Tower of god: A different Baam

A young man in his twenties lay on his bed, the faint glow of his phone screen barely illuminating the dark room. His thumb absently slid upwards as he skimmed through the latest chapter of his favorite manhwa, Tower of God, marking the conclusion of Season 3.

The final panel revealed a character that fans had been eagerly awaiting; Adori Zahard. Or rather, Arie Adori Zahard. It seemed that SIU had changed the story of the most powerful princess, incorporating elements that he hadn't originally intended.

While he would have preferred Adori to simply be a princess with no family history, unlike most of Zahard's princesses, he figured it didn't matter. As long as the character was well-written and didn't suffer from sloppy character development, he could accept it.

Whatever… SIU cooked for her entrée!Damn, one-shotting a mothership of one of the Ten Great Families, it's crazy! Not for nothing is she ranked seventh!

Excitement was building inside him... until his gaze fell on the end of the chapter message.

His enthusiasm immediately vanished.

"Damn, another hiatus!" he snarled, frustrated. "At this rate, I'll be dead before I even see the end of the story..."

However, even though frustration was building inside him, he wasn't like most readers - especially those from Korea - who went so far as to insult the author. He understood that SIU had health problems, and even if waiting for such a cliffhanger, especially after everything that had happened in this arc, itched, he respected the author's choice and his work.

But thinking back, what really bothered him wasn't so much the hiatus… but still, the protagonist of this story that fascinated him so much: the 25th Baam.

Even after everything he had been through, Baam remained too passive. Too naive.

Of course, when ancient monsters knew about you before you knew what awaited you, and they had had millennia to prepare their plans and lock you into their game… you were already doomed from the start.

But still!

He clicked his tongue, annoyed.

He's an Irregular, dammit! Not a f*cking mob that just has to go with the flow of events!

That thought frustrated him even more than the hiatus itself.

Okay, technically, Baam was still 'young' compared to the Tower, and his lack of experience could be justified. But it was illogical that he didn't seem to have changed that much between Season 2 and Season 3, when an entire arc had been devoted to his development.

At this point in the story, he should be less naive, less manipulable, and above all, fully accepting his status as an Irregular instead of giving the impression of being a secondary character in his own story.

But no. SIU persisted with this stupid mentality.

All right, Baam was no longer a simp who blindly followed Rachel, he was willing to grant him that. But he still didn't seem to prioritize what should be most important to him, which led him straight into catastrophic situations as the Nest and the Sprout had proven.

Deep down, it wasn't Baam himself he hated, but the way he sometimes acted. He didn't even know where SIU wanted to take him anymore, and even less with this V story that had been sleeping inside him all this time...

"Baam really has a miserable existence... Imagine, your own parents using you as a vulgar tool to accomplish a revenge that, at the base, had nothing to do with you."

He exhaled abruptly, throwing his head back against the pillow.

"At least, I give him my respect for not having ended up under the rope. Many people would have cracked in his place."

A long sigh escaped his lips as he locked his phone. His gaze lost on the ceiling of his room, plunged into silent contemplation.

Sometimes, I wish I lived in a reality where I was Baam...

A reality where I would have made better choices.

A reality where no one else could control my destiny.

A bitter laugh escaped him.

Easy to say. Who said he would do better? That he wouldn't let himself, too, be manipulated by forces greater than himself? Maybe he would end up even worse than Baam, unable to see the plots that were hatched in the shadows… Maybe he would die before he had the chance to make the right choice.

That thought persisted, clinging to his mind. But before he could dwell on it any longer… his phone vibrated in his hand.

[Congratulations! You have been selected for a Tower of God investigation! Would you like to participate?]

He frowned as he saw the notification appear at the top of his screen.

A virus? One of those dodgy pop-ups that redirected to absurd ads? Yet the alert was unlike anything he had seen before.

Out of curiosity, and especially because he had nothing else to do, he narrowed his eyes.

"An investigation…?" he mumbled, before pressing it, forgetting all caution in the face of a possible scam.

[Tired of your favorite author alternating between masterclass plots and frustrating developments?]

He widened his eyes.

"F*ck… they know?" he breathed, stunned.

An amused smile stretched his lips as he scrolled down the page. A first question appeared.

[Who is your favorite character in Tower of God?]

Without hesitation, he selected the 25th Baam.

Of course, he liked many other characters. Like the cold and calculating Khun Aguero Agnes. The fierce but hilarious Rak Wraithraiser.

Or, of course, the ultimate badass and biggest simp of the Tower, Urek Mazino.

But if he had chosen Baam, it was for a simple, almost obvious reason: he was the very heart of the series. His story was, if not the most interesting, one of the richest in the Tower of God universe.

Even if SIU seemed to do everything to crush him to the ground…

The next question appeared. This time, it didn't just load onto the screen… it materialized before his eyes.

[Why did you choose this character?]

A snicker escaped him. He typed his answer without hesitation, determined to convince this imaginary quiz.

[Baam is extremely OP. His potential could elevate him to the top of the verse, and he would have everything to become one of the best characters ever written thanks to his lore. But instead, SIU prefers to create plots that do not even respect the continuity of his development. He always confines him to the role of a toy in the hands of the powerful. It's frustrating.]

He pressed Enter, expecting the classic "Thank you for your answer".

But another question immediately appeared.

[When would be the best time for you to reincarnate as him?]

He froze.

His fingers remained suspended above the screen. He blinked several times, as if to make sure he had read correctly.

"What the hell is this...?" he muttered, straightening up slightly.

This question… It was different.

She wasn't asking if he wanted to reincarnate. She was asking when.

A joke? A troll?

But, despite everything, he played along.

Without thinking too much, he typed his answer.

Yet, deep down, a strange presentiment was growing. A sensation that told him that all this was real.

An intuition.

And he hoped so.

[The beginning of the canon, on the first floor of the Tower.]

As he pressed Submit, the screen flashed violently.

[Thank you for all your answers. They have been taken into consideration. We have determined that you are worthy of this opportunity. As a gift, a "system" will be offered to help you on your journey, as well as various bonuses that will be granted to you along the way.]

His heart skipped a beat.

[Have a good trip.]

The next second, a searing pain pierced his chest.

He gasped. His phone slipped from his fingers and fell limply to the bed.

His vision blurred. An unbearable pressure crushed his ribs.

His mind collapsed.

His body refused to move.

His breathing… stopped.

And then… nothing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hey, hello everyone, to make the introductions short, I am a simple writer who is starting out, although I have already written other fanfiction.

I wrote this story just for fun, so don't expect a big plot, although I will make an effort on that so that readers don't get bored with it.

The reason why I wrote a fanfic specifically about TOG is that it's one of my favorite stories, and seeing the few fanfics about this work, I decided to create my own. I would make sure it wouldn't be dropped, unlike most authors who abandon their story halfway through. Although I can understand them given the complexity of the work which can easily discourage writers.

There will be a chapter appearance rate every 2 days, if not every day if I have a lot of time and I'm in a good mood.

Also, if I make any grammar mistakes, please report it, my English is terrible so I use a translator. There might be a chapter soon, while I translate it.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, see you next time ;)

Last thing, throw stones to support history.