Prologue

Prologue: Who’s Threatening to Climb the Tower?

It’s not the strong who survive, but the one who survives is the strong one.

[…You have cleared the floor.]

As the familiar message floated before my eyes, I took a ragged breath and wiped the blood-splattered cheek with my sleeve.

[A few constellations are astonished at your record.]

[The combat-related constellations are intrigued by your fighting style.]

As always, when I cleared another stage of the tower, messages from the constellations popped up in the air. And as if it had been waiting, a blue portal began to form right in front of me.

A definitive victory announcement for clearing one stage of the tower. But I always felt the most uneasy right after that portal appeared.

[Many constellations are watching you as a potential incarnation.]

[Several constellations are demanding that you proceed to the next floor.]

Ding!

[A new mission has arrived.]

—

“To the Next Floor”

Subject: Proof
Difficulty: A+

Description: The constellations are eagerly waiting for you to level up and become their incarnation. Move towards the next floor. Keep evolving. The choice is yours.

Mission: Enter the Next Floor
Reward: Qualification of an Incarnation
Failure Penalty: Death
—

Haa…

A sigh escaped my lips.

The missions from the constellations that I had continuously faced.

Oh, how cleverly they mixed in the word “choice” to craft a convincing sentence, but the ending was always the same.

[Failure Penalty: Death]

If you fail, you die… Of course, even if you reject the mission, it’s just as fatal.

Should I pass through that portal to challenge the next floor? Or should I stop here and squander my precious life? This is the “choice” they keep bringing up, and once again, I found myself repeating the same thought.

Do they not know the true meaning of “choice”?

But regardless of my thoughts, they simply chattered on with whatever they wanted to say.

[The many constellations are urging you.]

[A time limit has been added to the mission “To the Next Floor.”]

[Time remaining: 00:01:00]

An additional message popped up before my eyes. I instinctively rubbed the back of my neck as I read the threatening notes sent my way by these mysterious beings.

They were entities who asked a lot of me. Sure, every time I met their demands, I got stronger, but of course, I never once felt grateful to them.

“Hey there!”

I infused my voice with magic so they could definitely hear me.

The message blocking my view with its ‘time limit’ was especially annoying today.

“Could you get rid of this for me?”

So I pointed my finger at the message.

[A few constellations express their doubts about your words.]

I took a slow breath. Exhaling softly, I shook off the pent-up feelings within me.

“If so, I’ll show you something fun.”

I picked up the sword I had laid down. Trials that I faced, whether I wanted to or not, just to avoid death.

As mentioned before, the ones who survive are the strong.

And I am the one who survived.

TN: If this translation feels slightly different from other sites, it’s because the author has revised the original content.

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