A pale-looking man sat in a creaky chair, eyes hollow and bruised from sleepless nights. The glow of his monitor flickered around the trash-strewn room ,the smell of mold and beer, dust lingering in the air. He was playing a game ,not the ordinary type people could find in game stores or on websites, but a brutal online game buried deep under the web, discussed among lunatics in obscure forums.
Joo Donghyun had decided to climb the 100th floor he had been trying to reach for so long.
The screen blinked red. Game Over. He stared, unblinking. A full minute passed.
"Tch. Trash game."
Fist clenched, he slammed the desk, then shuffled to his fridge the door creaking open like it resented him. He grabbed a warm beer, popped it open, and leaned against the window.
Far away, a huge obsidian tower. It had appeared two years ago, causing a catastrophic invasion of monsters that emerged from within. People from all over the world called it the Tower of Trials: a spire piercing the clouds, unknown yet hauntingly beautiful.
Drinking his last sip of beer, he threw the can across the street. It bounced through an alley. Reaching for another, he froze. Empty. He realized he had run out.
"Ugh. Fuck."
Slamming the door behind him, he sighed and headed to the store to get more beer. Inside the convenience store, an old man at the cash counter greeted him.
"Sir, what can I help you with?"
Joo Donghyun looked around, searching for the beer. He said nothing. The old man watched him quietly, not bothering him after the first question.
Joo slammed the beer down on the counter.
The old man said nothing, took the money, and Joo Donghyun left the store still looking at the huge tower that could be seen from almost anywhere in Korea. He never liked the tower, but he couldn't resist the beauty of it.
When the tower appeared, he had lost his mother. She was a police officer who died trying to protect citizens from the monsters.
Only the unworthy survived. His brave, stubborn mother had turned to ashes protecting others.
Then he crossed the road and went to the nearest park, sitting there and sipping his beer. He crushed the empty can and threw it blindly. A sharp noise came from behind.
"Hey, boy. Why are you throwing garbage in a public area? Use the dustbin."
Joo Donghyun turned. A policeman stood beside him, giving him a glance.
"I'll pick it up."
The officer didn't bother him further. He kept sipping his beer.
Suddenly, thick clouds gathered across the sky. Thunder roared. The tower in his sight began to spin. A black portal emerged from it and in the next second, he collapsed. Darkness surrounded him.
In that darkness, a familiar voice rang. It sounded like his mother's.
Joo Donghyun dreamt of her. He was playing with her in an open grass field, the sun rising above the horizon, insects chirping. He wept in his sleep.
Suddenly, the open grass soaked in blood. The sun turned black.
Joo Donghyun snapped awake, gasping for breath, tears falling, and sweat soaking his body. Still on the same rusty bench. The moon was already above.
"Tch. What happened? I suddenly passed out."
He stood up and walked toward his old apartment. But something felt strange. The dog that always barked at him wasn't there today.
"Maybe that fucking dog died."
He opened the door. Beyond it stretched a dark void. A thick darkness.
Joo Donghyun gasped.
"What the fuck is going on?"
Step. Step.
A sound echoed behind him.
He slowly turned his head.
Joo Donghyun froze, his heart pounding as the familiar face looked at him with warmth.
"Son, did you eat your dinner?" Her voice was the same cozy and warm tone he remembered.
Tears welled up in his eyes, blurring the world around him. For a fleeting moment, everything felt real.
He opened his arms, still crying.
"Mom, I missed you."
But it didn't last long. His mother slowly turned into shadow.
A voice, cold and mechanical, echoed like it was from a game:
["Welcome, dear player. You have been chosen to climb the Tower of Trials."]
Then , a cold darkness. A heavy silence pressing against his ears.
He gasped and jolted awake.
Still on the park bench. His shirt was soaked in sweat, tears still sliding down his cheeks. He looked around the trees were swaying gently in the wind, and a couple walked by in the distance, laughing softly. The world had returned.. or maybe it had never left.
"Was it a dream? The tower.. then mom.."
He rubbed his face with both hands, groaning. "Guess I drank too much."
But then, a sharp pain on his wrist. He hissed and pulled back his sleeve.
A faint mark was burned into his skin not glowing, just there. Like a crest etched by a fire long since cooled.
Suddenly, a semi-transparent screen flickered in front of him.
Joo Donghyun staggered back, breath catching.
[No messages currently]
He swiped at the screen his hand passed straight through.
"I'm actually losing it. What the fuck is going on..?"
He glanced around again, then turned and started walking toward home, his thoughts spinning, steps unsteady.But behind him, two glowing eyes watched in silence. As he stepped toward the alley, a strange chill crawled down his spine. He paused, glanced over his shoulder but nothing. Still, the feeling wouldn't leave. His arms stung from earlier very nerve on edge. He clenched his fists and ran.
He reached his apartment building, taking the stairs two at a time. The silence was broken by a soft, wet sound.
drop.. drop..
He slowed down, heart pounding, and turned the corner. Blood trickled down the steps. His neighbor, the girl who always smiled at him, was slumped against the railing, her hand dripping.
"Run, Donghyun.... it's a monster...." she whispered.
Before she could say more, a blade pierced through her chest from behind. Her body fell forward. A creature small, hunched, with green skin and sharp, canine teeth stood behind her. A goblin. One of those that had emerged from the Tower two years ago.
It turned its yellow eyes toward him.
Donghyun's legs wanted to move Run. Now. But he froze. His breath caught in his throat.
The goblin came down the stairs slowly, a jagged sword in its hand. Donghyun turned and sprinted, lungs burning, the goblin shrieking behind him. His feet pounded the ground, panic rising as he entered a dead-end alley. His back hit the wall. Trapped. He looked around no exit.
The goblin grinned, walking closer, each footstep louder than the last. His heart pounded.
Then.
A ding.
[Player in Danger.]
[Auto-Skill Activation Triggered.]
[Synchronization 1% Achieved.]
[Skill Unlocked: Shadow Grasp.]
His shadow twitched. Then, like a serpent, it lunged forward grabbing the goblin's shadow. The goblin's limbs jerked violently. Its body froze, spasmed, then snapped. Bones cracked, and blood sprayed across Donghyun's face as the goblin collapsed.
[Shadow Extraction in Process...]
[Warning: Extracting Shadow From a Living Mind...]
[Penalty Applied: Emotional Trauma Syncing.]
A pulse of pain shot through his head images, emotions, something not his - invaded his thoughts. Screams. Teeth. Darkness. Hunger.
Joo Donghyun fell to his knees, breath ragged. Images he didn't understand flooded his mind - the monster's trauma invading him. Smiling with his family one moment, and then the tower appeared, swallowing them whole. A scream tore from his throat, like his head was about to burst. As the pain slowly faded, a shadow stood beside him.
[Shadow extraction completed]
[Shadow Soldier: Goblin registered]
[Shadow Slot: 1/10]
The shadow dropped to one knee like it was waiting for orders.
A new notification appeared:
[Player Joo Donghyun has been chosen worthy to climb the Tower of Trials]
[Your trial begins in 24 hours]