Tower of Champions [LitRPG]

Scott charged through the forest, gravity pulling him forward at breakneck speed. Behind him, cloaked figures gave chase—one closing in, just a couple of meters away.

But none of them showed killing intent. None tried to stop him.

He let them be.

What caught his attention were the blackened scorch marks on tree trunks. The arsonist had passed this way—Scott was sure of it.

He tightened his grip on the war hammer. In a blink, his speed tripled. Guided by the flickering beacon ahead, he weaved through the forest like a missile through smoke.

Twenty minutes passed.

The towering trees fell behind, revealing a sprawling town. Crude wooden houses lined a tarred road that led straight to a burning harbor. Smoke rose thick and high, but the flames didn't spread beyond the dock.

People wandered the streets, unconcerned. Not one looked toward the inferno.

Scott paused, studying them.

Are they unbothered because they're Failed trialists? he wondered.

The fire ignored the town. As if something was containing it.

Scott's grip tightened again. Without a word, he launched into the sky.

As he rose, the town stretched endlessly beneath him. More people appeared, all minding their own business. None noticed him, not even as he climbed higher and higher. The churning clouds above and flashes of stray lightning meant nothing to him now.

Hundreds of feet above the island, he hovered alone.

The town was the only settlement in sight—no hidden ports, no secret outposts. Just this one place on a massive island.

He turned to the raging sea. It stretched into forever, endless and hostile. Towering waves formed, but before they could reach shore, lightning or vortexes ripped them apart.

Why keep so many failed trialists here? he thought.

No answer came. And he didn't waste time dwelling on it.

He scanned the horizon—the path the arsonist had taken. But the ship was gone. No trace left.

He flew forward—but hit an invisible wall. A system notification flared: Flight restricted.

I can't move forward… but I can still ascend. Why? Scott frowned.

He surveyed the island again, then slowly descended.

As he neared the ground, he noticed a crowd had formed along both sides of the road. Heads tilted upward, all watching him.

Among them, the cloaked figure who had nearly caught up to him was pointing—at him—drawing others' attention.

Scott hovered inches above the ground.

"Primary Target, please leave the island as soon as possible!" a woman called out.

"Please leave... give us some hope… please," said a younger, childlike voice.

"Primary Target, please…" another begged, voice trembling with emotion.

Pleading voices echoed from every direction. Voices strained from tears. Some cried. Others dropped to their knees in the damp earth.

But no one explained why he had to leave.

They just begged.

Do they think I'm staying here because I want to? Scott thought bitterly, eyes narrowing.

And how do they even know I'm the Primary Target?

He didn't ask. He could see it from their demeanors, they wouldn't answer. Only plead.

So he turned toward the harbor and hurled the gravitational field forward, skimming above the road.

A roar of joy followed. Cheers broke out so loud they nearly drowned the thunder.

He ignored them.

He surged toward the burning harbor.

The ships were beyond saving—some already ash, others swallowed by the sea. And yet, the wooden walkways that led to them remained untouched.

Scott didn't land. He hovered, watching the flames.

The cheers behind him continued, but he kept his gaze fixed on the horizon. On the sea. The beacon still flickered, urging him forward.

No ships left. Can anyone here build one?

He shook his head. If they could, they wouldn't still be stuck here. Even if they could—how long would that take?

He looked at the chain coiled around his wrist. At the war hammer in his grip.

Guess I don't have a choice.

The chain stirred, uncoiling. It writhed, then expanded, twisting into enormous forms. It wrapped around the gravitational field, giving shape—weight—to what had once been invisible.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Will flying over the water be restricted? Scott wondered.

The sea wasn't as insidious as the waters surrounding Godsfall Island.

Without a word, the gravitational field surged forward, heading straight for the storm-ravaged ocean.

The moment he passed over the water, a new system notification appeared.

Cheers echoed from behind. Scott read through the messages, each cheerful shout growing fainter with distance.

He didn't turn back—not because of the warning, but because he already knew. The trialists had begun using their exit talismans.

So that's why they were so desperate for me to leave, he thought with a soft chuckle.

They hadn't said it outright. Maybe they couldn't.

Good. At least flight isn't restricted over the sea. Still, a nagging thought stuck in his mind.

No matter how I look at it, something nasty is probably lurking beneath. His gaze swept the water.

He didn't expect an easy journey. Not after everything the previous zones had thrown at him.

Under his guidance, the gravitational field picked up speed, distorting the ocean's turbulent surface. Scott scanned the churning sea, waiting—expecting—something to rise from its depths.

The trialists' cheers had long faded. Only crashing waves and distant thunder filled the air.

Days… or maybe weeks? How long will I have to keep this up? He glanced at the war hammer.

The field didn't need constant input. As long as he held the weapon and willed it, it responded.

Minutes bled into more. Endless ocean stretched ahead. Towering waves tried to engulf him, but lightning bolts struck them down before they came close.

Still, Scott remained alert, accelerating.

He couldn't shake the image of some leviathan rising from below—or something worse descending from the sky. But the beacon guiding him never wavered.

And nothing appeared.

Days passed.

The waves grew even more colossal—some several hundreds of meters high—but they too were obliterated by even greater lightning strikes.

Scott flew over vortexes wider than cities, but nothing slowed him down. The arsonist's ship was still nowhere in sight, and the silence of the sea only deepened his caution.

"System," Scott asked mentally, "how many champions have reached the 7th Zone?"

The response came instantly.

He nodded to himself. Three others joined us.

It made sense. A new round likely started.

He wondered how the newcomers would react when they saw the wrecked harbor—no ships left, nothing seaworthy.

Anyone who can't fly will probably end up stuck in that place, he thought, shaking his head.

I wonder how far that maniac got, he mused, picturing the arsonist's ship.

Could they have fallen into the sea? He dismissed the thought immediately.

Nothing had tried to stop him so far. Whether that was because of his Primary Target status or dumb luck, he couldn't say. But he figured the arsonist's path was likely smooth too.

Could they already be in the 6th Zone?

The idea seemed absurd… but it wouldn't leave him alone.

"System," he said aloud, tone flat. "How many champions have reached the 6th Zone?"

The reply followed.

Scott stopped midair. The wind howled. Waves slammed against the bubble surrounding him.

Already? He stared at the notification, stunned.

How fast were they traveling these past few days? He exhaled, shaking his head slowly.

The gravitational field moved again, pushing him forward.

Well… it's not all bad. If there are monsters ahead, maybe that psycho cleared the way—

He froze.

There, less than ten miles ahead, a towering mountain split the clouds.

Scott's eyes widened. "…No fucking way," he muttered.

That's not a mountain.

Not even the rampaging lightning bolts could stop the behemoth of a wave.

I knew there had to be a catch, Scott thought, scowling.

The journey had been too smooth. He knew it wouldn't last. And now, towering before him, was the true trial of the Stormforged Sea.

His grip tightened around the war hammer. The chains wrapped around the gravitational field constricted like muscle on bone as the field accelerated.

If that arsonist made it through this… so can I.

Scott surged forward.

The closer he got, the more immense the wave became. It wasn't just tall—it was impossible. A wall of water miles high and moving faster than it appeared, though it seemed frozen in place. Lightning bolts slammed into it like artillery fire, but the barrier didn't even flinch.

Still, Scott didn't waver.

His silhouette, dwarfed by the looming tsunami, raced toward it.

He spun the war hammer in wide arcs. Space bent. The gravitational field warped and stretched, blades of force extending ahead like scythes of collapsing matter.

He didn't slow down.

His goal was clear: break through.

Scott stopped the hammer mid-spin and pointed it forward.

Boom.

The invisible force slammed into the wall of water. A fifty-mile indentation blasted into the surface—but it held. The wave began to heal.

Scott swung again.

And again.

Each strike echoed like muffled thunder, drowning even the storm's roar. Chunks of water collapsed, crushed by pressure—but the wall rebuilt itself almost instantly.

Still, there was no breach.

He roared. "Fucking break already!"

He kept swinging. Faster. Harder. Refusing to yield.

The war hammer blurred in his hands. His gravitational field raged around him, tearing into the barrier. The distance between them vanished.

And then—just as he braced for impact—the wave disappeared.

Gone.

The chaos of the storm was replaced by clear skies and drifting clouds. The endless sea gave way to solid land—dry, cracked in places, but fertile.

The system's voice returned.

Scott ignored it.

His eyes were on the scorched battlefield ahead. Hundreds of corpses lay scattered, burned beyond recognition. Flames still clung to their remains, dancing with unnatural life—refusing to die.

But Scott's focus was locked on the figure seated at the center of the carnage.

A man dressed in a crimson suit lounged on a glass throne.

Composed. Watching.

"Long time no see," the figure said. "You've changed a lot since the Judgement Gate."