"They call it a blessing. He knows it's a lie."
---
Hope is a weapon. A cruel, glimmering lie.
Jin knew that better than anyone.
On the morning after the Ceremony, dozens of newly Blessed filled the Academy plaza, radiant and drunk on pride. They clutched their divine tokens, badges of glowing mana etched into skin and soul. Their eyes burned with belief: belief in their power, in their worth, in the gods who had touched them.
It made Jin sick.
He watched them from the shadows of the dormitory tower, standing still in the corridor while others passed by, giggling, shouting, rushing toward the Tower's first floor.
He could smell the arrogance on them.
> *"I got an elemental blessing!" "Mine's from a war god!" "We're gonna floor-clear today. First real dungeon!"
Jin didn't speak. He didn't need to. His presence alone made some students flinch as they passed. The ones who remembered yesterday.
The failure. The rejected. The Godless.
---
He entered the Tower without fanfare.
The gateway was a shimmering veil of light, guarded by robed attendants who barely spared him a glance. They scanned his status, then looked away.
> [Name: Jin Black]
[Blessing: None]
[Rank: F]
[Eligibility: Approved (Manual Entry)]
A teacher sighed. "Don't stay in too long. You don't have a class. If you die, no one will notice."
Jin smiled. It was subtle. Almost human.
> "That's the point."
He stepped through the veil.
And the Tower welcomed him.
---
Floor 1 – The Hollow Arena
Most rookies arrived in parties. Laughing. Cheerful. Holding hands like it was summer camp.
Jin arrived alone.
The first floor of the Tower was a warped forest. Trees twisted upward in impossible directions. The ground was soft with black moss. Strange lights flickered in the fog.
There was no sound.
Then:
> [Floor 1 – Active]
[Objective: Slay 10 Hollow Wolves]
Figures moved through the mist.
Three rookies. Two girls and a boy. All Blessed. Their weapons gleamed with newly summoned magic.
Jin recognized them.
One had thrown a rock at him.
They hadn't noticed him yet.
But the wolves had.
---
The creatures came from the dark. Fast. Silent. Their eyes burned violet. Their bodies half-shadow, half-beast.
The rookies screamed.
A burst of flame lit up the clearing. One wolf fell, its head split by a blessed blade. The boy shouted something—panic, orders, nonsense.
The girl next to him bled from the throat. She didn't scream. There was only gurgling.
> Too slow, Jin thought. Too arrogant. You thought the Tower was your stage. It's your grave.
The wolves tore into the second girl. The boy ran.
Right into Jin.
---
The student froze. "Y-You! You're that reject!"
Jin looked at him. Expressionless.
"Help me!" the boy barked. "Distract them or something! I'll report you if you don't! You'll get expelled, you freak!"
Jin tilted his head. A long silence followed.
Then he whispered:
> "Do you know what wolves do when they smell fear?"
The boy blinked.
Then screamed as something grabbed his ankle from the mist.
Jin didn't move. Didn't flinch as the wolves dragged the Blessed down. The scream stopped with a wet crunch.
> [3 Hollow Wolves Slain]
Jin walked into the blood-soaked clearing.
One wolf turned toward him.
And stopped.
It sniffed the air.
Then it whimpered.
And backed away.
The others followed.
They fled into the woods.
> [Entity Detected – Threat Level Beyond Floor Limits]
[Suppression Engaged – Floor Rules Restored]
Jin stood alone in the clearing.
Blood soaked the grass. The blessed corpses twitched as the Tower consumed their light.
He raised his hand. Flexed his fingers.
His smile widened, just slightly.
> This is better than begging. Better than faith.
This is what truth feels like.
---
Hidden System Update
> [Corruption +12]
[Passive Skill Unlocked: Aura of Dread Lv. 1]
– Suppresses morale and divine resonance in enemies within 10 meters
> [Malice Saturation: Stable]
> [Title Condition Progress: "Godslayer"] – 1%
---
As Jin walked deeper into the floor, the Tower grew quieter. The trees bowed slightly in his presence. The mist didn't dare touch him.
Behind his back, where no one could see, shadows clung to his footsteps like loyal dogs.
And above, far beyond the highest floor, the gods stirred in their divine halls.
Something was wrong.
Something had slipped past the Ceremony.
Something without chains.
---