久久大陆

It was a single step.

An act learned as an infant; so basic and fundamental. But, right here and at this moment, a step was what led to the crossing between realities, the venture from one world into another, and the parting of himself from Earth.

"--"

As he stepped through the entrance to the Tower, the scenery around him immediately shifted from the dark desolation that swallowed Earth into an immaculate white.

It was an explicable feeling that surrounded him; what was once wind felt like an entirely different concept from what was on Earth.

A swirling force; an energy that was subtle, but surely there–unseen, but completely felt.

Wind…? No, this feels like…the 'origin'--this is where…everything started? I can't explain it. It just feels like my body–no, my soul–understands this, he thought.

As he blinked once more, he found himself standing in a vast chamber, forged of white, quartz walls and filled with people.

…People? Players? He thought.

It was an enigmatic area, and he had little idea what to make of anything, but it seemed he wasn't the only one as there were a lot of people voicing their confusion of this new area.

"This is the 'Tower'?"

"What's going on here?!"

"It's kind of creepy…"

All he could do was stand there, inhabiting a balcony section that was also filled with many people as he checked his own body.

The pain had seamlessly vanished once he entered the bounds of the mysterious Tower, and he didn't feel that looming coldness of death anymore.

"Health status," he whispered.

[Health Points: 3500/3500]

"What? How…?" He questioned.

[Question Recognized…]

[Answer: Upon entering the Tower, all of your [Health] and [Spirit] was restored.]

It was an easy enough explanation for him to buy, though he was still left confused by why he and so many people were simply standing in this immaculate, all-white area, left without any answers.

…Where are the others? Did they manage to get in?...There's no way they didn't, right? He thought.

As he looked around, trying to find his friends, it was like trying to find a needle in a haystack with so many people filling the vast space, and many of them wearing similar, white uniforms.

Though he managed to, by some miracle, see a familiar set of faces in the distance: unmistakable blue hair paired with mixed colored eyes, a bandana-wearing coward, and a girl with icy-blue eyes that were standout even from their distance.

Yeong-Un, Sol, and Ma-Ri…?! They're over there! He thought.

Even though he wanted to reunite with them as soon as possible, there was no feasible way as they were all the way across the immaculate space, on the opposing balcony behind a flood of people.

And, before he could even think to move, something appeared–an entity that commanded the attention of everybody present.

It wasn't "God", or at least it didn't appear to be so.

What manifested in the center of the vast hall of divinity was a woman; she was certainly tall–towering at least ten meters high, dressed in majestic, platinum-armor with flowing, silver locks and golden eyes that bore cross-shaped irises.

"Welcome, strongest of mankind. All of you here are those that had both the will and strength to survive and make it this far–that is most commendable; be proud."

The voice of the seraphic, giant woman was soothing, but almost robotic in a way of there being no other emotion other than kindness in it.

Though the enigmatic woman spoke words that sounded something akin to a compliment, none of the people standing in the space were in a celebratory mood–only quietly listening for their fate.

"You're the pinnacle of your species. There are ten-thousand-four-hundred and sixty-two of you that have reached the Tower."

That information made his heart drop at such a number.

…Ten-thousand? He thought.

He knew surely that humanity had dwindled quite a ways since the beginning of Armageddon, but knowing that such a feeble number from the original billions that existed before was harrowing, but at the same time made him appreciate the fact that he had made it.

Others around him were clearly taken aback by this information as well, with some crying, and even some seemingly ranged–but some seemed to not care with even an outlet of empathy.

"I am Varuel; it's my honor to welcome you all to the Tower," the silver-haired woman said.

It seemed the gentle words spoken weren't enough for some people as from the crowd of survivors, a man yelled out:

"What the hell is this place, anyway?! Is this Heaven?!"

The divine woman seemed to not like the random outburst, though she responded with a single word, "Silence."

It wasn't as if the man had his lips forcibly sewn closed, but the singular word was enough to squelch any other utterances.

"Where you're all standing is not Heaven itself. The 'Tower' is the ascension to Heaven, so to speak," Varuel explained.

Ascension? He questioned.

A lot of mumbling went on around him, though people seemed to keep their chatting to a low out of fear of drawing the giant, divine woman's gaze.

Varuel lifted her hand, manifesting a projection that displayed the Tower itself, though it was scaled down and see-through, displaying what looked like a high number of floors within.

"The 'Tower' is actually a structure known as 'The Record of Humanity'--a recreation and storage of humanity's most prominent eras and creations; including fiction itself," Varuel told, "Within 'The Record of Humanity', there are three floors that must be ascended before reaching Heaven."

This explanation all but confirmed a suspicion he had held all of this time, one that he knew was likely, but it was harrowing nonetheless.

…The fight isn't over–not even close. It's…just beginning, he realized.

Varuel continued, "These three floors are each unique and vastly different; within them are creatures that will prove as obstacles to you in your 'Ascension.' You will find guardians on each floor–the most powerful entities of each floor, acting as barriers between one floor to the next."

"Three floors…?"

"What?! That's not fair!"

"We did what you asked!...W-we survived!"

Unsurprisingly, people weren't happy about this realization. Some had even begun crying near him, though most of those tears were accompanied by rage.

He wasn't foreign to this feeling, in fact, he understood well what was going through their minds: all of the suffering, stress, and loss from these hellish months were all fought with the idea of it all being for the sake of reaching the "Tower"--yet, that Tower was only the ultimate obstacle for them.

…Three floors, then we can reach Heaven? If what we experienced out there was just the culling of humanity–just what kind of level is 'The Record of Humanity' at, anyway?! Shit…He thought.

Varuel didn't flinch at all at the yells of the people below, but as the pale-skinned, divine woman lifted not but a single finger, all the chattering fell silent.

"Please be prepared for the floors of the Record of Humanity. Each will be an entirely new world with new laws, creatures, and discoveries for you to find. They're vast in scope and unforgiving in challenge," Varuel said, placing her hands together in a prayer, "I wish you all the best. One minute from now, you will all fall into something akin to slumber–when you awake, you will be on the first floor: 'The Dragon Kingdom.'"

Just like that, there was little information given, but their next challenge would begin without any reprieve.

What…? It's already beginning? He thought.

Around him, the other survivors of Armageddon were shocked by the sudden start as well, having to either gather themselves or lose themselves completely.

He looked in the distance once more, catching a glimpse of his friends just before that one minute arrived, and his consciousness went into slumber–

No matter how many times it takes. No matter how much I have to fight–there's always something left ahead of me. There's always a struggle; always despair around the corner; always pain waiting for me. It's no exception this time. All over again, I'll ascend.

I'll reach for the highest heights–this time, I'm not taking any half-measures; I'll annihilate any obstacles in my path if it means reaching my comrades, he thought.

From this conviction, his System recognized his desires and implemented its own changes, though unbeknownst to him.

[Sage System Evolution.]

[Merciless Increased.]

[Empathy Suppressed.]

[Jeong-Hui: Improvement of Mentality: Complete.]

–

An unknown amount had passed before he opened his eyelids once again, slowly parting them as he found himself staring up at a surprising sight: a pale, blue sky, calm and tranquil, with fluffy clouds slowly traversing its scale.

"--" He stared up for a minute.

Beneath him, he felt the prickly sensation of grass beneath his body. He inhaled deeply, taking in the oxygen that was surprisingly fresh.

What is this? It's…beautiful, he thought.

Compared to the hellish horizon he'd grown used to seeing, he was practically in paradise, though he was perplexed as to why.

He slowly sat up, finding himself sitting in a large, far-spanning field of verdant grass that was overlooked by the pleasant sky.

"What happened…?" He mumbled to himself, holding his head.