A notebook?

Zane extended his fist behind his back, preparing to land another punch on the tree. His hands were already going numb, coated in his blood, but he didn't dare to stop.

He had to become much more powerful. This was still not enough. As he plummeted even more hits upon the target, he noticed some of its surface deforming. Great. At least some progress.

"Zane. What are you doing?" Zane heard a voice calling him from the rear as he unwillingly stopped. Silently, he turned away to see Andrew approaching him. He had a solid jawline, short dark hair, and a grin, missing a few teeth. His unfortunate genetics caused him to be quite short, hence making his chances of surviving the upcoming war less probable.

"Training," Zane answered idly, then turned back around to land another punch on the tree.

"Hitting the tree until your hands bleed won't make you stronger," Andrew said, putting his hand on Zane's shoulder. "You will simply break your fingers if you keep going at it. How are you going to survive in a war with crippled hands?"

"Most of the newbie soldiers die in their first battle because they aren't prepared for physical pain," Zane mumbled, landing another punch on the tree, which was already covered in his blood.

"Enough, Zane." Andrew grabbed Zane by the hand, forcing him to stop in his tracks. "This is useless! Just listen to your friend for once!"

"Release my hand." Zane looked Andrew straight in the eyes, hatred arising from deep within. Reluctantly, but Andrew stepped away. "So, what do you want me to do? Simply sit around and do nothing like our entire unit?"

"Our commander will come to our camp this evening and some of us will have the opportunity to spar with him." Andrew grabbed a few leaves from the ground, putting them onto Zane's hands. "Sparring with someone is better than endlessly hitting a tree."

Zane nodded, wiping the blood from his knuckles.

"I know you are feeling angry. Everyone does." Andrew reached for his belt, taking out a rusted dagger from underneath the ripped clothing. "Next time you come here, at least use this dagger. Its quality maybe not be the best, but it's much better than nothing."

"You..." Zane reluctantly extended his hand and grasped the dagger, feeling its hilt within his palm. Since the war against Vidin Empire began, the resources have been sparse, and even the poorest weapons were indispensable. It was a gift that Zane wouldn't easily forget.

"Thank you... I will definitely pay you back." Zane whispered.

"No need, I have found this dagger near our camp, so it's not like it cost me anything," Andrew smiled, turning away to leave. "Besides, we are childhood friends."

"Yeah..." Zane also forced out a smile, though his eyes conveyed immeasurable sadness. As his gaze followed Andrew's retreating figure, Zane couldn't help but remember his family. Most importantly, he remembered the fear in their eyes as Vidin's soldiers killed them one after another.

If only he had a soul power, his family would have still been alive.

"This is still not enough. I need to train more." Zane grabbed his new weapon by its hilt, scrutinizing it. It was certainly not of the best quality and it was quite compact compared to a normal sword. However, if he could master how to use it and make use of its shortcoming, then it would certainly be a deadly weapon.

"Now, I can really start training." Zane tried to strike the tree first, almost feeling the dagger slip out of his hands from the force. It certainly wasn't as easy as he expected. Beforehand, he only used plank weapons whose weight didn't compare at all.

As more and more time passed, Zane finally felt some progress. The sun already disappeared from the horizon, and the evening was nearing. Sparing against the commander was definitely a great opportunity, and Zane wouldn't miss it.

"I should go." Zane hid the weapon underneath his belt, hoping that no one would see it. There were a lot of desperate people in the army, and they would definitely try to steal the dagger if they saw it.

Zane was already ready to depart from the place when something caught his attention in the distance. From the corner of his eyes, he saw a notebook falling from the sky... What?

Subconsciously, he walked towards the place where it fell. Perhaps it was stuck in-between the branches, but what was it doing there in the first place?

Zane picked the notebook up, brushing away the accumulated soil on its cover. "The path to godhood." Zane read aloud, noting that the title was indeed quite interesting. Instead of caring about its contents, Zane was more interested in the notebook's condition.

Paper had become quite a luxurious material since the war began, so maybe Zane could make some profit off of it. Taking a deep breath, Zane opened the first page.

Immediately, a huge sparkle of light blinded his eyes, forcing him to hit the ground with his back. Reacting accordingly, Zane grabbed his dagger and prepared to defend himself. Did he get ambushed?

Zane blinked with his eyes a few times, trying to retrieve his vision from this blurriness. However, the sight that greeted him was entirely different. He was no longer in the forest and no longer felt the grass pressing against his back. Hell, even the notebook disappeared.

'Ambushed and kidnapped?' Zane thought, slowly standing up to inspect the surroundings. Currently, he stood in the middle of a strange room, which didn't have any doors or windows, and the walls were made of cement.

'A hallucination?' Zane still didn't comprehend the current situation, but someone affecting his mind with their soul powers was the most probable option. He had to stay calm and get out of this place as soon as possible. Maybe the enemy was already eager to attack his motionless body.

A screen suddenly popped out in front of him as he instantly struck it with his dagger, assuming it was the enemy. It passed through the translucent screen, causing no changes, and it continued to hover over the ground.

'Just what the hell is happening?' Zane frowned, panting as he retracted his weapon back. Not knowing what else to do, Zane read the sentence forming on the screen.

[Welcome to the Multiverse Tower!]