Island

The bundle of runes rapidly shot toward Caine's head, fusing with it immediately. His mind was overwhelmed with information about what lay ahead and much more.

"This is the only gift I can give you, Caine. Don't disappoint me, brat."

As Caine passed out and fell from the boat and into the ocean, he couldn't shake the feeling that this reaper seemed eerily similar to…

"Good luck."

***

A while later—or perhaps only an instant—Caine slowly opened his eyes.

Lying on his back among bushes and vines, the first thing he saw were soft rays of sunlight filtering through the leaves overhead, covering the sky.

He sat up, looking around. He was in the middle of a massive jungle, with trees as tall as mountains and a fauna unlike anything he'd ever imagined.

The soil was a dark emerald green, and the skies were tinted pink. The world around him was a mix of vivid, beautiful colors—ranging from ordinary Sakura trees to strange, esoteric ones with white leaves and light blue bark. Even in the many realms of his previous world, he had never seen anything like it.

Despite his amazement, Caine didn't linger. Thanks to the knowledge the reaper had bestowed upon him, he knew this forest was the first stage of the competition—and perhaps the most dangerous.

This event, called the Fate Defying Samsara Festival, was made up of many stages, designed to eliminate as many useless Defiers as possible.

The first stage, where Caine now found himself, was called the Island of Possibility.

It had two goals: the first was to grow stronger, and the second—and most crucial—was to reach the island's center. Only one person would pass from each island, which meant the Defiers had to kill each other to secure their spot—a sort of preliminary round, so to speak.

'I need to start planning.'

Caine immediately stood up and hurried to a tree, climbing it to gain a better vantage point and to protect himself from the dangers lurking on the ground.

While most would think the obvious course was to rush to the island's center, Caine knew that wasn't the case.

He was an irregular—most likely the only mortal among thousands of fallen gods.

Caine wasn't sure what it meant to be a god; in his world, it was just a title for the strong. But from the way the reaper had spoken, these gods must be terrifying beings.

His goal was simple: use this round to level the playing field.

'To grow stronger, I need to kill other Defiers. But to do that, I need to lure them to me while stopping them from reaching the center. I'll also have to do it in secret since they might be stronger than me…'

From the knowledge the reaper had given him, Caine learned that his current form was called a True Soul Form. It wasn't a real body—not in the way he, as a mortal, understood it.

But that didn't matter.

In this form, by killing other Defiers, he could steal their soul strength, which would elevate the stage and grade of his True Soul Form.

There were 13 grades and stages, each representing the quality and quantity of power gained, and each tier was harder to reach than the one before.

Since Caine was a mortal, his True Soul Form was at the lowest grade and stage. But he had a plan—and if it worked…

RUSTLE!

He finally reached the top of the gigantic tree and peered through its canopy, looking at the forest's horizon with determination.

'Alright, let's begin.'

***

After Caine had set his trap, he noticed something that changed everything—he was alone.

Why?

Because he'd been the first to land on the island.

***

A few days later, figures could be seen falling from the sky. Unlike Caine, they were conscious. Some even flew.

As they rushed toward the island's center, uninterested in killing each other to elevate their Soul Forms, a powerful gravitational force violently slammed into them, pulling them to the ground.

BANG!

A young man hit the earth, dust rising as he groaned in annoyance.

He had a bulky, sculpted physique, and wore airy white robes that complemented his long white hair and burning scarlet eyes.

He was handsome—extremely so—but his beauty was marred by an ugly frown as he scanned his surroundings.

'A sealing formation…'

He looked at his hands, feeling his power muddled. But before he could complain, a dome of golden light enveloped the island, preventing anyone from escaping toward the endless ocean.

Immediately after, the young man roared in anger. Trees within a 20-kilometer radius turned into golden chains made of runes.

These chains dug into his body, transforming into tattoos that heavily restricted his power and gravely injured him.

He vomited blood as he fell to one knee, his muscular body shrinking in real-time.

His eyes were bloodshot, and golden blood seeped from his pores. His gaze was full of madness.

"BASTARD! SHOW YOURSELF!"

Despite his weakened state, the power in his voice shook the earth. But no answer came.

Across the island, the same scene played out for every single Defier, without exception.