Ch.2The Room of Beginning (1)

# 2. The Room of Beginning (1)

“Change my nickname! Do it! Just do it!”

[JoanOfArcIsASaint]

[Level 1][Title: First Tower Entrant]

[Class: Battle Commander]

[Strength: 10][Agility: 10][Endurance: 10][Magic Power: 10][Will: 10]

[Remaining Stats: 3]

[Growth Bonus: 10%]

Despite throwing a tantrum that would make anyone cringe, there was no additional message after the one wishing me good luck.

“…What was I thinking when I chose that name?”

I never gave it much thought before, but maybe it was because everything had been reset. My nickname felt particularly embarrassing now. When I created it, I happened to be watching an alternate history series where Joan of Arc was the heroine… and the illustrations were, well, ahem.

Fortunately or unfortunately, I’m alone in this ‘Tower’ right now.

Which means there’s nobody here to call me by my nickname.

‘I was exhausted at first, but after the achievement and title messages appeared, I felt fine, so I probably don’t need to rest before moving.’

It clearly said I was the first entrant. The word ‘first’ implies there will be others, so other players might enter the Tower just like I did.

The achievement and title related to being the first entrant were so overpowered that it made me think I should aim to be the first for other things too.

‘The top of the Tower.’

After some time passed, I could assess my situation more objectively.

– After defeating Dimensional Lord Mensima and checking my achievements, I was dragged into this mysterious tower.

– Everything except my ID and class has been reset, but the UI is identical to the game so far.

– If this isn’t a dream or hallucination, I’m essentially a character in one of those ‘transported to another world’ or ‘possession’ novels.

– Based on that, the top floor of the Tower likely holds the source of this phenomenon, an escape route, or a way to return.

– Judging from my situation and achievements, other players will enter the Tower too, and they’ll have no choice but to climb it, which will inevitably lead to competition. The first entrant achievement and title are proof of this. (There’s no guarantee that the reward for reaching the top—be it a way home or something equivalent—is unlimited.)

“Therefore, it’s best to get stronger and climb faster than anyone else…”

If the criteria for being brought to the Tower is defeating Mensima and checking achievements—specifically, checking the flavor text—then my guild members and raid team will likely be transferred here soon.

‘It’s uncertain whether they’ll be abducted like me, but it wouldn’t hurt for me to get stronger while stranded alone in this unknown space.’

That was the extent of my situation assessment. Part of me still hoped this was just a dream, and I felt anxious about having to venture into unknown territory alone as a level 1.

But one thing was certain: staying put would get me nowhere.

“At least I don’t have to deal with that annoying archer and that sneaky bitch. That’s some consolation, I guess.”

I walked toward the door ahead of me.

**

[You have entered the Room of Beginning.]

[The Room of Beginning is mandatory for all Tower entrants, and its configuration may differ for each entrant.]

[Once you clear the Room of Beginning, you can never return.]

[JoanOfArcIsASaint’s current location: Floor 0, Room of Beginning.]

“Right… there should be a tutorial.”

When I opened the door, the blinding light forced me to close my eyes. When the light dimmed enough for me to open them again, I was already inside.

‘In typical tower-climbing stories, this is where they’d let you choose a basic weapon. Then they’d tell you to hunt goblins, slimes, or rabbits.’

As someone who played games after work or on weekends and read web novels on the subway during commutes, I found myself unconsciously comparing my current situation to games and novels.

‘Whatever this nonsense is, just give me a weapon already!’

…Or not?

“What is this? What’s going on?”

More than a minute had passed by my estimation, but nothing appeared. No weapons, no test monsters, no tutorial fairy or deity.

I scratched my head anxiously, but nothing changed.

‘Let’s just move forward.’

The message said the room’s configuration could differ for each entrant, and since I was already inside, even this emptiness might be part of my personalized Room of Beginning.

Thinking this way made me less afraid as I walked forward. I also had the reasonable belief that no insurmountable enemy would appear in a tutorial.

As I kept walking, I came across another door.

But it wasn’t just one door. There were two.

[The exceptional Battle Commander JoanOfArcIsASaint, who possesses both strength and leadership, has defeated numerous enemies alongside companions.]

A message suddenly appeared when I stood before the doors.

“Ah, that nickname.”

The message ignored my comment.

[A Battle Commander, who serves as the bridge between frontline and backline while coordinating the entire raid, requires accurate situational awareness, bold decision-making, and powerful charisma.]

[However, you have now lost all your power.]

‘That’s rich coming from whoever forcibly brought me here.’

[You must choose.]

“Choose what?”

[Your raid successfully defeated the enemy but is exhausted from consecutive battles. However, an enemy you thought was completely dead has revived for some reason behind your frontline, and enemy reinforcements are about to arrive from the rear.]

[If you flee now, you can definitively escape the battlefield before being caught in a pincer attack. In that case, you must sacrifice the two frontline companions in the worst condition.]

[If you stand and fight, you’ll be attacked from both sides. You have the strength to fight, but your backline companions have less than 20% of their magic power remaining. Everyone might survive, or everyone might die.]

“…”

Perhaps my reasonable belief had offended someone. Along with the message forcing an extreme binary choice, visions appeared before the two doors, filling my sight regardless of my will, showing the situations for each choice.

In the left vision—presumably the [Sacrifice two frontline companions and retreat from the battlefield] option—the main tank CutToKill and the melee DPS NewAxe patted the shoulders of their crying companions, practically shoving them away. Then the two smiled faintly as they watched their companions retreat before engaging in a desperate battle against the monsters surging like a tidal wave. They were trying to buy time somehow.

“…”

But they were overwhelmingly outnumbered. It was a battle that would have been nearly impossible even at full condition, and soon only a crumpled shield and an axe remained on the ground.

“Fuck…”

The vision ended. I cursed involuntarily. Even knowing it was just a vision, in that moment, it felt like I was actually living and breathing within it. It’s a bit funny to think this way when I’ve never seen their real faces or heard their voices, but if it were really those two people… they would probably smile and stay behind in that situation. Even if it wasn’t just controlling game characters, but their actual lives at stake.

I don’t know their gender, age, name, or appearance. I only vaguely knew they were college students, so they were younger than me. But we had spent time together in the game, and I had some sense of their personalities. That’s why I got immersed without realizing it. Death was an everyday occurrence in the game, after all.

‘Whew, relax.’

It’s just a vision. Just a vision. I was just thrown off by how unexpectedly realistic it was.

I deliberately ignored the left door and stared at the right one.

“Holy shit…”

Ta-da! The left was just a taste!

As if mocking me, the right vision depicted an even more desperate situation.

In the vision, I refused to retreat at the cost of my companions’ sacrifice. CutToKill and NewAxe were angry, but when the me in the vision gave a firm order, they gritted their teeth, got up, and took their positions. The other companions also prepared for battle with grim faces.

Soon the enemies attacked. CutToKill, who could self-heal to some extent, covered the front, while NewAxe, who had the best physical abilities among the remaining members, covered the rear. The me in the vision was covering the flank while frantically giving commands.

It was a desperate battle, hard to watch.

CutToKill’s armor was in tatters. His body was torn apart, and he was staggering from excessive bleeding. He was barely holding on thanks to occasional healing light.

But CutToKill was better off compared to NewAxe. NewAxe wasn’t a class that wore heavy armor like CutToKill. His defense was much lower. He was holding on purely through superior physical ability and incredible willpower. To put it crudely, he looked like a standing piece of meat shaped like NewAxe.

That’s not to say the backline companions were doing any better. Their already low magic power was quickly depleted. When magic exhaustion compounded their poor physical condition, they began to convulse. This happened despite the me in the vision desperately trying to regulate magic consumption during the battle.

The vision ended with the main healer, PhysicalTherapist, coughing up blood while squeezing out the last of his magic power to heal NewAxe.

[You must choose.]

Another message urging me to choose appeared as soon as both visions ended.

[30 seconds remaining.]

[00:30]

[00:29]

[00:28]

And to top it off, a time limit.

I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. I almost wished I could just fight kobolds, goblins, or slimes, despite never having thrown a proper punch in my life. That’s how vivid the visions were. Thirty seconds wasn’t enough time to break free from the immersion.

[00:20]

[00:19]

‘Such critical choices are usually reserved for visual novel ending branches.’

And this crappy game doesn’t even have save/load functions.

It was a shitty binary choice.

But it wasn’t a difficult question to answer. At least not for me, as their raid leader.

[00:10]

I flung open the door.