The moment Arianna spoke, the world shifted.
She didn't move, she didn't chant. She simply raised a hand. The oppressive darkness of the Demon Realm deepened around them, clinging to their forms. It was not a physical shadow, but a conceptual one. The 'light' of the cosmos, the 'gaze' of the Outer Deities, and the 'sense' of the hunters suddenly slid off them. They were still standing in the ruined street, but to any outside observer, they were simply... not there.
They had been 'Concealed' by the Sequence 2 of Evernight Pathway.
"Impressive," Kim Dokja murmured, feeling his own 'Fables' being dampened by the cold, silent power.
[This is a temporary solution,] the Murim dumpling on the ground projected into their minds. Its voice was still laced with the fury of its transformation. [Termiboros has 'marked' this 'Future'. He will return. That Devil has left for some reason. We must leave.]
"So where do we go?" Hajin asked, reloading his Desert Eagle out of nervous habit.
[There is only one neutral zone,] the 'Secretive Plotter' explained. [A 'setting'that exists *outside* the rules of this world, yet is embedded within it. The 'Tower of Wish'. We must get to the city of Luoes.]
Dokja looked at Hajin. "Tower of Wish? Isn't that from your novel, Author-nim?"
Hajin sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "It was. It merged with the world after Kim Suho... well, it's complicated. But it's neutral territory. The dumpling is right."
Klein, listening to Dokja's running translation, processed this. "A 'Tower'? A sanctuary?" He was wary. Such places were never what they seemed. They were either divine kingdoms, Sefirot, or elaborate traps.
[We are wasting time,] the Plotter insisted. [The concealment will not hold forever.]
Hajin let out another long-suffering sigh. It was official. He was the group's designated bus driver. "Spartan," he grumbled, and the small, Black Lotus-hooded bird materialized on his shoulder. "This time a safe place."
Spartan chirped, a sound full of defensive indignation.
"Just... get ready," Hajin muttered. "Everyone, get close. Grab on."
The Murim dumpling 'hopped' onto Hajin's boot. Arianna placed a cold, silent hand on his shoulder. Klein, after a moment's hesitation, did the same, feeling the strange, designed power of Hajin's [Stigma] thrumming beneath his armor. Dokja, ever the pragmatist, grabbed his collar.
In a flash of white light, they vanished.
The disorientation was brief. They reappeared on a high, rocky cliff overlooking a city.
[Demon town of Luoes.]
There was no messages from Star Stream about them getting noticed, so Concealment was still in power.
But that didn't mean they were unnoticed. Someone acknowledged their existence. Something.
[Arc ??? Progress – The collaboration brings about unexpected changes Word Will and Star Stream are in a state of conflict.]
"What's with it?" Dokja saw a blank look on Hajin's face. He was simply staring in the air.
[You see it too, don't you?]
Hajin saw Murim dumpling smile.
[That's World Will, a manifestation of World powers of the other Universe.]
'OF COURSE I KNOW YOU FUCKING PIECE OF… D-DOUGH!!! I WROTE IT MYSELF!'
Hajin only laughed and looked at the Luoes
It was exactly as he had seen with his Thousand-Mile Eyes. It was a chaotic city of jagged black towers, built in defiance of all physics, illuminated by a sky of roiling red nebulae. The air was thick with the cries of creatures and the distant roar of a chaotic, bustling population.
But the city was under siege. Not by an army, but by refugees from other Universes.
A massive, disorganized crowd was pressed against the city's main gate. Hajin saw familiar 'Demons', but also not familiar 'Incarnations' in modern clothing, and even a few 'Beyonders' in outdated-style robes and casual suits with canes and revolvers and steam-powered guns, all desperately trying to get in.
And at the gate, blocking the way, were the Demon Merchants.
They were tall, crimson-skinned, and wore ostentatious suits, looking like hellish auctioneers. They were the only source of order in the chaos.
"Entrance Tickets! Tickets to the Tower. Green, orange, white, red and others!!! Only two Black left!!!" one was yelling, his voice booming over the crowd. "Don't push! There's a ticket for everyone... who can pay!"
"How much?!" an Incarnation shouted, waving his sword.
"For you, sir?.."
With a practiced elegance of a merchant he proceeded to announce the prices of the tickets.
"A Black Ticket only 5,000,000 Star Coins or 5,000,000 DP!"
"5,000,000?!"
"A bargain!" the merchant cackled. "We also take Fables! We even... what is this..." He held up a paper. "We take 'Characteristics' !"
Hajin, hidden by Arianna's concealment, muttered, "These demons will surely survive in this world."
It was clear the [Coin] had become the new, dominant inter-dimensional currency.
[Don't worry we've already prepared you additional tickets,] the Plotter's voice echoed.
"What color are they?"
[…]
"If they are not Black, then they are not suitable for them," he interrupted Secretive Plotter.
He looked at the three tickets that appeared out of nowhere in front a small dumpling, and only pshawed.
"I will get them the best ones. Wait here."
After a minute he came back with two Black Tickets for Klein and Dokja.
Arianna only shrugged at Secretive Plotter.
"After all he is the Black Lotus."
Arianna and the dumpling stepped forward. The shadows around Arianna bent, and she was simply... gone. The dumpling 'plopped' once, vanishing from reality. A final, arrogant message was left behind: [Meet you on the other side. Do not die in the tutorial.]
"Tutorial?" Klein whispered.
"No time," Hajin said. He stepped, concealment beginning to disappear, armor of Black Lotus making him look like some dark novel protagonist.
He walked back and handed one to Klein and Dokja.
Klein took the ticket, his face a mask of complex emotions. He looked at the Black Ticket then thought of the thousands of pounds he had. All his assets, all his painstakingly earned wealth... utterly, completely useless.
He was a pauper. Again.
'I am... financially, at least... back at Sequence 9,' he thought, a familiar sense of bleakness washing over him.
[The Dokkaebi Bag is supposed to update to sell items from other Universes,] the Plotter's voice echoed in Dokja's head, as if sensing his thoughts. [But the 'Channel'is unstable here. You cannot access the shop. It's been in maintenance since we appeared here.]
"How do we use these?" Klein asked, examining the ticket. It was just paper.
"Like this, I guess," Dokja said. With all the nonchalance of a subway commuter using a turnstile, he ripped the ticket in half.
Hajin nodded at Dokja.
His intuition of a reader was correct.
A system window immediately appeared.
[Incarnation 'Kim Dokja' is using a [Black EntranceTicket].]
[You are being transferred to the Tower of Wish.]
Dokja's form dissolved into particles of blue light.
Klein looked at his own ticket. 'Rip it? A strange activation method. No ritual, no spiritual incantation...' He copied the motion, tearing the paper.
"That's a survival quest, so choose the bonus skill wisely…"
Klein, too, dissolved.
Now, only Kim Hajin stood on the cliff. He sighed, feeling the need to be overly dramatic. He pompously and solemnly, as if addressing an audience, said, "Well, I'll meet you all inside."
Spartan appeared on his shoulder, his little Black Lotus hood flapping.
"Hey!" a nearby Demon Merchant, having spotted him, yelled. "You! Hooded guy! You need a ticket to—"
Hajin just smirked. A different system window, one only he could see, flashed in his vision.
[The Tower of Wish recognizes its 'Returnee'.]
'Returnee? What's that term? Bruh, looks like that's one of the changes. I hope Tower didn't change much.'
[Welcome back, Player 'Extra7'.]
Just before he vanished, he muttered one last, cryptic piece of advice to his departed companions.
"And... be polite to the system."
He looked how two of his new companions disappeared.
"Spartan, let's go to the second floor."
He was gone.
The Demon Merchant stared at the empty cliff.
***
Klein materialized. The transition was instant. He was in a... white room. Again.
But this one was different. It was finite, and a massive, floating text window dominated his vision. The Tower's internal system, it seemed, had its own translator.
[Welcome, Challenger Klein Moretti.]
[This is the Tutorial of the Tower of Wish.]
[After taking off all equipment and clothes, please put on the tutorial uniform.]
Following the directions of the messages being shown, Klein undressed and put on the tutorial uniform, a leather armor that looked rather shabby but was rather tightly woven.
[Now, please put all your belongings into the storage. Items from the outside world cannot be taken inside the Tower.]
'Huh?!'
A black storage box appeared in front of him.
'I wish I could put them above the gray fog!' Klein thought, looking at Creeping Hunger
He tried taking four steps counterclockwise but nothing worked, gray fog tried to establish connection, but eventually, as if Klein forgot to top up the phone, there was no result.
Without any other choice, he put them into the storage box.
"Will they be given back?"
['Black Entrance Ticket' has been confirmed. You will have the chance to take some of them once the tutorial ends.]
[Player Scanning will now commence.]
A handprint scanner appeared in front of Klein.
He put his hand on it.
[Scanning in progress… 33%]
He felt a strange sensation of magic power running through his body.
"So that's how magic feels like."
He felt like he got into some fantasy world of magic and sword.
'Well actuall that's how Hajin wrote it so… Technically it is. I hope they have some instant noodles there!'
[66%… 99%… completed.]
Klein saw the same window, but the text was in perfect, crisp Loenese. It was a system that felt profoundly alien, a 'setting' he didn't belong to, yet it read him with terrifying accuracy.
[Player Klein Moretti has been confirmed.]
=== [Klein Moretti]===
▷Variable Stats
[Strength 1.671 (+2.000)]
[Stamina 1.435 (+6.000)]
[Speed 1.290 (+2.000)]
[Perception 4.235 (+9.000)]
[Vitality 2.105 (+3.000)]
[Spirituality 6.902(+10.000)]
[Magic power 0.000]
▷Invariable Stats
[Intelligence – 6.499 / 10]
[Perseverance – 7.100 (+0.5) / 10]
[Luck – 5.000 / 10]
[Charm – 7.0 (+0.9) / 10]
[Pathway: 'The Fool']
[Degree of Existence: Error] [...3 more]
▷Traits
□「Sefirah's Vessel」 [??? rank] [Null attribute] [Grade 0 – Proficiency EXP: ???]
□ 「Scholar of Yore」[Demi-god rank] [Spirit attribute] [Grade 3 – Proficiency EXP: 100%]
□「Master of the Spirit World」[??? rank] [Evolving attribute] [0 Uniqueness acquired]
===
[During the tutorial, your variable stats will decrease by 65%.]
[3 Traits have been detected.]
[All Traits are sealed inside the Tower. As a Player, you may choose one Trait to use.]
[Please make your choice.]
As Klein examined his characteristics he couldn't help but wonder what some of the information in his Stats Window meant. But of course there was no one to answer his questions, so he simply continued with his train of thought.
Klein looked through them for some time and chose「Scholar of Yore」.
"I'll go with Scholar of Yore."
He didn't need to think much about the first Trait. Scholar of Yore was practically his identity at this point.
This hidden piece would let him acquire his Beyonder abilities.
[Will you choose the Trait 'Scholar of Yore'?]
"Yes."
[For the sake of balance, the Trait 'Scholar of Yore' has fallen to grade-7.]
"Understood." Klein wasn't happy with it, but Hajin advised to treat the system politely.
'It has fallen to Grade 7... Does it mean that i'll be thrown back to Sequence 7? But the name didn't change so...'
['Black Entrance Ticket' has been confirmed.]
[You've been assigned to the highest difficulty level.]
[In exchange, you will receive a bonus skill.]
"Thank you very much."
[You may choose one bonus skill from this catalog.]
"Thank you."
***
Kim Dokja materialized in his own, identical white room. He saw the window.
[Welcome, Challenger Kim Dokja.]
He scoffed.
'I feel like I'm on train again.'
The moment the white room formed, a sterile, blue window materialized in front of Kim Dokja. It was not the 'Star Stream's' familiar interface, but something colder. More... corporate.
He followed the instructions of the system and memorized everything.
Then came time for scanning.
=== [Kim Dokja]===
▷Variable Stats
[Strength 6.764 (+2.000)]
[Stamina 4.435 (+1.000)]
[Speed 6.555]
[Perception 3.892]
[Vitality ???]
[Magic power ???]
▷Invariable Stats
[Intelligence – 4.996 / 10]
[Perseverance – 8.772 (+1) / 10]
[Luck – ~7.5 / 10]
[Charm – 6.2(-1,5) / 10]
[Status: 'Demon King of Salvation'/ 'Watcher of Light and Darkness'/???]
[Degree of Existence: Unmeasurable (Error)] [...1 more]
▷Traits
□「Fourth Wall」[??? rank] [??? attribute] [Static] [???]
□「Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint」 [High rank] [Spirit attribute] [Skills: Bookmark, Character List, Reading Comprehension] [Static]
□「King of a Kingless World」 [Legendary rank] …
□「Torch That Swallowed the Myth」 [Giant rank] …
□「Song of the Sword」 [Historical rank] [Spirit attribute] [Static]
□「One Who Killed an Outer God」 [Quasi-myth rank] …
[…51 more]
===
After some calculations…
[For the sake of balance, the Trait 'Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint' has been nerfed.]
He thought that having a Bookmark would be quite useful, so he chose it.
He was sure that Tower will not be able to 'take away' the Fourth Wall.
Kim Dokja was also curious in which way Tower will deal with his stories, since they are an inseparable part of him. And to rip all of them(and then stitch them back ..?) would simply mean a violation of an incomprehensible amount of Probability.
['Black Entrance Ticket' has been confirmed.]
[You've been assigned to the highest difficulty level.]
[In exchange, you will receive a bonus skill.]
"Thank you."
[You may choose one bonus skill from this catalog.]