As Halgon steadily desded, a question stood out in Finn's mind.

  "As I mentioned earlier, I’m also this tury’s anizer for the Assion Ceremony. I know you’ve got plenty of questions, but let me start by answering the one I know is on everyone’s mind," Halgon said.

  "How I hover so steadily like this? And for such a long time?"

  Did he just read my mind?

  And what did he mean by the sed question? Isn’t it obvious that people ’t fly at all?

  "Su impressive dispy of power," Yukha interjected. "Even the most skilled wind specialists could not manage a feat like this."

  "Wind specialist? Is that guy using the wind to fly?" Finn said.

  "I assume so. It is the only element possible to do something like this," Yukha replied.

  Finn gnced back at the levitating man, and for a brief moment, he could’ve sworn Halgon was looking directly at him.

  "No, I’m not a wind specialist," Halgon said, his tone calm but firm. "In fact, what you're seeing right now isn’t even the result of my own power. Perhaps you’ve already figured it out?" He paused briefly.

  "Yes. I’m doing this with the help of the Wind God, Lirael," he finished.

  A gust of cold wind whipped through the air, as though affirming Halgon’s words.

  "Even the fact that you hear my voice so clearly, despite the distance, is only possible thanks to her," Halgon said.

  Finn’s speechlessness deepened as Halgon’s words struck him hard.

  "If a mere demigod like me has left you this silent, what will you do when you y eyes oual Freat Gods? No—at your current state, your bodies will likely melt at the sight. And I mean that quite literally."

  Gasps rippled through the crowd at his chilling statement, but Finn remaiill, his mind spinning in fasated disbelief.

  "That’s why, for now, and for as long as you’ve known, you’ll have to settle for their images," Halgon tinued.

  An array of swirling, multi-colored smoke materialized out of thin air, dang in the air like ghostly tendrils, darkening the space above Halgon and repg the bright blue sky with an ominous haze.

  "For now, let us begin the opening of this tury’s Ceremony of Assion, and give our thanks," Halgon paused, his voice heavy with significe.

  "Behold, and bow your heads to the Freat Gods," he decred.

  The swirling smoke began to shift and iwiaking shape, first blurry and indistinct, but slowly being clearer with every moment. The air seemed to hum with energy as the images solidified.

  "First, the Earth God, Terron," Halgon announced.

  To the left, where Halgoured, an image began to emerge. A tall man appeared, his skin tanned and rugged, his bare arms dispying powerful muscles honed probably through years of use. His dark hair framed a face that was ki exuded an unmistakable readiness for battle.

  "Sed, the Water God, Maris," Halgon tinued.

  Beside the man, the image took shape. A woman, her silver hair casg like a waterfall, glimmering in the mist. Her blue gown seemed to flow with the grace of the o, and though her face was serene, her eyes held an iy that hi the mysterious depth of the sea itself.

  "Third, the Fire God, Isha," Halgon said.

  At the mention of the Fire God, Finn’s heart skipped a beat. A straement welled up within him, a pull he couldn’t quite expin. Perhaps it was because of his own fire powers, as if they fed some unspoken e between him and the deity. Or maybe it was simply fasation—an innate draw to fmes and the one who embodied them.

  As the image began to form, Finn’s anticipation swelled, his heart hammering louder with every detail revealed.

  It was a woman, her figure turned slightly to the side. Bright auburn hair cascaded down her back like molten va, glowing as if it might sear anything it touched. She wore a pale white dress, flowing and seamless, its fabric ing around her form like smoke ging to embers. Even her hands were encased in delicate gloves, hiding her skiirely.

  Finn’s gaze drifted upward, his excitement only growing stronger—until his eyes fell upon her face.

  Disappoi and captivation struck him simultaneously. Her face was almost entirely cealed by a veil, leaving only her lips exposed. But those lips... They glowed like embers in the dark, their crimson hue framed by pale, por skin.

  Even with so little revealed, Finn found himself mesmerized. The way she stood, cloaked yet radiant, reminded him of a precious gem encased in fire—burning, yet untouched. She seemed untouchable, distant, as if the very act of reag for her would be both a privilege and a curse.

  Then, something began to stir within him. His face flushed; his heart raced. It was an unfamiliar sensation, fluttering in his chest and tightening in his stomach. Was this eople called butterflies? He didn’t know, but it was a feeling he’d never experienced before—a mix of awe, wonder, and something far deeper that he couldn’t yet name.

  As the image began to form, Finn's gaze remained fixed on the Fire God, Isha. It was as if he were drawn to her, his eyes magized by her presence. But Halgon's voice pulled him from his trance, f him to tear his attention away and focus on the image materializing.

  "Last, but certainly not least, the Wind God, Lirael," Halgon announced.

  The figure that appeared was strikingly different from the others. It was a young girl—much shorter and more delicate tha forms of the ods. Her blonde hair cascaded down her back, framing a face that radiated innoce. She wore a simple green sundress and a small hat perched on her head, with a smile so pure it could easily be mistaken for the pyful grin of a child running through the streets.

  Finn couldn’t help but marvel at the trast. Despite the immense power these beings wielded, they resembled humans more than anything else, a fact that both bewildered and intrigued him. He had imagihe Fods, and even Halgon, to be alien-like or monstrous—perhaps something more akin to the monstrous forms of Godzil or Cthulhu. Instead, they were all too human, in a way he hadn't expected.

  "Once again, I present to you, the Freat Gods," Halgon decred.

  The images of the Gods seemed to e to life before their eyes. The swirling, multi-colored smoke had transformed, no longer wisps of vapor but solid, three-dimensional figures. They shimmered with a brilliahat made them appear almost tangible, moving in a way that felt entirely real—like living beings rendered in vibrant, fwless CGI.

  The awe-inspiring spectacle left the crowd speechless. As the st of Halgon’s introdu faded, a deep sense of reverence filled the air. Without a word, everyone present bowed their heads in respect, and Finn, not wanting to stand out, followed suit. He didn’t want to draw attention to himself, especially when he had so little uanding of what was happening. He hadn’t even started climbing the tower yet, and still knew nothing about the system Yukha had mentioned. Hell, he wasn’t even sure if he had the system—or if he could even receive it. The uainty g him, but for now, all he could do was blend in and keep his questions to himself.

  After a while, Finn’s gaze returo the images, still in awe. Was this some form of advaeology? Or was it purely the result of the Fods' elemental piven that they were masters of their respective elements, perhaps such feats were within their reach.

  Finn’s thoughts drifted back to his own pyrokinesis, which he now uood to be power borrowed from the Gods—thanks to Yukha’s expnations.

  Yukha had mentioned something earlier about leveling up. Could that be reted tthening one's trol over their elemental abilities? If Finn could enhance his own power, would he be able to perform feats like the ones he had just witnessed—or even surpass them?

  His heart quied at the thought. An itch of excitement spread through him, repg his earlier fusion and fear. He thought back to his childhood, to the tless hours he spent experimenting with his pyrokinesis, desperate to uand it. If he had access to the system Yukha spoke of, perhaps he could finally push his abilities further, try experiments that he had never dreamed possible before.

  It dawned on him: Yukha had made it sound like mastering elemental powers wasn’t just a luxury, but a y for survival. Could that be why people with the system leveled up? Was it all to prepare for their fights against the so-called corrupted elementals?

  Ba Earth, he had viewed his ability, and his strange fasation with fire, as a defeething untrolble, dangerous. But here, in this new world, could it bee a tool for survival? For something more?

  A hought struck him, causing his pulse to race: Does that mean that, at the Tower, I burn the so-called corrupted elementals with everything I’ve got?

  "Now that we've given ratitude to the gods, I will give my final instrus," Halgon said, interrupting Finn's thoughts. "I know you're all eager to begin, but it will only be a few more minutes before you finally start your ast—and your ce at demigodhood and ruling your ow."

  Finn wao tell Halgon to take his time with his words. Given how much he still didn’t uand, he didn’t feel ready to begin climbing the tower. But he remained silent, choosing to wait.

  "You've been given a full decade to train, to get aced to the system. To level up, improve your affinities, stats, and skills. I trust all of you made the most of that time."

  Leveling up, affinities, stats, skills. These were words Finn was all too familiar with. Not just from his job, but from his gaming sessions as well.

  Despite being clueless about the dahat awaited him iower—about the system, the elemental powers, and the corrupted elementals—he began to feel a flicker of fidehose terms sourikingly like elements frs, and Finn had a lot of experieh those. The more he thought about it, the more the idea of climbing the tower seemed almost like a game.

  "If you check your iories, you'll find two teleportation stones," Halgon tinued. "The red one will allow you to teleport directly to the first realm of the Tower of Assion. Just break it when you're ready, and you'll be instantly transported."

  Iories? Teleportation?

  Finn had always wondered how ve such things would be in real life. He’d often ehe characters in games, never w about transportation, and being able to carry heavy, cumbersome items with ease. To have that implemented in the system... it was amazing.

  "The blue one, oher hand, will let you teleport bae—exactly to the spot you were before you were transported here. You use it anytime, even if your life is in danger. Just break the stone, and you'll return. But remember this: if you use the blue stone, you’ll fet everything you learned iower, and lose all the power you gained from the system. That’s why most challengers choose to die iower rather than escape. Running away is seen as a mark of shame, while dying during the challenge is viewed as heroic. So, think carefully before using it," Halgon tinued.

  So, I’ll be teleported back exactly where I was?

  Finn's thoughts flickered to the pce he’d been before. He didn’t want to remember it. On the brink of suffocation and burning alive—would he be sent back to that exaent, or would time move on while he was gone? He wasn’t willing to risk finding out.

  If he really had been summoned here, he had no choice but to advance. Even if he did want to go bae, there was a strong ce he'd return to find himself burned alive. Besides, things here were being more and more appealing.

  He’d already made a potential friend in Yukha—if the orc even sidered him a friend. But still, it ted. Ba his previous life, he’d isoted himself because of the dangers his pyrokinesis posed. His only friends were ohey’d sometimes invite him to meet up, but he never did. He didn’t want to risk causing trouble for anyone. But Yukha... Yukha seemed strong. Not just from his physical build, but also from what he’d said about the system. If Yukha really had it, then Finn’s fire powers probably wouldn’t be a problem for him.

  And there was the matter of his pyrokinesis. The possibility of using it here, and actually strengthening it was incredibly appealing. Plus, after seeing the Fire God, Isha, Finn found himself wanting to learn more about her.

  That’s right. I have no choice but to adva’s the best move for me.