SSS Ranked Awakening: All My Skills Are at Level 100 Chapter 425: Ascension Tower Awakening
Previously on SSS Ranked Awakening: All My Skills Are at Level 100...
For a full minute, Leon's gaze remained locked onto the system display. The violent shaking beneath his feet had long since ceased, leaving behind an unsettling, heavy quiet across the dimensional expanse.
His mystical eyes were fixed, unmoving, on the shimmering golden screen that floated before him. A growing frustration gnawed at him as the progress bar stubbornly remained at precisely 99% completion.
It refused to budge, not even by a minuscule fraction of a percent. It was just stuck there, so agonizingly close yet seemingly impossible to finish.
Why? Why wouldn’t it just complete?
Seraphine had inquired several times already, her voice tinged with hopeful anticipation and a rising tide of worry, asking if the process had finally concluded. Everything around them appeared frozen—the aggressive expansion had halted entirely, the mana had settled into its new, less dense state, and the tremors were gone.
Yet, Leon’s reply each time was immediate and marked by increasing vexation. The system screen clearly, undeniably showed the progress bar still stalled at 99%, tantalizingly near the end but refusing to advance.
So incredibly close. Why won’t it just end?
Leon suddenly recalled a detail that might be significant from earlier in this entire ordeal. He had questioned things before, directing specific thoughts toward the standard cosmic system interface, even asking the Tower directly when those peculiar messages bearing its logo had appeared.
He remembered distinctly that the Tower's communication system sometimes provided intelligent responses. It had answered him before when he was confused about power requirements.
It could simply be a coincidence, naturally—automated replies triggered by particular conditions or keywords.
But perhaps not. It’s possible there was actual intelligence or consciousness behind those formatted messages.
It’s at least worth another attempt.
Leon resolved to try direct communication once more.
He concentrated his thoughts with deliberate force directed at the Tower, projecting his query with all the mental clarity and power he could muster.
What is occurring? Why is the Tower’s awakening not finished, even after all this sacrifice?
His mind practically bellowed the question at the colossal structure that loomed before them.
However, no immediate response came to his mental inquiry.
Only a profound silence met his desperate question—an absolute, complete, maddening silence that stretched on for long seconds.
The progress bar remained motionless at 99%, without the slightest flicker of movement.
Leon felt his frustration rapidly escalating, morphing into outright anger at the situation. He had given up everything for this accursed Tower—his entire accumulated wealth, the precious time-dilation property of his realm, and likely other things he hadn't even fully uncovered yet.
Answer me, damn it!
"Answer me now, damn it! Even after all this, it’s still stuck?!"
The words burst from him vocally this time, his voice echoing with raw frustration and demanding intensity. As he spoke, Leon balled his hands into fists so tight that his knuckles turned completely white from the immense pressure.
His entire body visibly tensed with barely suppressed emotion and stress.
Seraphine had been on the verge of offering a comforting word—her lips had parted, genuine concern etched onto her beautiful features as she observed him grappling with this crushing setback.
However, she paused abruptly mid-breath, her words vanishing before they could be uttered.
She noticed the sudden, drastic shift in Leon's expression—his mystical eyes widening dramatically, his whole posture changing from frustrated tension to a shocked, intense focus on something she couldn't perceive.
He’s seeing something new. A response finally arrived.
Leon's mystical eyes were indeed completely riveted to new text materializing on the translucent screen before him, words appearing that made his breath hitch:
[Forceful Removal of Time Variable Has Caused a Critical System Error]
The text continued to materialize line by line, prominently featuring that distinctive tower logo:
[Stability of the Realm Is at Significant Risk of Collapse]
[Absence of the Median of the Seal in the Newly Created World Would Cause the Awakening Process to Fail Catastrophically]
[Administrator Permission Is Required to Proceed with Stabilization of the New World]
[BEWARE: The Median of the Seal May Experience Unexpected Outcome for the Stabilization of the New World]
[Do You Still Wish to Proceed with Integration?]
[Time Given to Make a Choice: Unlimited]
Leon read the cryptic message multiple times, his enhanced mind struggling desperately to decipher all the strange, unfamiliar terminology being presented to him.
Median? What could 'median' possibly signify here? What is this 'seal'? A newly formed world? Could this imply that his temporal dimension had fundamentally transformed into a complete world, rather than merely a pocket space or a mere realm? What practical difference does such a foundational shift create? When a space is so saturated with mana, what truly distinguishes a 'dimension' from a 'world'? And what about this specific seal? Why does it repeatedly mention this enigmatic 'median'? Perhaps the most perplexing and suspicious aspect of all: why is the Tower suddenly granting him an indefinite period for this supposedly pivotal decision, a stark contrast to the mere ten seconds or less he typically received for previous choices? That appears highly unusual. It's suspiciously accommodating compared to prior instances. Nevertheless, one core meaning of the message resonated clearly and simply: for the Tower to achieve full operational readiness, and for this nascent world—his dimensional realm—to achieve proper stability and avert total collapse, he simply needed to grant his administrator consent. This seemed remarkably straightforward. Almost trivially easy. Indeed, far too simple. For reasons unknown, his golden Divinordial heart was pulsing with unusual intensity and speed, exceeding the rate his enhanced physiology would naturally produce, exhibiting a peculiar resonance pattern he had grown accustomed to over time. My heart does not react without cause. There is always a reason behind its promptings. It is issuing a warning. A crucial lesson learned through experience: this golden heart functions as an instinctive alert system, signaling significant junctures, concealed perils, or pivotal decisions destined to yield enduring repercussions. He was compelled to choose, and the most apparent, superficial answer seemed self-evident. But if it's so obvious and simple, why does this feel so profoundly critical? The situation doesn't even present as a genuine obstacle or challenge; so why didn't the system simply proceed automatically, as it had with previous alterations? Why didn't it even seek his consent when it forcibly removed the thousand-fold time dilation property—an alteration of far greater magnitude? That was a substantial, fundamental change that profoundly reshaped my realm, yet it occurred without any form of consultation. So why solicit permission now for this supposed minor stabilization? The more Leon delved into the situation, the more he found himself ensnared in the intricate labyrinth of enigmas and questions surrounding the entirety of this unfolding process. An abundance of unresolved questions lingered. Insufficient information and answers were readily available. Ultimately, however, a decision had to be made, and the practical reality dictated an obvious course of action. I understand the necessary path forward. ___ Within an uncharted locale deep inside the Time Dimension itself. In the heart of a dimly lit, exceptionally opulent chamber, bathed in the soft glow of ambient magical luminescence. Warm, flickering light cascaded gracefully across flawlessly polished white marble floors, while countless plush velvet cushions were artfully dispersed throughout the elegant surroundings in deliberate formations. The silver-haired woman, possessing an aura of absolute divine beauty, occupied the center, having finally reached what should have been the pinnacle of joy after eons of agonizing confinement. Today should herald the commencement of her long-anticipated, imminent liberation—a mere hundred years of waiting is but a fleeting, insignificant moment for an immortal divine being such as herself. However, abruptly, for reasons entirely unknown and inexplicable, she was overcome by an intense, overwhelming agitation, a sensation she hadn't experienced in ages. This feeling... what is it? For an entity who was a true divine being—not some frail mortal—this sensation held immense gravity and significance. She never dismissed instinctive warnings or premonitions lightly. They invariably signified something. It was a malevolent premonition, a sense of approaching doom, yet she couldn't comprehend the reason for feeling this way at this precise moment. This should be a moment of pure, unadulterated triumph. My heart ought not to be experiencing this at all. A terrifying notion suddenly surfaced unbidden in her mind: Could that accursed Keeper of Dimensions somehow have discovered the breach of the seal and is now returning to reinforce it? "NO! No, that is utterly impossible!"