"Where am I?" The words forced their way through the boy's mouth. His head darted left and right as he tried to assess his situation.
What he remembered last was a screen appearing in his sight.
[You have been selected to participate in the Tower of Ascension]
"Is this the tower that the screen spoke about?" He wondered as he took the first step.
The place was an endless expanse of darkness, and he could not even see the other part of his body, talkless of the path that lay ahead.
Just then, a metallic chime echoed through his mind, sending a sharp jolt of pain through his body.
"System, what is this tower about?" He asked nothing in particular, but still expected an answer.
[The tower is a structure created to nurture the next set of transcendents]
The blue, transparent screen materialized in his vision, acting as both light and an answer to his question.
He was finally able to see the place he was, a small room with no visible door to pass through.
His features became obvious under the light, too.
Brown eyes, paired with green hair that balanced just at neck length. His jaw felt like it was perfectly and carefully sculpted by the god or creation itself.
He wore a blue shirt and black jeans.
To say the least, he was a work of art admired by even the gods.
'I don't want to become a transcendent, though,' he thought.
[Climber has fully awakened. Do you wish to continue to the tutorial floor?]
"What tutorial floor?" He whispered beneath his breath.
Although he knew what the tutorial should mean, as a game addict and bookworm, he understood what it might mean.
But he didn't want to mix pure fiction with something that was unfolding in his own eyes.
Seeing as the system did not reply to his question, he did not have any other choice.
He began to think of the danger the tutorial might pose. Then his thoughts flowed back to his current situation.
"If I don't do the tutorial, I will only be stuck here. And I can't survive without food or water, too."
His mind worked at full efficiency as he mapped his entire plan.
"I might as well check it out. Even if I die, it will be better if I die having fun than starving," he smiled.
Although he was scared of whatever tutorial the system spoke about, his gamer instincts screamed for him to try it.
As a ranker in one of the most popular open-world VR games in his previous world, he found thrill in fantasy-related stuff.
"Start the tutorial," he said in a calm tone.
[Command received.]
[Opening Climber's profile.]
[Name: Eldrin Thornwood]
[Race: Human]
[World: Earth]
[Rank: F]
[Aether: 100/1000]
[Skills: None]
Eldrin's eyes drifted across the tabs calmly. 'Just like a game," he said, raising his hand to touch the screen.
No impact, his hand phased through the screen.
"Novel cliche systems," he sighed with a smile.
[Awakening the Climber's core]
A surge of energy spread through his body. His temperature soared in an instant.
It felt like he was burning from the inside, but instead of pain, he felt soot.
A paradox that failed to give meaning, no matter how he thought of it.
The sensation began to move, growing smaller, but denser in other regions.
By the time it reached his chest, it was already nothing but a pea.
A tired sigh escaped from his lips as he fell to the floor limply.
[Climber's core awakened.]
[The climber has awakened the null core.]
The words shone brightly in Eldrin's gaze, making him furrow his brows.
"Null core? Like one of the chosen ones in novels?" He wondered, striking his chin in mock contemplation.
"This only makes me want to start the tutorial quicker." A grin flashed across his lips as he muttered those words.
"System, start the tutorial already."
[Preparations are incomplete.]
[Please choose a starter weapon, or design one.]
He stroked his chin further as he thought of a weapon to choose.
His mind naturally went towards his most beloved weapon in games, axes. But he chose not to use it.
"What is the fun in using a weapon I already know how to use?" He grinned.
"Katana," he said.
He had used it before, when he started playing games. But the class he chose stopped him from exploring it deeper.
But now that he is here, he might as well try it.
As soon as he made his choice, a sleek, black katana materialized in his waist, sheathed in its scabbard and held by a belt that magically appeared.
[Awakening starter skill: Aether strengthening: Can increase the body's function temporarily, using aether.]
Eldrin read this skill before looking away shortly after.
The skill looked simple, but Eldrin could already imagine its crazy potential.
In his view, such a skill would follow anyone longer than fireballs and the like.
"The person who designed this tower really put some thought into it," he could not help but commend.
"Now that I think about it, who designed something like this?"
He pondered the thought for over a minute before succumbing.
"Well, it is none of my business now. If I get strong enough, I might meet him to thank him for giving me such a thrill."
[The tutorial floor has opened.]
A door opened before Eldrin, lighting the entire room up with light much brighter than the system could ever bring.
[Transcendent beings have begun to monitor the new Climber.]
"So, those who have already become transcendent beings can watch us?" He wondered in surprise. "Are they using it as a form of enjoyment? If it is the same as novels, that means they can help in some way," he muttered with a smile as his opportunistic side came up.
Calmly, Eldrin walked towards the door, katana dangling by his side, his form fading from sight as he disappeared into the brightness of the door.