I was still wearing the long torn up dress that was once pristine. I never switched it out because it still completed the functions that I needed it to do while I was fighting. I must have looked like the typical town crazy on the street as I was wearing vines as shoes and gloves as well. I did not mind a couple of odd stares from across the street, though. I hurriedly walked over to the convenience store and went up to the front desk.
"Umm, Hello?" I mumbled awkwardly.
The clerks-man ignored me.
"Hello! Do you mind telling me the date?" I said one more time, but this time it was louder.
The man turned around then looked me up and down as if he was judging me. I hated his stares, they reminded me of my life before I had gotten hit by the car and all the suggestive stares of random men.
I used my hands and covered up my chest as much as I could, but still he continued to grin disgustingly.
"Haha," he giggled at me, "It's the 2nd of July."
"What year?"
"What year?! It's 2034."
What did he say? How could that be? I got hit by the bus in April of 2029, but now it was 2034?!
I walked out of the store frightened and confused, then ran to the apartment complex that I used to live in. The door to the lobby was open, so I slowly walked up to the front desk.
"Hello! I was wondering if Jung Ji-ah lives here?" I said. The worker looked up at me with those same eyes that the man from the convenience store did.
"Sorry, we don't give out the names of people who live in this building," she said definitively.
"Could you just check for me?" I handed over one of the gems that I had earned from my travels. Now the woman looked at me happily.
"Of course," she then replied. I waited for a second and then she said, "It looks like no Jung Ji-ah's live here, but the system says that there was one who lived here around 5 years ago."
"Yes! Do you know where she is now?"
"I am sorry, but it looks like she was hit by a truck in front of the building and passed away."
I stood there in disbelief. So it really was not just in a dream, but instead it was real life. That was why it felt so real: all the pain, sorrow and loneliness. Yet, for some reason, it was as if I had known it all along or wanted it to be real. My life was never good: my family had all abandoned me, my first love got married and had kids, and the men in my life only ever wanted my body. It was like some fairytale inside the tower in which I was the strongest person out of everybody. It was the feeling of doing a long run in a video game after it had just released, like I was accomplishing new things which was a feeling that I never had while working before.
I quickly snapped out of my thoughts as I began to hear screaming. I ran outside quickly to see what was going on. I could feel the earth shake and I saw the ground in the distance begin to disappear. As the road was being destroyed along with many of the buildings, I could see a structure emerging up. It was made out of a substance that looked similar to stone and the architecture was reminiscent of medieval or gothic buildings I had seen before.
Thousands of people were frantically running away from that place. I could see women carrying their children and people riding bikes as fast as they could. The scene looked almost humorous. I, once afraid of everything and looked down upon, had become the one who was looking down on others.
The building stopped growing eventually and now stood at the height of a giant skyscraper that was watching over the city. When it stopped moving, a familiar blue screen popped up.
Welcome to The Tower, Challengers!
You must be feeling confused after watching this building come out of the ground, but don't be surprised! All of you have been signed up to become Challengers who will climb the tower and try to defeat all floors. If you don't then your world will slowly collapse and everyone will die, so you must try your best! And if you run into trouble in the tower and die, then don't worry too much. If you are lucky enough to have a constellation favor you, then you can be revived.
Well, now the first round of Challengers must prepare to leave!
Countdown to departure: 3 hrs 10 min 30 s
YOU ARE READING
I Became a Ranker Before Rankers
Fantasy(REWRITING ALL CHAPTERS) Suddenly, I could see bright white lights creeping quickly towards me, so quick that I could only see what it was right before the impact. My weak body was no match for the large transportation bus that would not let anythin...
