The Weight of an Authority

The Climber's Notebook.

It was the reward pulled from the special shop's golden chest. A new skill had appeared on my interface, but because there hadn't been any immediate reaction, I had half-assumed it was a dud.

"Wait, it reacts here?"

Come to think of it, that made total sense. A Climber's Notebook—by its very definition, it had to be tied to the act of climbing. It wasn't strange at all for it to resonate within the Tower of Transcendence. Still...

"An authority...? I never dreamed it would be connected to something like that."

Who could have imagined such a thing? Even Senior Merlin, a High Transcendent among Transcendents, had stated it plainly: once you clear a floor in the Tower of Transcendence, that's the end of it. There was no way to experience that crushing pressure a second time. Well, Senior... it looks like I might actually be the exception. The message had spelled it out in plain sight.

Utilize a portion. Didn't that mean I could actively invoke it? If that were true, it was an absolute jackpot. Let's check it out.

I summoned the newly acquired skill into my mind. The interface flickered to life, revealing crisp lines of text before my eyes.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Whoa... it really is there."

If it was registered on my skill list, that meant I could cast it. How did one trigger it? Visualizing the intent just like casting an Energy Bolt should do the trick—

Fwhoooosh!

Instantly, the atmosphere shifted. While the surroundings didn't flood with dark azure water like the trial grounds of the fourth floor, the sensation was unmistakable. A peculiar, crushing force bore down against every fiber of my being. The only issue was...

Wait... why does this feel way harder than what I dealt with back on the fourth floor?

I had definitely endured the pressure on floor four, but by comparison, that trial had felt gentle and measured. Now? It felt several times heavier, squeezing down so relentlessly that drawing a breath became a struggle.

"Hmm..."

What was the catch? Pondering it on my own wasn't going to yield any answers. There was no helping it—times like this called for the senior card.

Stepping forward as the familiar announcement rang out, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I walked casually into the laboratory.

"Oh, you have arrived?"

Right on cue, Senior Merlin turned to greet me warmly, looking like a mentor who was growing quite used to my sudden drop-ins.

"I heard the fourth floor of the Tower of Transcendence was conquered just moments ago and wondered if you might drop by soon, but... wait, what?!"

Merlin's voice hitched mid-sentence. His eyes widened into saucers as he leaned forward, staring at me with sheer disbelief.

"Could it be... have you already mastered the Tower's authority?!"

Holy crap. I hadn't even uttered a word, yet he noticed right away. Was the man psychic? Well, considering his actual age probably put ghosts to shame, perhaps it wasn't so shocking. Still, to spot it so casually was astounding. As expected of a Transcendent. Since I had come seeking his guidance anyway, I gave him a quick rundown.

"After clearing the trial, it was automatically inscribed into that Climber's Notebook I showed you earlier. Along with a message stating that a portion of the authority could now be utilized."

"Oho...! Indeed! I knew from the moment I laid eyes upon it that it was no ordinary artifact! To ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠think it possessed such power! Truly marvelous!"

Uh-oh. That terrifying, manic glint was creeping back into his gaze. If he slipped into mad-scientist mode now, I'd never get my questions answered. I needed to steer the conversation before he got lost in his own head.

"Actually, Senior, that's why I came to ask you something..."

"Ask away, lad! I shall answer whatever you wish! No, before that, would you not demonstrate that authority for me?! Good heavens... for a mortal individual to wield an authority inherent to the Tower itself!"

"Ah... sure. I'll give it a go."

Focusing inward, I willed the authority into existence.

Deep Sea Pressure.

Fwhoooosh!

"Ugh..."

The instant the thought crossed my mind, a suffocating weight clamped down across my entire frame. It was definitely brutal. Hopefully, this brief display was enough for him to see.

"Incredible... absolutely astonishing. You truly are manifesting the fourth floor's authority verbatim. Granted, there appears to be a slight variance in absolute output, but the structural integrity is identical. How on earth should one interpret this—"

"Um... Senior?"

"Eh?! Ah, did you call for me?"

Listen to me, old man. I came with questions! What was the point of zoning out into your own dimension before I could even finish asking?

"The thing is, the pressure inside the Tower was completely manageable," I explained, catching my breath. "Yet whenever I invoke it myself, it feels several times more intense. To the point where it's hard to breathe properly."

"Mmm..."

"I was thinking about using this to continuously temper my stats, just like you recommended earlier. Would that be safe to do?"

If it worked, it would be an incredible cheat. Keeping it active around the clock was obviously out of the question, but doing it in steady bursts whenever possible? My physical parameters would steadily climb, day after day. He had even confirmed this method worked on Transcendents.

"Did you say the notification stated you could utilize a portion of the authority?" Merlin asked thoughtfully.

"Yes."

"That is undoubtedly the culprit. The authority deployed upon the fourth floor of the Tower is governed under absolute, flawless regulation. Every microscopic stream of force is balanced to perfection. Conversely, when you invoke it yourself, there is no chance your control could possess such finesse."

Ah. It was an issue of proficiency.

"Then, regarding training with it..."

"By all means, proceed! In fact, you must! You are grasping an unfathomable fortune in your hands at this very moment!"

"Well, that's true," I agreed. "I can constantly temper my vessel with the pressure."

That part was a given. I had felt so disappointed leaving the fourth floor because Deep Sea Pressure was practically a stat-duplicating exploit. Being able to self-cast it was a windfall beyond words.

"Nay, nay! That alone is magnificent, certainly, but its true worth lies elsewhere!"

"Elsewhere...?"

What else could there be?

"Consider this: what would transpire if you were to apply that Deep Sea Pressure not upon yourself, but upon another target entirely?"

"Hmm..."

Did it make other people stronger, too?

"Imagine, for instance, concentrating that immense pressure solely beneath the feet of a charging adversary. Their footing would be utterly bound in an instant! As your command over the power deepens, you could compress their entire form under that crushing weight!"

Holy crap.

He was right. I hadn't even considered external application, but the concept clicked immediately. Pin down an enemy's limbs or roots, then casually loose an arrow or bury an Energy Bolt right into their skull. It was the ultimate, one-sided trade.

"And that is merely a single rudimentary application! The potential uses are boundless! Furthermore, the fourth floor's authority is designed to scale in proportion to the target's own might. Against a formidable foe, that alone could prove to be a decisive variable!"

"Whoa... that really makes a lot of sense."

"Does it not?! Are you finally grasping the magnitude of what you hold?! Hahaha... it stuns me no matter how much I turn it over in my mind. The Climber's Notebook? Just what kind of miraculous relic is that thing?!"

Long live the Tower of Transcendence. But in all honesty, I was deeply curious myself.

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A notebook left behind by a nameless Climber for future generations.

That one-line description was all the system provided. Just who was that person?

"A tome that archives authorities! Mmm! Perhaps the authorities of higher floors will follow the same pattern? If so, what direction should our subsequent research take—"

Yep. I knew that look. The Senior had completely drifted off into his own world.

"He's going to be out of it for a while, isn't he?"

"Hey, it's not like I chose to be this unusual on purpose..."

A bit harsh, but I could sympathize. Anyone would be furious if their boss kept them from clocking out. Still, what could I do?

"Hang in there, bud," I whispered encouragement toward the haggard assistant. "I'll be clocking out first. Keep up the good work."

"Man... this is just too good."

Every time I pulled up this status window, the old saying rang true: some things were so satisfying they could make you feel full without eating a single bite. Gazing at these numbers filled me with an immense sense of security. And out in real combat? That reassurance multiplied tenfold. Every single tier jump broadened the spectrum of dungeons I could realistically raid. And honestly, there was no better feeling in the world.

"Back when everything was sitting at F or E-Rank, I had to scrounge around exclusively in bottom-barrel dungeons..."

That had been my reality only a short while ago, right after awakening. Even just yesterday, when my stats were hovering around D and E, I had barely managed to tackle a B-Rank dungeon. Sure, that clear had dragged out past an hour, but a clear was a clear. Normal Awakened strike squads often took three to four hours to grind through a B-Rank gate.

"And now, every aptitude has bumped up another grade..."

Would a B-Rank dungeon feel a little more comfortable now? If I wanted an answer, there was only one way to find out.

Most were C to F-Rank listings, but scanning the feed revealed several B-Rank entries tucked in between.

"Wait, there are actually quite a few."

In the past, looking at a list like this would have only made my mouth water with envy. But things were different now.

A soft hum reverberated as the dimensional coordinates locked in. Alright, let's see how much smoother this run goes.

Flash!

Kieeeek!

The difference was night and day. Every single motion carried weight and fluidity. Drawing the bowstring felt effortless, yet the projectile blasted off the stave with vicious acceleration.

KBOOOOOM!

Faster, heavier, and vastly more lethal. And naturally, the final result reflected that leap in performance.

The completion time had been dramatically shaved down.

"Thirty-seven minutes? That's insane."

My previous run had clocked in around an hour and eight minutes. Cutting that nearly in half without breaking a sweat was incredible. I hadn't even run into a single hairy moment.

"At this rate, I can comfortably farm B and C-Rank dungeons whenever I need resources."

Still, daily duties took precedence. Spending ten hours staring blankly into the waters of the Tower of Transcendence had eaten up the clock, and a full day had already slipped by. That meant only one thing.

It was time to climb another floor of the Tower of Despair. Wait a second... if I cleared floor fourteen today, tomorrow would be floor fifteen. If I shattered the record there, wouldn't I claim another floor blessing?

"Who's holding the blessing on the fifteenth floor right now...?"

It was public knowledge. A quick search on the Hunter network pulled up the record immediately.

Right. It was Luo Qin.

Seriously, just how many blessings did this guy hoard for himself? Even after "donating" two of them to me, he was still sitting on a mountain of six. That meant he originally hogged eight exclusive blessings all on his own.

And despite hoarding that much divine favoritism, he threw an international temper tantrum the moment two slipped from his grasp, dispatching covert operatives to track me down. The more I thought about it, the more shameless he seemed.

"Yeah, you've definitely had it too good for too long."

There was only one reasonable response: I'd just have to relieve him of another one. Just you wait, Chairman Luo. I'll clear the fourteenth floor today, and the second midnight strikes, I'm coming to collect your fortress.