Perspective: Alessio Leone
Status.
Titles.
Magic items.
If anyone asked Alessio Leone what it took for a player to truly become strong inside the Black Tower, he would answer without hesitation.
Those were the three fundamental pillars — the foundation upon which every form of power in the game was built.
And to some extent, that view was correct — but also incomplete.
Most players, especially newcomers, saw the Black Tower as something simple, almost minimalistic.
Five basic classes.
Four main attributes.
Four equipment slots.
A system that seemed lean and straightforward — none of the tangled complexity of traditional fantasy RPGs.
But that was exactly where everyone was wrong.
The Black Tower was never simple.
It only pretended to be — until the right moment.
As classes evolved and levels advanced, the game would begin to transform, revealing layers and systems that seemed to appear out of nowhere.
The first major mechanical evolution came as soon as a player reached level 25 and advanced their class — and from there, more would follow, cascading like a chain reaction.
Each new discovery changed how players thought, planned, and survived within that dark, impossible world.
It was a cycle of ever-growing complexity.
And any player who wished to stand out would need complete dedication — studying, testing, and analyzing every tiny variation.
In a way, Alessio had always believed that the game's "easy" beginning — up until that first mechanical evolution — was an intentional trap, a window of opportunity.
The game allowed the first explorers to gain an advantage.
But the moment that phase ended, everything became exponentially harder.
Not impossible — just cruel.
Those who joined later could still catch up to the veterans — but the price would be steep.
It would demand absurd effort, almost inhuman discipline, and a deep understanding of the Tower's hidden laws.
It was as if the game itself balanced information and difficulty:
the more one knew, the harder it became.
For the earliest players, blind to everything, the Tower was "easy."
For those who came later, armed with knowledge, it was "hard."
A strange balance — but a logical one.
And, as always, there were exceptions.
The most famous of them was known throughout the forums and player legends as:
"The Three Changes from Day to Night."
A topic that once ignited endless speculation and fear across every community in Alessio's past life.
The legend claimed there were three extraordinarily rare situations that, if encountered, could change a player's destiny forever.
Even the weakest, the unluckiest, the least skilled — if they found one of these opportunities and survived — could rise to the very top of the Black Tower.
Naturally, such opportunities came with proportional danger.
Each represented a point of no return.
And now, standing before that gray, pulsing portal in the colossal chamber, Alessio knew — beyond any doubt — that he was facing the first of them.
The Opportunity to Ascend One's Essence.
Something that could change everything.
Not only his strength or path through the Tower — but his future itself.
He knew exactly what it meant.
And he knew the danger that came with it.
Because, for all the rumors and reports he had read about players who experienced Ascension, not a single one matched another.
It was as if the game itself crafted a unique trial for each individual — shaped by their very essence.
And that was what worried him most.
Inside that portal, his greatest advantage — the knowledge he'd carried from his previous life — would be worthless.
In there, he would be blind, guided only by intelligence, courage, and sheer willpower.
He almost laughed at himself for the thought.
"Since when did I get so cowardly…?" he murmured with a faint smile.
He couldn't allow himself to back down now.
A man who retreats before such a challenge condemns himself to stagnation.
And for someone granted a second chance… standing still was no different from dying.
Even so, one detail bothered him deeply.
He couldn't cross the portal alone.
These portals obeyed complex, almost whimsical rules.
Some appeared only for solo players — in those cases, if the player hesitated or called for help, the portal vanished instantly.
Others appeared for entire groups, allowing everyone to enter the trial together.
But one rule was immutable:
either everyone entered, or no one did.
All or nothing.
A detail Alessio had chosen not to mention to Sith.
He hadn't meant to hide it — but she had agreed to enter faster than he could explain.
Had she refused, they both would have lost the opportunity forever.
Not that he was complaining; he needed this chance more than anything.
In the end, he simply promised himself that whatever danger they faced — inside this portal or any that might appear as a consequence of their Ascension — he would help Sith, no matter the cost.
Because even if she didn't realize it, she was giving him this opportunity.
Still, one thing left him puzzled.
A portal never appeared for a group without reason.
It was almost a statement — proof that those people shared something between them.
That made such portals even rarer.
And now, one had appeared not only for him, but also for Sith — the legendary woman who, in his past life, would become known as the Goddess of War.
He had never met her before.
But now, the two of them stood side by side — before one of the greatest mysteries and dangers the Black Tower could offer.
Alessio stared at the gray glow of the portal.
His reflection shimmered across its surface — distorted, multiplied — as if countless versions of himself were staring back.
And then, inevitably, he wondered what fate had planned.
Maybe the Tower was more sentient than anyone imagined.
Maybe it was the Tower itself bringing them together for a reason.
In the end, he just smiled — that calm, controlled smile of someone who accepts the inevitable.
If the Black Tower wanted to test him…
he was more than willing to be tested.