"Where the hell am I?! I was just in my car to settle my remaining taxes! Fuck!"
"What is this place? Shit! I'm on my way to my girlfriend's home! She said she's alone!"
"I am not hallucinating, am I? Or did I die in my sleep?"
"Hahaha! I must still be drunk, this cannot be real!"
"M–Mommy, where are you...?"
Murmurs of wonder and incredulity filled the atmosphere as the crowd from various parts of the world arrived in a seemingly heavenly plane, where only green pastures, azure sky, and bright light above could be seen.
Amidst this confusion and fear that seemed to begin settling in everyone's heart and mind, a twenty-one-year-old man with short black hair as though they were crow's feathers, and dull black eyes like that of no grand purpose in life observed the surroundings, his thoughts only known to himself.
Radan Myrr, the sole grandson of his mentally ill grandmother, tried his best to assess the situation, hoping that the other's wish... that this might just be a dream was nothing but the truth.
Grandma...
Radan was the only remaining guardian of his grandmother; his parents abandoned him as each one lived separately with their new families without caring or looking back at their roots.
I need to go back...
It was Radan's only thought; his grandmother was deathly sick and no one in their neighborhood cared.
They were alone in this cold world filled with uncertainty; with culture and generation that could be summarized in a phrase known as: "I don't care."
Radan was aware that his grandmother's life was nearing its end; the heaven's calling and her body shall return to earth. But even then, if there's one thing he could do for her–
Grandma deserves a peaceful funeral...
...it's to at least provide her a proper place of rest.
Lost in his own blue misty world called mind, Radan's thoughts were put to an abrupt stop–
Crack.
...when the space in front of them cracked like fragile glass.
All eyes were then fixated on this enormous streak of flawed space.
Soon after, what faced them was an angelic being; a woman with three pairs of wide white wings, with a glimmering golden halo hovering on her head, whose entire body was adorned in a loose white dress chiseled from the fabric of heaven's clouds.
"An angel? She's so beautiful that I could die!"
"If this is a dream, then don't wake me up!"
"Fucking simptards!"
For the second time, the murmurs echoed throughout this seemingly endless plane. The only difference compared to everyone's sudden arrival was that their eyes had finally something to focus on.
"M–Miss Angel, can you tell us what's happening? I was just in my room a while ago... and I–I am preparing for my CSAT!"
"Hey, shh. Maybe she can't understand you; she's an angel and we're humans. Of course, we don't have the same language."
"Miss Angel, send me back! I have a date!"
"Shit! I don't want those black-suited men to come knocking on my door again because of my unpaid taxes! You, send me back now!"
"Miss Angel, send us back! This is fucking kidnapping!"
The lofty figure hovering above looked down; her golden eyes were then filled with repulsion as though she was looking at parasites that should not exist.
"Have these puny mortals really been chosen by the Tower?"
Snap!
In the midst of growing unrest, after the angelic being snapped her fingers, the sound of alert rang through everyone's ears, which was followed by a golden projection known as a system screen.
Ding!
[Welcome to the Tower of Worlds, Adventurer!]
"Wh–what the hell is this? Some kind of fucking game?!"
"Tower of Worlds? I only know the movie, War of the Worlds."
"Miss Angel, just send us back! I don't have time for this crap!"
"You bugs dare to oppose the Tower's will!?"
The angelic being's voice reverberated; it sounded serene yet cold; it felt like something akin to an insect as the vibration of her voice crawled to one's skin.
"I don't know about this Tower! I'm certain no one knows about this unless they're weebs!"
"Miss Angel, I'll give you money to send me back!"
"Fuck! I didn't sign up for this measly game!"
As the crowd lashed out their complaints, the golden projection in front of them flickered to another prompt, causing reactions to spread like a contagious, airborne virus.
[Would you like to deny the calling of the Tower of Worlds?]
[YES / NO]
[If you press YES, you will be transported back to your previous world and your memories of this place will be erased.]
[If you press NO, you will become an inhabitant of this world, and those who remember you shall forget your very existence.]
"Go on, mortals. You have been given a choice."
Even Radan standing among the gradually silent crowd did not notice that he could now comprehend the angelic being's words, as he, too, was fixated on what was in front of him.
"Well, that's easy. Who the hell wants to stay in this place? This feels surreal."
"Right! Thanks, Miss Angel, you will be missed!"
"Finally! I hope my date didn't leave! It's my opportunity to lose my virginity tonight!"
"I–I can finally go home!"
If there was one thing that was present in this plane full of clueless people, it was their sense of urgency mixed with absurdity, but at the same time, they were devoid of rationality to see their current predicament in all seriousness.
Click.
Click.
One by one, the seemingly obvious answer was unhesitantly clicked here and there.
Radan, too, was about to press [YES] when something caught his ears, putting his right index finger midair into an abrupt stop.
"H–huh? Wh–what's this, Miss Angel?!"
"M–Mommy?! Father!"
"Ah! My daughter! Wh–what happened to my daughter?!"
"Shit! M–my girlfriend, wake up!"
For those who clicked [YES], the system screen whirled and turned into something similar to a security camera's perspective. However, what their vision screened was their loved ones, all without signs of life as though each soul was culled and dragged toward the abyss.
At the side of these lifeless individuals, one semi-fluid cloaked figure holding a shadow scythe was hauntingly standing, ready to claim the souls of those fated to die—it was the fragment of death.
What's more, those who had shown their desire and decisively clicked [YES] eventually disappeared from this plane of tranquil unknown grassland.
After that, an enormous projection for everyone to see appeared beside the angelic being's existence, whose tender lips were grinning like a true psychopath.
Radan then witnessed it, along with every other that remained; those who were transported back appeared beside their already dead loved ones.
They were on their knees, which was then followed by their cries of repentance...
"I didn't mean to kill you!"
They lost their memories about the Tower of Worlds yet what remained was their irrational minds, thinking they were the ones who ended their loved ones' lives.
It was the heaven's cruelty.
***
"Ah, what a boring sob story. Huhu. Anyone else?"
At that moment, everyone that remained in this plane either through a stroke of luck or inevitable fate fell into silence. But what's transparent was everyone's fear painted on everyone's face. Even Radan couldn't help but be dumbfounded at this unprecedented predicament.
"Nothing more? Well, that's a boring one, anyway."
Snap!
For the second time, the angelic being snapped her fingers, which again reminded those who remained of what was in front of them.
[You have been bestowed a Divine Blessing!]
[You have gained the Divine Blessing, "Last Will of the Forgotten Legionnaire!"]
[You have obtained the "Legion System!"]
[You shall remember those your heart holds true.]
[For they shall perish, your heart shall be beholden, too.]
"Whatever blessing you receive, it's the will of the Tower. It is absolute and infallible. Any questions, mortals?"
Everyone was absorbed in what they were seeing and some others began sensing the gradual change in their bodies.
After a few moments, one adventurer raised his hand; it was a well-built man in his early thirties, donning a plain white shirt and gray boxer shorts.
"M–Miss Angel, i–is it true we will be forgotten by our loved ones?"
"Yes, it's true. Why do you ask?" The angelic being said monotonously.
Hearing this confirmation from her mouth, this particular man knelt on the ground, his hands clasping while his gaze fixated on the heavens.
"Thank the heavens! I'm already fed up with my goddamn wife! There's always nothing left for me whenever I receive my salary!"
Dismissing this seemingly maddened man, the angelic being with a frowning expression snapped again her fingers.
Snap!
[In exchange for the Divine Blessing, you have become an inhabitant of the Tower of Worlds, Adventurer!]
[As an inhabitant of the Tower of Worlds, those who you hold dear, unchosen and unworthy ones in the eyes of the sovereign Tower, shall forget your existence.]
[You have obtained the Status Window!]
[To open it, verbally or mentally speak, "Status."]
[To unlock the other functions of the integrated system, climb the Tower of Worlds, Adventurer!]
"Well, well. That's enough for early celebration, adventurers.
"It's time for the exciting part, unlike the earlier sob stories that puts even me to drowsiness."
Snap!
Ding!
[First Trial: Goblin Subjugation will begin!]
However, amidst everything that had transpired since the moment Radan received a Divine Blessing, he only remained silent as he stared blankly at the system screen that continuously showed him something else...
[Your grandmother is thinking about you...]
[Your grandmother is thinking about you...]
[Your grandmother is thinking about you...]
[Legionnaire, you are being remembered by someone you hold dear!]
[Strength has increased by 0.1]
[Will has increased by 0.1]