The moment Sho reappeared on Earth, The sky had that same color. Blue, quiet… almost too quiet. Birds flew. Traffic buzzed. Everything was as it was—
The ground didn't shake. The sky didn't bleed red. No death hounds were chasing him. No bone-chilling growls echoed behind.
Instead, honking cars, clinking café cups, and a street kid screaming "ice cream!" greeted him like a weird, normal dream.
[Current Zone – Earth]
Sho rolled his neck.
"Right back where I started…"
But sho's not the same, hes different now ..
His limbs were tighter, more defined. Muscles slightly bulked. Reflexes sharper. Even his hoodie stretched tighter across his chest, with the Fangrunner's Wraps faintly pulsing underneath.
His stomach growled. Loudly.
"…Right. Food."
He stepped off the rooftop and began walking with hands in his pocket.
His eyes scanned the crowd. No one noticed him. Or so he thought.
Two Hours Later – Burger Shack
"Dude. DUUUDE. YOU'RE ALIVE."
Sho had to catch his drink before Al flipped the table in excitement.
"I'm also starving," Sho mumbled, stuffing fries in his mouth. "Let me feast first,lets talk later."
Al sat down across from him, "The Tower—Floor Two. It opened like… four days ago!"
Sho blinked. "Wait. Four?"
(I was inside the Tomb for seven days straight… so the cooldown was what? Three days from when I entered? Damn, I missed the gate again.)
Al looked confused. "Weren't you worried about missing it?"
Sho scratched his head. "Nah , I can go anytime.."
Al shook his head. "Nah, not anymore..
Sho raised an eyebrow, paused mid-bite. "Huh?"
"Players now need something called a Player ID. Like a digital license. They don't just let people teleport in anymore. There are guards, checkpoints, scanning your data. If you don't have one, you're blocked."
"But that's not the crazy part." Al leaned in, whispering, crossed arm with an serious eyes. "The government's the one behind it, They changed everything."
Sho raised a brow. "Government?"
"Yep., you can't enter the Tower anymore.Unless you have an ID."
Sho swallowed. "You're kidding."
"I'm not! The Tower Authority says it's to prevent unqualified people from dying too fast. But really, I think it's for control."
Sho crossed his arms..
"Control huh,. Ofcourse.
Al also added "it was also to distinguish real Players from civilians. Too many normal people wandered in during Floor 1's chaos and never came back. The Tower doesn't care who enters—but the government does."
Sho leaned back in his seat, sighing.
Al tapped his phone and showed him a scan badge.
[Name: Alibarra Realingo]
[Player Class: Support | Rank: D]
[Status: Verified Tower Access]
"It's like a digital license," Al said. "They're scanning everyone at gate checkpoints. If you don't have one, they turn you away."
Sho leaned back. "Ah… Makes sense."
(They're turning it into bureaucracy now. Identification. Regulation. Control.)
"So yeah," Al added, "before you even step through a gate now, you gotta register and go through a Rank Test. It sets your starting class."
Sho narrowed his eyes.""to get a Player ID, there's a test?. RANK TEST you said?.."
"Yep! Starts at Class F." Al raised his fingers. "Then D, C, B, A, S."
Sho smirked. "Let me guess, so the test assigns your rank? ."
"Ohhh. yep, "But it doesn't stop there," Al added. "The elites? They're beyond Class-S."
"Ehh.. theres more??"
Al raised his fingers, ticking them off.
"National Rankers—players acknowledged by their country's Tower Division.
Continental Rankers—recognized across an entire continent.
And the top… World Rankers. The rankers Beyond everyone else.."
Sho whistled. "So I guess Class-F is like… default newbie?"
Al nodded "Exactly. Most casual players stay around D or C. A's considered pro already.
How about S-ranks? National Ranker candidates.?"
"There are S-ranks already, and only a few made it to National so far. No official Continental or World Rankers yet."
Sho's lips twitched, crooked smirk. He looked into his panel, hnmm how about me.."should i take the test?.. askin himself..
"Wait," he suddenly said, narrowing his eyes at the stat panel again.
Strength? ✔️
Agility? ✔️
Dexterity, Intelligence, Inherent Stats? ✔️
"…Where the hell is my HP?"
He stared for a few seconds—nothing. No number. No bar.
Ding. System popped up.
"YOUR HP (Health Points) is not displayed by default, HP scales automatically based on Level and Class Type.
For game balance, HP cannot be increased manually through stat points."
Sho tilted his head. "So I do have HP… but it's hidden?"
"Correct. HP will only appear as a bar overlay when taking damage or receiving healing.
Maximum HP is influenced by Level, Class, and Gear.
This prevents class distortion (e.g., Assassin with Tank-level durability).
"So I'm squishy and blind. Great."
"You can Use armor-enhancing gear to compensate for low HP.
Sho groaned. "So I can become a god of murder but die from a sneeze if I'm not careful."
Exactly.
"Well , i dont plan to increase my health anyway, hahahah..
"Aagghhhh,, yeah your a damage maniac after all. Is that all?"
"Yeahh you can go now. [Blinked- systems gone]
"Hmmm, is that your system helper." Al asked.
"Yep, quite annoying right? HAHAHA system got an attitude.
Sho leaned forward. "What rank do you think i would get?"
"I dunno HAHA "You're still unregistered," Al stop, with an serious eyes. "Which is why everyone's watching."
"…What?"
Al gestured subtly with his chin.
Two tables down, a man in a formal jacket lowered his shades as Sho met his eyes—then quickly looked away and tapped something into a comms earpiece.
(Ah… So the vultures are already here. they're observing..)
"Maybe, You've been seen leaving the Tower alive—without official clearance.Big guilds watching every player," Al whispered.
Sho grinned.
Later that evening…
Sho sat at the edge of an abandoned park, hoodie pulled up, looking over the city skyline. Notifications flickered at the edge of his vision.
Suddenly—
[Notice: You are being observed.]
Sho's eyes flicked toward a rooftop. Just barely, he caught movement—a glint of lenses, a rustle of a coat—gone in a blink.
He smirked.
(Tch. They're fast.)
A message pinged on his phone. Unknown sender.
[We're watching. Visit Tower Branch HQ – Central Sector. For your Evaluation.]
.Let's talk soon. — Guild Rep, Shadefall
Sho deleted it without blinking.
Then his lips curled.
"…Looks like the recruiters are serious."
"…They're hunting."
He stood up from the swing.
Sho stretched his arms behind his head.
"Let's give them a reason to chase."
[Chapter Ends]