"Open General Window?" I asked as I read the message that appeared on the golden holographic screen. "How am I supposed to do that?"
Just like in all the novels I had ever read, I tried giving a mental command for the [General Window] to appear, but nothing happened. So, I tried saying it out loud:
"Open General Window!"
Nothing, once again. At that point, my references ended. In all the manhwas, anime, and novels, that was exactly how the system opened. Well, actually, most of them were like that. However, there was one type of media among many that worked differently, and I decided to test it. I raised my index finger and, curiously, when I tried to press something, I actually felt a sensation on the tip of my finger.
"So, it's like a VR game..."
Sliding my index finger upward, I opened a window with a list of options.
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[General Window]
- Player Profile
- Attributes Window
- Skill Chest
- Inventory
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When I clicked on [Player Profile], I was surprised by the scarce details about myself.
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[Player Profile]
Name: Brandon S. Oneal
Age: 18 years and 0 days.
Level: 1.
Titles: Player Number 2 (Open to see effect).
Class: Summoner (Legendary)
Stigma: ???
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Next to all this data was a mini-hologram of myself, a boy who was six feet tall — maybe slightly shorter, actually —with brown hair and a body that was relatively slim. However, I didn't pay much attention to my appearance; the adjacent information was more important.
I decided to click on the only title I had to see what bonus it gave me.
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[Title: Player Number 2]
Description: Being a player means having the ability to evolve outside the Tower of Babel, which is impossible for 99.99% of Climbers. There is only one other player besides you.
Effects:
- Leveling System.
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"Leveling System? Now we're talking!"
Brandon S. Oneal was a comic relief character in the original plot of The Journey Beyond. He was like the hard-working person who climbed an entire mountain range with great sacrifice but grabbed the wrong rock at the last moment and fell miserably.
"Now, let's look at the rest of the information... Legendary Class, huh? Reading this reassures me that I didn't choose another Class."
In my view, someone in the Warrior Class was quite common in the Tower of Babel. A Mage tended to be Rare or Epic.
"Now, this last line here is bothering me... Stigma? What is that? I don't remember anything like that in The Journey to the Beyond."
I tried clicking on the word 'Stigma,' but nothing happened. There was no tutorial to explain what these terms meant.
"Looks like it's something I'll have to figure out on my own."
Without further ado, I moved on to the next window.
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[Attributes Window]
Attribute | Value
HP: 100/100
MP: 10/10
Control: 1
Strength: 5
Intelligence: 5
Speed: 4
Charisma: 4
Constitution: 5
Wisdom: 5
Dexterity: 5
Perception: 2
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The numbers seemed merciless. I didn't have high stats in any attribute.
The total sum of the attribute points I had was just 35 — excluding 'Control', Mana, and HP. It wasn't much, but I had seen worse starts in other novels.
"With the leveling system, I'll be able to improve these stats quickly. Now, it's time to see what weapons I'll use for that..."
I smiled maliciously, rubbing my hands together, and clicked on [Skill Chest].
To my surprise, the [Skill Chest] was divided into two sections: Normal Skills and Mystical Skills.
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[Skill Chest]
Normal Skills:
Mystical Skills:
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It was easy to deduce that the skills listed as 'Normal' were skills that any human being could have, and the level next to them indicated my proficiency. In that case, I had inherited the only things I was good at in my past life, or perhaps Brandon was exactly like me.
'Okay, okay... But only one Mystical Skill? I had expected more from a legendary class.'
I clicked on the mystical skill in question, and a new window opened, overlapping the previous one.
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[Skill Details!]
Skill Name: Summoning.
Description: Allows the user to summon one or more supernatural helpers. The number is limited by your Control and the amount of mana you have. Each
Summoning Attributes:
Strength: 5
Speed: 5
Physical: 2
Rank: Iron
(Iron +
My smile widened as I checked again how much Mana and Control I had, knowing these would determine how many summons I could use.
Thus, I discovered that I had exactly 10 Mana and 1 Control, enough to summon just one.
However, I couldn't feel disappointed because I understood that every beginning was challenging.
"I'd like to test [Summon] right now, but I don't know how big the summon will be or what it will look like. Judging by its small physique, it shouldn't be large. Still, I'd better not risk it."
Lovikalen was filled with alleys of various sizes. These spots were perfect for testing class skills, so I resolved to find one quickly.
As I moved to close the general window, I recalled that I hadn't checked my inventory yet.
Logically, there shouldn't have been anything since I hadn't entered the Tower of Babel yet, but I preferred certainty over assumptions. To my delight, there was something there.
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[Inventory]
- Beginner's Lootbox.
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My eyebrow arched as I read the item's name.
The protagonist of The Journey Beyond had also received a lootbox, though it had proven more crucial at the start than it likely would later.
Upon touching the Lootbox icon, a holographic screen shaped it into a 3D gift-wrapped box.
It was obvious what I needed to do, so I pulled the bow on the Lootbox's wrapping. A golden glow burst forth, so intense that it felt like staring into car headlights. Shielding my eyes with my arm, I avoided the strong glare.
Low chimes echoed as golden particles floated in the air, and amidst them, a key hovered just centimeters from my hand.
Instinctively, my jaw dropped. As I stared, a window opened.
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[Item obtained!]
[Public Library Portal Key].
Description: A key that opens a portal in a forbidden section of the Lovikalen Public Library. It leads to an alternate, decayed version of the same building, where legend says the original Necronomicon is hidden.
Effect: Opens a portal to Rank-E Dungeon.
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Once again, a wide grin spread across my face, and laughter bubbled out of me.
In The Journey Beyond, the only "Dungeon" was the Tower of Babel—a massive 100-floor construct filled with forests, mountains, and flying cities. It was the sole place for encountering monsters and evolving.
I, however, now held an item that defied this most fundamental rule.
And a low-level dungeon was exactly what I needed!
The Public Library was a vast building located in the city center, just over an hour away by streetcar from my home in Robert Bridge, north of East Dronx.
In modern times, such a distance wouldn't seem far, but in Lovikalen, it was considerable—especially for someone like me, who couldn't afford a streetcar ticket.
A ticket cost one silver coin, yet a full day's work helping my father at the port earned me just five bronze coins. Considering one silver coin was worth fifty bronze coins, it would take ten days of labor to afford a single ride.
For comparison, a gold coin—worth fifty silver coins—was rarely seen in the hands of ordinary citizens.
In other words, a silver coin wasn't extraordinarily expensive. I was simply very poor.
Thankfully, I had saved enough, and, unwilling to waste time, I decided to take the streetcar to the city center.
After half an hour crammed into the uncomfortable and noisy vehicle, I reached the city center.
Here, people dressed in finer clothes, and shopkeepers' shouts filled every corner. And the smell? Terrible. Let's just say cleanliness was not Lovikalen's forte, being a densely populated and poorly managed city.
Fortunately, I was used to it — both as a reader and as someone inhabiting this world with all of Brandon's memories.
The streetcar stopped at Fifth Avenue, leaving me just a few steps from the main staircase leading to the Lovikalen Public Library.
'I'd like to test my Summoning before entering the portal, but I don't know how long it'll take to recharge my Mana. If this portal proves too dangerous, I'll retreat.'