Reality shattered into a cacophony of little breaks, like tempered glass, internally cracking from pressure.The holographic projection suddenly shook as the Tower of Samsara trembled, and with it came the Erosion.
The Erosion is a process where the concepts from the bosses on the boundless floors leak down to the lower floors, increasing the difficulty of the instances.This occurs when a challenger fails their mission in a derivative world.It is normally offset by challengers clearing their missions in the derivative worlds.
However, now lies the avarice of the Tower: any of the top ten players who fail to clear a floor after reaching Tier 2 thrice (it stacks) causes their world to be devoured by the Samsara Tower.
A sudden, reflexive instinct moved the boy dressed in a sleek red blazer, cusped by a perfectly ironed white linen shirt, accompanied by the most ebony-like trousers in existence.His caramel skin made him popular among the ladies, but if one really looked deeply into his eyes, as the girls gawked at him in awe, there was nothing but disappointment.
Not in the quality of the horrendous infatuation, but in the lack of a specific specimen he would prefer to attune to his soul, which left him feeling rather abysmal.
His amber or auburn eyes—he himself didn't know—seemed to encompass the verdant feeling of life.However, his contacts hid those from sight, not for aesthetics, but for protection.
Aurorian Law, Clause 23, Section 5:Any Aurorians with Foreign Traits will be exiled to their respective countries.
This law was made after the Samsara Tower allowed faction creation fifteen years ago, when Floor 90 was crossed by the first ranker, "Kael Veris," from Noctyra.Of course, this caused the topic this unfortunate classroom has to remember for their placement exams next week.But in such a dangerous world like this, history is not the only subject to learn.
Today was a Tuesday, so normally it would be Adaptive Weaponry from 8:00 Sm (Samsara time, basically 8 a.m.).They would walk through the intimidating school gates echoing with descriptive carvings and images of rankers from the thirty years the Samsara Tower had corrupted humanity.
From there, it was Strategic Simulation at 10 Sm, lasting until 13 Sm, then finally Anomaly Management until 17 Sm.
However, today was special.A week before the placement tests, students would enter Floor 1—although some might have entered earlier.This wasn't recommended unless part of a large group, or, in most cases, a clan or sect.
Normal civilians in Samsara High School Unit 25, Area 4, had to be stuck with the bottom of the pot.Unfair, you might say, but it was this very unfair treatment that saved these children from their doom.
First Person Perspective
"Horrible lesson," I thought to myself in utter silence.My eyelids were itching, but I didn't dare to rub them.
Unfortunately for me, the teacher always seemed to notice me.Her name was Lefitina Gammera.Such an unusual name, I thought to myself.But in this world I had lived in for sixteen years, the oddities turn out to be more common than you'd think.
I was originally from Earth, going by the name of Noah.I was a classic Chinese antagonist—bullying the weak and bowing to the strong while harboring malicious intentions toward the powerful.
In all honesty, looking back on it, I don't blame fifteen or sixteen-year-old me for acting like that.But that's a whole other cursed random box.
In all my research in this world, I had found the bare minimum.Not only because of the ridiculous censorship laws, but also due to the general suppression of every major news event.
In my previous life as Noah, I was a very political person and talked about a lot of issues that "didn't affect me," such as the Second Amendment in America, which led to my assassination at the Peace Summit in 2034.
Then I was mourned by my opponents, and my political party blamed and scapegoated my killers.Ironic, isn't it?How the media warps our perception about major world events, yet we are all supposed to believe it blindly.
Over the years, I have figured out the gist of this world.There are four major factions or continents: Auroria, Terranova, Noctyra, and Pyrralis.Kind of like Avatar, I mused to myself.
Thirty years ago, a meteorite, as scientists dubbed it, fell from space, forming a large, infinitely spiraling black tower.It dwarfed all infrastructure and wildlife in its area, causing all entrance to be sealed as a "dead zone."
There are only 3 dead zones known to the general public and the other two are not widely known .They are ************** and ************* . They are categorized as classified information however we are shown pictures in school to avoid it if we ever respawn there.
It is also one of the safest places for a high school student because of the Investigation Bureau, who clean out the monsters weekly and keep an eye on our Tower Initiation Ceremonies for obvious recruitment purposes.
The most shocking thing about this world is the internal strife during a major conflict.
My previous life—nothing interesting truly happened before my death, so I would say it was widely insignificant, except for my incredible reading speed.I was able to read and comprehend multiple different ideas in a matter of minutes.
However, all talents must be nurtured, causing me to read deep into my free time.Over time, my interpersonal relationships began to fade.Friends I once relied on deserted me for no particular reason.
They didn't believe their rich parents had the right to not listen, but they had the right to shut the fuck up and leave.The right to not judge me.The right to sleep when they wanted.
My classmates in this life were slightly interesting; however, one was infinitesimally more intriguing than the rest combined.His name was Hammes, and boy, was he hot.Greek-god perfect face, perfect mixture between elan and fire, perfect smile, and perfect distance.
However, knowing he likes girls makes me more delusional because I think I can change him."Change him, when you are literally against the slightest emotional conditioning?" my psychotic friend Gracie once said to me.
"Yeah, all in all, I am very complex and contradict myself.I believe I am strong and need some character development, and I will probably be the exact opposite of a Mary Sue.Wish me luck. I know I'll need it."
Indeed, these are the delusions of a transmigrator.