Terry was sitting in his office, surrounded by stacks of documents. He was reviewing plans for the formation of various training schools, designed to prepare new recruits in breathing techniques and the use of inner energy. His goal was clear: spread knowledge as much as possible so that humanity would be ready when the time came.
As he was about to sign a document, the door suddenly burst open. One of his secretaries, visibly shaken and out of breath, rushed into the room.
"Mr. Terry! A portal has opened! It happened earlier than expected!"
Terry froze, his heart pounding in his chest. He clenched his fists, pushing his chair back as he abruptly stood up.
"Damn... what's happening?" he exclaimed, staring at the secretary with tense eyes.
The system hadn't predicted that the portals would open so soon. Something was wrong. He quickly moved to the monitor on the side of the room and activated the terminal to connect with his informants.
The transmitted images showed a massive luminous rift in the sky above an Asian city. The air around the portal seemed to ripple, and strange figures were beginning to emerge from the opening.
But that wasn't all. On the ground, a gigantic crack had formed, rapidly expanding and revealing a reddish glow from deep underground. As if that wasn't terrifying enough, within minutes, a colossal black tower emerged from the heart of the fissure, rising until it pierced the atmosphere. The structure was unnatural, covered in arcane symbols that pulsed with an eerie light.
Suddenly, a translucent screen appeared before the eyes of every single human on the planet:
[THE TOWER HAS RISEN]
[ANYONE WHO WISHES TO BECOME A PLAYER MAY ASCEND TO THE FIRST LEVEL]
Terry was speechless. This wasn't his system's doing. It was something entirely different. Another entity, another power had seized control of the world.
His mind raced. If the tower was offering power to anyone who dared enter, the world would quickly descend into chaos. Organizations, governments, criminals… all of them would scramble to seize whatever lay within.
"Gather all division leaders immediately. I want a full report in ten minutes!" he ordered urgently.
The secretary nodded and rushed out. Terry took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. He had known this moment would come, but he hadn't expected it so soon.
The world was about to change. And he had to be ready to face whatever came next.