The following morning, the great bell of the Explorer's Guild echoed throughout the settlement.
Dong...
Dong...
Dong...
Jack slowly opened his eyes.
Golden rays of sunlight filtered through the curtains, illuminating the small room that had become his new home.
For a brief moment, he stared blankly at the ceiling.
Then yesterday's events came rushing back.
Baba Yaga.
The Harpy.
Captain Rowan.
Juno.
The Caladrius.
The Tower.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"So... it wasn't a dream."
He climbed out of bed and changed into the Explorer Academy's uniform that had been neatly folded beside his wardrobe. It consisted of a dark navy coat embroidered with the silver crest of the Explorer's Guild, a white shirt, black trousers, and sturdy leather boots.
After grabbing his satchel, he stepped outside.
The Guild was already bustling with activity.
Veteran Explorers returned from overnight patrols while merchants arranged monster materials for sale. Apprentices carried crates of herbs to the alchemy workshop, and blacksmiths filled the air with the rhythmic ringing of steel against steel.
Everywhere Jack looked...
Life revolved around the Tower.
As he walked toward the academy building, Oliver waved enthusiastically.
"Jack!"
"You actually made it."
Jack laughed.
"Were you expecting me to disappear again?"
Oliver crossed his arms dramatically.
"After yesterday?"
"I wouldn't be surprised."
The two boys laughed together before joining the crowd entering the academy.
The lecture hall was far larger than Jack had expected.
Rows of polished wooden desks stretched toward the back of the room.
Ancient maps decorated the stone walls.
Massive paintings depicted legendary Climbers battling dragons, giants, and countless creatures from myth.
At the very front stood an enormous blackboard.
Moments later, the classroom fell silent as an elderly man entered carrying several worn books.
His silver hair was neatly combed back, and although age had slowed his movements, every step carried quiet confidence.
The students immediately stood.
"Good morning, Instructor Marcus!"
Marcus smiled warmly.
"Good morning, everyone."
"You may be seated."
The class obeyed.
Marcus placed his books upon the desk before picking up a piece of chalk.
Without saying a word...
He drew an impossibly tall tower that stretched from the bottom of the board to the very top.
"The Tower."
His calm voice echoed throughout the room.
Jack instinctively leaned forward.
Marcus turned toward his students.
"Tell me..."
"What is humanity's greatest achievement?"
Several hands shot into the air.
Marcus pointed toward a girl sitting near the front.
"The conquest of the Fiftieth Floor."
"A historic milestone," Marcus replied.
He pointed toward another student.
"The Seventy-Fifth Floor Expedition."
"Also correct."
Oliver eagerly raised his hand.
"The conquest of Floor Ninety-Nine!"
Marcus smiled proudly.
"Excellent."
He slowly wrote a single number beneath the drawing.
99
"For more than two thousand years..."
"Humanity has continued climbing."
"One generation after another."
"One expedition after another."
"And today..."
"The highest floor ever conquered remains the Ninety-Ninth."
The room fell silent.
Jack stared at the number.
Only ninety-nine floors.
After more than two thousand years.
How terrifying must the floors beyond be?
Marcus continued.
"No expedition has ever conquered the One-Hundredth Floor."
"No one knows what lies beyond it."
He paused before looking at the class.
"In truth..."
"No one even knows how many floors the Tower possesses."
"It has no visible summit."
"No map has ever reached its end."
"For all we know..."
"The Tower may continue forever."
Silence settled over the classroom.
The students instinctively looked toward the window.
Even from the academy, the Tower disappeared into the clouds.
Its upper reaches remained hidden, as though the heavens themselves refused to reveal its true height.
Marcus erased part of the blackboard before writing another word.
TIER
"Who can explain what this represents?"
Oliver stood confidently.
"An Explorer's Tier is determined by the highest floor they conquered before leaving the Tower."
"Correct."
Marcus nodded approvingly.
"Many people mistakenly believe a Tier measures an Explorer's strength."
"It does not."
"It simply records the highest floor a Climber conquered before ending their ascent."
He looked around the room.
"Captain Rowan."
"What Tier is he?"
"Tier Forty-Nine!"
The students answered together.
Marcus nodded.
"Captain Rowan chose to leave the Tower after conquering the Forty-Ninth Floor."
He continued.
"Explorer Eva."
"Tier Forty-Five."
Several students nodded.
"She climbed to the Forty-Fifth Floor before returning to serve humanity."
Marcus wrote another name.
Eva — Tier 45
"And Explorer Juno."
He wrote beneath it.
Juno — Tier 23
"Although his Tier is lower than Captain Rowan's or Eva's..."
"His Caladrius inheritance makes him one of the Guild's finest support Explorers."
Marcus turned back toward the class.
"Never judge an Explorer solely by their Tier."
"A lower Tier does not mean they are weak."
"It only tells you how far they climbed before deciding to return."
Jack remembered yesterday's battle.
Without Juno's Caladrius...
He would already be dead.
Marcus continued.
"What Tier is someone who conquered the Ninety-Ninth Floor before leaving?"
"Ninety-Nine!"
The class answered.
"Correct."
"And should someone someday conquer the One-Hundredth Floor..."
"They would become the world's first Tier One Hundred."
A murmur swept through the classroom.
Marcus smiled.
"Assuming..."
"They survive."
A few students laughed nervously.
Jack, however, remained focused.
His gaze never left the drawing of the Tower.
Ninety-nine floors conquered...
An unknown number still waiting.
Marcus picked up another piece of chalk.
"The Tower grants every person only one ascent."
The classroom became quiet once more.
Marcus drew a doorway beneath the Tower.
"When a Climber first enters..."
"They may remain inside for as long as they wish."
"A month."
"A year."
"Even centuries."
"But..."
"The moment they leave..."
"They lose the right to enter forever."
Jack's eyes widened.
"There are no exceptions?"
Marcus slowly shook his head.
"None."
"The Tower rejects anyone who has already departed."
"It has done so since the beginning of recorded history."
The room remained silent.
Many of the younger students looked uneasy.
Marcus continued.
"Every Climber will eventually face the same decision."
"Continue climbing..."
"Or return home."
"But once that choice is made..."
"It can never be undone."
Jack quietly lowered his gaze.
The rule was far harsher than he had imagined.
This wasn't merely an adventure.
It was a commitment that could define an entire lifetime.
Oliver raised his hand once more.
"Then..."
"Why would anyone ever leave?"
Marcus smiled gently.
"Because every Climber eventually reaches their limit."
"The Tower becomes more dangerous with every floor."
"There comes a day when climbing higher means certain death."
"So they return."
"They become Explorers."
"They dedicate the rest of their lives to protecting humanity from the creatures that escape the Tower."
Jack finally understood.
Captain Rowan hadn't abandoned his dream.
Neither had Eva.
Nor Juno.
Each had simply chosen to return so others could continue the climb.
Marcus picked up another piece of chalk.
"There is another reason many Climbers remain inside the Tower for decades."
He drew the outline of a person beside the Tower.
"The Tower changes everyone who enters."
Curious whispers spread across the classroom.
Marcus continued.
"If a Climber reaches the age of forty while still inside the Tower..."
"Their body ceases to age."
The room immediately fell silent.