[You have connected to the Obelisk.]

[Your personal information is being confirmed. Please wait a moment.]

“What is this?” My vision blurred and a new world appeared. I stood there blankly, not knowing where I was.

I had just been standing in the white hallway of the hospital, and then suddenly, I was in a closed room with black walls. A glowing stone on the ceiling was the only source of light, and a weird hologram floated around me.

The Obelisk? Personal information? I didn’t understand any of it. It all seemed to come straight out of a movie. Was my illness so bad that I was beginning to hallucinate?

“Is anyone there? Hello?”

Hello…lo…lo…lo…

My voice echoed around the room, and I got a grip on myself. There were only two possible scenarios: I was crazy or…”This is real.”

My poor psycho brother would’ve paced around, demanding to know where he was, but I composed myself and tried to look at the situation logically. The more realistic scenario was that I was beginning to hallucinate. My illness was difficult to diagnose, and it wouldn’t be unusual to suddenly have a breakdown from the shock of my mother’s sudden turn for the worse.

If that were the case, then there was nothing I could do until someone began treating me. However, if this was reality—it didn’t make sense but what if some divine being granted my wish, like in a movie or a book…? What would my next step be? “I’ve got to deal with it directly.”

If this was just a hallucination, I had to find a way to get used to it, and if it was real, I needed to get back to my mother and brother.

[All player information has been confirmed.]

[Player: Cah Jeong-woo]

[Would you like to continue?]

The letters in the hologram changed to show new information. It looked like a message that you would see in a game. I nodded.

[You have accepted.]

[Your awakening as a player is being prepared. Unlike other players, you have entered through an invitation of the future. There will be a short, guided tour to close the gap in your skills.]

[First, please choose one of the weapons below.]

[List

　　1. Sword Type

　　- Longsword

　　- Short Sword

　　- Saber

……

2. Dagger Type

　　3. Spear Type

　　4. Clubbing Type

　　5. Throwing Type

　　6. Others

There were six categories in the list, and each category had dozens of weapons. They were all ones that you could find in a game, and I chose the one at the very top.

[Longsword]

　　[The blade is sharp and straight. It is the most basic weapon.]

　　[**Its total length is 90 centimeters, width 3 centimeters, and weight 2 kilograms.]

[Would you like to select the ‘longsword’?]

[Warning! Weapons cannot be returned once selected, and you cannot choose other weapons.]

[Would you like to continue?]

I quickly lifted my hand from the hologram. The message about selecting the longsword disappeared. ‘I have to choose wisely.’

If it was real, I had to be prepared. I didn’t know what would happen next. After all, I was dropped into a closed room after clicking “yes”. It wasn’t normal. I couldn’t be sure, but it was likely that the weapon I chose would affect my survival. They were all weapons that seemed to be from the olden ages, but something stood out.

[Crystal Ball]

　　[An artifact that helps the flow of magic. It has a white light.]

‘Crystal ball? Magic?’ Magic existed? But thinking about it, it wasn’t weird at all. Why wouldn’t it exist when people could be summoned by a message? Of course, that was all assuming this was real. How much time had passed?

[You have examined the list much longer than any other invited players have.]

[Your cautious attitude may help in climbing the Tower. It is recorded among your accomplishments.]

[You have gained the trait ‘Thinker’.]

[A god is looking at you with interest.]

Trait? God? It information I couldn’t understand again. I figured I ought to ask someone if I had the chance, then I came to my decision.

[You have chosen the ‘scutum’.]

It was an item that was known as the tower shield in games. The scutum was two meters long, eighty centimeters wide, and weighed fifteen kilograms. It was made of multiple layers of wood and banded with gold around its top and bottom edges. It was a shield so perfect for defense that it was called the “walking turtle shell”.

There was no way that I would suddenly become athletic just because I got a weapon when I had absolutely no talent for sports back in Korea. Since I didn’t know what kind of danger I might be facing, I had to focus on protecting myself.

I thought of getting a bigger shield, but it would be useless if it were too heavy, so I went with this. Light flashed, and a scutum suddenly appeared in front of me with a fancy crest on it of a winged cross. I didn’t know what the crest meant, but the damage on its surface showed that it had undergone some battles.

There was a strap on the inside of the scutum so I could grasp it firmly. When I adjusted it on my left arm, I managed to cover my body with the scutum as much as possible and slowly began to move. One of the walls opened with a creaking sound to reveal a long path. The light there was brighter than the closed, but I moved forward carefully.

“Ohyo ohyo. Ohyohyo! You’re so careful that you’re a scaredy-cat.” There was strange laughter, and I could hear footsteps approaching. I peeked out of the corner of the scutum and my heart thumped.

‘What is that?’ He was less than 150 centimeters tall, with bumpy skin and lips that stretched to his ears and fangs. The word monster described him perfectly, but he wore a neat tuxedo and monocle that suited him, and it was a strange sight.

“Since you were invited here, it means that the Tower acknowledged you. You don’t have to be that careful.” The monster curved his lips up, fixing his monocle. He probably thought he was smiling, but the sight was too gruesome for me.

Was this really a hallucination?

“Invited? What does that mean?” The monster was the first living being I’d met, and I needed to find out where I was.

“Oh dear! Isn’t the invitation useless if you don’t know what it is?”

“That’s why I’m asking you.”

“Did you get anything when you were connected here?”

At that moment, I thought about my phone and the ad message that said I could make any wish if I reached the top of the Obelisk. “Is this it?”

I showed my phone to him. The monster smiled in satisfaction and nodded. “Seems like you’re from a developed world. That is right.”

[The ‘Invitation of the Future’ has been confirmed.]

[You have succeeded in meeting the Guardian Yvlke.]

[A special benefit is being provided.]

Yvlke? Was that the monster’s name?

“The benefit that’ll be provided to player Cha Jeong-woo is…ohyohyo! How interesting. Dreaming of a Dream. It’s pretty rare, but it’s yours now.”

[Benefit: Dreaming of a Dream]

　　[The player has the ability to log in and out of the Obelisk twice a day.]

　　[**If the player is a recipient of the “Invitation of the Future,” the benefit can be exchanged with a different one for a price.]

What was this? I didn’t know anything at all.

“It seems like you’re curious about a lot of things. It’s the duty of a Guardian to lead confused players to the right path. If you have questions, feel free to ask! I’ll explain everything that I have authority to. Ohyohyo!”

* * *

Yvlke’s summary was very simple. This was a tower where multiple worlds and dimensions met. Thousands of being visited it every day in the hopes of climbing it.

“What’s in the Tower?”

“Gods.”

“Gods?”

“Yes. Gods. At the end of the climb is the path to become a god.”

“What kind of nonsense are you…” Gods? There was no way they existed. My family wouldn’t be in the state we were in if they did.

“Ohyohyo. It’s up to you to believe me or not. In fact, transcendent beings called gods and demons only live in the mind. Ah, there are a few who are glaring at me sharply now that I’ve said that. They really have nothing to do,” Yvlke muttered to himself as he looked straight ahead, as though he could see someone.

He was crazy. I wondered if I could really trust that monster.

“Anyway. If it’s hard to believe me…let’s see. Yes. You can think of it like this: there is a wish at the end of the climb.”

“What…”

“A wish with no restrictions. Wasn’t that written on your invitation?”

I checked my phone again.You can make a wish if you reach the end of the Obelisk.It was the word that had called me here. “I can wish for anything?”

Yvlke nodded with a smile.

“Nothing’s impossible?”

“It’s a strange place with beings that call themselves gods and demons. Impossible doesn’t exist. If you still don’t believe me, how about seeing it for yourself?”

Thump.

Seeing it for myself. Yes. That wouldn’t be bad either. “What should I do, then?”

“Walk on this path and reach the end.” Yvlke moved to the side and pointed at the path behind him. The lights went out, and darkness fell. It was scary and heavy, as though a monster had opened its mouth.

Normally, I would’ve stepped back in fear, but I just clenched my teeth. If I could really have any wish after climbing to the top of the Tower, I would be able to see my sick mother laugh again. I thought about what hyung would do in this situation. What would he do if he had this chance?

It was obvious. He wouldn’t look back and face it head-on. And so, I took my first step into the darkness, completely dependent on the large shield. And that day, I died.

* * *

Beep, beep, beep!

I opened my eyes at the noisy alarm. I could see a neat desk and books stained with spit. There was a notebook with a pen lying next to it. I guess I fell asleep while studying all night.

My head hurt like someone was poking at it. My mind was foggy, as though I had dreamt something weird. What had it been? I only remembered arrows falling down on me, and my hair was standing on edge from a lingering fear, but it quickly vanished.

I think I made some strange friends too. Like a giant who was three meters tall and a pretty girl who called herself a witch. I think I dreamed the same thing multiple times, but I couldn’t remember.

What had I dreamt of?