Chapter 4: Chosen as Player.

Rigel stayed on one of the hastily assembled military bases that the government had provided, a haven for the fortunate survivors. Three days had elapsed since the cataclysmic events unfolded, and sleep had become a luxury, for no one knew when the night might bring new terrors.

"What do you think they are? Aliens?" A guy asked his friend who sat next to him as they watched the news.

"Aliens came from outer space, or at least that's what I believe," His friend adjusted his seating, crossing his arms in contemplation. "But those things, they didn't just drop from the sky. It's like they came through some freakin' portals or something. Honestly, I have no clue what the hell they are," he confessed, sighing with a heavy heart.

"Thank God it's almost over, right? If those things keep coming, I don't know what would happen to us," The guy pointed out and took a sip of his coffee. "Two hundred thousand people died because of this in just three days," he continued as he shook his head in disbelief.

Rigel wasn't bothered by the people talking around him since he was busy working out his weak body. He already knew everything, and he was preparing for what was coming for him later.

Everyone found out that the attacks didn't only happen in France, but the whole world was attacked by the same creatures. These creatures appeared to be a blend of prehistoric monstrosities and creatures ripped from the pages of ancient legends and myths.

The second one was that the towers appeared in each country, and they all had the same structure and shape. They were all identical and nobody knew what those were and nobody could enter the towers no matter how hard they tried.

For those who were fantasy novel readers, they believed the situation was something that came out of fantasy novels. They believed those towers were something that could only be entered by Players or Awakeners. Some were excited about it and said something that their prayers were answered, some wished that they were wrong.

"Gather up!" A soldier shouted at all the refugees.

Rigel gathered with the others and looked at the soldier who walked up the podium. A lieutenant colonel stood there and looked at all the refugees.

"As you have heard, the situation is finally under control and we have exterminated almost all the monsters around the country. Under the Minister of Defense order, you're allowed to go back home, and if your house is destroyed, we have prepared a place for you to live temporarily. That's all, you're all dismissed," The lieutenant colonel explained as he looked at everyone and then left.

Rigel grabbed all his stuff and left the base to go to the temporary housing that the government had provided. He remembered in the past that his apartment got destroyed and he had no reason to go back there anymore. He could also work out more in the temporary housing since it had a gym.

A week had passed since the invasion, and Rigel had been working out nonstop. He had gained a bit of muscle and fixed his posture by a lot. He felt his condition was a lot better than ever even though he was still skinny. He didn't waste a minute doing nothing and kept gaining mass and turning it into muscle.

Rigel was eating his salad while watching TV until breaking news appeared. When he listened to the newscaster, he remembered that it was the time when the world discovered Player and System.

"Player is what they called it. We don't know exactly what it is, but as far as we know, these so-called Players are the ones who will save our world," The newscaster said as she locked her gaze on the prompter.

(At the meeting room in the Elysee Palace)

"Are you certain that all of you have the same message?" The Minister of Defense asked as he looked at the six people who had become players.

The first 6 Players from France, 2 women and 4 men sat next to each other. Jessica Garnier, Pregerine Stone, Christoper Rochefort, Maximilian Frost, Octavian Vale, and Theron Locke.

"Yes. It says that we have 52 days before the second wave. We believe what the second wave means is the time when those monsters will appear again," A blue eyes man with slick long blonde hair answered as he nodded his head. His name was Maximilian Frost.

The Minister of Defense, the General, and the President looked at each other with worried expressions.

"Not only that, but we also received an invitation as a Player the moment this panel appeared," A green eyes woman with short black hair added as she looked at the other Players next to her. Her name was Pregerine Stone.

"Invitation?" The president asked with his eyebrows furrowed.

"To enter the tower. It's called the Tower of Player," A gray eyes man with gray hair answered. His name was Theron Locke. "I think if we touched the gate of the tower, it would open up for us," he continued.

They discussed this for an hour until they decided to give them permission to enter the tower. Everyone was curious about what was inside the tower, and so they all went there to check it out.

The 6 players who arrived in front of the tower were asked by reporters, but the soldiers blocked them. The 6 of them with a few people stood in front of the gate, and then the players touched the gate.

The gate slowly opened inward and a strong wind blew right at them. They only saw a massive hall with pillars that supported the ceiling, and so they all walked in.

"Wait! We can't get inside!" A man said as an invisible barrier stopped him from entering.

He wasn't the only one, but everyone that was with the Players couldn't enter the gate. The players looked at each other with confused looks, so they tried to get out but they were also trapped inside.

The Players started to panic, but then they saw a bright light appear from behind them. They turned around and saw a gate appear on the wall, and 10 people entered the tower. Not long after that, more and more people came into the tower from gates that appeared on the wall.

After asking each other questions, they found out that all the towers around the world were connected. It became viral when they found out about the tower and what it was for, and what made it viral was the message that all players received when entering the tower.

"Trial of Players," Rigel said as he did some push-ups as he stared at the TV. "A hundred Players are required to start the Trial, and the purpose is to train Players to fight the upcoming disasters that will happen," Rigel continued.

Rigel looked at himself in the mirror and looked at his body transformation. His body was screaming because every part of his body was sore. He wasn't satisfied with the result and kept working out nonstop because he didn't have much time left.

(Six months later)

Rigel got out of the shower and covered his bottom half with a towel. He looked at himself in the mirror with his muscular body and how he became taller from just working out. He was currently 17 years old and he was glad that he had become taller compared to his past life.

He looked at the news and saw the monsters had occupied the majority of the country. The other countries in Europe were having a similar problem. He remembered in his past life that all European countries got annihilated, leaving only a few survivors from each country five years in the future.

When Rigel was deep in thought, a notification appeared in front of him in the form of a hologram screen. He looked at it and he had been waiting for that notification to appear for the last few days.

[Congratulations! You have been chosen as Player!]

[You are invited to enter the Tower of Players! You have 59 Days, 14 Hours, and 32 Seconds before the final wave or the invitation will be invalid!]

Rigel's cold expression when he read the notification showed his anger and hatred. He remembered the hardship he went through to reach the tower but later he got his status as a Player revoked by the system.

"Two months. I still have two months to improve myself," Rigel said as he closed the screen window and continued working out.