“Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!” Noah yelled like a madman, and for good reason. One moment he was resting in the comfort of his house and reminiscing about old memories, and the next he was hundreds of meters in the sky, plummeting to a gruesome end for no fault of his own. He was dead, DEAD – and he didn’t even know for what. Lord above, he could almost see the ground meters away from his own body, and he instinctively closed his eyes and waited for it to all be over.

However, the impact he expected never came. Wait, would he even feel the impact from that height? Noah opened his eyes to find himself floating a meter off the ground, and the moment he did, his brief period of defying the laws of aerodynamics ended.

“Ugh,” Noah grunted, after slamming face-first into the ground. Buzzed, he got back up to his feet and dusted his track pants off. Where in God’s name was he? Looking around, Noah found himself in the middle of a dense forest, with tall trees looming over him and obscuring his view from delving deeper, the unfamiliar smell of nature wafting over it had truly been too long since he’d gone on a camping trip, but the cacophony of birds chirping and insects buzzing was surprisingly absent.

Then it came crashing back, that ghostly, or for all he knew, alien hand that had decided to fuck him over. Noah looked over his shoulder and examined his surroundings, but there was no one to be seen or heard, the perfectly silent forest added to the eeriness. Maybe some alien overlord had decided to fuck Noah over from the comfort of his couch, or some ghost had chosen for him- it wouldn’t be the only bizarre event that went down today- but for now, he relegated that worry to the back of his mind.

As for The Tower of Glory- Noah wasn’t sure what it held, but it sure sounded better than a death game straight from a B- grade action flick. He’d worry if it all wasn’t so absurdist- almost too much to digest at one go… and well, he wouldn’t have to live out the next decade paying off student loans, from the looks of it.

Before Noah had time to further muse over the limited information he had, the Tower hit him with another one of those freaky mind notifications:

Welcome to Gridlocked, floor 1 of the Tower of Glory. Congratulations on taking the first step towards true immortality.

Number of Survivors: 2500/2500

Rules:

Each challenger is assigned a position within a cubic landmass, with a limitation of two thousand five hundred challengers per cubic landmass. Requirements for ascension-

Slay the level 10 [elite] Goblin Lord, allowing all remaining challengers to progress to the next floor, regardless of participation.

Or

Survive until the timer runs out! The grid will contract every 6 hours until the 72 hours are up!

Perks:

- Essence Points (EP) and experience are awarded for each monster kill.

- Upon killing a fellow challenger, all the Essence Points and items in their inventory will be transferred to you.

- Access to the Essence Shop, as long as you are not in combat.

- Access to Inventory

- Access to Status Screen

- Access to an inferior grade weapon.

- Unique rewards have been randomized across the grid.

- Drop rate tripled.

The Trial shall commence in 9M 59S.

Time remaining- 72 Hours.

“Well, that’s just fucking great,” Noah spat out with spite, but oddly enough the despair Noah was expecting didn’t come. Was that the adrenaline influencing his emotions? Nope, that wasn’t it. He felt… free, from the obligations that were holding back, the stress of making a career in a field that he was rapidly losing interest in, and the struggle he had to go through each time he was hit with a rejection- all that was gone…. the relic of a bygone era. Aliens had invaded, and just like that, faster than it takes to snap two fingers together, the world had transformed into something magical and dystopian at the same time. Noah’s new way of thinking scared him, but equally, excited him. A fresh start, wasn’t this what he was yearning for this entire time? His sister and mother were hopefully safe in the Paradise of Aeons, an entity as powerful as the tower shouldn’t have any reason to lie to ‘mortals’ like him, and he would make it back to them.

Please select a weapon- short sword, longsword, ax, lance, dagger, spear, etc. (Any medieval weapon visualized will be made available).

“A weapon, huh,” Noah mused and realized that the 10-minute grace period was for weapon selection. Was he some sort of ancient warrior now, expected to fight beasts of yore? He sure hoped not. The first thing that came to his mind was a gun.

Modern weapons cannot be chosen.

“Gee, thanks asshole,” Noah snorted and thought about what kind of weapon he wanted. It couldn’t be two-handed, he didn’t want to sacrifice his mobility, and having a free hand would be useful if he had to jump out of the way or some large monster. Pole weapons like the spear or a halberd had more reach, but what Noah wanted was a nimble, heavily maneuverable weapon. He’d always been on the flexible side and had done a brief stint in gymnastics- rolling, diving, or ducking away from an enemy was something he could do with little effort, and the weapon had to be something that facilitated that.

And then it struck him- a short sword that was actually used as a primary weapon by infantrymen instead of any pole weapon, a unique tactic that brought the roman empire great success- the gladius. A short blade double-edged blade that could cut, slash, thrust and pierce with marvelous efficiency, the standard sword of the Roman legionnaires that was especially lethal in close-quarters combat. For Noah, it would facilitate the kind of style he was envisioning.

Roman Gladius, Quality: Inferior

A short double-edged blade of inferior make that was once utilized by the Roman Empire of Earth. A weapon ideally most lethal when paired with a shield, the gladius’ short size and lightweight makes it a weapon that enjoys a distinct advantage when paired against a foe with a weightier, more unwieldy weapon in close quarters. However, the gladius’ short length may also prove to be a heavy disadvantage when faced with foes that carry weapons with overwhelming reach and range.

Confirm selection?

Yes No

“You let me worry about that,” Noah said and tapped yes. A black void materialized in front of him, and a wooden hilt materialized from within it, only long enough to support one-handed use. Noah pulled it out of the black void, clearly impressed by the Tower’s mastery over spatial law, but then again- he had been teleported four hundred meters above ground level and left to think he was dying- so the Tower wasn’t getting any praise from him. A short, compact blade crafted from steel was revealed, and Noah grinned at that- the weapon felt perfect in his hands, just like he’d envisioned it to be.

Giving a glance at the timer, Noah realized that there were only 4 minutes left before the trial started. Noah hurriedly envisioned the words ‘Essence shop’ in his mind, hoping that if the tower could get this funky display working in his head it could read it too, and voila:

Essence Shop

Water (1 days’ worth)- 5 EP

Food (1 meal) - 10 EP

Healing Potion- 50 EP

Common rarity weapon- 500 EP

Uncommon rarity weapon- 5000 EP

Elixir of Life (Maximum 10 purchases per person) - 10,000 EP

Uncommon grade chest plate- 5,000 EP

Uncommon grade leggings- 5,000 EP

Rare rarity equipment (Randomized)- 1,000,000 EP

Strength Potion (One time consumable)- 1,000 EP

Dexterity Potion (One time consumable)- 1,000 EP

Wisdom Potion (One time consumable)- 1,000 EP

Intelligence Potion (One time consumable)- 1,000 EP

Combat Art Manual (Common)- 2,500 EP

Goblin's Bane (Uncommon Grade Weapon Evolution Crystal)- 10,000 EP

“Ah, you dirty, dirty, bastards,” Noah cursed, and his next action was to confirm his suspicions.

Elixir of Life, Quality: Inferior

Increases the lifespan of a mortal by 100 years, loses effectiveness after a single use per person. Removes all existing illnesses/disabilities. Tradeable.

“Oh, they’ll kill alright,” Noah said with a shocked expression on his face. Fuck, murder wasn’t anything new to human society- it was done for political gain, out of selfishness or spite, for money, for love, and a plethora of other, far more creative reasons. Now, a potion that could increase his mother’s lifespan by a hundred years? Noah wasn’t sure if that made even him waver. His psychologist had told him that a common phenomenon noticed among those who’d lost a family member due to a sudden, or tragic occurrence often gained a deep-rooted fear of losing another one, leading to paranoia, overcautiousness, and anxiety if not dealt with properly. Noah had brushed his psychologist off, but in truth, it was the greatest fear he carried in his burdened heart, his psychologist had been spot on. If Noah could buy her a hundred more years, what wouldn’t he do? It was the Tower's damn fault for offering mankind a power they shouldn't have- and wish as he might... Noah couldn't deny his own human nature. He wouldn't do it, but he'd be lying if he said the thought never skipped past his mind.

For now, though, he had to figure out what this status screen was all about.

Name Noah Smith

Level 1

Race Human

Primordial Spirit: (0/8 slots filled)

Combat Art -

Intelligence 4

Strength 2

Wisdom 2

Constitution 1

Dexterity 2

Luck 0

Free Points 0

Primordial Spirit and Combat Art instantly stood out to him, though he didn’t have time to muse over what they implied for now. “Zero luck, eh? Figures,” Noah said with derision laced in his tone.

For now, there were no points to assign or anything, so he could only move on to the last item before the tutorial began.

"Inventory," he said, hoping there was already some food and water stashed in there for his use.

Inventory (1/120)

-Token of Residence (Key to the residence on the Paradise of Aeons assigned to the Smith family. You may apply for a separate residence upon reaching the Paradise of Aeons if you wish).

Oh well, at least his ticket home was stashed in his black void depository. Guess he’d have to hunt monsters if he wanted essence points to buy food and water.

Gridlocked commences. May the worthy prevail.