Kai Ren remembered the sound first.
A long, metallic ringing—like a bell echoing through an empty cathedral.
Then came the darkness.
For a moment, he thought he was still dreaming. His body felt heavy, distant, as if he were floating between sleep and wake.
The last thing he remembered was rain. Cold rain falling on the city streets. Headlights. The screech of tires. And then… nothing.
Kai opened his eyes.
Above him stretched a ceiling so high it vanished into darkness. Massive stone pillars surrounded him like the bones of some ancient creature. Blue flames flickered from iron braziers along the walls, casting trembling shadows across the floor.
He sat up quickly, pressing his palms against the cold stone.
"What… where am I?"
Around him, dozens of people were waking up just like him. Some groaned in confusion. Others looked around with widening panic.
A woman grabbed a stranger's arm.
"Where… what happened?"
Kai's heart began to pound.
Then a deep vibration filled the hall.
The torches flared brighter. A voice echoed—not from a speaker, but everywhere at once:
"Welcome, challengers."
The hall froze in silence.
Kai felt a chill run down his spine.
"Welcome to the Infinite Tower."
Above the massive doors at the far end, glowing symbols appeared:
FLOOR 1
"Clear the floors. Grow stronger. Reach the top… and you may obtain godhood."
The doors slowly began to open.
Beyond them stretched a dark forest under a crimson sky. Something moved between the trees. The air smelled of rot and metal.
Then, in front of Kai, a translucent screen appeared:
[Infinite Tower System Initialized]
Name: Kai RenLevel: 1Strength: 5Agility: 6Intelligence: 8Endurance: 5Luck: 7
Before he could react, a second window appeared. Black, flickering, and only visible to him.
Hidden System ActivatedWARNING: Do not trust the tower.
Kai's stomach tightened.
A scream erupted near the entrance. One of the challengers had stepped outside. Something small and green leapt from the shadows—a goblin. Its jagged blade flashed.
Blood sprayed across the stone floor.
The system message flashed again:
[Floor 1 Challenge Started — Survive or Die]
Kai clenched his fists.
If he wanted to live, he would have to fight.
And somewhere far above, beyond the hundreds of floors ahead… waited the top of the tower.