Origin of Tournament of Worth - The doomed fate of Glitched Contestants!

Listening to Aphrodite's evaluation, Shadow Origin frowned inwardly.

King Purple Mist had also told him something similar when he had asked him about Blood Demon's prospects of clearing the 3rd Stage of Tournament of Worth. When he had asked for the reason behind such an evaluation, though, he had got nothing but silence.

Aphrodite was different. She shared gossip and secrets like toffees on Halloween.

He would get an answer now. He must.

Ravana looked at all, and prodded, "Sure, Survival is one of the rarest Themes, my lady. But Blood Demon…"

"Ara!" Aphrodite pouted. "Not letting me enjoy the meat… Oh! That sounded so…"

Jade Beauty clenched her fist so tight her knuckles turned white.

Ravana had more years on him than Jade Beauty, though. He was also more prudent; it seemed. Hurrying, he took out another plate of marvelous cuisine and plated it in front of the old monster.

Aphrodite looked at Ravana appraisingly. "There's still hope for you," she blurted, making Ravana almost tear his beard off. "Ah! As I was saying, Haki, no matter which one of the three or similar powers, doesn't matter (-all viceroys raised their eyebrows, dumbfounded-). Tell me, little sis, what are the criteria for getting Rank 1 in ToW?"

Jade Beauty inadvertently sat up straight. "You just have to last longer than others."

"Bingo!" Aphrodite poked Jade Beauty's breasts with a fork as the ladies were seated side by side.

Jade Beauty's breathing quickened, and she looked at others as if daring them to laugh. None did.

"That's why there's an option to give up in all three stages," Aphrodite told them, elegantly using the towel to clean the grease off her lips. "3rd stages are soooo hard!" She noticed all men loosening their holds over their members. "Ara! Hehe! Calm down, boys! The Candidate at Rank 3 is at Rank 3 not because he had cleared the 2nd Stage, but because he had lasted longer than all below him before giving up, no? By the way, who is at Rank 3?"

The rest of the four viceroys looked at each other, hoping that the other would know the answer.

Silence.

Who the fuck cared here about the Rank 3 Candidate? If it wasn't for Blood Demon having Observation Haki below the 1st Threshold, making him invaluable for the Kings on the 18th floor, they wouldn't have given a rat-fuck about even Rank 1.

Aphrodite's eyes landed on Black Mountain, and his face instantly crumpled.

Gritting his teeth, as others eyed him pitifully, Black Mountain paid an enormous price to ask for the Code Name from Chaos. His lips twitched. "Rank 3. Contestant… Pink Lollipop."

"Pfft!" Shadow Origin coughed out the wine in his mouth, spraying it all over.

"Ara-Ara!" Aphrodite grinned mischievously. "I could do away with a pink lollipop as a dessert." She looked around but found none daring to look back at her. "Anyway…" she drawled, pinning a thin slice of fruit under her fork. "No Candidate in thousands of years has pushed oneself to clear the 3rd Stage. No Candidate from Chaos, at least. Not since Chaos lost its Authority."

The viceroys didn't need to be told what Authority Lady Aphrodite was talking about.

Glitch, of course!

"7,000 years ago, someone from the Order cleared the 3rd stage," Jade Beauty countered, running her fork on an empty plate. "He got it. The Glitch!"

Aphrodite sniggered. "Yeah, they wish!" she snorted, throwing her long, hot-pink hair over to the other side. "What are Glitches? Cabbages? When have the Systems ever promised Glitches? Is there a notification claiming such rewards? Have you seen one?"

This?!

The rest of the four viceroys shared hurried and bewildered glances.

"Your Kings and Queen didn't tell you?" Aphrodite asked, sucking on a strawberry. "These 'Glitches' are overpowered Skills at best. Take them as strengthened Blessings from the Deep Ones. Powerful, true. But not quite the same, no? There's only one way to get the Glitches." She looked at them, smiling. "Get resurrected with them!"

Shadow Origin had held his tongue for long. Not anymore. "What has it anything to do with Survival Theme?" he blurted, gaining a disapproving look from Jade Beauty. "Even if Order's Contestants somehow spread this rumor…"

Aphrodite's giggle cut off Shadow Origin's words. "Order's Contestants didn't spread this rumor of obtaining Glitch as a reward by clearing the 3rd stage," she told them, finding this thought quite amusing. "It's the Systems who did so."

"What?!" Black Mountain was stunned, along with the rest of them. "Impossible! What's the point?"

"Well," Aphrodite continued, holding back her laugh, "millions of Contestants still participate in it, no?"

What was she trying to say? The four viceroys thought the same. The Systems spread a rumor about awarding a Glitch to make Contestants take part in it?

"Do you know what the Tournament of Worth was called in the earliest days of the most ancient times?" Aphrodite asked, staring at them.

They shook their heads. Who thought of asking such questions?

"It went by just one word; one name," Aphrodite answered herself, licking her lips. "Debugging!"

Shadow Origin's jaw slacked, and others' jaws soon followed him.

"There was a rumor in those times as well," Aphrodite told them, amusing herself with their expressions. "If a Glitched Candidate could win the Tournament, then his Glitch could evolve. But only later did Contestants find out that this rumor wasn't entirely false; Contestants just exaggerated some things, making the Systems sound like some evil schemers.

"Glitches, because of their inherent nature, can't evolve, but they can transform, suiting themselves more in tune with a Glitched Candidate based on experiences and potential."

Ravana dared to add his words in. "But what is so special about… Debugging? Even if it's the hardest Random World, surely Contestants still could…"

The corner of Aphrodite's mouth arched up. "Is that so?" she asked, not looking up. "What if I told you that, whenever a Glitched Contestant took part, the 3rd Stage of Debugging always… centered itself around the World of Cartoons!"

Fear pounced upon the four viceroys. They suddenly remembered their last missions, and their souls shuddered.

A grave, but enchanting silence fell upon all the four viceroys.

Aphrodite liked this silence very much. It was so thrilling, to see their faces; blue, white, and sickly pale.

"Of course," Lady Aphrodite continued, her voice pulling the heartstrings, "all Glitched Candidates died, anyway. You see, the Systems also follow rules. According to these rules, they can't help but pay the price for Glitches and give privileges to Glitched Contestants. So, to debug themselves, they started this Tournament. However, they couldn't just start killing Contestants, either. Remember, the Systems' underlying rule is to pay the equivalent price for everything.

"So, they had added a reward of transforming Glitches in-line with the risks Glitched Candidates would take by participating in the tournament. But that was then, and this is now. Tell me, Shady, what would a Glitched Contestant think upon knowing that the Tournament of Worth could grant Glitches?"

Shadow Origin's pupils trembled. "That he could somehow evolve his Glitch further…"

Aphrodite nodded. "Even if he were to know that it's a rumor," she said, eying the desert, "he would still take part hoping to gain more Power. Power… Ara-Ara! It's the allure of Power that births Kings and Queens. And it's the same allure that eradicates them.

"Since the times when Chaos lost its Authority over granting Glitches… No. Better would be to say, since the times when the Rule that bound Chaos to grant Glitches vanished, Survival Theme had been appearing as a precautionary Debugging. But it only truly becomes a Debugging Tournament when a Glitched Contestant takes part in it.

"Ancient Scholars had also theorized that Survival Theme appears only when a Glitched Contestant ascends to the 2nd Set. But it has appeared so many times since then that this theory is all but forgotten. No Contestant from Chaos can have Glitch, anyway, no?"

All viceroys had lost their appetites for some reason. Such a secret had remained unknown to them for so long. At their level of power, who wouldn't feel slighted?

"It's not all bad," Aphrodite hummed, taking pleasure in the cheesecake. "All Tournament of Worths do grant outstanding rewards, don't they? Well, it's Blood Demon's good Luck at work here."

Shadow Origin's face snapped up. There was a time when he had wondered about the Blood Demon's great Luck. "How so?" he asked.

Aphrodite gulped down the morsel. "Well, Survival is the hardest Theme as it becomes a Debugging Stage whenever a Glitched Contestant participate in it," she told them, eying all one by one. "Sure, this 3rd stage would be the toughest stage among all the Tournaments and Themes, but it won't be centered on the World of Cartoons.

"So, if Blood Demon could push himself beyond the limit before giving up, lasting more than expected of him, then he would obtain the greatest rewards. And, given his Observation Haki and his strong Will, he probably will do so. Ara! I want him more now."

Shadow Origin should have felt glad after knowing this much, as Blood Demon had accepted his offer. But there was just a tiny, tiniest doubt in his heart, making him anxious.

'Let's just hope…' Shadow Origin wondered, taking out another cigarette. He lit it up, and puffed out a long tail of smoke, leaning back on the chair.

'Let's just hope that Blood Demon is not a Glitched Contestant, then.'