Chapter 1 — Welcome to Avoria
Jaden hated school trips.
Not because he hated traveling.
Not because he hated being outside.
He simply hated being forced to spend an entire day surrounded by people who seemed determined to make as much noise as humanly possible.
The bus was proof of that.
“Bro, move your bag.”
“It’s my seat!”
“You've been singing for twenty minutes. Shut up!”
“Sir, he threw my water bottle!”
Jaden sighed and pressed his forehead against the cold bus window.
Beside him, Dazim was grinning like an idiot.
“You're really enjoying this, aren't you?” Jaden asked.
“Obviously.”
“You dragged me here.”
“I encouraged you.”
“You threatened to tell everyone I sleep with a stuffed penguin.”
Dazim shrugged. “Encouragement comes in many forms.”
Jaden rolled his eyes.
He had been perfectly happy staying home during the school break. He had books to read, games to play, and absolutely no reason to spend hours sitting on a bus with his classmates.
But Dazim had refused to take no for an answer.
So here he was.
Sixteen years old.
Trapped on a bus.
Going somewhere he didn't even care about.
Jaden looked out the window again.
The city had gradually disappeared behind them. Buildings became houses, houses became fields, and eventually even the fields became sparse.
Trees surrounded the road now.
Endless green.
Jaden pulled a fantasy novel from his bag.
He had read most of the books he owned at least twice. Fantasy was his favorite genre. Magic, monsters, dungeons, mysterious systems—anything that could never happen in the real world.
He opened his book.
Then stopped.
Something was wrong.
At first, Jaden couldn't explain what it was.
The forest outside seemed... quieter.
Not peaceful.
Quiet.
Too quiet.
He lowered his book.
The bus continued forward.
Trees passed by the window.
Then Jaden noticed something lying beside the road.
A squirrel.
It was dead.
Jaden frowned.
That wasn't particularly strange. Animals died. Maybe it had been hit by a car.
He watched it disappear behind the bus.
A few seconds later, another squirrel appeared.
Then another.
Jaden sat up.
“That's weird.”
“What?” Dazim asked.
“Nothing.”
He kept watching.
The next body wasn't a squirrel.
It was larger.
Much larger.
Jaden's eyebrows slowly rose.
“What the...?”
The creature was lying partially hidden beneath the trees.
Its shape was difficult to understand from the moving bus. Four limbs. Thick body. Dark fur—or perhaps scales.
Then another appeared.
Even larger.
Jaden's heart began beating faster.
His fantasy-obsessed brain immediately started making connections.
That looks like an ogre.
He almost laughed at himself.
No. Obviously not.
Another creature appeared between the trees.
It was enormous.
Its back was higher than the bus.
Jaden stared.
An ogre?
No.
Too thin.
An orc?
No.
Too large.
Troll?
His fingers tightened around his book.
“There's no way.”
The scenery outside seemed to be changing.
The trees became twisted.
The grass looked darker.
The dead animals became increasingly bizarre.
What had started with squirrels had become creatures Jaden couldn't identify.
A massive beast with horns.
Something resembling a giant insect.
A creature with limbs that seemed far too long.
And then—
The bus entered a tunnel.
Everyone went quiet.
Not because they were scared.
Because something about the tunnel felt wrong.
Jaden looked through the window.
The walls were covered in strange black markings.
They weren't graffiti.
They looked almost like symbols.
His fantasy-reading brain screamed one word.
Run.
But from what?
The bus was still moving.
The teacher at the front suddenly stood.
“Everyone, remain seated.”
Her voice was strangely tense.
A few students laughed nervously.
“Why, teacher?”
“Just stay in your seats.”
Jaden looked around.
Nobody seemed to understand what was happening.
Then a girl near the front screamed.
“WHAT IS THAT?!”
Everyone turned.
Jaden looked toward the front windshield.
At first, he saw nothing.
Then he noticed a figure standing in the middle of the tunnel.
A human figure.
At least...
It looked human.
Its body was completely black.
Not dark clothing.
Not a shadow.
Black.
As if someone had taken the shape of a person and filled it with darkness.
Its arms hung loosely at its sides.
Its head was tilted.
And it was smiling.
A huge, unnatural smile stretched across its face.
Jaden couldn't move.
The figure raised one hand.
The lights inside the bus flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then—
Every window became filled with white.
Pure, blinding white light.
Someone shouted.
The teacher screamed for everyone to stay calm.
Dazim grabbed Jaden's shoulder.
“Jaden!”
Jaden tried to answer.
No sound came out.
The world disappeared.
---
Jaden opened his eyes.
Silence.
He blinked.
Once.
Twice.
The ceiling above him wasn't the bus.
It was stone.
Cold, gray stone.
Jaden immediately sat upright.
“...What?”
His head spun.
He looked around.
People were everywhere.
His classmates.
They were scattered across the ground, unconscious.
Some were lying on their backs.
Others were curled up on their sides.
The teacher was near the center of the room.
Dazim was only a few meters away.
Jaden scrambled toward him.
“Dazim.”
No response.
“Dazim!”
He shook his friend's shoulder.
Dazim groaned.
“Ugh...”
“Wake up.”
“Five more minutes.”
Jaden stared at him.
“You've got to be kidding me.”
Dazim opened one eye.
“Where are we?”
“I don't know.”
That answer immediately woke him up.
Dazim sat up.
“What happened?”
“I don't know.”
“Where's the bus?”
“I don't know.”
“Where's everyone?”
Jaden gestured around.
Dazim stared.
His expression slowly changed.
“...What the hell?”
Before Jaden could answer—
A sound echoed through the room.
Ding.
A transparent blue screen appeared in front of him.
Jaden froze.
Text appeared.
[WELCOME TO AVORIA, PLAYER JADEN.]
Jaden stared at it.
He reached toward the screen.
His finger passed straight through.
“No way.”
Another line appeared.
[Player registration complete.]
[Beginning tutorial sequence.]
Jaden's mouth went dry.
He looked at Dazim.
“Do you see this?”
Dazim stared at the same invisible screen.
“Yeah.”
Jaden slowly stood.
Around the room, other students began waking up.
Confused voices filled the chamber.
“What's happening?”
“Where are we?”
“Is this some kind of prank?”
“Why can't I touch the screen?”
Jaden didn't answer.
His eyes remained fixed on the blue window.
He had read thousands of fantasy stories.
He knew exactly what this looked like.
A system.
A status window.
A mysterious world.
A game-like interface.
But stories were stories.
This was real.
Or at least...
It felt real.
The system suddenly changed.
[AVORIA HAS SELECTED 27 PLAYERS.]
Jaden's eyes widened.
Twenty-seven.
His entire class.
The screen flickered.
Then another message appeared.
[Your objective is simple.]
[Climb.]
A second window appeared.
[Tower Floors: 100]
[Current Floor: 1]
[Exit Condition: Reach the 100th Floor.]
The room erupted.
“What does that mean?!”
“Where's the exit?!”
“Is this a game?!”
“Take us home!”
A calm voice suddenly echoed throughout the chamber.
“Welcome, Players.”
Everyone went silent.
Jaden looked around.
The voice didn't seem to come from anywhere.
It was everywhere.
“Welcome to Avoria.”
The stone walls trembled slightly.
“This world is a tower.”
Jaden swallowed.
“A tower containing one hundred floors.”
A massive image appeared above them.
A tower.
It stretched impossibly high into darkness.
“Each floor contains its own environment, challenges, creatures, and rules.”
The image changed.
Forests.
Ruins.
Frozen landscapes.
Burning wastelands.
Dark caverns.
Floating islands.
Jaden's stomach tightened.
“This isn't a school trip anymore.”
The voice continued.
“Avoria contains things that your world considers impossible.”
The students slowly stopped talking.
“Magic.”
A flame appeared in the air.
“Monsters.”
A massive creature emerged from the darkness.
“Skills.”
A glowing sword appeared.
“And supernatural abilities.”
The image vanished.
“You will need them.”
Someone shouted.
“What happens if we don't?”
Silence.
Then the voice answered.
“You die.”
Nobody spoke.
Jaden's hands became cold.
The voice continued as if nothing had happened.
“Do not worry, Players. Avoria is fair.”
Jaden almost laughed.
Fair?
There was nothing fair about being kidnapped into another world.
The voice spoke again.
“To begin, you must discover your abilities.”
A new message appeared before Jaden.
[SYSTEM INSTRUCTION]
[Say: “Status Window.”]
Jaden hesitated.
Then he spoke.
“Status Window.”
The screen changed.
---
[PLAYER STATUS]
Name: Jaden
Age: 16
Level: 1
Class: None
Ability: Comprehension
Ability Rank: F
---
Jaden stared.
For several seconds, he couldn't process it.
Then he laughed.
Not because it was funny.
Because what else could he do?
“Comprehension?”
Dazim looked over.
“What did you get?”
Jaden closed the window.
“F-rank.”
Dazim's expression fell.
“...Seriously?”
Jaden nodded.
Around them, excited voices began filling the chamber.
Some students were celebrating.
Others were comparing abilities.
“Mine's B-rank!”
“I got C!”
“Wait, I got A!”
Jaden looked down at his hands.
A strange world.
A hundred floors.
Monsters.
Magic.
Supernatural abilities.
And his ability was—
Comprehension.
F-rank.
The lowest possible rank.
Jaden slowly exhaled.
He had read enough stories to know how this usually went.
The talented heroes received legendary abilities.
The weak characters became dead weight.
And the weakest ones...
Usually died first.
The system appeared once more.
[Tutorial Complete.]
[Good luck, Player Jaden.]
Jaden stared at the words.
For the first time since arriving in Avoria, he felt genuinely afraid.
Because he wasn't sure whether the system had wished him luck...
Or warned him.
And somewhere far above them—
Something opened its eyes.