Suddenly… I woke up.
I was inside a brightly lit room, perfectly square—five meters long, five meters wide, and five meters high. The walls were smooth and empty, made of an unfamiliar material that reflected the light without casting shadows.
"Where… am I?"
I raised my voice. "Hello?! Is anyone here?!"
Then, a cold and emotionless voice echoed directly inside my head.
[ Welcome to the Tower of Infinite Worlds ]
[ You are required to climb the Tower ]
[ Basic information will now be provided ]
A sharp pain struck my head.
It wasn't as unbearable as I imagined—but it was deeply uncomfortable, like something being forcibly injected into my veins. After five minutes, the pain faded away.
I stood frozen.
…I understood.
Even if I could barely believe it.
The Tower.
A chaotic system that gathers worlds and forces them to fight one another.
You don't just battle monsters.
You fight challengers from other worlds.
Those who lose—
their entire world is punished.
Those who win—
receive rewards for themselves… and their world.
"…Damn it."
A new screen appeared before my eyes.
[ You will now design a unique ability to climb the Tower ]
I swallowed hard.
"Alright… let's do this."
Rules appeared one by one.
Abilities that copy, steal, create, or extract other abilities are prohibited.
Abilities that nullify others' powers are prohibited.
Mind-control abilities are prohibited.
Then—
[ Your ability will evolve with every floor you clear ]
"…Annoying," I muttered.
"But fair."
I sat down on the floor.
"How am I supposed to design a good ability right now?"
Ding.
[ Ability Name ]
[ Description ]
Five hours passed in deep thought.
Finally—
[ Name: Infinite Evolution – Level 1 ]
[ Description ]
Passive Growth:
A permanent, continuous increase in all stats, regeneration, stamina recovery, and vitality.
Enhanced Recovery:
Every injury heals more efficiently than before.
Every depletion of energy recovers faster, stronger, and in greater amounts.
Bloodline Evolution:
Allows the evolution of my bloodline by absorbing the blood of those I kill, gaining racial traits.
(Infinite Adaptation unlocks at Level 5)
"…This is the best I can do."
I exhaled slowly.
"All of them fall under evolution… and infinity."
[ Do you wish to merge the ability with your body? ]
"Yes."
The moment I answered—
"AAAAAAHHHHHH—!!"
Agonizing pain flooded my entire body.
It felt as if my body was being destroyed…
then rebuilt.
Again.
And again.
Shattered. Reforged. Rewritten.
Over and over without mercy.
The pain lasted twenty minutes.
Then—
Everything stopped.
I couldn't hear.
I couldn't see.
I couldn't feel.
I remained trapped in that void for nearly an hour.
Slowly… my senses returned.
"…I never want to experience that again."
After ten minutes of staring into nothingness, another message appeared.
Ding.
[ Ability merge completed successfully ]
[ To open Status Window, say: Status ]
I hesitated—but nodded.
"Status."
[ Name: Adam Ali Rakan ]
Race: Human (1)
Age: 17 years, 4 months
Strength: 0+
Vitality: 0+
Agility: 0+
Intelligence: 0+
Energy: 0+
Charisma: 0+
Defense: 0+
Ability: Infinite Evolution (Level 1)
"…Great. No pain."
"But why are all my stats zero?"
Ding.
[ All challengers begin according to Tower rules ]
[ Humans start at zero ]
[ Each cleared floor grants 7 stat points and an ability evolution ]
"And the plus sign?"
Ting.
[ Due to your ability and evolving bloodline ]
I smiled faintly.
"So… my body is constantly evolving."
"Endlessly."
[ You have one week to prepare ]
[ You will enter the First Floor afterward ]
[ Food and water are unnecessary ]
I clenched my fists.
"Training. That's all."
"No need for nutrition plans. No rest schedules."
"I'll push my body to its limits."
"My stats will grow passively…"
"But that doesn't mean I can afford to be lazy."
(One week later)
"…Tower."
"Show me my status."