"The Tower of Sins has been created with seven floors—each floor representing a sin and its corresponding difficulty. It is up to you to figure out the sin of each floor and complete its test in order to ascend to the next. Elimination will occur after each round—either through eviction, knockout by other participants, or forfeiture. After the final round, the last ten standing will be awarded entry into Vernam Academy.
No further details will be discussed, and I will not answer any of your questions. It is your job to figure it out...
One more thing before we begin—this tournament is estimated to last at least a week. Prepare yourselves mentally.
Good luck."
The moment he finished speaking, the hall turned blindingly white—and everyone vanished from their seats.
---
Opening his eyes to the blazing sunlight, Kaine coughed violently, a mouthful of sand spilling from his mouth onto the dry ground.
"Is this… a desert?" he muttered, squinting against the scorching glare.
Refusing to believe his surroundings, Kaine leapt into the air, using his Wrath Element—Raging Flames—to propel himself as high as possible. The higher he soared, the more his hope plummeted. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but endless sand dunes.
Upon landing, he noticed a white watch fastened around his wrist. A small digital map was displayed, with a blinking red dot marking his position. Multiple other red dots showed the locations of fellow participants. At the far end of the map, a bright green blinking dot pulsed steadily—likely the target location for advancing to the next floor.
Swiping the screen, a leaderboard appeared. The Patriarch's daughter held first place, with Ranger second, followed by a few others—including his cousin, Jaice, in fifth. Kaine, however, ranked somewhere in the 300s.
"I've got to move fast if I don't want to fall behind."
Just as he set off toward the green light, a voice called out behind him.
"Dude! You have affinities and told no one?"
Kaine turned to see a boy—average height, about fifteen, with short curly dark hair—gawking at him in shock, both hands covering his mouth. His lightly tanned skin gave him a youthful glow.
"I'd mind my own business if I were you," Kaine said coldly, continuing on.
"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone," the boy promised, skipping beside him. "I mean, look at you—a prodigy pretending to be average, then BAM! You blow everyone's minds."
Kaine scoffed internally. He had no intention of hiding anything. The tournament would reveal everything soon enough.
"The name's Woods—Woods Wayne!" the boy announced with unrelenting energy, practically bouncing with each step.
Kaine recognized him from earlier—the first to speak when they entered the hall. He also knew him through his father, a lecherous man who managed the family's finances. Many feared that one day the family would go broke and a prostitute would become rich.
"There's no need to mention your name. I already know you… well, everyone does," Kaine muttered.
Unbothered, Woods walked backwards in front of Kaine, talking non-stop.
"I know my dad's a perv—and genetics don't transfer personality, thank God. But your grandmother… wow. She's so gorgeous. I swear, your family should've awakened the Lust Sin first."
"I've also got a huge crush on someone. The Patriarch's daughter. She's insanely beautiful—almost as pretty as your grandma was at fifteen."
"If you're wondering how I got a picture of your grandma at fifteen… well, a magician never reveals his tricks!"
"Speaking of magicians—do they even like girls? If I were one, I'd make every woman fall for me with one chant."
"They should've made this tournament the Tower of Beauty! Woo girls on every floor—each more beautiful than the last! I'd break records."
Just then—BOOM!
A thunderous explosion shattered the air, followed by a chilling scream. Instinctively, both boys sprinted toward the sound.
They arrived just in time to see a massive desert serpent devour a female participant whole.
"Augh! Was that… was that a girl?" Woods choked out, horrified.
'So… people can die in this tournament,' Kaine thought grimly, his body already moving.
He rushed the serpent, preparing to use Ember Spark, his first Wrath-based skill—the same one that had once nearly destroyed Macy's garden.
'Actually… better not. That's too risky right now.'
Instead, Kaine unleashed a barrage of powerful, flame-infused punches. Explosions erupted on impact, each blow forcing the snake backward. Hissing in pain, it attempted to flee by burrowing underground.
Not fast enough.
Kaine extended his palm toward the burrow. A small sphere of Qi condensed in his hand. Flames wrapped around it—amplified by Rage Explosion—and with a flick, he launched it.
The moment it struck, a muted BOOM echoed. The sands flared red as quicksand began forming all around.
"You didn't even get the beast core," Woods called sarcastically. "Was killing it worth all this quicksand?"
"I almost forgot I had a leech behind me," Kaine said, appearing beside Woods and grabbing him by the neck, lifting him off the ground.
"This is a very bad idea, Kaine…" Woods wheezed.
"What's stopping me from roasting you right now?"
Kaine looked nothing like the boy who had once smiled with his grandmother. Cold and distant, he radiated wrath.
"You wouldn't kill your own family, would you?" Woods choked.
At those words, flames surged from Kaine's body, inching toward his arm—and toward Woods' throat.
"Okay, okay! Let me go! I won't follow you again!" Woods pleaded. "But—before you burn me—I can help."
Kaine's grip eased. The flames receded, if only slightly.
"I unlocked Manifestation through my Greed Sin. I can create anything I've ever seen or touched. Think about how useful that could be in this desert—or the whole tournament."
Kaine glanced at his watch. The red dots were beginning to group—some participants were forming teams. His own rank had dropped into the 500s.
"So, will you let me go… or let me join you?" Woods asked, grinning mischievously.
Kaine threw him aside and launched into the air, flames propelling him toward the green light.
"Try to keep up."
"Yes, sire!"
With a snap of his fingers, Woods manifested a hover vehicle and zoomed after Kaine, sipping from a drink he also conjured.
His ability—Manifestation—was an extremely rare one. Using Qi, he could materialize any object he had seen or held, though the objects required a continuous Qi supply to remain stable. Food, however, seemed to be an exception.
Kaine raised an eyebrow as Woods glided past him effortlessly. During the trip, he often wondered what power he would unlock through Greed—he hadn't expected this.
By evening, both had run out of Qi and decided to rest. They had already crossed half the desert, and the blinking green light on the map was now within reach. Their ranks shot back into the 300s.
Kaine found a rocky area to set up camp. Woods manifested tents and food, happily munching away while Kaine sat in silence.
Deep in meditation, Kaine focused on his Qi Core, a glowing, ethereal white orb.
Only 10% filled… he sighed.
For most, this would be an incredible feat. Early Awakening meant larger Qi reserves and greater talent. Yet to Kaine, it didn't feel enough.
He returned to the real world, resuming his meal as if nothing had happened—his eyes sharp, his resolve clearer than ever.