MMORPG: Rebirth as an Alchemist

821  Stairway to Heaven          "Whoa, is this it?" Elena asked, her voice tinged with awe as she gazed up at the towering monoliths.

"I don't see anything strange," Evie commented, her brow furrowing in confusion. "Is this some kind of portal that would transport us to Heaven?"

Azazel chuckled, a deep rumble of amusement echoing through the air. "Of course not, there's going to be stairs. A lot of stairs."

"Stairs?" Ren, Evie, and Elena exchanged bewildered glances, trying to process the unexpected twist of getting into Heaven.

Who knew that it would involve stairs of all things?!

"We're going by stairs?" Elena's voice carried a hint of exasperation. She was feeling tired already at just the thought of it.

"Can we go by elevators?" Evie commented. "I can feel the ordeal already," Ren remarked dryly, a wry smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

Desira snorted in agreement. "Those angels, always making things difficult."

Malifira smirked. "They won't be angels, and it wouldn't be the Heaven Realm if they were going to make it easy for us."

"But where are the stairs?" Iraelyn asked, scanning the area in search of the missing stairs.

Vivi, too, looked around, her eyes narrowing as she tried to discern any sign of the stairway amidst the towering monoliths.

"Let's see . . ." Azazel approached one of the monoliths, and traced his hand over its surface. "According to what I know, there's a lot of magical energy needed to open the stairs towards Heaven."

As Azazel's hand made contact with the monolith, a faint shimmer of energy rippled across its surface, causing intricate runes to glow softly in the moonlight.

20:31

Vivi let out a sigh. "Iraelyn, can you carry me too?"

"I could, but climbing these stairs will strengthen your legs, so you have to walk, Vivi," replied Iraelyn matter-of-factly.

"Are you implying that my legs are weak?" Vivi retorted with a hint of indignation.

"I wonder how many stairs there are?" pondered Evie aloud. "Maybe if I start counting, I'll have an idea of just how many stairs it'll take to reach Heaven."

She chuckled to herself and began counting each step with excitement.

Ren could only shake his head at her peculiar sense of humor.

"Can I summon Tiki to carry us?" Elena inquired, looking hopeful. There was no way that she would climb hundred thousands of stairs! She would be bored to death!

Vivi and Desira's eyes lit up with excitement. "Can you really?"

"He's a lizard, so climbing should be a breeze for him," Ren replied.

Elena proceeded to summon Tiki, adjusting his size to match the width of the stairs and the length needed to accommodate the group.

Eventually, everyone hopped onto Tiki's back, preferring the convenience of riding over the laborious task of climbing. Not to mention, it saved time since Tiki could ascend multiple steps with a single bound and was remarkably swift.

"At this rate, we'll reach the top in no time," remarked Azazel with a laugh, the wind tousling his hair as they ascended the stairway to Heaven.