What happens if you wake up one day in an alley, only to find yourself reincarnated as a sure-to-die character of a game that you've been playing for years? EUGENE doesn't know! But he was certain about one thing. He didn't want to die! He especially didn't want to get tortured to death by a snooty teenager suffering from eight-grade syndrome! He will survive, not as a mere STD (SURE-TO-DIE) CHARACTER but as an unrivaled existence! And he would do everything to achieve his goals, even if it meant destroying the early meta, flipping heaven and earth, and changing the entire settings of the Game, The Crumbling World! Will he be able to survive the calamities soon to come? How will he survive his upcoming death? Are you curious? Read on to find out!
Absolute silence danced in the huge room while the blood gushing out of an Ogre's corpse crept up to Eugene, dirtying his boots.
"My Gosh! Participant Eugene, you sure did Participant Murzzul bloody."
The Demon praised the man who successfully put a smile on his face by killing another.
"I'm glad you liked it.'
Eugene inwardly cursed the demon in his mind, but he didn't voice out his thoughts. Instead, he outwardly smiled at him to remain on his good side. The demon would decide what class he could get. Gaining a class would determine how strong he would be able to in the future. Thus, at least until getting a class, he refused to lash out at the maniacal demon who had forced him to kill the Ogre.
While they were exchanging 'pleasantries,' the onlookers stood speechlessly and stared at Eugene with wide-opened eyes threatening to pop out of their sockets as if he didn't need to do anything to overwhelm them.
"Eugene, Eugene, Eugene!"
Only after a few seconds elapsed did they snap out of their daze and cheer for him by shouting out his name.
After their voices died down, the manager clapped his hand to catch their attention.
"May I have your attention, please?"
The curious and confusion-filled eyes of the humans, the fierce eyes full of excitement of the Ogres, the playful gaze of the blue-haired kiddo, and the calm gaze of Eugene turned to the black 'man' in white, who loosened his collar before speaking to them, "All the concerned parties have finally gathered in my white room. It's high time I introduce myself to you lot. I am "Fiery Eyes" Sebastian. I work for the Spirit of the Tower, Lady Jeanne, who has brought many of you here against your will and allowed some of you to come here. The most important thing you must know about me is that I don't have a good temper."
Sebastian snapped his finger at the corpse of the Ogre killed by Eugene, and many balls of lightning carrying unbelievable voltage numbering in millions appeared around it.
Then, it thundered, rapid and loud enough to make some people's ears bleed, as lightning bolts struck it twenty-eight hundred times every second, causing it to dissipate into dust in merely an instant.
"If you get on my nerve or annoy me in any way, you'll meet the same end as this."
Everybody gulped out of the fear they had for the handsome-looking man, and children burst into tears when he smiled at them.
Sebastian placed his hand down on the armrest and felt satisfied to see the mortals fearing him.
"Ahem, for the next minutes, feel free to ask me any question you want civilly."
He had already shown them what he could do.
Since no one wanted to become a pile of ash by annoying him, they didn't kick up a fuss although they intended to.
A man raised his hand to catch his attention, and only after he nodded at the man did he dare question him, "Where are we?"
"We're in the seventh of the countless waypoint on the Void Ring between your Worlds and the Universal Spire."
"What's the Universal spire?"
Sebastian intertwined his fingers as if he had heard something interesting and narrowed his eyes at the man who had asked this question.
"It's a Haven and staircase to Godhood that has existed since ancient time, created by Supreme Gods, whose names and gender identity have become a part of Lost History."
Eugene once again asked Sebastian a question.
"Haven for whom?"
"For people like you who are soon to face otherworldly beings."
"What do you mean?"
Why was Eugene acting like a newbie who didn't know what was happening?
It was because he was directing Sebastian into answering questions that were bothering the people who didn't know why they were here and were confused as well.
He wanted them to understand the severity of the situation they were in so that they won't be lax in their quest to become strong.
"How should I explain it to these newcomers?" Sebastian scratched his head before saying, "Some of you already know, while others most likely don't, that each world in existence has a universal code attached to it. It determines at which point in space at any time a world exists. By inputting a world's universal code into a teleporter, even a child can open a portal to that world. The universal code of your planet, Earth, has ended up in the hands of the Nightmare Demons.
"They are a race of warmongers. Their favorite time is invading worlds, killing their inhabitants, and enslaving them to do their biddings. They are extremely strong. Dozens of races have met annihilation at their hands and what remains of their world is now nothing but ruins.
"Among their next targets are your homelands, Earth & Infernal Greenland. Recent news is that they are searching for energy sources to open massive and long-distance portals to send an army to your worlds along with many others. It won't be long before they invade your worlds. You're currently so weak that you stand no chance against them.
"You'll lose your family, friends, and home to them. However, you can change all that by climbing the tower. It has what you urgently need. In it, You'll find the strength necessary to save your world from the invaders. You are the first group of people in your world the spirit of the tower has given a chance to evolve. How far you can climb up the Staircase to Godhood will determine how strong you become. The fate of your world and your people rest upon your shoulders. Do you get what I mean?"
"Yes, I do."
What Sebastian said was partially true, but Eugene knew that the purpose why they were here was not at all as glorious as he made it sound.
"We, too, understand you."
On the other hand, after hearing what he had to say, Earthlings understood that they were here for a good reason and that to protect their world, they had to get strong. Otherwise, even if they go back to their World, they would die with their families.
"I don't want to take up this responsibility. Can you send me back?" One among the Earthlings expressed his wish to go back to Sebastian.
Sebastian shook his head. "No."
The Earthling lowered his head in shame and embarrassment as the Ogres laughed at him for not being man enough to fight for the survival of his race.
"Why are we here?"
"Good question. The White room has two purposes. The first is to explain the existence of Universal Spire to newbies. The second is to help them get a class through which they can gain a permanent boost in their strength before heading into the tower. You'll be undergoing several tests to earn miracle points. It's a currency using which you can purchase one of the following classes you see here."
Besides Sebastian, they saw a screen with the names and detail of many classes on it. There were even skill books related to each class. The cheapest one cost 10 points. And the costliest ones were worth a thousand each. There were only three of them, though.
"I hope you'll do your best in the upcoming exams as it will determine how many miracle coins you'll get. Only with them can you get the best class and skills. The first one will start in three minutes."
Sebastian closed his eyes, waiting for the time to tick away.
The rest started mentally and physically preparing themselves for what they were about to face.