The Tower exists to be climbed. We exist to do the climbing.

Davies - Head of Climber Academy

“This is bullshit Miki and you know it.”

“Language, little sis,” I said with a smile. My sister may be the smartest in her class but she had a hard time listening when she didn't want to hear the answer.

“Really? You are going to try to lecture me on cursing?”

“I have to go,” I replied, ignoring her. “Joanne's dad is old-fashioned. If I don't climb the Tower he won't let me marry her.”

“So don’t climb the Tower, dumbass,” she pouted. “Or better yet wait to do your climb until I can climb too.”

Did she seriously think I would wait the two years it would take for her to pass the Climber Academy after she graduated from high school in a month?

“Little bug, I am almost too old to be a climber and you are too smart to be a climber. Besides, everyone climbs the Tower alone.”

I wanted to see my little sister Emily before I set off. I was hoping she would lift my spirits but it was doing the opposite. The truth was that I was bordering on being too old to climb the Tower. Most climbers joined the Academy right out of high school and started their climb right after finishing the training program.

The whole situation was horse shit. My plan was never to climb the Tower. At no point growing up did I even dream about attending the Academy. But that was then and this is now.

“Are you really not going to see Mom and Dad before you leave?” asked my sister.

“I talked with them last night and they made their opinion abundantly clear.”

I guessed from an outside perspective their hearts were in the right place but Joanne was worth the risk. I knew the risk, everyone who completed the Academy knew the risk. In the end I was too much of a coward to tell them the truth, that the chance of me finishing the Tower was much lower than they expected.

“I’m not going to see you enter,” Emily said after we sat in silence for a minute, both lost in our own thoughts. “I’m just going to pretend that you went on a trip to KC. It would take about six months to get to KC and back so you better not take too long!”

After giving her a final hug, we said our goodbyes and I departed. I pretended not to see the tears she kept wiping away as I headed to the gate at the bottom of the Tower.

I tried to keep my own nerves as I slowly made my way to the Tower at the center of the city. The flat gray of the Tower reflected no light as it stretched into the sky. Having grown up so close to the Tower, it had just become a part of the background of the city. That is, as much as a magical Tower that suddenly appeared on Earth 300 years ago could be part of the background.

Every step I took towards the Tower, my heart felt heavier. The noises of the city slowly faded from my mind and soon all I could hear was a steady beat of my heart. Lost in my own thoughts about the upcoming challenge I soon found myself at the cafe where I agreed to meet John, my best friend.

I spotted my best friend surprisingly sitting with Joanne. I did not expect to see her here.

"And what the hell is going on here?" I asked, trying to sound shocked and scandalized.

"We were just catching up," John said, getting to his feet. "You know she was my friend first."

Joanne stood as well and gave John a tight hug while whispering something into his ear.

"Miki, you don't need to do this,” she said, turning towards me. “But I know it's too late to talk you out of it. Just don't die.”

“What no hug for me?” I joked.

Her face fell. I know I had said the wrong thing, but I couldn't think of what the right thing would be to say. Without saying anything else, she turned away from me and left without further goodbye.

I wasn't really surprised with the cold goodbye. In fact I was surprised to see her after our argument last night. She wasn't happy that I was climbing the Tower. She wasn't happy about the agreement I made with her father. Heck I knew she was even happy to see me. That was made abundantly clear last night as well.

“Don't worry about it,” John said. “She's just worried about us.”

“I know,” I said. “I didn't get much sleep last night thinking about everything. I guess she told you?”

“She told me she threatened to break it off with you if you went through with the climb.”

“Either way I’m fucked,” I said.

“Yeah, I know what the old man is like,” said John.

“He made it very clear that in order to marry his little girl, I need to conquer the Tower first.”

“Do you want to call off the climb? You can always try to convince the old man to change his mind?” John asked with his normal mischievous grin.

“No,” I said, “I think he's right. I could take it safe and work at my parents store for the rest of our lives and probably be fine. But the Tower will bring me true wealth and power. How about you, have you changed your mind?”

“Oh my Miki,” said John. “What would people say if I left you to climb the Tower alone? Are we still planning to do Hard Difficulty?”

“Yeah,” I said. “I think you're right and that is the best way. If I'm going to go for power and for wealth, I might as well go for it all. Just like you told me.”

John and I had been planning the Tower climb for the better part of half a year since I first found out about her dad's requirements. John had always wanted to climb the Tower. It was only in the last month that John convinced me to attempt the Hard Difficulty. One Tower climb then it's a life of luxury. Plus we had a hidden weapon that nobody else knew about. We were certain that if we selected the Hard Difficulty at the same time, we would get to climb the Tower together.

While I had dominated the climber Academy class, John had ended up in second place. Based on skill scores he would have ended up in first in any other year. What can I say other than I am just that good.

Before I knew it, we had made our way to the base of the Tower.

“Hello John. Hello Miki. Can't say I'm surprised to see the two of you show up together,” said the guard manning the registration desk. He was one of their instructors at the Academy.

“Hi Stuart," John and I both said at the same time. We looked at each other and couldn't help smirking.

“Since I know both of you, I will fill out the registration paperwork. With the best scores in the past 20 years I shouldn't have to ask, but are you ready?”

I couldn't look at John and my voice seemed to fail me, so I just nodded.

Anybody could enter the Tower once they came of age. The Climber Academy was not required to climb the Tower, but you would be an idiot to attempt a climb without completing the Academy. It was free to enter as long as you agreed to pay 1 gold if you completed the Tower.

The real point of the registration desk was to keep a record of who entered the Tower. The guards also ensured that those who didn’t attend the Academy understood some of the basic rules of the Tower.

We made our way to the base of the Tower. This was the closest I've ever gotten. Logically, I knew you could only enter through the gate, but I always felt something wrong about approaching too close to the Tower. The lack of buildings within 100 meters of the Tower indicated I wasn't the only one who felt that way.

The gate was not an actual opening in the Tower. Instead an Arch of black stone was at the base of the Tower. I had always assumed that there would be some sort of magical inscription surrounding the arch but it was nothing more than a darkened stoned Arch that stood out from the flat gray of the rest of the Tower. Approaching the arch, I rest my hand flat against the Tower.

Welcome to the Eternal Tower!

Climb the Tower, win fabulous prizes!

Please select difficulty:

Easy - The Easiest and least rewarding. While easy compared to other difficulties, death awaits those who are unprepared.

10 Year Clear Rate: 64% 1040/1625

Total Clear Rate: 27% 1,114,933/4,175,776

Medium- More challenging and more rewarding. This difficulty grants wondrous power to those skilled enough to conquer it.

10 Year Clear Rate: 10% 2/21

Total Clear Rate: 1% 1,440/572,022

Hard- The real challenge of the Eternal Tower. While death is almost guaranteed, so are the fabulous prizes and powers to those who survive.

10 Year Clear Rate: None, 0/1

Total Clear Rate: None, 0/2,100,755

I was ready for the window to magically appear in my vision. Unsurprisingly, it looked exactly like the drawings from the Academy.

I always doubted the reported number of people who died when the Towers first appeared, but the numbers were in line with all textbooks.

I looked over at John who nodded at me. Taking a breath through both prepared to state our answer.

"Hard," I said.

"Easy," John said at nearly the same time.

Before I had a second to process his choice, a force grabbed my arm and pulled me through the gate as if it was made of air not stone.