It had been almost a decade since the behemoth tower was climbed.

Back then, only students who had enough contribution points to spare after completing all sorts of missions would come and try their luck at obtaining the artifact buried within.

Many had attempted it over the years, but not a single one had been able to clear the tower.

Because of its difficulty, the behemoth tower, once used to measure the strength of the students and how they compared to one another, eventually became something people spoke about only in memory. With time, it was forgotten.

Today was supposed to pass normally until a bright flash of light tore through the underground and shot into the sky before breaking into tiny specks.

At first no one thought much of it, but the next instant proved them wrong.

Swoosh.

Another bright light erupted violently.

Only then did everyone realize something was happening.

The quick-witted instructors reacted first, rushing toward the tower's location with shock written across their faces. The instructors in charge of the genius and talented class abandoned their lessons entirely, leaving the students behind as they hurried to confirm the truth of what they were sensing.

Seeing their instructors rush out in such haste, the students grew restless. Curiosity flared, and they could not help following after them.

Upon arriving, they found a group of instructors gathered at one side, discussing in hushed, uneasy voices.

"What is going on? Could someone be climbing the tower? It has been years."

Instructor Simon readjusted his glasses and looked toward the dark underground chamber. Normally, after sensing so many auras, the old man inside would have come out to explain the situation, so everyone waited.

Their waiting, however, only increased the flow of guesses.

The students picked up a few clues from the instructors' whispers and were left dumbfounded.

"There's actually something like this here?"

"Why have we never heard about climbing a tower? Does it help our divine path in any way?"

"Someone secretly entered the tower. Who could it be?"

They scanned the surroundings anxiously, but the number of people present made it hard to identify who was missing.

Helena, dressed in her pale moonlight robe, let her silver eyes sweep the crowd. She knew only a handful of people would dare challenge the tower, especially with the threat of death lurking behind every mistake.

If you failed to shout I quit before receiving a killing blow, there was a real chance you would die.

Her gaze eventually landed on Natasha. Then she looked beside her. Helena raised a brow the moment she realized Amon was nowhere in sight.

He is not with her? she noted silently, her instincts sharpening around the youth who should not exist in the first place.

She always kept tabs on Amon. If he tried anything suspicious, she intended to kill him without hesitation. The only reason she had allowed him to keep breathing was because he might prove useful to humanity later.

And he seemed to know the secret behind white core users, the same secret Damien knew.

After waking up, Helena had wanted to maintain her white core, but after more than three years of complete stagnation, she had no choice but to abandon the plan. Only she understood what was coming for the Bermuda world.

And only she could be prepared for it.

There is not much time left, Helena thought grimly before looking back at the underground entrance.

If Amon had truly entered the tower, she wondered what the outcome would be. Normally, a few months from now, Lin Fan was supposed to come and retrieve the sword hidden within. If Amon obtained it first, the resulting change would be unpredictable.

The thought brought a small, amused smile to Helena's lips.

Her eyes lifted slightly as she noticed a figure stepping out beside the old man.

Seems my guess was right, she mused.

Dressed lazily, Damien strolled out with a hand tucked in his pocket. A grin sat on his face, and at that exact moment, another burst of blinding light exploded upward.

Whoosh.

The glow illuminated Damien and the old man, making the scene look striking enough to silence the crowd.

"What is up everyone?" Damien called out casually, waving at them.

"The instructor of the mediocre class?" a student muttered in disbelief.

The sharp instructors, especially those who had encountered Damien earlier that day, immediately began scanning the crowd for Amon.

Damien chuckled. "No need to look around. He's inside, and he is coming out with the artifacts."

The instructors stiffened, their expressions growing solemn.

"He has not completed any missions. Where did he get the points to enter the tower?" one asked suspiciously.

Damien shrugged. "I thought it would be fun, so I gave him mine."

Another instructor scoffed. "What makes you so sure he will obtain the artifact?"

They remembered their own attempts well. Even among instructors, none had completed the tenth level. Most had stopped at the ninth, some at the eighth. They understood the tower's cruelty better than anyone.

Damien glanced at the instructor nonchalantly. "Want to make a bet?"

The instructor, Suzuki, frowned and said nothing. Damien shook his head lightly.

"Cowards."

Suzuki's eyes flashed with killing intent, and a few other instructors reacted the same way.

"Then let us bet," Suzuki snapped.

He despised Damien's arrogance more than anything. Why did such an annoying man have to be from his era? And why had he survived so many high ranked star gates despite everyone expecting him to die? There were even rumors that he had entered a mirage and came out unscathed, though no one trusted that story. The experts who entered that same mirage had returned with horrifying losses. The rumor about Damien was considered nothing more than hearsay.

Damien turned toward Suzuki with a bewildered expression. "Did I not just suggest that? Why are you making it sound like it was your idea?"

Before Suzuki could respond, Damien continued. "Anyway. I am placing one hundred high grade artifacts. What are you betting?"

The instructors froze.

One hundred?

Suzuki blinked at Damien as if unsure he heard correctly. Once he confirmed the man was serious, he cleared his throat.

"It is only a children's game," he said, forcing an awkward tone. "Make it five artifacts. Where would you even get a hundred?"

He made it sound like he was offering Damien a way out.

Artifacts were extremely rare, and owning one hundred was almost unimaginable. It was questionable whether even the emperor of Europe possessed that many.

"Coward," Damien muttered.

His voice was quiet, but every instructor heard it. Their lips twitched, their patience thinning.

"I would like to join as well," Instructor Simon said, his tone relaxed.

"Seems interesting. I will join too," Instructor Baji added, his eyes bright with calculation.

More than five instructors joined the bet while the rest hesitated. Five artifacts was not something they could gamble away lightly.

"Good. Good. Good," Damien laughed, repeating himself before turning back toward the empty space.

Whoosh.

A fourth blinding light shot upward and spread across the sky.

The instructors' expressions darkened. Damien's smile only grew wider.

…

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to PhantomNite629. Thank you for the massive support.

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