Mumbai. A city that doesn't just run; it sprints. It's a place of constant noise—horns blaring, trains screeching, and millions of people fighting for an inch of space. It is a city that never slows down.
And I, Arthur Suryawanshi, was currently stuck in the armpit of it.
"Twenty-five years old," I muttered, kicking a loose stone down the narrow alleyway. "Manager at a convenience store. And I live in a shoebox."
I stopped in front of a peeling metal door. This was it. My kingdom. A 200-square-foot apartment that cost half my salary. If I stretched my arms out too wide, I'd probably punch the refrigerator and the toilet at the same time.
I unlocked the door and collapsed onto the thin mattress. I pulled out my phone, scrolling through the latest update of my favorite tower manhwa "sss-su***dal-******".
"I read way too many of these," I sighed, tossing the phone aside. "If the world actually ended, I'd be fine. I know the meta. I know the hidden pieces. I'd be the guy who gets the SSS-class skill and saves the world."
I stared at the ceiling, waiting for the humidity to kill me.
Then, it happened.
It wasn't a sound. It was a vibration, a frequency that bypassed my ears and rang directly inside my skull.
[SYSTEM NOTICE] [The Tutorial Floor is now accessible.]
I shot up in bed.
I ran to the window. I expected to see gates opening in the sky. I expected monsters falling from the clouds,
But… nothing. The traffic was still moving. The stray dogs were still barking. The auntie next door was still yelling at her husband.
No buildings collapsed. No giant structures appeared. Yet, I could feel it. Everyone could. The air felt heavier, charged with static. It felt like a massive door had opened somewhere just beyond reality.
My heart started pounding. A grin—a stupid, wide grin—spread across my face.
"It's here," I whispered. "It's finally here."
I stood in the middle of my tiny room and spread my arms, waiting for the blue screen. I knew the drill. This was the awakening. This was my protagonist moment.
"Come on," I shouted at the empty air. "Give me my SSS-Class Necromancer skill! Give me the Dragon Heart!"
A blue light scanned me from head to toe.
[ANALYZING SOUL STRUCTURE...] [CROSS-REFERENCING MULTIVERSAL DATA...] [SCANNING MENTAL FORTITUDE...]
"Yes! Come on!" I clenched my fists.
[ANALYSIS COMPLETE]
[Compatibility (PLAYER): 0%]
I froze. "Zero... percent?"
[Class Compatibility: MANAGER found.]
"Manager?" I blinked. "Like... at the store?"
[MANAGER]
Definition: A non-player authority responsible for Floor Operations. Duties: Regulate trials. Maintain balance. Oversee participants. WARNING: Managers cannot directly climb the Tower.
My jaw dropped.
"What? I can't climb? I can't be a Player?"
I re-read the text. Oversee participants. Regulate trials.
"Wait a minute." My eyes widened. "Players are the ones who run the rat race. The Manager is the one who owns the maze."
A realization hit me like a truck. In every game, in every story, who is the most powerful being? The Hero? The Demon King? No. It's the GM. The Game Master.
"A Manager isn't a normal class," I stammered, my hands shaking. "It's an SSSSS-Rank job! I'm not a participant... I'm the Admin!"
[MANAGER ASSIGNMENT IN PROGRESS] [Assigned Floor: Tutorial Floor] [Authority Level: Limited] [Time Until Activation: 00:59:59]
"I don't even have the option to decline?" I laughed nervously. "Of course not. Why would I decline a promotion?"
I looked at the timer. One hour.
In the manhwas, the MC usually starts doing pushups. Or they run to the supermarket to hoard water and batteries.
I looked at my tiny, depressing kitchen.
"If I'm going to be a god," I said, grabbing my phone, "I need a final meal as a human."
I opened a food delivery app.
"One Butter Chicken. Two Garlic Naan. Extra Jeera Rice."
I sat on my floor, cross-legged, and waited.
When the food arrived, I ate like a starving beast. I ate until my stomach hurt. I ate until the sauce stained my fingers. I wiped the plate clean with the last piece of naan.
I burped, satisfied.
[Time Until Activation: 00:00:00]
The world twisted. My 200-square-foot apartment dissolved into pixels.
"Teleporting..." I mumbled, my vision going black.
And just like that, Arthur Suryawanshi clocked in for his first shift.