Darkness.
That was the first thing Seo Joon felt—not fear, not pain. Just the kind of silence that presses down on your chest and makes you wonder if you're still alive.
But he was.
His fingers twitched, brushing against cold stone. The air was thin, heavy with a metallic scent. He opened his eyes.
A sky of gray. Walls that stretched far too high. No sun, no stars. Just a ceiling made of clouds, swirling as if the sky itself was breathing.
He sat up slowly. His armor was gone. His sword—missing. The only thing that remained was the strange mark on the back of his hand: a black eclipse, chained in silver.
The mark of the fallen.
The curse of the forgotten.
"Where… am I?"
His voice echoed, but there was no answer. Only silence. And then—
> DING.
A sound. Mechanical. Hollow.
> [Welcome, Challenger.]
[You have entered the Tower.]
[Floor 1: Trial of Awakening.]
Words appeared in the air, glowing faintly in front of him. Seo Joon rose to his feet, instincts kicking in.
He wasn't dreaming. This was real. The Tower… it was real.
Memories rushed in—the betrayal, the collapse, the eclipse swallowing everything. His comrades' faces. Their final screams.
He clenched his fists. "I survived… and this is where I ended up?"
The ground trembled.
A gate rose from the earth ahead of him, tall and ancient. Etched into its surface were symbols he didn't recognize. But the message was clear.
Enter or die.
Seo Joon stepped forward. Every part of his body ached, but something deeper pushed him on. Not revenge. Not even survival.
It was purpose.
If this Tower was a prison, he'd break it. If it was a test, he'd conquer it. And if it was a god playing games—then that god would bleed.
He touched the gate.
> DING.
[Trial Begin.]
And the world shifted.
---
Inside the Trial
The moment he stepped through, the light disappeared.
He stood in a vast chamber—endless, empty, echoing. Black stone floor, mirrored walls. No way forward. No way back.
Then something began to rise from the ground.
A figure.
Not a beast, not a monster—a copy of himself.
Same face. Same eyes. Same scar running beneath the jawline.
But its eyes were lifeless. Void. Like a puppet powered by malice.
> [Trial Objective: Kill your shadow.]
Seo Joon didn't hesitate. He moved first.
But so did the shadow.
Metal rang against metal. Blows exchanged with perfect symmetry. Every strike Seo Joon made—blocked. Every step he took—mirrored.
A perfect reflection.
A perfect enemy.
He gritted his teeth, muscles burning. "Tch… how do I fight something that knows every move I'll make?"
The shadow lunged.
He rolled back, barely dodging a slash aimed at his neck. Blood trickled down his arm. His shadow didn't pause. It stalked forward like a hunter who already knew the outcome.
Seo Joon's breath grew heavy.
And then… he remembered something.
A lesson. Long ago.
> "When strength isn't enough," his old master once said, "don't fight harder. Fight different."
He smirked.
The shadow lunged again.
But this time, Seo Joon didn't block.
He stepped into the attack, letting the blade graze his shoulder—and in the same moment, drove his knee into the shadow's ribs.
It staggered.
Seo Joon didn't let up. He moved unpredictably. Faked left, struck right. Misdirection. Desperation. Chaos.
The shadow faltered.
And finally, he found his opening.
With a roar, he drove his elbow into the doppelgänger's face, then swept its legs and pinned it down. With one hand raised, he summoned raw energy from within—the same kind he felt when the eclipse consumed everything.
A dark light pulsed in his palm.
A piece of the fallen power.
He slammed it into the shadow's chest.
> CRACK.
The mirror shattered.
The shadow dissolved.
> DING.
[Trial Complete.]
[You have passed the First Floor.]
[Reward: 1 Skill Fragment. Access to Floor 2 unlocked.]
Seo Joon dropped to one knee, panting. His shoulder bled. His body throbbed. But his eyes burned with resolve.
He looked up.
At the far end of the chamber, a door appeared. This one wasn't made of stone—it was silver, and pulsed with life.
Someone was waiting on the other side.
He stood.
And walked forward.