1 Chapter – The Sluggish Caterpillar (1)
The tower, a calamity that engulfed the world. Even an ordinary university student was forced to fight monsters with his life on the line, a fate that couldn’t be avoided.
I too could not escape it. Those who were qualified had to ascend the tower.
Those who were not qualified had to fight against the pouring monsters day by day, hoping that others would end this hell.
“If the chosen climbers cannot overcome the trials of the tower, the tower will erode the entire world, and the monsters will cover the land and sky…!”
No one believed it when the President of America, jokingly called the ‘Earth President’, spoke such nonsense with a serious face during a live broadcast to the world.
But the disaster truly occurred, and countless people were killed by the monsters that poured out.
In that situation, as the climbers began to ascend the tower and show results, the number of monsters decreased, and people became ecstatic. They were no longer just unlucky victims.
They were heroes receiving the support of people from around the world.
“Welcome. A new climber, destined to bear the great trial.”
So when I was forcibly dragged there without any warning, I could not help but feel despair at the sight of the pale mannequin-like guide of the tower.
Whether outside or inside the tower, it was a life where one did not know when they might die by a monster. Since I couldn’t refuse it anyway, I thought I might as well resist.
“I already know what everyone does first when they come to the tower.”
“Y-yes. They say it’s the ‘first and last’ opportunity…”
“That’s right. This opportunity is proof that you have been chosen.”
The guide, seemingly unconcerned about my timidity, extended a hand with a voice that resonated. The swirling blue light in that hand was indeed as rumored.
That was the opportunity, the beginning and blessing of the trials given to those thrown into the tower unarmed.
“You call this a lottery. You leave it to fate, and some will draw a good reward, while others will draw a trivial one. But that is wrong. It is just a denial of one’s own capacity.”
The guide also offered me that opportunity.
According to the information leaked by senior climbers, the key was what would come out of this opportunity.
Some would obtain terrifying and extraordinary powers that transcended races, or strong magical swords or spears, while others would end up getting trivial abilities or just a little bit.
“Now, grasp this.”
The guide insisted that I take it. Since there was no choice, I tightly closed my eyes and seized it.
To be honest, I was a born coward who was afraid to shoot a gun even in the military, with no athletic ability despite my large size. If I wanted to survive in this tower, the only way was to obtain something good from this gift.
‘Ugh, Aaaah!’
The moment I grabbed it, I almost lost consciousness from the tremendous energy flowing within me. I wanted to scream, but that too was impossible.
As my vision turned completely white, barely holding onto consciousness was my best effort.
“This is interesting. The opportunity you have drawn clearly has extreme polar characteristics.”
“…What?”
“Will you abandon yourself and transcend? However, the result of that transcendence is uncertain. An opportunity is merely an opportunity—it cannot be a guarantee of results.”
And just after I learned the identity of the opportunity I had drawn, I was left dumbfounded by the guide’s words.
“Reset, literally abandoning a talentless body and being reborn as a new existence. But awakening that talent ultimately falls on you.”
“Wait, are you saying that I right now?!”
“The Elf race certainly possesses vast potential. Even if you are reincarnated into the body of a High Elf, chosen as the avatar of the World Tree, you will have much more than you currently do.”
The guide shrugged as if asking what the problem was after drawing such a good gift.
Of course, I had also heard that some who entered the tower changed their appearance and race to gain greater power.
The Elf was also one of the races realized in the tower. It was a race commonly referred to as Tier 1 due to its exceptional potential.
The issue was that the Elf shown by the guide was completely different from me in every way.
A delicate and slender body, flowing silky silver hair, bright red eyes, and flawless, pale skin.
And a face beautifully sculpted like a statue. The soft girl before me was completely the opposite of a rugged man over 180 cm tall.
‘But if I discard this opportunity…’
It was overwhelmingly confusing. Normally, I would have surely refused, telling them not to speak crazy nonsense.
The problem was that this was the one and only opportunity given to me. If I discarded this chance and ascended the tower in my current state, would I truly be able to survive?
Should I discard it and save my life, or should I keep it and die?
I closed my eyes tightly, thinking that whichever choice I made seemed to be the worst possible option. However, my contemplation wasn’t long.
“Please grant me… no, grant me the blessing. Damn it.”
“A wise choice.”
There was no other option. I wanted to live.
*
“Ugh, ugh…”
“As you may know, the real trials will begin from the second floor. Those burdened with a great destiny, may you obtain what you seek in this tower.”
The guide left me, who was struggling on the floor, saying what he had to say and then vanished.
After a while, I, shivering with a strange feeling as if bugs were crawling all over my body, finally managed to push myself up with my arms.
A small, thin white hand and fingers, alongside hair that tickled my body was revealing the reality of my awakening.
‘I have to survive. That way, I will feel less wronged.’
Gritting my teeth, I fully stood up on my two feet.
My eye level was drastically lowered. Bracing myself against the absurdity of feeling like my own body was not mine, as I moved my limbs, they felt stiff and awkward, as if creaking sounds were coming from me.
With movements reminiscent of a wooden puppet, I walked forward, only looking ahead. My mind was burning with the single desire to survive.
To do that, I abandoned everything. My appearance, my name, even my race. I resolved to survive in this tower and, if possible, add this single body to saving this world.
If that were to happen, surely the people around me would respect this choice I had made. After all, even if my body changed, my inner self would not change.
[1st Floor]
Finally, I passed through the white light door and entered the true tower.
The space now before my eyes was no longer a strange place filled only with sluggish darkness, but another world.
‘The first floor, this is a kind of tutorial.’
The tower is unfriendly. The guide’s help has ended. From then on, it does not kindly inform you of what to do next.
The fortunate part is that information and materials leaked from seniors who ascended the tower early have piled up appreciably.
Through that, late comers like me could ascend the tower more easily if we had done our homework in advance.
“They said to adapt a bit here and then go up…”
Muttering to myself, I looked around. Beneath the bright sun and clear sky, a peaceful plain spread out.
True to the atmosphere, the enemies that appear here are mostly not very strong.
“—!”
Just then, the enemy that appeared to attack me was a low-level slime wriggling on the ground. This pink jelly-like creature rolled up its body and charged at me.
I hesitated in panic.
I had heard it was a weak creature, but after all, a creature is still a creature.
Without a weapon and with this frail body that felt like it would break if kicked, I had no idea how to fight back.
‘This is…’
That was when I sensed something stirring strongly within me.
The power that humans cannot possess. A power that only the selected ones among the Elves can wield. Realizing this instinctively, I naturally raised my hand.
“@#$%!”
With a strong vibration, the ground split open, and a sharp stone spear that matched my body size erupted, crushing the slime’s body in an instant.
High Elves can manipulate mana, the pure mana possessed by nature. I could feel the weak elemental energy embedded in the earth and shuddered.
With this communion fully awakened, I now saw this world with completely different eyes, as if a blind person was seeing the world for the first time.
In the earth, the wind, the trees, and the water. They all held spirits within them.
This was the power I had gained by abandoning myself and the hope of surviving this treacherous tower.
