I Woke Up Inside the Tower of Calamity

I opened my eyes to the stench of blood and rot.

The first thing I saw was a cracked ceiling, fluorescent lights flickering like they were on their last legs. The second thing was the cold, hard floor pressing against my back. And the third…

A low, guttural moan coming from somewhere very close.

My body moved before my brain could catch up. I rolled sideways, heart slamming against my ribs, and scrambled to my feet. Only then did I realize I was standing in the middle of a convenience store.

A familiar one. The 24-hour mart right across from my apartment in Hongdae.

But something was horribly wrong.

The shelves were half-toppled. Blood smeared the white tiles like some deranged abstract painting. The glass door at the entrance was shattered, and outside—

Outside, Seoul was burning.

What the hell is this? A dream? A prank? Did I get kidnapped while I was asleep?

Another moan. This time closer.

I spun around. A man—no, something that used to be a man—was dragging its mangled leg toward me. Half its face was missing. The remaining eye had gone milky white. Its jaw hung loose, tongue lolling like a broken pendulum.

Zombie.

The word flashed through my mind like a neon sign. I’d seen enough movies to recognize one when it was trying to eat me.

I grabbed the nearest thing I could find—a metal mop handle leaning against the counter—and swung it with everything I had. The impact jarred my arms. The creature’s head snapped sideways with a sickening crunch, but it kept coming.

“Shit!”

I backed up until my spine hit the refrigerated drinks case. My pulse was roaring in my ears. This wasn’t a movie. This was real. The smell, the cold sweat running down my back, the way my legs were shaking—everything was real.

Just as the zombie lunged again, something happened.

The blue window hovered in the air ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠like augmented reality. I stared at it, stunned. Before I could even process what it said, another box popped up right in front of my face.

The numbers were… about ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠average for a twenty-four-year-old guy who spent most of his time gaming and eating delivery food. Not ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠great, not terrible. But right now, none of that mattered.

Because the zombie was still coming.

I gripped the mop handle tighter. My palms were slick with sweat. The system window had said something about clearing a scenario. Did that mean I had to survive this?

The creature lunged again. This time I didn’t hesitate. I drove the end of the mop handle straight into its open mouth, shoving it back with all my strength. It stumbled, arms flailing, and crashed into a display of instant ramen.

That’s when I saw it—lying half-buried under the fallen shelves. A hammer. One of those heavy claw hammers construction workers use. The kind that could crack skulls.

I didn’t think. I just moved.

Grabbing the hammer, I brought it down hard on the zombie’s head. Once. Twice. Three times. The sickening sound of bone giving way made my stomach turn, but I didn’t stop until the thing finally stopped twitching.

I stared at the new window, breathing hard. The hammer felt heavier in my hands now, like it belonged there. My arms were shaking, but not just from fear anymore. There was something else—adrenaline, maybe. Or the system doing something to my body.

That’s when I heard footsteps outside. Lots of them. Slow, dragging, hungry.

I looked toward the broken entrance. Dozens of silhouettes were shambling through the smoke and flames. The entire street looked like a scene from a nightmare. Cars overturned, buildings on fire, bodies—both moving and not—littering the pavement.

This wasn’t just a convenience store. This was Seoul. My Seoul. But frozen in some kind of apocalyptic mirror world.

The system window appeared again, larger this time, glowing with ominous purple light.

Fifty million won. An A-rank skill. A way home.

My hands tightened around the hammer until my knuckles turned white.

I thought about my mom lying in the hospital with stage three stomach cancer. The mounting medical bills. The part-time jobs that barely covered rent. The life that had been slowly crushing me before I even woke up here.

If ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠this was real—if the system was telling the truth—then failing here didn’t just mean I died.

It meant everyone died.

I looked down at the bloody hammer in my grip, then at the growing horde outside. A grim smile tugged at the corner of my mouth.

“Alright, you undead bastards.”

I stepped over the corpse at my feet and headed for the back exit, where I knew there was a fire escape leading to the roof.

“Let’s play.”

Behind me, the first wave of zombies crashed through what remained of the glass doors.

But I was already moving. Running toward survival. Toward money. Toward a future where my mother could live.

And maybe—just maybe—toward becoming the kind of monster this apocalypse deserved.

Far above the ruined city, on the 50th floor of the Tower of Calamity, a woman with long black hair watched the scene through a floating observation window. She wore tactical gear that hugged her athletic frame and carried a massive war hammer across her back like it weighed nothing.

Her crimson lips curved into an intrigued smile.

“A newbie who woke up inside the scenario on his first day? And he’s already heading for the roof instead of panicking… Interesting.”

Yu Sia tapped a finger against her chin, eyes sparkling with something between amusement and hunger.

“Yoon Jaeha, was it? Let’s see how long you last, pretty boy.”

She turned away from the window, heavy hammer swinging easily at her side as she walked toward the next gate.

“Try not to die too quickly. I might want to keep you.”