Episode 2 – Dark Tower (1)

[If you desire to have your wish granted, climb the Tower and become the Dark Lord, only if you are confident that you will not fall into despair.]

–BlackMountainKing

Episode 2. Dark Tower 

Jaehyuk stood infront of a building stationed at the center of Downtown Seoul. 

A super-tall building over a hundred floors tall that was standing straight as if attempting to pierce the heavens above. 

It was a mystery that completely destoryed all forms of common sense and laws. 

[Dark Tower] 

A world of infinite mysteries. The beginning and the end of all stories. The Tower of Nightmares and Dreams. 

Even now, the gateway to that world has yet to open. 

A lot of people have gathered. 

There were already hundreds of them around the Tower. All of these people were the players who managed to survive the Tutorial. 

'The government sure works fast.' 

When the Dark Tower first appeared in Seoul, no one dared to enter inside. It was because the government had banned entry and silently observed it until now. 

The disaster that occurred five days ago, had made all important governing figures to gather for a meeting. 

Not only South Korea was attacked, every country in the world was also invaded by monsters. It was a worldwide incident that resulted in the deaths of half of the world's population. 

For that reason, the governing board had to make a decision quickly. The existence of players was revealed all over the world in no time. People with special abilities granted by the Tower itself. 

This was the time for cooperation. All past grudges was thrown out the window. The main actors were needed more than ever. 

So the government had taken their time to locate and gather all the known players including Jaehyuk around the Tower. 

In order to prevent the event of monsters invading the world from repeating itself, the players had no choice to climb and conquer the Tower. 

It was all for the survival for humanity. 

Jaehyuk looked around, scanning the players. 

Honestly, not even half of these people here would pass the first floor. Many factors were at play such as lack of information and the difficulty of the Tower. 

If the difficulty was at a beginner level then many people will survive. But the Dark Tower was not like the towers in a fastasy setting. It was very ruthless and brutal for beginners. 

Jaehyuk sighed. 

'Now is not the time to be thinking about the fate of beginners.' 

The gates of the Tower should be opening any minute now. Three, two, one. 

Click— 

[The Dark Tower has been opened.] 

The large door of the Tower suddenly opened wide. 

Swoosh— 

Waves of strong wind washed over the crowd. Those waves of winds is the rich mana from the Tower. 

"The door opened." 

"Should we enter inside?" 

"It seems so." 

The people were anxious. It was expected reactions. After all, nobody knew what laid beyond that door. For all they knew, they were literally marching to their deaths. 

Even so, 

"We have already come this far, so what's the point hesitating." 

"Yeah, that's right." 

"Someone has to do this, right? The fate of the world is on our hands." 

Some ambitious fellows who thought they were the protagonist stepped out from the crowd and approached the door. Once they entered the Tower, the other people also had the courage to follow. 

Step, Step— 

The people crossed the opened gateway one by one. The soldiers from the military tried to follow along but... 

Swoosh— 

"Ouch!" 

"Huh? What was that?" 

The soldiers were repelled as if they had walk into an invisible wall. The soldiers tried to push against the barrier and force their way through. It was a futile effort in the end. 

Jaehyuk casually walked through the barrier without effort. All the soldiers wore shocked expressions. 

"What?" 

"How did he do that?" 

They started murmuring to each other. Jaehyuk decided to speak up. 

"It's not a big deal. You were not chosen, that's all. To be honest, I think it's a blessing which most people don't appreciate." 

Most people saw the Tower as a gate of opportunitues. However, it was also a gateway to misfortune and hardship. 

Without elaborating further, Jaehyuk left those words for the confused soldiers and approached the gateway. 

But before he entered, he stopped a few inches from the door. 

Jaehyuk silently stared at the huge dimensional portal that was floating infront of him. 

Once he crosses that portal, his 99th journey will truly begin. 

Jaehyuk looked around, engulfing the world into his mind. He was looking at the world he was going to leave behind. 

'How strange. I don't feel anything.' 

He thought he would feel a level of attachment to this world. After all, this was the world he was born in. Yet he didn't feel any different. 

Why? Was it because he stayed in the Tower for too long? No. He realised the reason was because he had nothing he could be attached to in this world. 

His family died when he was very young and he has been alone throughout his childhood. This place was filled with nothing but bitter memories. 

Jaehyuk made no hesitation to abandon such a world. 

'I guess this is goodbye then.' 

Jaehyuk took one last glance and entered the gateway, leaving Earth for good. 

Swoosh—! 

Upon entering the Tower, a world completely different from Seoul spread out in front of his eyes.

A beautiful forest that stretched out endlessly, the sun hang high in the sky, waves of fresh wind touching the skin. 

This was the first floor of the Dark Tower and the starting point for the players from Earth. 

Tiing! 

[Welcome to the Dark Tower.] 

A welcoming message appeared. Not only Jaehyuk, everyone who entered the Tower received the message. 

"Wow!" 

"This place is beautiful." 

"Is this really another world? Like in those fantasy novels." 

The people exclaimed as they looked around in excitement and curiousity. They looked like children that stumbled upon a new toy. 

Jaehyuk touched the grass that reached his wrist level. 

The fragrant smell, the soft touch, and the warmth on his skin.

Jaehyuk was filled with a familiar and nostalgic feeling. It felt like he was lost and finally returned home. Indeed, he had spent more than a lifetime in this Tower. 

'... I'm back.' 

Unconsciously, a smile formed on his mouth. Suddenly, his smile changed back into a neutral expression. 

'She's here.' 

In that moment, 

Swoosh— 

A dark hole suddenly opened and someone walked through it. The people were spooked by the sudden appearance of the intruder. 

"Oh my, sorry for that. I didn't mean to frighten you." 

Seeing the scared and tensed expressions of the new players, the intruder quickly apologized. 

The intruder's appearance was peculiar to say the least. 

Very pale skin, dark eyes, long jet-black hair. A young woman of average height who looked around her early 20s. She was dressed in all black formal clothing with a top hat and was carrying around a cane. 

In terms of appearance, she would be described as a 'goth'. But her well mannered behaviour gave off a different impression. 

The people were staring at her as if they had come across a very rare animal in the zoo. 

"Now, now, I know I'm pretty but don't you think you are staring too intensely. I could get pregnant like this, you know?" 

The strange woman smiled mischievously at the new participants especially the men. 

Only Jaehyuk knew the real identity of the woman. 

Administrators. Entities who manages and oversees the floors and trials in the Dark Tower. It was said that they were as old as the Tower but Jaehyuk didn't know whether it was true or not. 

"Ah! I believe an introduction is in order." 

The woman removed her top hat and took a bow. 

"Greetings, travellers. My name is Raven, the administrator in charge of floor 1 to floor 10. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." 

The people, upon seeing the woman didn't mean harm, lowered their guard. 

Seeing this, Raven smiled and continued speaking. 

"I know you must all have your questions and I'm willing to answer them one by one. After all, it's my duty as an administrator to guide new players like yourself." 

When she was down speaking, a curious actor raised up their hand and asked. 

"Um, excuse me but what's an administrator?" 

"It's not a big story. The Tower has a total of 100 floors and the administrators oversee the trials of these floors. You can think of them as the guardians of the floors. Next question?"

As expected, the people bombarded Raven with questions from all directions. 

"What exactly is the Tower?"

"Why did the Tower arrive on Earth?" 

"Does other dimensions exist? If yes then is the multiple dimensional theory correct?" 

"Are there other races? How many?" 

"Hey now, everyone please slow down. Everyone ask your questions one by one." 

It seemed like she was getting overwhelmed but she somehow managed to answer all the questions. 

"Basically, there are multiple dimensions in the universe apart from your world. The exact numbers of those dimensions are unknown but it's only known that there are likely an infinite number. There was only one main universe in the beginning called the [Golden Land] and under that, there are infinite [Alternations] which branches off from it. Earth, the planet you all come from, is a small world within one of countless [Alternations]" 

Raven summarised everything for the new players. 

This was information that Jaehyuk already knew. But to avoid drawing attention from the administrator, Jaehyuk silently listened to the boring explanation and didn't make any unnecessary movement. 

"So you're saying the Tower is connected to countless other dimensions. And within those dimensions, there are other races apart from humans." 

"Yes, that's right." 

"But what exactly is the Tower and why does it appear in those worlds? Does it want players to climb it?" 

"I'm afraid I can't answer those questions. If you want to know then you have to climb the Tower. Now if you don't have anymore questions, let's proceed with the trial for the first floor." 

Raven began explaining the trial of the first floor while making a few jokes. 

"The first floor is divided into seven sections, from F to A. Each section has a different habitat, and challenge. You will be given scores depending on how you perform during these challenges. At the end of the trial, all the scores will be added up and the results will be announced." 

"Do we necessarily need to clear all the seven sections?" 

"Not really. I think that's impossible even if you tried since you only have two weeks. The trial started two weeks ago so..." 

However, the new participants didn't even wait for Raven to finish before voicing out their dissatisfaction. 

"What did you just say?!" 

"We only have two weeks." 

"How is that fair? How are we supposed to pass the trial in only two weeks?" 

Despite receiving complaints from angry players, Raven continued to maintain her salary worker smile. That only added fuel to the fire. 

"Calm down now. You lots are not the only players that enter the Tower. Don't you already know? Did you think the Tower will wait for all of you to arrive? How about the ones that arrived prior? Wouldn't that be unfair to make them wait long?" 

"That..." 

The people were silenced by the reasonable words of the Administrator. 

"Besides, you don't need to clear all seven sections. To pass the first floor, you only need to acquire the minimum requirement. If you think your score is already high enough, you can simply stop. Then again, it's also good to have a high score."

"What are the benefits of having a high score?" 

"Well, it's pretty simple. The higher your score, the better the rewards you will receive. Shouldn't that be enough motivation to get better results?" 

It sounded like something simple. Two weeks was a very short time. A period of time equal to half of the whole trial. 

'During the first two weeks, the frontrunners would have already reached a point that's impossible for the late runners to catch up.' 

A smile formed on Jaehyuk's lips. As expected, the difficulty of the Tower was at a ridiculous level. 

Raven continued on with her explanation. 

"A piece of advice. Although this place is just the first floor, it doesn't mean the trial will be simple so don't do anything reckless. A party with three to five people is advised when traveling through each section. You all understand, Yes?" 

Everyone nodded their heads. Raven wore a satisfied expression. 

"Well then. Let's begin, shall we?" 

Snap—! 

Raven lightly flicked his fingers and a system interface appeared in the air.

[Beginning the Trial of the First Floor.] 

[Theme of Trial: ???] 

[Description: You, a traveller who wishes to conquer the Dark Tower, must pass your first hurdle. The First Floor is divided into 7 sections and 7 challenges. Achieve the required score before the countdown expires.]

[The time limit is 14 days.] 

[Time Limit: 336: 00 : 00] 

"I wish you all, good luck." 

Raven's body began to glow. Before she completely disappeared, she left behind a few words. 

"May the story bless you."