"Please! You have to listen to me! I'm just an ordinary trader!"
In a concept of a place, the shrill scream of a pathetic-looking, middle-aged man filled the air. Face drenched with sweat and snot, the man fought to remain on the ground, digging his heels into the ethereal white floor.
"No, please!"
He clawed at the arm of the burly man dragging him upward.
"I have a family! My wife is sick, my daughter is only seven! I've never held a sword in my life so I can't be of any use to you inside the Towers!"
"Shut up, old man," the burly man grunted, yanking him harder. "You think we want to be here? The selection is random. You were summoned, same as the rest of us. Now stand up before He gets angry."
"No! No, I can't! Take me back!"
The trader's wails echoed in the white void, bouncing off the invisible walls that boxed them in.
Ten people stood there in total. One of them was crying, some held nervous expressions, very few seemed prepared for what they were about to do.
Above them, hovering three meters off the ground, was the being the burly man had referred to.
The Architect.
It looked like an unfinished 3D model; a floating, grey mannequin with no face, no fingers, and no toes. It was just a silhouette of a human, generic and terrifyingly indifferent.
A glowing blue nameplate hovered above its smooth head.
⸢ Architect: NoobLord ⸥
Turning his direction to the petrified trader, the Architect's faceless face squeezed in a replica of disgust. His voice didn't come from a mouth; it vibrated directly into their skulls.
⸢ Stop your whining. The Tower Gate will open in two minutes. Prepare yourselves. ⸥
"Prepare? How can we prepare for death?" the trader sobbed.
The burly man slapped him hard across the face. "You stupid old man. Get your act together! Don't you know that it is an honor to be summoned by an Architect? Being a Hero and defending the world is the greatest thing a person can ever do! So forget about your family and get ready for the tutorial floor!"
The trader petted his red cheeks. "Owwww!! I'm sorry, okay? I'm just scared."
The burly man grunted, letting go of the trader's collar. "Scared or not. This is our duty. It is a chance to become a Hero and destroy the apocalyptic Towers!"
"All lies!!"
A shout cut through the panic.
Everyone turned their heads to see a man in tattered leather armor step forward from the back of the group.
His eyes were wild, bloodshot with a frantic, fanatical rage. He pointed a shaking finger at the floating grey figure.
"You all use us as your pawns and call us Heroes! I will not play your game! I will not fall to the demands of the Towers!" The man spat on the white floor.
The Architect sighed. ⸢ What is this now? ⸥
"I am from the Rebellion Guild!" the man declared. "We know the truth! We are here to kill you parasites and end the tyranny of the Architects!"
He drew a concealed dagger from his boot and lunged.
"Die, tyrant!"
The man moved fast enough to suggest that he had some combat training, but no amount of speed could have saved from what was coming.
Screaming, he leaped into the air, the blade aiming for the unbothered Architect.
Then— Splat!
The fight ended before it even began. The moment the dagger came within an inch of the grey figure, the rebel detonated into red blood and wet chunks of meat.
"..."
⸢ Orlac (unawakened) has died ⸥
⸢ His brave efforts will be rewarded by the Holy One ⸥
Sudden, utter silence filled the concept space.
The trader stopped crying. Everyone else froze, staring at the empty space where the rebel had been.
The Architect brushed a speck of invisible dust off his shoulder.
⸢ ...How annoying. ⸥ His voice in their heads sounded bored. ⸢ I hate having to re-roll the Gacha. Hopefully, this one isn't another of those stupid rebels. ⸥
The Architect looked at his summons. ⸢ Well? So any of you still have an issue? ⸥
They all stayed silent, the trader shook his head slowly.
Hissing, the Architect waved a hand. A pillar of blue light slammed into the spot where the rebel had exploded, vaporizing the blood.
When the light faded, a boy stood there.
He looked no older than sixteen, with messy blonde hair and wide, terrified eyes that looked around like a frightened rabbit.
⸢ Unit: Amnet joined the party. ⸥
The group ignored the newbie. Now, they were all focused on how they would survive the tutorial floor, finally accepting the fate that they had been chosen.
"Hey. You."
The burly man who had slapped the trader called at the curious young man standing near the edge of the barrier.
It was a simple-looking guy with dark hair and sharp, tired eyes. He was separated from the others, and he wasn't crying. He didn't even seem nervous.
He was just… looking, observing the concept space, the white floor, and the Architect with a strange, intense focus.
The boy looked at the man who was pointing a thick finger at him. "Huh?"
"You've got a look on your face, kid. You're not panicking. You must be a brave warrior or something."
The dark-haired young man didn't respond immediately. He blinked, as if waking up from a long dream.
'How can he think a lanky guy like me could be a warrior?'
The burly man stepped closer. "What's your name, boy?"
The young man stared at him. "Ken," he parted his dry lips to say.
The Architect tilted his faceless head.
⸢ Ken? There is no unit named Ken in this roster. ⸥
The burly man looked at the Architect and then at 'Ken'. "Hey! What gives? I was trying to form a partnership and you're playing games already? Lying won't give you any advantage inside the Tower, you know! We have to work together if we want to live!"
"I..."
Ken stared at the scene before him. The summoned civilians in medieval fantasy garments, the floating being, the meaningless blue space around them. This seemed too real to be a dream.
'So that name I mistakenly entered is going to be my name from now on?' he thought. 'That interface in the void space asked me to input a name, I said the words: 'Let me guess' and it accepted it as my name.'
"Lemigas," he whispered.
"What?" the burly man snapped.
"My name," he said, finding his voice. "It's Lemigas."
⸢ Confirmed. There is a unit here called Lemigas, ⸥ the Architect droned. ⸢ Unit: Lemigas. Do not confuse your teammates. ⸥
The burly man scoffed, backing away. "Seems you don't want to form a partnership then. Just don't get in my way, kid."
Lemigas ignored him. His heart was hammering against his ribs, but his mind was strangely cold.
Slowly, he was starting to realize the grim truth of what was happening here.
⸢ Units! The Tower Gate is about to open, ⸥ the Architect announced. ⸢ Take your weapons and get ready to fight! ⸥
Magical light congested in the center of the space and a pile of rusty, basic weaponry materialized. Swords, spears, axes, and staves clattered onto the floor.
Lemigas was the first to move, grabbing a short iron sword from the pile.
⸢ Iron Shortsword ⸥
⸢ Durability: 45/50 ⸥
⸢ Attack Power: 12 ⸥
It was heavy. Much heavier than a mouse and keyboard: his usual weapons. He gave it a few practice swings; a horizontal slash, then a thrust.
Whoosh. Whoosh.
It felt awkward. His body didn't have the muscle memory of wielding medieval weapons like a sword.
A girl amongst the others watched him as she tested the wooden spear she had picked. She had dark skin and silver hair flowing all the way down to her waist.
Ever since the burly man had brought attention to him, she had been observing Lemigas, her eyes never leaving him even as she attempted a lunge with her spear.
'Why do I have this feeling that he knows what he's doing?' she wondered, standing her spear. 'Is he from the Warrior Villages? I heard that they tend to do the best on the tutorial floor.'
Her silver brows creased. 'I think it will be good if I stick with this guy.'
When all ten survivors had reluctantly armed themselves, a deep, grinding sound vibrated through the floor.
CRACK.
The white wall in front of them split open. Darkness spilled out, swirling like black smoke. It was a portal. A mouth waiting to swallow them whole.
⸢ Enter, ⸥ the Architect named NoobLord commanded, his voice devoid of empathy. ⸢ Go inside and clear the Tutorial Floor of the Tower of Genesis. You are on your own for this part! ⸥
The burly man gulped, his bravado fading in the face of the abyss. The trader was sobbing again. The silver haired girl gripped her spear with determination.
Lemigas merely stared at the display in front of him.
The Tower of Genesis, the first of the five Towers; 10 summoned contenders, the Architect.
He had thought it was just something similar, but this was exactly the same thing. Exactly the same world.
Lemigas's grip tightened on the rusted hilt.
'Did I really just get sucked into the game I was playing?'