"Hmm?" Sarah frowned at the sudden appearance and turned her head toward the source of the commotion. Her eyes focused on the large silver tower rising into the clouds. The butler and Senior John also widened their eyes when they saw it and quickly recognized it.
"This... Staircase to Wealth," Butler Leon exclaimed when he saw it. Victor, who heard this, raised an eyebrow, but before he could say anything a new row of text appeared in front of everyone's eyes.
"Heaven, I just sensed the aura of many powerful treasures, including SS and even SSS rank."
No one knew who had shouted those words, but they immediately caused a ripple effect as everyone turned toward the silver tower, their breathing quickening. Those who could check used their own artifacts used to detect if there is treasure nearby and they confirmed that there was S rank and above treasures here. Countless heated gazes focused on the tower — SS and SSS rank items were things many would never see in their lifetime.
Despite the greed swelling in their hearts for the countless treasures, no one moved as a new row of text appeared from the Akashic Records, causing them to halt.
[Staircase to Wealth has appeared]
[Please do not enter the Tower. You will be teleported shortly. Offenders' souls will be stripped and destroyed immediately.]
'Staircase to Wealth, what the hell is that?' Victor was confused, as he had never heard of it before. Many others also had no idea what it was. Some even wondered why it was called a staircase when only a tower stood before them.
They all looked at each other in confusion, some even asking the people nearby if they had ever heard about it.
"Huh, does anyone know about this?" Victor asked Sarah and Senior Julian.
"Yes, but let's wait before we go inside. You should put your mask back on—I guess you wouldn't want people to know your identity, would you?" Senior Julian said just as new text appeared.
[Teleporting inside the tower in 10...9....]
Victor, seeing this, hurriedly put the mask back on and his appearance changed once again.
Woosh—
As soon as he disguised himself, he found his body covered in white light before vanishing from his place along with the others.
----
Outside the Technique and Spell Association at the lowest floor, Amanda, Ruby, and a group of staff members were nervously waiting for the people who had been sucked in to return while looking at the portal with nervousness.
Zisss—
All of a sudden, the portal, which had been normal until now, started to emit a golden hue, and everyone immediately grew tense.
"What's happening now?" Amanda muttered with a frown as she looked at the portal which was glowing golden and felt a bit tense.
Ring Ring—
Suddenly, everyone's gaze snapped toward one staff member whose phone started buzzing. He swallowed hard under the weight of their stares and quickly answered the call.
"Hello—yeah, what? Heavens, how come?!" The man, nervous at first, shifted from confusion to shock, and finally to complete dumbfounded silence.
"What happened?" Ruby hurriedly asked after seeing his exaggerated reaction, fearing something terrible had occurred. But even after a few seconds, the man remained dazed, which only made everyone more anxious.
"Hey, what happened?" Amanda demanded this time in a cold voice, her body leaking killing intent that made everyone shudder. The dazed man snapped out of it and looked at Amanda while drenched in sweat.
"The headquarters just said they have confirmed, using an artifact, that the Staircase to Wealth has appeared," the man said with a flushed expression of excitement. The others who heard this also widened their eyes in disbelief and gasped as they looked at the portal with heated gazes, feeling a pang of regret that they could not enter.
"..." Amanda's mouth parted slightly as she stared at the portal.
'Heavens, just what the hell is happening?' Amanda thought.
---
Woosh—
"Hmm?" Victor was teleported directly inside the tower and saw a humongous staircase in the middle of a black void lit up by small artificial stars. In front of it stood a translucent blue barrier that blocked the path to the staircase.
Victor looked around and saw all the people from outside begin to appear one by one.
Woosh. Woosh. Woosh—
"Hmm, looks like a barrier preventing us from entering," Victor muttered as he turned his head and saw Senior John observing the barrier calmly.
"What exactly is this place?" Victor mumbled.
"Well, this place is said to be built by the God of Wealth. Honestly, I never expected that I would be lucky enough to participate in this trial," Sarah, who had just teleported beside him, spoke in a calm voice, her eyes filled with excitement as she looked at the staircase.
"God of Wealth?" Victor asked with a raised eyebrow.
"He was the richest ranker in history, with techniques and items above SSS rank. He had so many that a small mountain could be built just by laying his techniques and items on the ground—all of them above SSS rank. He also had so much money that even if everyone spent millions upon millions of years, they still could not finish it," Sarah said with awe in her voice.
Gulp.
Victor swallowed hard, imagining the wealth, and felt a pang of suffocation in his chest. 'Damn, if he is the God of Wealth, then I should be the God of Poverty, shouldn't I?' Victor thought, remembering that he was currently broke.
"That ranker was said to have hoarded all kinds of treasures since the establishment of the tower and killed many who coveted his wealth. In his last years, he gained the title God of Wealth from the Akashic Records. The Staircase to Wealth was created in his last years, and he stored all of his wealth here," Sarah explained, pausing before continuing.
"There are about 10,000 stairs, and the higher someone climbs, the better the rewards granted by the Staircase to Wealth. The highest anyone has ever reached was the 723rd floor, and that person obtained an SS-rank equipment," Sarah said, her eyes fixed on the staircase.
Shing—
"The barrier is weakening," someone shouted.