40 years ago, in the year 2069 A.D, suddenly, a massive pillar that could be seen from anywhere on earth appeared out of nowhere.
The pillar was tall and bright, as if the symbol of peace but what it brought to this world was anything but peaceful.
The appearance of the pillar was the heralding of the chaos on Earth as it brought forth the dimension unheard of. It was as if its existence had poked through the hole in the sky, inviting unknown beings called monsters.
Modern warfare proved not useful, neither any science managed to help.
Fortunately, before the chaos swallowed everything, the unknown existence called Protocol arrived intending to train the inhabitants of Earth and give them a chance to fight back.
A chance to have your destiny in your own hands.
Everything started with the tutorial that day.
—
[Inhabitants of the Earth! Universe T9 has been selected to undergo special training.]
[Congratulations! You are now eligible for a chance.]
[Welcome to the tutorial!]
—
"What… what the fuck is this?"
"Hey, are you guys seeing this?"
"Damn, am I dreaming? But, why is this too real?"
"You got it too?"
City of Fiona, Durbar Academy, Section A.
The classroom, which should have been quiet as usual, was instead buzzing with noise today, as an unusual event drew the attention of every student.
"Tutorial? What does that mean?"
The cause was a strange prompt that had suddenly appeared before everyone's eyes.
This bizarre phenomenon did not affect only the students of this class, but teachers and students throughout the academy as well.
In fact, it affected every human being on Earth above the age of sixteen.
"Liam, are you seeing this too? Hey, where are you even looking?"
Doubting her own senses, Sarah rubbed her eyes and nudged her friend, only to find him staring blankly out the window, lost in a daze.
"W–What? What the heck is that?"
Only then did she notice something that made her yelp in shock.
"What… what happened?"
"Woah!"
Her shout finally drew everyone's attention to the window, but that only deepened their shock.
"…"
"H–Hey… is that… a pillar?"
One student asked his friend, gulping audibly.
After all, the sight before them was simply too absurd. One pillar of light after another was rising from the ground in various locations.
Each pillar was as thick as a skyscraper, dazzlingly bright yet strangely soft. Its height continued to increase, piercing through the clouds in an instant before vanishing into an unknown horizon.
It was as if they were reaching the heavens.
'Pillar of Heaven…'
'Did I… regress?'
Liam wondered absently as he watched the magnificent scene unfold once more.
He still couldn't believe that he returned. Returned to the day it all started.
The day before he lost everything.
The day before he watched the gruesome deaths of his companions, one after another, while he wallowed in despair.
The day when he first set foot into the unknown.
"L-Liam… w-what's going on?"
Still trapped in denial, Liam suddenly felt someone tightly clutch his dress, her trembling voice reaching him.
'Sarah…?'
When he turned to look, his gaze landed on the pale face of a young girl, somewhat familiar. Her eyes were filled with unknown fear, holding onto him as though he were her only anchor.
Sarah Carter, his childhood friend, whom he had lost for so many years.
His first regret!
"S-Sarah!"
Feeling the presence of someone who had already been a painful memory for so long sitting beside him like this, Liam stuttered unconsciously. The man who never faltered even in the presence of an SSS-class dragon was now stuttering emotionally.
But who could blame him?
Seeing someone who was already dead alive right before him, Liam felt unreal. Yet her presence let him know that he truly regressed.
"Liam? W-What's wrong?"
Sarah turned her head away from the window and looked at Liam, only to get stunned. Liam seemed a bit… emotional?
"L-Liam… do you know what that is? Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"
If it were any other time, his infatuated look might have garnered a blush or two from Sarah. But today, the situation was just too absurd.
First the announcement and the game-like panel, then the pillar that arose from nowhere, piercing the heavens. Anyone could feel the ominousness of such an event.
Sarah's fear was justified.
"Don't worry!"
But to her surprise, Liam suddenly showed a gentle smile. Then he leaned over from his seat, moved closer to Sarah, and hugged her smoothly ignoring all the chaos outside.
Considering what he had faced all those years, this much was nothing.
Rather, her refreshing scent was everything to him right now.
"L-Liam?"
"Everything will be alright, Sarah!"
Liam softly whispered into her ear, making her blush in shame. Fortunately, no one was paying attention to them due to the chaos outside, sparing her from further embarrassment.
—
[Deployment of the "Pillar of Heaven" successful.]
[Tutorial initialization in progress.]
[Residents of Earth, all eligible participants, please prepare yourselves.]
[You have been invited to the Tower for a trial.]
—
Sarah didn't get the chance to shove Liam away as the announcement rang out again, startling the students.
Then, a sudden surge of unfamiliar energy swept through the classroom, pressing down on their chests and stealing their breath.
Before anyone could even speak, one figure after another vanished from their seats, dissolving into faint motes of light as if they had never been there at all.
Sarah and Liam were no exceptions.
…
…
…
—
[Welcome to the Tower of Realms, Awakener Liam Sterling.]
[Before entering the trial, you are given a chance to choose a basic class.]
[Please, make your choice!]
—
Familiar voice, familiar prompt and familiar room. Liam couldn't help but look around the white expanse with nostalgia.
How long had it been since he came to this place? Liam didn't even remember.
Yet, being here today, all alone, at the starting point of everything made his heart flutter in excitement.
'That cat didn't lie to me.'
[Awakener Liam Sterling, please select a suitable class carefully from the list below!]
─────────────────────────────
[Available Basic Classes!]
─────────────────────────────
Warrior ▸ Melee combat, high strength & endurance
Mage ▸ Master of magic, control & attack
Rogue ▸ Fast, stealthy, critical strikes
Archer ▸ Ranged expert, precise attacks
Cleric ▸ Healer & protector ….
..…
─────────────────────────────
Liam suddenly heard the system's voice followed by a long list resembling a gaming panel that blocked his vision.
The list had every class he could think of, from Warrior, Mage to Paladin or Sorcerer.
It was almost as if you could become anything as long as you wanted.
But Liam knew that wasn't the case.
After all, in his last life, Liam ultimately chose 'Mage' as his basic class but was ruthlessly rejected because of innate deficiency.
Not everyone could awaken any class they wanted in the beginning. The tower just showed the possibility and nothing more.
Besides, classes weren't that hard to change. Rather, the most important thing for an awakener was always his skill-innate one.
"I Choose 'Warrior."
Liam wasted no time and made his choice with no emotion in his eyes.
In his last life, he was a level 170 Blademaster, an Epic-rank class tied to the Warrior path. Choosing a different class now would be foolish. He could change his class later, but not yet.
—
[You have chosen the basic class: Warrior!]
[You are eligible!]
[Please choose the weapon of your choice! Be careful, as the weapon you choose determines your survival in the trial.]
—
Maybe because anyone could become a warrior, the system directly showed him the weapon collections without any delay.
─────────────────────────────
Warrior Weapon Selection
─────────────────────────────
> Longsword
> Greatsword
> Spear
> Battle Axe
> Twin Swords
> Mace
….
─────────────────────────────
"Let's choose….Longsword!"
The weapons shown on the screen were just that, basic. So, Liam didn't bother to muse and choose the first one.
—
[You have chosen the Longsword as your starting weapon.]
[You are now almost ready for the trial.]
[However, since it is your first time here, Protocol has given you a chance to awaken your innate skill.]
[Each awakener has an innate skill that lies dormant in their soul. Protocol only helps you unearth it and make it usable.]
[Do you want to initiate the awakening of your innate skill?]
—