Klein Moretti stood in the white room, clad in the shabby tutorial leather. The system, having just displayed his nerfed [Grade-7 Scholar of Yore] Trait, presented its final offer.
['Black Entrance Ticket' has been confirmed.]
[You've been assigned to the highest difficulty level.]
[In exchange, you will receive a bonus skill.]
[You may choose one bonus skill from this catalog.]
"Thank you," Klein murmured.
The catalog was not a fixed list. It was a shifting, conceptual menu that seemed to be reacting to him. He saw mundane skills ([Fishing], [Crafting]) flicker and fade, replaced by others.
Klein guessed much or less that because of the collapse of the Universes the Historical Void was a mess, that's why his spirituality warned him.
He analyzed his situation. His Trait was nerfed. He was a Scholar of Yore with limited History to draw from. He was blind. He needed information. How can he summon people or things he never came across before?
One skill solidified in the list, as if summoned by his thoughts.
[Historical Cognizance (Low-Rank)] [Description: Allows the user to expend 'Magic Power' (Mana) or 'Spirituality' to witness fragments of the past from a specific location or item within.]
[Note: You can use this skill if you have already visited the place or familiar with the item!]
This was it. It was a good skill, but it was a bridge. It was a nerfed version of his own authority, a tool that would allow him to "read" this new world's History. It was the only choice.
"I choose [Historical Cognizance]."
[You have chosen 'Historical Cognizance'.]
[Transferring to the tutorial's starting point.]
The white room dissolved. He appeared on a small, sandy beach, a few palm trees behind him. The sky was an artificial blue.
He immediately felt the difference. His Trait was heavy. His connection to the Fog of History was thin, like a thread. He couldn't pull a full Projection. He could exert a Beyonder of Sequence 5 out at max! He was, as he'd feared, almost powerless.
But he was not a fool.
[This tutorial will allow you to estimate your basic battle prowess.]
The first tutorial was simple.
Like in most tutorials, you just had to beat up monsters.
Klein was up against goblins. That was fine in and of itself, but the problem was that these goblins came with descriptors.
A goblin shaman and a goblin warrior. Like Nunu and Willump, the goblin shaman was sitting on the goblin warrior's shoulder.
[You spotted a goblin warrior and a goblin shaman.]
[Their information has been recorded in the 'Player Encyclopedia'.]
Player Encyclopedia. As one of the Tower of Wish's support systems, it stored all information discovered or experienced by Players.
"So that's how Hajin could read the information of the things."
Well, it was actually both, his [Observation and Reading] and this Encyclopedia.
But Klein didn't know about it.
"Open Player Encyclopedia."
Information was usually key in situations like this.
He stopped and read up on the two goblins.
===
Monster Encyclopedia
[Goblin Warrior] [Intermediate-rank Grade-7]
[Goblin Shaman] [Intermediate-rank Grade-8]
===
He ignored the survival guide at his feet. First, safety. He used the last dregs of his strength to send a leaf. Leaf sharpened under the influence of Klein's spirituality and hit the tree in the distance.
A few coconuts fell.
Diverting goblins attention.
Klein used his Marrionettist abilities, making two goblins his marionettes.
Then, he sat, his back to a rock, and entered a state of deep, restorative rest. Spiritual energy, as it always had, began to slowly seep into his 'Spirit Body'.
After several hours, he had recovered perhaps 80% of his nerfed capacity. He was hungry and, more importantly, curious. Klein sent two goblin marrionettes to fish, he retracted his gaze as he saw [Goblin Shaman] summon small fireballs.
Then he placed his hand on the sand and activated his new skill.
[Historical Cognizance]
He poured a bit of Spirituality into it. His vision blurred. He saw a fragment... a memory... of another 'Player'. A terrified 'Hero' standing on this very beach. The ocean exploding. A colossal Giant Eel swallowing the man whole.
It was similar to divination… But as if he was there for a brief moment and met the guy in person.
The vision faded.
"That's what skills feel like... I wonder what Hajin chose..." he murmured.
Klein's face was impassive. 'So, a 'guardian'. And it is large.' He needed more power. He went back to resting.
For two days, this was his life. Rest. Recover Spirituality. Fish using his Spirit Body Threads.
On the third day, a message appeared in the sky.
[The Constellation 'Demon King of Salvation' is looking at you.]
Klein frowned. 'Kim Dokja?' he's already memorized his Modifier... 'But why is he..?'
He looked out at the ocean ahead.
***
Kim Dokja saw the catalog of skills.
'What to choose...'
His [Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint ] was nerfed, but it still contained [Bookmark]. That was his lifeline.
He needed a way to bolster his core Trait.
The catalog swirled. Kim Dokja was too picky.
[Trait Enhancement (Low-Rank)]
[Description: Allows the user to designate one Trait. The Trait's effectiveness is slightly increased, and its resource cost is slightly reduced.]
It was a meta-skill. A perfect support skill. "I'll take that one."
[You have chosen 'Trait Enhancement'.]
He smiled. But his smile froze as a new series of windows appeared, angry and red.
That was both familiar and unfamiliar windows from both his Universe and Hajin's.
[The skill 'Fourth Wall' is resisting the Tower's restrictions!]
[All Traits of the Player are resisting Tower of Wish!]
[Failure to seal 'Traits' has been detected!]
[An external protocol has been detected by the system!]
[All of the Administrators of 'Tower of Wish' are paying attention to you!]
[Administrator of the last floor looks at you!]
[Administrator of the last floor looks at the 'Trait' 'Lone Messiah'!]
[Activating 'Forced Collaboration' protocol!]
"Forced... what?"
A lagging message trying to stabilize itself appeared with programming symbols:
[Activating any 'Story' not chosen as your primary Trait will now incur a 'Balance Cost', paid directly from your 'Variable Stats' (Strength, Stamina, etc.).]
[The Trait 'Fourth Wall' has been 'thinned' by the system conflict!]
['Star Stream' is resisting Probability provided by Tower of Wish!]
['World Will' has fully awakened its consciousness!]
A sensation like being encased in concrete. The voices of his Fables went silent. They were still there, an inseparable part of his soul, but they were 'greyed out'.
['Word Will' is interested in 'Star Stream'.]
This was the Tower's logic. It couldn't remove his 'Stories', so it taxed them. If he for instance tried to use [Hell of Eternity], it wouldn't cost 'Probability' ; it would cost his life, draining his [Stamina] stat to zero.
And his [Fourth Wall]...
He heard it. A faint, synthesized, "chiptune" BGM. He heard the hum of the system windows. He felt the artificial air of the white room on his skin.
It was exactly like being on Reincarnation Island. He felt exposed. Raw.
"This," he muttered, "is the worst."
[Transferring to the tutorial's starting point.]
The world dissolved. He appeared on a beach. He ignored the survival guide.
'This is a survival tutorial. Highest difficulty.'
He had to rely on his one allowed Trait. He activated [Trait Enhancement] on [Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint].
[Bookmark].
[The list of available 'Bookmarks' is being adjusted to Balance.]
[Bookmark #1: Electrification (Lv. 1)]
[Bookmark #2: Way of the Wind (Lv. 3)]
[...List truncated...]
The levels were nerfed, not the skills themselves. It was usable.
Dokja didn't have time to deal with his first tutorial of killing monsters.
He looked at the ocean.
He had to move. Now.
He activated [Bookmark: Way of the Wind (Lv. 3)]. A faint green aura surrounded his feet. He stepped onto the water... and ran.
He wasn't sinking. He was sprinting across the surface of the ocean, leaving a wake behind him.
He ran for ten minutes. Then, the ocean exploded.
BOOOOOOM!
A colossal head, larger than a subway car, erupted from the water. It was a 'Giant Eel', a Leviathan of the Tower, its mouth a cavern of needle-like teeth.
"KIIIEEEEE!"
Dokja didn't even look back. "I knew it!"
He sprinted, his nerfed skill a literal lifesaver. He passed a small, sandy island. The Leviathan swallowed it whole, the sound of rock and sand grinding in its maw echoing behind him.
And that continued for three days. He moved from one island to another, he even met other Players. Sometimes they helped him, sometimes attacked.
But fish was restless.
Dokja was sure that it was because of his stories and Fourth Wall!
Tower definitely didn't like it!
That was like running from a bull wearing all red.
He was fast, but the fish was faster. It was gaining. Its attacks getting more and more frequent no matter how hard Dokja tried to hide.
He saw another island in the distance. A larger one. And a figure.
A man in the same shabby leather armor as Dokja, who was... conducting goblins?
"MR. MORETTI!" Dokja roared, his voice cracking. "BIG FISH! VERY BIG FISH!"
He saw Kim Dokja, his face a mask of terror, running on the surface of the water.
And behind him, an "eel" the size of a dreadnought.
The guardian of this tutorial that he saw with [Historical Cognizance].
'So,' Klein thought, his face impassive as he stood up. 'This is the 'Highest' difficulty.'
Dokja leaped onto the beach, skidding to a halt and collapsing onto the sand. "We... have to... fight it!" he panted.
The Leviathan roared, its head rising from the water, its shadow falling over the entire island. It was preparing to swallow them.
Klein looked at it calmly, his Spirituality bar now at 53/100. His thoughts rushed.
'I wish Mr. Hanged Man was here to negotiate with this piece of... SALMON!'
Streams of white pure energy ran through Dokja, he didn't have 'Unbroken Faith', so all he could do is fight with… A stick? A stick that he found on one of the islands.
[Bookmark #1 has been activated!]
[Electrification(lv.2)]
[Your status is restricted]
[Your body composition is not suitable!]
Dokja instinctively reached for his skill 'Miniaturization'.
[You cannot use this 'Trait']
[You need to finish the tutorial first to unlock the 'Taxed' Traits]
Probability sparks appeared around him.
[Trait Enhancement is activating!]
[Your skill allowed you to overcome the penalty of the physical conditions.]
Klein sighed. 'Very well.'
His [Scholar of Yore (Grade 7)] was nerfed, yes. But it was still a Trait of a Sequence 3. He couldn't pull a powerful projection...
"From History..." he whispered, pouring every drop of Spirituality.
A figure materialized. Not even an angel. A woman in an elegant, pale-blue dress, holding a parasol. She was beautiful, her smile gentle. Her eyes were like two emeralds.
Audrey Hall.
She looked... faint. Translucent. A [Grade-7] version of a Sequence 4: Manipulator.
The Leviathan opened its maw.
The projection of Audrey smiled sweetly at the beast. Her emerald eyes hypnotizing him.
She didn't attack. She simply used her Beyonder powers. Placate and Hypnosis.
An invisible, spiritual wave washed over the colossal monster.
The Leviathan's rage... stuttered. It blinked its massive, reptilian eyes. It suddenly felt... sleepy. It wasn't so angry anymore. It was confused. Why was it here? It just wanted a nap.
Its head slowly sank back into the water, a confused gurgle rumbling from its throat.
Kim Dokja stared, his jaw on the sand.
"It's one of my companions," Klein corrected, though he was breathing heavily, his Spirituality bar now at zero.
Dokja wasn't in a better situation. Because of his constant game of tag with a giant fish, his magic power also didn't really have time to regenerate.
Not to mention their stats were restricted.
Just as they were about to breathe a sigh of relief...
RRRRRRRUMBLE.
The entire world shook. The island, the sea, the artificial sky. It was a violent, structural earthquake.
Dokja staggered, trying to keep their balance.
Klein on the other side stood perfectly still.
A new window, red and flashing, appeared before them both.
[WARNING! A massive 'Story' is shaking the Tower's foundation!]
['Word Will'…]
[The 'Tutorial' is being destabilized!]
[SYSTEM ERROR!]
The earthquake intensified, and the very fabric of the tutorial zone began to crack.
['Word Will' falls in love with 'Star Stream'!]