The War Ladder descended like a sacred mountain spanning heaven and earth, its incomparable pressure bearing down on every heart.
But this time, that pressure inspired no fear. Instead, it ignited everyone's desire.
Holy Spirit Ascension was too distant, too elusive.
It demanded pure faith and unwavering will. It was a path for someone chosen by fate, someone like Leon.
The War Ladder was different.
Points, rankings, tiers, exchanges...
To every player present, those words were familiar down to their bones.
"Earn points by killing... Isn't that what we do best?"
"The Sin Origin Furnace! We can even turn junk equipment into something valuable and exchange it for War Insignias!"
"Check your Personal Terminals! Our interfaces have updated!"
After a brief silence, the square of the Court of Sin Punishment erupted.
The players who had been dejected over their failure to ascend as Holy Spirits now had light in their eyes. One after another, they lowered their heads and worked furiously on their Personal Terminals.
A new interface, marked with a Dark Gold Ladder Emblem, appeared on everyone's system home screen.
[War Ladder] [Current tier: None] [Current points: 0] [Current rank: Unranked]
That glaring "0" and "Unranked" struck deep into every player's competitive heart.
"Damn it! I've never been this embarrassed in a game!" A burly man carrying a battle-axe cursed, excitement written all over his face. "Those bastards who ran away are still out there! They'll be my first points!"
"Don't steal my kills! Those mutated mages are mine!"
"Charge! For the War Insignias!"
The despair and confusion that had filled the square vanished. A feverish hunger for battle swept through it.
Adams watched his subordinates transform before his eyes and felt momentarily dazed.
He couldn't understand it.
How could a few words and an illusory staircase