"Is it good?" Onilia asked with a smile.
"Yes! Thank you so much! By the way, what is it called?" he asked.
"It's called mioni. It's made from yunoru flour and ixil fruits." She explained.
'I don't even know what any of that is.'
"Were you able to choose your lodging?"
"Yes," she replied. "And I secured one for you too."
"Thank you," he said, standing up straight like a soldier. "That's very kind of you."
He stretched his arms, already preparing to start jogging.
'I guess that takes care of shelter.'
"I should get back to training."
"It's funny that you call walking training. Anyways, you seem to have little understanding of how things work," Onilia said, brushing some hair behind her ear.
"Since you're still in the tutorial phase, I'll walk with you and fill you in."
"Thank you for your consideration, that was just what I needed."
They began jogging side by side. It was tough at first. But gradually, Zane adjusted. The more he pushed, the lighter his body became. The pain was still there, but it dulled as his muscles got used to the gravity.
Onilia then began explaining things.
"To begin, this planet is called Zoic. Once every few decades, the Master takes in people from different worlds and trains them."
'That explains the different appearances but....'
"Train them? What form of training, and for what purpose?"
"I don't know what form of training it is, but I can say it's nothing easy." Onilia replied.
"How so?"
"Because, ever since he began to take in trainees, only five have managed to complete it."
'There are so many questions I want to ask, but let's listen for now, there will be more opportunities for that.' Zane thought
"Training here is very beneficial, because a hundred days here equals just one day at whichever home planet a trainee came from."
'That is convenient to know. I'll have more time to figure things out then. It puts my mind at ease to know that I still have a chance to save Ariel.'
"The next thing to keep in mind is the System. It is still a mystery, even to Apex Rankers. It's called System Black. No one knows who made it... it just is, and it governs all in absolution. People from many worlds have survived and thrived in it. The tutorial is just the beginning. It's meant to help Awakeners get used to their abilities. After that, you'll be taken to the Tower to become a Ranker. The System then picks you to compete in a tournament. Win, and you protect your world. Lose... and your planet faces the risk of complete destruction."
'Awakened abilities? Does that mean people are supposed to Awaken with some form of powers? And a tournament?Towers? Just what does this mean for Earth? Why are there so many things I don't know about.'
Zane's eyes widened slightly, but he kept running, letting the words sink in.
"The strongest are called Apex Rankers. They're the top of the top. But above even them... are different types of groups. An example is the group known as Errors. There are other groups, but you'll eventually learn of them when you enter the Tower. The Errors are rare, maybe less than a hundred in total. Each one is ranked by number. The lower the number, the more terrifying they are."
Zane slowed down a little, catching his breath. He wanted to ask more about the tower and the system or how to navigate it, but he decided to do that another time. "What... about our trainer? If you're an Apex, then he's naturally ranked higher, right?"
Onilia gave him a side glance. "You mean the Master? Hmm, how should I put it? There's a rumor that he's the right-hand man of Error 005. The name of the Master is Daikyn Zodiache, though I don't know his rank or if the rumors are true."
Zane nearly tripped over his own foot. "Wait—that man? He's associated with an Error-rank?"
"He's famous across the Tower floors for being powerful... and just a little unhinged."
"Oh, you're running now," Onilia pointed out.
Zane looked down at his feet. She was right—he wasn't just jogging anymore, he was running at full pace under the crushing gravity.
A wide grin broke out on his face. "I'm actually running! I'm running! I can fly!"
"I think running and flying are two different things." Onilia stopped him from crossing the line between happiness and insanity.
By the time they reached the base of the mountain, he was panting hard but smiling.
"See you later," Onilia said with a wave, and before he could reply, she dashed up the steep mountainside like it was a smooth path. Her body moved with unnatural grace, and in seconds, she was out of sight.
Zane stared at the mountain.
It towered into the sky, massive and unforgiving. Clouds swirled around the middle like a protective barrier, and the top was nowhere to be seen. He swallowed hard.
"I should've just stayed dead," he muttered under his breath.
But then he clenched his fists.
"No… I have to do this. They probably have it worse back on Earth. I need to get stronger. I can't waste this chance. Who knows what dangers lie ahead."
With determination burning in his chest, Zane took his first step toward the mountain.
"Here we go."
A few minutes later, he was a few meters off the ground.
'I can do this, I can do this, I can...' he suddenly lost his footing sharply and fell backwards. Thanks to the intense gravity, he fell several times faster, breaking bones he didn't know he had.
[System Notice]
{Player Zane Walker has died.}
***
Two weeks later...
His hands bled but healed almost immediately.
'I've been climbing for so long, let's see if I've made any progress,' Zane looked down but to his disappointment, the ground was still visible. Though the cliffs down were like tiny pebbles, he could still see them. But the same couldn't be said about the top.
"I still can't see the top. Just how long do I have to climb?" He cursed as he held on to a rock to prevent himself from falling.
He looked up at a protruding rock along the side. It was about thirty centimeters from his right hand.
"Looks like my next grip point has been decided." He stretched out his hand and grabbed it.
Just as he was about to extend his other arm to ascend a step further, the rock he was holding on broke.
He was now holding on to nothing.
'Crap, if I fall all the way down, I won't make it up on time.' He thought as his face scraped the rough mountainside.
Blood ran down the path as he fell.
'Screw this, I won't give up all the progress I've made.' He planted his fingers down firm to slow down his falling.
His finger nails broke and the skin of his fingers tore but he planted it down even harder.
Blood smeared across the rocks as he fell.
On his desperate attempt to survive, he lost his foothold and fell.
'Damn it, I was so close.'
Before the merciless gravity could kick in, a hand grabbed him.
'Huh, what?' He looked up and saw Onilia holding his blood smeared hand.
He was surprised that she appeared out of nowhere, but what truly stunned him was that she was standing on the slope.
She held no rock to prevent her from falling. It was as though her feet were glued to the rocks.
"If you fall now, you won't be able to make it on time." Onilia said as she helped him get a hold of a stable rock.
"Onilia, thank you. It would've been bad if you had arrived any later." Zane said as he looked at his finger nails regenerate back.
"You must be tired. There's a cave up ahead, you can rest there for a while."
For someone who hadn't slept in days because sleeping meant falling, those were like golden words.
"Really, then let's go." Zane said as he began to climb back up, but this time, slowly and steadily.
'Must be so convenient to be able to walk on the Y-axis.' Zane thought as he watched Onilia take measured steps up the mountain with her hands behind her back while he climbed.
Step by step, little by little, he pushed through the pain and pressure of the insane gravity.
They then reached the cave after a day of climbing without rest.
Zane climbed into the cave and lay on his back. Exhaustion took over and he could no longer move.
"Wait here, I'll go bring food." Onilia announced as she left without waiting for a reply.
Zane lay panting hard.
'I didn't realize since I didn't want to fall, but all my limbs went numb a long time ago.'
"This place is really cold." As the temperature of the weather crept up on him, his mind began to wander.
'Onilia said the Tutorial is meant for Awakeners to get used to their abilities. That tells me three things. The first is that people are supposed to awaken before or at the same time the Geminis arrive. Any later and they won't get the chance to practice their abilities, much less get used to them.
The second is that, the invasion isn't meant to wipe out a race but to teach them. For the last, there are different worlds who have already passed through the Tutorial state. Why then do the System change when it's our turn?'
"To reverse the System to our disadvantage means that someone or at least some beings were trying to eliminate us or test us." Zane sighed in frozen breath.
"It's pointless pondering about the unknown, I should focus on what I know and how to use it to my benefit instead." He whispered as he sat up.
Soon, Onilia arrived with the food, after which she left. Zane ate and continued his climb. He had to get up and adjust before the test.