In a place utterly inaccessible, so strange that reality itself seemed reluctant to exist, a tower stood.
Its scale was so absurd that the very concept of height ceased to have meaning. A decaying, ancient construction, as if it had endured countless eras of destruction. Three great crimson moons hung in the sky, casting a somber light over the colossal structure and creating an atmosphere both macabre and beautiful.
Here, silence was absolute.
A place where nothing dared to make a sound.
…
In complete contrast, an entirely white space stretched in all directions. A void that embodied infinity itself. No matter where one looked or walked, there was no end to be found.
Then, a young man appeared abruptly within that space.
Blond hair, blue eyes, and a confused expression.
His name was Drei Reiseziele.
"— Where… am I?" he murmured.
Drei looked around, yet found absolutely nothing. There were no walls, no defined ground, no sign that could indicate a way out. Only endless white.
"— I was in my room just a moment ago…" he said, his voice slightly trembling.
Fear began to seep into his chest. Everything had happened far too quickly. A strange, sudden summoning, without any warning.
As Drei continued to search for something—anything—around him, a luminous blue screen appeared before his eyes, floating in the air.
Written upon it were the words:
"Welcome, challenger, to the Tower of the Three Calamities."
"— What is this?" Drei widened his eyes. "— A system?"
The initial confusion quickly gave way to excitement. He had consumed enough isekai works and system-based stories to immediately recognize this kind of situation.
The screen responded almost instantly.
"The Tower of the Three Calamities is a structure where each floor will present a challenge set within one of the three literary universes that compose it."
"— Literary universes?" Drei asked, his heart beginning to race. "— Which ones?"
He had read countless works throughout his life. If he were familiar with any of those worlds, it could mean an enormous advantage.
The answer appeared right after.
"The literary universes that compose this tower are: the universe of Reverend Insanity, the universe of Lord of the Mysteries, and the universe of Shadow Slave."
For a moment, silence filled the space.
Then—
"— I've read all of them…" Drei said, his voice brimming with euphoria.
His heart pounded violently.
He knew those works. He knew their power systems, their dangers, their secrets, and above all, their cruel rules.
Excitement surged through his entire being.
After all, in that insane place…
knowledge could be the greatest weapon of all.
"— What do I have to do?" Drei finally asked.
"Reach the end of this tower."
The answer was simple. Direct. Cruel.
"— And what do I gain by reaching the end?" Drei asked, his eyes shining.
"Anything you desire. Without limitations."
"— Interesting…" he murmured.
It tempted him deeply. Not just because of the final reward, but because of everything that existed along the way. The opportunities, the encounters, the conflicts.
The fantastical—and cruelly beautiful—universes that made up the tower.
"Ready to begin climbing?" the system asked.
"— Don't I have some kind of status? Skills? Functions?" Drei questioned. That could mean the difference between heaven and hell.
"Say: status."
Drei took a deep breath.
"— Status."
The blue screen changed instantly.
Name: Drei ReisezieleSoul Core: MundaneGu Rank: MundaneSequence: NoneGu Path: NoneMemories: —Sealed Artifacts: —Dao Marks: —
"— What a miserable status…" Drei commented, letting out a dry laugh. "— But it was expected. I'm a normal human in every system."
He raised his gaze.
"— That's all?"
"Yes."
Silence spread once more.
"— Then… what's the first floor?" Drei asked.
"The First Nightmare."
The name sent a shiver down his spine.
Drei closed his eyes for a brief moment.
"— I'm ready. Send me there."
The space around Drei began to twist in an unnatural way. It felt as though existence itself was being forcibly folded. The blue screen before his eyes trembled, rapidly changing.
"Good luck, challenger. May your journey be glorious."
The message appeared like false encouragement.
Before he could react, the space answered the system's command. Drei was pulled away in a single instant. There was no resisting it—it simply happened.
After a single second—which felt like several minutes to Drei—his perception changed completely.
He began to see the world from the perspective of an omniscient observer.
Below him unfolded a war of absurd scale.
The ground was covered in blood, corpses, and destruction. Mundanes fought side by side with beings that clearly transcended humanity. Saints tore through the battlefield with devastating attacks, while sovereigns distorted space itself with every movement.
It was a brutal confrontation. Chaotic. Magnificent in its cruelty.
Then, Drei heard a voice.
But it was not the system's voice.
[Aspirant, welcome to the Nightmare Spell.][Prepare yourself for your first trial.]
Drei frowned.
"— So… this is the Spell's voice," he murmured. "— It's completely different from the system's… and very different from what I imagined."
Before he could reflect any further, his vision began to shrink rapidly. The world rushed toward him at an absurd speed.
In the blink of an eye, everything changed.
Drei felt the shock of a violent transition.
He had been thrown into the body of a mundane soldier—someone with an appearance identical to his own.
Pain, the stench of blood, screams, and the weight of a weapon flooded his senses all at once.
"— Those bastards…" he thought, his mind in chaos. "— The system and the Spell just threw me in here…"
Everything happened in a single instant.
With no mental preparation whatsoever.
In the middle of a war that showed no mercy—neither to the weak… nor to the unprepared.