Tower of Hell: Sineville of the Seas, Book 2, Chapter 137

Attention Patreons! For the upcoming rerelease of Tower of Hell, I'll be returning to smaller chapters multiple times per week. Book Two will continue but right now I may only post one or two chapters a week until I'm done editing the earlier chapters. Thanks for your understanding. Late April I hope to have everything posted and I'll be working on writing 2-3 chapters per week for my Patreons.

“Done,” Jonas nodded without considering the trouble it would be to accomplish all the requirements laid out by Old Louie. “I’ll get the money first, and we can achieve the other two before the entry.”

“Mother fucker,” his master grumbled. “You never listen. It’s so frustrating. I don’t think you’ll accomplish all the goals. What? Are you going to ask big Phillip Glatorius for the cash?”

“No,” Jonas shook his head. Although the thought crossed his mind, he didn’t want to rely on his benefactor anymore. “I’ll figure it out tomorrow.”

“Where did you hear about the tourney, anyway?”

“A stripper. She mentioned they were holding the tournament unusually early, which she suspected meant they had a golden ticket as a prize.”

“A stripper?” Old Louie looked dumbstruck. “You’re going off all this on a rumor from a goddamn stripper?”

“She wasn’t just a dancer. She was a talented Hunter. I’m not proficient in Sin Sense, but I can still feel when someone is capable of whooping my ass.”

“Interesting,” Old Louie stroked his newly groomed beard. “A talented young Sinner who works as a Stripper? If your Cardinal Sin were Lust, I’d send you to do something similar.”

“What are you saying?”

“The stripping is probably a way of training. I guess she has a strong master who sends her out on tasks. Lust isn’t always about sex. It’s about intense desire and a longing feeling. It’s about chasing those desires and acquiring them. However, sex is usually involved, and Hunters happen to be attractive. Perhaps, her Original Sin is seduction related.”

“No shit,” Jonas scrunched his brows and thought back to when he’d dropped all his Dream Dollars on Athena. “She might’ve used a technique on me without me knowing.”

“Did you suddenly desire to be near, impress, and win her favor?” Old Louie shook his head.

“I did.”

“I’m guessing she used some technique on you. However, she’s still mastering it against Commoners, which means she isn’t proficient enough to trick a Sinner properly. She managed to nab some money off you because you can’t use Sin Sense or Sin Shield, which would’ve helped for your protection against mental attacks.”

“She used some sort of External Sin Sorcery to penetrate my mind and influence me?”

“Exactly. It’s easy to sway the mind when you’re unsuspecting. Original Sins and Sin Sorcery that involves mental attacks are powerful but rely on trickery, deceit, and camouflage. The Sinner must choose weaklings who can’t protect themselves, dumbasses who refuse to be safe, or trick a strong opponent into letting down their defenses. However, there’s a catch twenty-two with Sin Sorcery. An opponent properly versed in Sin Sense will be able to detect a mental attack as it's happening, and if they’re skilled with Sin Shield, they can form a barrier around their head that will block out foreign Sin trying to influence them.”

“That’s crazy. I didn’t realize there was even such a thing as mental attacks. So, what else can someone do to you if you don’t know how to protect yourself?”

“Hypnotize, brainwash, remove or replace memories. Make someone your slave, kill their loved ones, force them to commit suicide,” Old Louie saw the horror dawning on Jonas’ expression and realized his words hit the mark. “You think that’s bad? Those are just the ones that influence the mind without hurting it. Then you’ve got people who can attack from a distance and cause headaches, concussions, and brain tremors. I knew an assassin who could make brains melt from a distance and a woman who would force men to fall in love with her, and after she used her technique, they’d turn brain-dead and lose all independent thought. She changed them into love zombies and used them like human shields against her enemies—each with an Original Sin and abilities she could control. How? By mastering the art of lust, seduction, and mental Sin Sorcery.”

“You can do that with Sin?” Jonas felt a flicker of fear at the thought of losing his mind and becoming a slave. No amount of healing would protect him from a fate as cruel as that. “That’s terrifying.”

“You think that’s scary? Sinners use their power to kill, maim, control, and torture their enemies. When you reach my level and beyond, the people you meet will have abilities you can only imagine in your nightmares,” Old Louie pulled a chocolate bar from the pocket of his robe and began tearing it open. Jonas went quiet as he contemplated what his old master said.

“I need to be able to protect myself from the best Sinners. I never want to be mind controlled or slain by an invisible attack. I didn’t realize how unbelievable Sin could be.”

“Unbelievable?” Old Louie said through mouthfuls of chocolate. “Try grotesque. That’s a better word. Now you can see why Sin Shield is so goddamn important. It will protect you from trickery, sneakiness, physical attacks, and abilities that target the mind. There are other ways to guard yourself against dangerous sorcery, but using a Sin Shield is the most effective.”

“I understand now,” Jonas hadn’t appreciated Old Louie’s knowledge and teachings until learning how dangerous Sin could be. Perhaps, he needed to start trusting his master and listening better. “Let me ask you something.”

“Go ahead,” Old Louie stopped paying attention only to grab a bottle of wine, chug it back, and switch the TV from porn to Outlands’ news.

“How strong are you?” Jonas assumed Old Louie was tough because he’d survived the Sin Assessment and probably attempted the Hell Challenge. However, he had no idea of his teacher’s level.

“Does it matter?” Old Louie waved off the question and stared blankly at the television.

“It does. How strong are you? Could you beat the Black Butcher? Could you defeat the Overworld’s Prince of Hell?”

“Back in my prime, the Black Butcher wouldn’t dream of attacking me. However, I’m not nearly as strong as I used to be,” Old Louie smirked, but Jonas didn’t like him avoiding the question.

“Would you rank yourself among the Overworld's top one hundred Sinners?”

“No. Not anymore. It’s been too long since I’ve had a real duel, and my powers have declined because of old history—I won’t get into it, so don’t ask. Do you seriously want to know how strong I am?” Old Louie gave him a sidelong glance, and Jonas nodded. “Top three hundred in the world.”

“That’s still amazing. There are billions of people in Hell and probably a few hundred thousand Sinners if you include the Inlands. You being in the top three hundred strongest is an achievement. Where would you rank your friend Braun?”

“That crazy bastard? I'd say the top two hundred in a duel between Sinners. However, if we’re talking just pure martial arts? I’d easily put him in the top one hundred. He’s that good. Master Braun created a martial arts school from scratch, and it's one of the best I’ve ever seen. Even learning just the basics can turn you into a brand-new man. It’ll turn a pup into a dog and a hill into a mountain. His martial arts school is unrivaled in some aspects and so difficult to join that talent and money rarely matter when he chooses his students.”

“Damn. If money and talent don’t matter, how does Master Braun choose his students?”

“He appreciates talent just like all teachers. However, Braun prefers people with incredible mental strength, toughness, and grit. Pussies can’t learn his martial arts. It’s impossible. Hell, I’m not suited for his fighting style, either.”

“You think I am?” Jonas looked unconvinced. “How am I suited for it while you’re not?”

“You’re way more tenacious than I am. I’ll give up on things, lose interest quickly, and don’t care about anything other than being lazy and enjoying my hermit lifestyle. You’ve got that psychotic determination a person needs to learn Blitzkrieg Berggott.”

“Blitzkrieg—what?” Jonas looked confused.

“Blitzkrieg Berggott, otherwise known as Blitzberg. It’s a martial arts style invented by Master Braun Von Claude, a Hellite of both German and French descent. Hopefully, your future martial arts style with the matching teacher,” Old Louie examined his disciple with interest. “I went over a few different martial art schools I thought you’d find success with, and out of all of them, I think the most suited to help you pass the Sin Assessment will be Blitzberg.”

“It sounds interesting,” Jonas shrugged but didn’t seem too excited. “I don’t see how learning kung fu will help me survive against superpowered Hellites.”

“You fucking idiot,” Old Louie cackled and stared at Jonas like he was the biggest moron in all the Outlands. “If you think I’m doing this to teach you how to kick and punch, you’re dumber than I thought. Never mind, you don’t see the big picture. Once you’ve shown you're capable of Sin Sense and Sin Shield, I’ll bring you to visit Braun, and you’ll see the importance of learning a martial arts style.

“Alright, alright. You don’t have to be mean,” Jonas yawned and rose off the couch. “I’m going to shower and sleep. Tomorrow we’ll work on those two abilities.”

“Goodnight.”

The events of the next day came quickly. It wasn’t long after he awoke that he and Old Louie were stopping at stores and getting his master some new clothing. Very surprisingly, Louie paid for his clothes, and this shocked Jonas because his master never paid for anything, and he assumed Louie was broke.

At noon, the two were grabbing lunch in a restaurant, and both had their Sin Scars hidden via Sin Suppression. They could’ve been a father-son pair for all the Commoners in the shop knew. Jonas was shocked at this master’s appearance, which had taken drastic changes in the last day. Not only was Louie groomed and clean, but he was wearing a navy sports suit that was handsome and refined for someone whose clothing was usually decades old and ridden with holes and stains.

“So, what's the game plan for today?” Jonas polished off his ice cream sundae while Old Louie sipped a whiskey. “You said we’d learn the new abilities.”

“We are,” Old Louie nodded. “Today, we'll play a game. If you win, I’ll help you brainstorm ways to raise a lot of stones for the tournament.”

“Seriously?” Jonas looked skeptical. “That sounds like a scam.”

“Not from me, it isn’t. We don’t have time to fuck around, and I already agreed to let you get your ass whooped in the Hardcore Hatchet Tournament. I messaged my contact, and they told me it costs one hundred and fifty thousand stones to join. That’s the most it's ever cost. The good news is if you win a few battles, you get your money back. Hatchet LLC uses the entrance fee to dissuade posers and shitty Sinners from joining.”

“That’s a lot of Sin Stones,” Jonas looked discouraged. “How can I come up with that in a few weeks?”

“With my secret money-making tips, that’s how,” Old Louie grinned. “However, you have to pass my game first.”

“Okay. I’ll play. What’s the game?”

“You close your eyes and try to block my attacks using Sin Sense. There’s a training spot for Sinners not far from here.”

“You’re going to blindfold me?” Jonas pursed his lips and looked unconvinced. “I thought Sin Sense was about enhancing your five senses with Sin?”

“Listen here. Sin Sense is about enhancing your senses as much as Sin Suppression is about pretending to be a Commoner. In other words, they’re related but not the end product.”

“Okay, that analogy works for me,” Jonas once thought Sin Suppression was as simple as forsaking his Sin Scars and acting like a Commoner. However, it took him time to realize it was much more about returning to his roots as a regular person and embracing the feelings of fear and weakness associated with non-Sinners living dangerous lives in Hell. Jonas readily accepted that Sin Sense wasn’t so simple either.

“Good,” Old Louie waved over at their server. “Pay the bill. We’re heading to our next destination.”