ATWT Rewrite

I returned with the groceries, stepping into a silent house. The weather must have worsened while I was out, but my sister seemed to have stayed put. She was still up, waiting on the couch, but we barely exchanged a word. I placed the bags on the table and made my way to my room.

"Are they back?" I asked.

"No, not yet," she replied.

We didn't speak much these days. We were two completely different people. Yuki, the leader of her school club, the star athlete, and everything people admired. And me? A shut-in. A person with barely any friends. If it weren't for her. My life would be far lonelier than it already was.

I pushed open my bedroom door. My computer is still running. The hum of the PC was the only sound in the otherwise quiet night. I sank into my chair, staring at the glowing monitor. On the screen was All the World Tree, the game I'd been playing for years. A 2D game full of magic, skills, spells, and endless possibilities. I had beaten it hundreds of times, experimenting with different builds, skills, and self-imposed restrictions. Each run was unique, each challenge a small victory.

The game took place on the World Tree. A massive tower with 100 floors, each guarded by its own boss. It was the one thing that brought me solace. The one thing that consistently made me happy. Over the years, I've made a lot of online friends through the game. Viridian was one of them. He'd always invite me to meet up with the group—shooting ranges, hangouts, real-life adventures—but I could never bring myself to go. Too awkward. Too unsure. It truly was a shame. They seemed like great people.

I glanced at the corner of my desktop screen. The date glowed faintly: May 19, 2035. Tomorrow was the big day.

I logged in, creating a fresh character. Typing out the command, I watched as the familiar text filled the screen.

Create_fireball—a Rank 1 spell.

"With this character, I'll beat the game using only fire," I mused aloud, my fingers hovering over the keyboard.

"Is that even a good idea?" I countered myself, imagining the hurdles ahead. "How will I even beat Floor 10 with just fire?"

That question lingered in my mind. I reached for the ATWT Atlas, a thick, well-worn guidebook resting on my desk. It contained detailed information on every floor, skill, and strategy. Flipping through the pages, I searched for the answer.

Flip. Flip. Flip.

"Ah, here we are," I muttered. My finger traced the entry for Rank 2 spells.

Create_fireball (Mana: Max)

"With this, I can beat Floor 10. It'll take all my mana, but it's possible."

Floor 10 was infamous among players, marking the end of the tutorial bosses. It was notorious not because of its design, but because of its unique mechanic. The boss had infinite mana and could copy any skill a player used against it. Trolls made it worse, intentionally using high-mana, devastating skills before dying, leaving the boss able to spam those moves endlessly against others.

The developers announced a new server launching tomorrow—one that would bring the game to hardcore mode. Every player in the world could join, and the chaos that would unfold was almost guaranteed. 

One thing was certain: in less than an hour, All the World Tree would change forever.