The Tower was black. It was darker than the void that shrouded it, with eerie spires cutting through the sky as if reaching for the gods. The tower was covered in what looked like dark scales and huge hexagon patterns adorned the base. The Tower was so tall and so impossibly wide that it could be called a god itself; that was how awe-inspiring and terrifying it was. The Tower was the symbolism of humanity's downfall. And of rise of the new era of humanity. The Hei'an Era, the darkest and most tumultous era of the world, marking the birth of the 'system.' The system that saved their lives, the system that gave humanity a new meaning, ...the system that was the cause for this tower. Every year, the protected settlements of Earth would send young people to the Tower, which served to test them. The candidates would enter the Tower and go through hell, from fighting against monsters through struggling with mind enchantments. Less than a tenth of the original populace come out, though the ones that do become hardened warriors. The Tower breeds monsters. Humans aren't spared. There are multiple Towers around the world and all of them were the prisons where the most famous incarnations were forged and melded. To enter the Tower means two things: Die or become a monster. Of course, people could decide to not enter the Tower and just venture out in the world and hope to not die. But while that way was certainly much safer than the Towers, it also meant that there were less opportunities to become powerful. One has to become powerful in the apocalypse. After all, the world was filled with mutated plants and animals, and in some places, just touching the dirt or breathing in the air could kill someone. The world was divided into seven 'Plates,' with invisible energy lines marking the borders. The plates were divided into ten 'layers,' the higher number the layer, the more dangerous it was. The first layer was the safest place, with barely any dangers. That was where the great human cities were built, with people protected from the dangers of the world. The first layer was a big circle of land and 9 huge rings, or layers, circled the first layer. If the first layer was Paradise, the tenth layer was pure Hell. Few people had passed into the tenth layer. Even fewer had survived. Seven Plates, seven Towers. The Towers were always just beyond the first layer's border and in the second layer, each huge and gigantic. Each filled with monsters and treasures beyond what people sheltered in the Great Cities had ever seen. For people who had fought in the fourth layer or fifth layer, the creatures in the Tower were a piece of cake. However, the candidates weren't powerful incarnations. They weren't warriors who fought monsters or destroyed demons. The chance of survival? About ten percent. Most of the incarnations didn't fight for honor or for fame. They didn't fight for their city, or their family and friends, or the world. They fought to save their own lives, because in the Hei'an Era, people were only out for themselves. Few delude themselves with visions of glory or saving the world. Xu was not one of them. As he stood in a long line of candidates, he stared at the Tower and promised himself that if he were to survive the Tower, he would concern himself with only himself. If he could join a group of incarnations, it would prove to be beneficial to him. However, not many people would welcome Xu with open arms. Why? He was 16 years old. Most of the candidates were from 19 to 30. The youngest candidate to enter the Tower was 17 and he didn't even survive the first floor of the Tower. Facts, logic, and evidence proved that Xu would probably die the moment he took a step into the Tower. There was no grand speech. There was no goodbye party. There wasn't even a 'good luck' as the candidates slowly walked into the portal in the entrance of the Tower. All they were given was a curt nod by the incarnations 'guarding' the entrance. Why they had to guard it was unknown but some people kept making up crazy assumptions. Xu sighed softly and holstered up his waist pack again, which held essential things for the next few weeks, including nutrition pills, water bottles, one change of clothes, and a dagger. He received the dagger after he passed the aptitude tests just a week ago. Before candidates can go into the Tower, they must go through a series of physical, mental, and intelligence tests. Xu grimaced as he thought of the physical test, which he had barely passed. Intelligence was his midway. Mental was his strongest. So, if he would encounter opponents that specialized in mental attacks and powers, he would be less f*cked than if he encountered an opponent that was really strong. Xu cleared his mind of those thoughts and focused on the line in front of him. He was nearing the beginning of the line, with about a dozen people in front of him. The incarnations around him were piqued by shorter height and less muscle mass. After the apocalypse, people became known as incarnations and became a lot stronger and taller. Men averaged 6'4-6'10 feet. Women averaged 6-6'6. Xu was 5'10. He was pretty much a head shorter than the average man. He had his hood pulled up but still felt like the stares around him were piercing through him. He couldn't help but shrink a bit, feeling uncomfortable as someone people began whispering about him. "--Hey, that kid over there," "Why is she so short?" "She? He's wearing a black armband." Men were given a black armband to wear on their left arm and women have a silver armband to wear on their right arm. The armbands were given to differentiate genders, with the colors and arm randomly chosen. Males get a black armband. No exceptions. Females get a silver armband. No exceptions. Non-binaries get a gold armband. No exceptions. If one were to break the rules, then they are not allowed to enter the Tower for the rest of their life. The whispers continued about Xu. Some were harmless and curious. "So small... a teenager?" "Yeah, wonder how he got in--" Others, not so much. "He's gonna die the moment he gets in the Tower." "Stupid kid, probably will cry for his mother." Someone said in a high-pitched voice, "Oh, mommy mommy, save me!" While some of the voices were filled with malice, most were filled with pity or indifference. "He's not going to be like the other one." Xu's interest was piqued by that sentence, but sadly, there were no more comments about the 'other one.' The other one? Was there another person near his age who had entered the Tower before him? Xu searched his memory for someone that matched the description, but the only person he could think of Duxe. Duxe was about 18, with ridiculously big muscles but was dumber than a rock. There was no way the person could be referring to Duxe. "Kid, start moving." A voice interrupted Xu from his thoughts and he looked up to see a meter gap between him and the person in front of him. Xu muttered a silent curse and walked forward on the grass to stand behind the tall and cloacked person in front of him. When Xu looked back, he saw a man who looked about 28 years old staring at him with a raised eyebrow. His dark skin looked imposing in the faint light and his black curls were tied in a man bun. His gold eyes seemed to penetrate Xu. Based on his rugged and experienced looks, he was probably one of the incarnations that lived in the villages and towns outside the big cities. Xu felt a faint sense of admiration as he looked at the man. The man raised an eyebrow as he saw Xu looking at him but said nothing. Xu was glad, he wasn't exactly big on conversations and had no idea what to even say to the man. 'Thank you for telling me'? Xu turned around and looked around, noting that anything that lived within a half-mile radius of the Tower was black and shriveled if anything grew at all. The plants were, thankfully, insentient. Sentient plants and animals wouldn't appear until the third layer. The 'pathway' that led to the entrance of the Tower was nothing but trampled black grass. "Forward!" A guard called out. Xu walked forward, only to realize that there were two people in front of him. Incarnations entered the entrance in groups of fives to reduce time and effort. Once they enter, the portal will teleport them to different places all through the first floor of the Tower. There were a total of five floors on the Tower. Only by defeating monsters and finding the key to the next floor will they be able to escape the tower. They would also finally 'meet' the system in the Tower, which was in the second layer. Everyone has access to the system but it will only activate when the person crosses into the second layer. Then, they will finally be able to access the system. The system allowed stats to be upgraded and skills to be used. Xu stepped forward silently with four other incarnations. There were the people in front of him and the two people behind him. How lucky, he was straight in the middle. The woman to his left hand golden skin and long white braided hair that was tied around her waist. She had the waist pack that was tied loosely around her hips. A long red string was tied around her right hand's middle finger and she wore a black leather suit that clung to her body. When she turned around, Xu was shocked to see red eyes. She must've been from the Resra Plate, the people there had very exotic looks. What she was doing in the Heizhao Plate? The man to his right side had a bow and arrow hung on his shoulders. He had brown hair and black eyes, with a small jagged scar running from his eyebrow to his ear, with a gold earring on his left ear. He was average height and looked quite approachable. His waist pack was small, so he was clearly a minimalist. There was the tall dark man next to the exotic woman that he had already seen who was ignoring him and there was a small woman who was even shorter than Xu. She was small and dainty, with long black hair that fell to her waist and what looked like a black Chinese dress? And purple combat boots? Was she planning to enter the Tower or go to a party? The incarnation seemed to sense Xu's gaze and looked at him. When she saw his face which his hood did nothing to hide, she sneered at him. The incarnation had an aristocratic look, from her jewelry, her clothing, and pampered aura. The dark man beside her turned to look at Xu with a gaze that told him to stop. What was he doing to deserve that? He was just looking at her. "Don't you know who you're looking at?" the woman asked Xu, clicking her tongue. Xu shook his head, unsure of what to say. The guards were meddling and fidgeting with their devices and were paying absolutely no attention to the group of five waiting patiently (not) in front of him. "My name is Lamora, with the surname of Xinji," the incarnation said with a smug air, "And so, shouldn't you bow down to me?"