It began as a faint quiver, so inconspicuous that Rob took it for a trick of the mind. But no, he was certain. The damn world just shook.

  “Down,” Rob said firmly, grabbing the blind boy and crouching against the wall, bracing himself against anything he could hold.

  There wasn’t that much to hold on to, though. After the place they were in completely consumed itself, they were only left with a mere few steps of space to stand on. And if the shaking reached a severe point, it threatened to send them flying to their doom.

  Rob didn’t know if the trembling would build up to the level of a full-on quake or remain just these small quivers. He wasn’t taking any chances. The shadow of the wall was the safest place. So there he planted his feet in the floor. Pushed with all his might against the wall. And clutched the jutting grips so hard that his fingers almost left halls in the white stones. a few steps ahead, the floor gave way to a deep drop into nothingness, and Rob didn’t want to know what was

  Rob held for dear life and prayed that his fingers and legs were strong enough.

  "Wh-Where… are we?" the blind boy whispered beside him.

  “I wish I knew.”

  And Rob’s wish came true as words with radiant letters answering his question materialized before his eyes.

  [Welcome to the Wall world ]

  [New world successfully connected]

  [Identifying new climbers]

  [120568372 new climbers detected]

  [Assigning Starter Cards]

  [Congratulations, you have received consumable card: Tongue of the Wall]

  [Congratulations, you have received consumable card: Knowledge of the Wall]

  [Congratulations, you have received energy card: 10E]

  “Well… that wasn’t very telling, but at least we’re going somewhere.”

  Earlier, Rob had a crazy guess. the moment he laid eyes on the mindbogglingly huge wall, he knew this couldn’t be on earth. But not a second later, he dismissed the thought. Other worlds only existed in fantasies. there could be a hundred scientific reason and reason for what he saw and experienced. But in truth, he was just afraid. Deep down he knew. Voicing this fragile idea would shatter his last hope of a near home. But honestly, where on earth could there ever be such an impossibly vast, undefinable wall?

  And now a system... and magical cards? He either accept that he was in another world or he had gone mad.

  the notifications didn’t stop there.

  [First mission assigned]

  [Mission name: Energy Acclimation]

  [Mission grade: Unranked]

  [Mission Description]

  In the Wall World , energy is life.

  It is the sole sustenance, and the only fuel. To gain its miracles, turn to the Sacred Wall and behold the Holy Stones.

  Rob read the last part again, hoping that on the second read, it would finally make some sense.

  It didn’t. Well, if this was anything like what he guessed, missions were usually tasks he had to complete to earn rewards and such.

  But… what in God’s name did it mean by “facing the Sacred Wall” and “beholding the Holy Stones”? What was he supposed to do?

  Another violent jolt reminded him that he was, in fact, holding the so-called Holy Stones. The white protruding grips that he was clinging to was most likely what the message meant.

  no sooner had he made this realization than the confirmation appeared.

  [Requirements met]

  [Commencing energy injection]

  "Wait—what?" Rob objected. "Inject nothing into my body, you vile, kidnapping system!"

  The system, of course, didn’t listen. And soon enough, Rob felt a current-like movement seeping into his bones and veins. He tried to pull his hands away, but, as expected, they were stuck.

  Not one to give up easily, Rob resisted. Whatever this stupid thing was trying to push into his body, it wouldn’t have an easy time. It wasn’t welcome, and he made that clear with every method he could muster. He spasmed. He clenched and loosened every muscle. He rejected the invasion with every fiber of his being. He physically and mentally pushed back against the external force with all his willpower.

  And for a moment, he had the illusion of success. The foreign current weakened, as if his resistance actually mattered.

  And then—it came.

  Like a flood descending from a mountain, the energy surged into Rob. It rushed through every organ and cell. It washed over him, reinvigorating his body, recharging his mind.

  Rob expected to hurt. He planned to scream. His brain should feel the invading force and give him some pain at least, shouldn’t it? Not this time it seemed. Rob felt amazing. The sensation was heavenly , euphoric even. None like he ever felt before.

  Then, greed overtook caution. Rob unconsciously craved more. He urged the euphoric energy to flood deeper, drinking thirstily from its mysterious source—until his body could take no more.

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  And when it finally dwindled down to mere droplets of sensation, a clear sign of its imminent exit, Rob did what he did best.

  He resisted.

  Like an addict, he frantically pressed his body against the wall, gripping the stone tightly in his hands. His muscles coiled, his breath caught, and he tried to draw more of that sweet energy into himself with sheer force of mind.

  He willed it to stay.

  And he succeeded.

  This time, it was no fantasy. He felt it. Like a small second wind after a long exhale, his soul got to experience that heavenly sensation an extra unmeasurable amount of time. Rob was certain: he had taken more than he was supposed to receive.

  And this filled him with an unreasonable rush of childish joy. The competitive, stubborn part of him relished the achievement. It was a statement:

  “I won’t accept what you force on me quietly, and when you try to take it back, you’ll take it on my terms.”

  Rob, obviously, didn’t say that nor did he even consciously think it. It was simply who he was, and how he lived his life.

  Now, he was absentmindedly savoring the sensation of what had just happened, about to wonder what it all meant, when another violent shock that almost threatened to send him over the literal edge distracted him.

  "Phew… that was wild." Rob sighed, hoping that was the end of it.

  [Mission completed successfully]

  [Please check your Energy Screen to view your reward.]

  He was about to do so when he was distracted once more, this time by a hand gently brushing against his right shoulder. When he turned his head, he saw it belonged to the blind boy, who was running his fingers over the smooth white texture of the wall.

  “Are you… looking for something?” Rob asked, feeling a bit ashamed that he had completely forgotten about him.

  “Um, no,” the blind youth replied, visibly shaken. He most likely had a similar experience to Rob’s own.

  Looking at him closely, Rob could see just how lost the boy truly was. His black outfit had turned gray with collected dust, his head kept jerking in every direction whenever he caught the slightest hint of a sound, and his hands were restless, moving everywhere to give him a small solace in at least knowing what was in his immediate surroundings. Rob’s chest couldn’t help but tighten. His eyes darted around, uncertain. Then a question rose in his mind.

  “Hey, you know we’re not in our world anymore, right?” Rob voiced his question, immediately regretting how that sounded.

  “I suppose,” the boy answered, thankfully without panicking, though he seemed unsure of himself.

  Rob didn’t know how to continue for a moment. Should he describe the otherworldly scene of the enormous wall bordering a vast expanse of nothingness? Or should he talk about how many people were transported with them, and how almost half of them had met unfortunate ends?

  Fortunately, he didn’t have to decide, for another person heard his question and also decided to answer.

  “Yeah, we’re not. We’ve transmigrated,” said a new voice, so cheerful that Rob could practically hear the “yay” in her tone.

  “You don’t have to be so happy about it,” Rob murmured, not meaning to be heard.

  “WHY?!” she responded in a high-pitched tone, as if Rob had insulted her grandmother. “New world, adventure, wonders, and most important of all magical powers! What’s there not to be happy about?”

  “I guess,” Rob said, seemingly agreeing from the outside while on the inside he was anything but.

  An uninvited image flickered in his mind: the image of his family gathered around the dinner table, his father laughing boisterously as he told a story, his mother nodding distractedly as she forcefully fed his youngest brother. It was the memory of home.

  Was it worth it?

  Rob didn’t know. Not yet.

  He frantically blinked, trying to get rid of the debris that had gotten into his eyes.

  “So, how about it?” asked the girl who never stopped talking, her naive, beautiful blue eyes fixed on Rob.

  “About what?”

  “We make a party,” she said, music in her voice.

  Rob just stared at her, his gaze saying far more than words could. The girl stared back with an oblivious smile, still expecting a grateful agreement.

  Rob heaved a heavy sigh. “excuse me!?”

  “a party. It’s that thing where a group of people form a team to travel and adventure together.”

  “Oh,” Rob exclaimed, embarrassed. “I mean, why do you think that’s a good idea?”

  The girl’s expression looked full of question marks. She genuinely didn’t seem to understand why Rob wasn’t seeing the brilliance in her suggestion.

  “I mean… you look fit enough, helpful and kind, and the closest to my age nearby,” she said.

  she added after a pause, her voice lower, the most sutable one closest to my age.” Then, she casted a meaningful glance toward the blind boy, who was quietly listening.

  Rob was dumbfounded. Those weren’t reasons. They were just his qualification to join her team.

  He looked for a while at The girl with gentle blue eyes and cascading brown hair Infront of him. he knew not what to say. Her lovely presence, and expecting hopeful expression made it hard for him to just refuse.

  “I think… you’re wright, Rob finally said, deciding not to mention how ridiculous the whole thing sounded.

  “great, so , you’re in,” she smiled. ”my name is-“

  she started to introduce herself, only to suddenly stop, her expression growing distant. Her eyes flickered, as if reading some invisible text only she could see.

  Rob did the same.

  [Alert to All New Climbers]

  [Acclimation Period Concluded]

  [Warning: Remaining stationary for extended periods will result in energy depletion. Prolonged inactivity outside of designated safe zones is strongly discouraged.]

  [Climb to survive. Rise for your origin.]

  Just after Rob read the last part of the notice, he felt a shift in the atmosphere. The thin line of earthlings —who had just settled down and were trying to understand their current situation—stirred once again.

  Like waves rising from an angry ocean, the chaos returned with a vengeance. With varying reactions, Rob noticed varied responses to the last notification. some people yelled about their countries. Others laughed hysterically, convinced it was some sort of elaborate prank show. A third group broke down completely, disassociating from reality with vacant eyes and unmoving bodies.

  These reactions, however, didn’t represent the majority of the new climbers. A decent number—strangely, or perhaps predictably—chose to follow the system’s orders. After all, most people prefer receiving instructions over making responsible decisions on their own. So they moved, gaps of different sizes forming in the horizontal line of humanity, as they began climbing toward the unknown.

  Rob pulled his gaze away from the distant strangers and looked at his two newly acquired companions: the blind boy he had accidentally saved, and the cheerful girl who had inserted herself at his side.

  “Well?” he said, letting the question hang in the air.

  “Well, well, well!” The brunette practically leapt with excitement, making Rob fear she might fall off the edge. “Let’s climb! For glory, for fame and fortune! For slaying dragons and conquering kingdoms!”

  Rob considered bringing her back down to earth by reminding her they were on a fucking wall, and that no sane dragon or respectable king would make their home there. Her so-called "fortune" would probably amount to nothing more than a pouch of rocks.

  Yet he didn’t say any of that. Instead, he shifted his eyes to the blind boy, who miraculously picked up on the unspoken question and whispered:

  “Um… I can climb. I’ll just need someone to tell me where to go.”

  “So as you say,” Rob said, standing to his feet. He didn’t have a better option, so climbing it was. Maybe they could find one of those designated safe zones.

  He hadn’t even finished his sentence when the overly excited girl was already ascending, yelling at him to hurry up.

  Replying with an exasperated “Coming,” Rob couldn’t help but lower his gaze, a question forming on his lips:

  “Why not…”

  He began, then shook his head. Up and down were the same for them who knew nothing about this place.

  Rob turned to guide the blind boy as he requested, and together, the three of them began to climb. But as they did, Rob sensed something was wrong.

  The violent quakes that had recently plagued them had gone eerily silent. They hadn’t just gradually faded out, but instead, Rob had the inexplicable sensation that they had intensified past a threshold, becoming too severe to be perceived by human senses.

  That’s why Rob kept his senses fully open as he ascended. His fingers deathly closing around the strangely warm handholds, he expected any bizarre mystical thing to be thrown at him at any time.

  And yet he was still caught off guard when a wave of tangible sound slammed into his back, driving his face hard into the unwelcoming stone in front of him.

  can someone hit that Follow button for me please.