Formless Ascension: My Affinity Is Limitless

Thankfully, Handler Roy cut through the tension before Uhtred could dwell on the thought. He blurred over to Zara and tapped her forehead, transferring the necessary information into her mind.

”Alright, you two, you’ll have to work with me here,” Roy said, kicking into professional gear after pulling away from Zara.

He began giving them outfits to try out in quick succession: flamboyant dresses and suits that made them look like circus clowns waiting to be paraded.

The whole time, Uhtred had a heavy scowl on his face. This whole thing was just way too ridiculous. Even with the knowledge of how beneficial the interview could be, being yanked out of a brutal life-or-death battle to suddenly be pushed into some sort of showbiz spectacle felt completely absurd.

He was even trying to talk to Zara, but there was barely any time to get out any words before Roy would push him behind the curtain to change clothes again.

”Roy,” Uhtred called out the first time, but the Handler was completely absorbed in finding the right outfit, shoving Uhtred back inside to change again.

”Roy,” Uhtred called again after he came out in a new attire.

”No, no! Not enough presence!” Roy shook his head, reaching out to push Uhtred back behind the curtain with a new set of clothes, but the young man didn’t budge a muscle.

”Roy!”

That seemed to finally grab the Handler’s attention. He stared at Uhtred in slight confusion.

”What is it?”

”This is enough! I’m not trying on any more of this... shit! I’m not some fucking animal going out to be paraded!”

It wasn’t just Uhtred who had lost it. Even Zara had a cold expression on her face.

She was dressed in a flamboyant, colorful gown she would never wear in a thousand lifetimes. Her face caked in heavy makeup applied by tiny, hovering mechanical contraptions belonging to Roy.

As Uhtred confronted the Handler, Zara reached up, tore the extravagant dress off, and wiped the heavy layer of powder off her face with her sleeve.

The two of them stood side by side... They’d had enough.

”I don’t care that this is a fucking show. I’m not going out looking like a clown. If you want me to make a statement, then I’m going to make a statement, but not in this... shit!”

Handler Roy stared at Uhtred in silence, an unreadable glint flickering behind his eyes.

”Uhtred... What exactly are you planning to do?” His tone carried a faint thread of warning. ”I made this very clear in the information I passed to your mind. We’re not going to pretend that you two do not have secrets. Literally every single person who triggered a scenario intervention has something weird about them that forced such a decision. Every single one of the hundred ascenders who will be interviewed is an anomaly in one way or the other...”

Handler Roy looked between Uhtred and Zara.

”...But you have to remember, this is just an interview. The Host is going to be very lithe and smooth with his words, trying to pry information out of you. But you can choose to blatantly evade any question you don’t want to answer. You do not have to reveal any secret about yourself that you don’t want anyone to know.”

His eyes were particularly on Uhtred as he spoke, as though he knew something deeper.

”Uhtred...” he called out warningly.

Uhtred’s expression flickered slightly.

Does he know the true nature of my class...?

He stared at Handler Roy for a few seconds, then let out a light sigh and nodded.

”Alright, but no flamboyant clothes. We go out just as we are, and if we don’t make a statement, then that’s it.”

Handler Roy seemed to agree. The rat-man nodded, then looked between Uhtred and Zara.

”In that case, I guess all we have to do is wait for your turn to be called out. I’ll give you two some time to talk and catch up. I’ll be back in a minute.”

In a blink, he disappeared from the room, giving Uhtred and Zara the much-needed silence they wanted.

Uhtred immediately walked over to one of the couches and sat down, heavily massaging his forehead.

”That bad, huh?” Zara started.

She walked over to one of the dressing tables, where a jug of water was placed along with a tray of exquisite crystal cups.

She filled two cups and carried one over to Uhtred, sitting softly next to him.

”Yeah,” Uhtred chuckled, accepting the cup with thanks. He downed the glass of water and let out a content sigh.

”Sheesh, you really must have been in a shithole of a scenario for you to be this exhausted,” Zara remarked, raising an eyebrow.

”Ha! You’d be surprised by how spot-on you are,” Uhtred laughed, then let out a sigh. ”It’s just been constant danger and showbiz ever since we entered this Tower.”

”Yeah... you’re right,” Zara hummed. ”But Uhtred, this is no different from the integration. The only thing that’s different is the showbiz aspect... I think that’s what’s getting to you. I mean, you’ve been topping the global leaderboard back on our planet ever since the integration began...”

She looked at him and chuckled.

”...Who would have thought this was what it took to push you past the edge?”

Uhtred laughed, shaking his head quietly. He let the silence settle for a few moments before his expression turned serious.

”There’s something bigger going on with these floor scenarios, Zara. The Tower, these powerful multiversal viewers... they wouldn’t be this engaged if there wasn’t a deeper purpose behind it all. We might not see the full picture yet, but I’d bet money that every floor contains secrets or triggers tied to something much larger.”

Zara looked thoughtful at Uhtred’s words. It came seemingly out of nowhere, but it was something he looked to have been analyzing for a while. And from Zara’s expression, it seemed even she agreed.

The scenarios they had been thrown into seemed pointless on the surface, as though they were just for entertainment, but the level of investment from multiversal viewers... from the Tower itself... was way too much for the scenarios to be meaningless.

”Just keep an eye out wherever you are. I’ll be doing the same from now on too,” Uhtred said, then paused. ”Oh, by the way, where exactly did you land in the scenario world? I’m on my way to the Demonic Cult regions in the south. Which clan did you land in?”

Before Zara could answer, the air near the wall of the room distorted, and Handler Roy materialized out of thin air, clapping his hands loudly.

”Alright, showtime! Zara, you’re up first!”

”Wait a minute, Roy, we weren’t done talking,” Uhtred said, standing up to catch Zara’s answer, but Handler Roy was already ushering her toward a doorway that was opening up in the wall.

”No time, Uhtred! The broadcast schedule is strict!” Roy quickly replied, then began firing off last-second advice as he pushed Zara toward the exit. ”Keep your poise! Answer with confidence! Don’t let the Host corner you!”

Behind them, Uhtred walked quickly, still trying to learn where Zara had landed in the scenario world. At least then he could have the concrete location of one of his companions when he returned.

But the moment the door fully opened, he was taken aback.

Cheering, roaring, and booming applause from millions of unseen spectators echoed down a large, bright corridor. Above the noise of the crowd, the loud, booming voice of the Host reverberated through the air:

There you have it, folks! Xgrtek, the number one talent among the Urgyhian race!! Already a wielder of ten elemental magics, one Esoteric guile, and... one Fundamental Law!!!

The crowd exploded into another wave of deafening cheers.

”Uhtred! Get back inside the dressing room!” Roy barked over his shoulder, noticing Uhtred lingering near the open doorway. ”You cannot step into the corridor until your name is called! You will trigger an automatic penalty!”

Uhtred stopped in his tracks, taking a step back as a bright red warning prompt flashed briefly at the edge of his vision.

He was stunned by what he had just heard from the Host.

Ten elemental magics? An Esoteric Guile? A Fundamental Law?!

Those were the qualifications of the ascenders being interviewed today? The gap between normal rankers and the true monsters of their universe was ridiculous!

He nodded at Roy’s warning, backing into the dressing room as the heavy stone door began to slide shut.

Just before the stone melded back into the wall, the Host’s booming voice echoed down the hall once more, introducing Zara to the multiversal audience:

Next—! Ooohhh!!! Folks, you’re in for a treat! You won’t believe who we have next! This current cycle of ascenders just keeps producing mind-boggling anomalies one after another!

Up next, we have a Nascent Realm human ascender who has successfully constructed a—