Chapter 5: 7 Days to Live!

"Teleport Out!"

A red glow later, an incredible scene appeared before Josh:

Bright lights coming from various giant modern screens.

Loud sounds that seemed to be pop songs and advertisements. Many melodious jingles playing in the background.

The bustle of life from people talking and moving about their businesses.

An indescribable smell, a refreshing one that he had never experienced. It made breathing easier for some reason.

Modern buildings! Grandiose ones that seemed to merge aesthetics and functionality. Some with cool shapes. Josh could see one shaped like a sword in the distance for instance.

Billboards with advertisements, wait no! Those were holograms! Real-life holograms! The shiny projections would even interact with the passerby!

It was a city overflowing with life! It was a stark contrast to the previous scene in the tower. But this place was definitely not earth. Josh looked at some holograms showing floating text. It was somehow in English.

Advertisement, advertisement again, there it was! Metropolis C. This was probably the name of this place.

That is when Josh raised his eyes upward. He couldn't help but open them wide in surprise. Hovering in the air was a huge spaceship-looking construct.

"Hahahaha, you are new here, aren't you?" A young man called Josh. He had red hair and a teasing smile on his face.

"Is it that obvious?"

"Well, you obviously just came out of the Tower and you seem really surprised about the scenery."

"The Tower?"

That is when Josh turned around. He had been so overwhelmed that he hadn't even noticed it.

There was a gigantic tower stretching extremely high. At the top were some kind of gems orbiting. It looked mysterious and magical.

"So, this is the Dimensional Tower?" Josh exclaimed.

"Hahahahahahaha! No way! This is just one of the access towers. It is a direct gateway to the Tower. You enter this one and then it zaps you in the real one."

"Zaps?"

"*Shrug* Well, no one really knows how it works anyway so we may as well say zap. Anyway, follow me. I'll bring you where you need to go."

The man seemed well-intended. Thus, Josh followed him.

"Why are you helping me?" This point perplexed Josh.

"The government is giving rewards to anyone bringing one of you guys in. You are one of the Fallen, right?"

"Fallen?"

"They are the people getting summoned from other worlds."

"Are they that common?"

"No, this started recently. They only recently unlocked the reinforcement emblem after all."

"?"

"There is that one item that drops on floor 25. When used, people like you are summoned."

"…"

Josh couldn't help but wonder how many people this little stunt had killed. Who knew there would be a respite right after the tutorial? Many could have been saved. Not that Josh really cared.

"Well, we are all in this together. After all, this game doesn't discriminate. Humans are humans no matter where they are from."

Did this mean that Earth would have been destroyed too should the people here fail to climb the tower?

"Tell me more about-"

"This will all be covered in the intro course. There we are!"

In front of Josh stood a huge building. <Ministry of Tower Administration>

"Everyone just calls them MTA for short. Alright, go in. It will be on your left. Take care!"

"Aren't you supposed to be getting a reward of some sort?"

The young man simply giggled while pointing at his watch.

"This recorded all the proof I need to get paid, later!"

This was a lot to take in, but hopefully, Josh would soon have all the answers. He decisively entered only to be stopped by a short white robot with blue streaks.

"Hello, I am U-Bot how may I help you today?"

Josh couldn't help but marvel at the technology level. He tentatively said: "Fallen, intro course."

"Please follow me!"

Josh started following, noticing how streamlined the whole design of the place was. He could see many other of these U-Bots scurrying all over the place, guiding visitors.

They finally stopped in front of a big auditorium, clearly big enough to hold a few thousand people. Yet only the very first rows were filled, with about a hundred people.

There were people mourning, people shell-shocked from the events, and people downright celebrating. Happily cheering at having survived. U-Bots could be seen rushing all over the place handing out refreshments and snacks.

Josh knew 4 of them from the welcoming event. The old lady quickly noticed him and waved! Josh went to sit with them only to learn that they had been waiting for the course to start. The little girl was busy stuffing her cheeks so much with cookies. The muscular man was seemingly trying to sleep while he could. The young lady kept observing her surroundings in wonder. The old lady peacefully smiled.

Josh simply closed his eyes while sinking into the soft chair. About 30 minutes afterward a man came on stage, tall with dark hair and sharp features.

"*Sigh* That should be everyone. We'll start."

"Actually, there is one more incoming at least. He should still be fighting that Red named Cerberus." Josh remarked.

The man grinned, obviously pleased."Seriously?! Someone took that beast on already in the tutorial?! We will have a promising Ranker soon haha!"

Josh couldn't help but wonder why the man was so happy. The beast Josh had seen was one he could probably defeat with a few attacks only.

"Anyway, we'll start this, and I'll personally give him the info later." The man looked at everyone in the room.

"AHEM! Welcome to this new world! First thing, there is no going back. When you completed the Tutorial your soul was bound to the Tower. We call people like you <Fallen>. There are more in the other cities too. Now, open your Status."

Various gasps could be heard. Ones filled with a trace of worries for there was a new line showing: [Life Expectancy: 7 Days.] It was probably the same for the others.

"Now, most of you must have seen the life expectancy line. You guys now have two choices. Either you can say your prayers and be dead in a week or you can climb the Dimensional Tower. I suggest the latter."

That is when the little girl started crying. "I don't want to die! I don't want to go back there either! Nooo!" The man called Behem slowly tried consoling her.

"Don't worry as long as you climb you'll be fine. Whenever you spend time in the Tower your remaining lifespan increases, same for completing a Floor. Just be careful right now and later if you ever want to take a long vacation. Understood?"

Everyone nodded, but the atmosphere remained one of unease. That is when a guy raised his hand while asking: "Can't we just clear the same easy Floor over and over?"

"No, there is only so much lifespan that can be gained from each Floor. Otherwise, it would be too simple wouldn't it?"

The man sighed.

"You will now each be getting a Universal Watch: UW for short. These ones are blank. First, you need to drip a drop of blood on it to bind it. Once that is done you'll be able to use it for pretty much anything: Buying food, equipment, information, training, or even entertainment.

Some U-Bots started handing these. It was a small silvery round smartwatch with a screen. Josh quickly took possession of his. It was light and would not restrict his movements in the least.

"Now, you guys should be able to see your profile. Most of your basic information should be auto-recorded already. You'll notice that you have a balance of 6 Credits, a gift from us. Each credit is extremely valuable, well to normal people. You will need 5 to enter the Tower. 1 Credit is about 1 week's worth of nutritious food. Your first expenses should probably be these two things. Now, who here feels uneasy about going to the Tower alone?"

Pretty much everyone raised their hands. Of course, a few were like Josh and didn't fear it or couldn't be bothered to answer. Funny how he said gift. In fact, they simply wanted to minimize the chaos. If the Fallen had to steal to eat it would soon turn into a great disturbance.

"It is possible to enter alone for sure for Floors that can easily be cleared. Be careful with the entry cost. A good rule of thumb is to never end an expedition before having secured a profit or if your life is clearly in danger. Otherwise, you'll go broke soon, talking from experience."

Now, what would be the implications of going broke? Probably nothing good.

"It is also possible to enter the Tower in parties of up to 5 members. That is why you want to join a guild for sure. If you search the keywords <MTA Guild Recruitment> you will find all the information you need. I'll leave you guys a few minutes to read it."

The guide seemed pretty basic. It listed a few guilds, their specialty, and their rank. S being the strongest, D being the weakest. There was even some flashing special effect around the top ones…and apparently the ones that contributed to the government, of course!

"Alright, follow me. What comes next will determine your future!"