Chapter 618: Multiversal Arena Of Ascension
’It’s way less tedious.’
Although the Main Encroachment Gate was built to be several times harder than the first one, aside from the final ordeal, the steps needed to reach it were far less troublesome.
At least that was the case for Leo.
’Use the Rapid Ascension Privilege, of course.’
As Leo accepted the generous offer of skipping the preliminary levels, another pillar of light descended on him.
When he stepped out once more without hesitation, he was met with another green-skinned creature, but this one was tall, sporting defined muscles, and carrying a large two-handed axe.
The large gap in strength created by skipping 10 whole levels could already be seen, but Leo didn’t feel particularly threatened by the Orc’s menacing glare.
’This is more like it.’
Unlike the overconfident Goblin at the start, the Orc scanned Leo and his sword first before putting his axe in a defensive position.
However, once he realized that Leo had no intention of making the first move...
Graaah!
It still rushed forward all the same. To anyone who managed to reach the Multiversal Arena of Ascension, ending their opponent as quickly as possible was their number one goal.
There were still many more levels to come, so to the average challenger, expending the least stamina in each fight was a high priority.
As for Leo...
’If anything, it’s more fun.’
Climbing floors, levels, stages... This was a concept that Leo enjoyed reading about in general.
Having the entire novel be based around that concept was fun in its own way, but tower-climbing side events were usually more action-packed while causing a lot less repetition fatigue.
In that sense, the Multiversal Arena of Ascension was one of the better tower-climbing side events that Leo had read.
Although the concept of challenge that the Arena presented remained practically the same on each level, it was as straightforward as it could get. Making things a lot less complicated.
’It’s not too different from the White Tower Gate.’
The fact that the structure of the Main Encroachment Gate drew inspiration from a Gate that the protagonist had attempted not too long ago drew some of the readers’ criticism.
However, once the entire arc came to an end, most of these voices had turned into those of approval.
Although their general structure was similar, the difference between the challenges presented by the two Gates was rather obvious.
The White Gate was there to test the strength of many, while the Multiversal Arena of Ascension pursued the validation of individual strength.
Considering that this was a test to confirm whether the people of Earth could stand a chance against the imminent invasion, the Multiversal Arena of Ascension made a lot more sense.
If this war was meant to be fought with guns or tools in general that could be used by the average combatant, numbers might have still mattered.
With superpowered combatants who could annihilate normal armies in seconds, individual strength was king.
Confirming if there was at least one Ability User who had the necessary strength decided whether humanity could get the chance to fight a fair battle.
’This Arena isn’t easy either...’
Swish!
{ Level 11, cleared. }
Despite dispatching the Orc as easily as he did the Goblin, it didn’t stop Leo from objectively judging the Arena’s difficulty.
It might appear simple when he was the one attempting it using the powered-up abilities of an SSS-rank Villain, but true to its name, this Arena was still a Multiversal Challenge.
The Goblin that appeared at the start was the weakest of the challengers, but he was still the peak of Goblins in his world.
The agility that he showed with a body that had so little muscle managed to draw some surprise out of Leo.
Naturally, as levels increased, things got a lot more difficult.
{ Proceed to Level 12? }
The species might remain the same for a few levels, but the world they came from was different, being one that had a higher power ceiling for this specific type of species.
Furthermore, once the challenger managed to beat the strongest version in the multiverse, the type of species would change, presenting a more complicated ordeal.
After all, a fighter who had to fight Goblins for a hundred levels would become an expert Goblin Slayer, finding a way to deal with them no matter how strong they became.
However, when they had to adapt to a change of species every 5 or so floors, that was when a challenger’s caliber could be truly tested.
’... But it makes sense considering the level of threat that Aurora had to deal with in the end.’
This wasn’t even the final ordeal that the Main Encroachment Gate had to offer, but in Leo’s opinion, it was a fair preliminary opener to it.
If the vanguard of humanity couldn’t deal with this much, then there was no reason to provide them with any fighting chance... Or so the facilitators of Encroachment Gates thought.
{ Combat Skills and Damage Dealt had crossed the threshold of Level 11 by 16 Levels. Initiating Rapid Ascension... }
{ Maximum Levels that can be skipped at once is set to 10. }
{ Would you like to use your Rapid Ascension Privilege to immediately move to Level 21? }
Naturally, when it came to the preliminary round, Leo had no complaints. Rather, he was greatly satisfied.
The preliminary round of the first Encroachment Gate was far less cutthroat and had minimal strength requirements, but its random nature made for a bad match with a speedrunner like Leo.
In comparison, even with tougher opponents, a Gate that provided a fast-forwarding option was like a low-calorie sweet treat, providing satisfaction with little to no downside.
In the process, Leo additionally got the chance to test how strong Shadow Armament could become when boosted by refined Law-level Shadow Enigma.
His initial opponents hadn’t been able to push him past the basic sharpness boost, but Leo had great expectations for what the top levels could offer.
{ No response had been provided for 10 seconds. Starting Timer... }
{ If no response is provided within the next 10 minutes, the challenger will be forcefully transported to the next Level. }
{ 600... 599... 598... }
’No need to get so grumpy. Use the privilege!’
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