Tutorial [1]
Have you ever been so tired of life that you wanted to end it?
I have.
I wanted to end my life so badly.
Everyone says they understand pain until they live in it. That's when you truly know what pain is.
And I got to know pain.
How couldn't I? After burying my whole family of six with whatever little savings I had, getting fired from my job, then having the love of my life leave me a month later?
I tried to hold on, tried to move on, but even motivational videos didn't do sh*t!
The debts inherited from my parents were like a knife at my throat every month, with the bank pressuring me to pay.
Months passed, and I could only survive by selling everything my family owned. Only the house remained, and that too was now on sale.
Haha. I might likely soon be homeless.
Pain.
I've been living with it for months, and I don't think I can go on anymore.
Ring Ring.
As various thoughts flashed through my mind, a notification sound rang on my phone.
[Tower Ascendance released a new chapter, Chapter 532 What Did I Do?]
It was a novel update notification.
Immediately, I tapped on the notification, and it took me to the app that notified me, and I started to read the latest chapter of my favourite book.
The only book I've been reading after my life went down the drain.
I'm a lover of books, especially fiction. It gives me great joy whenever I read something I like.
After my family's death, I was in no mood to read novels again. It was only until a few days after breaking up with my ex and having to look for something to distract me from the pain that I picked up reading again.
And I'm happy I did. It was because of it that I managed to pick up this masterpiece.
Tower Ascendance.
Basically, the novel revolves around a group of individuals who are 'chosen' by some entity.
A magical tower with multiple floors, each presenting its own challenges. These individuals have a limited time to reach a specific floor, and failure to complete the tower's tasks results in death.
That was the main plot.
Sounds and looks simple enough, but the author's writing is unmatched.
Gradually, this serialised novel slowly became the one thing I looked forward to every day in my world filled with pain.
The anticipation of what would happen in the next chapter kept me going.
"It's another great chapter!"
I couldn't help but praise like I always did after reading a chapter of Tower Ascendance
However, a second later, a bitter smile came to my face.
Along with today's chapter came the author's notice of the novel hiatus, which was going to last for months.
Haha.
I wanted to resent the author, but I couldn't.
Uploading long chapters every day was not easy, and he had been doing this for more than half a year. That was dedication.
Not wanting to let myself get drowned in sorrows, I went to the kitchen, filled a plastic cup with tap water, and took it with my sleeping medicine.
I took double the usual dosage.
I hadn't even eaten, but who cares?
It would be even better if I died sleeping.
That was what I wished for.
Just didn't think I'd get it.
*
[Welcome.]
"What the f*ck is this?!"
A man beside me cursed, echoing the words I was about to utter.
I awoke to find myself in a strange space, and I wasn't alone.
It was a vast cave with peculiar glowing moss on the walls.
My last memory was of lying down on the floor to sleep, only to awaken on a cold, hard ground surrounded by strangers.
A quick count revealed there were at least a few dozen of us.
'What happened? What the hell…'
I hastily rose from the ground, my legs trembling slightly.
Before I could gather my thoughts, I heard several voices around me.
"Hey, where are we?"
"I have no idea. Don't ask me."
"What is this place? And why are there swords and weapons around?"
"If I knew that, would we be in this situation? I think we're all in the same boat. Can anyone recall anything?"
Conversations ensued.
Someone sat on the ground, pinching their cheek to check if it was a dream.
They were all diverse.
"This isn't a dream."
It wasn't a dream, and I wasn't alone.
It felt strangely real.
I turned to look at the huge blue screen above us.
[Welcome.]
Before I could contemplate further, the screen vanished, and 'someone' materialised in its place.
!!!
A humanoid creature with a single large horn protruding from its head, clad in a black suit. It had long red hair and a somewhat slender figure.
[Welcome to the Tower of Gods.]
The humanoid being said.
"Ahh! A demon appeared!"
Someone screamed, and soon after, the majority of the people realised that a humanoid creature had suddenly appeared and was hovering above their heads. Chaos ensued.
"Ahh! There's a flying monster above our heads!"
"It's a demon!"
"Mommy!"
The noise escalated.
I didn't scream like the others, but my legs grew weaker as my body trembled more and more.
Though he merely hovered above our heads with a frown on his face and took no action, his seemingly slender physique and terrifying appearance emitted a certain pressure.
'He' truly resembled a demon.
[Silence!]
His deep voice reverberated throughout the cave.
Suddenly, I found myself unable to move.
'What…'
Nor could I speak a word.
My eyes were the only things I could move, and as I glanced at the others around me, I realised we were all in the same predicament.
I could see the fear in their eyes.
It was likely the same for me.
The once noisy cave fell silent all at once.
[Good.]
He nodded in satisfaction.
[All of you here were chosen by the tower. Be happy! You now have the opportunity to become gods!]
"...."
Suddenly, I felt a sense of déjà vu.
'Wealth, power, immortality! Everything can be attained in the tower!'
[Wealth, power, immortality! Everything can be attained in the tower!]
'Of course, as long as you climb the necessary floors.'
[Of course, as long as you climb the necessary floors.]
The demon-like being stated, echoing my thoughts.
"...!"
This.
It wasn't like I suddenly had the ability to see the future.
What is happening now?!
I've read about this before!
More specifically, I read it in the first chapter of my favourite book, "Tower Ascendance"!
Am I in the novel?
Suddenly, I found myself able to move again, but my inability to speak remained. I glanced around, and others were in the same situation.
Perhaps it was because they had witnessed the power of the demon; everyone remained rooted to their spots. Most wore expressions of fear on their faces and didn't dare to make any sudden moves to attract the demon's attention.
Nodding in satisfaction once again, the demon continued.
[Please pay attention to what I say next. It's directly related to your survival.]
!!!!
Perhaps if they were able to speak, sounds of gasps would have filled the cave.
[Firstly, you're on the tutorial floor of the tower. This tower is designed to test the chosen ones and prepare them for the floors ahead.]
[Note that this is not a joke. Everything happening now is real, so if you don't take this seriously, you'll die.]
The air felt heavy as the last word came out for some reason.
[I don't have much time to spend here, but if you want more answers, climb the tower. Everything you want is up there.]
[Survive and climb the floors ahead. Grow stronger, and everything you desire will be within your reach.]
The demon figure suddenly began to blur as if it would disappear soon.
[Oh yes. To see your status, just say 'status'!]
And his figure completely disappeared silently.
"...."
"What the hell is this?!"
Someone screamed in fear.
It seems our voices are back.
More voices started to echo in the cave as most of the people around me exhibited fear regarding the situation we were in.
It was a normal reaction, but for some reason, the thought that this world was one I was familiar with calmed me down significantly.
'Status'
*
[Status]
[Strength: G]
[Agility: G]
[Endurance: G]
[Mana: G]
{Skills}
None in possession.
{Mana Art}
None in possession.
{Special Gift}
Bind[0/1]
*
Seeing a panel that looked exactly like the texts in that novel sparked something within me.
Fear? No.
Confusion? Perhaps.
Excitement? Yes.
Somehow, for some reason, I was getting increasingly excited.
This world…
Haha.
This world…
Haha.
I want to live in it!