1 1: Price of Hunger

Hunger... such excruciating hunger... Azekiel had never felt so hungry in his life for the past twenty-five years as he did now. He hadn't eaten in twenty days, not having even a single grain of rice.

His stomach continued to growl while his weak body lay on the ground. His chest bore numerous scratches as if someone had beaten him severely. His entire body was covered in these scratches. In addition to these scratches, his back also had whip marks, suggesting that he had been severely thrashed.

He lay bare-chested, helplessly gazing up at the ceiling of his pitch-black cell. His eyes were already dim. He was unable to see anything. He merely lay still.

A single tear left his eyes. He didn't know how long he was going to live anymore. He wished for death. He desired death. Unfortunately, he couldn't even kill himself as his hands and legs were both tied with a rope to stop him from harming himself. It was evident that whoever did it wanted Azekiel to die from hunger.

-Screeeek

The metallic door in the small cell opened, making a screeching sound.

As the door opened, a ray of light shone toward where Azekiel's frail body lay down, showing his features. One could see that he had Jet-black hair and Cerulean eyes; his face was very pale, as if it was from someone whose on the brink of death.

A dark-haired man stepped inside the dark cell and observed Azekiel's condition. He could see water on the floor, which clearly wasn't drinking water. With a disgusted look on his face, he glared at Azekiel. "You still haven't died, you bastard. I'm surprised you lasted for so long."

Azekiel glanced toward the source of the voice. Even though he couldn't see anything, he could still hear.

"It's alright. Live as long as you want to. The longer you live, the more we can enjoy your suffering for the crime you've committed!" The man chuckled.

He brought a small vial out of his pocket and stepped closer to Azekiel. "Here, this is today's quota of water. Even "we" aren't that cruel."

He opened the small vial, which was only as long as his finger, and barely had any water. He poured the water inside Azekiel's mouth before he turned away. "It's the twentieth day today. I wonder if you'll last until twenty-one? Maybe more? You know, outside, they have started betting on how long you'll last."

"What did you bet on?" Azekiel weakly asked.

"Hah, I betted on seventeen days. I already lost, thanks to you..." The dark-haired man rolled his eyes.

"I guess I should apologize for not dying fast enough," Azekiel sarcastically answered. He could barely even speak, but he didn't want to stay silent.

"Hahaha! It's alright. My wife has bet on twenty-one days. So please live one more day. That would be enough." The man burst into laughter as he started leaving. "You can die in peace tomorrow."

He stopped right at the door before glancing back. "Oh right, one more news. The King of Pride has already cleared the tenth floor. I thought you would like to know that. If only you could see the rewards we received for it."

With a wide grin on his face, the man stepped out of the cell. He closed the metallic doors behind him, sealing Azekiel and leaving him alone once again in this cold dark place.

Azekiel closed his eyes, still tormented by hunger. 'Bet on my death. One day or the other, I will die. But if there's a next life, I swear I would kill you all.'

After everything he had done for these people, he could not believe he was still here. He had been serving as a porter for the King of Pride for the previous five years, lugging big objects for him and gathering other items. Since he lacked the strength to survive on his own in the Tower of Sin, he had spent the last five years of his life working exclusively for the King of Pride.

However, one mistake! All he did was one mistake! And that man acted without hesitation, announcing Azekiel would be starved to death as a punishment! All because Azekiel was hungry and ate one fruit from the plate of the King of Pride, feeling hungry.

For that single sin, he was punished with this cruel death, with no way of escape. Only he knew how cruel the last few weeks had been for him and how embarrassing it was.

The worst part was that he was frequently lashed and beaten. The fact that he was still alive was simply a miracle, but he was aware that his time was limited. He could already feel his breathing becoming weaker. His end was near. Even then, he wasn't sure whether he would make it through another day.

Azekiel closed his eyes and dozed off for a few hours. Sadly, this wasn't a typical sleep. He was eventually released from these torturous restraints as he dozed off into eternity. Finally, he felt no agony. Finally, he had no desire to eat. Death did arrive, but as Azekiel had pleaded for it all along, it wasn't too bad.

The terrifying thoughts vanished. The world went back to being silent... Nobody, however, was aware that Azekiel's story wasn't over. His legend was just getting started. It marked the beginning of his legend. The legend that will put fear in the hearts of everyone, even the gods and demons themselves!

It was just the calm before the storm...

***

Even before Azekiel's passing, the world had long since become dark for him. His vision was mostly gone. He believed that after his death, he would never experience that light again. He would never experience the joy of seeing the world again. He was never going to feel any senses that weren't accompanied by pain; however, something changed.

As he felt light shine through his closed eyes, the darkness began to fade. He could also hear some noises in the surrounding area. He was wondering if he was still alive. Is he still alive? In that case, why wasn't he feeling the pain? Furthermore, why was he detecting light in the surrounding area? What caused the light to enter his dark cell?

His brow furrowed as he opened his eyes quickly. He felt some pain in his eyes as soon as he opened them. His eyes became wet. He quickly shut them again. This time, he opened them slowly to keep him safe.

"What?! I am outside?!" He recognized the scenes in his surroundings. It wasn't the cell on the ninth floor! It was Floor Zero, where his story had started five years ago!

He found himself inside a massive hall surrounded by thousands of people cheering for something.

He could also see a massive screen in the front, showing scenes of a battle in which a man was fighting multiple monsters.

When he saw the man on the screen, Azekiel grit his teeth subconsciously. That jerk was the person he despised the most, but he wasn't an ordinary person. He was none other than the King of Pride, one of the tower's six King of Sins!

'That bastard! He believes he is the King of this Tower simply because he received the System of the Sin of Pride!' Azekiel angrily thought as he stared daggers at the screen. 'For the money, you abandoned our friendship, and for pride, you sent me to death! I may be weak, but I swear I will kill you!'

However, Azekiel didn't just despise the King of Pride. He hated everyone in this place! When his punishment was announced, not a single individual present at that time had asked mercy for Azekiel. Instead, they all cheered when the King of Pride declared the punishment for Azekiel's minor offense!

He could still remember their expressions when they demanded that he be brutally executed for his crime. Many even yelled that he deserved to die. The more Azekiel saw these people, the more he despised them. His heart was already hollow of all the compassion for these people, only to be filled with darkness.

As Azekiel tried to think if he was really here or just dreaming, he saw a semi-transparent screen pop up before him.

-Ding!

[Congratulations!]

[Your Sin has been recognized!]

[The Sin of Gluttony has been Selected for you to bear]

-Ding!

[Title Received: King of Gluttony]

-Ding!

[System of Gluttony has been successfully received!]

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