Nebula was chaos. Beautiful, glowing, fantasy-flavored chaos.
Skyships drifted overhead, shaped like giant manta rays with silver sails. Strange beasts trotted beside armored warriors and robed mages. Buildings curved upward like glass towers wrapped in vines, with neon signs blinking between runes and glyphs.
People bustled everywhere. Not NPCs, but real people. Every one of them a Seeker.
Some wore steel. Some wore suits. Some had tails. Some had floating swords orbiting their heads like satellites.
Aviel looked around, eyes glinting.
"No NPCs. No quest markers. No system-generated dialogue trees…"
He smirked. "This world is very real."
Avael nodded beside him. "Everyone's a player…"
"But not just players," he muttered. "Survivors. Competitors."
They weren't standing out too much. Not yet. The system had auto-adjusted their outfits: simple black cloaks with a faint purple shimmer, stylized [Ø] symbol stitched over the heart. Unassuming, unless you knew.
They walked.
No rushing. No panicking. Just two shut-in geniuses casing the environment like professional thieves in a fantasy supermall.
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Step 1: Info Gathering
They drifted toward a nearby street filled with open stalls and glowing signs.
There was everything—tavern signs, smithies, magic clinics, scroll libraries, cyber-arcane gadgetry, even one dude selling fried slime on a stick.
But what stood out?
Information boards. Bulletin posts.
"Looking for party to challenge Floor 6."
"Selling Class Advancement scrolls — fair trade only."
"Warning: Do not enter the Dream Forge without a Luminant Sigil."
Even better… forums. Real-time chatterboards projected in floating glass panels.
Avael stopped, eyes scanning the streams.
"Floor 38 was cleared last week…" she said, voice monotone. "That's the current highest known floor."
Aviel leaned in, arms crossed. "So the Tower's actively climbable. Good. No artificial gatekeeping. But…"
"…The floors get exponentially harder the higher you go," Avael finished.
He smirked. "God, I love it when we think the same."
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Step 2: The Guide Appears
"Yo. You two new?"
A voice cut in.
They turned.
A tall man stood beside them, arms folded. Mid-twenties, rugged cloak, orange lenses over his eyes, and a smile that screamed "I've done this intro a hundred times."
"I'm Varric. Guildless. Volunteer Guide for Floor 1," he said. "You're Seekers, yeah? Fresh from the Last Sanctuary?"
Aviel raised a brow. "That obvious?"
"Everyone's obvious their first hour," Varric grinned. "You don't walk like warriors. You don't talk like nobles. And you're reading the forums like they're holy scripture."
"…They're not?" Avael asked flatly.
He laughed. "Come on. I'll walk you to the Tutorial Academy."
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Step 3: The Academy
The Tutorial Academy looked like a school built by someone who couldn't pick between a magic college, a martial dojo, or a military bunker. So they just went with "all of the above."
Glass domes floated in the air, each surrounded by rings of runes. A massive bronze statue stood at the center: A cloaked Seeker holding a broken sword and a glowing cube, the World Core Fragment.
Inside, hundreds of new Seekers milled about. All kinds. All races. Some looked excited. Others terrified. One guy was throwing up in a trash bin.
"Everyone has to go through this place before Floor 2," Varric explained as they entered. "You get assessed, assigned a base class, and your skills get synced to your system. Think of it like scanning your potential."
"Cool," Aviel said. "Mandatory level check?"
"Exactly. Floors get seriously dangerous after Floor 1. So unless you hit the required threshold, you can't advance. Keeps the noobs from dying on contact."
They stepped into the assessment chamber.
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Step 4: Power Sync
A massive circular platform. Crystal pedestals. A glowing HUD floating above.
A robotic voice echoed:
"Seeker Entity: [Null] Detected. Syncing Individual Units…"
[AVIEL] — Sync complete. Class: [Duelist].
Primary Combat Role: Close Range / Disruption
Skills acquired:
• [Flash Step Lv.1] – Dash and disorient foes.
• [Quick Counter Lv.1] – Counterattack after a dodge.
Then…
…Additional Skill Detected…
[Emotion Null Lv.1]
Effect: Seals all emotional input. Enhances combat logic and response. Loses access to empathy, hesitation, or moral judgment.
Note: This skill activates during extreme stress or voluntary trigger. Use with caution.
Aviel's smile froze.
"...Well," he muttered, "that's not creepy at all."
Avael tilted her head, watching him.
"You okay?" she asked softly.
"Y-yeah. Just got a weird passive," he said, brushing it off. "Not like I had emotions to begin with, right?"he muttered the last part underneath his breath.
She stared for a second longer.
[AVAEL] — Sync complete. Class: [Strategist].
Primary Combat Role: Support / Long Range Control
Skills acquired:
• [Arcbolt Snare Lv.1] – Stuns targets in an area with precision strike.
• [System Echo Lv.1] – Copies last enemy skill used and stores it temporarily.
She blinked.
"…I like it."
Aviel nodded. "Copy skill and trap skill? Overpowered combo. We're cracked."
"Of course," she replied.
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Step 5: Info Unlocked
After the assessments, they were led to a briefing hall.
A massive digital map of the Tower hung on the wall, lines connecting all seven Realms, each labeled with realms like Ashveil, Thronmarrow, and Umbraeve.
Each realm had up to 21 Gateway Floors, with current floors unlocked only up to Floor 38.
One instructor addressed the group:
"The Tower is not just a game. Every floor holds a truth. A challenge. A scar.
If you reach Floor 21 of a realm, you will face its past, its tragedy, and only by surviving it may you continue.
You are Seekers. Not heroes.
Survive. Grow. Adapt.
And maybe, just maybe, you will find your wish at the top."
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And then...
Later that evening, the twins sat in the dorm assigned to them.
Two beds. One giant window looking over the glowing city of Nebula.
Avael sat cross-legged, reading her system log.
Aviel sat beside her, leaning back on the wall.
"…So. We're in."
She nodded.
"We get stronger. Climb the tower. Reach Floor 150. Beat whoever that was," she said softly.
He looked out the window, eyes cold now. Just for a moment.
[Emotion Null Lv.1 — Inactive]
"…And then," he said, voice steady,
"…we see another victory screen."