Lieutenant Wang would later report that the boy's body had convulsed once, then gone still. Blood pooled from his fractured skull, mixing with rainwater. They'd stood there for thirty seconds, unsure whether to retrieve the corpse or just report it as handled.
Then the body had dissolved into golden light and been pulled into the tower's surface like water into sand.
And for the first time in twenty years, something changed.
The tower's base pulsed. Once. Twice. Three times.
A message appeared in the air, visible to every human on Earth simultaneously:
[FIRST CLIMBER HAS ENTERED] [TOWER INITIALIZATION COMPLETE] [COMMENCING TRIAL OF WORLDS]
Chen Yu's last thought as a living person was that the rain had stopped.
His first thought as something else was that death was surprisingly loud.
[DING!]
[Congratulations! You are the first mortal to enter the Tower of Ascension]
[Analyzing soul integrity... Complete] [Age: 13 years, 4 months, 11 days] [Cause of Death: Cranial trauma] [Time elapsed since tower manifestation: 7,301 days, 4 hours, 47 minutes]
[Calculating inaugural bonus...]
Chen Yu found himself standing in a circular chamber carved from white stone, lit by torches that burned without heat. His hand went to his head—no wound. No blood. No pain. He was wearing strange clothes—a simple gray tunic and pants that fit perfectly despite him never owning anything that wasn't torn.
[As the first human to enter, you receive:] [- All Stats +10] [- Beginner equipment set (Soulbound)] [- 1000 Tower Coins] [- Exclusive Title: "Primordial Climber" - All experience gained increased by 100%] [- UNIQUE Growth Skill Selection]
[WARNING: Due to your age, difficulty has been adjusted] [WARNING: Due to being first, you have 30 days sole access to Floor 1] [WARNING: Death in the tower means soul termination]
"What?" Chen Yu's voice echoed strangely. It was his voice but... clearer. Stronger. Like the perpetual cold he'd lived with for three years had finally gone.
[Please select your UNIQUE skill. As first climber, you may choose from hidden options:]
A list appeared in golden text, but one entry pulsed brighter than the others:
[Omniscient Interference - Rank: UNIQUE (Growth)] The first to enter sees all, knows all, changes all.
Read all thoughts within 50 meters See attack trajectories 3 seconds before they occur Edit one thought per minute Sense system messages before they appear Evolution conditions: Hidden
"Read... thoughts?" Chen Yu whispered. In the streets, knowing what someone planned before they did it would have saved him so many beatings. So much hunger. Maybe even his parents.
His finger touched the glowing text.
[UNIQUE Skill acquired: Omniscient Interference] [Passive effect activated: Mind Reading (50m radius)] [Passive effect activated: Trajectory Prediction (3 seconds)] [Active ability available: Thought Edit (1/minute)] [Hidden passive unlocked: System Prescience (1 second)]
Immediately, Chen Yu's world exploded.
Hungry... smell human... fresh meat... kill...
The thoughts weren't his. They came from beyond the chamber's walls, primitive and vicious. He could feel their locations—five creatures, approaching from the corridor ahead. Their intentions blazed in his mind like red signals.
A notification began forming in his vision. But Chen Yu saw it one second early, ghostlike, before it solidified:
[Tutorial Quest: First Blood] [Objective: Survive the goblin scouts] [Reward: Basic weapon selection, 100 XP] [Penalty for death: Soul termination]
The door to his chamber dissolved.
Five creatures rushed in—green-skinned, child-sized, wielding crude clubs. Goblins, his mind supplied, though he'd never seen one before.
[Goblin Scout - Level 1] [HP: 30/30]
But Chen Yu could see so much more. Their thoughts streamed into his consciousness:
Leader takes first bite... wait for leader... circle behind... hit legs... make prey fall...
Red lines materialized in his vision—ghostly trajectories showing where each goblin would attack. The leader would swing for his head in 2.7 seconds. The two on the left would go for his knees in 3.1 seconds. The two on the right would wait, then strike when he fell.
Chen Yu had survived three years on the streets by being weak but smart. Now, for the first time, he wasn't weak anymore.
[Status Window Opening...] [Name: Chen Yu] [Level: 1] [HP: 110/110] (+10 from First Climber) [MP: 60/60] (+10 from First Climber) [Strength: 15] (+10 from First Climber) [Agility: 14] (+10 from First Climber) [Intelligence: 16] (+10 from First Climber) [Endurance: 13] (+10 from First Climber)
The leader goblin charged, club raised high. The red trajectory line showed it aiming for his temple—a killing blow if it connected. Chen Yu stepped left, picked up a loose stone from the floor, and brought it down on the goblin's skull just as it overextended.
[Critical Hit! -45 HP] [Goblin Scout defeated!] [+20 XP (10 base + 100% bonus)] [Loot: Crude Club, 5 Tower Coins]
The other goblins' thoughts exploded in panic:
How prey know?! Trap! Run! No, attack together! ATTACK!
Four red lines appeared simultaneously. Chen Yu focused on one goblin's mind and activated his ability:
[Thought Edit activated] Original thought: "Attack human now!"Edited to: "Attack other goblin now!"
The rightmost goblin suddenly turned and slammed its club into its companion's face. The confusion lasted just long enough. Chen Yu grabbed the dropped club from the leader's corpse, heavier than anything he'd wielded before but manageable with his new strength.
He could see everything—their intentions, their fears, their next moves. The remaining goblins tried to coordinate, but how could they fight someone who knew their attacks before they did?
Three swings. Three dead goblins. Their final thoughts echoed in his mind:
Impossible... demon child... mother save me...
The last goblin, injured by its controlled companion, tried to flee. Chen Yu's thrown stone caught it in the spine.
[Combat complete!] [100 XP gained (50 base + 100% bonus)] [Level up! Level 1 → Level 2] [All stats +2] [Skill Point gained] [Loot: 4x Crude Club, 20 Tower Coins, 1x Goblin Ear (crafting material)]
Chen Yu stood among the corpses, breathing hard but uninjured. For the first time in three years, he wasn't the prey.
A new notification appeared, and he saw it forming one second before it materialized:
[Hidden Achievement: Flawless Victory] [Defeated 5 enemies without taking damage] [Reward: Rare Equipment Box]
[Floor 1 Status: 0.1% Complete] [Zones Remaining: 99] [Time until tower opens to others: 29 days, 23 hours, 11 minutes]
Chen Yu looked at the blood on his hands—green, not red. In the streets, he'd never been able to fight back. Too small, too weak, too slow. But here, with the ability to read minds and see attacks before they came...
Here, he could become something more than forgotten garbage.
A golden box materialized before him. Inside was a simple iron dagger, but to Chen Yu, it might as well have been Excalibur.
[Iron Dagger (Rare)] [Damage: 15-20] [Special: 10% chance to cause bleeding] [Requirement: Level 2]
Perfect.
More thoughts pressed against his consciousness from deeper in the floor—dozens of creatures, some goblin, some... different. Stronger. But also broadcasting their every intention directly into his mind.
Chen Yu wiped the green blood from his face and walked toward the next chamber. On Earth, he'd been nobody. A statistical error. A forgotten child who'd died against humanity's greatest mystery.
But in here? In here, he was the First Climber. The Pioneer. The one who would show humanity that the tower could be conquered.
Even if he had to do it alone.
The corridor ahead split into three paths. Each radiated different thoughts—hunger from the left, rage from the center, cunning from the right.
Chen Yu chose cunning. In his experience, the smart predators were the ones you could negotiate with.
Or manipulate.
[Zone 2 Entered: The Goblin Camps][Enemies: 10-15][Recommended Level: 2-3]
His Omniscient Interference pulsed, picking up organized thoughts ahead. These weren't scouts—they were soldiers. And they knew he was coming.
Intruder killed scouts... set trap... wait for signal...
Chen Yu smiled. They thought they were hunting him.
They had no idea what had just entered their domain.