Tower

The Tower stood at the heart of the world, a colossal structure that pierced the heavens with no visible end. 

From the ground, it appeared as an impossibly tall spire with its smooth, dark surface shimmering with an otherworldly glow.

The Tower's base was so wide it vanished into the horizon, and was surrounded by swirling mists that obscured its lower levels. 

No windows or doors were visible, only a series of intricate, glowing runes that spiraled up its length, hinting at the immense power and secrets contained within. 

The sheer scale of the Tower dwarfed everything around it, making it seem like a monolith left by gods. 

It was visible from everywhere despite the world being round. 

I was in awe when I saw it and couldn't take my eyes away from it. It was so magnificent!

"You can stare all you want after we come back, baby. Hurry up now." 

I was pulled inside the Tower and couldn't admire it for more than a few seconds. 

To go inside, one simply had to enter a blue oval portal present at multiple locations around the world. 

I was taken into one such and after a moment, I felt nauseous , then found myself standing in a grand, circular hall whose walls stretched endlessly upward, vanishing into a shimmering haze. 

The ceiling was a mosaic of shifting constellations, casting a soft, ambient light across the room. 

Scattered throughout the halls were towering runestones, each inscribed with glowing symbols that pulsed rhythmically, as if alive. These runestones seemed to hum with an ancient energy, resonating with the Tower's power. 

Other than them, what caught my attention more were the floating platforms and bridges drifting through the air, connected by beams of light. They led to various doorways and pathways, each marked with arcane symbols representing different challenges and paths within the Tower. 

Holographic interfaces projected floating screens showing various tutorials, instructions, and system information. These displays hovered in mid-air, awaiting interaction.

An otherworldly energy charged within the atmosphere. The air felt both heavy and exhilarating, and the potent mix of magic and technology was riling me up. I couldn't wait to get started.

"This is the lobby — Floor 0."

"Let's get your tutorial started."

I was taken to a runestone pillar at the base of which was a rectangular stone. On it were carved some strange glowing symbols. 

"Trace your hand over the letters, top to bottom, right to left, and your tutorial will begin."

The lady then gave me a firm hug and kissed my head. "Good luck, sweetheart."

I gave her a curt nod and began tracing my fingers over the symbols.

[Ding!]

I heard a soft chime. 

[New user detected…]

[Registering…]

A voice resonated within my mind as I saw a translucent system screen in front of me and the lines of words on it. 

"Bye-bye~"

I turned to the side and saw the blonde lady waving at me. She soon faded as the reality around me crumbled into bright pixels, and I found myself standing in a dark place. 

[Ding!]

[Registration complete!]

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[General Stats]

Name: Julien Von Lichtenstein

Level: 1

XP: 0/500

[Attributes]

Health: 10

Essence: 3

Strength: 7

Agility: 5

Endurance: 5

Intelligence: 9

Charm: 11

Luck: N/A

Arcana Cards: (0/3)

(More tabs will be added upon tutorial completion.)

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[Welcome, Player!]

[Your journey through the Tower begins now. The Arcana System will guide you through your ascent.]

The reality around me crumbled into pixels once again and I found myself standing on a never ending grassland. 

[Ding!]

[Please choose any three cards to add to your initial deck.]

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-Flame Poke(Common): Deals minor fire damage to a single target.

-Minor Heal(Common): Restores a small amount of health to a single ally.

-Quick Strike(Common): Performs a basic melee attack with increased speed.

-Shield Bubble(Common): Provides a small protective shield to absorb some damage.

-Speed Boost(Common): Increases the user's movement speed temporarily.

-Light Slash(Common): A basic attack with a slight light-based effect.

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In front of me were six cards floating in the air. All had sharp edges, soft gray color with light blue accents, denoting them being common cards. The names were written on them along with their details. 

I thought about it and decided to go with one attack, one movement, and one defense card but found that Quick Strike had speed in it as well. So my final choices turned out to be Flame Poke, Quick Strike, and Shield Bubble. 

I tapped on the three cards to make a selection and heard the system's voice. 

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[Initial card selection complete.]

[Adding cards to slots...]

[Error detected – Card slot #2 already occupied.]

[Attempting to resolve conflicting data…]

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What? 

What was happening here? Why was there an error?

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[Error detected – Card slot #2 already occupied.]

[Scanning existing card in slot #2.]

[Unregistered card detected in slot #2.]

[…Unable to analyze card. Level data not available…]

[Glitch detected – Overriding slot restrictions.]

[All card slot rarity restrictions removed.]

[Cards of any level can now be assigned to slots. Proceed with caution.]

[Glitch resolution in progress...]

[Recalibrating system parameters...]

[Restoring slot restrictions…]

[Error.]

[Restoring slot restrictions…]

[Error.]

[Restoring slot restrictions…]

[Error.]

[Recalibrating system parameters…]

[Notifying Administrator…]

[—Administrator override.]

[Error fixed. System stable.]

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What? 

What!?!

Did I end up alerting the administrator due to this?

How fucked am I now?

Are my days numbered?

"No."

Who!?!

"Relax. It's me." I heard a soothing feminine voice. 

"Huh?" I looked around and found nobody.

"Pretend to be in the tutorial. Stop gawking around." The voice instructed. 

I stopped in my tracks and looked ahead of me, not turning around anymore. 

"Good boy." The voice said. "Now, do you know what just happened? Don't say it out loud, think. I can listen to your thoughts."

That's scary. 

"It is, I know."

'…'

It took me a moment to calm down and accept what was happening. 

So, what exactly happened? 

"Remember when I mentioned the Misfortune Card created by the gods?"

Yes?

"Well, you naturally possess it—it's already in one of your card slots. However, because a card was already there, the system glitched, removing all restrictions on your card slots."

What!?!

"Yes. This thing makes even me envious. Oh if only I had such a thing when I started…"

Wait. Wait. What do you mean restrictions removed? Does it mean I can have any card in it?

"Yes. It is exactly what it means. You can have any card added to your slots, even the forbidden ones."

I sucked in a cold breath of air hearing that, gasping out loud. 

Crazy. 

It's totally crazy. 

"Yes, it is. Your reaction is still quite mild. If it were me, I would've passed out from happiness. Anyway, count yourself lucky, boy. This time your immense bad luck ended up helping you."

Yeah, I'm actually glad. 

I was actually thinking that my bad luck might lead to one of my card slots disappearing. 

"Oh it already has."

What!?

"Card slot #2 will never be available for you. It's permanently occupied by your misfortune card."

'…'

Fuck. 

Why did I jinx myself!?

"Huhuhu… the Jinx saying why he jinxed himself…"

It's not funny. 

Sigh…

"No need to be disappointed. The removed restriction more than makes up for it. Even the good luck boy did not get such a privilege."

My ears perked up when I heard that. 

Shouldn't his good luck get him such a benefit?

"Yes, it should, but it didn't. I mean, this was a result of my intervention."

You intervened?

"Not during his tutorial, but yours."

"When he was undergoing tutorial, the system glitched, and due to his immense luck, the system added another slot, and later fixed this glitch. When you arrived, the system glitched again because it could not analyze the card as the rarity of the card went beyond its parameters. Thus, it glitched."

"The system tried to fix this glitch, but failed, and ended up notifying the admin. And at this point, I pulled some strings and marked the glitch fixed, without actually fixing it. You should be thankful."

Thank you. 

"This won't do. Say thank you, Daddy, for thine blessings."

'…'

Aren't you a woman? And why would I call you Daddy of all things?

"Don't question the almighty Daddy. Just say thank you."

I'm not saying it. It's so weird…!

"Say it quickly or I'll notify the admin."

'…'

Seriously? 

"Yes."

'…'

…t-thank you… Daddy, for thine blessings. 

"Huhuhu… good boy, good boy. Anyway, a last additional piece of information. In case you're wondering why the good luck boy did not have a card rarity glitch problem, it's because the system detected the occupied slot problem first. The system thinks that there can only be one glitch at a time. Thus, after it was fixed, the card's rarity went undetected because there was already a third slot present."

I see. Thank you for this information, truly. 

"Don't sweat it."

"And yeah, before I leave, I have this one last thing to say." 

Please do tell. 

"You whine too much."

'…'

"And you're too big of a virgin."

'…'

"And you literally are so bitchy, damn, my eyes and ears were bleeding when I saw your interaction with your mother."

"Haven't you read novels and watched anime? Didn't they always say to not reveal your identity? Why did you so stupidly say it out?"

…sorry…

"No, seriously. Hats off to that lady for being so patient, gentle, and understanding. If it was someone else, you would've been buried six feet under."

"Something seriously has to be done about your virgin personality that stems from years of porn addiction. It's unbearable. You're putting this goddess Daddy's name to shame. Tsk. Tsk. I'll give you this gift, utilize it well and become a man."

"Goodbye, may destiny favor you."

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[Ding!]

[Obtained — Eternal•Lust pack]

[Adding to the interface…]

[Addition complete!]

[Ding!]

[Noticed — Player engaged in Tower Tutorial.]

[Starter pack can be accessed after tutorial ends.]

[Gifts and letters from Daddy can be accessed after tutorial ends.]

[Quests will begin shortly after tutorial ends.]

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What?

Whatttt!?!

Whaaaaatttt!?!!