Any awakened individual can enter the tower.

The method is simple.

All it takes is opening the modest system interface and pressing the [Enter Black Tower] button.

I now stood at the tower’s entrance.

Around me was nothing but a void—so silent that even breathing failed to carry the sensation of air.

Yet, even with my eyes closed, I could see one thing clearly.

The door of the ‘Black Tower.’

The very thing I had only heard rumors about.

Standing before it, I finally realized the weight of my awakening.

The moment I stepped inside, the first-floor trial would begin.

But—

I turned my back on the tower’s entrance.

“Are you insane? You expect me to enter that thing right now?”

A 12-year-old girl.

That was me.

And yet, they wanted me to go into the tower?

This was nothing short of child abuse.

On top of that, the child in question couldn’t even see properly.

Well, I could see, but I saw too well—so well that I might as well be blind.

“I know better than anyone that I’m weak. Even if I make it to the first floor, I’ll get stabbed by a random mob and die because I’m practically a blind person.”

Achilles scoffed instead of answering.

[That’s only because you don’t trust me.]

“…What?”

[If you’re with me, the first floor is nothing to worry about.]

What nonsense was this?

And from a dog, no less.

“You do realize what you are now, right? You’re not a World Boss anymore. You’re a dog. A guide dog that’s supposed to assist me.”

[Calling me ‘just a dog’ is quite offensive. By your world’s standards, I am a mythical existence—a hero among heroes.]

“More importantly, how did you even end up here?”

[You’re not the only one with the right to enter the tower.]

Since I couldn’t rely on my sight, my other senses had become sharper.

I felt Achilles moving in slow, deliberate circles around me.

What was this guy planning to do, even following me to the tower?

Shed fur everywhere?

[Hmm. You are still young, but your physique isn’t bad. Especially your eyes… those are exceptional. It’s good for a hero to begin training from childhood. If there’s one flaw, it’s that you’re a girl…]

I frowned.

‘It’s good that I’m young’?

Hearing that straight to my face, I felt sick.

[If only you could master the Immersive Field, everything would fall into place.]

Achilles muttered to himself, seemingly reaching some grand conclusion.

Ignoring me completely.

“What exactly are you trying to do?”

[Let me explain. This is not my homeland. From your perspective, it’s another world.]

“And?”

[A tower appeared there as well. You call those who climb it ‘hunters,’ but in my world, we called them ‘heroes.’ Regardless, I was one of the strongest heroes who climbed all the way to the 99th floor.]

His voice was brimming with pride.

“…99th floor? There are towers in other worlds too?”

It was a shocking revelation.

I could tell he wasn’t lying—I could see it.

Anyone else would’ve thought he was insane.

Currently, South Korea was struggling with the 40th-floor.

Even with the strongest hunters in the world, humanity had yet to breach the 50th floor.

And yet, he had reached the 99th floor?

[Though, I ultimately failed at the 100th floor and was devoured by Asadia.]

“If you were that powerful, why did you become a World Boss?”

[I have no idea. A hero must climb the tower, and I did everything I could. But after being consumed by Asadia, I lost most of my memories.]

Amnesia, huh.

If I held onto Asadia for too long, would I end up like that too?

I thought I had obtained a useful sniper rifle, but seeing Achilles’ situation made me wary.

[More importantly, why are you hesitating? Just enter already.]

“You’re serious? You really expect me to go inside?”

I waved my arms in protest, but Achilles only snorted in amusement.

[You blind fool. Preparation happens as you take your first step.]

At that moment, his fur brushed against my leg.

Achilles began moving forward, slowly but steadily, using his massive frame to nudge me toward the door.

“Ahhh! This is child abuse!”

A 12-year-old girl couldn’t possibly resist the strength of a massive Labrador Retriever.

Achilles paid no attention to my resistance, continuing to push me forward.

Eventually—

With a scream, my body was sucked into the tower’s entrance.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[KR/ You have entered the Black Tower.]

[1st Floor]
Objective: Defeat 2 Barbarian Maggots.
Failure Conditions: Death or Mission Forfeit.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Before I knew it, I had ended up on the first floor.

There was no point in regretting it now.

If I died here or ran away, the monsters inside would escape through a gate and appear somewhere on Earth.

That was an outcome I refused to imagine.

A disaster of unprecedented scale.

Which meant I only had one option left.

However, I couldn’t summon the courage to face it.

“Ahhh! Are you insane? Maggots? Maggots?!”

My scream echoed through the empty space.

A mix of putrid stench and sticky, squelching noises made it all the more horrifying.

[What’s with the commotion? They’re just thick-bodied creatures that bend and straighten repeatedly, with a few tentacles.]

“Ugh! Stop describing them in such disgusting detail!”

I had never seen a maggot before, but even imagining it made my skin crawl.

The surrounding noises grew sharper.

Sliiith.

Squirm. Squirm.

The sickening sound of something writhing in mucus crept closer and closer.

I instinctively curled up in fear.

And I had to kill two of these things?

Me? A blind girl?

The sound of flailing tentacles drew nearer and nearer.

My feet were already locked in place.

Trembling.

“How am I supposed to fight something like this when I can’t even see?!”

Achilles sighed quietly.

[Why not just open your eyes?]

“I pushed myself too hard yesterday, my eyes are stinging and aching. I don’t even want to look at bugs up close!”

[Hah. Focus. I will now teach you how a hero climbs the tower.]

His voice was firm, carrying an undeniable confidence, as if he could perceive things beyond my understanding.

[Trust me. Your eyes are not your only sense. A true hero must be able to act even if they lose their sight in battle.]

The moment he finished speaking, the atmosphere shifted.

It felt as if the space around me had suddenly filled with something.

A transformation was occurring in this place.

[Oh? You noticed? Your senses are quite sharp.]

“What? What changed?”

[This is Ideation. It overlays the user’s mind, will, and essence onto reality.]

“This is Ideation?”

I still couldn’t understand.

What nonsense was this?

“Stop doing useless things and just help me already.”

[A hero breaks through their limits and surpasses them in times of crisis. If you want to survive, you must grasp it yourself. Do as I did—unfold your Ideation. That is your only way to live.]

That lunatic!

His words were simple, but executing them was another story.

I closed my eyes, attempting to follow his instructions, steadying my breath and focusing my mind, but my thoughts were in complete turmoil.

“How do I do this? No matter how hard I try, it’s not working!”

[Ideation is an extension of your mind and will. Of course, it won’t work at first. Keep trying until it does. If you don’t want to die, you’ll figure it out eventually.]

The Spartan method—succeed or die trying!

So this was what he meant by brutal training!

I trembled and swallowed my curses.

“This is insane! You damn lolicon. A young girl is on the verge of being overwhelmed by tentacles, and you’re just standing there watching!”

The tentacles drew closer.

I could now feel the wind they displaced as they moved.

I couldn’t hold out any longer.

Gripped by terror, I instinctively opened my eyes.

And I saw it.

The grotesque form of the maggot.

Its swollen flesh oozed slime, its massive body pulsated and writhed.

Squirming tentacles emerged from its body, teeming with tiny wriggling parasites in the gaping crevices.

Its flesh bore bizarre markings that subtly pulsed as it breathed.

“AAAAAHHHH!”

I screamed.

My heart nearly burst from my chest.

I never wanted to see maggots in this much detail!

As I turned my eyes away, something else caught my vision.

It was different from the maggot.

A blue, flowing trail filled the void of this place.

It was vast, deep, and covered the entire space.

But it wasn’t simply radiant.

Within it echoed the roar of battle,

The clash of blades and the sharp impact of spears meeting shields.

It was Achilles’ Ideation.

“This… is Ideation?”

I murmured unconsciously.

But just seeing it didn’t mean I could use it.

Ideation wasn’t something one could master just by looking at it—it existed on an entirely different level of perception.

[Oh? You can see Ideation? What exactly are those eyes of yours…?]

At that moment, a new interface window appeared at the edge of my vision.

It was slightly different from the system messages I was used to.

A newly added stat had appeared.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Status Window]

Affiliation: KR (Republic of Korea)
Race: Human
Name: Erniaan Ludwig
Age: 12
Level: 10
Strength: 1
Vitality: 1
Agility: 1
Intelligence: 1
Luck: 1
Ideation: 0
HP: 100/100
MP: 10/10
Emotion: Anxiety (Intensity: 100%)
State: Extreme Tension
Thoughts: Tentacles!! Tentacles!!! Tentacles!!!!
Possessed Skills: 1
Available Stat Points: 10

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Previously, there were only five stats: Strength, Vitality, Agility, Intelligence, and Luck.

But now, because I had recognized ‘Ideation’ for the first time, a new stat had been added.

Along with it, the maggot’s tentacles approached!

“Screw it. I’ll just allocate everything!”

I dumped all 10 points into Ideation.

A sharp sensation pulsed through my brain.

A shockwave of realization washed over me.

Everything seemed to stop.

The sticky movements of the maggot, the firm voice of Achilles, even my own frantic breathing—all faded into the background.

Time slowed, as if sinking into the depths of a dark ocean, and I stood alone in the void.

One by one, my senses dissolved.

The world I had known until now fractured like a broken frame.

The smells, sounds, and textures—everything blurred, leaving me uncertain of my own existence within this space.

And yet, strangely, I felt no fear.

Only stillness.

“I can feel everything, even without looking.”

If ‘consciousness’ had a shape, this must be it.

I was becoming a part of the tower itself, existing within it.

My mind expanded across the space, touching everything.

[Wait, what? You grasped Ideation after seeing it only once? And it’s not just a weak imitation… its density and range are already impressive. I thought I’d have to push you to the brink of death before you could get this far…]

The movement of the maggot.

The angle and speed of its flailing tentacles.

Even the faint vibrations of fur brushing against the air inside the tower—everything became clear to me.

I realized, for the first time, just how limited my previous perception of the world had been.

What I had understood through my five senses was nothing but a fraction of reality.

Beyond that lay a world far greater than I had ever imagined.

The enormity of the world and the vastness of my expanding consciousness sent a shiver through my body.

The world was no longer an abstraction.

I had become a part of this space.

Everything within me pulsed like a heartbeat, spreading throughout the world.

“…Horrifying.”

My Ideation sent a warning.

The tentacles were moving.

Two massive maggots lunged at me, threatening my survival.

Without hesitation, I rolled instinctively.

Ssshhk—!

A tentacle barely grazed the spot where I had just been.

At the same time, I readied my sniper rifle.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

State: Exaltation 20 Stacks (80%)]
Damage Amplification: 200%

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Asadia was fully prepared.

Though massive, a maggot was still just a maggot.

At such a slow speed, it had no chance of catching me.

A sniper had only one rule to follow.

Stay out of the enemy’s reach and—click.

Just pull the trigger.

I aimed my sniper rifle.

Right now, my eyes were closed.

But that didn’t matter.

Ideation had replaced all my senses, and I had already mapped out the maggots’ movements in my head.

The barrel of my gun locked onto my targets.

Bang!

The first shot.

The maggot’s body convulsed violently.

A sickening squelch rang out as its mucus-covered flesh burst open.

Bang!

The second shot.

A tentacle was blown clean off.

The grotesque beast collapsed onto the ground with a wet thud.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[KR/ You have cleared the 1st floor of the Black Tower.]

Reward: 20g of Magic Stone Powder.

[You have obtained the right to challenge the 2nd floor.]

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A system message appeared, signaling the end of the 1st-floor trial.

I exhaled deeply and lowered my sniper rifle.

Ideation.

It was incredibly convenient.

To be able to perceive the world without even opening my eyes…

This would significantly reduce the strain on my vision.

Was this what it felt like to gain a sixth sense?

“Hah, it’s finally over.”

At that moment, Achilles silently approached me.

For a while, he said nothing.

I could only sense him staring at me.

And finally, he spoke in a heavy voice.

[…This is absurd.]

“Huh? What is?”

[To unfold Ideation so effortlessly… Most heroes only achieve it after countless battles teetering on the edge of life and death. Yet you grasped it just by witnessing it once.]

His voice was filled with shock and disbelief.

I shrugged nonchalantly.

“Oh, that? I just dumped all my stat points into it.”

Achilles stared at me blankly before stepping closer.

[What did you say…? Explain yourself. You mean to tell me you can see stats?]

I tilted my head in confusion.

“Well, yeah. I can see my status window. And I used the 10 bonus points I got from defeating you and put them all into Ideation.”

Achilles looked utterly shaken, unable to form words for a moment.

[Heroes do not have a system, a status window, or skills. They must climb the tower purely through honing themselves. The same applies to Ideation—it is a realization attained only through the brink of death…]

He fell silent, staring intently at me.

[Hunters, unlike heroes, have access to the system and can view their status windows. But as far as I know, there are no numerical stat allocations. The concept of distributing points simply does not exist. And yet, you…]

Even hearing that, it didn’t seem like such a big deal to me.

“So… other people can’t assign stat points? Why not? They can see their status windows, right?”

[Your eyes… They must be seeing the true nature of the system.]

Now that I thought about it—

The system message from when I first awakened had been incredibly simple.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Status Window]

Name: Kim Hamin
Level: 1
Unique Skill: Reversal (F-rank)

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Just those three lines.

Back then, I could only check my name, level, and unique skill.

But now, when I peered into my status window—

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Status Window]

Affiliation: KR (Republic of Korea)
Race: Human
Name: Erniaan Ludwig
Age: 12
Level: 10
Strength: 1
Vitality: 1
Agility: 1
Intelligence: 1
Luck: 1
Ideation: 10
HP: 100/100
MP: 10/10
Emotion: Calm (Intensity: 70%)
State: Mild Fatigue
Thought: Am I the only one who can level up stats?
Possessed Skills: 1
Available Stat Points: 0

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was incomparable.

The level of detail was astonishing.

Even my thoughts were recorded.

Apparently—

The concept of gaining bonus stats through leveling up.

And the ability to distribute them.

Were unique to me.