Return of The Sword King

"The Olympus Guild is going to raid the 75th floor in a month."

"The guild master confirmed the rumors that were spreading."

"Well, we wish the Olympus Guild the best of luck."

...

In a medium-sized apartment, Arya, a 16-year-old boy, was watching the broadcast about the upcoming raid on the 75th floor.

But Arya's focus was elsewhere; his eyes were hazy, and soon tears started falling from them.

'Ahhhhhh!! The end is upon us!!'

"Wh-what's happening?!"

'Save me!..please save me...!!'

"W-who are these...?!"

'90% of the population is annihilated.'

"...people?!"

'The Rank 7 Player, 'Sword King', died while protecting the people.'

'The saintess too died in the latest ma...!!'

'If only I had one more chance...!!!'

'Granted.'

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.... What's happening? What are these memories?!"

And soon he lost consciousness.

.....

Fifty years ago, a mythical tower suddenly appeared in the world. With the tower came the mythical energy 'Mana' and the 'Gates'.

'Gates' are the name given to the dimensional portals that started appearing all over the world. They were circular portals.

Whoever entered these gates didn't come back, and after a certain time, monsters started emerging from them, killing the people around them.

Modern weapons worked somewhat on the monsters that appeared initially, but they stopped being effective when stronger monsters started appearing.

But not everything was lost. The people who mysteriously disappeared when the tower appeared came back from these towers with superpowers to fight these monsters.

They told the people how they had to pass trials to gain access to the mythical energy 'Mana' from the tower. Humans then gained the ability to fight these monsters.

At first, the government tried to force the people who gained these powers, now called 'Players', into submission, which initially succeeded.

But as they climbed higher in the tower, they gained more power. When they realized they had enough strength, they fought back and won.

This started the new age of Players, where the main profession became that of a player. Many guilds were formed.

New government bodies were established, and many new kingdoms, republics, and empires were formed.

Now, fifty years have passed since the tower first appeared, and the human beings of Earth have reached the 75th floor of the 100 floors present in the tower.

...

"Ah-ah," Arya, who had lost consciousness due to the sudden influx of unknown memories, woke up and started recalling what had just happened.

"How am I still alive? I clearly remember we lost, and human beings on planet Earth perished! We lost! So, how?!"

"Onto the next big headline: The Asgard Guild's Guild Master announces their new S Class player."

As Arya was thinking about the situation, he heard the voice of the news anchor from the television in the room he was in.

He looked towards the TV screen and saw someone he knew very well.

"Benjamin!!!" Arya shouted as he recalled the memories of this certain person.

"Because of your foolishness, we lost!!"

"Benjamin, the rising star, the new S Rank player. He is already an S Rank at just 22 this year."

"Wait, Benjamin just joined Asgard?! And is only an S rank?! What's happening?!" Arya was very confused. He couldn't come to terms with what was happening.

First, he had memories of everyone, including him, dying, then this news of this bastard 'Benjamin' being young and just joining the Asgard guild.

As Arya looked around, he noticed his surroundings.

"This is my old apartment. But I lost it a decade ago? So how?!"

He hurriedly picked up his mobile phone from the table and looked at the date.

[15 January 2090.]

"This..!! How is this possible? I regressed 10 years ago. Wait, does that mean I can save everyone?"

He couldn't believe it. He was back in time.

And three months before he entered the tower too.

"I will save everyone. This is my second chance. I won't let it go to waste!"

Arya decided that he would not let Earth get destroyed once again. He would become strong enough to protect the world.

Arya decided to first create a plan to become strong enough to accomplish what he couldn't in the past.

He got up and started walking into his study room.

...

"So, I have three months before I enter the tower."

[15 April 2090]

Arya marked this date on his phone.

This is the date when those who are selected to climb the tower receive the invitations for the tutorial stage each year.

Arya received one in his last life, but he didn't perform well, which he later regretted.

But not this time. He decided to work out for the next three months and achieve the best results possible.

Arya looked at himself in the mirror. He was tall, standing at 6'2" (187 cm), but he was skinny-fat, having stopped caring about his body since that incident.

So, he created a fitness plan for the upcoming three months that focused on stamina and explosive power, not on increasing his power or anything.

...

[14 April 2090]

[11:59]

Arya looked at the time on his mobile phone. Only one minute remained.

It had been three months since his regression, and during this time, he was fully focused on himself and his future plans. He considered how he would use many future events to his advantage.

He followed the training plan he created, which showed its effects. He was no longer a skinny-fat guy; he had a fit physique without even an ounce of fat.

*Ding*

[00:00]

[You have been selected as a 'Player' to climb the tower. Do you want to join the tutorial and climb the tower?]

[Y/N]

Suddenly, a blue screen appeared in front of Arya, inviting him to join the tower.

Arya didn't wait long and pressed 'Yes'.

Then something astonishing happened to Arya. His body started disappearing, and soon he vanished from the room. His mobile phone, which was in his hand, fell to the floor.

.....

In a ruined city with broken buildings and old houses, as if the place had just faced a calamity...

Throughout the city, many 16-17-year-old boys and girls started appearing at random places.

One of them was Arya. He was in a street with a few tall but broken buildings in the surroundings.

When he looked around, he also found a subway around the corner.

But before he could do anything else, an announcement rang throughout the city.

[Welcome Players to the first tutorial.]

[This is the first tutorial stage. The goal of this stage is 'survival'.]

[Sector - 12670]

[Participants - 10000]

[Random weapons will be provided.]

[Survive for the next two hours.]

[You can check your status windows by saying the word 'status' either out loud or in your mind.]

[Your time starts now.]

[01:59:59]

As soon as the announcement was completed, a big red screen with the remaining time appeared in the air.

Everyone suddenly got a random weapon like a dagger, sword, axe, hammer, etc.

"Gah- Gah"

Before even a second passed, zombie hordes appeared all over the ruined city.

Everyone looked at the time and started running towards the buildings and houses to hide for the next two hours.

Arya received a sword as his random weapon.