CHAPTER 175: ENTERING THE TOWER OF FATE, THE FIRST STAGE

[Welcome to the "Tower of Fate"]

[Complete the three stages to decide if you are one of the "worthy" or the "forsaken"]

These glowing panels appeared in Sam’s vision the moment his feet touched the ground inside the [Tower of Fate].

He blinked and immediately looked around, trying to take in his surroundings.

And what he noticed first was the most concerning thing of all.

He was completely alone.

"Huh."

His voice echoed faintly in the vast space.

A moment ago, there had been seven of them.

Him, and six others who had entered the tower together.

But now, only he stood here.

’So we’ve been separated...’

The thought crossed his mind quickly, and with it came a memory of the Fifth Layer.

The Rune Tower and the Jester Tower had both been divided into floors.

But this place seemed different.

Instead of "floors," the trial was arranged in "stages."

There were three of them in total.

The wording on the panel, however, was enough to make him uneasy.

The tower’s name alone, [Tower of Fate], carried an ominous weight.

And the way it spoke about the "worthy" and the "forsaken" didn’t exactly inspire confidence.

Still, if he was here alone, then the others likely were too.

That was the only logical conclusion.

Each of them probably had their own separate chamber, and their own separate trials to face.

Sam exhaled slowly and took another careful look around.

The chamber was enormous, shaped like a perfect circle.

Its walls stretched high, covered in glowing purple runes that shimmered faintly like fireflies.

The floor beneath him was smooth stone, etched with lines that formed a circular pattern around the center.

And as he studied the runes, a new set of words appeared before him.

---

[First Stage: Prove your power as an Awakener.]

[To defy fate, and be chosen as one of the "worthy", you need to have the power to do it.]

---

Sam raised an eyebrow.

’So it begins already.’

A grin tugged at his lips.

"Well then," he murmured, reaching into his [Spatial Inventory].

With a flash of light, the Primordial Sword appeared in his hand.

The weapon hummed with energy as his aura and affinities flared, wrapping around the blade like living fire.

He braced himself for whatever would come next.

But what actually happened was not what he expected.

Fwish! Bam!

Out of thin air, something materialized in front of him.

It was a dummy.

At first glance, it looked harmless, shaped like a human, unmoving, clearly made from magic.

But what unsettled him was its face. It wore a smile.

And that smile was disturbingly similar to the one his primordial clone was wearing.

Sam narrowed his eyes, gripping his sword tighter.

The panel appeared again.

[For an awakener, their attributes are their powers, and we need to make sure that all of yours are high enough to be considered one of the "worthy".]

"Hm."

Sam assumed the others were receiving the same message right now, each facing their own dummy in a separate chamber.

And then, more text appeared.

[Pass the trials of Strength, Agility, Constitution, and Soul. Otherwise, remain in this tower forever.]

[Trial #1: Strength]

[Hit the dummy as hard as you can, and meet the damage quota.]

As soon as the message vanished, the dummy’s body glowed.

Magical armor materialized over it, plating its form in a protective shell.

Its expression shifted too, turning from an empty smile to a confident, almost taunting look.

Sam tilted his head.

"So this stage is about measuring the attributes of every awakener who enters."

He let out a quiet breath.

"In other words, you don’t move forward unless you meet the required standards."

That explained why the test was structured this way.

It was meant to separate those with enough power to move forward from those without.

But for Sam, there was no hesitation.

He stepped forward, raising his sword.

"Let’s get this over with."

His aura flared, and he swung.

Slash! BOOM!

The sword cleaved straight through the dummy.

The sheer force of the blow tore its armor apart instantly, leaving a gaping wound across its chest.

The dummy collapsed without even a second of resistance.

Ding!

[You have passed the trial of Strength.]

Sam smirked, lowering his blade.

"Heh, I didn’t even use half my power in that strike."

The result spoke volumes.

It wasn’t just his affinities that had grown stronger.

The fusion of the six different powers into one cohesive force, combined with the [True Primordial Sword Technique], made his attacks nearly unstoppable.

The panel flickered again.

[Trial #2: Speed]

[Avoid the dummy’s attacks until it is over.]

The dummy glowed once more, regenerating instantly.

This time, its body pulsed with violet aura, and its eyes came alive.

Fwish! BOOM!

It shot forward like a cannonball, its fist blazing with energy.

Sam’s expression didn’t even change.

’That’s nowhere near Zareth’s speed.’

He shifted his weight slightly, letting the dummy’s fist sweep harmlessly past him.

The creature slammed into the wall, bounced off, and came at him again from behind.

Fwish!

Again, Sam sidestepped effortlessly.

The process repeated over and over, the dummy bouncing off the walls, accelerating more with each rebound.

But the faster it became, the easier it was for Sam to track.

His eyes followed its movements with perfect clarity.

No matter how it came at him, he avoided with the smallest possible motion, never once breaking his stance.

After a minute of futile attempts, the dummy froze.

It returned to its original spot and fell silent.

Ding!

[You have passed the trial of Speed.]

The next message followed immediately.

[Trial #3: Constitution]

[Someone "worthy" needs to be able to tank several attacks while fighting.]

The dummy raised its hand, and a massive hammer appeared, glowing faintly with runic symbols.

Without waiting, it charged and swung.

Sam didn’t move.

The hammer connected with his chest.

BAM!

He didn’t budge an inch.

[Primordial Barrier: 99/100]

The dummy tilted its head as though confused. It swung again.

BAM!

And again.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

No matter how many times it struck, Sam stood there unshaken, his body protected by the barrier and his sheer durability.

Eventually, the dummy faltered.

Its hammer lowered, its expression uncertain, as though realizing the futility.

Ding!

[You have passed the trial of Constitution.]

The final panel appeared.

[Trial #4: Soul]

[Soul is the most important power of all. Show them what you can do.]

Sam didn’t hesitate. He raised his hand.

Abyssal Obliteration!

Above him, twenty-five portals of darkness appeared, spinning in the air.

In a single breath, he merged them into one colossal gateway.

His aura surged, his focus narrowing to a single point.

Then—

Bullet of Oblivion!

BOOM!

The shot erupted, shaking the entire chamber.

The bullet screamed forward, its destructive energy tearing through space itself, and crashed into the dummy.

The impact annihilated it completely. Nothing was left.

Ding!

[You have passed the trial of Soul.]

The panel glowed brighter.

[You have proven that each of your attributes is worthy of changing your fate!]

[You may now proceed to the second stage... but is that truly all you can do, Primordial?]

Sam paused.

A portal had appeared at the center of the chamber, glowing faintly, inviting him forward.

But the second half of the message made him frown.

"Huh?"

The text continued.

[I mean... is that actually all? Did you think what you were doing was impressive?]

"...?"

Sam’s eyes narrowed.

[Haha. I’m sure you’ll be surprised to find out what comes next, then. Try to live long enough to see me at least... or I might be disappointed.]

His grip on his sword tightened.

"Who the fuck are you?"

He demanded an answer, but none came.

The voice or presence behind the words had no intention of replying.

Instead, another line appeared.

[You have an overwhelming feeling of DOOM about what is to come.]

Sam let out a dry laugh, shaking his head.

"And here I thought I’d grown strong enough to tear everything apart."

His lips twisted into a wry smile.

"But I’m still nowhere close. Any of the other primordials would crush me without effort."

He exhaled slowly.

"I’m not strong enough."

His eyes lifted to the portal.

There was no choice but to move forward.

He stepped into it. Light engulfed him, and the chamber vanished.

Ding!

[You have arrived at the Second Stage.]

[Good luck =)]