Early Access System Volume 1: Shadow Of The Behemoth

Chapter 1 : Early Access Tower Unlocked!

(This book has not yet been edited, please keep in mind, it will be edited by the end of December 2023)

5-22, a retail shop that is located in the middle of Xys Nex, New Nex City. There was nothing significant about the place.

The products that were sold in the shop cost 4 dollars on average, and it was just like any other basic retail shop in Amerigo. 

The television that was hung at the left side of the entrance stood out the most, with it being the only active thing in the whole shop.

"Today marks the 2nd death anniversary of the former New Nex City mayor and former Amerigon presidential candidate, Arthur Behemoth I. On this day, April 5th, two years ago, the beloved former mayor took his own life to escape the burden of having to solve the high crime rate in New Nex City. Two years ago, the crime rate in New Nex City was 52%, but this year it has been reduced to 12% thanks to the resources and legacy that he has left behind. Thank you, Arthur. Thank you..." A news reporter said on the television while he tried holding back his tears, but eventually a drop of tears fell down his cheek and he started sinking into tears.

"I don't blame that man for crying…"A middle-aged man with a receding hairline said to the employee of the store. "I was on the streets begging like a dog until he gave me and a bunch of other losers just like me a job. I'm not rich, but thanks to Arty there, I've got at least a job, y'know." He added while paying for the cold canned coffee.

"Thank you, and please come back." The cashier said while keeping his head down.

"So you are one of those youngsters who has received help from him, huh?"The man asked, assuming that the cashier was a kid that was helped by the foundations that Arthur Behemoth founded.

The cashier just kept his head low with his mask covering his lips that were stretched down and his golf cap covering his swelling eyes.

The middle-aged man decided not to pry any further and left the building.

The cashier, who was now alone, turned his face towards the television. "Why, dad, why?" As he was seeing the images of Arthur Behemoth being displayed on the screen,

__________

The cashier walked back to the rundown apartment where he lived after finishing his job.

As he walked up the stairs, there were rats and cockroaches just running rampantly. Some rats fell down the stairs and died. He could smell their blood alongside the trash that they had digested.

But he was already used to the smell of dead rats and trash. For two years, he has been experiencing the life of mossy green walls, broken glass, and expired food.

As he opened the rusty metallic door, he was greeted by the smell of his two housemates; one who reeks of alcohol stench while trying to keep his balance with a beer bottle in his right hand, and the other who looks so heavy he could destroy a whole building just by jumping on it. He was eating chips while watching a dating show on the square bulky television.

The cashier dashed straight to his room to avoid any contact with his housemates.

As he closed his room door, he removed his cap and face mask that had been covering his face.The face that was hidden underneath was a perfect copy of Arthur Behemoth I. His height, the shape of his body, right down to the very strand of his hair, resembled those of the former mayor.

He breathed heavily after he took off his mask, and as he looked at the mirror, he couldn't help but have his strength taken away from him.

Every time he looked at himself, he was reminded of his cheerful and warm father, whom he looked up to as his hero. He knew he could never meet his father again, but looking in the mirror, he wished he could at least talk to his father once more.

Arthur Behemoth I gave the name Arthur Behemoth II to his son to be just like him. From the way they talked, down to the style of their hair, everything was the same. 

Arthur Behemoth I made his son the youngest lawyer in history and the most successful under-20-year-old politician, while still being as happy as any kid can be.

Despite teaching his son till he could depend on himself, he always said, "Humans are never meant to be alone. But when we choose to, the end result will never be good.". 

###

Arthur Behemoth II could still remember the week when his father passed away. The whole city mourned his death and blamed criminals and his father's medical advisors for not paying attention to his mental health and causing him to take his own life. 

It was everywhere on the news. "Former New Nex City Mayor, Arthur Behemoth I, committed suicide.". Many conspiracy theorists came up with theories that he could be assassinated or have faked his own death.

But Arthur II knew the truth since he held his father's dying body while hearing his father's last words.

Arthur II came back home earlier than usual since his father promised to take him somewhere special. He opened the front door and heard voices that didn't belong to his father.

His father had a deep and smooth voice, but the other voice was a high-pitched male voice that cracked in between speeches.

He was about to enter the hall but was stopped after a deafening thump that sounded like a bang. His legs trembled after hearing such a terrifying sound.

"This sounds... no, it can't be." He walked into the room and saw his father lying on the floor with blood gushing out of his chest.

"Dad!" He immediately called 911. "911, what's your emergency?"  "My father is dying! Please come as fast as you can, he is bleeding! We are in the Behemoth Estate! " "Sir, Is your father Arthur Behemoth? " "Yes! Please send help now!" "…" The call was cut off.

Arthur II was confused and angry, but as he heard police cars and sirens, he breathed a sigh of relief.

His neck collar was grabbed by his father's hand. "Son, …when you are ready, break this…"

His father said while giving him a rounded glass tablet with shapes engraved on it before he coughed up blood and stopped breathing. 

The police entered the house while Arthur was drowning in tears with blood on his hands.

They took his body and then claimed that Arthur Behemoth I shot himself in the head. Arthur tried giving the information about what really happened to the trusted mainstream media companies, but he didn't get any replies.

He realized that his father's assassination was not a secret to those in the government sect and the media corporations; they were all in this together.

He couldn't understand why they killed his father, but there was nothing he could do. He was lucky that the government still let him live with the knowledge that he had, but he wasn't pleased with it either.

His inheritance was taken away from him by the government in the name of continuing his father's legacy, leaving him with nothing. Law firms and good-paying jobs have blacklisted him, making him unable to earn decent money.

The only valuable thing that he owned was the rounded glass that his father left him before passing away. 

He holds the object in his hand while remembering his father's last words. "Son, when you are ready, break this." He shattered the glass with his bare hands.

A blue hologram appeared in front of him.  [Early Access of Tower Of  Deos Unlocked!] Was shown on the hologram.