Chapter 1

In early 2021, The gargantuan and mysterious Tower of Mastery simply popped into existence. Like ready-made memories of the establishment were just placed inside our heads. It was like humanity woke up one day, and the Tower was just there, waiting to be explored. Many people have compared its appearance to falling asleep: you cannot remember the exact moment you dozed off, but the next morning you know for sure that you fell asleep.

From what investigators, scientists, and journalists have learned so far, the Tower's origins are a complete mystery, although various speculations abound far and wide. Even to its original inhabitants, the strange and mysterious administrators, questions of origin are unfathomable. Born and raised inside the Tower's gigantic area, the creatures that have been dubbed as "administrators" are the only authority figures inside. Although every citizen of the earth is allowed to enter and take up residence, the administrators are the ones who practically run the whole place. However, they assist and guide all human beings living inside as well as those entering The Tower. Invisible and shapeless, these hovering creatures share just one characteristic: they wear masks. Although most of them are only visible by their white face covers, a few of them deviate from the norm. These anomalies wear masks of different colors; some even wear clothes and vary considerably in their shapes and sizes.

Moreover, there have been rumored observations of administrators morphing themselves into different shapes. Some even take the form of pets like cats and dogs. However, one particular aspect of the administrators' collective existence has caught everyone's interest: they are also bound to The Tower's laws like human residents. They, too, must earn and spend points to survive within their birth realm! This is to say that The Tower shows no favoritism whatsoever when it comes to administrators and humans. One last remark, depending on their mask colors, these creatures have different personalities and abilities.

But going back to the Tower of Mastery itself, it needs to be noted that its size is roughly equal to an average country. Additionally, it continuously travels around the globe, held up by an unknown force that resists the earth's gravity. There are now entrances in virtually every locality of the world. Thousands of people are flocking to their nearest entries to become members of the Tower's community. So large is the density of people heading for these entrances that many of them are blocked by the sheer volume of clambering folks. Riots have broken out in many areas, and the armed forces have had a tough time maintaining law and order. Anyone who enters the Tower finds new meaning and purpose for their lives and are thus reluctant to leave it. This promise of a new life is what attracts so many people to the Tower of Mastery.

Divided into several floors that float above each other, new entrants reach the First Floor upon entering the doors scattered worldwide. Like the Tower itself, all Tower Floors are roughly the size of a country. Furthermore, each entry teleports people to the First-Floor center, where the experience mostly leaves them nauseated and dizzy. Some people faint right away, but there is Nothing to worry about. A hospital like a ward nearby accommodates these fainters, and they quickly get back on their feet. Also, it should be noted that the means of teleportation for each entry to The Tower are different but unchanging.

Divided into ten different Zones, the First Floor is primarily dedicated to agricultural activities. Furthermore, all ten Zones are concentric on one another. Zone One is encircled by Zone Two, which is enclosed by Zone Three, and so on. As was mentioned earlier, The Tower's origins and creation have been a matter of much speculation. Some believe that The Tower is, in fact, the masterpiece of the mythical occult scholar Shaigon Vegren, but that's what most people object to this theory to be: a myth. Conspiracy theorists have ascribed political motives and agendas, whereas others have associated religious significance to it. With scientific learning, others regard The Tower as an alien in its origins and construction. Whereas each speculation has its passionate proponents, no definitive answer has yet emerged.

That's it for now, folks! To learn more about all the Ten Zones on The First Floor, please tune in to our evening segment of "The Tower of Mastery: Floor One!"

John, who was seventeen-years-old, switched off the television. His large eyes shone with excitement and longing. Lately, The Tower of Mastery was all that the news channels were talking about. Some of John's friends at school were already residents. But a lot of them were standing in really long queues to gain entry. Just like the TV report said, riots had broken out around many entrances because people were too eager to start their new lives. John himself badly wanted to become a Tower resident. He wanted to see the administrators' masks with his own big eyes, to teleport into Zone One on the First Floor, and to go all the way to Zone Ten, where he would own a luxurious villa and never, ever die! He slid off the couch and jumped in the air for excitement. Jack, the pet dog, came tottering into the room.

"We are leaving tonight, Jack. Tonight!"

"Woof-woof," said Jack as he stuck out his tongue and wagged his tail. Then, he ran in circles, chasing his own tail, as an expression of his excitement.

"Yippee," exclaimed John, "Jack's onboard, Jack's onboard! You are gonna love the Tower, buddy! As soon as I get the flying ability, with these elemental fire wings, you and I will go for a flighty ride!"

"Woof, woof," repeated Jack.

All the arrangements had been made: a portable tent, backpack full of camping supplies and dog food, and a stack of notebooks on the Tower written by John himself. He was waiting for night to fall so that the entrance gate near his house would be less likely to be swarmed by people.

Once night had settled, John crept out of his house with loyal Jack by his side. His backpack was over his shoulders. His long-awaited journey and quest had finally started.

Upon reaching the road that led to the entrance, he found his suspicions, and the TV report, to be accurate. There were too many people milling around, despite the late hour. So thick was the density of people that the entrance was nowhere visible.

"Oh, no, Jack! Our turn won't come for weeks this way."

However, Jack was too busy chasing a cat to be worried about anything. John had a tough time making him stop.

People had set up camps in the area, waiting for their turn. Many children were running around, playing catch while their mothers kept screaming for them to come back. Deeply disappointed, John decided to camp in the woods nearby to get up early the next morning and try again. However, a part of him knew perfectly well that it would be a long time before his turn to enter The Tower would come. But John was patient, perseverant, and determined to wait for as long as he had to. There was no turning back at this point.

"If there were only a way to find an entrance that only we can see and know of!" John said to Jack, caught in the spirit of wishful thinking.

"Woof-woof," he said while scratching his neck with his paws.

Choosing a quiet and lovely spot by a lake, they set up camp and collected sticks to light a fire. Once lit, John put the portable grill over it to cook Jack's favorite canned meal. For himself, John dined on apples. As so often before, John found himself conversing with Jack, who simply wagged his tail, woof-woofed, and panted in reply.

After dinner, he cleared everything up, got into his tent, and took out a flashlight to peruse his notebooks. A wave of excitement washed through him. The things that excited him most included the Gacha game and the chances of meeting the rare administrators, especially those with colored masks (which were extremely rare to find). He dreamed of the various magical and non-magical abilities he would gain by completing missions received from Gacha games! But John wanted the flight and stealth abilities the most. Drowned in these fantasies, he started to get drowsy. But just before he was about to fall asleep, something unexpected happened outside of his tent.

A high-pitched howl rent the air asunder; it made the hair on John's neck prickle. Goose Pimples run up and down his body. Alarmed, he quickly came out of his tent to check on Jack, who was also alerted by the howl. Then, in the distance, they saw a terrifying sight. A shaggy dog, wild and untamed, with razor-sharp fangs, emerged from the woods. He was the size of a ferocious bear. The moonlight revealed his growling and foaming mouth. Paralyzed, John was rooted on the spot, his mind numb and rendered incapable of thought. Seeing the unfriendly intruder, Jack leaped into action to protect his friend and master. The two dogs engaged in a fierce battle, with both receiving lethal scratches on their furred bodies. Scared, the tramp dog retreated, limping and whimpering away as he headed into the thicket of woods. Brave Jack had fought off an enemy twice his size.

But it came at a cost. Bleeding profusely, Jack stumbled onto the ground, his body struggling to breathe.

Devastated and grief-stricken, John rushed over and took an injured Jack into his arms. He was clearly breathing his last breaths. Hot tears began to trickle down John's cheeks. With one final yelp, poor Jack grew limp in his arms, thus departing from the world after saving John's life. The pain was too much; a flood of memories instantly battered his mind. Jack had been no more than a pup when John's parents had gifted him the loyal pet. He had been a staunch companion through and through. As a socially awkward person and an introvert, John always had trouble getting along with boys of his age, whom he found as loud, insensitive, rowdy, and outright rude. But none of that ever mattered because Jack was always there to keep him company. John had never felt lonely or isolated because his best friend was still by his side. He was in deep mourning, but something happened that took John's thoughts away from his enormous grief.

An arched door, rising from a circular platform, appeared in the middle of the clearing. The space enclosed by the marble entrance was like a silk sheet, fluttering, and undulating. It seemed like the space-time in the woods was torn and peeled to reveal another place. John knew enough to understand what the space on the other side was. Gathering his thoughts, he knew he was facing a huge dilemma.

On the one hand, his significant loss rendered him incapable of moving on with his journey. What was the point of starting a new life without his best friend? At that moment, he only wanted to spend more time with Jack. Even more, he never wanted to leave his dead friend. But then he realized that if Jack were still alive, he would have wanted John to move on. He would have wanted John to remember him in his heart and cherish all the lovely memories, rather than fixating on anguished thoughts.

As dawn broke, John paid his last respects to Jack and then headed towards the circular platform. He knew that the invisible entrance had materialized because of Jack's tragic demise. And sure enough, on the arched doorway, written in ornate letters, were the following words:

"Payment of life required for Entrance."

"What more do you want?" Screamed John at the gate.

But then, something extraordinary happened. The still form of Jack began to quiver and vibrate. The fur on his entire body trembled, and finally, it turned into dust and ashes; a thick cloud of smoke engulfed the area where Jack's body disappeared. Then out leaped the spirit of Jack! He was transparent and green. Like his form was made of light. Woofing endearingly at John, he tottered forward, leaving a streak of light in his wake. Skipping around John, the ghostly dog jumped towards the gate. His spirit was absorbed by the ornate archway, which also acquired a greenish glow. Suddenly, the words scribbled across the arch changed as well. They now read:

"Welcome to The Tower of Mastery!"

Taking a deep breath, John wiped his streaming eyes with a handkerchief. He then stepped onto the circular platform and jumped across the archway. He felt that his entire body was being ripped and compressed. It was the most unpleasant sensation ever.