The juggernaut shuttle was the fastest mode of transportation across all 25 cities surrounding the Civilization Challenging Tower. Built with precious materials and technology won from the tower itself, its speed and reliability were a marvel compared to the level of technology found in ordinary settlements.

  From Lost Lotus City to the Tower, it was a journey of almost 900 kilometers, and the shuttle crossed the distance in just three hours.

  But at the station, the passengers who alighted from the shuttle did not look like people who've sat through a journey of ‘just’ three hours. Their faces were filled with relief, and their eyes carried a hint of redness.

  Some of the younger passengers were even wheezing, as if a great weight had been lifted off their chests. They sniffed the sulfurous air and tearfully gazed at the gray sky.

  Even the people at the station sensed the unusual atmosphere brewing at the door of the shuttle as a young man slowly disembarked from there, wearing a smile so victorious that one would mistake him for a hero returning to the barracks after a successful duel in the tower.

  Surrounded by his fellow passengers, his cheerful countenance was a sharp contrast to their aggrieved faces, their hateful gazes that were focused on him. It seemed that at any moment now, he'd become the victim of mob justice.

  Several guardsmen discreetly began to approach the small crowd, hoping to prevent any violence. But when their eyes fell on the blue emblem glued to the young man's left shoulder, their faces rexed.

  A civilization seedling... Who'd dare to assault one in a public pce like this? The ws protecting these select few citizens were almost draconian in nature, with exempry punishments in most cases.

  Sure enough, even as the young man gave the people around him provocative looks and whistled cheerfully on his way past them, nobody dared to act impulsively.

  Watching him disappear amidst the crowd outside the station, the guards couldn't help but feel curious. What had prompted such a scene?

  Naturally, they interrogated the rest of the passengers, who now collectively exuded a defeated aura.

  “He... He threw up on his seat the moment the shuttle left the city. So the supervisor was forced to move him to another empty seat. But ten minutes ter, he threw up there too!”

  “Five times! How can a person throw up five times and still look fine? Something has to be off!”

  “Every inch of space in our shuttle started to stink by the first hour of the journey. Since we weren't allowed to open the windows, you can imagine how we spent the rest of the journey!”

  “I refuse to believe it! How can a human's vomit stink that bad?! Rotten innards of shit-eating street mutts smell better than this!”

  “If he wasn't a seedling, I'd have personally thrown him off the shuttle! Consequences be damned!”

  In the station, the grievances of the passengers poured out in a frenzy, leaving the audience fbbergasted.

  Half a kilometer away from the station, riding in the backseat of a scrappy five-wheeler van, Roark threw away several empty packets from his backpack. The chemical in these packets was the source of his ‘stinking vomit’....

  “A total of 947 Nuisance Points, tsk, tsk~ Not a bad haul for the money I dumped behind it.”

  Even now, the residue of these chemicals was making the three passengers on the van give him a wide berth, which he really appreciated. In vehicles like these, finding legroom wasn't easy.

  The barracks weren't far from the station. And by the time he reached the main base of Lost Lotus City's army of challengers, the Tower itself was in sight, less than a mile away.

  A straight monolithic monstrosity made of unknown, indestructible materials, its body constantly shifting within its own chaotic axis as if gravity did not exist for it, dark red glow running through the gaps between its massive purple walls...

  Roark had seen blurry photos of this transdimensional construct many times while growing up. Seeing it in person for the first time left him feeling a different kind of excitement.

  This tower knew him. This tower had blessed him. This tower would welcome him soon.

  He could not wait. The calling to become the nastiest Nuisance, the cleverest Clown, and the biggest Transdimensional Troll... He felt it in the back of every conscious thought.

  Based on the information he had gotten from his older siblings from their letters, he managed to track down their cabins in the barracks easily. But all five doors turned out to be locked.

  After asking around, he learned that the whole family had banded together to venture into the Tower this morning.

  “That emblem on your shoulder... Are you really reted to those guys?” One of the older challengers asked, sounding somewhat suspicious. It left Roark feeling secondhand embarrassment for his brothers and sisters.

  Good heavens, how poorly were those idiots performing in the Tower? People couldn't even believe that a civilization seedling would awaken from their family!

  “Whether you're reted to them or not, this area of the barracks isn't a pce you're allowed to come in, my friend. Walk in that direction for ten minutes and you'll find the administration building. They'll take care of everything for you there, go!”

  “Why am I not allowed to come here? I thought this emblem means MORE privileges, not less!” Roark said in confusion.

  The older challengers nearby let out a derisive ugh. Roark only realized how idiotic the question was when he saw his Skill prompt.

  [ Disdain Detected ]

  [ Evaluation: Clown Grade ]

  [ Reward: 44 Clown Points ]

  So many points from just four people? The delight he felt almost made him miss the expnation.

  “The Tower chooses to bless challengers for unique reasons. Seedlings like you have some special trait that can possibly thrive in the tower and gain popurity on the livestreams.

  “Letting you mingle with us ordinary challengers might affect that special potential of yours. It's the government's policy to protect the original traits of the blessed challengers by any possible means.”

  Roark's face turned sour.

  How the hell am I going to get my Ragebait points if they don't allow me to run amok in these barracks? Do I have to inform someone in the high ranks of administration about my skill?

  Admitting any information about the blessings given by the Civilization Challenging Tower was considered a big taboo. It was like creating an external source of weakness for oneself. He'd be exploited by anyone with ill intentions.

  Gncing back at the distant Tower, he could only console himself.

  “No worries, no worries. There's still the Tower itself where I can earn these points. From what I've heard, few people from the Beastmen Civilization have a good temper; just perfect subjects for me to abuse...”