The night before the Tower's opening was quieter than it should've been.
Seoul was a wounded giant, lights flickering across shattered streets and buildings half-collapsed from the pressure waves earlier. Rescue drones still hummed above the city. Sirens flashed in the distance. But inside the emergency shelter beneath the government complex, Seo Joon sat at the edge of his cot, hands pressed together, staring at the faint pulse of the Summon Gate hovering above his palm.
It flickered in and out like a heartbeat.
He hadn't slept. Most candidates hadn't. Every few minutes someone woke up gasping from nightmares or quietly sobbed into their blanket. The fear wasn't loud—it was a kind of silent heaviness that pressed down on the entire room. Everyone knew tomorrow wasn't an "entrance exam." People would die. Some of them in this very room.
Joon closed his eyes and breathed slowly, trying to still the trembling in his fingers. The memories of the day replayed in flashes—the appearance of the Tower, the way reality cracked, the moment the system chose him… and the way his first summon had failed.
He couldn't afford failure again.
A quiet footstep approached. Joon looked up to see Lieutenant Kang, the government officer who had guided them earlier. He held a data tablet under one arm, but his usually sharp military expression had softened.
"You haven't rested," Kang said.
"Can't," Joon answered honestly.
Kang exhaled and sat beside him. "Fear is normal. Only the insane walk into the unknown without feeling anything."
"But I'm not scared of the Tower," Joon said softly. "I'm scared of the responsibility."
Kang glanced at him. "Most candidates fear dying. You fear failing others."
Joon didn't respond, but Kang didn't need him to.
"There's something you need to know." The lieutenant swiped across his tablet and showed a holographic list. Names, faces, countries.
"Global Candidate Ranking," Kang explained. "The Tower assigned these based on unknown criteria. Strength? Potential? Fate? Nobody knows."
Joon scanned the list, expecting hundreds of names. Instead, he froze.
Only twelve.
Twelve candidates worldwide were marked with an emblem of golden flame—the highest grade.
Rank 1: Seo Joon — Korea
Rank 2: Waqar Ibrahim — Pakistan
Rank 3: Maya Albrecht — Germany
Rank 4: Jian Ren — China
Rank 5: Aadhira Prasad — India
… and so on.
His throat tightened.
"I… I'm first?" he whispered.
"You didn't know?" Kang blinked. "You're the only unique-rate Summoner worldwide. There has never been anything like your ability in the system records."
Joon stared at the glowing list, part confusion, part disbelief, part dread.
Being Rank 1 wasn't an honor.
It was a curse.
Kang stood. "Don't misunderstand. You're not stronger than anyone yet. You're simply… more important. Whatever happens in that Tower, your actions will influence the entire world."
Joon looked away. "I didn't ask for that."
"Nobody did."
Before Kang left, he placed a firm hand on Joon's shoulder. "Just survive tomorrow. Everything else can wait."
The room returned to silence, but Joon's heartbeat didn't. He lay back on the cot and watched the faint blue glow of the Summon Gate drifting like haze above him. He thought of Waqar—the Pakistani ranker he saw on the broadcast. The man looked like someone who had already walked through storms and didn't fear being struck by lightning again.
If Waqar was Rank 2, then Joon wasn't alone.
Somewhere out there, people who were just as confused, just as scared, were preparing the same way.
Joon finally closed his eyes and whispered to himself, "Tomorrow… I'll make my first real summon."
Sleep took him slowly.
Morning came violently.
The shelter lights snapped on, alarms blaring. Officers ran down the hall shouting instructions.
"All candidates! Move to Gate Platform immediately!"
Joon jerked awake, heart hammering. The Summon Gate flared inside his hand as if reacting to the call.
He grabbed his jacket, tightened the straps, and joined the rushing crowd.
When he stepped outside, the sight hit him like a physical force.
Above Seoul, the Tower had descended.
Not metaphorically—literally lowered itself like a colossal, upside-down monolith breaking through the clouds. Its surface writhed with shifting runes. A hum filled the air, so deep it made bones vibrate.
A second system message appeared in the sky for all to see.
[TOWER OF FATE — ENTRY PHASE INITIATING]
[All Candidates: Report to your national entrance]
Joon's throat went dry. He followed the officers to a military platform set before the obsidian entrance. Candidates gathered in rows, their breaths sharp, their eyes unfocused.
Kang stepped forward and saluted them. "Korea stands with you. Make it back alive."
The Tower's door opened without sound.
A pull washed over Joon. Not force… invitation.
He stepped toward the entrance. His Summon Gate pulsed brilliantly for the first time, as if recognizing its birthplace.
Joon whispered, "This is it."
And the Tower swallowed him whole.