The pale light of dawn had yet to banish the shadows of night when Leon quietly rose, slung a simple pack over his shoulder, and slipped from his home. He roused no one, made no farewells. His steps carried him toward the towering spire that pierced the heavens at the city's heart.
The Infinite Tower.
Five centuries ago, it had appeared out of nothing, descending into the centers of the world's cities. In those early days, the adventurers who emerged from its depths returned with powers like demons of legend—burning cities, slaughtering without restraint, plunging the land into chaos. Weak kingdoms crumbled to ash in that age of upheaval. Only when the strongest cultivators struck with thunderous might, crushing the turmoil and uniting the scattered realms beneath a single Alliance, did order return.
Now, the Infinite Tower was tightly overseen by Alliance officials. Entry came at a price—one hundred low-grade spirit stones, or their equivalent in treasure. Only first-time entrants were spared the fee.
Leon arrived early, well before the crowds. The vast plaza at the Tower's base lay mostly empty, save for a handful of adventurers registering their names. The ancient stone gate loomed before him, glowing faintly with an eerie blue radiance, as though it devoured every gaze that lingered upon it.
He walked straight to the registrar and spoke his name. The official barely looked up, sliding across a bronze token etched with strange runes and tossing him a thin booklet.
"Newcomer's guide. Read it yourself."
Leon accepted the items and stepped aside. In truth, he had little knowledge of the Tower. The body's former owner had squandered his studies, and Leon himself had been in this world for only two short months. Beyond the scraps he'd heard—that the Tower brimmed with limitless resources, and that each death within would strip away twenty years of lifespan—he knew almost nothing.
So he did not rush inside. Instead, he opened the booklet.
The Basic Laws of the Infinite Tower
Time Ratio: In a One-Star World, three months pass inside for every one month outside. In a Two-Star World, four months to one. In a Three-Star World, five to one… and so on, increasing with each rank. Each entry lasts exactly one month of real time. Upon returning, another month must pass before re-entry is permitted.
——
Death Penalty: Death within the Tower is not the end. Yet each death severs lifespan. In a One-Star World, the cost is twenty years. The higher the world's rank, the harsher the penalty. All resources gained in that run are lost; only your cultivation and personal abilities remain.
——
Sealed Supplies: All items carried within will be locked by the void, unsealed only upon return.
——
Harvest and Inheritance: Treasures, resources, and abilities obtained within the Tower may be brought back into reality. However, upon re-entering, all such gains will be sealed once more—only your realm and strength accompany you.
——
Warning: Do not trust anyone inside. You may encounter trial-takers from foreign lands, even foreign worlds. No one is your companion. Everyone could be your enemy.
——
Leon closed the booklet, his heart churning with turmoil.
"Death strips away twenty years of life…"
That was the true, fatal shackle.
Even so, Leon had no path left but forward.
He strode toward the registrar, his voice steady.
"I want to enter."
A guard clad in silver armor gave a curt nod, then escorted him to a glowing circle at the Tower's base. The light shimmered like a nightmare, as though countless unseen eyes were locked upon him.
The guard's tone was cold.
"Step through, and the Tower will cast you into a world according to your foundation. One last warning—inside, trust no one."
Leon drew in a deep breath, then stepped into the circle.
The instant the radiance swallowed him, his mind thundered. Ancient, cryptic runes surfaced from the void, knitting themselves into words of terrifying clarity:
[Infinite Amplification System successfully bound to host]
[Any ability, any item, may be amplified a billionfold]
Leon's pupils shrank.
"…It's here."
The moment his body entered the circle, space twisted violently. A searing brilliance pierced his eyes like a thousand blades, forcing him to clamp them shut as his head roared and his world spun.
When at last he opened them again, everything had changed.
A vast, shadowed forest stretched before him. Trees soared skyward like pillars, trunks so thick it would take several men arm-in-arm to encircle them. Their crowns overlapped, blotting out the heavens until only scattered seams of light bled through. Pale beams fell between the leaves, painting the woodland in a dim and oppressive haze.
Suddenly, a cold, mechanical voice echoed in his ears:
"Ding—Welcome to the Infinite World. Current coordinates: One-Star · Forest Trial Realm. Host ID: 1967. To view your status, silently command: 'Attributes.'"
The voice faded. Silence reclaimed the world.
Leon willed it, and whispered in his heart:
"Attributes."
A translucent screen suddenly unfolded before Leon's eyes:
ID: 1967
Race: Human
Cultivation: None
Innate Talent: None
Skills: None
Life Skills: None
Functions: Chat Channel / Trading Hall
Survivors Remaining: 10,000 / 10,000
"…Not even a name, just a number?"
Leon's chest tightened. Clearly, he was nothing more than a pawn among ten thousand others thrown into the game.
He tested the chat channel. Instantly, lines of text began to scroll across the shimmering screen:
[1321]: Hahaha! I finally made it in! Tremble, you worthless trash—I'll show you what true terror is!
[4443]: The idiot upstairs has been identified.
[1653]: Heh, bet we won't hear from you after tomorrow.
[2355]: Esteemed seniors, I'm new here—please protect me!
[1123]: Same here, I just arrived. Anyone willing to take me in?
Leon skimmed the chaos for a few moments, then closed the channel with a sigh. He switched to the Trading Hall. The interface was utterly empty, save for one pitiful listing that almost made him laugh:
[Offer]: One piece of wood
[Request]: One portion of food
"Tch. First day in and they're already starving?"
Shutting the interface, he noticed for the first time that he was completely stripped bare. His pack, his personal belongings, even the tiny key that had been in his pocket—all gone. As the handbook had warned, every possession had been sealed by the void the instant he entered.
"In other words… I'm just a useless weakling with nothing but my fists."
Leon tilted his head back, gazing up at the dense canopy. Branches and leaves choked the sky, leaving only thin shafts of sunlight to pierce the gloom.
He sighed heavily, pressing a hand against his empty stomach.
"First thing's first—survive. At least I need to find something to eat."
Picking a direction at random, he forced his way through the brush. The undergrowth was massive and stubborn, taller than his chest and thick as rope. He had to wrench aside the branches with his arms, each step slow and exhausting. Half an hour passed with nothing to show for it, hunger gnawing at his belly and fatigue dragging at his limbs.
Then, out of the corner of his eye, a flash of crimson.
"Is that… fruit?"
He shoved aside the foliage and hurried forward.
What greeted him was a peculiar fruit tree, nearly three meters tall, its branches thick and lush, every limb heavy with glistening scarlet fruit. They resembled strawberries in shape, yet each one was enormous, swollen to the size of a man's fist, radiating a sense of vibrant life force.
And yet… the branches bristled with cruel spikes, each as thick as a toothpick, gleaming cold and sharp.
"These damned raspberries even come with built-in toothpicks."
Leon let out a bitter laugh, though a faint wariness rose in his heart.
Perhaps… this was his first trial in the Infinite World.
He fixed his gaze on the tree laden with scarlet fruit. After a moment's hesitation, hunger won out—he reached out and plucked one.
"It shouldn't… be poisonous, right?"
His empty stomach left no room for caution.
But the instant the fruit touched his palm, a vast and icy voice boomed through his mind:
"Foreign coordinate detected… System awakening."
"Infinite Amplification System successfully activated."
"Acquired: Raspberry ×1. Quantity amplified tenfold. Reward: Raspberry ×10."
Buzz—
Leon froze. Before his very eyes, ten plump, glistening berries materialized out of thin air, overflowing in his hand with radiant freshness. For a heartbeat, he was too stunned to react—he even forgot the fruit slipping from his grasp and tumbling to the ground.
The System.
He hardly dared breathe.
This was what he had longed for since the moment of his transmigration—the gift every protagonist in the stories received, the one miracle he had dreamed of in endless nights.
And now… it was real.
"System! Tell me—what kind of system are you?!"
No answer came. Only silence.
Grinding his teeth, he tried again.
"Open system!"
At once, a glowing, archaic panel bloomed within his mind:
Infinite Amplification System
Level: 1
Amplification Range: 10× – 100× (Randomized)
Effect: Can amplify the quantity or quality of collected items. (Quality amplification capped by the current world's rank.)
Nothing more. No daily logins. No exchange shop. Just the cold, impassive word: Amplification.
Leon's breath quickened. He refused to give up. Reaching out again, he plucked another berry.
"Acquired: Raspberry ×1. Quantity amplified twentyfold. Reward: Raspberry ×20."
Sure enough, another heap of crimson fruit spilled into his hand.
His eyes widened. Without hesitation, he grabbed yet another.
"Acquired: Raspberry ×1. Quantity amplified tenfold. Quality amplified tenfold. Reward: Raspberry ×10 [Grade One · Bronze Raspberry]."
This time, the fruit in his palm looked almost the same as before—yet a faint bluish glow shimmered around its skin, exuding a strange and unusual aura.
Leon quickly focused his mind, pulling up the description:
Grade One · Bronze Raspberry
Rank: Low-tier Spirit Fruit
Properties: Edible, non-toxic
Effect: Slightly increases cultivation upon consumption
"Increases… cultivation?"
His heart lurched violently, nearly making him shout aloud.
In the outside world, any fruit that could improve cultivation was an unimaginably rare treasure—something ordinary people might never even glimpse in their entire lives. For someone of his family's station, it was nothing less than priceless.
"I've struck gold… I've really struck gold!"
He hurriedly checked the details of a normal raspberry for comparison:
Raspberry
A common fruit. Edible, non-toxic. Useful only for quenching thirst and filling the belly.
The difference was like heaven and earth.
Unable to resist, Leon popped one of the ordinary raspberries into his mouth. Sweet juice burst across his tongue, so rich and fragrant he almost couldn't bring himself to swallow, afraid to waste even a drop of its flavor.
"This is too good… divine!"
He devoured several more in quick succession, finally easing the gnawing hunger in his stomach.
Then, with trembling hands, he lifted one of the shimmering Bronze Raspberries and took a careful bite.
At once, a wave of warmth surged through his body like a gentle current, coursing through his limbs and bones. It was as if he had been submerged in a hot spring—so soothing he almost moaned aloud.
When the sensation faded, he realized with shock that his body felt firmer, his strength a shade greater than before.
"This… this is incredible."
Excitement blazed in his chest. His gaze burned as it locked onto the tree still heavy with scarlet fruit.
At that moment, one thought consumed him—
Plunder it all! Strip this tree bare!
But when his eyes fell upon the growing piles of fruit at his feet and in his hands, his fervor faltered.
If only he could carry them away—then he would truly leave this treasure mountain with his arms full.
And that was when he realized the cruel reality: he had no container, no bag, nothing at all to hold the multiplied bounty.
"…All for nothing."
He let out a bitter laugh, staring up at the tree laden with glowing fruit. Better to leave them hanging than watch them rot, wasted on the ground.
With no better option, Leon could only crouch down and gather the fallen fruit one by one, stuffing them into the pockets of his clothes. Then, brushing aside the undergrowth, he pressed deeper into the forest.
He hadn't gone far when his eyes suddenly froze.
Beneath the shadow of a towering ancient tree sat an old wooden chest, its surface mottled with moss, as though it had slumbered there for a hundred years.
"A… treasure chest?"
His heartbeat quickened at once, but he didn't dare rush forward. Scanning the surroundings with care, he confirmed there was no movement, no hidden threat. Only then did he cautiously step toward the chest.