Like the internet back on Earth, the Tower had its own communication network known as the Ascender Net.Access to the network depended on how far an Ascender had climbed. The higher your floor, the more chat channels and information became available to you.Since Rhys was still a student on Floor Zero, he only had access to the public chat.Calling it chaotic would have been an understatement.Thousands of messages poured in every minute from people across the Tower. Conversations overlapped constantly, rumors spread faster than facts, and useful information was buried beneath endless arguments, advertisements and nonsense.After spending some time browsing through it, Rhys realized it wasn’t particularly useful.At least, not yet.He figured things would improve once he climbed higher and unlocked smaller, more specialized channels where people actually discussed things that mattered.Still, he checked the Ascender Net every day.Not because he enjoyed reading it, but because he had n

“She’s here too…”Rhys muttered under his breath the moment he spotted Sophia inside the sword training hall.Their schedules had crossed yet again.Just like Practical Combat, they had both chosen Swordsmanship as one of their elective courses.He let out a quiet sigh.“This is going to be a pain.”He already knew how things would go.Just like before, people would constantly compare the Champion of Sol and the Champion of Poseidon. Every class would become another opportunity for students to measure one against the other, and it was the last thing Rhys wanted.He wasn’t interested in proving anything.Unfortunately, the rest of the academy seemed to think differently.Since the lesson hadn’t started yet, Rhys took the opportunity to look around the training hall.The room was about the same size as the Practical Combat Hall, but the layout was different.Rows of practice dummies stood neatly across the room, each covered with countless sword marks from years of training.Weapon racks

While Rhys was busy in Swordsmanship, Buhara spent the afternoon in Spellcraft.There were seventy-two students in the class, and only four of them possessed an affinity for all four basic elements.Buhara was one of those four.The rest of the class was made up mostly of races naturally gifted with mana, such as humans, elves and vampires.He was the only orc.His towering frame made him impossible to miss.Although nobody openly mocked him, there was no shortage of doubtful looks.Most people believed orcs belonged on the front lines, swinging giant axes or crushing enemies with brute strength.Magic wasn’t something people associated with his race.By choosing the path of a mage, Buhara was going against everything others expected of him.That only made him more determined to prove them wrong.On the very first day, he successfully reached Basic Mastery of the Fireball spell.His instructor was visibly impressed.At the same time, every rumor claiming Buhara would soon quit because

The third day of university began long before sunrise.Rhys was already awake by five in the morning, making his way toward the Practical Combat Hall for the daily training session.Without realizing it, his body had already adapted to the academy’s demanding routine.Training every single day had become a habit.Whenever he skipped a workout, his muscles felt strangely restless. It wasn’t exactly pain, but an irritating sensation that refused to go away until he exercised. It almost felt as though his body had become addicted to training.Professor Mave showed no intention of making things easy.The morning began with long-distance running before moving into stretches that worked every major muscle group. After that came balance drills, explosive movements and power stances designed to build strength throughout the body instead of focusing on just one area.Just when everyone thought the session was finally over, Professor Mave introduced another exercise.Every student had to repeate

Rhys had never believed in working hard without first thinking things through.Rushing into the quest and relying on brute effort would only waste precious time. Before making a move, he needed information. Once he understood the situation, he could come up with the fastest and most efficient way to finish the quest.He turned to the village chief.“Chief, do you already have a stockpile of chopped wood we can use to repair the walls?”The old kobold sighed and shook his head.“Unfortunately, no.”“Any wood we keep inside the village is chopped into small pieces for cooking.”“It isn’t suitable for rebuilding the walls.”Rhys nodded thoughtfully.“I understand.”He asked another question almost immediately.“What kind of monsters usually threaten the village?”The chief didn’t even need to think about it.“We rarely deal with large predators.”“Our biggest problem is Earth Slimes and Poison Slimes.”“They crawl against the walls and their corrosive bodies slowly eat away at the wood.”