"Huh? Where is my money?" Kaiju panicked, anxiously darting his eyes around his cramped room.
In his gaunt hand, he held a shattered bottled glass he had hidden in a secret place to avoid the gaze of his father. It contained all his savings from more than half a year.
The purpose of the savings was to treat his injured body after he was beaten by his tyrant classmates. He had foreseen it coming – as much as he tried to prevent it, he inevitably garnered their wrath, or should he speculate… their wicked thoughts of raining him with their fist and kicks to their contentment.
He was helpless. His right ear was even cut since the tyrant performed a sharp jab, one containing the strength of being trained by a Ranker and spoiled by Refined Genesis Serum since childhood.
As a result, he had already decided to visit the hospital to preserve his life, at least.
However, he was devastated to discover his money was purposely stolen, and there was only one person on his mind he assumed who broke the bottle.
He hated to admit it, but he was certain it could only be him.
He hastily left his cramped room and saw the shabby living room filled with empty, broken, red bottled glass.
A revolting stench assaulted his nostrils – reek of alcohol and body odor from clothes, seemingly not having been washed in decades.
As always, his father sat on a dark blue sofa. His tight, sleeveless shirt failed to cover his hairy belly. His stout face reddened, having been drunk all day.
He pinched his nose and trudged forward.
He should have been accustomed to the environment he stayed in, but even then, it was unbearable. He also had not to face the problem of miasma but the urge to collapse inside due to the affliction he received.
However, he had to stay awake, knowing he would have to face his drunk father, who was indulging himself to abandon the depression of being left by his wife.
He had been doing it for more than a decade – a testament that drinking a lot of alcohol does not cure depression.
Kaiju took a step forward, but froze when he heard a rattling noise in front – not having a clear vision of what was there, but trusting his instinct, he rolled sideways.
A bottled red glass crashed at the door, thundering a startling noise when it broke. Fragmented pieces flew all over the place, causing Kaiju to duck and cover his head in case some might have pierced his head. Unfortunately, some managed to wound his skin, especially his back, and he grimaced.
When everything settled down, Kaiju hurriedly turned to peek at the back, and saw the broken bottled red glass. The door of his room had splinters all over its body, conveying it was not the first time being trashed by bottled glasses.
"YOU BASTARD! WHY DID YOU DODGE?!" His father's infuriated voice roared, and Kaiju quickly stared in the direction of the voice.
His father grabbed one of the empty bottled red glasses, and Kaiju's hair stood on end.
He positioned himself on all fours, ready to dodge at any moment, but the exhaustion finally struck him. He perceived the energy on his limbs drifting away, collapsing his body to the ragged floor.
He turned his body to face upward and attempted to sit up, but alas, he realized he had already used the last speck of his energy.
Helpless, he tried his best to stop his consciousness from slipping away. However, his senses screamed in peril, and, knowingly but unknowingly, a bottled red glass smacked his head, causing him to completely pass out.
***
In the Year 2222, a mysterious tower descends in various locations of the world. The nations disappeared, technology was obliterated, and myriads of monsters from the towers manifested, annihilating some parts of the world. The Government ceased. In the next year, the first awakener appeared, followed by one after another, and managed to establish many cities.
In the next fifty years, Awakeners, or what the Towers called Players, slowly emerged one after another, until the highest rank the Players achieved was Ascendant, three of them managed each S-Grade City, located in the North, South, and East.
Under them were High-Rankers and Rankers, who established their own city, too. Only that, it was below S-Grade since the grade depended on the rank of the Players as their guardian.
They also established what the citizen called Haven inside the Tower, helping the citizen to quickly adapt as a player in the Tower.
With the Tower domineeringly piercing through the sky, it was important to establish a connection with a player inside the Tower.
For instance, receiving resources, such as Genesis Serum, at a very young age was a big advantage before being chosen as a player by the Tower.
However, with Kaiju, having only his abusive, with no achievement, father as his possible support, being chosen by the Tower to be their player tantamount to suicide.
***
Unknowingly, time passed by. Kaiju opened his eyelids, revealing the stark, deep, starry night pupils; some myriads of microscopic stars blinking, forming a web-like structure.
His eyes were as enigmatic as the universe.
His eyes regained clarity and were welcomed by the familiar dilapidated ceilings.
Kaiju stared dazedly, suddenly perceiving his right eye's vision was blurring, sensing the viscous liquid on his forehead.
It was itchy when it slithered on his hair and face. However, instead of wiping the blood, he only closed his right eye with an indifferent expression.
His chest heaved up and down slowly, strenuously respiring while intensifying his senses to perceive if the goddamn drunk old man of his was still drinking.
If he suddenly sat up and his drunk father was still awake, he would not be surprised to be assaulted by another bottle on his head again.
The excruciating pain bombarded him once more, particularly on his forehead, and he infuriatingly cursed in his mind.
'This goddamn bad luck of mine. I'm already unfortunate enough to have an abusive and drunk father like him, but I still managed to get on their bad side.'
He sighed helplessly, tossing those unnecessary thoughts at the back of his head.
When he finally realized he was totally broke, having no more money to treat his injury at the hospital, he knew his life would come to an end.
Forget about going to the hospital, with the injury he bore, it would be impossible for him to walk there by himself.
At this point, he accepted his fate and closed his eyes.
"You son of a bitch! You deserve to die!" He was startled to hear his father screaming.
He was ready for another smack of the bottle again to end his life when minutes passed, all he perceived was strange tranquility.
He chuckled.
"He must be dreaming again. Well, Mother left me to him and disappeared one day. His heart was broken. I can't blame him."
At this point, there were no emotions dwelling around Kaiju's heart – no resentment, no happiness, or whatsoever.
All he was feeling was peace, a strange one.
As the chapter of his life was about to end, thinking his story was about to conclude, another unfamiliar voice echoed in his mind.
[You have been chosen!]
He was perplexed when he discerned the voice was echoing directly in his mind, not in his ear, startling him awake.
However, he was totally paralyzed, left with no option but to continue to wonder about the origin of the genderless voice.
[In a minute, you will be forced to participate in the trial.
Notice! Notice! Notice!
You are the only excess out of the participants… you have lost the right to choose the difficulty of the trial.
…]
When he heard about the trial and participants, Kaiju was taken aback, realizing he had been chosen by the Tower to be their player.
"What a plot twist, isn't it? Looks like I managed to live a few more days." He joked. "I bet they will call me cockroach."
Even at this moment, he was still thinking about his bullies, especially the tyrant, the leader, in his school.
"Whatever. It doesn't hurt to experience being a player anyway. That has been my dream for years."
The dream was shattered when he realized how difficult it was to be the Tower's player without having support.
"However, what does it mean I'm the only excess? How could a Tower make such a stupid mistake of overchoosing their participants?"
Kaiju felt a chill crawling on his spine, especially remembering what the Tower said in the last part.
"Well, I'll still die anyway."
[All the players have chosen the trial. Not one had chosen the Hellish Difficulty, the highest difficulty.
All Normal and Hard Difficulties have been occupied.
You, the only excess, have no choice but to participate in the Hellish Difficulty Trial.
…
The Tower bid good luck to you.]
Kaiju might feel he was hallucinating, but he certainly heard the Tower's emotionless tone suddenly altered to a pitiful one.
When he recalled what the Tower had just said, he shrugged.
"Hellish Difficulty?" He giggled. "What a heroic way to die, isn't it?"
His body suddenly emitted a strange golden light, not that he was aware since he was closing his eyes.
The golden light intensified, slowly fading Kaiju's body.
Before Kaiju completely vanished, a thought lingered on the place where he was last found.
"I heard the Hellish Difficulty contained a lovely world. Why won't I venture a bit for a peaceful death?"