Entering the Tower

The ramen tasted ordinary. Apparently slapping a skill on instant noodles didn't make them any better.

"Tch..."

I finished the bowl clean and started scrolling through the news. Unreal things like monsters had shown up, after all. And more than anything else, what mattered most was—

"How people like me are going to be treated..."

My body had changed completely. The identity I'd had before didn't mean a thing anymore. The problem was that there were quite a few people in the same situation.

No related articles had come out yet. Everything was about the Wave and the people who'd stopped it. Not a single piece on what would happen to us.

"Guess I just have to wait...?"

Thinking about it, there wasn't much I could do anyway. If I was going to sit around, I might as well check the overseas coverage.

The situation abroad wasn't much different. Towers had appeared in every country, including Japan and China, and Waves had rolled through them the same way. Nations with more land had ended up with multiple Towers, which meant more places that needed defending — and a lot more damage.

"So Korea's the only one that got off without casualties... huh."

There were injuries, but no deaths. A miracle born from a bunch of conditions lining up just right.

"Nngh—!"

I loosened up with a light stretch. After a night's sleep, my body had almost fully recovered. Staying cooped up in this room was starting to drive me crazy.

"Might as well go grocery shopping."

Sitting still and doing nothing had never suited me. Besides, the fridge was empty — no food, not even ingredients. All I had left was eggs and water.

So I stepped outside.

I walked the streets.

For a city that had just lived through the unprecedented disaster of a Wave, the streets looked strangely peaceful.

No... maybe they just look that way on the surface.

On every passerby's face I could catch a faint sliver of fear. I couldn't blame them. Nobody knew when monsters might come pouring out of the Tower again. Just keeping up a daily routine was impressive enough.

Not like there's anything I can do about it...

Even if I could use skills unlike ordinary people, I was still just a regular citizen. I might be able to help, but I wasn't going to be anyone's hope.

Let's go...

The supermarket I stopped at for groceries was packed. Most people were stripping the shelves bare, stocking up against a disaster that might or might not come. The canned-goods aisle — anything with a long shelf life — was already empty.

They're fast...

That was Korea for you. When it came to taking action, nobody was quicker.

Luckily, I didn't need to stockpile food right away. Not for a while, at least. The reason was simple: after we'd cleared the Wave, a new quest had appeared.

Simple enough. If you didn't climb the Tower, Gates would open. That was the whole story.

Not that I'm planning to go in right away.

The inside of the Tower was unknown territory. I intended to go in properly prepared.

Let's finish shopping first.

At this rate there wouldn't be anything left on the shelves.

"Time to go all out."

The struggle to fill my barren fridge had begun.

A few days passed, and society started settling down with startling speed. The people who had fought the monsters — the Players — had come forward and said Gates wouldn't open for a while.

A great deal of information was released ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to ordinary citizens to explain the situation. Quests, skills, the System, and so on. Words that would have gotten you called crazy just for saying them had surfaced into everyday reality.

"The world's starting to change, huh."

A shift so big you could call it an upheaval. And the world was gradually adapting to it.

"About time I headed into the Tower."

I'd gathered as much information about the Tower as I could. The lack of specifics was strange, but plenty of unreal things had already happened. A little information control was probably the least of it.

"This should be enough supplies, too."

I'd packed my inventory full of everyday necessities. Thanks to the Cooking skill and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the Appraisal skill, I could be self-sufficient with ingredients. All I really needed were tools for starting a fire, and something to cook with.

"Let's go."

There was no reason to delay any longer. I headed straight for the Tower.

"Didn't think I'd be coming back here..."

The Tower. Even looking at it a second time, it was a structure of unimaginable height.

A chime rang out as I drew closer, and the System appeared.

I hit Yes without a second thought.

A sudden sensation of weightlessness washed over my body. When I came back to myself, I was standing somewhere I had never seen before.

"This is the Tower...?"

Thankfully, there was no immediate threat. What I could see was a vast expanse of blue grassland. The interior of the Tower was enormous — like an entire world had been lifted up and set down intact.

"Ah. This isn't the time to space out."

I shook off the daze and looked around. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠According to what I'd seen on the forums, there was supposed to be a village. No matter how I searched, though, I couldn't spot one.

Come to think of it, something got unlocked, didn't it?

"There's like a forum in here...?"

I hesitated at the window that had appeared. I used forums all the time, but I'd never actually written a post. Still, I didn't even know where I was. I needed to get information through a post.

After a moment's thought, I hit Yes.

"Yes."

A nickname. The thing that would represent me in the Community. Using "Ruind" as-is wouldn't have been bad, but something else felt right.

I'd decided on it from the moment I created my character. I never wanted to be the best at anything. I just wanted to enjoy the game in every way I could. That was why — Jack-of-All-Trades.

I started writing a post right away. Comments started flying the instant I hit submit.

The Community wasn't much different from an internet forum. Now that I knew how to get to the village, all that was left was to actually go.

I started walking toward the sun.

A gentle breeze sent my hair fluttering.

"This is a bit inconvenient..."

I should cut it, or at least tie it up. No string, no scissors. I stuffed my hair inside the hoodie. At least this way I wouldn't have to worry about it flying around.

And with that, I started running toward the village somewhere out on the blue grassland.

How long did I run? Long enough to find it. A lot happened before I did. I fought a monster that looked like a wolf. I nearly got gored by a horn sticking out of the forehead of an animal that had looked like a gentle rabbit.

"From now on I really shouldn't go near something just because it looks cute..."

Anyway, one way or another, I made it to the village.

"So this is the village..."

The moment I'd entered the Tower, I'd noticed something. The air was clean. Clean enough that even someone as insensitive as me could tell. Now I thought I understood why.

The Middle Ages. The era that served as the backdrop for every fantasy world. The village in front of me looked like it had been cut out of that era and pasted here.

Houses built of brick and wood instead of cement. Slate roofs shaped to shed the rain. Dirt roads instead of concrete. Everything was a world apart from modern life.

And because of that—

"Whoa..."

My heart swelled in my chest. Because this was the world I was going to live in from now on.