The Richest System

"[15,000,000 Tower Coin received.]

[Current balance: 27,375,000,000 Tower Coin.]

*Yawns*

'Ahh, thanks for the useless money.'

It's been five years. Five years since I started getting this weird currency called Tower Coin. It's not *that* weird, actually. The whole economic system revolves around those things—the Babel Towers, standing tall in five locations across the globe. Five years they've been there, five years a millions have gained superpowers from them. They say the Towers take fifteen million people a month, but with almost nine billion people on Earth, the whole 'awakening' thing feels pretty ridiculous."

I glared at the tower, irritated. Five years, and I still hadn't been invited inside, while the kid next door, who'd just had his birthday a few days ago, had already gotten his invitation. Five years I'd waited.

"Oh, great Tower, invite me in!"

Ugh, the sickening sight every month for those living near the Towers. So many idiots prostrate themselves, worshipping a giant, ancient stone building, begging for an invitation. They forget how many people have died inside those things. All they think about is getting rich and famous.

*Ding~* *Ding~* *Ding~*

The Tower's bells rang out. Time for the Towers to choose their next tutorial participants.

I waited patiently, but ten seconds passed with no sign of the invitation the TV announcers had promised.

"Not surprised. I'm just unlucky, after all."

Just as I'd given up hope and was about to resume cleaning, a system panel unlike the Tower Coin one appeared.

[Congratulations, you have been selected as a VVIP member.]

[Tower A invites its honored guest to enter.]

A gold-colored system panel materialized before my eyes.

"VVIP member? Is there really a VIP level *that* high? As far as I know, there's only a regular VIP membership."

[Indeed, there are three membership tiers for the Ancient Babel Tower: Regular, VIP, and VVIP. Each offers unique advantages, but these benefits only activate after completing the tutorial. We wish you safe passage.]

After reading that, I was transported away from my home.

***

"[Welcome to A-211-1.]

[Tutorial begins in 15 seconds. Please select your weapon.]"

Everyone looked ready. Of course they were; this was what most people on Earth wanted—to be summoned to the Tower, complete the tutorial, and survive. I chose a sword; it seemed the easiest to use, even for a novice.

"[Tutorial Stage 1, Commencing.]

[Eliminate all enemies.]

[Enemy count: 500.]"

Everyone was shocked by the enemy count. The TV had said there would only be 100 to 300 slimes, but there were 500. Worse, assuming they were slimes was a mistake from the start. The creatures that appeared weren't slimes at all; they were wolves.

Seeing hundreds of wolves charging from all directions, panic erupted. The reality was far different from what the awakened individuals on TV had described. Some screamed in terror, others desperately tried to defend themselves, and a few—myself included—fought back.

Five years I'd waited for this moment; I wasn't about to let it slip away. Drawing my sword, I slashed at a charging wolf, cleaving it in two and spilling its innards.

[You are the first to kill a wolf on Level 0.]

[Achievement unlocked. A reward will be granted upon tutorial completion.]

[You leveled up.]

Seeing their comrade so brutally dispatched, the wolves before me hesitated, adopting a defensive posture.

"They didn't charge like the TV said they would," I muttered. "Why the sudden change to defensive tactics?"

Although the wolves in front held their ground, many more attacked from all sides. Our defenses shattered, three wolves—one from each flank and one from behind—lunged at me. Before I could react, three others arrived to help fight them off.

Seeing that the four of us could hold the line, a would-be leader signaled a counterattack. "On three, we charge!" he yelled. "Three!"

There was no countdown, just a quick signal. We all attacked, throwing everything we had at the wolves. I charged, hunting them down. Right slashes, kicks, punches, vertical and horizontal slashes—I used every technique I knew, killing as many wolves as I could until I was completely exhausted.

...

Fifty minutes passed. Only two wolves remained, and we still outnumbered them, yet we'd suffered twenty times more casualties.

[Stage 1 Complete]

You have completed Stage 1.

Casualties: 4

Hunting Points: 750 per wolf

Bonus Points: 3000 per person

"The points are far higher than the TV said," I commented. "It's not misinformation; the Tower's changed in the last five years."

"That was incredible," a man said. "May I ask your name?"

*This guy… the one who signaled the charge.*

"I'm Kelpin."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Kelpin. I'm James Barton. That was amazing. I was initially shocked by the inaccurate information, but seeing this reward, it seems the mission parameters have changed since what we knew."

*Judging by his lip movements, he seems to be speaking English.*

"Everyone's surprised," I said. "We all received the same information for five years, but everything's different now. The old information is probably obsolete."

Before James could reply, a figure emerged from a portal.

"Welcome, challengers. I am the Judge of Tower A, Sector 211. Call me whatever you like."

A woman with glasses raised her hand. "Judge, may I ask why the enemies were different this time?"

*A positive question from a positive person.*

"Miss Andrina, thank you for your polite greeting. I'll explain. The Babel Tower has been on Earth for five years, during which time it has contained mythological-level monsters from dimensional rifts. Since mythological monsters are incredibly powerful, five years seems like the right time to increase the difficulty. We came to help the world avoid destruction, but we underestimated the strength of this world's mythology. The monsters contained within the rifts are far more dangerous than ordinary ones; they all have their own cults and worshippers. That's why we've increased the difficulty to this level."

*Containing mythological-level monsters… that means creatures like Jörmungandr, or even Anubis.*

"Furthermore," the Judge continued, "we Judges are also here to help you manage your points. With the significant amount earned this time, I'm sure you'll want to buy something."

With a snap of their fingers, a system panel displaying a shop interface appeared.

[Shop]

Items >

Weapons >

Potions >

Food >

Clothing >

Other >

Six categories. Most people would head straight for weapons, but I was curious about "Other." I opened it, revealing a vast array of lottery tickets offering random items.

"A gambling shop? Getting legendary items? What a load of crap," I muttered. They knew human nature, including our gambling tendencies. This was a subtle trap to fool us.

But five things caught my eye: Appearance Change Items, Shop Items, Nobility Items, and the option to exchange Achievement Points for stat points.

I opened the Achievement Point exchange, only to find a scam. Every listed price was crossed out in red, with a different price written above it. I tried to exchange 100 Achievement Points for 5 stat points. A gold system panel appeared:

[VVIP System Warning]

The offered exchange rate is far from fair. The actual value of 1 Tower Coin is 25 stat points. You are being cheated.

Do you wish to proceed with the transaction?

They were trying to cheat us *this* way? No surprise; it's a classic way to fool people.

I pressed "No" and checked out the other Shop Items.

"Judge, what are Shop Items?" I asked.

"Those items grant you early access to the shop," the Judge replied. "Normally, the shop opens after the tutorial, but you can buy access now. Oh, and the shop accessed by the ticket uses Tower Coins for transactions."

*Tower Coins? Doesn't that mean I can buy everything with the coins I've saved for five years?*

I quietly purchased a Shop Item. The moment I opened the shop menu, the Richest System greeted me after a five-year absence.