Denzel laid on the bed of his huge room, staring at the weird graffiti ceiling. His mind buzzed with thoughts of the tower, the future, and all the knowns waiting ahead. Sleep nipped at his consciousness, but something tugged at him — a nagging feeling, an itch that refused to be ignored.
"Just one quick check," Denzel muttered.
He summoned his status window with a swipe of his hand.
[STATUS OPENED]
And there it was.
[CLASS: Psycho]
His eyes widened.
"Psycho?" he repeated aloud, sitting up straight.
He rubbed his eyes once, then twice. But the window stayed the same.
No Fighter. No Warrior. Not even an Adventurer.
Just... Psycho.
Scrolling further, he noticed the familiar label — [Psycho Mode (EX-Rank)]. The realization hit him like a sledgehammer. This wasn't just some random glitch in the system. His "Psycho Mode" and his "Psycho" class were linked.
A chill ran down his spine as he remembered the mysterious voice during his fight against the Goblin King.
"Find me. Seek your true self."
Denzel clenched his fists. There was more to his rebirth than he originally thought. Someone — or something — was pulling the strings behind the scenes.
He had two missions now:
Find the entity connected to Psycho Mode.
Climb the Tower and reach the 99th Floor to defeat [••••r].
Simple.
Clear.
Impossible.
He smirked at the absurdity of it all and threw himself back onto the bed.
"Fine. Let's play this crazy game."
Sleep finally claimed him, dreams swirling with visions of masked figures and infinite staircases reaching into the stars.
Morning arrived with a rude burst of sunlight through the cracked blinds.
Denzel groggily got dressed and made his way to the meeting point near the city center. Ryan was already waiting by the imposing structure of the Netherlands Player Association — a massive glass skyscraper gleaming like a shard of heaven thrust into
The skyscraper gleamed under the morning sun, made from reinforced glass and rare mythril doors that shimmered slightly with mana.
When the doors didn't open for them automatically — foreigners, after all — a secretary had to come let them in.
Ryan couldn't resist a comment.
Ryan: "Can you believe it? They built this entire thing in three days. Technology these days, man."
The secretary smiled politely and escorted them through the high-security lobby.
They headed for the Rank Testing Room, a wide chamber buzzing with activity.
New players were lined up, some nervously chatting, others laughing. In the center stood the Ether Machine, a tall metallic orb-like device that determined a player's rank based on the purity of their mana.
A poster on the wall explained:
F-rank: Deep red
E-rank: Pale red
D-rank: Deep orange
C-rank: Orange
B-rank: Yellow
A-rank: Golden
S-rank: White or Silver
Ryan went first.
He placed his hand on the Ether Machine.
The secretary standing by nodded.
Secretary Ella: "Please pour your mana into the machine."
Ryan channeled his energy.
The machine hummed. Lights blinked.
(Testing... Synchronization complete!)
The orb flared white.
The room fell silent.
Ella gasped, papers slipping from her hands.
Ella: "T-that's an S-rank! Congratulations!"
The crowd exploded with whispers and camera flashes.
Ryan basked in the attention, flashing a grin and posing with admirers.
Meanwhile, Denzel stepped up, steadying his nerves.
This was it. Maybe he'd even surpass Ryan?
He placed his hand on the orb, heart pounding.
(Testing... Testing... Synchronization failed.)
Denzel: "Huh?"
He stared in confusion as the Ether Machine blinked red and let out a sad beep.
Murmurs rose in the crowd. Ryan turned, raising an eyebrow. Denzel could only stand there, a sinking feeling in his gut. "The heck!"