Pre-trial

[Homescreen]

Torolith (Tuesday), Janna (January), 22nd, 1002041.]

Liam had discovered that he could command the system via thought, toggling between the system's various functions as he studied it, after learning that he couldn't touch the translucent blue screen.

Curiosity drove him to investigate everything about the Mighty Tower and the System.

The date was displayed on the home page, but it was in Tarurian Calendar, the Mighty Tower's Calendar System, which was very similar to the Earth's Calendar System.

On the home page, there was also a camera and music icon, which would play any song the player wanted to listen to as background music via thought command.

There was a Player Stats Tab that displayed his skills, stats, and important information such as his codename and the ID, which appeared to be an account number or something.

The Equipment Tab, which displayed his body and its various parts that could be outfitted with items, just like in MMORPG games.

The Inventory Tab displayed 15 empty boxes as well as the currencies.

The Chatroom Tab had different sub-categories such as Global, Guild, Party, Player Level, Floor, Private, and System Commands, which were the only available sub-categories at the time.

Finally, there were grayed-out tabs such as Floor Map, Guild, Mount, Pet, Duel, Tower Bulletin Board, and other restricted features.

There were illuminating explanations for each tab, and the system's mechanical voice benevolently guided him to understand everything, even the things he would face in the future like Dungeon Delving, Chests, Floor Trials, Monsters, Guilds, Professions, and whatnots if he could survive that far.

As expected, after inquisitively reading everything once, he felt as if he understood all of the functionality and everything.

'Even forensic science, human relations, judicial function, and criminal laws are far more complicated than this game-like mechanics,' he says. 'This is a piece of cake,' he thought confidently after realizing it wasn't rocket science.

He inquired what was in it for him after learning that he got isekai in an unknown place called Nullvard to climb this so-called Mighty Tower.

Unfortunately, the system couldn't answer his questions, not even about the Warden or his wife, who he suspected were connected to this mystery.

Realizing he was now on his own after spending several years with his wife through thick and thin in the harsh world of Earth made him feel so incomplete.

After all, Selene was his wife.

He wished Selene was there to comfort him with her loving hands and incredible presence as he remembered the times they had spent together in irritating missions and all the uncertain journeys they had accepted.

The unprecedented emotion bottled up inside him because of not having Selene here.

It hurt him far more than he could have anticipated.

Because of their line of job, he prepared himself to live alone if in case something bad happens, but now that it happened, he couldn't explain what's going on with him.

He felt like a fish out of water.

He had never thought that simply not having her here would hurt so much and accepting this fact was a tough pill to swallow.

What the system had only informed him was he would join a mandatory pre-trial, the only mandatory trial as punishment for breaking the ciphered invitation rules.

Everything was over if he dies during that pre-trial.

The Mighty Tower's world may appear to be a game, but it was now Liam's real life.

Liam looked up and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as he reflected on everything that was going on.

His mind could keep up, but what about his heart?

Every second that passed kills him on the inside.

The agonizing pain he had felt earlier while the system scanned him seemed insignificant in comparison to the depressing feeling of longing for his home, for his beloved wife who accepted him for who he truly was.

Because he had been in a life-or-death situation multiple times in his life as a one-of-a-kind detective, he had imagined what was in the afterlife hundreds of times, including this kind of afterlife, an isekai.

However, imagining such a scenario was one thing; experiencing it firsthand was quite another.

Because of his open-minded approach to everything, he was able to keep his cool after releasing the bottled emotion earlier by punching the floor as hard as he could, despite the fact that the information he had learned still overwhelmed him.

Thankfully, the system's protection shielded him from any pain or self-inflicted damage.

Because he would only feel pain from other players' and monsters' attacks, even jumping from a tall building would not harm him here.

He re-sharpened his shattered iron will and began taking things in front of him wholeheartedly.

After all, the most difficult decisions in life required the strongest will.

And one of them was... simply moving on.

* * * * *

Only a few hours had passed.

He had read all of the instructions and explanations at least a million times to ensure that he didn't overlook any vital information that could save him in the pre-trial.

He couldn't be arrogant again.

Drastic times necessitate drastic measures, so he couldn't take things lightly.

After all, he would be competing against other species in the multiverse.

That led him to believe that the pre-trial before his death would be a jungle full of terrors and surprises.

He had practiced alone with his gun and unlimited ammunition, learning new things about the stats and how they would play out in real life, particularly the fixed attack speed that prevented him from firing in rapid succession.

He felt satisfied after a while of training and began to rest while checking the time on the floating blue translucent screen.

[5:54]

The pre-trial would begin when the clock struck 6:00.

Liam sat on the chessboard-like floor, covered in sweat and panting nonstop, to rest while waiting for the right time.

He smiled from ear to ear because of an inexplicable feeling he hadn't felt in a long time, looking forward to the challenging task at hand rather than panicking at the scenarios' instantaneous developments.

The last time he felt like this was before the start of his career, when he didn't have the fame and fortune that he had received from the world before his death.

As a result, the leaders of dark syndicates and corrupt politicians in the United States of America didn't know what hit them when they were exposed to the public.

Toward the end of Liam's life on Earth, he was regarded as one of the greatest heroes in world history.

He certainly was once upon a time.

But not any longer, and never again.

After all of his sacrifices yielded nothing for his gain, he swore to prioritize his desires above all else.

That was how he wished to live his life here.

The world he had served his entire life failed him when he needed it the most, resulting in his tragic death.

His goal was clear: he wanted to rule over this so-called Mighty Tower without caring about anyone's well-being.

And to exact vengeance on the Warden who humiliated him and possibly murdered his wife too in order to recruit her in this place.

Liam would never forgive them for interfering in other people's lives in such a way.

**DING!**

"It's damn time..."

[You'll get summoned in 3...]

[2...]

[1...]

Liam looked at the screen nonchalantly, with no expectations in mind, believing that after everything that had happened, he could conquer anything.

A deafening sound resounded in his ears as Liam was absorbed by a blue light emanating from within his body, teleporting him to the pre-trial zone for his first adventure.