MTLNOVEL chapter 400 - Step In
"...That's all. Do any of you have questions?"
Taufik leaned back casually, his tone calm despite the heavy information he had just dropped about The Infinite Tower.
"Me!" Asahi immediately shot his hand up like an eager student. His eyes sparkled with curiosity. "Master, how do you know so much about this Infinite Tower?"
Taufik tapped his chin, pretending to think.
"Hmm~ It wouldn't hurt to tell you, I guess. That tower... it's actually my creation. I built it and set its rules and systems. That's why I know it inside and out. Well, mostly. The only part that's beyond me is the Realm Gate within it. I have to climb it myself to fully understand it before I make it available to the public"
"Make it available?" Daniel asked, narrowing one eye and raising a skeptical brow. "What do you mean by that, my friend?"
"Announce it worldwide through the system, of course," Taufik replied nonchalantly as if that was the most natural thing in the world.
"You can do something like that?" Rijal asked, visibly puzzled. "I've never seen any kind of feature like that in the system"
"Of course, you haven't," Taufik said with a shrug. A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "That's because it's a special privilege, my privilege. After all..." His voice dropped just slightly, enough to carry a weight behind the words: "I'm the System Creator."
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…"
"..."
Silence gripped the group like a sudden freeze. For a moment, no one moved. Their minds struggled to process what they had just heard. Eyes darted around, looking for some kind of punchline.
Was this a joke? A trick?
But the seriousness on Taufik's face told them otherwise.
Then, all at once, like a dam breaking-
"YOU WHAT?!!"
The four of them shouted in unison, voices overlapping with shock and disbelief. Only Caldwell, who seems less surprised.
Asahi's jaw dropped, Rijal stood up so fast his chair nearly tipped over, and Daniel blinked repeatedly like he was trying to reboot his brain.
Even the air around them seemed to ripple with the weight of the revelation.
Taufik just smiled faintly, folding his arms. "Told you it wouldn't hurt to say it"
"What is this? Are you some God or something now, Fik?" Reza asked with a laugh, trying to brush off the tension with a joke.
"He is," came the unexpected reply, not from Taufik, but from Caldwell.
"…"
The group fell silent again. The weight of that word, 'God' hung in the air like a thundercloud, thick with disbelief.
"No need to go that far," Taufik said, casually waving his hand as if trying to shoo away the idea. "I'm still the same person you've always known. Nothing's changed"
"...Shit," Asahi muttered, his eyes wide with awe. "Does that mean... I'm a student of a God?!" His face lit up like a child who had just been told he was the chosen one.
"My childhood friend was a... God?" Reza murmured, eyes unfocused, like he was trying to piece together his entire life up to this point. "What kind of joke is this?"
"…A God… You're a God now, my friend?" Daniel asked softly. His expression was a swirl of emotion, pride, sorrow, joy, and a faint hint of something else. "Our gap just keeps getting wider and wider"
Only Caldwell and Rijal remained unreadable. Caldwell, because he had known the truth for a long time.
And Rijal... well, his relationship with Taufik had started off in the worst possible way. Now, faced with this revelation, he simply didn't know how to feel.
*Clap*
The sharp sound of Taufik's hands clapping broke the silence and pulled them back from their spiraling thoughts.
"That's not the point here," he said, his voice steady and commanding. "Climbing the Infinite Tower is our priority"
He looked each of them in the eye before continuing.
"I could climb the tower on my own. In fact, I'm certain I can clear it on my own. But the state of the world right now… It needs more than just one person at the top. That's why I chose the five of you"
He paused, letting the weight of his words settle.
"You will be my representatives in the outside world. Even if I'm a God, I can't be everywhere at once. I need people I trust, people who can grow stronger, who can carry part of the burden"
His voice softened slightly.
"That's why I need all of you to rise. To climb. To become more"
Taufik fell silent, letting the weight of his words linger in the air. He gave them space to process everything, his identity, the truth about the Infinite Tower, and their newfound roles in a story far greater than they'd imagined.
"…Now that you know everything you need to know," he said at last, his voice calm but firm, "is there anything else you want to ask?"
His eyes swept across the group, meeting each gaze, Asahi, still wide-eyed with admiration; Reza, still stunned; Daniel, quietly thoughtful; Rijal, unreadable; Caldwell, steady as ever.
None of them spoke.
Taufik gave a slight nod, the corners of his mouth lifting with a faint, knowing smile.
"…Good," he said simply. He turned toward the looming presence of the Infinite Tower in the distance that is still visible even when they are thousands of kilometers away. "Then... shall we begin our climb?"
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The Infinite Tower stood in solemn majesty, rising endlessly into the sky. It pierced the clouds above and the depths of the sea below, a lone, impossible spire in the middle of a vast, empty ocean. No islands, no landmarks, only water, and the towering monument to the unknown.
Encasing the tower was a massive, translucent barrier, glowing faintly with shifting hues of pale blue and silver. It pulsed like a living thing, keeping all intruders at bay. This barrier had stood firm since Taufik created this tower, unyielding and absolute.
Surrounding the barrier, the open sea was crowded with ships of every make and banner, nations, guilds, corporations, and factions from across the world had come. Dozens of vessels floated just out of reach, a silent stalemate between potential enemies.
No one dared make a move against each other; their attention was wholly fixated on the prize within: the tower.
For a while, they had tried everything, spells, bombs, ancient relics, cursed weapons, but the barrier refused to fall.
They would keep trying.
They would all fail.
But now, without warning, a portal shimmered open inside the barrier, right before the grand entrance of the Infinite Tower.
From the glowing vortex stepped Taufik, his presence calm and resolute. Behind him came the other five, Asahi, Reza, Daniel, Rijal, and Caldwell, each stepping into the sacred space with eyes wide, hearts thudding.
Around them, the Tower loomed impossibly tall, vanishing into the heavens. Its surface was made of unknown stone, etched with shifting runes and symbols that no one alive could translate. It was not built to be understood. It was built to be climbed.
The others were frozen in awe, heads tilted back, necks straining to glimpse the top.
But Taufik didn't stop. He kept walking, silent and focused, until he stood directly before the entrance gate, a colossal pair of sealed stone doors that seemed ancient and untouched.
He raised one hand and pressed it to the surface.
At his touch, the door shimmered faintly.
A pulse.
Soft at first, then stronger, a hum of resonance between creator and creation.
Taufik didn't move. He simply let his Mana flow into the gate, his expression composed, his eyes glowing faintly with power.
The runes on the doors began to light up, line by line, curve by curve until the entire gate shone with brilliant, golden light.
Then, silence.
A crack echoed through the air, loud and final.
The doors trembled.
With a slow, deep groan, the ancient gates began to open, revealing the mysteries sealed within for the first time in the eyes of the world.
The climb had begun.
And the six of them would become the pioneers, the first to step where none had tread before.
Taufik stared into the open gate. Beyond the threshold, there was nothing but a shimmering void, swirling with soft light and unseen currents.
It was like gazing into a dream unfinished, limitless, silent, and unknowable.
But he could feel it.
Behind that veil, a whole new world awaited.
A realm of challenges, mysteries, and forgotten power.
He gave a small nod, satisfied.
Turning back to his companions, he found them still standing in awe, staring at the colossal structure behind him. He raised his voice, calm but commanding.
"Everyone"
The word snapped them out of their trance.
Taufik continued, "Prepare your weapons. We begin our journey here." He paused just a moment, eyes steady and sure. "Let's step inside... and see what kind of adventure is waiting for us"
With that, he turned, not waiting for a reply, and walked into the Gate, his figure swallowed by the luminous mist beyond.
The remaining five looked at each other. No words were needed. A silent understanding passed between them, curiosity, courage, and the bond they shared.
One by one, they nodded.
Then, without hesitation, they followed Taufik into the unknown.
Into the Infinite Tower.
....
...
..
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