Return (1)

A clamor arose in the white room that was now filled with more people than anyone could reasonably count.

Shrill cries of anger and fear rang heavily on Otto's ears. He opened his eyes and glanced around.

"Let me out! Let me OUT!!!"

"I want to go home!"

"Dolly, where are you? Honey, yell if you can hear me!"

Despite the piercing racket and the acrid smell of sweat and urine permeating the stoic white walls, Otto's face bore a barely discernible smile.

'I made it.'

'Right as I was summoned to the Tower.'

Shouts rang out louder and louder in the room as mass panic began to set in. It was only natural.

These thousands of people were all kidnapped here with no warning and no explanation, utterly powerless to resist the summons. People of all ages, skin colors, and nationalities crowded the room.

The only commonality among them was the expressions of anger and terror on their faces.

Otto saw countless people in formal business wear, but just as many were wearing pajamas or rags. A few men were summoned completely naked, alarming a few nearby women.

The Tower did not discriminate when it summoned its challengers.

Otto was one of the very few who was completely relaxed in the tense atmosphere. He didn't react to the hysteria or panic, and stared directly in front of him with blue eyes that were still as a lake.

He was waiting.

Soon, his wait was over. The clamor died down as many widened their eyes in sheer shock.

A translucent panel appeared in front of Otto.

[Welcome to the <Tower>. Would you like the introduction?]

Whether out of nostalgia, curiosity, suspicion, hope, or some other unknown emotion, Otto thought in the affirmative while others violently recoiled or flailed in confusion at the unknown prompt.

[The <Tower> has 100 floors.

On each floor you must complete a mission.

Successful completion earns rewards.

Failure begets punishment.

You have been given three lives.

Struggle and fight to the top!]

A lacking introduction, by anyone's standards.

But Otto wasn't confused at all. He knew what he was here for.

He let out a wry laugh.

Didn't he come back for this exact purpose?

After all, he had been through all of this once already.

This wasn't his 'first' life.

Otto pulled up his <Status Screen> before a prompt appeared once again.

Please input your name.

'Toto.'

He used an anagram. Not because of any particular desire to remain anonymous or any grand goal that must not be associated with himself.

It was simply a name that he quite enjoyed. After so many years, Otto had long forgotten its popular association with Dorothy's dog.

That wasn't the only thing he had forgotten, either.

By now, most of his memories from before the <Tower> were hazy and indistinct. It was because his time in the <Tower> was intense enough to override those memories.

That was just the kind of place the <Tower> was.

Otto couldn't help but let out a smile as the <Tower> accepted his name.

He pulled open his <Status Screen>.

<Toto>

New Summoned

<Attributes>

Strength 1

Speed 1

Stamina 1

Sturdiness 1

<Innate Trait>

Multitask Level 1

Despite knowing it would happen, Otto still let out a small sigh when he actually took a look.

His incredible status screen, full of super high attributes fit for a king, spells galore, and at least eight additional traits!

All gone in the blink of an eye!

Well, he did sigh, but Otto wasn't truly unhappy.

Perhaps only now, after concrete confirmation from the <Tower> could he truly accept it.

The <Tower> was many things, but Otto knew it never lied.

He had really returned to the past!

An irrepressible wave of emotion overtook him. Nostalgia for his days of struggle in the <Tutorial>, sadness at all the comrades he had lost, and an unshakeable hope for the future burdened his new young heart.

Otto smiled joyfully and didn't bother to hold himself back from letting out a bright laugh.

Yes! He deserved this laugh. Otto was really back!

His laugh was jarring in the tense atmosphere surrounding the new summoned. Otto noticed looks of disgust and worry, mixed with slight disdain on the faces of those around him.

He knew what they were thinking.

'How did I get put next to a crazy guy?'

Otto quickly calmed down from his joy and raised his eyebrow challengingly at the people who were still inching away from him. They looked awkward at being caught and stopped moving.

Inwardly, Otto rolled his eyes.

'These folks are too fragile. Hive mind will be the death of them.'

But it wasn't any of his business. There were too many people here to care too much about anyone in particular.

The first floor of the <Tower> was not an official floor. Rather, it was exclusively used by the newly summoned to help them adapt to the tower.

But Otto knew it served another purpose.

To weed out the weak.

Almost a full third of the people here would lose all three of their lives in the <Tutorial> floor, the floor for the initiates. Most of the rest would die at least once.

This wasn't because the tower was particularly harsh on this floor, either. If anything, it was the most forgiving.

Rather, it was them who were unable to adapt so quickly to the cruel world of the tower and their weak-minded behaviors served them exceedingly poorly once they arrived.

But it was said that humans were nothing if not adaptable. Otto agreed with that sentiment; he had seen it personally, more times than he could count.

Even if he viewed them with disdain right now, he would never, could never, look down on their potential.

He himself was a perfect example, right?

Another prompt appeared in his vision.

[Please choose a personal trait.]

<TRAITS>

<Savvy Hunter>

<Tough Bones>

<Will to Live>

<Keen Perception>

<Magic Enthusiast>

<Speed Runner>

<Stamina Boost>

…

…

…

<Crazy Inventor>

<Postpone Trait Selection>

Otto merely gave the long list a glance before resolutely selecting the final choice.

'Postpone Trait Selection.' It meant he wouldn't be able to choose anything now, in return for a better choice of trait after he passed the 10th floor.

Frankly, these basic level traits might be useful now, but in the long run, they would be of little help to Otto, who would grow past them in an instant.

It would be better to exchange it with a superior trait in the future.

He couldn't deny he felt a little heartache at the loss of even a single trait. At this stage of the game, any trait, no matter how basic, was effective.

Otto's thoughts were interrupted by a hesitant voice.

"Uhm, excuse me, mister?"

A boy's face entered his eyes. He looked no older than fifteen, his face carrying a trace of baby fat that would quickly be gone after a year or so. Perhaps sooner, now that he was in the <Tower>.

He had blonde hair and was wearing a reasonably stylish outfit with a black jacket and well-fitted grey jeans.

Otto also couldn't judge his origin by the language he spoke; universal translation was one of the first features the <Tower> implemented in the brains of the new summoned.

Otto spoke neutrally for now.

"Hello, can I help you?"

The boy looked a little awkward at first, but he soon gained a bit of courage after scanning his surroundings and managed to speak.

"My name's Elliott. Err, actually, I'm not sure if it's right, but…"

His voice abruptly got quieter,

"I wanted to see if you could help me, you know, uh, pick a trait? Or give me some advice? Or something?"

He fiddled with his fingers awkwardly as Otto's eyes seemed to pierce right through his inner thoughts to the deepest parts of his soul.

Elliott felt totally naked before that gaze, but he managed to stand his ground.

He heard a chuckle.

"I see. What's your innate trait?"

Elliott's face reddened instantly: he'd been found out.

At first, he felt unsure approaching a boy who was probably only a bit older than he himself was (Otto himself forgot that he looked no older than 18), but his <Intuition> was sending surefire signals in the boy's direction.

By the boy's reaction, Elliott thought he'd made the right bet. Now it was only the question of whether this boy was willing to help him?

His brain turned and he decided to be honest. Perhaps this was his intuition working behind the scenes as well…

"Um, I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to take advantage of you or anything, uh, my trait is called <Survivor's Intuition>. Err, it's pretty vague, but it says it helps me find the best path to survive, I guess?"

Otto nodded, feeling rather impressed at the young brat who was so decisive in his actions- even willing to go so far as to ask for help from a stranger who looked no older than himself.

Otto smiled.

He liked this kind of person. This boy could survive for a long time.

"Haha. Excellent, it's an excellent trait. Okay. I agree. I'll help you a bit."

"Thank you, mister!"

"Call me Otto."

"Thanks Otto!"

"No problem. Let's start with some basic information. The <Tutorial>, where we're headed soon, is full of danger. To live, you'll need to complete a mission. Mission difficulty depends on your own choice."

He looked at the boy to make sure he was paying attention.

"Follow me so far?"

Elliott nodded, and Otto continued,

"There are many methods to complete the <Tower> missions, but the one place I'm sure you'll never go wrong is to invest in combat.

In other words, you want a <Trait> that will help you fight."

Elliott nodded slowly. The information was basic, but it could very well be a key to survival in the future. His intuition was also telling him to pay a lot of attention to these words.

"I don't know how to fight."

Otto chuckled. Most people in the modern era on Earth didn't know how to fight. No matter. They would soon be forced to learn. Or die trying.

"For now, you don't need to."

Elliott perked up.

"After <Trait> selection, in around an hour or so, you'll be faced with another choice. It'll ask you what type of <Class> you want. No matter what you pick, you'll gain a few useful skills."

"What's a class?"

Otto thought for a second.

"You'll be asked how you want to fight in the future.

Crushing monsters with bludgeon blows?

Elegant martial arts using your hands and feet?

Orderly swordsmanship to cut enemies down?

One strike backstab as a fatal attack?

Shooting arrows or magic from afar?

Each of these has an archetype for a <Class> which you can select after your <Trait>."

Elliott's eyes were wide.

"Magic? It's really possible to learn magic?"

Otto nodded. His tone was stern.

"Of course. Even pure-physical classes have a resource called 'Energy' they can use to perform superhuman skills, which, to us modern humans, would be similar to magic."

Technically, Otto was not really a 'modern human' after being steeped in climber culture for so many years. Well, what this kid didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

"I can really learn magic!"

Elliott was thrilled. Well, it was to be expected. He was, what, fifteen?

"Indeed. You'll have to carefully think about which type of class you want to choose. Though your selection here is NOT your official class, it will still affect your options after the <Tutorial>."

"As for you…I would recommend a pure magic type class. If you follow my advice, take one of the following two <Traits>:

<Mana Sensor> or <Mana Control Talent>. Both will help you cast magic a bit, so you won't be so completely defenseless."

There was some confusion in Elliott's gaze, but Otto didn't intend to explain that he could see that Elliott would be talented in manipulating mana, the resource used to cast magic in the tower.

Giving some basic advice was one thing, but spending too much time and effort on guiding someone required a concerted decision that, for now, Otto didn't intend to make.

Plus, too many of these folks would die before the end of the <Tutorial>.

He shook his head and sighed lightly before leaving Elliott with his words.

"Okay, that's all I'll say. If you're still alive by the end of the <Tutorial>, you can find me again then."

Elliott could only watch him walk away with a bitter smile.