A bed. A computer. A mini fridge in the kitchen, and a wardrobe.
No matter how I look at it from every angle, it's exactly like my old room.
But I distinctly remember seeing a message that I had entered the 1st floor.
Could it be? Is Earth the 1st floor of the tower? Just as my mind was flooded with these thoughts and getting complicated,
A familiar message window popped up before my eyes.
"...Hmm."
I tensed up, alert and on edge.
Anything could happen now.
However, the content of the message that appeared was... quite unexpected.
<1st Floor>
- There are no specific clear conditions. Please take a comfortable rest. For more details, refer to the guidebook.
"...What?"
Just a while ago, I was fighting for my life against goblins...
Now, all of a sudden, they want me to take a break? No clear conditions? And a guidebook? Is this a tour?
The sudden shift in atmosphere left me utterly bewildered.
Thinking it might be a trap, I remained cautious, when suddenly a small box appeared in front of me, *poof*! Its design resembled the box I used to store the golden bead on the 0th floor.
"...Really?"
I opened the floating box, and sure enough, there was a guidebook inside.
Immediately, I checked the title.
On the cover, there was an angel holding a placard with a bright smile that read, "Welcome."
As I looked at the cheerful guidebook, my face involuntarily scowled.
After throwing people onto an island with absurd conditions where they could only kill or be killed...
Now, they're welcoming us?
It felt like a sick joke. Irritation surged through me.
But I sort of understood their intention.
From their perspective, everything up to now was just a "test", and now they were offering some kind of reward for passing that test. It's probably their way of showing goodwill.
But after all the times I'd tried to save people, this sort of "goodwill" felt extremely distasteful.
It's not a joke. Should I be grateful?
But my feelings aside, the guidebook is the guidebook.
I opened it with a frown and checked its contents.
1. Why was this tower created?
2. How can we utilize the 1st floor effectively?
3. Curious about the basic rules of the tower?
4. Why should we climb the tower?
The contents were written in a soft tone, as if explaining to a child.
Flipping the first page, I saw some details that were similar to what the fairy explained during the tutorial.
I agree that humans are a mess. Lately, there seem to be more and more people who don't act like humans at all.
But why is God disappointed? He created us this way. If He's disappointed, He should be disappointed in Himself for creating us like this.
Skimming through, it was all just pointless ramblings, so I quickly flipped to the next section.
God wishes for the climbers to show the full potential of humanity. After all, you are representing the entirety of the human race. For that, maintaining your condition is not a choice but a necessity!
On the 1st floor, various functions are prepared for climbers to rest fully.
Firstly, the form of the 1st floor can be modified anytime and however you want. Decorate your own 1st floor!
Secondly, you can get any item you want on the 1st floor! However, you can't take it outside the 1st floor!
Thirdly, do you miss your family? We will open a portal to your hometown anytime! Similarly, we can also open a portal to the 2nd floor anytime.
Once you've rested and are prepared, how about challenging the 2nd floor?
I lifted my eyes from the guidebook and looked around my simple room.
Honestly, I've always wanted to live in a spacious, clean apartment, not a small room like this.
"...Oh."
The moment that thought crossed my mind, my surroundings transformed instantly, resembling the interior of an average apartment. Looking out the window, I saw the Han River flowing, and people walking around.
*Whoosh.*
Opening the window, a cool breeze blew in.
"...This isn't right."
I tried to reach out through the window, but my hand was stopped as if by an invisible barrier.
Now, let's imagine a lavish mansion.
The surroundings wavered, and transformed into the interior of a mansion that seemed fit for Dubai royalty.
Climbing the stairs to the center of the second floor, I was greeted by a huge bed that could probably fit ten people and a luxurious chandelier.
Thinking of a delicious pizza, my favorite brand of pizza suddenly appeared on the table next to me. Imagining a cold drink, a bottled drink with a straw was handed to me.
I took a sip of the drink and threw myself onto the plush bed.
Casually checking my phone, I found I had a signal.
"...I want to go back to Earth."
Saying so, a blue portal immediately formed next to the bed.
Rolling into the portal... I found myself back in my familiar room.
"...Cola."
I tried to imagine a cold cola, but nothing happened.
Opening the window and reaching out, my hand passed through without any resistance.
"...Ha."
I chuckled dryly and threw myself onto my musty smelling bed.
It's uncomfortable. I miss the soft bed from earlier.
"...I want to go back to the 1st floor."
As soon as I finished speaking, a blue portal appeared. Instead of entering, I waved it away.
If other people also received the same 1st floor as I did...
"This is screwed up."
Humanity is on the verge of extinction.
Let me clarify, the tutorial I experienced felt quite different from what others might have gone through.
For starters, I went through repetitive regressions, becoming familiar with most of the tutorial.
Thanks to the sword skills I learned from Choi Ji-won and my achievement level, I acquired significant strength. Except for the Minotaur, I never felt threatened.
Even so, as I lay down, sleepiness crept over me.
Having slept on the hard ground throughout, the comfort of this soft bed was almost too much to resist.
But what about others who went through the tutorial with me? For them, the tutorial must have been a continuous stress.
They would've been constantly hungry due to lack of food.
They would've slept lightly, constantly under threat.
Some might've killed their loved ones for the orbs, as the angel had said.
After surviving the tutorial, then suddenly an angel appears and demands a price for entering the tower.
Stress. More stress. Most probably felt they were on the brink of madness.
If these people... were to face the 1st floor I just experienced?
They might think, 'Do we really need to climb to the 2nd floor?'
On the 1st floor, you can have anything you desire.
Even if humanity faces extinction without reaching the 66th floor... most would hope someone else would do the hard work.
Moreover, the fairy in the tutorial said humanity would perish, but never specified how long we had to climb.
There's no motivation.
No reason to risk our lives climbing this tower.
If this was God's intention... perhaps he's testing human will? Sacrifice? Something like that.
It's a sophisticated way to destroy humanity without killing even one person.
"First... how many days have passed?"
I checked my phone, and luckily, the date hadn't changed.
It's probably thanks to me clearing the tutorial so quickly.
Opening my phone, a flood of KakaoTalk messages poured in.
The majority of messages urged me to check the news immediately.
"...What's this about?"
Following my friends' advice, I opened a portal site and the news section was... a total mess.
"Video of a superhuman uploaded and then deleted on YouTube is confirmed to be real!"
"[Breaking] The U.S. acknowledges the existence of the tower! Returnees are officially named 'Players'!"
"The Korean government officially admits to information concealment. 'We hid it to prevent societal unrest,' they say."
"'Tutorial' kept secret by the Players... Is it selfishness, or something supernatural?" Every tower-climbing story I've read was set in a society that had already changed after the tower's appearance.
Perhaps that's why I've never seen a sight like this before.
The tower... was changing the world.