Chapter: 06
Didascalia thought to himself.
The new player named Sung Yujin was anything but normal.
It wasn’t just that he knew far too much about the Tower.
Even the Akasha System was hiding parts of his information.
But the strangest thing of all was the power he had displayed.
‘That’s impossible.’
It wasn’t some low-level monster like the goblins and gnolls scattered everywhere.
It was Darkness.
A catastrophe-class boss monster that inhabited the 90th Floor.
It would already be astonishing if a player who had just entered the Tower managed to kill a goblin alone.
But Yujin had smashed the head of Darkness.
With his bare hands.
There was no way that was normal.
‘What kind of trick did he use?’
Didascalia opened Yujin’s Status Window once more.
Name: Sung Yujin
Level: 7
Trait: Information Unavailable
Alignment: Neutral
Title: Information Unavailable
Skills: Information Unavailable
Equipped Item: Fire Dragon Blade [E]
‘Just as I thought.’
It was exactly the same.
The only things Didascalia could see were his name, level, alignment, and equipped item.
The Akasha System had completely blocked access to the information that truly mattered.
‘I have no idea what’s going on.’
He couldn’t make sense of it.
The Tower had already destroyed tens of thousands of worlds.
And Didascalia had spent most of that time serving alongside the Akasha System.
But this…
This was the first time he had ever encountered something like it.
A player with power like Yujin’s.
And behavior from the Akasha System that even he couldn’t comprehend.
If it were possible, he wanted to confront Yujin directly and ask him everything.
Unfortunately, that was impossible.
The Akasha System represented the heavens itself—the direct manifestation of a god’s will.
Someone like Didascalia, nothing more than a single Tower Administrator, wasn’t in a position to question it.
He was merely a worker carrying out the duties assigned to him within the vast design created by the Akasha System.
‘Still… I can’t just sit here and watch.’
Even if it meant convening the Grand Council with the other twelve administrators, he had to uncover the truth behind this incident.
“If you’ve got time to stare, hurry up and finish this, bastard. I’m busy.”
Just then, Yujin frowned after meeting his gaze and impatiently urged him on.
Crunch.
Didascalia ground his teeth.
But there was nothing he could do to Yujin now.
The only two methods that allowed an administrator to kill a player on the Tutorial Floor had both failed.
Besides…
He wasn’t even confident he could win in a direct fight.
Now, the only thing left for him to do was open the path leading the surviving players to the First Floor.
“You managed to find every treasure, Sung Yujin.”
Without so much as a scratch.
“Truly impressive.”
His words carried equal parts suspicion and mockery.
Yujin let out a sigh.
“Quit the nonsense and get this over with. I have zero interest in chatting happily with you.”
“…Is that so? Very well.”
Staring at Yujin with murderous eyes, Didascalia nodded.
Now that every treasure had been claimed, there was no longer any reason to maintain the Tutorial Floor.
“Propylaia [A].”
The moment he activated one of the skills reserved exclusively for administrators, a gigantic staircase connecting the Tower’s floors materialized.
“If you ascend these stairs, you’ll arrive at the First Floor. The steps are steep, so proceed carefully.”
Naturally, despite his polite explanation, none of the players moved.
Every single one of them…
Was watching Yujin.
Seeing that, Yujin snorted and started climbing first.
One step.
Then another.
As if participating in some sacred ritual, he carefully ascended upward.
Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap!
Nothing happened even after he had climbed halfway.
Only then did the others finally begin moving.
Silently, Didascalia counted them.
One dead.
Twelve injured.
Ninety-nine survivors.
To witness ninety-nine players climbing toward the First Floor…
Even Didascalia, who had served as a Tower Administrator for tens of thousands of years, had never seen such a sight.
Sung Yujin…
Every bit of this…
Had happened because of that one player.
An unprecedented event.
Of course, these players were only a tiny fraction of the Tower’s total population.
Even so…
Didascalia couldn’t begin to imagine what the future would become because of Sung Yujin.
The instant Yujin disappeared from view, Didascalia raised a finger and lightly tapped his ear.
Immediately…
“Has it already ended?”
“Wasn’t that rather quick?”
“Looks like this batch of players was below average.”
“Let’s kill them. Hurry and kill them all.”
Multiple voices echoed in his ear.
The twelve administrators other than Didascalia.
“Can everyone hear me? This is Administrator Number 37, Didascalia.”
“We hear you.”
“Go ahead.”
“If this world is ending so early, I don’t see why you needed to call me.”
“Are we killing them? Should we kill them?”
Some spoke.
Others remained silent.
But every one of them was listening.
“An irregular has appeared.”
“…What’s an irregular?”
“Would you care to explain?”
“Oh?”
“Let’s kill the irregular.”
In response to their questioning voices, Didascalia reported everything he had witnessed about Sung Yujin.
His overwhelming strength.
His knowledge.
Even the Akasha System’s restriction on accessing his information.
There were far too many strange details.
Not even the administrators dared to speak carelessly.
“I have a proposal.”
Taking a deep breath, Didascalia spoke with a solemn expression.
“I request that we convene the Grand Council.”
‘About two thousand steps, I’d say.’
Yujin estimated the number of stairs he had climbed.
That sounded about right.
Too many for an ordinary person to climb easily…
Yet not completely impossible.
Only after ascending them all did he finally reach the First Floor.
Whoooosh!
The instant he stepped onto the final stair, the vast Tutorial Floor spread beneath him disappeared.
In its place, an entirely new world unfolded.
“…It’s been a long time.”
The First Floor of the Tower of Light.
The place where the massive city known as Terra stood.
The hometown of every player.
Honestly, he couldn’t joke that he had missed it.
But there was still a strange sense of nostalgia.
After all…
He had spent ten years coming and going from this place as casually as eating a bowl of soup.
A towering castle that seemed to touch the heavens.
A colossal city wall nearly one hundred kilometers in diameter.
Everything in Terra was built from pure white stone.
It was majestic, beautiful, and mysterious…
As though someone had recreated the capital of a medieval fantasy empire.
“Looks like nobody’s here yet.”
Naturally.
Only the Tutorial Floor Yujin had entered had ended abnormally fast.
The others were probably still fleeing from their summoned boss monsters.
Even the fastest groups would only just be beginning their treasure hunt.
Which meant…
Out of the tens of thousands of players summoned into the Tower,
Yujin had become the very first to reach the First Floor.
A grin spread across his face.
Hadn’t Didascalia said it himself?
“The Akasha System loves achievements.”
First.
Best.
Strongest.
Fastest.
Impossible.
There was only one meaning behind those words.
You are the first to clear the Tutorial Floor.
You are the first to enter the First Floor.
Achievement Unlocked: Trailblazer
Achievement Reward: Skill “Power Strike [E]” has been granted.
Power Strike [E]
Slightly increases attack power.
“Well, this is more like it.”
The rewards Yujin had received until now had simply been on another level.
This…
This was what a normal reward looked like.
After all, he’d only just stepped onto the First Floor of a hundred-floor Tower.
Considering the difficulty, even a skill like this was something to be grateful for.
Back during his first run, he’d even seen someone climb all the way to the 20th Floor with nothing but Power Strike [E].
Though unfortunately…
That person had died to the boss of the 20th Floor.
“Still, it’ll be useful in the early game.”
No matter how low its rank, having a skill was always better than having none.
After learning it with practiced ease, Yujin began walking.
His destination was, naturally, the city of Terra before him.
“There were a few things worth picking up in there.”
Most weren’t particularly impressive.
But several were items he absolutely needed.
There were also plenty of things that would help the people he planned to raise in the future.
Humming to himself, Yujin headed toward Terra.
Compared to the tiny boarding room he had lived in back in reality…
He had spent far longer here.
In fact, this place now felt much more familiar.
He walked the road he had traveled countless times…
Once again, from the very beginning.
“Halt. We need to verify your identity.”
As he approached the city gate, someone stepped in front of him.
A resident.
To players, they were known as NPCs.
They lived throughout the Tower.
Sometimes they offered help.
Other times, they stabbed players in the back.
“Long time no see, Enand.”
Yujin raised a hand in greeting.
The guard named Enand widened his eyes.
“Y-You know me?”
“Of course I do.”
They had crossed paths for about eight years and seven months.
Besides…
Once you befriended him, he eventually rewarded you with a pretty decent item.
A truly generous fellow.
Though right now, instead of giving him an item, Enand only looked at him with suspicion.
“Go on. Check my identity. I want to get inside.”
“…Please wait a moment.”
Still wearing a bewildered expression, Enand quickly collected himself and began the verification.
The process was simple.
He checked the information recorded by the Akasha System.
Naturally, his viewing authority was far lower than an administrator’s.
He couldn’t see much.
But he could at least view a player’s name, level, and title.
“Name: Sung Yujin. Level is… Huh?!”
Enand’s eyes flew open.
And who could blame him?
A player who had only just cleared the Tutorial Floor…
Was already Level 7.
It was probably the highest level he had ever seen upon entering the First Floor.
Most players arrived at Level 1.
Only on the rarest of occasions did someone reach Level 2.
Even Yujin himself had been like that during his first run.
‘Level 1.’
Aside from perhaps three or four people—including Jaigot and the Sword Empress—everyone else had likely been the same.
But Level 7?
Enand rubbed his eyes vigorously, wondering if they had deceived him.
Nothing changed.
The same words remained before him.
Name: Sung Yujin
Level: 7
Title: None
“You’ve finished checking, right? Then I’m going in.”
Patting the still-dumbfounded Enand on the shoulder, Yujin walked through the city gate without even waiting for a reply.
The City of Beginnings, Terra.
To some, it was despair.
To others, hatred.
And to still others…
Hope.
“I’m back.”
Carried by the wind, Yujin’s voice quietly echoed throughout every corner of Terra.
