For the next several hours, Jake scoured the city in search of anomalies. The rarity of anomalies, which had previously brought him joy as a survivor because of their mortal danger and challenging nature to detect, now left him feeling frustrated. Moreover, it became apparent that anomalies that had challenges linked to them were really rare. After the completion of the speed trial, he dedicated several hours to a fruitless search without encountering another similar anomaly. It was becoming increasingly frustrating for him. Despite investing considerable time, his efforts yielded no results. At least, he now knew that the anomalies with challenges linked to them were pretty scarce.
He was on the verge of giving up his search and moving on to explore the sewers instead when he finally discovered what he was looking for. The anomaly he stumbled upon was a Pulsar, the same one that had propelled him off a roof the other day. Despite being at street level now, he was reluctant to risk being sucked into the Pulsar and forcefully ejected in an unpredictable direction, so he maintained a safe distance. The anomaly floated above the floor in the lobby of a high-rise building, situated at the center of the vast room.
Jake maintained a safe distance of about fifteen yards from the anomaly, yet even from this far, he could sense the gravitational pull of the Pulsar. He was acutely aware that if he inched closer to the anomaly, the gravitational pull would escalate in strength. He knew very well that once he reached a certain threshold, the force would become so powerful it would irresistibly suck him in, rendering him powerless to prevent being pulled into its grasp. That was why Jake remained at a safe distance from the anomaly, unwilling to take a single step closer. While he understood that the anomaly posed no lethal threat, he was unwilling to endure the unsettling experience once more.
With a simple mental command, he summoned the description of the Pulsar. The information he already knew emerged in his mind. He didn’t bother to reread it. Anticipating the anomaly to offer no challenge, akin to the previous encounters he’d faced in the past several hours, Jake started to turn around to leave the building. And then, with a slight delay, a new piece of information abruptly emerged in his thoughts.
A challenge is available!
A surge of excitement swept through Jake as he realized he’d finally stumbled upon an anomaly that had a challenge linked to it. He immediately requested to view the details, and a fresh piece of information promptly appeared in his mind.
Tower Climb: Reach the roof of a high-rise building to eliminate an elite mutant.
Recommended Stats: Evolution Stage 1 “Primordial Form”, Level 15, Body 5
Main Reward: Finish all floors and defeat an elite mutant on the roof to unlock the Boost Menu
Intermediate Reward: Finish a minimum of 7 floors to upgrade any skill to Rank II, bypassing its current progress or requirements
Jake carefully reviewed the details of the Tower Climb challenge that had just surfaced in his mind. The current challenge differed significantly from the previous speed trial and required a different skill set altogether. The tower climb presented a more challenging difficulty level as well, marked as “hard,” in stark contrast to the previous speed trial, which had been relatively easy. Not meeting the recommended stats with his Level 10 and Body 3, he couldn’t help but wonder if he was up to the task.
Despite his reservations, Jake wasn’t willing to miss out on the chance to unlock a new feature.
Challenge accepted! To initiate the tower climb, reach the designated area.
Stepping outside the building, Jake scanned his surroundings, anticipating a beacon to guide him toward the tower climb’s starting point. However, to his surprise, no shafts of light akin to the ones from the speed trial materialized in the distance. Perplexed, he pondered whether scaling the high-rise roof might offer a better vantage point. On the other hand, the waypoints from the speed trial had been so high they had towered prominently above the surrounding high-rise buildings, making it easy to spot them even from the street level. So he decided against climbing a high-rise roof in search of waypoints, reasoning that those distinctive markers were likely specific to the speed trial challenge anyway.
Puzzled, Jake continued to look around, wondering how he was supposed to know where to go without any apparent guidance.
In the end, he decided to simply ask.
System, tell me where I need to go, he thought.
As soon as Jake asked the question in his mind, a shimmering line materialized before him. It stretched out ahead, before curving to the right after reaching the midpoint of the street. It moved ahead until it reached a four-way intersection where it veered to the left. A few seconds later, the sparkling line vanished.
Jake transitioned into a brisk jog along the street. When he reached the intersection where the line had turned left, he halted. With a thought, he summoned the line once more, and it promptly materialized before him. It extended a couple of blocks forward before making another turn. Jake chose to pursue the line without delay this time, maintaining his pace as he followed the guiding line. When it vanished, he promptly summoned it once more without slowing his pace.
Jake followed the sparkling path for some time, taking different turns at intersections until he finally reached his destination. He came to a halt before a tall building in which the sparkling line had just guided before disappearing. He studied the tall structure for a moment. The ten-story building appeared identical to the surrounding structures, lacking any unique features. Not sure what to expect, he extended a blade from his left wrist and morphed his right fingers into claws before entering the building through the shattered entrance door.
Pausing in the opening, Jake surveyed the vast and desolate lobby before him. The space was empty save for occasional piles of rubble strewn about. Jake’s eyes quickly identified several replication pods suspended from the ceiling, positioned low to the floor. He also spotted a bunch of walkers shuffling aimlessly about the area. As he ventured further into the lobby, a notification materialized in his mind.
The tower climb has been initiated! Good luck!
Remaining time: 5 hours, 59 minutes, 59 seconds
Apart from the message that appeared in his mind, there were no visible changes in the surroundings to suggest that the challenge had just commenced for Jake.
Alright, let’s do this, he thought before launching himself at the nearest group of ex-humans.