"Finally," Hayeon said as Ilwoo walked up to the group.
"I had some personal stuff to take care of."
The group looked like extras from a disaster movie. There were twelve people, from fifteen-year-old Jinhyuk to Kim Donghyun, who looked to be in his mid-thirties.
Half were players with basic gear and low levels, around 1 or 2. The others were regular civilians who insisted on joining even though they knew the risk.
"Everyone ready?" Ilwoo asked, fingers brushing the nicks along his old starter sword at his side, its worn leather grip molded to his hand by countless hours.
"As ready as we can be for what's basically a suicide mission," Minji said, fixing her borrowed leather armor.
It looked like something from an old movie, but it was way better than regular clothes.
"Though I still think this is totally crazy."
"Going crazy is just a fancy way of saying I adapt fast," Hayeon said with a smirk, spinning her spear with ease.
"Besides, what's the worst that could happen?"
"We could all die horribly and for good,"
Jinhyuk replied calmly. Even though he was the youngest, his steady voice was somehow more chilling than if he'd sounded scared.
"The kid's got a point,"
Kim Donghyun said, tightening the straps on his back that held the axe he'd taken from the museum.
"But staying here won't be any safer in the long run. Eventually, something worse than that snake will come."
The walk to the tower took twenty minutes through streets that felt completely unfamiliar.
Abandoned cars sat like reminders of the old world, and buildings that once stood tall and proud now lay in ruins.
"This is really creepy," Minji said, stepping carefully on the road.
"It feels like the whole city is shifting right before our eyes."
As they got closer to the tower, the air felt heavier with every step.
The building stood above them, incredibly tall, its black surface seeming to soak up the light instead of reflecting it.
What looked big from the safe zone now appeared truly massive—covering several city blocks at its base.
"Oh God," someone whispered.
"It's way bigger than it looked from far away."
They were right. Up close, the tower's base vanished into the horizon on either side. Its walls shimmered—glassy smooth, yet darker than a starless sky.
The doors loomed ahead, thirty feet tall, weathered like relics pulled from an ancient cathedral.
"Anyone having second thoughts?" Donghyun asked, though his voice made it clear he wasn't changing his mind no matter what.
"I'm on my third and fourth thoughts," Minji said, her voice shaky but determined.
"But I'm still going."
Ilwoo approached the towering entrance, each door at least thirty feet tall and carved from what appeared to be pure obsidian.
As he moved within arm's reach, text materialized in his vision:
[DO YOU WISH TO CHALLENGE THE TOWER OF NIGHTMARES?]
▶[YES]
▷[NO]
"Tower of Nightmares," he said out loud, making the group tense.
"Ugh, I don't want to come to this tower again."
Hayeon replied, her fingers tightening around the strap of her bag, eyes darting toward the entrance of the tower.
Ilwoo's knowledge gave him a chilling feeling. In ERO, there were three main types of towers: the Tower of Trials, the Tower of Ascension, and the Tower of Nightmares — the toughest tower of them all.
"In the original game, this was the toughest challenge," he said quietly.
"Made for top-level players with the best gear and months of careful planning."
The silence stretched. No one moved. Eyes darted, breaths held. The weight of their situation settled like dust in the still air.
Kim Donghyun finally spoke.
He stood straighter than the rest, one hand resting near his sidearm, the other clenched just tight enough to show restraint. His voice was calm, trained to be.
"What other choice do we have? Wait until we get stronger? How long would that realistically take?"
"Months, maybe years," Ilwoo said, looking toward the far-off safe zone.
"If we can even level up properly without access to the tower, which seems unlikely."
"So we're stuck either way... if we go or if we don't," Minji said, her Pressed lips.
"Welcome to the new world," Hayeon replied with a bitter laugh.
"Everything's basically a death sentence now."
Ilwoo faced the group head-on, meeting each person's gaze despite the fear in their eyes.
"This is it. The final choice. If you're with me, stay. If not, walk away now."
Three people immediately turned and walked away without saying a word. Two more hesitated for a long moment, then followed them back toward the safe zone.
That left seven people: Ilwoo, Hayeon, Kim Donghyun, Minji, Jinhyuk, and two civilians he still didn't know well—a middle-aged woman who used to be a nurse, and a young man.
"Seven," Hayeon said thoughtfully, adjusting her spear's grip one last time.
"It's a lucky number in some cultures."
"In others, it means death." Kim Donghyun's jaw clenched as he spoke.
"Let's focus on the positive," Ilwoo said, pressing his hand against the black stone. The surface felt icy cold, even through his gloves.
"Is everyone ready?"
"No," Minji said honestly.
"But let's do it anyway."
He pressed his palm firmly against the door, his fingers hovering over the system prompt before tapping 'YES.'
GRRRRRRRN
The doors began to open, slow, deliberate, with a sound that clawed through the air, a deep, grinding shriek like something ancient being split in half.
The noise slammed into them—it rattled their bones and made their teeth ache. As the huge door creaked open, a cold breeze poured out, sending shivers over their skin and making everyone tense up without a word.
Beyond the doorway stretched a dark hallway. The floor was polished marble that looked like they entered a void.
"What a lovely place," Hayeon said with a dry tone, though she gripped her spear so tightly.
"Well," Kim Donghyun said, reading the bad warnings.
"There's no going back now."
They stepped over the doorway together, and right away the air grew at least ten degrees colder. The huge doors slammed shut behind them with a force that made everyone jump, the noise ringing through the hall like a final warning.
"And now we're all in," Ilwoo said, drawing his sword. The blade caught the faint light, glinting like fresh blood.
Ahead, the hallway stretched into shifting shadows that seemed to move on their own, untouched by any light.
"Keep your guard up," Kim Donghyun warned.
"Back-to-back formation."
"Good idea." Ilwoo took the lead with Hayeon beside him, weapons ready.
"Stick together, stay alert, and remember—"
"Don't die horribly?" Jinhyuk offered, calm but chilling.
"I was going to say 'trust each other,' but yours works too."
They moved deeper into the Tower of Nightmares, their footsteps tapping hollow against stone, swallowed by shadows that stretched without end. Behind them, the entrance had dissolved into the dark seam, no trace, as if the world had sealed itself shut.
Seven people are facing a tower made for hundreds of the world's best players.
The darkness ahead seemed to breathe with a dangerous life, as if the tower itself knew they were there and hungered for them.