The sun barely crept over the horizon when Anos woke up.
He stretched lazily on the couch, yawned, and glanced at the Tower in the distance. It loomed like a giant spear piercing the sky, ominous and inviting at the same time.
"Alright," he muttered, grabbing his stick-turned-super-sword-turned-stick again. "Round two. Let's see what hell you've got for me today."
[User seems motivated.] the System pinged in its usual monotone.
"Motivated? Nah. I just hate leaving a cliffhanger unfinished," Anos said, smirking as he left his apartment.
By the time he reached the Tower, the crowd had already gathered. Some people looked excited, others terrified. A few were shaking so hard they looked like they'd bolt if the Tower didn't suck them in.
Anos just stood there with his hands in his pockets, calm as a monk on vacation.
Then, without warning, the ground beneath them glowed with a massive sigil.
WHOOSH.
Everyone was dragged into the Tower — literally yanked as if by an invisible vacuum cleaner.
When Anos opened his eyes again, he found himself in a dark forest. The air was heavy with tension, the kind that made even breathing feel dangerous.
"Whoa," he said, looking around. "So this is what you meant by 'another dimension,' huh?"
[Affirmative. User is currently inside Tower Dimension Layer Two.]
Before he could say anything else, screaming erupted nearby.
He turned just in time to see a man stabbing another with a rusty dagger, his face twisted with madness.
"What the hell—"
More people started attacking each other. Some grabbed rocks, others tried to strangle whoever was closest.
"What is going on?!" someone shouted.
Anos tilted his head, observing calmly. "Mass hysteria, or…"
[System Alert: Dimension Two releases 'Mind Madness' effect. Weak-willed participants will attack others at random.]
Anos' expression didn't even change. "…So basically, survival of the sanest. Got it."
He sidestepped as two people charged at him, letting them knock each other out with a sickening thud.
"Man," Anos muttered, "if this keeps up, I won't even have to lift a finger. They're doing my job for me."
But then he heard something — a small, frightened whimper.
Anos' ears perked up.
He followed the sound, weaving past fighting survivors, until he found a girl sitting under a massive, twisted tree.
She couldn't have been older than ten, her white hair glowing faintly in the darkness. Tears streaked her face, and yet… she wasn't panicking like the others.
"Hey, kid," Anos said softly. "What are you doing out here? You lost?"
Before the girl could answer, the System blared in his head.
[System Alert: Detected Extraordinary Entity.]
Anos blinked. "…Huh?"
[Target Identified: Native of Tower Dimension. Rare-Class Talent: 'Dimensional Thread Weaver.']
"…Dimensional what now?"
[Target's talent can manipulate dimensional stability. If raised properly, she can open and close gates at will. System assessment: Potential Ticket to Heaven.]
Anos' jaw dropped. "Ticket to Heaven? Bro, are you telling me this little kid is literally a walking VIP pass?"
[Affirmative.]
Anos looked at the girl again. She was hugging her knees, trembling but staring back at him with huge, intelligent eyes.
He crouched down in front of her.
"What's your name?"
"…Molar," she said softly, voice trembling.
"Molar, huh?" Anos smiled faintly. "Alright, listen. I don't know what you are, or why you're here, but I'm not about to let some blood-crazed lunatic get to you."
He stood, twirling his stick lazily.
"System, mark her under my protection."
[Affirmative. Molar is now under User's Party Protection Protocol.]
Almost instantly, a soft blue barrier shimmered around the girl.
Anos turned just in time to see a crazed man charging at them with a jagged spear.
With a casual flick, Anos swung his stick and smacked the guy straight into a tree.
"Stay down, please," he said, brushing imaginary dust off his shoulder.
Molar blinked at him, then giggled softly.
"What's so funny?" Anos asked, raising an eyebrow.
"You fight funny," she said.
Anos sighed dramatically. "Everyone's a critic."
Before he could say anything else, the System pinged again.
[New Objective: Protect Molar until Time Limit Ends. Reward: Bonus EXP + Random Skill.]
"Oh great, babysitting quest," Anos muttered. "Guess I'm a dad now."
For the next hour, Anos fought off anyone who came too close — which was honestly more boring than dangerous. Most of the mind-maddened participants were too weak to hurt him anyway.
But then the forest started to shift.
The trees twisted, the ground rumbled, and a chilling roar echoed through the dimension.
Anos' grin widened. "Ah, there it is. I was wondering when the real fun would start."
[System Alert: Boss Monster Spawned — 'Mind Eater.' Level: 15.]
Anos' grin faltered slightly. "Level fifteen? System, why do you keep throwing overleveled bosses at me?!"
[Difficulty scales based on user's hidden potential.]
"Oh, thanks for the compliment—WAIT, YOU'RE MAKING THIS HARDER ON PURPOSE?!"
[Affirmative.]
Anos facepalmed. "I swear, one day I'm gonna uninstall you."
But he didn't run.
Instead, he planted his stick in the ground and cracked his knuckles.
"Alright, Mind Eater. Let's dance."
The creature emerged from the shadows — a grotesque humanoid with too many arms and glowing red eyes. Its presence alone sent waves of terror through the forest.
Anos glanced back at Molar.
"Stay inside the barrier. No peeking," he said, winking.
Then he charged.
The fight was brutal. The Mind Eater was fast, its claws slashing through the air like blades.
Anos ducked, weaved, and countered, using every trick he'd learned so far.
At one point, the creature tried to cast some kind of mind-control spell, but Anos just smirked and snapped his fingers — canceling time for half a second and dodging at the last possible moment.
When the Mind Eater finally went down with a final blow to the head, Anos was panting, covered in scratches, but grinning like a maniac.
"Now that was a fight," he said, wiping blood off his cheek.
The System pinged again.
[Quest Complete. Rewards Granted.]
[Bonus EXP Acquired.]
[Random Skill Unlocked: Dimensional Barrier.]
Anos blinked. "…Barrier? Oh great, now I really am playing dad."
Molar peeked out from behind the tree, her eyes wide. "You beat it…"
"Of course I did," Anos said, picking up his stick and resting it on his shoulder. "I'm not about to lose when my ticket to heaven is watching."
Molar tilted her head. "Ticket to what?"
"Don't worry about it."
Just as Anos was about to sit down, the Tower's voice boomed.
[SECOND TRIAL COMPLETE. PARTICIPANTS WILL BE RETURNED.]
The forest dissolved into light, and before Anos knew it, he was standing outside the Tower again.
He glanced down at Molar, who was holding his sleeve tightly.
"…Guess you're coming with me now, huh?"
Molar nodded.
Anos sighed but smiled faintly. "Alright, fine. But if you eat my snacks, we're gonna have a problem."
Molar giggled again, and for once, Anos didn't mind.