Hanshin was shivering. The interior of the first floor was freezing cold. The whole place was covered in ice, and every other member of the party was also shivering like him.
They were traveling up to the first floor by the long staircase. The walk alone took one month. The party treated him like crap because of his low level. Except for Ishaan, who was friendly with him even though he was at the highest level in the whole group, Level 289.
Hanshin missed being with Lee, who treated him kindly while the party that he was with, treated him coldly once the gate closed. So Ishaan was his only friend inside the tower. "Move faster! You ugly Chinese pig!" Camille shouted, and Hanshin sighed.
Insane laughter could be heard from the cave ahead. Camille screamed. "The entrance to the second floor is there." Wang Du said. He flashed an evil look toward Camille, who nodded. She said, "Hanshin, let us go ahead!"
Hanshin, mesmerised by Camille's beauty, followed her. "We will wait outside here!" Erik shouted. What an idiot, Erik thought. The party had an ulterior motive for welcoming Hanshin in.
Once the duo got into the cave, Camille grabbed Hanshin's hand and said, "I'm scared!" Hanshin had never held a girl's hand before, so his head started to get hot.
A screen popped out again:
(Welcome to the 1st floor!)
Hanshin snapped out of his "trance" and gulped. He realised something. He was terrified. And this girl was holding his hand. It is my time! I have to prove myself. Hanshin thought.
They headed deeper into the cave, and the insane laughter could be heard even more clearly. "Shocking," Hanshin said.
"There are no monsters here. I've heard from Lee that-" "Wow! You know Lee Chu Wen! She's amazing! Can you introduce me to her?" Camille interrupted. The girl who ridiculed Hanshin and shouted racial slurs at him earlier was acting differently.
Hanshin was suspicious, but then just shrugged it off, since some members like Ishaan treated him well. As they walked, they saw a light ahead. They approached the pillar that was in the middle of the huge, freezing, room.
The insane laughter was from the amulet on the pillar.
"That's it? No monsters or traps?" Hanshin was amazed by the ease of the first level. "Guess Lee's memory was fuzzy." Hanshin examined the amulet that was on the pillar.
It had a blue crystal shaped like an eye, with a star inside the iris. The crystal was filled with some sort of energy inside. As Hanshin went to pick it up, he felt a sharp pain come from his neck.
He looked behind him, and there was Camille Milon holding a syringe, smirking, as he vomited.
"Kuek! What have you done?" Hanshin asked and opened his mouth again. But he was cut short by Camille pushing him to the ground and grabbing the artifact. "D-damn, stupid me..." Hanshin muttered to himself as the world around him disappeared.
Hanshin woke up in a searing hot cage. He looked around, before shouting, "F*ck! Camille! You b*tch! Damn all of you people!"
Hanshin sat down in the cell. He muttered to himself, "How can I be this stupid? I should have realised that when everyone treated me like this." There was a boy on the other side of the huge cage.
Hanshin's eyes widened. It was Ishaan! He scrambled towards Ishaan, and he coughed weakly as Hanshin approached him. Ishaan's body was stripped of everything except for his pants.
Ishaan was overjoyed when Hanshin saw him and said, "Hey. It is awkward, eh? I, a high-level talented player, beat into this state. Man, I can't believe I would be leaving the world in such a state." Hanshin panicked. "No, no! This can't happen!"
Hanshin started crying. But then, a screen popped up:
(Blood Forge can be used on Ishaan Kumar, Talented. Will you use it?)
Hanshin was desperate, so he clicked yes. The red sinister hammer appeared in front of Hanshin, and the hammer smacked Ishaan over and over.
"Kyaak! What the f**k are you doing!?" Hanshin tried to stop the hammer but stopped when he realised with every hit of the hammer, Ishaan's condition was getting better.
"Oof! Ack! This hurts, but my wounds are healing." Ishaan said. Hanshin facepalmed. Why would something this stupid heal a person? Hanshin thought.
The cage opened as Ishaan finished healing. Camille walked in, followed by the rest of the party.
"It is your turn," Camille said and dragged the weak Hanshin out. He was then put on an altar, with his legs chained.
Wang Du brandished an axe and walked toward Hanshin with a maniacal grin. "Hold him," Camille said coldly. Hanshin begged Camille, "Please don't! I still want to live a good life!" But his pleads were not heard. Erik held Hanshin tightly as Wang sliced Hanshin's arms off.
Hanshin did not expect this to happen. He thought he could make a difference in this new life, but no. Fate forbids him to even have a normal life!
The pain was intense. Blood spilled everywhere as Erik bandaged the two stumps that were once Hanshin's arms.
"We still have use for you. Just like Ishaan."
Hanshin's eyes were bloodshot, tears were spilling out as he bit his tongue until it started bleeding.
Camille walked towards the tortured Hanshin and yanked his right eye out with pincers. "You were the perfect sacrifice for our god," Hanshin screamed as the altar glowed. The three of them had blood coming out of their eyes, nose, mouth, and ears as they kneeled and screamed, "Thank you, Almighty One!"
The scene was disturbing. The plucked-out organs were absorbed into the statue in front of the altar. And Hanshin fainted again.
Hanshin woke up in a worn-down hospital. He looked around, and it looked like what he experienced was a dream. Until when he tried to lift his arms, he realised.
All that was lifting was the two stumps. Hanshin screamed and started flailing the stumps around. It may have been funny to a person that passed by, but it wasn't funny for Hanshin. It took a while, but he calmed down.
He looked beside him and on the bed next to him, was Ishaan. He had grown a beard, and nothing really changed about him. Hanshin sighed with relief. And on the other side, was Lee.
She had also changed. Her hair was longer, and her shirt seemed… smaller?
Hanshin smiled. Lee was leaning beside him. And by the looks of it, she had been taking care of Hanshin during his stay in this hospital.
Anger washed over him. The detestable smile of Camille showed in his head and the disturbing scenes of them praising their "god".
He had to become stronger. To stop more people from getting tortured like this! But Hanshin's thoughts were interrupted by a crying Ishaan and Lee.
They both were hugging him.
"Thank God! I thought you would stay in a coma for a long time!" Lee was bawling her eyes out.
"Thank you. I thought I would never return this debt to you!" Ishaan was crying, with snot dripping out of his nose.
Hanshin felt no regret. Even for his life, he would trade it for these two friends. But there was one thing.
"Where are the cult members?"
Lee was confused at Hanshin's questions and answered with, "When we found you and Ishaan, there was no one." Hanshin's heart started to beat faster, and he started to panic.
"How long was I in a coma for?" Hanshin expected maybe four or five months, but then Lee said, "It has been two years."
Hanshin felt like fainting again. Two years?! No wonder they were crying like this.
Hanshin, in a panicked state, rushed to the toilet and looked at a mirror. What he saw, instead of a skinny, acne-filled face, was a face with the lips and mouth burnt off. His right eye, which was supposed to be missing, was replaced with the amulet from the pillar. Hanshin's new eye had electric-shaped scars on the sides. His hair was white and long and the tips were black.
Hanshin was mortified. He didn't look good before, but now half of his face was deformed! He banged his head on the glass in frustration until he felt like killing himself.
Anger took over his body. As Lee and Ishaan ran over and tried to stop him, electricity burst out of Hanshin's blue eyes. Alien-like words appeared inside Hanshin's head.
(The Villain Who Topples Hell)
(One Who Welcomes Madness)
Startled, Hanshin's body gave out again. This time, he "woke up" in a training room, with a wooden puppet in the middle, and the walls were filled with symbols with the amulet.
"Hello." An unfamiliar voice startled Hanshin.
A blue flame was hovering in front of the wooden puppet. It had the symbols that the amulet had.
"Wh-what are you?"
The blue flame pulsed, as it was thinking.
"You could say I am the embodiment of greed. Since I've been at the top of the tower for who knows how long. Unfortunately, it crumbled down after you were taken from the tower."
Hanshin lunged at the blue flame. It dodged his clumsy attack.
"You were the cause of this! This apocalypse, the fall of Hong Kong!" Hanshin shouted, killing intent expelling from his body.
"You can't blame me. Earth is a complete wasteland. Since we destroyed technology, you people probably didn't know there were other towers. Gluttony, Pride, Lust, Envy, Wrath, and Sloth. But you can't tell anyone else, or your mind will implode."
Hanshin was in awe of how much chaos and destruction happened in the future. He wished he could go back to his crappy life, but there was no return.
"Didn't you say you wanted to become stronger? I can help you." The blue flame jittered.
Hanshin was about to refuse when he remembered. He was a limbless, weak, and disfigured boy. Since he had no other options, Hanshin smiled bitterly and reluctantly said, " I accept."
The blue flame whizzed around. Then it said, "Call me Lucifer. Now, say 'status table'."
Hanshin did as told, and a screen opened:
Hanshin Cheng (Level 1)
Title: The Villain Who Topples Hell
Class: Forger
Mana: (100/100)
Stamina: 500
Attack: 10
Defense: 10
Skill: Blood Forge
Weapons: Eye of Greed, Wooden Sword
Hanshin was confused. "How can I use a sword if I have no arms?" "You'll see," Lucifer said, and he transformed to red.
Hanshin felt the sharp pain he felt when he got his arms chopped off. The next 12 hours were a blur of the searing pain until it stopped abruptly .
Hanshin was shuddering after the pain. His hair had gone even more white as if it wasn't white as snow already. Hanshin coughed up blood.
Hanshin stood up but realised something. He stood up by using... his arms!
"Don't be so excited yet. This is your consciousness, which means you are still limbless in real life, so this can help you regain your limbs while you train. As for your face, I can't help."
Hanshin looked at his arms. He was still unhappy that he can't use his hands in real life but, there was at last a silver lining. Unbeknown to him, he had to go through torture again to regain them.