The Dreamer's POV

In the darkness before dawn, in a deserted area none would tread, a luminescent glow began to flicker.

It began as a little spark, but evolved into an all-encompassing brightness before long.

The bluish glow warped the space around it, and soon transformed into something akin to a warbling contortion of space.

A portal.

And from within this doorway, a person emerged from it.

"Haa… that was too easy." He murmured, rubbing his dark hair as he came out of the glowing wormhole.

He had a very young appearance, seeming like one in his early teens. A defiant smile played on his cute face, and his dark eyes shone with a somewhat constrasting blend of mischief and disappointment.

"I thought it would be more than that." The young boy stated.

Well, he wasn't wrong in being disappointed. After all, not only was he a Ranker… but he was also a Gamer when the world was still normal.

And as someone who was two of those things, simple challenges didn't cut it for him.

Park Hyun Soo, top gamer in Korea at the mere age of 15, was someone who preferred excitement over the regular comfort that would normally give a person pleasure.

That was probably why he was dissatisfied with how the First Floor was, despite the fact that if others were in his shoes, they would be thankful it wasn't too challenging.

'Just two simple Clear Requiements. And the Side Quests weren't too interesting either.' His thoughts trailed as he stepped even further away from the shimmering portal, which had already begun to close behind him.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

'Not only were the three Quests repetitive, but they were simple as hell. Cut down 50 trees. Then cut down 500 trees. The the final was to cut down 5,000 trees. Not exciting at all.'

Of course, Park Hyun Soo was glossing over the fact that monsters known as Guardians of the Forest would attack if you cut down too many trees at once, and while it was possible to escape from them, it wasn't easy.

Killing all three Guardians was also essential for getting the Runes—which was a Clear Condition—so rather than running from them, his strategy involved drawing them out and subjugating them.

They led him to the Runes, allowing him to complete the first condition, and once the Boss, The Whispering Treant, appeared, he had almost completed all the Quests.

He simply cut down every tree in his path until he reached the Boss' location, and finally subjugated it.

'And with that, I got first place.' Park Hyun Soo grinned at himself.

Ultimately, when it came to RPG-like elements like this, there was no way he would lose.

'I don't know how long it'll take everyone else, but a month is too long for stuff like this. Honestly…'

Even the three Runes he worked hard to obtain were ultimately just exchanged for Currency, despite him thinking it would lead to some sort of hidden quest, or at least a new Skill.

Currency was fine, but he already ways to earn Currency. What he needed now, more than anything else, were either materials or Skills.

"Haa… whatever."

Hyun Soo put both hands in his pockets and kicked the dust on his feet as he began to take his lone walk, reflecting on all the events that had happened to him thus far.

"This was just the First Floor, though. I'm sure it ended up this way because of the excess noobs that managed to survive this one month. Moving forward, things are bound to get progressively more difficult."

And more difficult meant more exciting.

'I wonder how this world has fared in my absence. Welp, it's only been like a day, so I'm sure nothing much has changed.' He grinned to himself.

Not even those dunces in the Nine Headed Dragon Alliance would have done anything worthwhile in a single day.

What interesting him more than anything currently were the prospects of the higher Floors.

What sort of activity would they have? What tricks and twists would be waiting for him? What danger would they pose?

Those thoughts went rabid in Hyun Soo's head, and he couldn't stop smiling the more he thought of them. Chilling sensations that led to goosebumps coursed through his body, and he reveled in the sheer rawness of his excitement.

'Please don't disappoint me, Tower of Trials. You know how much I love games.'

That's right. The System would have known all of this when they made sure he would arrive in this world—a world he always only every dreamed about.

A place with a lot of dynamic NPCs, where Dungeons and Monsters existed so he could grind. A place with maps that were yet unexplored, and a System that ensured his constant growth.

This world was his paradise.

"All these NPCs make this game interesting for me. In the end, I'm the main player here."

And that worked out well for Park Hyun Soo.

After all, that was his Role in this brave new world.

[The Gamer].

"Man, I'm starving…" He smiled, raising his head to fully capture the breaking dawn that showered the world with light.

"Guess I'll go home now."

*******

[Time Left: 29 Days, 9 Hours]

<Current Number of Participants: 59,003>

"It's time, I guess…"

As I rose from the ground, the dirt and dust that clung to my outfit automatically filtered off, leaving me as clean and clear as ever.

I had spent the remainder of my time sleeping in this world, and also managed to merge the Items I wanted to. All in all, it was a productive stay here, and now that I felt more refreshed than I had ever been, it was time to head back.

It was one hell of a ride here, and while I wasn't in any particular hurry to leave, much to my surprise, I wasn't particularly attached to this place.

I stole one final glance at the entire landscape and smiled to myself.

"Guess this is farewell. Till the Second Floor.'

With that out of the way, I summoned the System Window and accepted my exit from the First Floor grounds.

And then…

~VWUUUUUSSSSHHHH!~

Find your next read on empire

A shimmering portal sent me off to the Ground Floor.

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[A/N]

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Cheers!