Aarav had come down from the second floor, his steps steady but his mind restless. His goal was set in stone: find Diran, defeat him, and end the constant shadow of that name. In his own heart he felt stronger now—much stronger than when he had first entered this mysterious Soul Tower. His battles, his bond with Sina, the enemies he had slain, and the souls he had merged with had reshaped him into something new. But there was one problem he could not solve by strength alone. He did not know the way to the Python Kingdom, the land where Diran was said to reside.
And the Tower itself was a riddle that wrapped itself tighter the more he thought about it.
"I was thinking for long now…" Aarav muttered under his breath, gazing at the endless horizon that stretched before him. "The first and second floors, both changed after twenty-four hours. But after I obtained a soul to merge with, I could go up and down freely. So what does that mean? Is there a hidden place in the Tower that drags you there automatically if you fail a mission? Or do the floors themselves… no, perhaps they shift into something like 'hard mode' if you can't clear them in time? Or maybe the truth is even bigger than that. Perhaps the floors are not simple layers stacked one on top of another. Maybe they are worlds—living worlds—that spread farther than anyone realizes. This Tower… it is hiding too much."
The desert wind brushed against his robe. He clenched his fist. He hated being blind to the rules of this game-like world. Power was one thing, but information… information was survival.
After a week of relentless traveling across barren plains and half-ruined forests, Aarav's chance came. He spotted a troop of Python soldiers returning from a skirmish. Their serpent-like lower halves slithered across the sand, spears gleaming in the harsh sunlight. At first, Aarav thought of asking them for guidance. But as soon as the soldiers noticed him, they hissed in unison and charged forward. Their scales glinted like polished armor, and their eyes burned with predatory intent.
They attacked without a word.
The clash was brutal but short. Aarav's blade, empowered by the souls he carried, cut through their defenses like dry twigs. Dust and sand exploded around him as the Pythons fell one by one, groaning in defeat. Finally, when half their troop lay beaten and the rest could barely stand, they threw down their weapons. Their leader bowed his head reluctantly, eyes burning with resentment but also fear.
"Stop! Enough," the leader hissed. "We… we will take you to the kingdom. Just spare our lives."
Aarav did not speak, only gave them a nod. The message was clear: they would guide him, or they would die.
Two more days passed, traveling alongside the battered troop. The journey was strange—he rode upon a massive python beast through scorching deserts and rocky canyons, watching the soldiers whisper among themselves. They looked at him with a mix of terror and awe, as though they were escorting death itself.
Finally, the kingdom revealed itself. The Python Kingdom was not what Aarav expected. Instead of the towering fortresses of horror that he had imagined, he saw a realm in the midst of rebuilding. The city stretched across a wide basin, its walls cracked and half-destroyed, banners torn and fluttering like ghosts in the wind. Yet life filled the streets. Humans and Pythons worked together, hauling stone, carrying timber, repairing roads. Stalls lined the avenues, offering food and tools, with voices of barter rising above the noise. It was a picture of contradiction—half war-torn, half vibrant with renewal.
Aarav's eyes narrowed. This was not the image of an evil kingdom he had imagined.
As he walked down the main path, construction caught his attention. Groups of humans and Pythons worked side by side, lifting heavy stones, pouring molten metal into molds, shaping weapons and armor. Sweat mixed with dust on their faces, but there was no cruelty in the air, only cooperation.
Then, something jolted his heart. Among the workers, he recognized faces—familiar ones. They were human souls he had once encountered long ago, when he had first entered this Tower. They were the villagers, the ones who had claimed to live for thousands or tens of thousands of years in that strange village outside time. But… how? Why were they here, in the middle of the Python Kingdom? Weren't they supposed to have remained sealed in that world with Sina's card?
Confusion clouded Aarav's thoughts, but instinct told him to approach. Slowly, he stepped forward.
The moment the souls noticed him, their eyes widened in disbelief. At first their faces twisted as if they were unsure whether their minds were deceiving them. But when their gazes confirmed the truth—that it was indeed Aarav standing before them—something inside them broke loose. Tears welled in their eyes. Their lips trembled. Then, all at once, they rushed toward him.
"AARAV!" one of them cried, the voice breaking with emotion.
The bulky man, broader than the rest, pushed his way to the front. His eyes shone with both reverence and relief.
"Sir Aarav—no!" the man corrected himself, dropping to one knee. "Our king. You are here at last!"
The words struck Aarav like thunder. Around them, the workers stopped what they were doing. Their tools clattered to the ground, and curious eyes turned. Whispers rippled through the air as more people realized what was happening.
The bulky man's declaration had drawn attention, and not just from the workers. Soldiers on patrol paused, scales rippling as they hissed in surprise. The title "king" was not something tossed lightly.
Aarav stood still, his mind racing. Why would these souls call him their king? What truth were they hiding? And why here, of all places, in the Python Kingdom? He had thought of them as simple villagers cursed to live outside time, but their words hinted at something far deeper.
Six Days Ago
Elsewhere, in another corner of fate, Igaru opened his eyes. This time he was not on a throne of bones or in a ruined house. Instead, he found himself inside a cold, damp cell. The walls were stone, the air thick with the stench of mildew and despair. Shackled souls huddled around him, their faces hollow, eyes empty of hope. It took him several long breaths before memory returned—the crash, the explosion, the black desert of sand, and finally unconsciousness.
"Ah… yes. I died. Didn't I? Is this… the afterlife?" His voice cracked, half in disbelief. "Another world? Isekai'd? System? System!"
Right on cue, a familiar notification shimmered before his eyes.
[INHERITANCE SYSTEM UPLOADATION COMPLETED.]
The glowing letters pulsed with power.
"Oh!" Igaru exclaimed, his despair vanishing in a heartbeat. "The system is online now. Hahaha! No one can stop me anymore!" His laughter echoed through the prison, manic and full of wild hope. For a moment, he forgot the pain of death, the betrayal, the car crash. He forgot everything except the promise of power.
But his joy faltered when he saw the other prisoners staring at him. Their expressions were not curious or impressed. They were dead. Defeated. Their shoulders slumped, their chains rattling softly.
"What… what's going on here?" Igaru muttered. "Why are you all like this? Slaves? Prisoners? Am I… a prisoner too?"
A deep voice rumbled from the corner. A bulky man, the same one Aarav would one day recognize, raised his head. His eyes were tired but steady.
"Boy," the man said, voice low. "Don't shout. Try to read the room. We're all captured by the Python Kingdom. And we're all going to die."
Igaru's blood ran cold. "What? Going to die? Why? What did we do? Where are we?"
The man studied him carefully, then sighed. "I see. You're new. Listen well. This is afterlife. Life after death. This is the Soul World. And the Pythons… they eat us. That's why we're here. To be food."
The words echoed like a death knell in Igaru's ears.
"But… why? Who captured us? What kind of hell is this?" he demanded, anger and fear mixing in his voice.
The bulky man only looked away, his silence heavier than words.