If someone asked me when my life went wrong , I'd probably say....
No scratch that my life didn't go wrong.
It just never really went right.
Fifty years ago the towers appeared. Giant black pillars tearing out the ground like planet itself had decided to grow tumors. Cities spit in half, oceans boiled and mountains cracked. And humanity being humanity.. screamed for a some time and then adapted to the changes made by the tower.
They always did.
The tower brought monsters. Monsters brought death. Death brought Power. Power brought Money. Many became awakened to the new Power. Money brought idiots.
And these Idiot like players made guilds and ruled this Planet called Blue Star Solaris.
By the time I was born the Tower Era was already normal. Schools taught basic monster anatomy. News channel discussed floor progress like a sports commentary. Kids argued about which S rank awakener would clear the floor 101 first and still there is 899 floors more to clear and total of 1000 floors.
And me?
I still never awakened when iam entering the Adult stage.
"Relax" my mother used to say "Late Awakener's exist".
Yeah they did.
But statistically most of them awakened before 16.
I was Twenty.
Which meant I was pretty much very late to get awakened.
I was embarrassing.
...
Tower Gate 17 stood in the middle of what used to be a shopping mall. Half of the building was already swallowed by the black stone when the tower emerged and just like that there are some 20 towers in my country called Genovia and total of 1000 such towers all over the planet Solaris. This place is reinforced by the steel barricades and the glowing blue barriers humming softly.
People lined up in the front of the gate, some nervous, some terrified and some pretending not to be terrified.
I stood at the back of the queue, hands shoved into my jacket pockets staring at the obsidian arch like it as offended me.
"So" a voice said beside me a way too cheerful for this situation "Today's the day huh!".
I sighed without looking "If you say 'better late than never' I'll trip you into the drainage hole".
Dustin laughed anyway.
Dustin Walker my neighbor and my childhood friend and also my eternal comparison point.
He awakened at the age of 16 and Dustin received a combat type talent with Fire enhanced Fists. Dustin is level 41 now, not so great to be called famous or legendary but enough to flex in this casual conversation.
Basically, everything I wasn't sighhhh....
"Hey I'm just saying" he shrugged. " Floor 1 is basically a tutorial. Its either Slime's or Rat's or either you poke something and you run" and because of exact same reason nothing came to the floor 1 when I tried to awaken from many years.
"Worst case" I muttered " I die and become a cautionary tale".
He snorted "Nah, the tower don't hate people that much".
I looked at the massive black structure looming over us.
"Are you sure...?".
Ahead of us golden holographic texts hovered in the air repeating the same message from the past 50 years.
[ENTER THE TOWER]
[DEFEAT THE MONSTER]
[AWAKEN YOUR TALENT]
[DO NOT DIE]
Simple, very simple.
A cheer erupted at the front of the line, someone has just cleared their first kill.
Confetti like light erupted at the front of the gate forming a golden letters
[TALENT ACQUIRED STEEL SKIN - RANK B]
The crowd applauded and Phones rang and few recruiters with sharp suits exchanged looks.
Dustin whistled "Damm, a B Rank defensive type that guy is set for life".
I swallowed.
I didn't need a B rank, I was not greedy.
I'd take C,
At most ill take a D Rank , for once just one monster come to the floor 1.
Just.... not nothing.
The line moved , my heart started to pound so hard I could feel it in my ears.
When I reached the gate the blue barrier scanned me from head to toe. It lingered for a half a second longer than usual.
[IDENTITY CONFIRMED]
[STATUS: UNAWAKENED]
[AGE: 20]
[ELIGIBLE FOR AWAKENED TRIAL]
I let out a breath without me knowing.
"See" Dustin said "Told you go get them Hero!!".
"If I come back as Sock Summoner I'm blaming you"
Dustin grinned "Deal".
I stepped forward.
The world darkened.
.....
As soon as I entered the Floor 1 I was dropped on the floor face planting.
This is very rude from the tower just because he was not awakened.
The air was thick, like it had weight in the air. Blue torches floated along the walls, casting a soft light over a wide stone chamber.
A title hovered above [THE BEGINNERS HALL]
Somewhere in the distance something squished.
"Yes finally something has come after so many long years. please be a slime".
I was a holding a beginner dagger which is of very low quality cheap iron, Dull edge. The kind of weapon designed to be replaced immediately after use.
I moved forward carefully.
The sound got closer.
Then i saw it.
A small blue smile bounced into view, wobbling like jelly up and down. Its surface rippled lazily as it noticed me.
It stared.
I stared back.
"So..." I muttered "One of us has to die ".
The slime bounced and I just stabbed forward.
The dagger sank into the slime with the wet sound.
And there was brief pause and I noticed like the Slime was smiling and that was very weird.
Then the slime burst like a overfilled water balloon, splattering harmless blue goo all over the floor.
Silence that's it I blinked , I did it I killed the slime , YESS!!!!
A laugh escaped for a second and the chamber trembled.
Golden light flooded my vision
[AWAKENING COMPLETE]
[PROCESSING TALENT]
I held my breath.
This was it.
The moment that would decide everything.
The light flickered.
The text appeared.
[TALENT AWAKENED: LINE DRAWER (RANK F-)]
I frowned !!!
"Wait what.... Line drawer.... Rank F-???"
Another text popped up before I could process it.
[SUB SKILL ACQUIRED: TAP (RANK F-)]
I stared very hard and then laughed not a happy laugh not a relieved laugh.
"Are you f***ing kidding me??!!!"
"Line Drawer.." I repeated, " TAP??"
What am I a office supply store mascot.
The golden screen lingered, as if the system felt awkward like why its golden for such trash.
"Thats it??" I asked.
The tower did not respond.
Instead everything turned red!!!.
The walls shook violently, the floor cracked and a deep resonating alarm echoed through the chamber so loud it felt like it was vibrating my bones.
A massive crimson screen filled my vision.
[WARNING]
[WORLD SYSTEM ALERT]
My blood went cold.
[PLANET EATER WILL ARRIVE IN 13 MONTHS]
"What.... NO...NO NO NO NO!!!!!!!"
That thing was a myth, a doomsday story told to justify the towers.
Before I could process it another text appeared.
[INITIATING GLOBAL BROADCAST TO ENTIRE PLANET SOLARIS]
[PLANET EATER WILL ARRIVE IN 13 MONTHS]
The Tower shook again
And then second red screen appeared.
This one was smaller , closer and somehow personnel.
[ARCHITECTS LAST FRAGMENT CHOSEN]
[HIDDEN CLASS UNLOCKED: THE DELIMITER]
I felt like a punch has been landed on my chest.
"What the hell is happening???"
The screens vanished, shaking stopped and once again it was silence.
Like nothing had happened at all.
A moment later the entrance portal flared up and it showed the exit option and he came out.
At the moment everyone was on the discussion about the Planet eater arriving to their home withing 13 months, forgetting that a person awakened a F- trash talent and skill, even Dustin was not to be seen.
One of them looked around confused "Did you guys see the red warning too?".
"Yeah" another one said "Planet eater or something seems like a system test haha"
"Has to be no way its real" another commented.
They looked at me and asked "You good?" forgetting that I was the Trash talent holder.
I opened my mouth but
And then a whisper brushed against my mind.
[DO NOT DISCLOSE]
[OBSERVATION IN PROGRESS]
I snapped my mouth shut
"..Yeah.." I said "Probably some lag"
They shrugged and moved on and arguing about who's the talent was better.
I slumped against the wall, heart raced.
Line drawer, tap, planet eater, architect, delimiter.
"I just wanted to have a normal awakening"
another text appeared only to me.
[TIP AVAILABLE]
I hesitated and pressed it
[LINE DRAWER: DRAW A LINE]
[EFFECT:????]
"Wow.... very helpful" I sighed.
Another tip appeared.
[TAP: TAP ANYTHING]
[REVEALS INFORMATION]
I tapped the stone floor beside me.
A small window popped up.
[STONE TILE: DURABILITY 76%
RESIDUAL MANA: LOW
NOTE: INSTALLED 47 YEARS AGO]
I stared "Huh??"
Sooo how do I draw a line using a pen, pencil or something.
I lifted my finger and slashed it on the air
A thin white streak appeared hanging there like a chalk on reality itself.
The space behind it bent slightly.
I reached out and it got blocked and my hand stopped moving further like it hit a barrier.
"No wayyy....."
I laughed once again this time it was nervous, exited, terrified.
"My talents trash but its some weird trash haha"
I looked towards the entrance of the tower.
In 13 months , 1000 floors and an F- talent
And somehow
I had a feeling that the tower drew its line on its own and I'm just standing on it balancing on my own.
Lets move to the 2nd floor...