Arriving at Charing Cross, Thomas and Sonny stepped down from the transport vehicle. Wordlessly, they walked together until they came to a stop before a looming black structure.
From below, it towered so high it seemed to pierce the heavens, warping the sky above into spiraling clouds. This was the enigma that had triggered both the First and Second Impact, disasters that claimed millions of lives across the globe.
Black Tower (暗影神殿)
In the past, it was known as the Forbidden Spire. But over time, it earned darker names — the Tower of Nightmares, the Tower of Darkness. When it first appeared, a single message echoed in every mind on the planet: "If you wish to become a god, climb the Tower of Nightmares and claim the sacred miracle."
Needless to say, no one took the Tower seriously at first. After all, who in their right mind would willingly enter a sinister monolith that appeared out of nowhere? But fear of the unknown ran deeper than steel. The government tried to study the structure, unaware of the storm gathering within. By the time they realized the true threat, it was already far too late.
According to statistical records, the number of people who perished when monsters spilled from the Tower during the First Impact was estimated at over fifty million worldwide. Entire cities were reduced to ash, with nations crippled beyond recovery. And yet, that was merely the beginning.
The Second Impact followed soon after; not by monsters this time, but by humans who had entered the Tower and returned as something else. They called themselves Awakened, people blessed with unnatural strength and cursed with insatiable ambition. Their battles shattered what was left of order, turning continents into battlegrounds.
It was during this Second Impact that the War God, Jin Rosenkrantz, rose to prominence and was publicly recognized as the strongest Hunter in the world. He soon became known as the first Awakened to reach Level 6, the rank of Saint. Looking back, the era of the Second Impact must have been truly dreadful. Who could have imagined that the Third World War, the most brutal and devastating conflict humanity had ever endured, would be sparked by a supernatural phenomenon?
…Well, perhaps it was only the catalyst. If anything, it was human greed and differences that truly fueled the flames.
'How odd. The articles online make it sound like some overwhelming, monstrous presence, but up close, it doesn't look like anything special."
Tilting his head, Sonny found it hard to believe that something so plain-looking could have caused such catastrophe. Was this the same sense of disbelief the government felt back then? Or was he just the strange one here?
Most likely, it was the latter.
Currently, he was dressed in a form-fitting armored black chestplate over his black, long-sleeved turtleneck, layered beneath a hooded navy blue jacket marked with white patterns along the sleeves. The chestplate was Tier 3 armor, while the jacket doubled as Tier 2 storage gear, capable of holding numerous items within. More than that, there was also the Tier 2 boots that greatly boosted his agility. The sharp contrast between the deep blue of his jacket, his midnight blue hair and the rest of his black attire gave him an appearance far from a lowly Level 0, he looked like someone who was well-equipped, well-prepared, and dangerous.
...Well, he certainly looked more equipped than normal Level 0s.
Looking around, there seemed to be any Hunter lingering outside the Tower. Had they already gone inside?
"Oh? Looks like we're a little late. The other hunters are probably already inside," Thomas remarked casually as he pulled a cigarette from a red packet. With a flick of his lighter, he lit it, took a deep drag, and exhaled a slow stream of smoke.
Sonny raised an eyebrow.
"By the way, now that I think about it, why did you come along again?"
Thomas shrugged.
"Don't overthink it. I've got some business with someone around here, so I figured I'd tag along. And since I'm here, I might as well explain a few things to a Level 0 rookie like you. Think of it as getting some guidance from your senior."
He paused, still glancing at the looming structure ahead.
"There are 99 floors in the Tower. So far, 71 have been conquered. When you first enter, you'll be teleported to Floor 0, the White Room. It's a safe zone where Hunters from all over the world gather. Some will be recruiting for their teams, while others, mostly guilds, will already be heading deeper."
He turned back to Sonny.
"I'm sure you know this already, but the deeper you go, the harder and more dangerous the floors becomes. In your case, you should focus on clearing just the first five floors. If you can push further, go for Floor 10. That's where you'll face your first boss monster. Don't be mistaken, those things are much tougher than regular monsters. You'll probably need at least two or three people at your level to bring one down."
He took another drag from his cigarette and smirked.
"Ah, right. There's also that. Before you even reach Floor 10, you'll probably have gathered enough Exousia to level up once. But you can't do that on your own. To level up, you'll need to access a mechanism known as a Temple (圣殿)."
"A temple..." Sonny frowned slightly, puzzled by the unfamiliar term. "What is that supposed to be? Don't tell me I have to pledge allegiance to some forsaken god or something?"
Seeing his uneasy reaction, Thomas let out a hearty laugh.
"Haha! Hell no. Nothing like that, thankfully. Hmm... Let's see, how should I explain this?" He scratched his head, thinking for a moment before continuing. "You know the soul is considered a ninth-dimensional entity, correct? The skill Teleportation already confirms this theory and it's generally regarded as the truth. So, let me ask you, which do you think is superior: the physical body or the soul?"
Sonny blinked, caught off guard.
"What kind of question is that? Is this supposed to be some kind of philosophy quiz?"
Thomas chuckled, flicking the ash from his cigarette.
"Philosophy? That's funny. Under normal circumstances, we wouldn't be having this kind of conversation, but that's the way things are now. According to occult researchers, the soul is said to exist on a higher plane we call the 'Astral Sea.' It can't be reached by the physical body, and it's completely bottomless. As a resident of that world, the soul would be bottomless too if you follow that logic. But to exist in the physical world, it needs a vessel, and the human vessel is weak. So, the soul ends up limited by the body."
He paused, tapping the cigarette against his finger.
"Or maybe it's better to say they depend on each other. But really, what am I saying? A soul can't touch anything in this world, and yet, nothing living can exist without one. Get it? That's why I call it a codependent relationship. The soul can exist without a body, but it can't interact with physical objects. So, it's restricted by how strong the body is. And that's where the Temple comes in. Think of it like... a forge. A place where your body gets broken down and reforged stronger."
He glanced sideways at Sonny, watching his reaction.
"When you gather enough Exousia, that energy you get from killing monsters, clearing floors, surviving fights, it builds up inside you. But until you enter a Temple, that power just sits there, doing nothing. The Temple activates a metamorphosis, breaking down your current self and rebuilding you tougher. And when your body grows stronger, so does your soul. It's akin to removing the restrictions on what you normally can do and cannot do. That's basically what the concept of leveling up is. Simple, right? That's why Masters, Lancers, Saints, all of them have Soul Power ranked at A, S, and SS. But the process hurts like hell. Most people scream their lungs out the first time."
Sonny's frown deepened.
"So it's like a ritual."
"Exactly," Thomas nodded, clearly pleased. "A ritual of self-destruction and rebirth. The first time's always the hardest, but if you survive, you'll never look at yourself the same way again. Trust me, you'll feel like you're in cloud nine."
He exhaled another stream of smoke, watching it curl and vanish into the wind.
"But here's the kicke; Temples aren't easy to build. Only the most experienced runesmiths can create them. That's why only Guilds have access to them. Even I don't know all the details, but from what I've heard, they're made with runes that draw on the idea of Idol Theory or something like that," he muttered, scratching the back of his head. "Of course, that doesn't mean you're completely out of luck. If you need to level up, you can just head over to the Association. But if you want to use our Temple, you'll have to pay a little commission fee."
'That almost sounds like you're ripping people off!'
Sonny didn't need to be a genius to figure out that Thomas's 'little' commission fee was anything but cheap.
Even though he had enough money to not be bothered by so-called commission fee, he almost felt thankful that he couldn't level up.
Instead of voicing his thoughts, Sonny summed it up in one line.
"So I kill monsters, gather this Exousia stuff, find a Temple, go through some painful ritual, and then I get stronger. That's the basic cycle?"
"Congratulations. You just summed up the daily life of a Hunter. Kill, survive, grow stronger. Repeat until you either climb to the top… or die somewhere along the way."
"That sounds kinda sad."
"It is."
"...."
"...."
The wind whispered around them, and for a moment, neither spoke. The Tower loomed ahead, silent and massive, like it was mocking them from above.
Sonny blinked once, realizing how awkward and ridiculous the situation was.
A few seconds later, Thomas casually tossed the cigarette onto the ground and crushed it under his boot.
"Well, enough chit-chat. You ready to step inside and start your first climb, Mr. Redgrave?"
Sonny offered a confident smile.
"I guess so. But before that… mind if I learn the skills I bought?"
Following that, he pulled out two skill tomes from inside his jacket — Telekinesis and Silent Draining — ready to learn them on the spot.
'So those are the skills he purchased from the association...'
Thomas eyed the two skill tomes, his gaze narrowing. In silence, he studied them carefully. One was ranked G, with the other E rank. Frankly, they were nothing special compared to the high-ranking abilities wielded by elite Hunters. Still, a skill was a skill.
In hindsight, In essence, skills were simply additional abilities meant to enhance or compensate for the flaws and limitations of one's Origin Ability.
For instance, someone who awakened a Fallen Origin with an innate healing ability could learn offensive skills to make up for their lack of firepower. Likewise, a person with an Origin Ability built purely for offense but lacking defense could acquire defensive skills to cover that weakness. Put simply, skills served a supportive role.
Yet, despite this, they could significantly amplify an awakened's overall strength.
'Huh?'
Noticing something strange and eerily familiar, Thomas narrowed his eyes even further.
Seconds later, his expression shattered. His face went pale, as if every drop of blood had been drained from his body.
Anyone watching might have thought he'd just seen a ghost or a vampire.
But the thing that made him tremble in horror wasn't some mythic creature.
It was a lowly E-rank skill named: Silent Draining!
'Wh... Wh... Wh-why does he have that forsaken skill?!'