pondered for a moment before reaching out toward Earth.
I had been dragged into the Tower without even a chance to speak, so I hadn't been able to tell my parents anything.
Since time flows differently, even if I spent a long time in the Tower, it would only be a few days in Earth time, but if I suddenly went silent for days without a word on the day I was supposed to be discharged, it could be a problem.
It would be embarrassing if they filed a missing person report for no reason.
As I touched Earth, a warning message popped up.
[Warning!]
[This dimension is spatially and temporally connected to the first slot. If you spend time in this dimension, time will also flow for the Avatar in the first slot. Would you like to create an Avatar in this dimension?]
I hesitated at the warning message.
The first Avatar would be safe, but it was still standing at the entrance of the cathedral.
If I were to do it, it would be better to do it from a place like an inn.
I closed the Ability Window and decided to check the other common abilities.
When I activated the Mini-map, a blue dot representing my location simply appeared within a small, white circle.
Next to the blue dot was a crystal-shaped icon.
Does it show a radius of about 5 meters?
"It really is like a game."
Does it show other people, too?
I'll have to check that on the 10th floor.
Depending on whether it's just a map substitute or if it includes a search ability, the way I use it will change.
Next is the Tower Community.
Opening the community window, it felt like looking at a PC communication-era community that I had only seen in pictures.
With no banners, profiles, or images, the simple structure consisting only of text was intuitive and easy to understand with its descriptions.
There were broadly Search, Chat Messages, Common Community, Lower Tier Community, Middle Tier Community, and Upper Tier Community.
Chat was divided into private chat and group chat, and it looked like a common messenger app where you could invite people to chat rooms using the community function.
The Common Community could be used regardless of which floor you were on, but access to the Middle and Upper Tier communities was blocked.
The classification of Lower, Middle, and Upper tiers was defined as 39th floor and below for Lower, 69th floor and below for Middle, and 70th floor and above for Upper.
Once you go higher, you can only view the Lower Tier Community, and writing posts is impossible.
If you want to communicate with a Lower Tier Climber, you have to invite them to a private chat or use the Common Community.
Entering each community, there were categories divided by different topics, and entering those categories allowed me to see posts written by Climbers.
Since the Tower invites people from all over the world, various foreign languages were rampant, but thanks to the new common ability 'Translation', I could read them like my native language, even if they were unfamiliar foreign languages.
"It's nothing but useless posts and garbage."
There was no shortage of people posting strange things, regardless of their nationality.
I was glad there was no photo upload function.
If photo uploads were possible, the community would have been a living hell.
Anyway, finding useful information here was like finding a needle in a haystack.
That's why there's a search function.
Since I was done checking, I looked at the informational booklet.
The first page of the booklet started with tips on how to use the community.
"Due to the limited space in this booklet, detailed guidance will be provided through posts in the community."
After that, rather than being a guide to the Tower, it was an informational booklet for the city I had arrived in.
The city map showed major shops, inns, libraries, etc., and it listed what was mainly sold at the shops and the major prices.
The update date was June 1st, just last month, and it seemed that an agent from the WPTO stationed in the city updates it once every six months.
I finally understood what the bride I had just met meant when she said that even the city dwellers occasionally looked at it.
It was written in much more detail about the city than I had expected.
"Credits are sold at the very bottom of the Tower shop, so keep that in mind if you need them in a hurry."
Checking the brochure, I saw that 1 point was being sold for 1,000 credits at the very bottom.
"If 1 credit is worth about 100 won in local currency... does that mean 1 point is 100,000 won?"
100,000 won for catching a single Horned Rabbit?
Does the economy stay stable like that?
Wouldn't there be inflation?
However, the brochure stated that the cost of a single meal was around 50 to 100 credits, and for inns, it said that cheap ones were about 300 credits per night, while expensive ones were around 1,000 credits.
Usually, if climbers earn money this well, wouldn't they get ripped off?
Seeing that prices in wealthy neighborhoods are particularly high is just common economic sense.
"Ah, the Apostle of the Tower did say they would drag you away if you broke the law. I wonder if price gouging counts as fraud?"
I couldn't be sure. I'm curious, so maybe I'll look into it later.
"The security within the city is generally good, so there is no need to insist on expensive lodging, but keep in mind that expensive accommodations offer better environments."
Having finished checking the brochure, I first searched the community as the guide had suggested.
[WPTO Agent K]
As soon as I searched, posts by Agent K appeared across the public community, as well as the lower, middle, and upper tiers.
I clicked on the very first post, <Community Usage Rules>.
[The grand principle of community usage. Do not trust the information in the community.]
[Do not trust me, the one writing this post, either. Keep in mind the fact that this place is full of scammers. If you're going to trust community information, trust a political YouTuber instead. A political YouTuber will deceive you to solicit your donations, but community information will deceive you to lead you to your death.]
[Keep it in mind. Do not trust community information. Doubt it, and doubt it again.]
[This post was written with the support of the WPTO. A reliable friend, the WPTO, is with you.]
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