_____________
I am not afraid of death, I am afraid of what will come after it, for the ones who followed me" - Crazy Necromancer.
_____________
Wealth, fame, and power.
The one who climbs to the top floor of the tower was promised everything that the universe has to offer.
The text that weirdly appeared in front of everyone one day, drove the people to climb the Tower of Myth.
[You want to be absolute? Climb the Tower and everything shall be yours!]
[The one to reach the top shall have everything that the universe has to offer]
and so began the people heading to the Tower to gain absolute power for their own reasons.
And among them was a young man named Michel.
With long black hair that is tied into a low ponytail with a red hair tie and a messy fringe across his forehead, he looked to be a youth in his 18.
His outfit consisted of a white half-sleeved shirt with a loose red tie and black pants, with accompanying black dress shoes and black laced white gloves.
To be blunt, he looked like a bumkin gentleman.
"The weather seems just perfect for my grand entry into the Tower!"
The sun was up in the east spreading the light to the world, the cows were grazing on the grass as a young man ran amidst them towards a giant tower that rose to the sky in distance.
The Tower of Myth!
Exactly 135 years ago it emerged on earth and merged the Earth with the multiverse.
And so born the people who took the offer of the Tower to climb it, who later came to be known as Climbers.
The Tower was not a place for the weak nor was it for the cowards, so bloodshed was a common occurrence there. Countless died every day, death in the tower was but a candle amidst the storm, that could go off at any time.
So, many people chose to give up a midway fearing for their lives and came back to the now known Planet, 'P-124' in the multiverse.
The power they earned in the Tower was with themselves and it was relatively safer outside the tower than it was inside so many of the climbers returned every day to their home planets fearing for their lives.
But even so, the number of people climbing the tower didn't decrease if anything it was increasing day by day.
The greed of the living was nothing to scoff at, even in the face of death, there were many who readily threw themselves at danger like a moth fly heading right into the flame.
And the Tower too welcomed them with open hands.
More than the climbers that came back, the number of youths who entered the Tower with their dreams was enormous.
and among these immatures was Michel!
He was just an average boy born in a middle-class family with enough power to protect themselves outside the Tower. They lived in a countryside village where peace and happiness could be found.
If anything was weird in his peaceful life, then that would be his grandpa, always nagging at him to train in different ways.
besides that, he was your typical average boy with big dreams and fantasies. His biggest dream was to become an Absolute who stood atop the Tower.
And today was finally the day for him to enter the Tower!
To The Tower of Myth! where he was going to achieve his dreams or could he?!
"Mom, Dad, Gramps, I am going!"
He said screaming while standing amidst a group of grazing cows and looking back at his average urban house.
Three individuals were standing in front of the house to send him off.
One with blond hair, a fair figure, and a motherly gaze, she was looking at him with worry and concern.
"Take care dear, make sure to come back as soon as you reach the 10th floor"
"I will mom, don't worry!"
A man with a rough-looking face, a fit body seemingly a six-pack hiding under his dirty farming shirt, and piercing eyes.
"Son make sure you live up to your father's name!"
"I will, Dad"
and finally, A old man with pale skin and bent back standing with the support of a stick with concerned eyes, there was an unexplainable and complicated look in his eyes.
"Don't die there, little one!"
"hahaha...I am not going to die until I attend your funeral, Grandpa"
A warm smile appeared on the old man's face as the worry in his eyes disappeared as of it was a lie.
"you punk! you better don't forget to train while you are in there or I will beat the shit out of you next time"
"You think you could bully me after I enter the tower, try it old man! Bye! Bye!"
The boy ran off heading towards the huge tower that was visible in the distance with nothing but a pouch of some coins, a bow, and a quiver full of arrows on his back.
"I ate an extra serving since I will not be able to enjoy mom's cooking for a long time but it seems like it is making me quite slow!"
He murmured as he sped up his pace.....
At the same time,
A young girl who hasn't even passed the tender age of twenty was looking at the tower in front of her.
Her hair was unusually green in color, while she had brownish golden eyes, the clothes she had worn were torn and seem to be in a bad condition, just a look and you would know that she was from the slums.
She held a pouch filled with some kind of coins in her hand tighter as a look of rage appeared in her eyes.
The times have changed and getting into the tower too had become so, at first people would approach the tower, and just touching it would allow you to be able to teleport to the tutorial of Tower, but it was not like that anymore.
As I said the greed of the living was nothing to scoff at, the major guilds that were in control of the area built fences around the Tower, and various defense formations and skills were laid to confirm the security.
At first, there were about 101 similar towers raised on old Earth, to help people who desired to enter the Tower, get into the tower easily but it was not like that anymore, even before you enter the tower you have to pay a certain amount of karma* as payment.
Karma was the currency of the Tower, people with parents who were climbers, were easily able to get that amount but those like the orphans and children from the slums had to work many days and nights to just earn that.
Linda was one such unfortunate soul, who had to live in slums and had to fight every day just for a piece of bread. She barely managed to make the required Karma and was now on her way to enter the Tower.
She handed the pouch containing the karma points to a person at the entrance, who was disgusted by the dirty pouch and took it in annoyance.
'Tch'
She gritted her teeth calming herself, as nothing good would come by messing with a person belonging to major guilds.
Instead, she looked at the message being displayed in her window.
[Do you want to take the test of the Tower of Myth?]
[y/n]
"The next time I come here, I will kick all of your ass*s"
She murmured as her figure disappeared from that place.
---***---
(reference image of Michel in comments, join the discord for more)