Cayden was at a loss for a second.
[You only have thirty seconds to choose.]
The prompt came immediately before he got to weigh his choices.
"Shit!"
Which option should he choose? What's so significant about 2016?
Invasion!
Right, the apocalypse. The elimination of the weak and the choosing of those who have the strength to survive in a monster plague world for ten days.
That happened in 2016!
Pete.. Xyris…
When did Xyris die again?
2020!
[You only have five seconds.]
Cayden instantly reached out and pressed the first button.
[You have chosen to rewind the time back to July 16, 2016.]
[The Drifter's Clock will be placed back in your inventory.]
….
Cayden looked down at his feet. The sand had disappeared. It was replaced with hard ground. A thick, hazy mist spread all around him. He looked around. There was nothing but white mist in this place. His naked eyes could only see up to 5 meters away due to the absence of light.
[Ding – For the effect of the appeal, player Cayden Campbell is required to pass the World of the Reborn game, Wheel of Fortune before he will be sent back to the past.]
Cayden rolled his eyes. As expected of the Dark Tower, since when has it become so generous anyway?
[Starting today, your title as a 'Player' will be stripped off of you.]
What now?
[Since you are now the possessor of the Drifter's Clock, you will acquire the title of 'Drifter'.]
Cayden's face darkened. Was there such a difference between the two?
[Your current points have reverted back to 0. Please work hard to earn those points again.]
Cayden looked away from the system's bombardment of messages. The scene before him suddenly changed.
The faint golden light that have been shining down from the top most above was replaced with a huge roulette with strange markings of animal faces.
Cayden is looking at it with a frown on his face. The animals that were drawn on each portion of the wheel were familiar to him.
They were not ordinary monsters. They are the mutated species that he faced starting from the first floor to the eightieth floor. Some are terrible looking, like the goblins and the gnomes. There are also huge mammals like the ogre and the manticore.
[Welcome to the world of the Dark Tower.]
[We welcome every race and held no discrimination.]
[You can be the villain or the hero. Your choice. Just don't forget ~]
[The winner rules us all!!]
[Happy dark games!]
The familiar voice of the male announcer before each game faded after parting those words.
Cayden suddenly saw his surroundings turn completely black as the golden light disappeared. Then a strong wind whooshed. It was the usual suspense effect at every start of the game.
The whole moment of suspense will only last ten seconds before your opponents are revealed. When an ample amount of light was added, Cayden could finally see his surroundings.
He was standing in a square arena. Four corners and four sides. What goes beyond is nothing but white mist.
But he wasn't alone. There are others who were in the square arena with him. Several thousands are in the same place, standing, looking around, seemingly lost of where they are.
There's just one problem.
Cayden is the only human in this square arena.
The arena was extremely large that could cater these thousands of species together. The floors are entirely paved with 2 square meter tiles made of black granite and shinily polished. There are also torches in all four corners and the center of each line.
Somehow he certainly remembered one fucking crazy god who is into this old fashion decor.
The surrounding area was enveloped in darkness as if it were nighttime, but because there was no sky, it was difficult to guess. The arena remained well lit with the roulette, which has small lights in its huge circle.
The lights are multicolored, like at a circus.
When the light began to brighten and illuminate each species' face, Cayden had the urge to dig a hole for himself and hide there forever.
Exactly like a circus.
Not far from his side, he saw a woman with snakes as her arms and tongue. Her tongue has two beautiful pearl eyes that seem to sparkle whenever light is reflected on them.
On his front, was a man with horse legs, the woman beside him has human legs but with her face was a horse.
Somehow, Cayden started to get nervous. There could be anyone from this thousand group of species. Anyone he killed and slaughtered as he climbed the Dark Tower. He just hoped he wouldn't attract any more trouble and waste his chance at being reborn back into the past.
As Cayden looked around, he caught sight of twenty stone pillars circling the whole arena. These were strange pillars he usually saw whenever he invaded another species' territory.
Each pillar contains one of the Twelve Founding Races of the Dark Tower.
Beasts, mermen, dragons, elves, angels, demons, gnomes, and ghouls—and he forgot the rest, or maybe he got the ghouls wrong there, but whatever.
Each black pillar has encryption and is as wide as an oak tree trunk. Its height might be twenty meters. The encryption in the pillars are faces, and because of its sheen color, it reflects everyone from the center of the arena, giving off a huge sense of oppression.
Cayden really hates this feeling.
This feeling as if something omnipotent is watching from above, as though you are standing in the arena being judged for whatever biased decision. And if that someone hates you, with just a flick of his fingers and snap – you're gone.
The surroundings were extremely noisy. Someone from the group is crying, while somebody is calling someone's name. Someone is acting friendly toward their co-species, while others are extremely aloof and dangerously looking.
The woman with snakes as her arms came up beside to a guy with jaggy squid head.
Everything was all well… until somebody from the crowd realizes he was a human.
Fuck.