I looked down at the tattered dress that clung to my body. Once a pristine garment meant for combat, it was now a ragged relic of my time in the Tower. The vines I used as shoes and gloves only added to the disheveled appearance. I must have looked like a wild wanderer from a distant land, stumbling onto the streets of a city I barely recognized. A few passersby cast curious glances my way, their eyes wide with a mix of pity and suspicion, but I paid them no mind. My heart was pounding with a mix of excitement and dread as I approached the convenience store, my only hope of finding out what had happened while I was gone.
Pushing open the door, I stepped into the store's fluorescent-lit interior. The cool air-conditioned breeze was a sharp contrast to the oppressive heat of the Tower. I made my way to the front desk, my voice trembling as I spoke.
"Umm, hello?" I mumbled awkwardly, my voice barely rising above a whisper.
The clerk behind the counter was a burly man with a stubbly beard and a stern expression. He barely looked up from the magazine he was reading, his disinterest palpable.
"Hello!" I tried again, my voice louder this time, though it still wavered. "Do you mind telling me the date?"
The clerk slowly lowered the magazine and fixed me with a critical stare, as if my appearance was something to be judged. The disdain in his eyes stung, reminding me of all those times I'd been belittled and scorned in my past life. I instinctively wrapped my arms around myself, trying to shield the shame of my appearance from his gaze.
"Haha," he chuckled, his voice dripping with condescension. "It's the 2nd of July."
I stared at him, my heart sinking. "What year?"
"What year? It's 2034."
The words hit me like a physical blow. My mind raced as I tried to process what he had said. I had been hit by the bus in April of 2029, but now it was 2034? I had been gone for five years? The realization was overwhelming, a tidal wave of confusion and despair crashing over me. I stammered out of the store, my legs feeling weak beneath me, and stumbled toward the apartment complex from my past.
The familiar building loomed before me, but it was not as I remembered. The once simple structure was now an imposing, modern edifice. I pushed open the door to the lobby, the sound of the door's creak echoing in the silent space. The front desk was manned by a young woman, her eyes meeting mine with a guarded curiosity.
"Hello!" I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "I was wondering if Jung Ji-ah lives here?"
The woman's eyes hardened slightly, mirroring the disdain of the clerk from the convenience store. "Sorry, we don't give out the names of people who live in this building," she said firmly.
Desperation clawed at me. "Could you just check for me?" I pleaded, holding out one of the precious gems I had earned from my travels. Her eyes widened as she took it, her expression softening.
"Of course," she replied, her tone now more accommodating. She checked the records, her fingers moving quickly over the keyboard. "It looks like no Jung Ji-ah lives here now, but there was someone by that name who lived here around five years ago."
My heart leaped. "Do you know where she is now?"
The woman's face fell. "I'm sorry, but according to the records, she was hit by a truck right in front of the building and passed away."
I stood there, frozen, the weight of her words pressing down on me. It wasn't just a dream; it was real. The pain, the sorrow, the loneliness—I had been through all of it in a world that had seemed so distant, but now it was as real as the pavement beneath my feet. My mind reeled as I thought about the life I had left behind: my family's abandonment, my unrequited love, the harassment I had endured. It was as if the Tower had been a strange but perfect escape from that broken life, a place where I had been powerful, where I had accomplished things I never could have in reality.
But now I was back, and the life I had escaped from had moved on without me.
A sudden scream shattered my thoughts, pulling me back to the present. I rushed outside, my heart racing as I saw the ground shaking beneath me. The street trembled as the asphalt cracked and splintered, the buildings around me beginning to collapse into the widening chasm. People ran past in a frantic panic, their faces masks of fear and urgency. Women clutched their children, and cyclists pedaled desperately, trying to escape the encroaching chaos. The scene was almost absurd, a frantic scramble against an unseen threat.
The source of the commotion became clear as I looked toward the horizon. The ground was heaving and shifting as a colossal structure began to rise from the earth. Emerging from the fissures in the asphalt was a tower of unimaginable size, its form both awe-inspiring and terrifying.
The Tower's base was wide and imposing, made from dark, rough-hewn stone that seemed to absorb the surrounding light rather than reflect it. The structure rose in sharp, angular layers, each tier adorned with intricate carvings that hinted at ancient, forgotten symbols and motifs. Massive spires jutted out from the corners of the building, their tips piercing the sky like the claws of some immense beast. The stone was marbled with veins of deep crimson and eerie blue, glowing faintly as if infused with some malevolent energy.
The architecture was a blend of Gothic grandeur and medieval fortitude. Tall, narrow windows framed with blackened iron seemed to watch the city below, their glass panes glowing with an unnatural light. The tower was crowned with a dark, swirling mist that hovered ominously above, obscuring the top and adding to the overall sense of dread. Lanterns of a strange, eldritch design floated in the air around the structure, casting a pale, ghostly illumination that painted the surrounding streets with eerie shadows.
As the Tower continued to rise, the ground beneath it buckled and split, forming a jagged circle of destruction that extended outward from the base. The roads cracked open and buildings crumbled, swallowed by the expanding chasm. The people below screamed in terror, their frantic movements a desperate attempt to escape the encroaching void.
The Tower finally came to a halt, its vast form dominating the skyline. The sudden stillness was almost as jarring as the chaos that had preceded it. I stood at the edge of the devastation, staring up at the colossal structure that now loomed over the city like a dark sentinel. The sense of foreboding was almost palpable, a heavy weight pressing down on me as the structure's ominous presence filled the sky.
As the Tower reached its final height, a familiar blue screen appeared before me, breaking the silence with its insistent glow:
Welcome to The Tower, Challengers!
You must be feeling confused after witnessing this building emerge from the ground, but don't be surprised! All of you have been signed up to become Challengers who will climb the tower and try to defeat all floors. If you don't, your world will slowly collapse and everyone will die, so you must try your best! And if you run into trouble in the tower and die, then don't worry too much. If you are lucky enough to have a constellation favor you, then you can be revived.
Well, now the first round of Challengers must prepare to leave!
Countdown to departure: 3 hrs 10 min 30 s
The countdown ticked away, and with it came the realization that my journey was far from over. I was no longer simply a wanderer lost between worlds; I was a Challenger once again, facing a new beginning fraught with peril and hope.
The road ahead was uncertain, but as the screen flickered out, I took a deep breath, steeling myself for the challenges that lay beyond the threshold of the Tower.
YOU ARE READING
I Became a Ranker Before Rankers
Fantasy(REWRITING ALL CHAPTERS) Suddenly, I could see bright white lights creeping quickly towards me, so quick that I could only see what it was right before the impact. My weak body was no match for the large transportation bus that would not let anythin...
