"Hey, Keal, have you heard the latest rumor? Arthur Lewin, from the second year, received a B rank evaluation yesterday on the Tower's fourth floor".
"Really?".
"Of course it's true, the news has already swept through nearly the entire Academy, and you didn't know!".
"Damn, Arthur is truly incredible, he deserves to be counted among the Academy's geniuses!".
"One of the geniuses? Just a few days ago, Kaira from the fourth year obtained an overpowered Devil Fruit from the world of One Piece".
"That is true genius. I heard one of the strongest factions in the Tower has already reached out to recruit her for the future".
"I don't think she'll join them. With her family behind her, of course she'll follow their lead. But whatever, my trust in these rumors has been shaky lately".
"I don't envy Kaira or Arthur. The Tower and its worlds may be full of rewards, but they're also incredibly dangerous, and death comes easily. That's their life, and they'll pay the price for it. As for us, we'll stay on the safe floors. at least we won't be gambling with our lives".
"Yeah, but if we want to raise our levels, it will take a long time if we keep staying on the safe floors".
"Ah, I think I'll try joining the Solaris Clan that Arthur leads!".
"Why do you need to join them?".
"There's a rumor that a batch of Super Soldier Serum will be given as a reward during the second-year Clan Wars!".
"I heard this super serum can increase physical fitness tenfold in a short time. imagine the clan that obtains it, its members will reach levels beyond imagination".
"Stop dreaming. You can't get that kind of thing without a clan. And Arthur is in the second year, I think his clan is already full. He would have to kick someone out to let you in".
"and what kind of overwhelming powers do you have that would make him accept you?".
"I have water powers!".
"Pfffft! How about we start our own clan?".
"Seriously? We make our own clan?".
"Yeah, but I'm afraid I'll drown from your powers before we even set sail to fight other clans, hahaha!".
"Screw you!".
…
The conversation Reis overheard left him bewildered.
What on earth were these people talking about?.
Clan Wars? Tower floors? A Devil Fruit?
"What nonsense are these students spouting?".
Then Reis glanced around at his surroundings. a vast hall stretched before him, with a giant whiteboard fixed to the front wall, and above it hung a large banner bearing a logo that seemed to radiate suffocating pressure:
[Only two months left until the First-Year Exam!].
Clearly, it was a classroom, filled with students, and he himself was dressed in the Academy's uniform.
Yet he distinctly remembered quitting school a long time ago. So how was he here again?.
"Is this a parallel world, or am I dreaming?" Reis muttered.
That seemed the only explanation that could make sense of what he was seeing.
As the thought lingered, a sudden sharp stab lanced through Reis's brain, as if something were being violently driven into his skull.
A groan escaped him before he could hold it back, and he doubled over the desk.
New memories surged forth, flooding and fusing into Reis's mind.
After what felt like an eternity, the pain slowly ebbed, and clarity began to return.
"I guess this isn't a dream. It's a parallel world" he murmured.
From the memories that had taken root within him, Reis realized this truly was another world.
Its civilization was very similar to Earth, the one he remembered.
His body was the same, still fifteen years old, apparently a first-year student at the Academy.
But more importantly, this world was different in ways he could not ignore, with supernatural powers, players, and a Tower whose floors led to other worlds.
In the Black Tower, also known as Arcanos, anyone fifteen years or older could enter.
In Arcanos, progress was not only about surviving the floors but also about earning Coinz, mysterious rewards that dropped from the heart of the Tower.
Every mission completed, every test cleared, granted a player a portion of these points, as if the Tower itself measured their efforts and rewarded them accordingly.
With Coinz accumulating, a player did not merely grow richer within the Tower, they gained real power that carried into the outside world.
Every ability mastered in Arcanos, every skill refined, did not remain bound to its floors but transferred to the body and soul beyond, becoming a weapon usable anywhere.
Thus, the Tower transformed from a mysterious riddle into a source of absolute power.
A power that did not fade upon leaving its halls but instead followed its bearer everywhere, turning the players into an elite feared by all in the real world.
The shocking part was that those Tower missions were not mere illusions, they were real worlds.
From his memories, Reis was stunned to discover that these worlds were drawn directly from movies, anime, games, and novels he had once watched, read, or played himself.
Worlds like Marvel and DC, One Piece, Prison Break, The Last of Us, and more.
As for how the Black Tower Arcanos appeared, it seemed to have fallen suddenly from the sky, pierced the Mediterranean Sea, and drained its waters dry.
A new continent emerged in its place, with the Tower rising at its center, piercing the heavens.
"In this parallel world, it seems there are no movies, no games, no works like the ones I know".
"so everyone here is ignorant of these worlds".
"But me, I'm the only one who knows all their plots!".
Reis thought with cold eyes, gleaming with both hesitation and hope.
Possessing foresight meant the ability to see what others could not. Knowing the plot gave him the keys to the plan before it even began.
turning knowledge into real power.
It allowed him to make precise decisions, to act at the right moment, as if every choice had already been calculated, every move within a complex world leaving no room for chance.
What seemed difficult or impossible for others became for him an easy step, a simple task, the entire world bending beneath his understanding and foresight.
The school bell rang.
The chime broke Reis's thoughts. It was the last class of the evening, another day at the Academy nearly over.
Throughout the lesson, Reis remained detached from the subject, lost in his own thoughts.
No one else knew the storyline as he did.
What others perceived as a dark and deadly world appeared to him as a simple puzzle, one he could solve with ease.
His knowledge of the story gave him an advantage no one else possessed, allowing him to become truly strong when facing the Black Tower.
When the dismissal bell rang, Reis hurried out of the classroom, making his way toward his dormitory at the Academy.
On his way out, he passed along corridor walls lined with student announcements:
"Clan Flamera is recruiting individuals with fire based abilities, with overall strength of at least level 3. Preference is given to those with multiple fire abilities, to become active members capable of handling the clan's greatest challenges".
"Clan Shadowcrest is seeking students specializing in shadow manipulation and stealth. Applicants must possess level 2 or higher shadow abilities. Those with additional shadow powers will be granted leadership positions among the new members. Joining requires discipline and wise use of power, making each member unseen and effective on the battlefield".
"Clan Dragonar is looking for students with courage and a fighting spirit. Requirement: overall strength level 3 or above. Preference is given to those with exceptional reflexes or the ability to grasp complex strategies".
Reis studied the posters, then his mind drifted to his own clan, imagining himself among its members, their strength and spirit shaped by his hand.
But soon the fantasy faded, and he realized it was all just talk, the real strength, the true trials, all lay in the Tower, where everything would be measured without pretense or illusion.
…
Reis returned to his assigned room in the Academy, a massive building where each floor housed dozens of shared student rooms, long corridors illuminated by cold, glowing lights, and heavy wooden doors numbered in sequence.
He entered his small, simple room, devoid of any luxury: one bed, a wooden desk, a cramped bathroom, and a small metal locker.
He dropped his bag on the floor and sat on the edge of the bed. Reaching into the side pocket.
He pulled out a packaged meal he had picked up from the Academy cafeteria, just like the other students.
He did not want to sit in the crowded hall, so he opted for the quiet of his room instead.
Slowly, he unwrapped it, revealing bland, flavorless noodles, purely functional food.
He picked up his fork and took a bite. Dry and dull, yet at least it filled his stomach.
As he ate, his thoughts drifted back to his past life, a blurry image of a world once familiar but now distant, faces vanished, people he no longer heard from.
A home that no longer existed here.
Reis had no one to tie him down, no family. All that remained was silence, memory, and a strange sense of loneliness.
It seemed this world too had given him nothing but emptiness. In this life, with no family and no support.
He had to start from zero, to build himself step by step at the Academy, with the Tower waiting at the end of the road.
The opening of the Black Tower Arcanos had been synchronized worldwide, exactly at midnight. In other locations, the timing varied slightly with the time zones.
The method to enter the Tower was remarkably simple.
Every player had a system chip implanted at the back of their neck, and pressing it activated the entry mechanism.
A brief flash of light appeared, and the Players were instantly pulled inside the Tower, finding themselves in the starting plaza alongside the others.