"Hey… is your phone working?"
The boy's voice trembled with anxiety as he tapped frantically at the dark screen. All around him, others were in the same boat slapping their phones, shaking them, and repeatedly jabbing the power button. No light. No sound. Just silence.
A girl nearby frowned as she lifted her lifeless laptop. "Mine just shut off. It won't turn back on."
In just a few minutes, whispers escalated into shouts. Car engines sputtered and died in the middle of the street. Televisions across the city flickered into static. Radios crackled and fell silent. It felt like the world was… shutting down.
And then—
Every screen flickered back to life.
The same image appeared everywhere.
A white figure. Smooth and featureless, like a mannequin carved from marble. No eyes. No nose. No ears. Just a mouth grinning wide, too wide.
The voice didn't come from the speakers. It didn't even resonate out loud. It whispered directly into the minds of every person.
"Ah… so this is the world you've created."
The mouth twisted into an unsettling grin.
"How quickly you mortals advance. How wonderful. How miraculous. Beyond what I anticipated. Truly… this is a gift."
The world stood still. Millions were frozen in silence, gazing at the faceless figure that returned their stare with nothing but its smile.
The figure bowed its head slightly, almost mockingly polite.
"I am God."
The smile remained unwavering. If anything, it grew even wider, as if relishing a private joke.
"I am genuinely… happy. To witness how far you've come. Cities made of glass and steel. Machines soaring through the sky without wings. Tools that communicate across vast oceans. Ah, mortals, you never cease to entertain me."
The voice was nearly warm. Almost tender. Yet the heaviness behind it weighed down on every heart, suffocating.
"But happiness… is irrelevant. For as you evolve, you also corrupt. You taint the soil. You poison the rivers. You spill blood over scraps of land and paper. You take the world I crafted for you—"
The figure opened its arms wide, the brightness of its form bending and warping, as if the very air resisted its presence.
"—and you ruin it."
The smile flickered.
"I still recall how it all started. From nothing. From the very beginning. A particle no bigger than a speck of dust, smaller than your eyes could perceive. Slowly, patiently, I molded it. Matter attracted to matter, elements forged in fire, until this—"
The figure tilted its head upward, as if admiring an unseen sky.
"—this earth. This marvel of mass, of oceans and mountains, of air to breathe and fire to warm. My greatest creation."
Its gaze though lacking eyes seemed to encompass every person at once.
"And yet, you mortals treat it like it's trash. As if it's yours to consume. To waste. To burn away."
The mouth curled back into a grin, wide and sharp.
"So… I will offer you a gift. A chance to prove you truly deserve it."
The grin stretched wider, impossibly so, across that pale, featureless head.
"It's time… for a little cleaning."
A silence enveloped the streets. Hearts raced. Breaths were held. The voice sharpened, each word etching itself into the minds of those who listened.
"More than a thousand souls, scattered throughout your world, have been selected. A sample. A fragment. Just enough to fulfill my purpose."
The figure's mouth curled into a smirk, almost playful.
"You might call it cruel. But think of it as… a vaccine. A necessary shot. To eliminate the infection before it spreads too far."
The air thickened, pressing down on lungs like a heavy weight.
"Humanity is the virus. War, greed, corruption… you are the disease gnawing away at the body I created with my own hands. This game will be my remedy. A trial. A filter. Those who endure will prove their worth. Those who don't… will simply disappear. Just like any sickness should."
The figure leaned in closer, its voice seeping into every mind like poison.
"And this treatment… will last as long as it needs to."
The grin widened one last time, revealing teeth that shouldn't exist.
"Welcome to your salvation."
The figure's smile suddenly froze, and for what felt like an eternity, there was nothing but silence. Then, its mouth twisted into a grin that was far too cheerful.
"Ah, yes. The chosen… must be marked."
It lifted a hand, fingers long and pale like porcelain, and snapped. A sound like glass shattering echoed throughout the world.
"If you take a look at your hand now… those who are selected will see it. My divine seal. A sign that you are among the blessed one thousand."
Gasps filled the air as people glanced at their palms. Some screamed, others fell silent. And then, the absurdity hit them.
A doodle.
A ridiculous, childlike drawing of a smiling sun, complete with little stick-ray arms, glowed faintly in gold on their skin.
"W-what the hell is this?!" someone shouted, holding up their hand. The sun's grin was too wide, its eyes uneven.
Another person yelled, "It looks like—like a kid drew it with crayons!"
The figure's grin widened so much it seemed like it might split its face in two.
"Silly? Perhaps. But divine all the same. The mark of my hand upon yours. Wear it with pride. For it means you are chosen. You are… my players."
A chill swept through the crowd. People laughed nervously, some screamed, but none could wipe it away. The glowing doodle clung stubbornly to their skin, radiant and mocking.
The faceless figure tilted its head, a smile frozen in place like it was chiseled from stone.
"Don't lose hope. This isn't just punishment."
Its voice took on a lighter tone, almost teasing, as if sharing a secret meant only for the chosen few.
"The Tower is merciless. The trials will shatter your bodies, your minds, your very souls. But with each floor you conquer, you'll evolve. Stronger. Smarter. Faster. With abilities that go beyond what you can even imagine."
The mouth stretched into a wider grin, teeth gleaming in a way that was too bright, too flawless.
"And maybe… just maybe… when you reach the top, you'll find yourself standing where I am now. Equal to me. A god, born from my game."
A whisper of excitement rippled through the chosen ones. The strange mark on their palms glowed softly, as if taunting them with its promise.
The figure opened its arms in a mock gesture of blessing.
"So climb. Struggle. Bleed. Become gods or die trying. Either way, it'll entertain me to no end."
The grin lingered for just a heartbeat longer. Then—
"Farewell, mortals."
And the world crumbled.
Darkness enveloped them completely.
When the light finally returned, they found themselves far from their familiar cities, homes, and streets. Instead, they stood at the foot of an enormous structure—so immense and towering that it seemed to touch the sky. The Tower. Its surface glistened like obsidian, adorned with glowing runes that no one could decipher.
The chosen thousand had arrived. From that moment on, the world would know them by one name:
The Sinless.
(This name didn't signify purity or innocence. It was merely a label—mocking and cruel, bestowed by the faceless god himself. A cruel joke that no one found funny.)
The initial battles were almost comical. Twisted creatures with cracked hides and hollow eyes emerged from the shadows, but the Sinless dispatched them effortlessly. Weapons manifested in their hands at will. With each victory, strength surged through their veins. Cheers erupted from the crowd. Some even laughed.
"If this is the Tower, it's a piece of cake!"
"We'll breeze through a hundred floors in no time!"
Hope blossomed.
But the Tower was patient.
Year 2020.
Three years had slipped by. The weak had already fallen. The arrogant had been crushed. Those who remained were forged in blood and fear.
And then… it appeared.
The item that would alter everything.
A crystal small, shimmering, and glowing softly with an otherworldly light. It was discovered deep within the labyrinth of the 27th floor, nestled inside a creature that should never have existed there.
They named it the Restart Crystal.
As soon as the inscription was read, a hush descended.
[Restart Crystal: Returns the holder's life to its beginning. To birth. Memories intact. All progress lost. Use with caution.]
The Sinless stared in disbelief. Some chuckled nervously. Others shook their heads in denial.
Restart your entire life… from the moment you were born? With all your memories still intact?
At first, the Restart Crystal was hailed as a beacon of hope.
"A second chance," people murmured. "A way out if everything goes south."
But before long, the crystals morphed into something far more sinister a curse that tormented the Sinless. It struck whenever despair loomed too close. When the beasts grew too powerful. When betrayal and bloodshed shattered the fragile trust that remained.
They would see it the glow of the Restart Crystal in trembling hands. And then… the words.
The first man, trapped by a swarm of chittering horrors, laughed through his tears.
"Forget this! I'm done."
Light enveloped him, and he vanished.
The second was a woman, impaled by a monster's claw, who smiled bitterly as blood trickled from her mouth.
"Ha… maybe if I restart, I won't run into any of you fools."
The glow consumed her before anyone could react.
The third was a boy, no older than fifteen. Shaking and sobbing, he clutched the crystal to his chest.
"I just want my mom back…"
And then he disappeared.
The fourth was different. A battle-hardened veteran, scarred and weary, laughed as the crystal pulsed in his hand.
"I've had enough of this sh*t. Next time, I'll play smarter. Faster. I'll reach the top before any of you losers."
And just like that, he was gone.
The fifth was the hardest to watch. A comrade, a sworn brother-in-arms. His eyes were wide with fear as the monster closed in. He met the group's gaze just once before snarling:
"F*ck all of you. I'm not dying here."
And then he, too, vanished.
The hallway was thick with the stench of blood and sweat. The monsters had been defeated… once more.
Yet, the Restart Crystals cast a soft glow along the stone floor.
Zishan leaned against the wall, arms crossed, his eyes scanning the glowing trails where people had vanished. He let out a long, weary sigh.
"There they go again."
"..."
"Was that… the last of them?"
Kaii tilted his head, his voice calm, almost indifferent.
"Maybe."
Kaii watched, his eyes wide, as another burst of light flared high above. People disappeared in the pale glow of the Restart Crystals. Their forms were consumed, leaving behind shimmering trails, like meteors streaking across the night sky.
"The… the 98th floor… look," Kaii whispered, his voice trembling. "It's beautiful… like lights of hope. A chance for a new life. They'll get to start over… at least they're happy."
Zishan didn't flinch. His gaze swept over the glowing trails, calculating and detached.
"Good."
Kaii's head snapped toward him, disbelief etched on his face.
"Good? No way… how can you say that?"
Zishan's lips curled into a semblance of a smile. It wasn't humor. It wasn't cruelty. It was understanding.
"I get it. They want to go back. To the past. To try again. Everyone has a story they're not done with."
Kaii looked down at his hands, the faint trace of a crystal glow still flickering in the distance.
"Do you… wish you could?"
Zishan remained silent for a long moment, his eyes cold and contemplative. Then he simply shook his head.
"I have my story. My climb. My path. Nothing from the past can help me now."
At the 70th floor, something extraordinary caught their attention.
A massive stone, impossibly smooth, radiating a soft golden glow that felt almost alive. Its sheer size was enough to leave the Sinless momentarily speechless. Some murmured in disbelief, while others let out nervous chuckles.
Then, details began to emerge, etched in luminous script across its surface:
[ITEM DETAILS]
Item Name: Restart Crystal
Rank: Mythic
Description: Returns the holder's life to its beginning. To birth. Memories intact. All progress lost.
A hush fell over the crowd.
The Sinless gaped at it, eyes wide and hands shaking. The Tower was known for its bizarre artifacts, sure. Powerful relics that could grant strength, summon weapons, or heal even the most severe injuries.
But this… this felt like a dream.
"No… it can't be real," one Sinless whispered, their voice trembling. "You mean… restart everything? Go back to birth? Keep our memories?"
Another scoffed in disbelief. "It's a trick. The Tower loves to mess with us. Nothing this incredible could actually exist."
Yet, despite their doubts, the stone pulsed softly, inviting them closer. Its light cast golden streaks across the walls, igniting a warmth in their hearts that felt almost like hope.
"I… I want to see," murmured a third, stepping forward.
Little did they know, this single item would alter the course of the Tower forever. Some would view it as a chance for salvation, others as a temptation, and some as an opportunity for selfish gain.
And most… would pay dearly for their curiosity.