[12 Days, 02 Hours Until Towerfall]
There was a shift in the air.
Most couldn't feel it yet. But the animals could. The birds. The dogs.
The air tasted too still.
The wind blew in directions it shouldn't.
Shadows stretched slightly too long, and the stars flickered wrong.
Wang Ling stood on the roof of an abandoned parking structure, hoodie pulled tight, watching the city below like a king watching insects from a throne of broken concrete.
"It's starting."
"The Tower is breathing again."
"The seams of this world are beginning to crack."
He checked the system.
[Quest: Solo Preparations]
• Physical Training: 52% Complete
• First Kill: Not Yet Achieved
Kill one living threat with no skills, items, or System enhancements.
Wang Ling closed the interface.
His breath turned to frost as the temperature dropped unnaturally, even though it was summer.
[Unknown Anomaly Detected]
Tower influence has begun leaking into the outer world. Minor distortions forming.
It was ahead of schedule.
In the last timeline, the Tower hadn't broken through until Day 1.
Now, on Day -12, it was already testing the walls.
"So the Tower remembers me too."
Below, he saw movement.
Three men. Two teens. One adult. Leather jackets. Cheap switchblades. The kind of trash that preyed on weaker students in forgotten alleys.
Tonight, they had cornered someone. A freshman girl — young, terrified. Her hands were shaking as she tried to push past them.
Wrong place. Wrong time.
And worse — Tower energy was leaking into them. Barely visible threads of violet light coiled around their necks.
"Infected."
"The Tower's prelude chooses monsters long before the Tower itself arrives."
He descended in silence, boots tapping concrete, face still and empty.
The tallest thug turned. "Huh? Pretty boy got lost?"
Wang Ling didn't answer.
"Three enemies."
"Infected with Proto-Tower energy. Will not be saved by the Tower."
"No guilt. No hesitation."
He cracked his knuckles.
The girl looked up at him, eyes wide.
"Run," he said coldly. "You're not ready to see this world yet."
She fled.
The thugs laughed.
Wang Ling moved.
The first one lunged with a blade. He was slow.
Wang Ling caught the wrist, twisted once, and snapped the elbow backwards — bone cracked through skin.
The man dropped screaming.
The second swung a pipe.
Wang Ling ducked, slammed a punch into his liver, then another to the jaw. The body dropped like a puppet with its strings cut.
The last one hesitated.
"He's stronger than he looks—"
Too late.
Wang Ling kicked his knee out from the side. As the man fell forward, Wang Ling grabbed his hair and slammed his face into the wall.
Once.
Twice.
A third time — the wall cracked.
Silence followed.
Blood ran down the bricks.
[Quest Objective: Complete]
You have defeated a corrupted enemy with no aid.
Reward Earned: +1 Stat Point
Skill Slot Unlocked: First Active Skill will evolve based on Kill Style.
Analyzing Combat Style...
— Skill Acquired: Brutal Command – Lv.1
Crush weak-willed enemies with a single stare. Causes fear, paralysis, or instant submission based on target level disparity.
He exhaled slowly.
The scent of blood didn't bother him. It never had.
The girl was gone. Long gone.
The alley returned to silence, and the glow in the sky deepened.
A rift shimmered for a moment, like static above a tall building.
It vanished.
But it had been there.
And it wouldn't be the last.
"It begins."
[Global System Announcement – Hidden Protocol Broadcast to All Potential Players]
You feel something cold brush your spine...
[System Message (Unseen Voice)]:
"Will you climb, or will you kneel?"
"The Tower descends in 12 days."
"Choose, mortals. For choice is the last freedom you have."
Students across the world gasped.
Some dropped phones.
Others fell to their knees in confusion.
A few screamed.
Wang Ling simply smiled.
"Took you long enough."