"This was the book he selected. This is the mission he supposedly completed within two days," Azekiel explained. "He not only freed that person but also got the King to apologize to him."
"Since you saw how he did it, you should be able to finish it faster by copying his method, right?" Raphael inquired. "If that's the case, it should be good to select it. Since your goal is snatching the title of this floor, this seems to be the shortcut. But I still advise you against selecting it."
Azekiel smiled in response. "I'm not going to select it. Even if I selected it, I know I can't finish this in under one day. However, my reason for not selecting it isn't that. It's something else. Still, why do you advise me against selecting it?"
"This mission... It seems simple, and you might also be able to convince the King, but I don't see this being beneficial to you. At the moment, you not only need the title of this floor but also enough strength. Even if you get the title and the floor boost, it'll be hard to face the King of Pride. So why not use this opportunity for your benefit," Raphael explained his thought process.
Azekiel nodded. It was exactly what he was thinking. It seemed like both of them were on the same page now.
"You're right. That's exactly why I wasn't going to select it. I not only need a mission I can finish in one day, but that mission also needs to be worth my time that will strengthen me. And I have just a mission in mind for that."
Azekiel placed the book back on the shelf and left that aisle, going in a separate direction. He stopped before a distant section of the library. There were hundreds of books before him, but he was more interested in only one of those hundreds.
There was a beautiful black book that was placed in the center of the shelf.
He grabbed the book and pulled it out.
"This is what I want—the Book of Death. There were two people who selected this book as their first challenge, both being Lords of Sins. And both of them died inside the book. None of them was able to clear their mission," Azekiel let out as his fingers gently caressed the cover of the book that still had some dust on it.
"I believe I can finish this mission in under one day, even though it's a bit dangerous. This also has the potential to make me stronger."
"Two Lords of Sins had died inside. I don't know what is inside this challenge, but are you sure you want this as your first challenge?" Raphael inquired grimly. "You have no soul energy to summon me anymore. If you're in trouble, I might not be able to help."
"You don't need to worry about it. I am stronger currently than those Lord of Sins who had just started their journey. Even though there is danger in this mission and a good chance of death, I believe the risk is worth it. Why be scared of death after going through it once already?" Azekiel slowly opened the book.
[You have picked up a new book of Sin]
[Title: The Coward who gave up]
[Description: Cowardice is a Sin! Rowan, the Prince of the Estia Empire, gets captured by the Empire of Dark Magic. In his cowardice, he doesn't even fight back as his sister is taken captive by the enemies back to their Empire. On the other hand, he is left behind naked to be embarrassed by the entire world. Ashamed at his own cowardice, Rowan takes his own life...]
[Mission: Affect the story to make Rowan a proud Warrior and help him get back his sister from the enemies]
[Do you accept the mission]
[Yes] [No]
Azekiel smiled as he saw the mission. Without hesitation, he clicked yes. Amongst all the missions he had seen, this was his favorite. Not only did it involve fighting and killing, which could make him stronger, but it also wasn't too time-consuming. He believed with the strength he had; he could complete this mission in under a day while becoming stronger.
As soon as he clicked yes, white light surrounded him. The light was so bright that he was forced to close his eyes. His body transformed into a speck of light which was swallowed by the book. The Book closed on its own and went back to its place, leaving no trace of Azekiel being here.
As Azekiel went inside the book, on another end of the Floor, the Three Lord of Sins arrived on the floor. They were really curious about which book Azekiel was going to select, but they had more important things to do. Without wasting a second on the floor, they went to the portal of the second floor.
Back at Floor Zero, a screen had opened on its own, which showed Azekiel picking up a book of his liking.
There were many screens on Floor Zero that showed the adventures of the Sinners and their missions. That's how they could also see the mission of King of Pride and others. That was also why Azekiel knew which book was selected by Michael when he was here. There was no secret from the people on Floor Zero.
Seeing Azekiel on the first floor, many people grew shocked! This man, he was just like them until recently! How was he suddenly able to go to the First Floor? A few even wondered if the floor was open to commoners now. Some ran to the portal, hoping to get through as well.
Unfortunately, they were in for a big surprise. As soon as they touched the portal, their bodies caught into a fire that couldn't be extinguished. Their screams filled with pain and agony echoed in the surrounding, scaring the others who had a similar thought.
"Looks like this guy has become a Lord of Sin as well. Amazing." One man declared.
"Becoming a Lord of Sin at this time? How is this possible? Lord of Sins were selected on the first day itself. I guess this man was selected at that time as well. He probably kept it hidden and spent his life here because he was too scared to go up." Another man rolled his eyes. "He is just a Coward who got courage somehow."
"Hah, I also think so. However, he has selected the same mission that was selected by the two who died. This idiot... Even after seeing everything in the last three years, he still didn't get common sense, did he? He will be dead as well."
"It doesn't matter if he dies or not. It's not like he would've cleared the tower for us. Let's focus on the Kings."
Almost everyone stopped looking at the new screen, thinking it was useless. They had seen the same story unfold twice. That all knew Azekiel was going to die.
Unfortunately, they were soon going to realize that this wasn't the end of the Legend of Azekiel. It was just the beginning…
