Chapter Nine

“The Third Eye Trial. Clearing teams have put together an optimal strategy to guarantee you earn a reward when you take this, but you only can only do that once. Don’t fuck it up, we’re fronting the cost of the supplies and we’re paying you a portion of the reward’s value. You all got the guides there? Read them. First of you’s up in 30 minutes.”

The heavily moustachioed man barked his orders at the arrayed Climbers with a face that bulged and turned a deep shade of red. Will looked at the others with the same, casually commiserating expression they’d been sharing all day. In front of them, the circular sandpit lay, waiting for them to enter the Hidden Event and try to clear it. Will flipped through the guide again, not needing the refresher to remember the words on the page. 3 Trials, each one worth more points, 3 Tiers of reward available depending on performance. FCA Strategy was basically to exploit flaws in the Event’s design to guarantee the lowest tier reward, and send dozens of contractually locked-in Climbers like Will to drain the thing dry. They weren’t interested in the higher rewards, since that would require them to actually train the Climbers properly.

One-by-one, the Captain started to call them up with aggressive shouts, pointing them into the centre to trigger the Event and take their chance. Eventually, after three people had gone in and returned with minor rewards (which the Captain immediately took from them as FCA property), it was Will’s own shot. He fumbled with his small supply pouch for a second as he stepped up, and then gave everyone else a nod before entering the Event.

Will took out a second, smaller pouch from his gear pack and transferred a few items over to it. Making sure he had everything he needed, he stowed the bigger bag inside one of the stone huts and tied the smaller to his belt. Rolling his shoulders, he stepped into the ring and closed his eyes. After a few moments, he felt a tugging sensation in his mind and allowed it to take over. Immediately, he felt as though he was being shaken from side to side, and when he opened his eyes his surroundings had changed. No longer was he in the sandpit surrounded by empty buildings and a dirt filled wasteland, and instead the village was full of people bustling about from side to side with lush grassland surrounding them. A soft, ethereal glow emanated from every surface he looked at, confirming that he was in a temporary space for the sake of the Hidden Event. As he stood, looking for the Trial Administrator that he knew would be waiting, he idly wondered how the first guy to trigger this Event had figured out he needed to stand and meditate in the circle. Maybe he had one of the Classes that let you analyse the Tower to find out things like that, or maybe he just got lucky. Either way, Will didn’t have time to wonder anymore as a tall bearded man in ornate robes stepped into view and held out a gesturing hand towards him. He dismissed the thought, since it wouldn’t matter once he left the Tower and posted the details of the Trial online anyway, and focused on the Administrator.

“Welcome, applicant, to the Third Eye Trial. Well done in discovering this challenge. It shows your Third Eye has potential, and we will see how much you live up to that potential as we go. Do you wish to take this Trial?”

Will nodded at the elderly man as the crowd around stopped what they were doing and turned to watch. He didn’t need to ask for more information, and the Administrator’s explanation wasn’t particularly useful anyway from what he remembered. A ringing clap resounded as the Administrator slapped his hands together with an eager expression, and he threw his hands into the air with a shout.

“Very well! Let the Third Eye Trials begin! The first Trial will be the Trial of the Outer Eye! Please take a position at any edge of the circle, applicant.”

Will obliged, standing at the edge of the ring and fixing his eyes on the opposite side. He dipped one hand into his small pouch, slipping a silver thimble onto his right thumb in a sly motion. Thankfully, unlike the first time he’d tried and failed this Trial, nobody noticed. Another robed man, this one younger and in less ornate clothing, stepped up opposite Will holding a simple shortbow and a quiver of wooden arrows. The Administrator stepped between them as the archer drew and strung an arrow, and turned to Will with an expectant look.

“The Trial of the Outer Eye, a test of perception and reflexes. Dodge as many arrows as you can, and you will be graded on your success.”

With that, he stepped back and the first arrow came flying at Will’s chest. He swayed backwards, eyes fixed on the archer and right hand coming up to grab at the shaft. With his Stats, there was no hope of dodging or catching an arrow fired at this speed, but that was what the items he’d purchased from the Store were for. The thimble gave a soft “tink!” sound as it activated and crumbled to dust, energising his hand with magic and allowing it to automatically snap shut around the arrow’s shaft the instant before it hit his chest. Following through the magically aided motion, Will whipped his arm around and flung the arrow back at the archer with all of his might.

Thanks to the magic of the Flingback Thimble [F], an odd little consumable buried deep in the Store, his throw was powerful and accurate enough to sail straight at the archer and penetrate directly into his throat. As the Administrator and the surrounding crowd gave a gasp and a few scattered cheers, the archer fell back and dissipated into motes of silver light. As the bearded man stepped up and announced Will’s maximum possible score, he allowed himself a smug grin. First stage, perfect success.

“You let them see you putting on the thimble!? Idiot, that was the only thing you had to not do! Fuck-up! You’ll have your Coins docked for this, and I’m going to personally recommend you be put on sewer clearing duty killing Shit Elementals for the next month!”

Will endured the abuse as he’d become increasingly adept at doing recently. He’d fumbled in a crucial moment, and now he’d have to pay out of pocket for the supplies to try this Event again. He fought to keep the contemptuous expression off his face as the Captain continued ranting. The man was barely higher ranked than Will himself, only in the position because he’d reported the previous unit leader for letting Climbers keep their own loot. Will wasn’t a Reflex or Agility build, so expecting him to pull off a sleight-of-hand trick when he didn’t even get to keep what he earned was obviously a stupid idea, but there was no point reminding the Captain of that. Especially since they had been too cheap to pay for anyone to practice! The Thimbles weren’t even that expensive cause they were basically useless past the first few Floors anyway, but since he was saving every Coin he got to upgrade his gear that was still too much. He sat down, waiting for the rant to end and the others to finish their attempts. Hopefully John’s team were having better luck raiding their Dungeon.

Back in the present time, Will shook his head to clear the flashback. Since this had been one of the first outings he’d been forced into with the FCA, he remembered the bad experience with extreme clarity. The Administrator was busy asking him if he was ready for the Second Trial, so he nodded quickly and allowed the environment to ripple and change around himself. It reformed into the interior of a plush office, and he sat in one of the two available plush chairs as he waited for the Administrator to appear.

Quickly grabbing a Mind Clearing Elixir [D] from his pouch and chugging it down, he felt the temporary bonus to his Mind Depth kick in and his focus sharpen. It had cost the rest of his Coins, but it was worth it to clear this part of the Trial. Especially given the trauma he’d faced in the first Tower, it would be difficult to pass this challenge without some help. But between the fact his mental Stats were higher this time round and he had the Elixir, he felt confident enough to give the Administrator a smile as he agreed to begin the Inner Eye Trial.

“Okay, I will begin by asking you a few questions about your beliefs and experiences. Please answer honestly.”

The questions were fairly simple, things that wouldn’t have been troublesome for Will even with his Base Stats. Moral conundrums like a weird alien version of the trolley problem, a few questions like “do you think you’re a good person?” or “what makes a hero?” and things of that nature. According to the old FCA guide, it wasn’t possible to even fail this part unless you deliberately lied about your answers. It was more to weed out the truly unfit, and lower your guard for the real Trial. After a few more minutes of questioning, the Administrator gave a satisfied nod.

“Okay, and now if you would close your eyes. You will be faced with challenges that will require control of your Inner Eye and certainty about your Self to pass. If you can successfully pass them, you will pass and be able to challenge the final part of the Third Eye Trial.”

Will obliged, and felt the telltale feeling of the mental influence taking hold. His mind’s eye swam with colours and then clarified, forming a series of images that he had seen replayed in dreams a thousand times before.

Eloise, the Suncaller, screamed as her own solar energy was turned against her and the flesh disintegrated in an instant. She looked at Will as she died, her eyes sending unspeakable disappointment in his failure to kill the minions in time. His swords almost fell from his hands as he cut down the last of the vampire spawn, and the Vampiric Lord at their head gave a shrill laugh. In his hands was a glowing crystal, reflecting back the last desperate attack of Will’s Party Leader and empowering the Boss beyond their capacity to handle. The ritual had been completed, and it was his fault. Their Homeward Bracelets [C] triggered and pulled them back from the Boss room, leaving Eloise’s skeletal remains to be discarded by the Tower.

Eloise wouldn’t die this time, because the 5 Year Disaster wouldn’t happen, and she wouldn’t enter the Tower to find her sister.

Luke Holtz grinned at the Companions, patting John and Will on the shoulder as they drank champagne and signed the membership contract. A creeping sensation of worry shot up Will’s spine at the expression, but he shook it off and finished writing his name. A prick of pain in his hand was instantly forgotten when Luke handed him a Class Guide for the Knight Elite Class! The book must have cost well over a thousand Coins! With this, and the backing of an Ascended Clan, Will and his friends were sure to be high ranked Climbers in no time.

Will wouldn’t stunt his growth with an overpriced, weak Class, wouldn’t sign away his life as a Climber to those snakes, wouldn’t let John and the others make the same mistake. He wouldn’t even let the FCA get an Ascended Clan Token, let alone recruit the thousands of gullible rookies that they exploited in the first timeline.

Two S Rankers died, their sacrifice giving Will and the other low-ranked fodder time to flee through the Exit Portals and return to the temporary base camp. Commander Harcot and Firing Squad Katya, each legendary warriors and easily more valuable than a thousand of Will, wasted their lives to protect soldiers barely qualified to even be on this battlefield. He saw them share a look of pride, even as their deaths cemented the decline of Humanity and increased the likelihood that they would fail to reach the 51st, just content with having died for a cause, and he knew that even if he made it all the way to the end he’d never repay that debt.

No. Not this time. This time he’d be fighting with them, and with a far more effective backing force of Climbers thanks to his plans. He’d stand alongside the two warriors and reinforce their assault, ensuring that they see Humanity succeed and flourish as they deserved. He’d build a Clan even bigger and stronger than the ones in his timeline, and he’d use it to raise more S Rankers and more support.

The memories continued like this for what felt like hours. None of them penetrated his mental shell, each rebuffed by the clarity of identity that time travel had afforded him. Every failure, every disaster, every mistake, it could be undone. It would be undone. Had this Trial been on one of the higher Floors, it would have found a way past his defences, but at this low level its’ energy did not extend to overcoming a sense of enlightenment borne of truly unique circumstances.

He kept ignoring the visions, not allowing them to so much as ruffle his emotions and keeping pure focus aimed on passing this stage and entering the Third Trial. He had two goals in this Trial, and passing this stage was non-negotiable if he was going to accomplish them. Eventually, the visions slowed and stopped, and he opened his eyes to the smiling face of the Administrator.

“Well. You’ve also received a perfect score in the Trial of the Inner Eye. Prepare for the true test, challenger. The Trial of the Third Eye will begin shortly.”

Without Will having time to respond, the administrator waved his hands again and the environment changed once more.

He was now alone in a sparse white void, waiting for the scenario to be constructed. He took a second to congratulate himself on flawless execution to this point. He wasn’t sure if he’d receive a perfect score in the 2nd Trial, since despite using the Elixir he’d still breezed through the challenge far easier than he had in the first timeline. That time, even with the benefit of the Elixir he’d been left shaking and teary-eyed, barely able to hold himself together to stumble through the 3rd Trial. Compared to some of the others in his group, that was a good performance, honestly.

Even still, if he didn’t correctly complete the Trial of the Third Eye he still wouldn’t have enough points for both of his targets. A Spell and an Item, both core to his strategy going forwards. Not irreplaceable if he failed, but definitely worth rushing for either way. Just getting the Spell Guide for Alacrity [C] if it hadn’t been claimed already was all he really needed, but the Soul Anchor [D] would be the perfect counterpart to his Conditioning Skill. As the room changed a penultimate time, he shook off thoughts of rewards and ran through his plan in his head.