—Splash!
A tiny drop of sewage water fell onto my forehead, barely waking me up as I squinted my eyes open.
A small smile formed at the corners of my lips. The system really hadn’t lied. I had come back in time, back to when I was a homeless loser living in the sewers. I didn’t have a phone or any friends, which meant I had no immediate way of knowing the exact date I had returned to.
I tried to stand up, and I immediately felt the staggering difference between my current body and the one I had before. I felt terribly weak, as if I were completely devoid of energy. Luckily, I had retained all my memories and extensive experience from all those years spent climbing the tower.
I could only wonder just how far I would get this time around. I knew everything there was to know about the tower, which meant I’d be able to hoard all the best resources and skills.
"I really made the right decision..."
Still, I couldn’t afford to waste any time.
I immediately headed out of the sewers and spotted a small newspaper stand. I snatched the top paper as the vendor yelled at me to pay up. I ignored him and kept walking. He gave up quickly; it wasn’t the first time I had done this, and he knew I didn’t have a dime to my name anyway.
"Now, let’s see..."
I checked the date on the newspaper first.
[1st September 2026]
"The day everything changes."
I didn’t know the exact time, but judging by the sun, it seemed to be around noon. Any moment now, one of the seven towers would appear in New York, right in the heart of Central Park—which was only a few meters away from me.
I walked toward Central Park and stood there for the next hour or so, waiting for the tower to descend. There was nothing for me to prepare, and I couldn’t just go around telling people the apocalypse was arriving; everyone would think I was crazy and go about their day.
I could only influence humanity by doing two things: becoming powerful enough to command respect, and becoming the fastest challenger to climb. Power and influence were the two assets I needed to secure as fast as possible to guide people’s choices when entering the tower.
Then, just as I was mulling over my future plans... the tower began to appear.
A massive forcefield pushed everything out of a thirty-meter radius as the pavement suddenly vanished from sight, as if it had never existed in the first place. The surrounding crowd went silent at first, simply in awe of the phenomenon unfolding before them.
However, that silence quickly turned into terrified screams when a massive black spire materialized, stretching far beyond the cloud line and making it impossible to see its top from the ground.
I stared up into the clouds, smiling at the familiar sight. Even though I hated this tower and everything associated with it... it had given my life purpose. That was something I couldn’t deny.
"Only a few more minutes until the forcefield disappears," I whispered to myself.
People began gathering near the perimeter, staring up in awe and creeping despair, utterly clueless about what it was. After all, we were all human; we were afraid of the unknown, and back then, I had been no different. I could have tried to calm everyone down, but what would a smelly homeless guy ever achieve? They would just laugh at me.
Right as the forcefield dissolved, a small creature materialized, floating in the air with his signature smirk. At a glance, people might call him cute, but he was the exact opposite: an evil little son of a bitch whose only goal was to make us suffer.
Those black and red eyes still give me the creeps...
"Hello, humans~!" he announced in a squeaky voice, striking a playful pose. "My name is Albert, but you can call me Al! You must all be wondering what this tower behind me is, righttt?"
I let out a quiet sigh at his annoying speech, but I didn’t dare interrupt him. With my current strength, he could erase me with a flick of his fingers. As much as I loathed it, I had to stay calm and listen.
As people began nodding in confusion, Al continued his explanation.
"This is actually one of the seven towers that have appeared all across your world! They are otherworldly creations designed to make all humans evolve and become the best versions of themselves. However, nothing in life is free, and this certainly comes with a cost!"
His grin widened as he finished his sentence.
Fucking creepy.
"W-What cost?" a brave voice called out from the crowd.
"Oh, nothing much! Just the cost of your lives! Either you evolve, or you die. Isn’t that wonderful?"
Whispers rippled through the crowd, loud enough for Al to hear every word. Everyone was second-guessing whether they had correctly heard what had just come out of his mouth.
Death.
I shook my head at how naive humans were back then.
They’re lucky. Death is still a foreign concept to most of them.
That would all change the moment they stepped into the tower and watched someone die right before their eyes. Their bodies torn apart by dozens of bloodthirsty monsters whose sole purpose was to kill and devour us. That would strip away their naivety real fast.
"W-What kind of evolution are we talking about?" someone else asked.
Al smirked. "Well, now, we can’t spoil everything in advance, or that would ruin all the fun~! Still, you’re all extremely lucky! Do you know why?"
People exchanged bewildered glances.
I smirked, knowing the exact answer. It was the sole reason I had walked all this way and waited patiently for the tower to descend.
The First Players’ Bonus, a massive advantage granted to the initial pioneers for facing the unknown, offered ten free stat points to distribute however we wished. The equivalent of gaining ten levels just for being there at the opening.
No one here understood just how game-changing that bonus truly was.
No one except me.
"Now, now, enough with the good news. It’s time to make the most important choice of your life~!" Al declared, his voice echoing over the park. "The choice that will decide just how powerful you become in the future. It’s time for each of you to select your Tower difficulty!"