In front of the Tower of Life. Xar'vantheon brought Achilles forward.

His massive verdant-gold wings caught the light nearby, announcing their arrival to everyone cultivating a few miles in the periphery.

Several Living Lives looked up. Their eyes registered Xar'vantheon first, then shifted to the newcomer.

One being radiated teal brilliance…advanced integration with Living Existential Authority evident in every movement. He stood from his meditation with fluid grace, a smile crossing his features.

"Xar'vantheon!"

The greeting was warm, familiar.

"You've returned from external duties? How's the Guardian position treating you?" His tone turned teasing. "Is it not boring out there, standing watch over emptiness while the rest of us advance?"

Xar'vantheon laughed. The sound echoed across the tower's base without embarrassment as he replied.

"If I could make more progress in the Tower, I wouldn't have taken it!"

His admission was blunt, but honest. Then his verdant eyes gleamed as he gestured toward Achilles.

"But I have this newcomer here. He arrived at my section with remarkable inclination toward our authority." His voice carried calculated anticipation.

"If he proves exceptional enough, I may gain substantial Living Contribution Points. Enough to obtain Sacred Life Herbs or Treasures to finally break through my barrier!"

...!

Achilles absorbed this revelation instantly. So Guardians, the Foldless Ones floating outside the cube, earned rewards based on the candidates they brought?

That explained Xar'vantheon's enthusiasm.

As if his existence agreed, a simple prompt rose up.

|Your performance directly impacts his compensation. He genuinely wants you to succeed.|

"..."

What was this? Ever since he came across the Living Existential Authority of Life,the prompts he routinely saw which explained his existence and the surrounding existence seemed to come even more frequently.

He noted the change and simply continued.

The other Living Lives turned their full attention to Achilles.

Their gazes swept across his form…analyzing, evaluating, judging.

Energy signature. Authority flow. Potential indicators.

All of it processed in moments!

Then their expressions shifted.

They held pproval mixed with competitive anticipation.

"A new Young Living Life already?" One murmured, surprised. "Your luck continues to serve you well, Xar'vantheon."

Another smiled.

"Good luck, newcomer! Try to reach at least the sixth floor on your first attempt." His tone was light, but the challenge was clear. "Anything less would be disappointing!"

HUUM!

Competition.

That was the currency here.

Everyone was constantly measuring themselves against others, calculating rankings, evaluating positions within hierarchies that determined everything.

Xar'vantheon and Achilles continued forward.

The tower's presence dominated everything.

Up close, its scale was even more imposing…each floor possessing height that could accommodate beings far larger than humanoid forms. The architecture suggested this place was designed for entities whose physical manifestations might span considerable dimensions.

At the base stood a massive verdant doorway.

It pulsed with light of immensity and wonder.

It was not constructed from conventional materials but from solidified Living Existential Authority itself.

Alive. Breathing. Evaluating.

Dozens of beings meditated in the surroundings, positioned on earth that pulsed with concentrated Life energy. They sat in perfect stillness despite the oppressive Haki of Life pressing down with crushing weight.

None opened their eyes at Achilles's approach.

They were too focused. Too absorbed in internal cultivation.

Directly in front of the doorway stood an obsidian stele.

It was a black stone rising from earth, contrasting dramatically with surrounding green brilliance.

Its surface was covered with shifting inscriptions.

Xar'vantheon gestured toward it.

"The Registry Stele. Touch it, register your identity and energy signature before you can enter."

Achilles approached.

His consciousness extended outward, analyzing the stone before contact as it felt…ancient. Incredibly ancient!

It had witnessed countless candidates, recorded innumerable names that had risen to prominence or faded into obscurity.

His hand extended.

And..

WAA!

Radiant green words blazed to life directly in his vision.

|Please input your designation.|

|Please provide a fragment of your authority for signature registration.|

Achilles's eyes gleamed with caution.

The name was simple enough.But the authority fragment? That required careful consideration.

"Achilles Adrastia."

His voice was clear, certain.

Then he sent forth the smallest possible fragment of authority, a smidge of energy so minimal it barely qualified as demonstration. Just enough to register while revealing virtually nothing about his true scope.

The stele absorbed his offering.

HUUM!

Brilliant green light erupted, and prompts materialized above the stele for all to witness!

|REGISTERED CANDIDATE|

|Designation: Achilles Adrastia|

|Classification: Young Living Life|

|Assessed Tier: 2nd Circle of Life (Minor)|

|Initial Evaluation: Pending|

...!

Second Circle of Life!

Did this correlate with Tier 2 within the Level Zero Scale?

Were they measuring his conventional advancement, or something else entirely…some compatibility metric that didn't perfectly align?

Before he could analyze further…

Xar'vantheon's hand hit his back with tremendous force.

The Guardian's laugh boomed across the area.

"You had actually entered the Second Circle already?" Pride radiated from his voice. "Good! Excellent! The Tower has recorded your name and energy signature. It will track your accomplishments for all to witness!"

His voice was deliberately loud, carrying across the surrounding area and ensuring everyone heard.

Multiple sets of eyes opened.

Gazes turned toward Achilles with renewed interest.

Second Circle candidates were noteworthy!

Though the expressions he detected showed curiosity rather than concern.

After all, they'd all climbed this tower before.

They knew its challenges intimately.

A few offered wry smiles, watching fresh candidates was apparently entertaining despite its regularity. Validation for their own achievements while offering chances to gauge how current attempts compared with historical performances.

Achilles ignored the observant gazes.

His focus remained on more immediate concerns.

His eyes flashed with determination as he turned back to Xar'vantheon.

"What exactly does the Second Circle of Life designation mean?"

It was a genuine inquiry.

Xar'vantheon's expression shifted towards one of patient instruction.

"The stages of power for us Living Lives are measured through Circles of Life rather than conventional tiered systems." His voice took on practiced clarity.

"The progression ranges from the First Circle…baseline achievement for those just beginning, through the Ninth Circle, which represents mastery so complete that only the most exalted members of the Primordial Civilization of Life have achieved it."

He paused.

"Each Circle divides into three strata: Minor, Median, and Major. Your designation as Second Circle Minor means you've surpassed the First Circle entirely but remain in the earliest stratum of the Second."

His verdant eyes blazed with emphasis.

"What determines your Circle and stratum is the comprehensive assessment of how complex and pure your existence has become through integration with Living Existential Authority. Not merely raw power or accumulated energy. .but how thoroughly you've refined your being to resonate with Life's fundamental principles."

HUUM!

Achilles absorbed this instantly.

His consciousness correlated their terminology with his existing understanding!

"Going across the Circles of Life is extraordinarily difficult." Frustration colored Xar'vantheon's tone.

"Even I, someone who has dedicated considerable time and resources, am only at the Median Third Circle of Life."

He paused for emphasis.

"And in this entire Sanctuary... only a single Esteemed One has achieved the Fifth Circle of Life. Just one being among all these hundreds of thosuands!"

His expression grew more serious.

"The disparity of power between each Circle is so immense that someone of a higher Circle could crush someone from a lower Circle with a casual motion of their finger."

He let that sink in.

"Not through elaborate techniques or sophisticated applications of authority…just raw existential superiority that makes resistance futile regardless of skill or preparation."

...!

The implications were massive.

Hierarchical power structures where advancement between tiers created gaps that transcended everything.

Xar'vantheon's tone softened.

"But don't let these stages overwhelm you right now, Achilles Adrastia." Encouragement entered his voice. "Your current objective is simply to demonstrate your potential, show us what you're capable of achieving."

He gestured toward the massive verdant doorway.

"Enter the Tower. Let us see exactly how far your inclination toward Life will carry you…"

Achilles nodded.

It was a calm acceptance masking analytical processing beneath a composed exterior.

The information clarified several uncertainties while raising new questions.

But those questions could wait!

Right now, he had an evaluation to complete.

He turned toward the Tower.

The oppressive presence of Solidified Haki of Life pressed down around the entire structure with crushing weight that intensified as he approached.

It was pressure designed to filter candidates. To ensure only those with genuine compatibility attempted evaluations they weren't prepared to handle.

His existence responded with familiar, treacherous hunger.

His cells were crying out for the concentrated Living Existential Authority permeating every particle of the Tower's construction.

Time to begin.

Achilles stepped forward with measured confidence.

Crossing the threshold between external observation and internal evaluation.

The moment he passed through the massive verdant doorway…

BOOM!

Blinding green light consumed his vision entirely. It was brilliance so intense it erased all other sensory inputs.

Heartbeats stretched into subjective eternities. When the light finally receded…

Achilles found himself standing within an environment that bore no resemblance to the tower's exterior.

A vast forest stretched before him in all directions.

Verdant wilderness that shouldn't exist within architectural confines yet manifested with reality so convincing his consciousness couldn't detect flaws.

The trees were magnificent. Ancient specimens cultivating their own authorities for ages that exceeded most Empires entire histories.

Their trunks shimmered with verdant-gold bark pulsing with concentrated Life energy. Each pulse released waves of vitality into the surrounding atmosphere.

Their canopies stretched overhead at impossible heights, cosmic organisms whose scale transcended conventional botany

The forest floor felt soft yet resilient.

It held earth that breathed with the same rhythm as the trees. Grass reaching upward as if attempting to touch his existence itself.

And more than fifty miles away…

A radiant green door blazed with light

The door stood atop earthy green stairs that ascended with architectural impossibility!

That was the way upward. The path to the second floor.

The first milestone.

Achilles tried to take a step forward..

...!

He could barely move. Heavy pressure pressed down all around with crushing force. Even simple locomotion felt like attempting to walk through an ocean of molten lead.

The Solidified Haki of Life outside was nothing compared to this!

Concentrated authority permeated every particle of space, making the very act of existence feel laborious.

|Environmental Analysis: First Floor of Tower of Life.|

|Ambient Pressure: Solidified Haki of Life at concentrations approximately fifty times greater than external surroundings.|

|Effect on Movement: Severe impediment. Estimated travel time: 1 hour without adaptation.|

|Recommendation: Allow natural adaptation, or...|

Or?

The or was very clear here.

But even as these observations formed, Achilles felt something else entirely.

His existence was cheering. Every cell was surging with excitement.

His being responded to the concentrated Living Existential Authority of Life with hunger so intense it bordered on obsession.

His body wanted this, craved this. He Needed this vibrant force of Life, this Haki pressing against him with overwhelming weight.

HUUM!

Achilles breathed out slowly.

And his purple-gold eyes blazed with determination.

He lowered himself into a runner's starting position. His form was perfect despite oppressive pressure. His muscles were coiling with potential energy.

He stretched his neck as if he was preparing for a sprint rather than endurance trial.

And then…

So quietly that even his own voice barely registered…

"Assimilate."

BOOM!

The command wasn't shouted or proclaimed. it was hispered with absolute conviction!

And in response…

Radiant green light flooded into his existence with tremendous force.

The Solidified Haki of Life didn't just press against him, it rushed inward.

Drawn by a gravitational pull his Assimilation created. Consumed by cells that devoured authority with desperate fervor!

Waves of power coursed through his existence as the concentrated Living Existential Authority integrated itself into his fundamental structure.

His Complexity surged upward. His Purity refined itself toward greater resonance.

His very being transformed with each passing nanosecond as he consumed what should have been oppressive resistance and converted it into fuel for advancement.

The pressure that had made movement feel impossible...

Vanished!

It was not overcome through raw strength, it was eliminated through consumption.

The very force designed to impede his progress had become nourishment that propelled him forward instead.

Achilles's form exploded into motion at thid moment.

He sprinted.

Not jogging or carefully advancing, he was running with speed that made the verdant-gold trees blur into streaks of color.

Fifty miles that should have taken a great deal of time became distance he consumed in secondsm. And…His existence was accelerating as more concentrated Haki flooded into his being with each stride.

The first floor of the Tower of Life, designed to measure potential through resistance to overwhelming pressure, had just encountered someone whose entire existential framework was built around consuming exactly the type of authority it used for evaluation.

Well, any type really.

Achilles couldn't help the smile that touched his lips as he ran.

Because he could feel his existence scaling upwards, while his Existence Corruption Value…remained unfathomably low!

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