The morning air outside the grand arena was bitterly cold and thick with a suffocating, nervous tension. Thousands of the world's elite Climbers were crammed into the holding zones, some aggressively stretching, others meditating in dead silence, and a few already trading dark, measuring glares. The World Climber Tournament wasn't just a distant concept anymore; it was brutally real, and the Ranking Trials were about to weed out the weak.
A massive pillar of light shot down into the center of the arena, and a giant holographic figure materialized above the stadium. It was the system referee.
Its voice boomed effortlessly across the staging grounds.
