CHAPTER 177: EVERYONE IS ALIVE, THE THIRD STAGE OF THE TOWER OF FATE

[Please wait for the others to complete the second stage.]

Sam hovered in the vortex of light that carried him forward, the same strange limbo he had experienced during the first trial.

The weightless pull around him felt timeless, a pocket between worlds where nothing existed but silence and the faint hum of power.

He expected this delay.

It was obvious that once again, he had cleared his stage long before anyone else.

After all, he had cut down the boss in a single strike.

No one else could possibly manage that.

Only those strong enough to face the [Seventh Layer] alone could even dream of fighting a level seventy-five boss monster by themselves and winning.

This was the nature of the [Tower of Fate].

The difficulty was relentless, and what made it worse was the reminder that this was not even the end.

Another stage still waited.

Sam floated patiently, his gaze fixed on the endless current of the vortex.

He had already steeled himself, yet a sudden flash broke through the silence.

[I think we all know what the third stage will be =)]

Sam blinked at the crimson panel forming in front of him.

His eyes narrowed.

"Hm? What will it be?"

[Heh... It’s better when we find out live...]

Sam raised an eyebrow but shook his head.

"I mean, we can just wait anyway."

The system didn’t answer him again, and time ticked by in silence.

Minutes dragged on, though not too many, before a sharp chime echoed.

Ding!

[This is the first time this has happened!]

[But... everyone has completed the second stage!]

Sam tilted his head.

"Oh?"

That was unexpected.

The message alone explained what had happened in other groups.

Almost every team lost one or two members in this stage, but his companions... every single one had managed to defeat the [Ultimate Dummy].

Sam smirked.

’Heh. I think I know what you meant about the third stage.’

The thought came as instinct, a gut feeling sharpened by the pattern of cruelty the tower followed.

He didn’t know for certain, but his instincts told him he was right.

Before he could dwell on it any longer, the vortex roared.

Fwish!

Ding!

[You will be transported to the third stage alongside the other members of your team.]

[Good luck, may only the worthy survive.]

The pull intensified, dragging Sam’s body out of the current of light.

Moments later, his feet touched solid ground again.

He exhaled slowly and opened his eyes.

The chamber stretched out around him, familiar in its design yet altered in one critical way—this time, he stood at the very top of the tower.

Above, the ceiling was gone, replaced by a vast open sky.

A rich, endless blue spread across the heavens, the mark of victory in the [Second Zone].

The view almost felt serene, but Sam knew better than to mistake it for peace.

Fwish. Fwish.

The air shifted as six figures appeared in the circle around him.

The others had arrived.

All seven of them now stood reunited.

Sam found it strangely ironic.

The tower had demanded teams of precisely seven awakeners, yet the first two stages had isolated them, testing them in solitude.

Now, for the third stage, they were gathered again.

Why?

His answer arrived in the form of another crimson panel.

Ding!

[Third Stage: Prove your worth.]

The words seemed straightforward, but unease stirred immediately through the group.

[To defy fate, one must choose who will be "forsaken" by their own hands. You must demonstrate your determination to proceed forward no matter the cost.]

[To complete this stage... one person among your team has to die.]

The weight of silence crashed down.

Sam’s lips curved into a wide grin.

’Knew it.’

He had suspected the trial would force them into betrayal or bloodshed, and the system had proven him right.

The seven of them stood positioned in a circle, each locked onto the others with tense, wary eyes.

The rule was mercilessly clear.

One of them had to die.

Sam’s thoughts sharpened as he pieced the truth together.

’That means... even though this is only the second mission... ah, I see now.’

The realm was crueler than he had first imagined.

Every team that entered with seven awakeners was destined to lose at least one.

And that was assuming anyone made it this far at all.

Many groups likely collapsed long before this chamber, slaughtered by bosses or erased in earlier stages.

This trial wasn’t just a test of strength.

It was a mechanism, a filter that ensured every batch of challengers paid the cost of blood.

The "forsaken" were chosen not by accident but by design.

A sudden laugh shattered the silence.

"Hahahaha!"

The group turned as one toward the booming voice.

Zarion, the towering dragon Sam had met before, threw back his head in laughter, his golden eyes blazing with fire.

His clawed hand extended toward Sam.

"It’s so fucking easy! Let’s just kill the human!"

No one spoke. No one needed to.

Sam could see it in their faces.

They were all thinking the same thing.

He had been brought here with this very moment in mind.

The weakest race, a lone human, standing among dragons and celestials.

The clear condition said one must die, but it never demanded fairness.

They could team up.

They could end him in seconds.

This wasn’t about proving strength—it was about choosing who was unworthy.

[=)]

The system’s mocking smile hovered in the air, as though amused by their situation.

Sam tried to keep his expression calm, though deep inside, his aura stirred.

The pressure coiled around him, waiting, preparing.

Zarion roared again, filled with arrogance.

"It’s perfect! Once we kill that human, we’ll clear the mission, move on to the third, and gain more forsaken coins! We’ll live more comfortably than ever!"

"Agreed."

The celestial woman nodded firmly.

"Let’s just get this over with."

The two angels exchanged glances, their weapons glowing with divine light as they stepped forward.

The others followed suit, moving toward Sam with intent to strike.

But before the clash could begin, a voice cut in.

"Wait a minute."

Belle’s sharp tone echoed across the chamber.

All eyes shifted to her.

The dragon girl, the one who had spoken kindly to Sam outside the tower, now stood with her fists clenched.

Zarion’s lips peeled back, revealing rows of razor teeth as his cruel expression darkened.

"Belle, you may be the daughter of the dragon king..."

His voice was gravel, rumbling with menace.

"But in here, you’re just another one of us. If you try to stand in my way, I’ll kill you."

The rules didn’t forbid killing more than one.

They only required one death.

"Fucking scum!" Belle roared, her scales faintly glimmering as she shifted into a battle stance.

"Just you try to get to me and—"

She never finished.

The sole celestial among them blurred forward, moving with impossible speed.

In the blink of an eye, Belle was seized by the throat and lifted into the air.

The celestial’s voice was calm, chilling in its certainty.

"Do not interfere. Everyone wins if we remove this parasite."

She glanced at Sam with disdain before hurling Belle with monstrous strength.

Fwish!

BAM!

Belle’s body slammed against the wall, the impact shaking the chamber.

She crumpled, coughing blood, but her will didn’t break.

Slowly, painfully, she pushed herself back to her feet.

The others turned back to their true target.

Sam.

Their auras surged, energy boiling around them as they prepared to strike.

And Sam only smiled wider.

His hand tightened around the hilt of his primordial sword as he lowered into a stance.

Zarion barked laughter.

"Haha! You actually plan to fight all of us at once?"

"I commend your bravery," the male angel added, his voice solemn.

"But there is no escape from this."

Across the chamber, Belle’s eyes widened.

Something clicked in her mind.

’Wait... if every one of us survived... that means this human also defeated the second stage.’

Her breath caught.

’He survived the [Ultimate Dummy] too. But... how? A human? Alone?’

Doubt rippled through her, shattering the assumption she had shared with the others.

Perhaps things were not as they appeared.

Her gaze lingered on Sam, his stance steady, his aura rising.

And as she watched him, dread crept through her chest.

A terrible suspicion whispered in her mind.

This wasn’t going to end the way anyone expected.