Transformed into Cosmic Horror in a Sci-Fi Universe

Transformed into Cosmic Horror in a Sci-Fi Universe

EP.84 The Tower’s Choice

Hehehe, Yujin is such a cute one.

Perhaps because he’s my avatar, I like how he’s not afraid of me and burns with a competitive spirit.

I guess he can think that way because he’s not really a threat anyway.

If he were a real threat, I would have already erased the universe.

Hmm, but I wonder how the original universe is progressing?

Come to think of it, I haven’t been paying attention since the middle, so it’s probably developing into a completely different worldview by now.

I’m curious, should I take a look?

[ We’ve resolved all the internal issues of the Galactic Union. Now we must expand outward! ]

[ Outward? ]

[ Yes, just like the newly arrived Elves and Metallians, there must be new races out there, along with new energy sources or resources… ]

Ah, this side is flowing almost the same way too.

I guess the timeline is just a bit slower?

Of course, without my intervention there, the expansion itself might be a bit faster.

Still, it’s a bit boring.

Anyway, that side is progressing similarly, and this side is set to be peaceful without any incidents for 10 years…

Should I go check out some other universes for a change?

I’ve created plenty anyway, and if I don’t like any of them, I can always make one from scratch myself.

Oh, this one’s not bad.

It’s a tower climbing story.

To be precise, it’s a world where people are kidnapped into an otherworldly tower and made to climb it.

Each floor has trials, and as they break through and climb up, they become stronger and challenge the next floor… that kind of feel.

Since they can’t return to their original world until they clear the entire tower, people strive desperately to clear the tower and return to their original world.

Of course, that’s not all.

When they clear the tower and reach the very top, a reward awaits that can grant any wish.

Some climb the tower for that purpose.

Of course, among them, there are those who hit their limits and stop climbing, or those who don’t climb because they’re afraid to die… they become what’s known as ‘Tower Residents’.

They make a living on certain floors of the tower, trading with those who periodically enter the tower using a currency they’ve created among themselves.

It’s been about 20 years since it started.

Should I take a look at this?

It seems like it could be quite interesting.

Well then, shall we select a protagonist this time too?

This time, I want to move away from Yujin a bit.

#

[Next news. Another disappearance case that’s causing a global sensation has occurred. This time, about 30 cases have been reported worldwide, and the current scale of damage is…]

The news about the disappearance cases flows from the TV.

One might wonder why there’s such a fuss on TV about disappearances which happen all the time, but this isn’t just an ordinary disappearance case.

To put it simply… it’s causing an uproar because it’s a disappearance case where people literally vanish.

You might think that disappearance cases are always about people vanishing, but…

This is a bit different.

[ …As you can see in the video, a man who was walking normally suddenly disappears. He vanished without any warning signs. Surprisingly, this video is not a composite or manipulation, but actual footage. ]

The video plays.

A white man walking calmly on the street suddenly vanishes without any warning.

He literally disappears.

As if, God himself is actually abducting people.

[Currently, about 16 cases have been confirmed in Korea, and the number of confirmed cases worldwide has exceeded 5,000. Particularly, the authorities in China and the United States, where the damage is significant, have stated that they will thoroughly investigate the incident. Regarding this…]

Beep─

The man watching TV, Lee Hyunsoo, turned it off with an indifferent expression.

“So what? It has nothing to do with me.”

He had no interest in the disappearance cases causing a global uproar.

He thought it had nothing to do with him anyway.

“Fuck, I just want to disappear somewhere too. What’s the point of living in this shitty world.”

Saying that, Hyunsoo stares blankly at the ceiling of his shabby studio apartment.

At the young age of 20, he had made a name for himself as a prodigy in kendo, but after an accident that severely injured his shoulder, he was forced to retire suddenly.

After about 2 years of rehabilitation, he recovered enough to manage daily life, but a huge gap had formed in the meantime.

Moreover, he had to decide to retire because the doctor said that if he got injured again, even daily life would be impossible.

Since the only thing he knew how to do at that age was wielding a sword, he had been living a bottom-tier life for 5 years after retirement, moving from one part-time job to another.

‘Rather than living like this, I’d rather just disappear.’

As he was thinking that and letting out a deep sigh…

[ You have been chosen by the Tower. ]

“…Huh?”

Suddenly, a strange notification-like thing appeared in front of his eyes, and his body vanished from the studio apartment.

#

Pop─!

When Lee Hyunsoo, who had disappeared, opened his eyes, he found himself on a cold stone floor.

“What? Where am I?”

His confusion didn’t last long.

Soon, something like a notification window appeared before his eyes.

[ Congratulations. You have been chosen by the Tower. Climb to the top of the Tower and fulfill your wish. ]

“W-what does this mean?”

Climb the Tower?

What’s this all about, all of a sudden?

As if in a scene straight out of a novel, Hyunsoo looked around in confusion.

It was a massive dome surrounded by hard stone floors and what seemed like artificially created cave walls.

It felt like a Colosseum made of stone, he thought.

That’s what he thought.

As he was thinking this, another notification window appeared before Hyunsoo.

[ This is a tutorial to explain the Tower to you. Would you like to proceed? ]

[ Note: You may die during the tutorial, so please make sure you’re fully prepared before choosing. ]

[ YES / NO ]

“……”

The brutal phrase about possibly dying made it impossible for him to focus on anything, let alone the tutorial.

“W-what is this! Send me back home! Shit, what the hell is going on?!”

Hyunsoo shouted angrily.

He thought that whoever had kidnapped him must be listening or watching.

Not wanting to die, he screamed for help.

But there was no response.

After 20 minutes passed like this.

“…Shit.”

Hyunsoo realized that all he could do…

was to select the semi-transparent options in front of him and proceed with the potentially fatal tutorial.

‘Why is this… Is it a dream? It must be a dream, right? No, it’s not a dream.’

He was confused.

Why had this happened to him?

Could it be related to the disappearance cases happening worldwide?

Was it because he had wished to disappear from the world rather than live like this?

All sorts of thoughts swirled in his mind.

“Haaah…”

With trembling hands, he finally decided to select YES and proceed with the tutorial.

[ Starting the tutorial. ]

[ First, let me explain about the Tower. ]

This Tower exists in a dimension completely different from Earth, and you cannot return to your original world until you reach the very top of the Tower.

Each floor of the Tower has trials waiting, and you could lose your life in these trials.

However, if you manage to climb all the way to the top of the Tower, you’ll be able to return to your original world and have any wish granted.

‘A wish… huh.’

Of course, even without that, he had to climb this Tower anyway.

Whatever the reward, whatever it might be, the result was the same.

[ Now that the explanation is over, we will proceed with the selection of weapon to overcome the upcoming trials. ]

[ Please select the weapon you wish to use. ]

“W-weapon?”

That word implied there would be fighting.

Could it be that these trials were related to combat?

As he was thinking this, options appeared before his eyes.

The categories were weapons and armor.

For armor, there was cloth, leather, light armor, and heavy armor.

Just these four types.

As for weapons, there were so many types it was hard to count them all.

From the most basic swords, bows, and axes to flails, polearms, tridents, bolas, and so on.

There were even weapons that seemed unlikely to be used.

‘Among these…’

Though he didn’t know much about armor, he was certain about his weapon choice.

After all, the only thing he could handle was a sword.

‘But… is this the right choice?’

He didn’t know who or what he’d be fighting against.

Was it right to choose a sword just because he knew how to use it?

Shouldn’t he think about this more carefully?

Above all, he was worried if he could handle a sword well again after all this time.

It had been 7 years since he last held one.

He wouldn’t have the same prodigious sword skills as before.

‘But still.’

Still.

He thought about the life he had lived until now.

What kind of life had he lived since putting down the sword?

A bottom-of-the-barrel life, barely surviving.

Both his finances and his spirit were at rock bottom.

‘That’s right, everything fell apart when I put down the sword. If I pick it up again… this is giving me another chance.’

This is an opportunity.

That’s what he thought.

If so, he wouldn’t miss this chance.

Even if his shoulder gets shattered here and he can never wield a sword again.

Even if that leads to his death.

He would never regret it.

He would face his end with a sword in hand.

That’s what he decided.

“I’ll take a sword as my weapon.”

Swoosh─

With that, he reached for the sword in the weapon category and grasped the handle of an iron longsword.