{Arrival of the Iron Fang Ace}
Marcus Kane, Iron Fang's ace and leader of their newbie trial group, emerged from the crowd. His reputation as rank 15 on the Super Rookie list preceded him—a powerhouse who'd never been defeated in official duels.
"Marcus!" one of the fallen guild members gasped. "This guy... he attacked us!"
Marcus's eyes narrowed as he took in the scene, then fixed on Jin-Seok's masked face. Without warning, he launched himself forward, his fist wreathed in spiritual energy that made the air itself hum with power. It was a strike meant to end fights in a single blow.
{The Clash of Strength}
Jin-Seok caught it with one hand.
The impact created a small shockwave that rippled outward, but Jin-Seok stood unmoved. Marcus's eyes widened in shock as his full-strength attack was stopped as casually as someone catching a thrown ball.
"Impossible," Marcus breathed, staring at his trapped fist. "My Iron Mountain Fist..."
"Sloppy execution," Jin-Seok observed clinically. "You put too much force into the initial strike and left yourself completely open. Also, your technique lacks penetrating power."
The crowd had gone silent, everyone staring at the figure who'd just stopped Iron Fang's ace with one hand. Even Tower officials were approaching, sensing the disturbance.
{Order from Authority}
"That's enough!" A WTA official pushed through the crowd, her voice carrying absolute authority. "Violence outside the Tower is strictly prohibited. All parties involved, stand down immediately."
Jin-Seok released Marcus's fist and stepped back. Marcus stumbled slightly, his hand trembling almost imperceptibly—something he quickly tried to hide by clenching it into a fist.
"This isn't over," Marcus muttered, but his voice lacked its earlier confidence.
"It is for today," the official declared. "Iron Fang Guild members, report to your designated area. Everyone else, disperse. The newbie trials begin in thirty minutes."
{A Small Act of Kindness}
As the crowd reluctantly scattered, Jin-Seok knelt beside the little girl, who was still clutching her basket of trinkets.
"Are you hurt?" he asked gently.
She shook her head quickly. "N-no, thank you for helping me! I'm really sorry for causing trouble."
"You didn't cause anything. What are you selling here?"
"Just some lucky charms I make," she said shyly, showing him small carved wooden figures. "I save up money for me and my big brother. He doesn't like that I sell things here, but... but I want to help. He's training to be a climber too, and training costs money."
Jin-Seok examined the little figures. They were crude but made with obvious care. "You want to climb the Tower someday too?"
Her eyes lit up. "Yes! Just like my brother. But first, I want to help him achieve his dream."
Jin-Seok smiled behind his mask and pulled out a platinum credit card. "I'll take everything you have."
"Everything?" Her eyes went wide. "But... but that's too much! I can't make change for something like that!"
"Then keep the card," Jin-Seok said simply. "Use it when you need it. Consider it an investment in a future climber."
"I... I can't accept this!" She tried to push the card away.
"You helped remind me why I'm climbing the Tower in the first place," Jin-Seok said. "Sometimes we need to protect the things that matter. That's worth more than money."
Tears gathered in her eyes as she carefully took the card. "Thank you... thank you so much! I promise I'll use it wisely!"
"I know you will. And take this visiting card, you can call the number on the visiting card if you have any problem; they will solve it for you. Now get somewhere safe—the trials are about to begin."
She nodded eagerly, hugging her now-empty basket, and ran off with a happiness that made Jin-Seok's heart lighter.
{Tension with Marcus}
Behind him, he could hear Marcus still flexing his hand where their attacks had met, the tremor barely controlled. When their eyes met across the plaza, Marcus quickly looked away.
Jin-Seok turned toward the Tower entrance, where massive doors were beginning to open with a sound like thunder. The newbie trials were about to begin.
{Unexpected Legacy System Activation}
Jin-Seok found a relatively quiet corner and settled in to wait. The Newbie Trial Zone entrance lay ahead, but the Tower operated on its own schedule. That's when the impossible happened.
[Legacy System: Host Detected.]
[Synchronization Resuming… 55%]
[Time Elapsed: 18 years, 2 months, 11 days.]
[Warning: Dimensional Displacement Detected. Resuming paused sync...]
Jin-Seok froze, every muscle in his body going rigid with shock. The translucent violet text floated directly in his field of vision, impossible to ignore or dismiss.
This isn't the Tower System.
He knew this with absolute certainty. The Tower System was legendary, yes, but it only activated after clearing the Newbie Trial Zone—the crucible where climbers earned their first class and truly entered the Tower's embrace. No one, not even the most privileged scions of Tower nobility, received system messages before that watershed moment.
Not unless this was something else entirely. Something that predated the Tower itself.
A quick glance around confirmed his suspicions—no one else seemed to notice the floating text. Other aspirants continued their conversations, their nervous laughter, their last-minute preparations. Whatever was happening to him was happening to him alone.
The message lingered for several more seconds before dissolving, replaced by a progress bar that crawled forward with agonizing slowness.
[Synchronization: 55%… 56%… 57%…]
What the hell is this? Why is it reacting now?
Questions burned in his mind, but he forced himself to remain calm. Panic was the enemy of clear thinking, and clear thinking was what separated Tower climbers from Tower corpses. He moved deeper into his chosen corner, settling against a pillar with practiced nonchalance while the progress bar continued its relentless advance.
Around him, conversations flowed like water, most of it idle chatter designed to mask deeper fears.
"Look at that guy in the fancy suit," someone whispered, not quite quietly enough. "Does he think this is some kind of costume party?"
"Probably some rich brat playing dress-up," another voice responded with barely concealed envy. "Wait until he sees what the Tower does to pretty boys in expensive clothes."
"That mask though—trying way too hard to look mysterious. Bet he's shaking like a leaf under all that fabric."
Jin-Seok heard every word but gave no indication. Let them underestimate him. Underestimation was just another weapon in a climber's arsenal.
The progress bar reached 99%, then froze for what felt like an eternity.
Then—
[Synchronization: 100% Complete.]
Time didn't stop, but it felt like it should have. The weight of the moment pressed down on Jin-Seok like the Tower itself had settled onto his shoulders.
[Legacy System Fully Activated.]
[Welcome, Heir of the Lost.]
[Analyzing Forgotten Timelines… Access Granted.]
[Syncing Legacy Character Slots…]
[System Visibility: Host Only.]
His heart didn't skip a beat—it forgot how to beat for several crucial seconds.
"What… is this?" he whispered, the words barely audible even to himself.
[Newbie Gift Package Available.]
[Legacy System: Random Character Unlock Option Available.]
[1 Free Character Draw Pending…]
[Initiate Draw? Yes/Yes]
Jin-Seok stared at the options, noting with growing unease that both choices were identical. "Yes" or "Yes"—hardly a choice at all.
"I'm not selecting anything," he muttered under his breath, folding his arms across his chest in stubborn defiance. "I don't even know what this system really is yet."
The countdown timer that appeared suggested the system had other ideas.
[Time Limit: 30 seconds remaining.]
[29… 28… 27…]
"What do you mean, time limit?!" Jin-Seok hissed, panic finally breaking through his carefully maintained composure. "You said I had to select something!"
[10… 9… 8… 7…]
"This is insane—"
[3… 2… 1…]
[Time Reached. Random Unlock Initiating…]
The screen vanished like smoke, leaving Jin-Seok staring at empty air. For a moment, he dared to hope it had been some kind of stress-induced hallucination.
Then reality tore itself apart in front of him.
{The Arrival of Aris Telvhan}
A slit of absolute darkness opened in the air three feet from his face—not black like absence of light, but black like the concept of darkness given form. The edges of the tear crackled with energy that made his skin crawl and his teeth ache. From within that impossible wound in space, something emerged.
It was small, perhaps four feet in height, but presence has nothing to do with physical dimensions. The figure that floated out of the dimensional rift radiated an authority that made Jin-Seok's breath catch in his throat. Its body was humanoid but clearly skeletal beneath robes that seemed to be woven from smoke and shadow themselves. Twin flames of cold blue fire burned where eyes should be, ancient and contemptuous.
"Hmph."
The sound carried centuries of disappointment and barely restrained disdain.
[Character Unlocked: Aris Telvhan]
[Class Title: Eternal Necromancer]
[Tier: ???]
[Level : ???]
[Further Data Requires Legacy Points or Sync Progress.]
The skeletal figure straightened, somehow managing to look down at Jin-Seok despite floating at eye level.
"Of all the cosmic jokes..." Aris muttered, his voice like wind through a graveyard. "This has to be some kind of mistake."
The spirit turned in a slow circle, taking in Jin-Seok from head to toe with obvious disdain.
"Tell me you're just a decoy and the real host is standing behind you somewhere, hiding in embarrassment."
"I see nothing impressive about you. Not strength, not presence—just a boy in a mask, trying far too hard to look important."
Jin-Seok's mouth was suddenly desert-dry. He glanced around quickly—still no one else seemed to see the floating skeletal figure or the glowing system messages. Whatever was happening existed in a space between him and something far beyond normal understanding.
"Who... who are you?" he managed.
The wraith drew itself up to its full, unimpressive height with theatrical grandeur.
"I am Aris Telvhan, Eternal Necromancer, Last Deathkeeper of the Old World, Master of the Seventeen Forbidden Arts, and Bane of the Living Kingdoms."
He paused for dramatic effect, blue flames flickering with amusement.
"Even hearing my name should be a privilege you do not deserve. Lesser beings typically prostrate themselves at this point."
Despite everything, Jin-Seok felt a laugh bubbling up from somewhere deep in his chest. "Prostrate myself? I don't even know if you're real or if I'm having some kind of pre-Trial breakdown."
"Real?" Aris's flames flared brighter. "REAL? I am more real than your pathetic existence, boy! I have outlasted empires, witnessed the rise and fall of gods, and—"
[Bonus: 500 Legacy Points Granted for Unl
ocking a Mythic-Class Character.]
The interruption deflated Aris's grand proclamation like a punctured balloon.
"Well," he grumbled, "at least the system recognizes quality when it sees it."
_________________________________________________
{An Original Series by Celestial Raven}