Rei hadn't even realized how long he'd been staring at the Tower through his bedroom window. Minutes passed before he finally tore his eyes away and returned to his PC.
And that's when he saw it.
The internet had exploded.
News channels, online forums, and every social media platform were in chaos. Livestreams. Headlines. Comment threads piling up by the second.
People were panicking.
And the Dreamers?
They were furious.
Everything was gone. Their weapons. Their stats. Their skills. Years of hard-earned progress wiped clean—like it never existed.
Rei scrolled through the flood of reactions.
>[@TowerSurvivor21]: "WHAT DO YOU MEAN MY LVL 108 ARCHMAGE IS GONE??? I HAD A +9 STAFF WTF"
>[RPG_Ghost]: "I had a full dragonbone set. GONE. 2 YEARS FOR NOTHING."
>[AnonymousForumUser]: "It said ONE YEAR. It's been a MONTH. THIS IS A SCAM."
>[@Floorking]: "Yo... even my class reset. Everyone starting as blank?? This ain't a joke."
>[u/NightMage03]: "Is anyone else seeing that the Tower in NYC is IDENTICAL to the one from the dream? This can't be a coincidence."
>[DGzero0520]: "At least we can talk about it now… remember when even TYPING can get you killed."
Rei leaned back slightly in his chair, eyes narrowing.
"So… we're starting from scratch again," he muttered.
He picked up his phone—and froze.
A single notification waited on his phone screen:
> [You have been chosen. Step forward and enter the Tower.] <
After that, he instinctively opened his status window– and it appeared in front of him, exactly like it did in the dream.
His breath caught.
>[Skill: World Decipher] — still there.
A legendary passive, carried over from the Dream Tower. No one else should've kept anything, yet here it was.
And above it—
A new title.
One he'd never seen before.
>[Title: The One Who Ended It All]
His fingers hovered before he tapped it, and the effects expanded in glowing text:
------------
[Effect l – Tower's Chosen (Unlocked upon entering the Tower)]
-The Tower has acknowledged your will.
-Greatly increases your luck-based interactions inside the Tower.
-Higher chance of rare loot, skill book drops, hidden NPCs, and secret event triggers.
-You naturally stumble into pathways, shortcuts, and encounter rates others never see.
> "While others walk the Tower, the Tower walks with you."
------------
[Effect ll – Tower's Blessing (Progress: 0%/100%)]
Unlock Condition:
Slay monsters and bosses in the Tower.
Stronger enemies grant more progress.
Effect Upon Unlock:
2× EXP gain
2× Stat points per level
2× Skill damage
2× Gold, loot quality, and crafting success
Passive activation, permanent once unlocked
> "Only those baptized in blood are worthy of the Tower's deeper favor."
------------
[Effect lll – Tower's Crown]
(Automatically unlocked upon clearing Floor 10)
You are not just climbing the Tower—you are mastering it.
-Can store one skill per individual (player, monster, NPC, or boss) viewed through World Decipher.
-Once stored, skills gain double effect (if passive) or double damage (if active).
-Stored skills are kept in the hidden Crown Archive.
> "The Tower bows to no one… except the one who ends it."
---
Rei blinked.
"Is this a bug?" Rei muttered, eyes locked on the screen. "World Decipher's still here? And this… title?"
He barely had time to think when a new alert popped up, not just on his phone, but on every device around the world.
> [To all chosen Players: Clear the 1st Floor within 100 days or the Tower will collapse. All monster within will invade Earth.] <
Rei's heart jumped.
He wasn't the only one who received that message. Everyone did. Even those who weren't Players.
He bolted out of his room.
"Mom? Tae Ri?!"
They were already in the living room, startled by the buzzing alerts on their phones.
"What's going on?" his mom asked.
Tae Ri was pale. "Is this another drill?"
Rei quickly looked over their notifications, and let out a breath.
They didn't get the first message–the one marking him as a chosen Player.
Only the global system alert had appeared on their devices. That meant…
They weren't Players.
Rei's hands trembled slightly. Relief and fear churned in his chest.
They were safe, for now.
His eyes snapped to the TV behind them, where breaking news was already playing.
>[BREAKING NEWS: Massive Towers Have Appeared Across Major Cities Worldwide]
"This morning, dozens of structures resembling the so-called 'Tower of Dreams' have emerged across the globe. Governments are mobilizing. Airports and borders are closing. Panic is spreading."
"Footage from Seoul, New York, Tokyo, Beijing, and Berlin confirms identical towers appearing simultaneously. Scientists and military analysts are scrambling for answers."
The footage cut between cities—black towers looming over skylines, casting long shadows across stunned crowds.
Helicopters circled. Sirens wailed. Broadcasters struggled to keep calm.
>[LIVE CHAT: CNN Stream]
>[SausageOnTop]: "This is it. THE DIVINE PUNISHMENT."
>[MageMomIRL]: "I'm crying. My guild's gone. My stats are gone. My LIFE IS GONE."
>[NoSleepSinceFloor80]: "IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A YEAR. WHY IS IT A MONTH??"
>[GameTheoryPlus]: "If the Tower collapsed in the dream… why's it real now?"
>[Commentator_X]: "Guys… are we going to die?"
Rei stared at the screen.
He didn't say a word.
Rei's eyes remained fixed on the TV, but his thoughts had already moved on.
"Clear the first floor…"
Then he realized...
"But… the first floor's a Safezone?." he questioned himself.
That didn't make sense. In the dream, the first floor had no boss. No mobs. Just a city full of NPCs and starter quests.
So what exactly were they supposed to clear?
Rei's mind raced through possibilities—had the Safezone been replaced? Was there a hidden trigger now?
The man from his dream echoed in his thoughts:
"When the Tower returns, it won't be like before."
He clenched his jaw. "...Damn right it won't."
He turned from the TV and headed straight for his room, shutting the door behind him.
The moment he sat down at his desk, his fingers moved on instinct. Status window. Interface. Menu layers he'd memorized like second nature during the two years inside the Tower of Dreams.
Status window.
[Skill: World Decipher] — still listed, unchanged.
[Title: The One Who Ended It All] — pulsing faintly like it was holding its breath.
Then something new blinked.
[Class Selection – Pending]
"…Class selection?" Rei muttered.
That wasn't part of the dream.
He clicked it open. Sure enough, there was a full interface now—six base classes listed clearly. Swordsman. Archer. Magician. Healer. Craftsman. Alchemist. Each with full descriptions.
In the dream, you were randomly assigned one of six classes the first time you entered: Swordsman, Archer, Magician, Healer, Alchemist, or Craftsman. You didn't get to choose.
Now, apparently, you did.
Rei leaned back, eyes narrowing.
"They really changed it."
The more he looked, the more obvious it became. The time limit. The forced first floor clear. The class selection. It all pointed to the same conclusion:
"This isn't the same Tower."
"This is the real one."
Rei decided to head out. Seeing the Tower through a screen wasn't enough. He needed to see it with his own eyes.
-----
Fifteen minutes later, Rei stood on the edge of a growing crowd gathered at the foot of the Tower.
It pierced upward like a needle through clouds, obsidian-black and silent. Despite the chaos online, people here looked… confused. Curious. Some were excited, others scared, but no one truly understood what they were standing in front of.
Not yet.
News vans were parked along the sidewalk, camera crews jostling for angles. Livestreamers paced with phones raised high. One guy was already shouting into a mic about optimal class combos like this was launch day for an MMO.
"Magician scales best early with burst spells, but Healers get more party invites—hey! Like and subscribe if you're choosing Healer!"
Rei ignored them and moved closer, hands in his pockets.
A large holographic text floated above the Tower's base, visible to everyone.
[Tower Initialization In Progress: Synchronizing World (23:29:08)]
So it wasn't open yet.
He watched the timer tick down, then glanced around.
Dozens of people stood nearby. Some chatting nervously. Others trying to open their status screens, compare notes, or livestream reactions. No one looked ready.
No one looked serious.
But then—his vision flickered.
A soft shimmer, barely perceptible. Like his eyes had focused on a different layer of reality.
[World Decipher: Activated]
Lines of hidden data scrolled briefly at the edge of his sight– dense, arcane, unreadable to anyone else. Then–
[Corrupted Anchor Detected: Sub-Root ID#F18-NPC.042]
[Stability Degrading – Collapse in 99:59:41]
[ERROR: THIS INSTANCE SHOULD NOT EXIST.]
Rei's breath stilled.
He scanned the crowd again—slow, careful.
And then he saw it.
A fruit vendor, standing perfectly still near the outer ring. Smiling too wide. Not blinking.
No one noticed him.
No one approached.
But Rei recognized that face immediately.
He'd spoken to him, Fought beside him. Watched him die.
It was an NPC from Floor 18 of the Tower of Dreams. A minor quest character.
But he wasn't supposed to be here
Rei's heart pounded as he stepped closer—only to freeze when the vendor's head turned.
And looked straight at him.
Then the NPC moved.
Slow, steady, almost mechanical—he began walking toward the Tower entrance. The crowd barely reacted, as if he didn't exist. As if they couldn't see him.
But Rei did.
With every step, the ground beneath the NPC seemed to flicker—trailing faint black static, like corrupted pixels bleeding into reality.
And then—without a sound—
He passed straight through the Tower gate.
Right through it.
Like the barrier didn't apply to him.
And vanished.
[Hidden Scenario Triggered: The Rot Beneath Bastion]
[Objective: Locate and eliminate the 'Rooted One' before corruption spreads beyond Floor 1.]
[Time Remaining: 99:57:31]
Rei stared at the notification.
"A hidden scenario on the first floor… really?
He smirked.
"Guess the Tower missed me more than i
thought."