The world shifted. The neon glare of the Game Center dissolved into a piercing, natural blue. Klein materialized on a vast, rolling grassland. The wind carried the scent of grass and distant ozone. It was beautiful—a picture-perfect fantasy landscape.
[Welcome to 8-1F, 'Field of Trials'.]
[You gain the first-entrance rewards.]
—Your bones become sturdier.
—Your muscles become thicker.
—Your spirituality capacity increases.
Klein flexed his gloved hand.
He felt the density of his spirit body increase, a subtle reinforcement provided by the Tower's laws.
"Two hundred kilometers," Klein muttered, judging the distance to the horizon. "And I assume this peaceful scenery is a lie."
He didn't have a magical horse like Hajin.
He didn't have the infinite mana of a constellation like Dokja.
But he had [Hunger of the Digital Void].
The sleek black surface hummed.
The glove activated, turning transparent.
[Soul Selected: File 4 - Traveler]
He gripped his imaginary cane(he decided that he'll definitely ask Hajin to make him one) and slashed the air.
Riiiip.
Space tore open.
Not into the void, but into the Spirit World.
Klein stepped through.
He expected the familiar chaotic sea of colors, the seven lustrous lights that governed the spirit realm of his world.
He found... chaos.
Absolute, unadulterated chaos.
There were no Seven Lights.
There were no distinct spirit creatures he recognized.
Instead, the Spirit World of the Tower was a swirling storm of fragmented data, ancient mana, and twisted, unfinished concepts.
[System Alert]
[You have entered the Hidden Floor: 0F (The Tower's Root).]
"Zero Floor?" Klein's eyes narrowed. Countless shapeless monsters—glitches in the spiritual fabric—surged toward him. Traps made of broken code and wild magic snapped at his heels. It was a hostile, unfinished dimension.
Klein tapped his glabella.
Suddenly, one of Klein's traits reacted.
[Master of the Spirit World]
A ripple of invisible authority spread from him.
Klein felt his own existence ripping apart in all direction.
Klein's lips moved by themselves.
It wasn't a roar; it was a command.
"I am the Lord of this domain."
'What's happening, I'm losing control of my body..?'
The swirling chaos froze.
The monsters—amalgamations of polygon textures and spirit mist—shrieked and scattered.
The spiritual traps dismantled themselves, clearing a path for the King.
He felt his body relax, regaining control. He inspected his hands and body.
'Hm… Nothing is wrong, isn't it?'
He moved hesitantly. Nothing like that happened when he entered Spirit World before.
"It is... unstable," Klein observed, walking through the void. "This Spirit World feels young here. Chaotic. As if it was born only recently and hasn't settled."
It was an instinct.
He couldn't stand seeing such a disorderly Spirit World.
'Wait, I can stand it! What am I doing?' his body moved by itself.
He raised his hand. He poured his Spirituality—now enhanced by the Tower's reward and the Neurotech Chip's processing—into the void.
His glove started emitting a sinister and noble blackness.
"Chaos is prohibited here."
He created new order, spreading all of his Spirituality. Worms of Spirit flew in all direction.
[Your digestion accelerates!]
[You have fulfilled countless Wishes of the Souls trapped inside Tower's Root!]
[The Tower of Wish has detected an anomaly in the spiritual domain.]
[You have acquired a new technique!]
===
[Spirituality Control]
[Description: Through continued refinement of his Spirit Body the user has gained the ability to manipulate, compress, and stabilize his spirituality with markedly greater precision.]
○ Improved Spiritual Vibration Alignment
—Allows the user to modulate spiritual waves with minimal loss.
—Reduces the risk of spiritual deviation.
○ Expanded Spiritual Reservoir
—Total spirituality capacity increased by 27%.
===
Hummm.
The 0F responded.
The storm calmed.
The colors began to separate into organized spectrums.
But as the Spirit World stabilized, something else resonated with it.
Something deep inside Klein.
"...I'm gonna help you… a little bit…"
Ravings. Familiar, yet terrifyingly unfamiliar. They didn't come from the glove.
They came from him.
From the Sefirah Castle that was bonded to his soul.
Was it because the barrier dividing Demon Realm and Human Realm thinning or because of this ravings, Klein could feel his connection with Sefirah Castle clearer now.
It wasn't the prayers of Tarot Club.
It was a murmur of madness, ancient and possessive.
[System Warning!]
[Resonance detected.]
[Synchronization Rate: 10%]
Klein staggered, clutching his head.
The Neurotech Chip in his wrist burned hot.
[Self Sense: Active. Isolating intrusion.]
[Sanity Firewall: Redirecting mental load.]
"'He' is awakening," Klein gasped, his face pale. "The Tower's Spirit World... it resonates with the Sefirah."
He forced himself to stop channeling.
All of the Worms of Spirit came back to him.
The ravings subsided to a dull whisper.
He didn't dare linger.
He slashed the air again and stepped back into reality.
He emerged from the void 200 kilometers from the start. In front of him stood a massive wall. An army of soldiers stood guard, their armor gleaming under the artificial sun. At the center stood a general, radiating an aura of unyielding steel.
Kipha.
Klein slowed to a walk, dusting off his suit.
He checked his digestion.
[Miracle Invoker Digestion: 100%]
===
「Miracle Invoker」
[Angel rank] [Spirit attribute] [Grade 2 – Proficiency EXP: 100%]
===
"Wtf?" he cursed out loud, "How is it possible?"
Klein would normally be happy that he digested the potion so easily. But that voice… Klein couldn't stop thinking about 'Him'. It was obviously the previous owner of the Sefirah Castle.
He sighed and started looking around.
He approached the gate.
"Halt," Kipha boomed, his voice like grinding stones. He didn't draw his sword, but the pressure he exerted was heavy. "Outsiders are not permitted to pass without proving their worth. This is the Field of Trials. Show me your—"
Klein didn't let him finish.
— Lv.1 Dignity activated.
"General," Klein said, his voice soft but carrying an immense, heavy pressure. It was the tone of a entity used to being obeyed by angels. "I am not here to play games. I have an appointment."
He raised his hand. A bag of gold coins materialized.
"1,000 TP," Klein said calmly. "Consider it a... consultation fee. You tested me. I passed. We save time."
—Lv.3 Haggling activated.
Kipha flinched. He looked at the man in the top hat. He didn't see a warrior. He saw a shadow. A shadow that loomed taller than the bulwark itself. The 'Haggling' technique exposed the NPC's hidden value: He values efficiency and authority. The 'Dignity' technique made Klein's offer feel not like a bribe, but like a mercy.
"You..." Kipha gripped his sword, sweat beading on his forehead. "Who... are you?"
"A traveler," Klein said, tipping his hat. "May I pass?"
It wasn't a question. It was a statement of fact. Kipha stepped aside, his instincts screaming that blocking this man was death. "The stairway... is behind me."
Klein climbed the stairs.
[Welcome to 8-2F, Crevon's Eastern Fortress.]
It was a massive city-fortress, buzzing with Players training and completing quests.
He remembered Hajin's words.
He walked straight past the quest givers, past the training grounds, and found the exit gate to the mainland. He didn't stop to fight. He didn't stop to grind. He simply walked through the gate.
[You are entering 8-3F: Crevon Mainland.]
The scenery shifted again.
A sprawling metropolis of stone and iron, advanced yet archaic.
Airships floated in the sky, powered by magic engines.
[System Alert]
[Your Tower stats have exceeded the limits of your original ones.]
Klein clenched his fist. He felt it.
He hailed a carriage. "To the Ironblood Duchess' Mansion."
The mansion was a fortress in disguise.
Knights guarded the gate.
"Halt. Identity?" Klein pulled out the [VIP Certificate] Hajin had left for him.
The knights' eyes widened.
They bowed low.
"Welcome, Honored Guest. The Duchess is expecting you."
Klein was led through endless corridors to an office.
The door opened.
Sitting behind a desk, looking bored and dangerous, was a woman with brown skin and sharp eyes.
Tomer.
She looked up as Klein entered. She scanned him—the suit, the armor, the hat.
"You have... interesting fashion sense," she drawled.
"Time was short," Klein replied, taking a seat uninvited.
"I heard," Tomer sighed, leaning back. "Our mutual friend... he is quite annoying, isn't he? Communication is not his strong suit. 'I'll be back,' he says. 'Train them,' he says. And then he vanishes."
"He probably had... complications," Klein said diplomatically.
"Normally, I would throw you into the training grounds and beat you until you were strong enough as he asked... But we don't have time for that. The Arc starts in... what, 28 hours?"
"Yes."
"Then physical training is useless," Tomer decided. "He caused this mess, so that's his problems, not mine, isn't it?." She grabbed her coat. "Follow me. We're going to the Atalos Royal Palace."
"The Palace?"
"The Library," Tomer corrected. "You'll need to fill in your empty skill slots."
The library was a cathedral of books. Rows upon rows of glowing spines stretched to the ceiling. The scent of old paper and magic filled the air. Klein felt a twitch in his spirituality. Knowledge. This was his domain.
Tomer stopped in the center of the hall. She looked at Klein, then looked around the empty space behind him. She frowned.
"Oh, right." She tapped her chin. "There were supposed to be two of you."
She looked at the heavy oak doors of the library. "Where is the other one?"