Tower of Heaven
Chapter 21: Survival [2]

It took more time than Atlas would ever admit for him to actually put together his transportation device.

And despite how much work actually went into it, its design was…well it was terrible. 8 wooden logs tied together by thick brown cords. That was it. However, it floated on the water just fine so Atlas couldn't really complain.

At least maneuvering it would be easy. He could use his spiritual energy to push it. Although it was a tedious and slightly wasteful solution, he didn't have anything better.

After replaceing that his invention was a success, his next move was to return to the jungle and replace himself at least some food. He didn't know how long he'd be on the ocean, so it was necessary.

With his current cultivation, he could stay in peak condition for 3-4 days without any sustenance, but no more than that.

Last time he entered the jungle, he moved in a straight line so he could have an easier time making his way back to shore, but since he found no wildlife in that direction, he decided to run to another side of the beach before entering.

And even after many hours of searching, he still couldn't replace anything remotely close to meat. However, he did replace plenty of berries and plants that seemed edible.

'But am I going to poison myself with these?'

He was still basically an evolved human. He wasn't anywhere near being something amazing. Poisons from herbs and plants could still affect him even if the effect itself was minuscule.

And it was even more for herbs nurtured by spiritual energy. Those could genuinely kill him if he mixed them wrong.

Still, he wasn't in any position to complain. He grabbed all the plants he saw that looked edible and made his way back to his original spot on the beach.

Gathering everything he had, he stood on his makeshift boat and set forth on the sea. The most important thing at the moment was replaceing other islands since it was the hardest requirement to pass the trial.

***

It had been an entire week and Atlas had yet to replace any sort of land. In fact, even the island he came from was so far away that he could no longer see it.

In every direction, the only thing that existed was water. It wasn't just once or twice that Atlas had to stop and marvel at the true vastness of such a place.

Luckily, this past week had been relatively eventful for him. Most of the plants and berries he picked from the island weren't poisonous and helped him sustain himself for 3 days.

As for the ones that were poisonous, they only messed with his bowel movement for a few hours, almost causing some unfortunate accidents.

But it wasn't a problem. When Atlas made it a bit farther from his island, he noticed that there was plenty of life in the depths of this sea. A myriad of creatures had been living under its surface, he just hadn't detected them.

And since he had an extendable weapon, hunting these creatures was especially easy. The smaller ones were roped in quickly, and the larger ones were always attracted to the smell of blood and soon met the same fate.

And the taste of these creatures was amazing. Being slightly more resourceful than he used to be, Atlas naturally cooked his meat before eating it.

The succulent meat had a slight taste of the sea, but it was mostly burned away by his fire. It was slightly salty but had its own unique flavor profile that he never tasted in Arthia City before he entered the tower.

Like this, Atlas's makeshift boat was filled with a good amount of seafood for him to eat throughout the duration of his trial. Truthfully, he might not even have to leave his boat.

And at the end of the week, he finally saw something on the horizon that made him jump in joy. He saw genuine land. It wasn't one of those floating rocks or small platforms that he saw in the last week, it was a genuine island that had a similar constitution to the one he came from.

As for how he could tell the difference? There were rock formations on the shore of this island, unlike his own.

Within the day, Atlas reached the island and when he stepped on its surface, he saw a heartening notification pop up in front of him.

[Islands found: 1/2]

It might not have meant much, but it was a testament to his success. An entire week of aimless sailing was finally rewarded.

But Atlas didn't stay on this island for long. He only had 6 days left in the trial, and with the amount of time it took to replace this island, he didn't want to take any risks.

And so, after some minor exploration, he jumped back onto his boat and set sail once more.

It was only 4 days later when Atlas spotted another island in front of him. He didn't expect it to come any time soon, but there was no way he'd be mad that did.

Just like before, he stepped onto the island and looked forward to the notification.

[Islands found: 2/2]

With this, he had no more worries. He took the fish he had caught over the last 4 days and completely stepped on the island, choosing to stay here for the next 2 days until the trial ended.

As he sat on the beach and enjoyed a meal, he saw another island off in the distance that hadn't been explored yet.

'Why are there so many of them around here?'

Maybe he had been moving in the wrong direction this whole time. There were two massive islands in both directions he could see, unlike what he was forced to deal with previously.

But Atlas didn't pay them much attention. He relaxed on the beach, enjoyed the feeling of the sand running through his toes, and ate to his heart's content.

He was thrilled by everything around him. In the past 8 floors, the tower had shown him so many things he'd never seen before and had allowed him to experience a life of adventure.

When he was living from meal to meal in the slums, unsure of whether he even wanted to stay alive or not, this was exactly the dream he had.

It was adventure, it was fighting, and it was power. Even if he was still weak, he was a far cry from his previous self.

Not to mention the memories that kept flooding his head. They came in droves, as he was sure that if he absorbed them all at once he'd go insane.

It was thousands upon thousands of years' worth of growing in power and fighting for his beliefs.

And now, he had an opportunity to do it again, this time in such a mysterious place like the tower.

But there was always this nagging feeling in the back of his head that he couldn't get rid of.

It was a feeling that said his purpose in his tower should be elsewhere, not some childish bullshit like he was thinking now.