CHAPTER 66: GROWTH OF THE ASSOCIATION

[ "Now that the 1st floor of the Tower has been cleared, the world is moving towards a new era with the players at the center.]

[ "The players who contributed the most to the clearing of the 1st floor, the raiding party of the association, have been given special privileges by the association.]

[ "In addition to the appreciation for their achievements, the association has released a press report for everything done for these players, attracting more players with unique talents.]

[ "The association has started recruiting individuals with special talents and skills to expand their influence worldwide." ]

[ "The emergence of various Guilds and private organizations officially registered under the Association has spread even to the east and north. The attack squad from the east that could not clear the floor’s last section has disbanded their party with many turning to association." ]

[ "The association has taken hold of the states that put pressure on their players for the sake of their own gains. Under the world authorities, A2P2 has been granted rights equal to the major governing bodies." ]

[ "Under the guidance of the association, various states have regained stability and safety. With a privately developed network system based on the tower’s unique system interface, the association has launched a new communication channel called Forum." ]

[ "As the players continue climbing the tower, the associations vows to work towards the advancement of humankind and assist both Players and Public in every way possible." ]

[ "On to the next segment..." ]

The news was being played in many households right now. However, instead of a physical screen, everyone was watching the news on a translucent screen similar to the status windows that every player could see.

Even the civilians had access to this screen, or it was better to say the civilians who had registered for the service could access this screen with select channels.

They did not have to pay anything if they had a player within their family, but if they were just civilians, they were charged depending on minimum wages.

The association was offering jobs to those who had lost their companies and work offices to the tower disaster.

Throughout the world, the association was approaching the matters differently, applying a personalised means for the different states and parties.

[ "While the western states are cooperating with the association on a consistent basis, with the association’s influence in the west, the rate of growth in the west is calculated to be the highest among the three bi-continental groups." ]

[ "While the north-western states are more influenced by the presence of the northern nations, it is seen that the association’s presence in the south-western nations has become the most prominent. According to the local analysis, the reason behind the association’s influence stems from the local and state authorities cooperating with them closely." ]

The association’s news was not the only thing that the people could listen to now. There were many open local channels that were using the newly developed technology for their own broadcasts.

The association may be in power right now, but the association wasn’t ruling over the public.

Just like a democracy, the association was giving power to the people as well.

The people had the most power even though the association was representing both the players and the public bodies.

While they were taking charge right now and working in order to establish a primary balance within the world, they were not using force against the people.

The governing bodies and states were the ones in charge in some places while there were states where the authority was in the hands of the public Guilds and large corporations.

Some local associations were also the more prominent figures in some areas, so the association was working with them in order to maintain order and help the players.

One of the reasons the people and the players weren’t questioning the methods of the association was mainly because they were being transparent with their process.

Whether they used force or diplomacy or played politics to get what they wanted, they openly announced their ways and gave explanations to the public.

There was rarely anything that the association was keeping away from the public when it came to general information.

If there was no reason to hide something they would announce it to the public and even if there was something to keep secret, there would be records of this confidential data.

Their ways weren’t orthodox and that made the public trust them more than their own governing bodies, making their position solidified around the world.

[ "The western northern continent has created their own Player governing body called [Principality of Ode] under the governance of their chosen representative Dame Artheria Althea Alaric De Ambrosia. The Holy Sword of the North is what the people are calling her, and she justifies her title." ]

The northern nations were cooperating with the association but they did not have the kind of dependency on them as the western states did.

They were staying independent while still allowing the association to provide them with the kind of support that they needed.

Also, since they were not causing any issues for the association and worked for their own people, the association had no problems with the north. What they wanted to deal with, however, was the eastern nations.

[ "Eastern governments have announced the establishment of the [Four Heavenly Orders], the player bodies that will be managed with the corporations of the governing authorities and the leading private bodies of the east." ]

While not all, some of the eastern governments were still not exactly the kind that gave their players the kind of freedom that the other nations or the association provided.

They had their own set of rules and regulations. They were controlling their players with an iron fist just like they were doing with their common public.

The association did not like the way they were doing it, however, with how powerful their hold was in their states, the association could only do so much without causing any troubles.

While the inside of the tower was a zone governed by the system and the laws of the tower itself, their world was not entirely governed by those laws just yet.

The association, thus, was working in order to maintain law and order and maximize the holistic growth of humanity without the conventional profit-loss mechanism.

The world was in danger right now and the players were the only ones who could protect them from the monsters, the dungeons, the gates, and the dangers that were going to meet them as they climbed the tower.

Since the priority was the tower, focusing the resources and energy on the clearance of the tower was their first order of business, however, maintaining public safety came right after that.

Without anyone to protect, there was no meaning in having the heroes and saviors.

While players existed now, they were less than ten percent of the total world population. And while their numbers were increasing with the greater assimilation of the tower with their world, public safety was still going to be a priority for the association.

[ "We shall now look at the data provided by the association..." ]

The Association for Players and Public was growing at a miraculous pace.

And while there were many things strange about their growth, the association’s actions truly aligned with their core values and lived up to their name.

The public had a high opinion of them. And while there was some resistance in some places... the association knew how to deal with things like this.

After all, the ones who were operating the Association and playing the major game were people who had experienced all kinds of things throughout the tough life that they had lived...