I did not feel anything as I climbed on the first step of the mountain, It just felt like stepping on the normal step. "Do you guys felt anything?" they shook their head saying no but looking around I saw that very few people seemed surprised like us while other treating it like normal. I started climbing the steps with billy and Nigel, first few steps I did not feel anything but after I took the seventh step, I started to feel the pressure. It was very light like a feather, one would not notice it if one didn’t look for it. It is both mental and physical in nature and it kept increasing little by little as I step higher. This pressure felt nothing now but if this kept increasing at this speed then I can imagine how difficult it became after taking a few hundred steps. "Have you decided which Rule power you are going to go for?" Billy asked as his eyes full of dreams probably imagining the Rule he is going to comprehend. I shook my head at his question. "There are too many choices that I can’t decide," I replied b, fore adding. "But to enter the palace we have to climb the mountain first," I said while looking at the steps. I will have to think about climbing the mountain first before I could think about what Rule power I should comprehend. When I was reading about Rule power yesterday, I thought about which Rule power I should comprehend if I was able to climb the mountain. There are 237 Rule objects in the palace which represent 237 different Rule powers, some are easier to comprehend while others are hard. The Rules are mainly divided into three types, Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 according to the power of the Rule but this categorization is not obsolete. Level 3 is weakest while Level 1 is the highest Rule. The basic elements Water, Fire, Earth, and Air are included in Level three Rules but their powerful variants and fusions like Rule Sea which variant of the water element and Thunder which is a fusion of Fire and air included in Level 2 rules. Normally all the Rules related Weapon are in included Level 2 Rules, another concept, and physical type Rules like cutting, hacking, speed, strength, illusion, Mirage all included in the level 2 Rules. Some variation and Fusion of Rules have the capability to reach near Level 3 Rules but very could comprehend some rules. Level 3 Rules, these Rules are crazy powerful, The Rules of Celestial bodies like The World, The Sun, The Moon, The Stars, etc, the Rule which derived from Time and Space like Withering and Teleporting, there are also Rules which are derived from Life and Death. Level 3 Rules are very very hard to comprehend and barely anyone in the Supreme continent were able to comprehend them. The book said that Level 3 Rules are on a completely different level than the other two categories, they are so powerful that whoever comprehended them can absolutely crush anyone within the same level even his opponent comprehended tens of Level 2 Rules. There is no object of Rule that contains the power of Level 3 rules in the above palace, these objects precious beyond limits, no organization would waste is for common people, no matter how benevolent it is. Even Supreme organizations top Elite would not get the chance to comprehend from it, that is how precious they are. In the palace above there are 212, Level 3 rules and 25 Level 3 Rules one can comprehend. Rules are quite Mysteries thing, when one comprehends the Rule from the object there is only 80% chance that he will comprehend the same rule that the object is emitting while other 20% chances that he will comprehend that same Rule but have a little different flavor to it These flavors could be said to be the property of fire, as some fire burns at a higher temperature while others at low, some have qualities like stickiness and some have explosiveness. There is just a 20% chance of it happening but It happens. I kept climbing the mountain with Nigel and Billy, and so we reached 300th stairs. The pressure releasing from the mountain had started to affect my speed of climbing. Still, I am fine compared to the two beside me, The beads of sweat had started to form on the forehead while I am still very fine and there is no sweat on my body. As we climb higher, my physical superiority had started to show, despite them one stage higher than me, they are only slightly stronger than me if I did not use my totem artifact. The pressure here everyone bear is depending on their stage, the higher the stage is the more pressure they will have to bear and because that despite having similar strength, they are bearing more pressure than me. If I think rationally, then their chances of reaching the top of the tower are really low, their power could be compared to the Mid-level elite member of organizations in westblood that is quite good power level to have in westblood but here it is below average. Below average, this is their strength here. Even I am who had become quite cocky after having the power of the trainee super-elite and having and obtaining Totem artifact had been put to my place after seeing the abilities of people from the central continent. My abilities here considered average, I body strong enough to take me to 2000th step and after that, I will have to do something to make my body stronger but that is not the main problem, the main problem is mental fortitude. I don’t know if I have enough mental fortitude to climb 1000th step much less 2000th and whole mountain. Compared to me they are in a much higher predicament if they want to cross as they are one stage higher than me. I did not look down on them and believe in them as I know that every man is capable of performing a miracle and they might be able to perform one. "Fuck! this is hard!" said Billy as he wiped the sweat on his forehead, we have finally reached the 500th steps and pressure started to take a toll on us. My body had become all sweaty, it a good thing I had worn my training suit which sweats resistance. As we climb higher the crowd is also started to tinned out little by little, still, there are a lot of people around me, I will see major thin from 800th steps as that is when most people started to reach their limit. Currently, I am feeling quite a pressure, the physical pressure is not that great, the mental pressure, on the other hand, started to worry me. This mental pressure felt as if someone had strapped the boulder on the back and kept climbing higher the weight of the boulder is also kept increasing. Soon we climbed the 600th step and then 700th hundred, and kept inching closer to the 800th step. As we climb higher, billy and Nigel’s pace slowed down a little and I also slowed down my pace with them. Though the pressure is great I felt like I can still maintain my regular pace despite the pressure but I intentionally slow down so I could climb with my friends. We reached the 800th step, Billy and Nigel’s pace had slowed down considerably, to take a single step they started taking ten to twenty-second, as we climbed higher than times increased again. We are not the only one climbing on the slow pace, the people around us are also slow as us. Some even directly sat on the steps, seeing that I shook my head. They already lost their will, I thought. According to me sitting is the biggest taboo, as once one sat on the stairs he will slowly start to lose the will power to climb and wanted to rest more, as he rests more the more willpower he will lose till he will lose the will to ascend the mountain and will have no choice but to descend and try again. We finally climbed 900th steps and when I look around, more than half of the crowd around us already thinned out but there are still thousands and thousands of people are climbing around us. "Micheal you should go ahead, you have been slowing down your pace because of us!" said Nigel suddenly. I got a little startled hearing that, I didn’t know Nigel is this observant to notice I was slowing down my pace. Billy also looked a little startled hearing this and looked me in wonder, "But, yo." I was just saying but I was cut off by Nigel. "Don’t worry about us, we are not as weak you might think," he said and thumped on my shoulder. "Now go, next time you will see us we will be showing you off our Rule power and I expect to see your Rule power as well." He said. I wanted to say something but no word came out of my mouth, so I just gave them a hug and started to climb the mountain at my highest pace. "He really did slow down his pace for us!" exclaimed Billy as he saw Micheal climb mountain higher pace than them. "Haven’t you notice, he had the power of trainee super-elite otherwise how would he able to help us defeating that Mid-level Master monster and successfully ran in the same speed us from that peak Master stage Vine snake," said Nigel to his head. Hearing Nigel’s words understanding downed on billy’s face. "Let’s increase our pace, you don’t want to lose to a rookie that you used to give tips, right?" said Nigel as them both increased their pace to the limit and started to follow the figure of Micheal who is getting more and more away from them by the minute. Note: Next chapter going to be full of Surprise.