A portal opened.
The portal, as usual, was devoid of transparency, which gave it a black color. The sensation this time was different.
I was used to entering portals now and had succeeded in opening mine.
I understood how space and energy got twisted into a point before spreading out in a certain diameter when a portal opens.
If the energy was too much, the space would collapse on itself, creating a space vortex.
Though the space vortex was unstable, controlling it was not out of the question as I experimented with it.
It just cost more cosmic energy than creating one from scratch. My ability and knowledge made things like understanding and opening normal portals as easy as pie.
I was looking forward to the day I would be able to manipulate gravity and other cosmic concepts.
At this point in time, whenever I tried to do something complex like that, the energy either dissipated or just blew up like a cosmic explosion attack.
Not to mention the headache I got in the process. So trying anything apart from space manipulation was still difficult for me.
Though I could successfully integrate my will with my attacks, it was evident when I created a space isolation barrier that filtered sound out.
I entered without fear. It led straight into the medium room that I had paid for. The bed, desk, and chair were just where I had left them, without evidence of someone else living here.
Room 208.
Seeing everything in the same state and remembering that it had cost 5 DC for a night, I was curious.
"Hey, system. Why am I here? My rent for this room should have expired by now?"
[That's true. You have spent time that equates to 3 weeks in the time of your dimension ever since you got this room], it displayed on a screen in front of me, showing answers to my questions.
"That... is crazy," I said in amazement. "Then why am I still here? And I don't remember spending that large amount of time."
[Well, my calculations are not wrong; you just lack the appropriate device to measure time for you]
"Isn't that supposed to be your job? Do I need to buy a clock now?"
[You probably should consider buying one. Due to differences in dimensions, time flows differently, and time doesn't matter here in the tower. There exists a standard dungeon time, but it is out of scale for mortals]
"Just asking, what is the standard dungeon time in terms of hours for one day?"
[The standard dungeon time has 60 seconds for a minute, 60 minutes for an hour. But due to the absence of natural events like rotations and revolutions, days, months, and years are not measured in the tower.]
"That's the same as where I come from. Is that intentional, or why is it the same here?"
[The rules of seconds and minutes are universal across all dimensions, as they were created by the Goddess of Time]
"Wow... that's one huge scale of control. Just to be precise, you mean all dimensions in that way, right?"
[...]
"Hmm, I think I deserve an answer."
[Yes. It is a multi-dimension rule created at the very beginning]
"... That is awesome, so that means the goddess's power can influence everything."
[Yes. The position of being called a God equates to achieving complete omnipotence in at least one concept]
"That is interesting," I was getting free information. "But is it okay for you to be telling me? Shouldn't there be some restrictions in place?"
[Yes, there are restrictions on what I can tell you, but general information about the gods is something you will know soon enough, so it's okay.]
"Then it's fine to ask more," I was getting really curious. "Why was our dimension involved in all this mess?"
[All dimensions in existence will one day be integrated into the system and the tower. There are some requirements, but the basic one is to exceed 10 trillion life forms in that dimension]
"That is a lot of figures, or to say life forms, but how does our dimension qualify for that? The population of humans should be less than 10 billion worldwide."
[Dimension #44567782 qualifies even though it is abnormal and only has 1 planet where all the life forms in the dimension are concentrated]
"Well, it feels wrong to call my dimension abnormal, but that is based on the fact that we don't have Mana, right?"
[Correct. It has been universally accepted that Mana is required to sustain life, but the existence of your dimension proves the universe is a place of infinite possibilities]
"In my opinion, I think we deserve an award for surviving in that kind of place."
[Well, compensation will be paid to the dimension and the life forms there. It is the mistake of the Gods as overseers of existence to allow your dimension to develop that way. They are in a state of conserving strength to fight *********]
"I can't get what you said at the end?"
[I said they are conserving their power to fight against the *********]
"A restriction, huh?" I was surprised to know that our conversation had quickly reached a restriction.
It was talking about fighting something, but I didn't think it was something I needed to worry myself about. "What a pain. What are the compensations?"
[The compensation is being integrated with the system and having life forms be summoned to the tower]
"There is no way that is considered compensation! What good is that? We were just conscripted against our will"
[It seems that you are starting to forget the sight of destroyed dimensions you saw. If left alone, your dimension will join their ranks and be destroyed too]
"SHIT!..." The pleasure of leveling up and the feeling of power I had achieved had somehow influenced my thinking.
Now that I thought of it, if the gods were fighting against something, then it meant that thing was very dangerous to existence that it required them to think of conserving strength.
My dimension will most likely be collateral damage in their fight.
"H-Hey, my dimension is okay for now, right?" I asked as my mind brought back the horrible memories I saw from Alice. There was no way I wanted to allow that to happen to my family and friends.
[Yes, it is okay for now. But your dimension is very fragile, which is quite a problem as it will offer no form of resistance at all]
"This is bad."
[Yes. Really bad. The strongest creature in your dimension before explorers were summoned was F-rank, the dimension lacks Mana which means it probably has no will or is too weak for it to matter, and it has been growing in a wrong manner]
"Hey, it feels like you are badmouthing us." I was starting to get a little annoyed; the system was dissing my dimension as if it were outright bad. "You are painting us too badly."
[I am just trying to tell you. Your dimension stands no chance against destruction. It would have eventually faced destruction on its own if given enough time]
"Haa, I can't even get angry at you at this point. Not like it will change anything. So from what I deduce, summoning us to this tower to get stronger will help us prevent our dimension from getting destroyed?"
[It will increase the chance from 0.000001% to at least 0.1% in theory]
"That is bad; it feels like giving up might be a good idea. What use will our efforts be with that percentage?" I was feeling down already. The system was telling me to just allow the destruction as if it were okay.
[That was the old statistic, by the way. With the discovery of 10 transcendent souls, the probability has increased to 25%]
"We have the abilities to make that much huge difference?" It was honestly surprising; it was more than my expectations.
[Yes, transcendent souls are born with abilities close to a concept, basically an Authority. Having a constellation present in a dimension is enough to prevent its destruction, and your dimension has produced 10, albeit in the form of transcendent souls. It is a miracle]
"You are not being honest, are you? You paint us bad and now you are saying we are good. You are probably messing with me."
[I gain nothing from lying to you. I state facts as they are established.... Ah, the tower has finally decided on the trial for the 10th floor]
"That is fast," I said, not even back to my bed in the room. "So system, why am I still allowed in this room if I have been gone that long? There should be a new person here by now."
[It is an Easter egg added to newbie districts in the safe zone. You are allowed to continue staying in the room you paid for until you leave the newbie district.]
"You know of Easter eggs too? And allowing us to stay for as long as we want is pretty impressive. Will help to save DC too."
[Your dimension has been integrated, so I know mostly everything about your dimension. And that Easter egg has been present since the creation of the tower]
"Well, thank you for that information. I should rest now before heading to the 10th floor."
[I am happy to inform you that the floor is a party-based floor.]
"Well, there goes my luck again. I was hoping for a solo clearing."
[The trials are created based on the fate of everyone from your dimension. So your luck does little to influence it.]
"This is the second time I will be hearing something ominous about my dimension from you. Considering the goal of fighting against threats, I hope everything is okay back home."
[...]
"H-H-HEY! Don't give me that!"
As if it didn't care, the next system message was so cold I felt a chill down my spine.
[System Announcement: More than 50% of living explorers have cleared the 9th floor. The 10th floor event will be generated, and the explorers will be force-summoned in 71:59:59 hours. Good luck!]
"..." It was my time to be surprised at the system's bluntness.
[No need to worry that much.]
"Hearing that from you did not ease my mind a bit. You only made me more anxious," I said as I made my way to the bed and jumped on it.
The bed molded itself to fit me, bringing physical comfort. It was like the saving grace in this absurd situation.
I took some time to look around the room. The pale blue color was perfect for bringing peace to whoever looked at it.
Through the window, I saw the breathtaking view of a sprawling, alien skyline. The source of light was a sun that was shining brightly; it was supposed to bring joy, but I felt sadness that I would prefer seeing a moon instead.
"System, since there is no day or night here," I was asking about what was bugging my mind, "is there a chance to see the moon too?"
[The current newbie zone the explorer is in is part of a sun-illuminated region. There are districts where they have moons too. You will need to visit them if you desire to see a moon]
"I get it. This tower is filled with chaos."
[...]
"What's with you and these silent replies?" Anytime the system decided to remain silent, it usually displayed a screen showing nothing to me, and it was infuriating at this point.
[I would have claimed you don't deserve to say that, but from your view, everything here is chaos, but it is a necessary chaos that has ensured the survival of many dimensions]
"Enough about the survival of many dimensions. What if our dimension had been normal by your standards? What do you think would be different?"
[The first thing is that you wouldn't be alive to tell the tale, as you would have died immediately after being born with a transcendent soul. If you were lucky to survive, your body wouldn't be able to survive, and you would fall sick every time before you eventually died. Should I continue?]
Even the system was a little considerate after seeing the frown on my face.
"Go on."