[... begin] "What th-" before he could finish his sentence, a light appeared out of nowhere and illuminated his room as he disappeared with the light. Meanwhile, in a cold place with only a few torches to light the place. That was a wide and big place, but there's no people on that place. Suddenly a man's figure appeared out of thin air, he still lying down same as he positioned as before. Yes, he was Daniel. He then stood up and look around in a new place that he himself didn't know. "Where am i?" he started looked right then left, every corner he checked. That place was very quiet and somehow it felt as if there was no one there at all. He looked In front of him, there was a big door that could lead him on a place, but before he deciding to do something, a voice echoed in his mind as hologram screen appear in mid-air. [Congratulations. You are selected to be one of the chosen challenger to challenge Tower of Awakening.] "Challengers? Is it a typical tower novel that i read ba

Daniel leaned his back against the cold cave wall and slowly released his breath. His chest heaved up and down as he gasped for air. Outside the narrow crack, the horrifying sound of clattering bones and clicking jaws had completely faded away. He waited a few more minutes just to make sure. Once the silence returned, he allowed his tense muscles to finally relax. His left shoulder still throbbed from the dagger cut, but he was alive. He had survived the ambush. He touched the wound on his shoulder gently, wincing at the sharp sting. The warm blood on his fingers was a harsh reminder that this was reality, not a virtual game. If he died here, it was over. There would be no respawn point, and he would never see his mother or Olivia again. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. As his breathing slowed down, he started to notice his surroundings. Initially, he thought this was just a shallow hole in the wall, a simple hiding spot to escape the undead monsters outside. But as he loo

He looked at the young man standing in front of him. The spear rested on the ground, but he still harbored a sense of unease. In a death game like this, trusting a stranger was a fatal mistake. "How did you know..." he asked, his voice rough and dry, "... I was from another realm?" Elian smiled and tapped the side of his head. "It is obvious if you know what to look for. Your clothes are made of strange fabrics we do not have in the Ring Cities. Your reaction to everything around here screams beginner. But I will explain everything you want to know. The Hub-World, the Tower system, all the basic information. In exchange, you just need to get along with me. Let's climb up together." He weighed his options. His body was exhausted. His mental fatigue was dangerous, and his rusty sword was already cracked. Walking blind in a massive maze without a guide was suicide. This was his first time meeting a person from another realm after teleporting to the tower, and he needed information. He

The executioner's sword descended with the force of a falling mountain. A dark shadow swallowed his vision. He gritted his teeth. He knew his cracked, rusty sword would shatter into pieces if he tried to block the monstrous guillotine head-on. At the last microsecond, he twisted his wrists. He angled his fragile blade and used his enhanced agility to step out of the direct center of impact. He did not try to stop the blade. He only deflected the flat side of the giant weapon to save his life. Clank! The rusted sword groaned with a metallic screech. Even with the deflection, the kinetic force was overwhelming. A shockwave blasted through his forearms, traveling up his shoulders and straight into his chest. He was thrown backward like a broken ragdoll. He flew through the cold air and rolled across the hard stone floor. The world spun in a blur until his back slammed against a pile of rubble. He coughed, spitting out a mouthful of warm blood. His whole body ached as if he had been r

The warm morning sun felt incredible against his skin. A gentle breeze carried the sweet scent of blooming flowers and freshly brewed coffee. He stood on a perfectly paved driveway, looking up at a massive, three-story luxury estate. The white pillars gleamed in the sunlight, and the lush green lawn was perfectly manicured. Standing right next to him was Olivia. She was wearing a beautiful white dress, her hand resting softly in his, a bright, loving smile on her face. Just a few steps away, Olivia's parents were nodding at him with genuine approval. They had finally accepted him. He had fulfilled their impossible condition. He turned his head to look at the garden, and his heart swelled with an overwhelming sense of peace. His mother was there. She wasn't wearing her faded, worn-out uniform from the minimarket. She was wearing a comfortable, elegant dress, laughing as she watered a bed of vibrant roses. She looked so healthy, so well-rested. There were no more night shifts, no mor