Present time…
"Master, please don't worry," Jun Si said, his voice trembling despite his effort to remain calm. "I'll bring an even more powerful potion from the Tower. One that can extend your lifespan. I swear it."
Shiddharth slowly turned his head toward him. His face was pale, his breathing shallow, but his eyes were peaceful—far too peaceful for a man standing at death's door.
"Have mercy on your master, child," he replied softly. "I have lived long enough. Longer than I ever expected. Now… I simply want to rest."
Jun Si's jaw tightened. He lowered his head, fists clenched so tightly that his nails dug into his palms. "Let me do this for you, Teacher," he said, his voice breaking. "Let me be useful to you. Just once more."
Shiddharth closed his eyes for a moment, as if gathering strength. When he opened them again, his gaze was firm.
"Then I have one last wish before dying," he said slowly. "I want to touch the Tower's aura… one last time."
Sui stepped forward without hesitation. Her eyes were red, but her voice was steady. "Anything for you, Master."
No one objected.
Medical equipment was rushed in. Support systems were rearranged. Within minutes, an ambulance was prepared to move. Even as doctors tried to convince him to rest, Shiddharth insisted on sitting upright.
And through it all, he never let go of his sword.
It was old, its surface worn smooth by countless hours of practice. His father had given it to him on his twenty-fifth birthday, back when dreams of the Tower still felt painfully distant. Even though he had never awakened, his father had smiled that day and said, "A sword doesn't care whether you are chosen or not."
Shiddharth still remembered that smile.
As the ambulance stopped near the Tower, the towering structure loomed above him—silent, eternal, indifferent. The invisible aura shimmered faintly in the air.
With trembling hands, Shiddharth reached out.
The moment his fingers touched the aura, warmth flowed through his body. Not power. Not strength.
Comfort.
Tears slipped down his cheeks as he murmured in a fading voice.
"I don't know what my true wish is… I never understood it before. But I want to hold this sword one more time. I want to swing this sword one more time. I have lived enough… trained enough… yet still… I want to live for my sword."
The Tower answered.
[ You had made your wish from your pure heart ]
[ Tower is responding to your prayer ]
[ You have awakened ]
[ For your wish you got a skill ]
[ As long as I hold a sword : SSS class (can be grown further) ]
[ You are summoned in Tower ]
Light wrapped around him like a cocoon. His body slowly dissolved into particles of radiance, fading from the world he had known.
Somewhere inside the Tower…
An artificial space resembling an office.
{ Tower Office }
[ Warning ]
[ Warning ]
[ Someone above 20 years has been awakened ]
[ Warning ]
"What the fuck is happening now?" a man in a black coat snarled, standing abruptly.
"We… we're not certain, sir," said another man wearing a white robe, sweat forming on his forehead. "But the system shows that someone above twenty years old has awakened."
"That's impossible," the black-coated man snapped. "The Tower does not make mistakes."
"Sir," the white-robed man said carefully, "this Tower has been operating for over five hundred years. Earth's energy is depleting. Errors—however rare—may occur."
"Why now?" the man in black—Kaun—growled. "We were close. Close to transferring to a new Tower. Close to promotion."
He paused, eyes narrowing. "What's the condition of the awakened one?"
"According to the readings… he's already dying. He has only a few hours left."
Kaun considered this briefly. "Declare him dead. Send him through."
"But sir, what if the Tower rejects—"
"The Tower is old," Kaun interrupted coldly. "Earth's energy is nearly gone. Mark it as an error."
After a moment of silence, he added, "Proceed."
"Yes, sir."
As the system executed the command, Kaun leaned back in his chair, staring lazily at the ceiling.
Soon, when Earth's energy completely vanishes, the Tower will collapse and this world will end. I've witnessed this countless times.
It doesn't even make me feel guilty anymore.
The truly unfortunate ones are the unawakened. They won't be able to migrate to another world.
"Sir," the white-robed man spoke again, "the Tower has accepted the command."
Kaun scoffed. "Seems the Tower really has grown senile."
"Should we reset—"
"Reset the system," Kaun said. "Make sure this doesn't happen again."
"Yes, sir."
First Floor of the Tower — Riyan Kingdom.
A place where newly awakened gathered, confused and excited.
Without warning, a body fell from the sky.
It was Shiddharth.
He struck the ground hard. Bones shattered instantly. Pain flooded his senses. He tried to scream… to beg for help… but no sound came out.
People gathered around him, shocked. Some whispered. Some frowned. Some felt brief pity.
But no one moved.
Death in the Tower was common.
A message appeared before his fading vision.
[ You are dead ]
[ You will be erased from the Tower ]
[ Erasing process has started ]
His body turned into dust.
The crowd dispersed shortly after.
Another death.
Another forgotten soul.