I'm pretty sure you're wrong here. If Contessa asks for information her Shard will give it to her directly since it's the most optimal path.
Any Means Necessary (Selfish OC SI, Multiverse) [In Tower of God]
- Thread starter Eiri Fllyn
- Start date
- Crossover
I'm pretty sure you're wrong here. If Contessa asks for information her Shard will give it to her directly since it's the most optimal path.
Putting in spoilers to avoid thread alerts:
It's true that I didn't read all of Worm, but I did fact check those things. So if you have citations to the contrary, I'd be happy to look at them.
The Madison portal(s) also go to Cauldron's compound before they moved it. That was the entire purpose of the Simurgh attack there, from Interlude 21.x. I'm not sure why it matters whether it went to Earth Aleph or not as well, or why the MC would feel the need to mention that.
The second part about Tattletale, I'm unable to find the specific citation, and I don't want to spend too much time on it. However, I think you're overestimating how long Endbringer fights are. Her power was shown in an interlude to be only usable for a short period every day, but she simply spreads them out. It's not a continuous timer. She can take 1 second to analyze something, then turn it off. She can also go over her limit with painkillers. As for whether she was overpowered, I can't agree with that, given that she came to the wrong conclusions.
The Madison portal(s) also go to Cauldron's compound before they moved it. That was the entire purpose of the Simurgh attack there, from Interlude 21.x. I'm not sure why it matters whether it went to Earth Aleph or not as well, or why the MC would feel the need to mention that.
The second part about Tattletale, I'm unable to find the specific citation, and I don't want to spend too much time on it. However, I think you're overestimating how long Endbringer fights are. Her power was shown in an interlude to be only usable for a short period every day, but she simply spreads them out. It's not a continuous timer. She can take 1 second to analyze something, then turn it off. She can also go over her limit with painkillers. As for whether she was overpowered, I can't agree with that, given that she came to the wrong conclusions.
The fanon parts don't really impact the story though? If there isn't explicit canon contradicting it, I have to do the worldbuilding myself, so I took whatever was available. Most of the rest of your comments are debatable, there is no clear canon for it. The Contessa part, that's not accurate. She states a goal and the Path answers with steps, but only for goals in the future. If she asks for a goal that's about information, the Path can either direct her to find out if the Path is blocked by anti-Thinker powers, or it will just tell her directly. This is because by asking for the steps to find out about information that isn't blocked by anti-Thinker powers, the final step includes the information she sought, so she already knows the conclusion and doesn't need to carry it out.
- Location
- USA
Do you have a canon example of that?
From Interlude 29:
Anyways, I appreciate your feedback but if you're going to point out contradictions with canon, it makes more sense for you to be the one to provide citations and evidence for what you're saying. That way I can look at it directly instead of searching for something that might not be there at all. In some cases, I would go with an AU too, if the canon won't work with this story. There's never a guarantee that any world MC visits is 100% canon, it may only diverge in places he hasn't noticed.
- Location
- USA
That's fair enough. I actually stopped at the end of the Worm section anyway. It felt like you got bored with it, rushed through a quick exponential power-ramp and ending, and moved on, and I'm not all that interested in reading about worlds I've never heard of before. I liked what you did with the Worm stuff for the most part, and I know you always intended on moving to a multiversal story, but the end of Arc 5 just felt unearned and the character moments were a Cliff's Notes version of how people change over YEARS all crammed into a day.
This probably would've been better either as a purely Worm story, or as a purely selfish MC who did NOT make any attachments or investment in Worm other than self-empowerment. As is, it's about half and half, so him suddenly pulling away and leaving drops many plot threads on the floor in favor of doing something different that honestly feels like an entirely different story. The fact that he already lost all of the stuff he stocked up does make things more difficult for him, which is not necessarily bad, but it feels like a reset to nothing yet still having plot baggage from the prior story segment. I don't think that this is anything you're unaware of, or that can be addressed at this late date, but it's why I stopped reading halfway through. Anyway, thanks for posting it and good luck with the rest.
This probably would've been better either as a purely Worm story, or as a purely selfish MC who did NOT make any attachments or investment in Worm other than self-empowerment. As is, it's about half and half, so him suddenly pulling away and leaving drops many plot threads on the floor in favor of doing something different that honestly feels like an entirely different story. The fact that he already lost all of the stuff he stocked up does make things more difficult for him, which is not necessarily bad, but it feels like a reset to nothing yet still having plot baggage from the prior story segment. I don't think that this is anything you're unaware of, or that can be addressed at this late date, but it's why I stopped reading halfway through. Anyway, thanks for posting it and good luck with the rest.
33 - Crown Game 3
33 - Crown Game 3
[Interlude]
Anak Zahard smirked as Baam's team was dominated by the other district's group. She knew they would get crushed, and then she'd get the Black March.
Even if the other group stole the Black March, Anak and Baam's bet had been made part of the rules of the game, backed by a Ranker. She could just imagine the look on the face of that smug spooky eyed girl's face when the Ranker took it away.
Then the timer started counting down, and they made no move to take the crown while Baam continued to lie on the throne unconscious.
"What? Why aren't they taking the crown?!"
Androssi looked up to their window and gave Anak a little wave and a smirk.
"That…that bitch!!! She knows about the bet?!" Anak yelled, enraged. "She's trying to make me lose!"
"It's your own fault for making the bet like that, Anak," said Hatsu heatedly. He was already extremely angry about Anak forgoing the team's interest for her own objectives.
"No, this isn't fair! Test Administrator, let me back out there! They can't win the Crown like that, if they fall unconscious, they should be considered knocked out!" Anak shouted towards Lero Ro while banging on the window.
"Haven't you messed things up for us enough already?!" Hatsu shouted. "Accept your own failures and learn from them you brat!"
"Shut up!!"
Meanwhile, Ship Leesoo was sweating buckets, saying nothing. His teammates were far stronger than he was and he had no intention of trying to get between them, or of going back out there.
'What the HELL was that? That girl is as strong as Anak, no, probably even stronger! She did all that WITHOUT an Ignition weapon, and while wearing freaking heels!! And that guy, if that girl was telling the truth, that's a real monster! Killing 300 Regulars in one move? And he's not just a brute either, I can't see through him at all!'
"Ahem! I am pausing the round," Lero Ro's voice announced. The timer froze. "Listen carefully!"
"There shall be a change to the rules," Lero Ro's voice rang out. "While it is technically possible for a contestant to retain the crown and sit on the throne without being conscious, it would be against the spirit of this game to allow them to win, if all of their members have been clearly defeated. A team should win on their own merits. I cannot allow the test to be accused of corruption, therefore if Baam's team retains the crown by the end of the game despite being unable to fight, there shall be no winner of the Crown game."
"YES!!" Anak cheered. "Take that, you little slut! The Black March will be MINE!"
Androssi looked outraged and almost ready to charge at Anak.
But then Lero Ro's voice continued. "However, due to a bet between two of the teams which I authorized earlier, another change is also necessary. The bet was such that if Baam's team won the Crown game, Baam would receive the Green April from Anak's team, while if they lost, Anak would receive the Black March from Baam's team. Androssi's team has taken the Black March but left the Crown alone with the intention of ensuring that Anak's team loses the bet so that they can keep the Black March themselves. Am I correct, Miss Androssi?"
"Yeah! We stole it fair and square!"
A number of other Regulars sweatdropped at the claim of stealing something fairly.
"Now, the bet was originally only between Anak's team and Baam's team. It would be unfair for me to give the Black March to Anak if Baam's team loses because of a change in the rules, but it would also be unfair for Anak to lose the Green April without a chance to fight back against a third party interfering in their bet instead of playing the Crown game normally. Therefore the final change I will make is this: Anak's team will be permitted to join the final round, but they will NOT be able to win the Crown game. They have already disqualified themselves earlier, and so they will only be allowed to compete for the sake of their bet, nothing more. The previous bet is still valid and will proceed normally. However, in the event that Baam's team retains the Crown without winning the Crown game, then whoever is in possession of the Black March at the end of the Crown game shall be allowed to keep it, regardless of the previous bet. As for the Green April, should Baam's team sit on the throne and be wearing the crown by the end of the game, then they will be considered to have won the bet even if they are not considered to have won the Crown game. Therefore, Miss Anak, you shall have a fair opportunity to protect your Green April, and Miss Androssi, you shall have a fair chance to keep the Black March. Now let's cont—"
"Wait, what happens if we decide to win the Crown game ourselves then? We only let Baam's team keep the crown because we thought you might take the Black March for the bet. But if we'll be allowed to keep it…"
"As I said, Miss Androssi, the new rules will only apply in the special case that Baam's team retains the Crown while unable to fight, winning their bet but still losing the game. If you win the Crown game for yourselves, the previous bet will apply, and the Black March will be given to Anak. While it is fair to use an opponent's weapon during the test itself, I cannot officially sanction blatant robbery. You will only be given the Black March if you assist Baam's team in winning their bet. Any more questions?"
"Hold on, don't we get a say in this?" Khun asked from his position lying on the ground. "Why should we hand over the Black March?"
"Well Mr. Khun, you can certainly refuse and let the previous bet proceed if that's what you really want. But if I forced them to return the Black March, that would mean that Miss Androssi's team will have no incentive to help you win the bet, and I imagine they would just take the Crown for themselves," said Lero Ro.
"Hell yea, we're not going to help you guys if we aren't getting anything out of it," Androssi added. "But if you agree to this deal, you can still win the Green April from that dumb lizard!"
"Fine! We agree," said Khun. Put that way, it was a pretty good trade. They could either lose without getting anything, or lose the Black March but get a weapon of comparable value to replace it. And it'd be easier to deal with Anak once she'd lost her Ignition weapon.
In fact, after he thought about it some more, it would even make sense to offer them another deal…
Anak clicked her tongue as she realized she wouldn't be getting an easy victory either. Now they'd have to fight the other team to stop Baam's team from winning the bet.
"Just be grateful you're getting a chance to fight at all," said Hatsu. "If we weren't allowed in, that other team would dominate for sure and you'd lose the Green April."
Then Lero Ro announced that the game was unpaused and the timer continued to count down towards the end of the fourth round.
"Huh? What is it?" Androssi asked, kneeling down when Khun gestured for her and her teammates to come closer.
"Listen, I'll make you guys a deal. Help us win the Crown game for real, and we'll also give you the Black March. You can't win the Crown game either way if you want the Black March, so why not help us out, and let us help fight in the next round? We'll even help you guys on the next floor, tell you what tests there are," Khun said in a very low voice.
"Eh…" Androssi looked over to the tall man in their group wearing a black visor. "Axion, this deal doesn't sound bad. But is it even possible for them to recover from your technique in time for the next round?"
"Sure. I wouldn't mind working with them either," said Axion.
"Then we have a deal?" Khun asked.
After that, the man touched each member of the downed team with a finger. Something tiny extended outwards from the finger and pricked their skin like a needle, injecting a cure. It wasn't long before they all woke up or got back up.
When Leesoo saw this, his expression fell further in despair.
"They're working together now! We don't stand a chance!" He cried out.
"Shut up! I'll defeat them all!" Anak exclaimed.
O O O
[Kaleidus]
The change in the rules was unexpected, but made little difference. Rachel and I weren't going to let Baam's team win and move up anyways, and even if Lero Ro hadn't changed the rules, Yu Han Sung probably would have done something to stop them from going up.
Now there was a chance for Androssi to keep the Black March though, so all in all, we benefited from the change.
Khun's offer made sense from a rational perspective, if we were normal contestants, though I didn't plan to follow through on it because we couldn't let them move up yet.
We made our way back to our own waiting room to wait for the next round once the timer signaled the end of the fourth. According to the rules, the teams which did not voluntarily forfeit before a round ended or get disqualified by being knocked out and/or losing the crown or throne could hit the buzzer again to join future rounds. We even had priority because we'd participated before, if multiple teams hit their buzzers simultaneously.
When the final round began, four teams plus Anak's team entered, bringing the total including Baam's team as the winners of the previous round to six teams.
The other three teams were new, but I didn't see anyone I recognized except our Guide, Hwaryun, in her mask and leotard.
Perhaps fate would give her that injury again, despite my efforts.
As soon as the round began, Anak made a mad dash for Baam.
Khun went to intercept.
Androssi got there faster.
"Ignite!" Anak's Green April whipped out and it decompressed a huge segment which crashed into Androssi.
She defended with the Black March but was still blown away. But she also sent out her discs to attack Anak, which forced her to grow additional sections from the Green April's hook.
A quarter of the arena was quickly covered by the Green April, and the team near her got hit and wiped out just like that.
Meanwhile, Hwaryun was also on the offensive, rapidly using martial arts and Shinsoo manipulation with her staff to take out another team all by herself.
Her abilities at this time were actually quite impressive compared to the other Regulars, able to fight on even footing with Androssi, at least when Androssi was playing around. I wasn't sure what her plan was though, now that Anak's team was also in here.
Androssi quickly recovered and charged Anak again, dodging all the Green April's spikes.
Their battle soon covered the whole arena in Green April segments, giving it the appearance of a forest .
Hatsu dashed for Baam while the two princesses were engaged in a furious melee.
Khun and Rak both intercepted him.
"Sword That Flies Higher Than Any!" Hatsu threw the sword into the air while drawing a second sword. The first sword kept Rak at bay while his second sword clashed with Khun's longsword.
"Sword That Flies Lower Than Any!" Hatsu swung hard and unleashed a blast wave into Khun.
"Shit!"
Khun was blown away. Then Rak was also blown away in short order.
"Ahh!!!" Leesoo was sent flying into Hatsu by Hwaryun.
Hatsu caught him and then faced the incoming masked Guide.
A deadly exchange followed, with Hwaryun expertly avoiding or blocking the strikes from both his swords.
"You're good!" Hatsu complimented. "But it won't be enough! Spectral Dance, First Strike!"
He entered into a new stance then slashed at Hwaryun, unleashing a wave of Shinsoo.
The Hwaryun dodged, but only barely. The attack went on to hit her teammates behind her, who had tried to join the fray.
It sliced through one of them, cutting his left arm off as he screamed, while the other was blown away by the sheer air pressure and sent into a wall, unconscious.
Rachel and I made our way to the throne unchallenged.
"…Rachel?" Baam tried to ask, but got ignored.
Hatsu and Hwaryun continued their battle, but they seemed evenly matched, neither able to get the drop on the other.
Androssi and Anak were similarly locked in battle. Androssi tripped on her heels and got hit by the Green April again, but she was durable enough that she simply bounced back.
"Hand over the Black March, bitch!" Anak yelled.
"Not on your life, you fake!"
Leesoo quietly made his way over towards the throne while the others were distracted.
I turned to look at him.
He jumped in fright. "Hiiieee!!" While mid-air, he made a bunch of martial arts poses and kept moving towards us while posturing.
"You really want to face my deadly martial arts?! I bet you're nothing but a big bluff! 300 Regulars in one move…pshhh! If you're really that strong, why even resort to tricks and invisible attacks?"
I turned away, pretending to ignore him in favor of watching the other fights.
Leesoo circled around slowly while continuously posturing, but not actually getting any closer.
"What's wrong huh?! You scared of me? Hah! I knew it!"
Then Rak came up behind him and pummeled him into the ground.
"What a loud turtle."
Suddenly Hwaryun abandoned her fight and charged towards Baam.
Hatsu followed too, but he didn't look like he had any intent to stop her. Instead, he was coming right at me.
Of course, their team wanted Baam off the throne, so Hatsu had no reason to interfere with Hwaryun if she didn't pick a fight with him.
Khun and Rak went to protect Baam while I considered what to do next.
Hatsu was a surprisingly powerful opponent. That move of his, the Spectral Dance as he called it, looked like it could do some real damage to me. His greatest advantage was his swordsmanship right now, though. His actual speed, strength, and durability weren't as high as Androssi or Anak, he simply made up the difference with sheer skill.
The problem was that Hwaryun would most likely overpower Khun and Rak pretty quick, and I couldn't protect Rachel while engaging with Hatsu. Then Hwaryun would probably execute her plan to fake an attack on Rachel, provoking Baam to respond, baiting him off the throne and costing them the game.
That way, our conspiracy could proceed to the Position Test.
But I didn't want her to do that. I agreed to Khun's deal because I wanted a better chance of keeping the Black March. And unlike the hype that Androssi built up for me, I wasn't sure if we could defeat Anak and Hatsu by ourselves, so Khun and Rak's participation would be helpful.
Now if Hwaryun went through with that plan, Baam leaving the throne meant they would lose the bet, and we'd lose the Black March by extension. Not only that, Hwaryun herself would probably get blinded in one eye, reducing her combat potential in the future.
Even worse, it was entirely possible that by random chance, she wouldn't get blinded in one eye, but would actually receive a much worse injury. The eye was a part of the head after all, and all too close to the brain…
That would in turn make things far more dangerous for me. She and Yu Han Sung were the only things standing between me and the rest of FUG. If either one of them suffered a major setback, their influence within FUG would weaken, and I would be at risk of discovery and attempts to enslave or assassinate me for being an Irregular.
So if I did nothing, things might proceed as they did in canon, but it was far from ideal.
I wanted Hwaryun to not be maimed, to keep Baam from moving to the next floor, and keep the Black March, preferably all at once, or in that order of priority.
To achieve the optimal outcome, I needed to stop Hwaryun, protect Rachel, and ensure that none of Baam's team remained able to fight by the end of this round, while keeping Baam on the throne safe from Anak and Hatsu.
Quite a tall order.
O O O
[Interlude]
Axion drew his crystal sword almost silently.
Hatsu slowed down and adjusted his stance warily. He could not take this opponent lightly. The way the man fought before, Hatsu had barely had a chance to gauge his skill.
He hadn't shown any swordsmanship besides swinging his sword to unleash powerful Shinsoo attacks. But Hatsu had seen him crush the alligator Regular's weapon bare handed without any apparent effort whatsoever.
But he hadn't merely bent the metal spear or broken it into halves, he somehow crushed it into pieces. The awkward angle at which he had exerted force on the spear…it just didn't make sense.
Metal should have been compressed, not shattered like that. And Hatsu had a good eye for weapons, he knew that Rak's spear wasn't a hollow piece of junk, it was high quality gear.
The only explanation was that the man had used Shinsoo to do it. But being able to use concentrated Shinsoo in such a small space, without revealing any signs of it…that was far more dangerous than sheer strength.
It meant that a single touch from him could be lethal, if he used the same technique on the body.
Just like the invisible attack that Khun had suffered earlier, this was another bit of multi-layered deception.
At first glance, one might assume that the "real attack" was the hidden one. But when Hatsu thought about it carefully, that didn't make sense. Axion's "obvious" attack, what he'd called the Slash Wave technique, was too…obviously weak. If he really wanted to hide the "real" hidden attack, then he should have used a much stronger obvious attack to disguise it.
Instead, he seemed to deliberately bait people into realizing there was a "hidden" attack, while taking attention away from the fact that his "obvious" attack could be way stronger than he'd shown. Just like how he then defeated Baam with a much stronger technique.
In other words, someone who thought themselves clever might assume that Axion was using trickery to make up for the lack of true power, but in reality, he was using trickery to make people think that he needed to rely on trickery!
Even with the overwhelming power he had shown, this monster was actually trying to pretend to be weaker than he actually was!
Hatsu spared a glance over to the leotard wearing opponent he'd been fighting earlier. She was also quite strong, and seemed to be about to defeat Khun and Rak.
Good. All he would need to do is buy enough time for her to get to Baam and take the crown.
Then, the swordsman's face turned into one of confusion as Axion moved towards Baam, as if preparing to attack him.
"Mr-Mr. Axion?!" Baam cried in surprise as the armoured man approached.
"What are you doing?!" Khun yelled. "We had a deal!"
Hwaryun seized the moment of distraction and knocked Khun on the head, sending him into blissful unconsciousness.
Then Axion held his free hand out, and from his wrist a large cloud of hazy white gas shot at Baam, and continued to spray all over the throne.
"Ah…? What's…this?" Baam coughed a bit, then collapsed unconscious again.
Everybody stopped fighting to see what was going on.
"I advise you all to stay away from the throne," said Axion, crossing his arms and standing in front of the massive and expanding cloud of gas. "This gas is highly poisonous and will kill you slowly and painfully, unless you receive the antidote from me. Baam's team will be fine, but for the rest of you, even if you take the crown, you will die after this game."
Then he turned to look at the masked Regular. "And just so you know…you don't need to breathe it in to be affected. The gas can easily permeate through your clothes."
There was silence in the arena for a moment.
"Hah! You think that means anything? Did you forget I can attack everywhere from anywhere?!" Anak yelled and followed up blowing Androssi away with an explosion of vine-like hooks, then took aim at the throne with a single massive attack.
Axion was unfazed at the incoming decompressed hook and merely raised his sword.
"Boost, Sword Aura, Level Five."
"Awww yeah!!! You got it, Partner!" The sword shouted gleefully.
Blue glowing lines like circuitry started moving up the visible skin on his face. An intense golden light enshrouded the sword, and a similar glow covered the man himself.
He swung down at the Green April's extension.
A loud clang rang throughout the arena even as the ground gave way beneath Axion. His feet dug in and he was pushed back, but he managed to completely block the powerful Ignition weapon.
"What? How can you be blocking the Green April? It's an A-Rank weapon when Ignited!" Anak shouted in disbelief.
But Axion didn't stop there. He pressed forward and downwards, sweeping the Green April's branch aside.
"A weapon is only as strong as its wielder, little girl! You've got a powerful weapon, but you can only use a fraction of its true potential!" The living sword shouted with laughter.
Axion then shot towards Anak so fast Hatsu could barely track it. He had to be moving more than twice as fast Androssi or Anak, the two Regulars he had thought were the fastest contestants around!
Anak's eyes widened as she tried to bring up the Green April to defend, but it was too late.
"Release."
Axion reached Anak in the blink of an eye and swung.
When the sword made contact, energy spilled out in an arc and crashed into the princess, sending her flying into a wall, then breaking through it entirely out of the arena, while making a large smoking gouge in the ground.
The Green April clattered to the ground, losing its Ignition, as Anak had lost her grip on it.
Hatsu, like everyone else, merely stood frozen in shock.
Even Androssi looked somewhat stunned at the sight.
Axion picked up the Green April as the yellow glow left his body.
There was no sign of Anak coming back to stop him.
Axion turned around to face the other Regulars near the throne.
"How about you, then? Will you ignite for me, Green April?" He asked aloud.
"Wait, we surrender! We surrender!!!" Leesoo yelled out while running for the exit.
Hatsu swallowed hard, and he realized his hands were shaking. Even though he could've launched a ranged Shinsoo attack at the throne himself while Axion was busy with Anak, all that time, he had never even tried. The fear had paralyzed him.
He glanced around, seeing that unlike him, the leotard wearing Regular had taken the chance to knock out the huge alligator while everybody was distracted watching Axion.
What a shameful performance on his part, he thought. He raised his own hands in a gesture of surrender and quietly walked after Leesoo.
Axion shook his head as if disappointed.
"Are you still going to fight?" Axion asked the masked Regular whose staff floated behind her. "It looks like your teammates are already done."
True to his words, the other teammates she'd had were weak and had been easily taken out at some point during the chaotic battle.
Hwaryun didn't care about winning though. She only cared about the mission's objectives. Now that all of Baam's team had been knocked unconscious, they wouldn't qualify to advance to the next floor. The mission was complete.
"No. I concede." She took off her mask and let her long red hair fall out.
"Congratulations on a perfect victory, Mr. Axion," her voice was soft and barely audible as she walked past him with a slight smirk. "It was beyond my expectations."
[Interlude]
Anak Zahard smirked as Baam's team was dominated by the other district's group. She knew they would get crushed, and then she'd get the Black March.
Even if the other group stole the Black March, Anak and Baam's bet had been made part of the rules of the game, backed by a Ranker. She could just imagine the look on the face of that smug spooky eyed girl's face when the Ranker took it away.
Then the timer started counting down, and they made no move to take the crown while Baam continued to lie on the throne unconscious.
"What? Why aren't they taking the crown?!"
Androssi looked up to their window and gave Anak a little wave and a smirk.
"That…that bitch!!! She knows about the bet?!" Anak yelled, enraged. "She's trying to make me lose!"
"It's your own fault for making the bet like that, Anak," said Hatsu heatedly. He was already extremely angry about Anak forgoing the team's interest for her own objectives.
"No, this isn't fair! Test Administrator, let me back out there! They can't win the Crown like that, if they fall unconscious, they should be considered knocked out!" Anak shouted towards Lero Ro while banging on the window.
"Haven't you messed things up for us enough already?!" Hatsu shouted. "Accept your own failures and learn from them you brat!"
"Shut up!!"
Meanwhile, Ship Leesoo was sweating buckets, saying nothing. His teammates were far stronger than he was and he had no intention of trying to get between them, or of going back out there.
'What the HELL was that? That girl is as strong as Anak, no, probably even stronger! She did all that WITHOUT an Ignition weapon, and while wearing freaking heels!! And that guy, if that girl was telling the truth, that's a real monster! Killing 300 Regulars in one move? And he's not just a brute either, I can't see through him at all!'
"Ahem! I am pausing the round," Lero Ro's voice announced. The timer froze. "Listen carefully!"
"There shall be a change to the rules," Lero Ro's voice rang out. "While it is technically possible for a contestant to retain the crown and sit on the throne without being conscious, it would be against the spirit of this game to allow them to win, if all of their members have been clearly defeated. A team should win on their own merits. I cannot allow the test to be accused of corruption, therefore if Baam's team retains the crown by the end of the game despite being unable to fight, there shall be no winner of the Crown game."
"YES!!" Anak cheered. "Take that, you little slut! The Black March will be MINE!"
Androssi looked outraged and almost ready to charge at Anak.
But then Lero Ro's voice continued. "However, due to a bet between two of the teams which I authorized earlier, another change is also necessary. The bet was such that if Baam's team won the Crown game, Baam would receive the Green April from Anak's team, while if they lost, Anak would receive the Black March from Baam's team. Androssi's team has taken the Black March but left the Crown alone with the intention of ensuring that Anak's team loses the bet so that they can keep the Black March themselves. Am I correct, Miss Androssi?"
"Yeah! We stole it fair and square!"
A number of other Regulars sweatdropped at the claim of stealing something fairly.
"Now, the bet was originally only between Anak's team and Baam's team. It would be unfair for me to give the Black March to Anak if Baam's team loses because of a change in the rules, but it would also be unfair for Anak to lose the Green April without a chance to fight back against a third party interfering in their bet instead of playing the Crown game normally. Therefore the final change I will make is this: Anak's team will be permitted to join the final round, but they will NOT be able to win the Crown game. They have already disqualified themselves earlier, and so they will only be allowed to compete for the sake of their bet, nothing more. The previous bet is still valid and will proceed normally. However, in the event that Baam's team retains the Crown without winning the Crown game, then whoever is in possession of the Black March at the end of the Crown game shall be allowed to keep it, regardless of the previous bet. As for the Green April, should Baam's team sit on the throne and be wearing the crown by the end of the game, then they will be considered to have won the bet even if they are not considered to have won the Crown game. Therefore, Miss Anak, you shall have a fair opportunity to protect your Green April, and Miss Androssi, you shall have a fair chance to keep the Black March. Now let's cont—"
"Wait, what happens if we decide to win the Crown game ourselves then? We only let Baam's team keep the crown because we thought you might take the Black March for the bet. But if we'll be allowed to keep it…"
"As I said, Miss Androssi, the new rules will only apply in the special case that Baam's team retains the Crown while unable to fight, winning their bet but still losing the game. If you win the Crown game for yourselves, the previous bet will apply, and the Black March will be given to Anak. While it is fair to use an opponent's weapon during the test itself, I cannot officially sanction blatant robbery. You will only be given the Black March if you assist Baam's team in winning their bet. Any more questions?"
"Hold on, don't we get a say in this?" Khun asked from his position lying on the ground. "Why should we hand over the Black March?"
"Well Mr. Khun, you can certainly refuse and let the previous bet proceed if that's what you really want. But if I forced them to return the Black March, that would mean that Miss Androssi's team will have no incentive to help you win the bet, and I imagine they would just take the Crown for themselves," said Lero Ro.
"Hell yea, we're not going to help you guys if we aren't getting anything out of it," Androssi added. "But if you agree to this deal, you can still win the Green April from that dumb lizard!"
"Fine! We agree," said Khun. Put that way, it was a pretty good trade. They could either lose without getting anything, or lose the Black March but get a weapon of comparable value to replace it. And it'd be easier to deal with Anak once she'd lost her Ignition weapon.
In fact, after he thought about it some more, it would even make sense to offer them another deal…
Anak clicked her tongue as she realized she wouldn't be getting an easy victory either. Now they'd have to fight the other team to stop Baam's team from winning the bet.
"Just be grateful you're getting a chance to fight at all," said Hatsu. "If we weren't allowed in, that other team would dominate for sure and you'd lose the Green April."
Then Lero Ro announced that the game was unpaused and the timer continued to count down towards the end of the fourth round.
"Huh? What is it?" Androssi asked, kneeling down when Khun gestured for her and her teammates to come closer.
"Listen, I'll make you guys a deal. Help us win the Crown game for real, and we'll also give you the Black March. You can't win the Crown game either way if you want the Black March, so why not help us out, and let us help fight in the next round? We'll even help you guys on the next floor, tell you what tests there are," Khun said in a very low voice.
"Eh…" Androssi looked over to the tall man in their group wearing a black visor. "Axion, this deal doesn't sound bad. But is it even possible for them to recover from your technique in time for the next round?"
"Sure. I wouldn't mind working with them either," said Axion.
"Then we have a deal?" Khun asked.
After that, the man touched each member of the downed team with a finger. Something tiny extended outwards from the finger and pricked their skin like a needle, injecting a cure. It wasn't long before they all woke up or got back up.
When Leesoo saw this, his expression fell further in despair.
"They're working together now! We don't stand a chance!" He cried out.
"Shut up! I'll defeat them all!" Anak exclaimed.
O O O
[Kaleidus]
The change in the rules was unexpected, but made little difference. Rachel and I weren't going to let Baam's team win and move up anyways, and even if Lero Ro hadn't changed the rules, Yu Han Sung probably would have done something to stop them from going up.
Now there was a chance for Androssi to keep the Black March though, so all in all, we benefited from the change.
Khun's offer made sense from a rational perspective, if we were normal contestants, though I didn't plan to follow through on it because we couldn't let them move up yet.
We made our way back to our own waiting room to wait for the next round once the timer signaled the end of the fourth. According to the rules, the teams which did not voluntarily forfeit before a round ended or get disqualified by being knocked out and/or losing the crown or throne could hit the buzzer again to join future rounds. We even had priority because we'd participated before, if multiple teams hit their buzzers simultaneously.
When the final round began, four teams plus Anak's team entered, bringing the total including Baam's team as the winners of the previous round to six teams.
The other three teams were new, but I didn't see anyone I recognized except our Guide, Hwaryun, in her mask and leotard.
Perhaps fate would give her that injury again, despite my efforts.
As soon as the round began, Anak made a mad dash for Baam.
Khun went to intercept.
Androssi got there faster.
"Ignite!" Anak's Green April whipped out and it decompressed a huge segment which crashed into Androssi.
She defended with the Black March but was still blown away. But she also sent out her discs to attack Anak, which forced her to grow additional sections from the Green April's hook.
A quarter of the arena was quickly covered by the Green April, and the team near her got hit and wiped out just like that.
Meanwhile, Hwaryun was also on the offensive, rapidly using martial arts and Shinsoo manipulation with her staff to take out another team all by herself.
Her abilities at this time were actually quite impressive compared to the other Regulars, able to fight on even footing with Androssi, at least when Androssi was playing around. I wasn't sure what her plan was though, now that Anak's team was also in here.
Androssi quickly recovered and charged Anak again, dodging all the Green April's spikes.
Their battle soon covered the whole arena in Green April segments, giving it the appearance of a forest .
Hatsu dashed for Baam while the two princesses were engaged in a furious melee.
Khun and Rak both intercepted him.
"Sword That Flies Higher Than Any!" Hatsu threw the sword into the air while drawing a second sword. The first sword kept Rak at bay while his second sword clashed with Khun's longsword.
"Sword That Flies Lower Than Any!" Hatsu swung hard and unleashed a blast wave into Khun.
"Shit!"
Khun was blown away. Then Rak was also blown away in short order.
"Ahh!!!" Leesoo was sent flying into Hatsu by Hwaryun.
Hatsu caught him and then faced the incoming masked Guide.
A deadly exchange followed, with Hwaryun expertly avoiding or blocking the strikes from both his swords.
"You're good!" Hatsu complimented. "But it won't be enough! Spectral Dance, First Strike!"
He entered into a new stance then slashed at Hwaryun, unleashing a wave of Shinsoo.
The Hwaryun dodged, but only barely. The attack went on to hit her teammates behind her, who had tried to join the fray.
It sliced through one of them, cutting his left arm off as he screamed, while the other was blown away by the sheer air pressure and sent into a wall, unconscious.
Rachel and I made our way to the throne unchallenged.
"…Rachel?" Baam tried to ask, but got ignored.
Hatsu and Hwaryun continued their battle, but they seemed evenly matched, neither able to get the drop on the other.
Androssi and Anak were similarly locked in battle. Androssi tripped on her heels and got hit by the Green April again, but she was durable enough that she simply bounced back.
"Hand over the Black March, bitch!" Anak yelled.
"Not on your life, you fake!"
Leesoo quietly made his way over towards the throne while the others were distracted.
I turned to look at him.
He jumped in fright. "Hiiieee!!" While mid-air, he made a bunch of martial arts poses and kept moving towards us while posturing.
"You really want to face my deadly martial arts?! I bet you're nothing but a big bluff! 300 Regulars in one move…pshhh! If you're really that strong, why even resort to tricks and invisible attacks?"
I turned away, pretending to ignore him in favor of watching the other fights.
Leesoo circled around slowly while continuously posturing, but not actually getting any closer.
"What's wrong huh?! You scared of me? Hah! I knew it!"
Then Rak came up behind him and pummeled him into the ground.
"What a loud turtle."
Suddenly Hwaryun abandoned her fight and charged towards Baam.
Hatsu followed too, but he didn't look like he had any intent to stop her. Instead, he was coming right at me.
Of course, their team wanted Baam off the throne, so Hatsu had no reason to interfere with Hwaryun if she didn't pick a fight with him.
Khun and Rak went to protect Baam while I considered what to do next.
Hatsu was a surprisingly powerful opponent. That move of his, the Spectral Dance as he called it, looked like it could do some real damage to me. His greatest advantage was his swordsmanship right now, though. His actual speed, strength, and durability weren't as high as Androssi or Anak, he simply made up the difference with sheer skill.
The problem was that Hwaryun would most likely overpower Khun and Rak pretty quick, and I couldn't protect Rachel while engaging with Hatsu. Then Hwaryun would probably execute her plan to fake an attack on Rachel, provoking Baam to respond, baiting him off the throne and costing them the game.
That way, our conspiracy could proceed to the Position Test.
But I didn't want her to do that. I agreed to Khun's deal because I wanted a better chance of keeping the Black March. And unlike the hype that Androssi built up for me, I wasn't sure if we could defeat Anak and Hatsu by ourselves, so Khun and Rak's participation would be helpful.
Now if Hwaryun went through with that plan, Baam leaving the throne meant they would lose the bet, and we'd lose the Black March by extension. Not only that, Hwaryun herself would probably get blinded in one eye, reducing her combat potential in the future.
Even worse, it was entirely possible that by random chance, she wouldn't get blinded in one eye, but would actually receive a much worse injury. The eye was a part of the head after all, and all too close to the brain…
That would in turn make things far more dangerous for me. She and Yu Han Sung were the only things standing between me and the rest of FUG. If either one of them suffered a major setback, their influence within FUG would weaken, and I would be at risk of discovery and attempts to enslave or assassinate me for being an Irregular.
So if I did nothing, things might proceed as they did in canon, but it was far from ideal.
I wanted Hwaryun to not be maimed, to keep Baam from moving to the next floor, and keep the Black March, preferably all at once, or in that order of priority.
To achieve the optimal outcome, I needed to stop Hwaryun, protect Rachel, and ensure that none of Baam's team remained able to fight by the end of this round, while keeping Baam on the throne safe from Anak and Hatsu.
Quite a tall order.
O O O
[Interlude]
Axion drew his crystal sword almost silently.
Hatsu slowed down and adjusted his stance warily. He could not take this opponent lightly. The way the man fought before, Hatsu had barely had a chance to gauge his skill.
He hadn't shown any swordsmanship besides swinging his sword to unleash powerful Shinsoo attacks. But Hatsu had seen him crush the alligator Regular's weapon bare handed without any apparent effort whatsoever.
But he hadn't merely bent the metal spear or broken it into halves, he somehow crushed it into pieces. The awkward angle at which he had exerted force on the spear…it just didn't make sense.
Metal should have been compressed, not shattered like that. And Hatsu had a good eye for weapons, he knew that Rak's spear wasn't a hollow piece of junk, it was high quality gear.
The only explanation was that the man had used Shinsoo to do it. But being able to use concentrated Shinsoo in such a small space, without revealing any signs of it…that was far more dangerous than sheer strength.
It meant that a single touch from him could be lethal, if he used the same technique on the body.
Just like the invisible attack that Khun had suffered earlier, this was another bit of multi-layered deception.
At first glance, one might assume that the "real attack" was the hidden one. But when Hatsu thought about it carefully, that didn't make sense. Axion's "obvious" attack, what he'd called the Slash Wave technique, was too…obviously weak. If he really wanted to hide the "real" hidden attack, then he should have used a much stronger obvious attack to disguise it.
Instead, he seemed to deliberately bait people into realizing there was a "hidden" attack, while taking attention away from the fact that his "obvious" attack could be way stronger than he'd shown. Just like how he then defeated Baam with a much stronger technique.
In other words, someone who thought themselves clever might assume that Axion was using trickery to make up for the lack of true power, but in reality, he was using trickery to make people think that he needed to rely on trickery!
Even with the overwhelming power he had shown, this monster was actually trying to pretend to be weaker than he actually was!
Hatsu spared a glance over to the leotard wearing opponent he'd been fighting earlier. She was also quite strong, and seemed to be about to defeat Khun and Rak.
Good. All he would need to do is buy enough time for her to get to Baam and take the crown.
Then, the swordsman's face turned into one of confusion as Axion moved towards Baam, as if preparing to attack him.
"Mr-Mr. Axion?!" Baam cried in surprise as the armoured man approached.
"What are you doing?!" Khun yelled. "We had a deal!"
Hwaryun seized the moment of distraction and knocked Khun on the head, sending him into blissful unconsciousness.
Then Axion held his free hand out, and from his wrist a large cloud of hazy white gas shot at Baam, and continued to spray all over the throne.
"Ah…? What's…this?" Baam coughed a bit, then collapsed unconscious again.
Everybody stopped fighting to see what was going on.
"I advise you all to stay away from the throne," said Axion, crossing his arms and standing in front of the massive and expanding cloud of gas. "This gas is highly poisonous and will kill you slowly and painfully, unless you receive the antidote from me. Baam's team will be fine, but for the rest of you, even if you take the crown, you will die after this game."
Then he turned to look at the masked Regular. "And just so you know…you don't need to breathe it in to be affected. The gas can easily permeate through your clothes."
There was silence in the arena for a moment.
"Hah! You think that means anything? Did you forget I can attack everywhere from anywhere?!" Anak yelled and followed up blowing Androssi away with an explosion of vine-like hooks, then took aim at the throne with a single massive attack.
Axion was unfazed at the incoming decompressed hook and merely raised his sword.
"Boost, Sword Aura, Level Five."
"Awww yeah!!! You got it, Partner!" The sword shouted gleefully.
Blue glowing lines like circuitry started moving up the visible skin on his face. An intense golden light enshrouded the sword, and a similar glow covered the man himself.
He swung down at the Green April's extension.
A loud clang rang throughout the arena even as the ground gave way beneath Axion. His feet dug in and he was pushed back, but he managed to completely block the powerful Ignition weapon.
"What? How can you be blocking the Green April? It's an A-Rank weapon when Ignited!" Anak shouted in disbelief.
But Axion didn't stop there. He pressed forward and downwards, sweeping the Green April's branch aside.
"A weapon is only as strong as its wielder, little girl! You've got a powerful weapon, but you can only use a fraction of its true potential!" The living sword shouted with laughter.
Axion then shot towards Anak so fast Hatsu could barely track it. He had to be moving more than twice as fast Androssi or Anak, the two Regulars he had thought were the fastest contestants around!
Anak's eyes widened as she tried to bring up the Green April to defend, but it was too late.
"Release."
Axion reached Anak in the blink of an eye and swung.
When the sword made contact, energy spilled out in an arc and crashed into the princess, sending her flying into a wall, then breaking through it entirely out of the arena, while making a large smoking gouge in the ground.
The Green April clattered to the ground, losing its Ignition, as Anak had lost her grip on it.
Hatsu, like everyone else, merely stood frozen in shock.
Even Androssi looked somewhat stunned at the sight.
Axion picked up the Green April as the yellow glow left his body.
There was no sign of Anak coming back to stop him.
Axion turned around to face the other Regulars near the throne.
"How about you, then? Will you ignite for me, Green April?" He asked aloud.
"Wait, we surrender! We surrender!!!" Leesoo yelled out while running for the exit.
Hatsu swallowed hard, and he realized his hands were shaking. Even though he could've launched a ranged Shinsoo attack at the throne himself while Axion was busy with Anak, all that time, he had never even tried. The fear had paralyzed him.
He glanced around, seeing that unlike him, the leotard wearing Regular had taken the chance to knock out the huge alligator while everybody was distracted watching Axion.
What a shameful performance on his part, he thought. He raised his own hands in a gesture of surrender and quietly walked after Leesoo.
Axion shook his head as if disappointed.
"Are you still going to fight?" Axion asked the masked Regular whose staff floated behind her. "It looks like your teammates are already done."
True to his words, the other teammates she'd had were weak and had been easily taken out at some point during the chaotic battle.
Hwaryun didn't care about winning though. She only cared about the mission's objectives. Now that all of Baam's team had been knocked unconscious, they wouldn't qualify to advance to the next floor. The mission was complete.
"No. I concede." She took off her mask and let her long red hair fall out.
"Congratulations on a perfect victory, Mr. Axion," her voice was soft and barely audible as she walked past him with a slight smirk. "It was beyond my expectations."
- Location
- New York
Alls going according to plan? Ironically, I personally despise action scenes and love planning but your writing is so superb, I find myself sucked into the violence as well. Can't wait to see what happens next (And what are you going to do with Green April? Can the mc use it, or are you going to give it to your ally as another gift? Quite frankly, at that point she would be frothing at the mouth in gratitude.)
34 - Rest 2F
34 - Rest 2F
[Interlude]
The Crown game ended with no winner. The participants were each given a room to rest in before the next test.
The unconscious Regulars were all carried away, though Baam was only unconscious because of Axion's gas so he was woken up quickly.
Lero Ro announced that all the teams were now disbanded for the next portion of the tests, so everyone could go their own way.
Once most of the Regulars left or were carried away, Lero Ro oversaw the completion of the bet.
Lero Ro handed Baam the Green April and explained to him in brief terms what happened after he fell unconscious, and confirmed that Androssi could keep the Black March before leaving them.
Baam looked at the Green April in his hands, the Black March Androssi was carrying, and the rest of Androssi's team.
His gaze lingered on the girl who looked like Rachel, but she quickly left the area on her own. Then he turned back to Axion and Androssi.
Then he bowed. "Thank you very much for helping me, Miss Androssi and Mr. Axion."
"Don't thank me, thank her," she said, pointing to the quickly retreating and cloaked Rachel. "She's the one that wanted to help you. Don't know why she ran off like that. I was just in it for the Black March," said Androssi.
"Hey Baam. How about a trade? Give us the Green April in exchange for Black March," Axion said suddenly.
"Huh? Why?" Androssi asked.
"The Black March won't let you use it, Androssi. The Green April might."
"I don't want to use something that lizard used! And I don't need you to make decisions for me!" She said with a glare toward her teammate.
"Well, it's your choice, but you do realize the real owner of the Black March is going to come looking for it soon? And you aren't going to stand a chance against her," Axion said.
"The real owner, huh?" Androssi's eyes flashed with something indiscernible.
"Ah…yeah. I've got to return it to Miss Yuri," said Baam with an honest expression. "I would be grateful if we could trade it back…"
"That's right…Yuri Zahard. The only Zahard's princess to receive a 13 month series in the last 500 years. A prodigy Fisherman that became a High Ranker in less than a hundred years, and feared by young Rankers for her vicious temper," Androssi said slowly. "So why would she lend it to a random kid like you?"
"Um…I don't really know. She just showed up all of a sudden…and gave it to me," said Baam nervously.
"Tch, whatever, let's trade then!" Androssi suddenly handed the Black March over and took the Green April.
O O O
[Kaleidus]
"So…the teams are disbanded," said Androssi, after we said goodbye to Baam.
We started walking away from the arena as well, with no particular destination in mind.
"So it seems," I said.
In the distance, Baam went running after the Rachel, who sped up to get away.
"Oh…that's cute," said Androssi, seeing Baam chase Rachel. "Why'd she run off like that, after trying to help him?"
"She doesn't want him to get hurt, but she doesn't want him to keep following her up the Tower either," I said.
"Isn't it romantic? To have a guy risking his life, chasing the girl he likes up the Tower?"
"Maybe. Or maybe he's being a creepy stalker," I said.
"He's not that kind of guy. Can't you tell? He's so innocent," said Androssi.
I shrugged. "Whatever you say."
"I'm guessing you're going to keep helping that girl as part of Headon's deal?" Androssi said while flowing a hand over the Green April as if examining it.
"Maybe. What's it to you? The teams are disbanded. Are you trying to figure out what your competition is going to look like in the upcoming test?"
"Oh come on. You helped me get the Black March, and even advised me to swap it. You treated me as a real teammate, and I'm not the type of girl to just ignore that," she said, brushing back her hair to give me a sidelong glance.
"I gave them to you because they wouldn't let me use them. Otherwise I'd have kept them myself," I said honestly. "If I can't use them, might as well give it to somebody on the team that can."
"There's a pretty girl trying to thank you here! Can't you take a hint and say something sweet, like you did earlier after the first test?"
"Compliments are cheap if you can just fish for them."
She growled. "Fishing, am I?"
"Besides, I wouldn't want a relationship built on lies, would you? I even tried to ignite those weapons myself right in front of you, are you just going to pretend you didn't see that?" I added.
Although Androssi liked having admirers, that wasn't an appropriate role for the current me to take, given the level of strength I had shown. She was likely much more wary of me than she showed. A bit of occasional flattery and playful flirting would be responded to in kind, but if I tried to take it in a more serious direction alarms would probably start going off in her head, even if she was the one that invited me to do it.
"So you want a relationship built on trust? By the way, you know I'm not allowed to date, right?" she said slyly.
"I hear that strict families just make bad girls more rebellious in secret," I said.
"It's a little hard to be rebellious when daddy is the King of the whole Tower," said Androssi. "And the guys with good sense stay away, if they want to keep their heads on their shoulders."
"What a scary family."
"Haah! I know. But my dad loves his daughters so much…" She sighed dramatically.
There was a moment of silence as we walked aimlessly, passing some other Regulars along the way who looked scared stiff at the sight of us.
"But you know, that's surprisingly idealistic of you. I didn't take you for the type," Androssi said finally.
"What kind of person did you think I was then? Something insulting?" I said with a small laugh.
"Only if you consider it insulting to be a schemer. I certainly don't," she said, smirking at me. "You should take it as a compliment. But schemers usually aren't concerned with lies. In fact, they're usually quite comfortable with lying."
"You sound like you have quite the experience with schemers," I said.
"In this Tower, everyone is a schemer. But few are as smart as they think they are, and ever fewer have the strength to make use of it," said Androssi.
Eventually we found our way to what seemed to be a cafeteria, and grabbed some food in exchange for test points before sitting down.
"So," said Androssi, sitting across from me. "How serious are you about this team thing? Did you help me get the Green April because you want this team to last beyond this floor?"
"Oh, so you caught on after all. I was starting to wonder if you actually thought I was after a different kind of relationship," I said.
"Are the two mutually exclusive?"
"Is that another hint?"
She looked at me with a haughty smirk. "I can't be seen holding you by the hand…only a fearless man would have even the slightest chance to claim a royal prize."
"Is that so? Then I'll say it clearly, Androssi Zahard. You are strong and talented. I've no doubt that you will do well for yourself on your own. But there is always a bigger mountain no matter how high we climb. Together, we can be greater than either of us alone. It's a long and harsh journey to the top…but it will be a more comfortable journey with allies you can count on. You have seen my strength as I have seen yours. Now is the time to join forces and achieve greater heights!"
"You sure know how to make a speech. But what about that other girl? Is she going to be part of this?"
"For certain reasons that aren't suitable for me to discuss here," I said, making a show of glancing around the cafeteria, "It is to our advantage to continue working with her. My deal was only to bring her through the second floor, though it is my belief that she and I will both see reasons to cooperate beyond that, at least from time to time, if not as an actual team."
"What's so special about her? Although she gave me a strange feeling at first, she seems like an ordinary girl. She hasn't fought at all and I'm starting to think she just can't."
"You're right, she can't, at least not now. But like her friend, that black-haired kid, she has unusual potential. You've seen some signs of that already."
"That unnatural Shinsoo resistance…" Androssi said, nodding slowly. "Even members of the Ten Families don't have that much resistance before being trained in using Shinsoo."
"There are those that would see such great potential as a threats to themselves, as enemies to be eliminated. But there are also those wise enough to see them as useful investments, pawns to be protected until they can be made use of. The question for us is…which role shall we play?"
Androssi finished the food on her plate and started to drink her juice while thinking of how to answer.
"The obvious answer is the latter, of course, considering how you're helping her with the test. But the way you're talking, it sounds like you're looking at it from a different point of view. It makes me wonder if you're a Regular at all," said Androssi with narrowed eyes.
"Oh? What else could I be?"
"An undercover Ranker, maybe?"
I laughed out loud. "Really?"
"Come on, it fits! There shouldn't be any Regulars stronger than me on this floor," she said, crossing her arms with a pout.
"Is that logical reasoning or just arrogance talking?"
Androssi looked annoyed at that, before I continued, "Though I'm surprised you'd even admit that I'm stronger than you, especially when I'm not sure of that myself."
She raised an eyebrow at my admission of uncertainty. Then more neutrally, she said, "And there's the way you absorbed the Shinsoo barrier the test administrator made. That's definitely not normal. Before, I just thought you were unnaturally strong, but now this talk of Tower politics makes me think there's more to it. You were talking about the Tower's politics weren't you? If someone with high potential reaches the top and becomes a Ranker, it could change the balance of power, or even create a new faction. Most Regulars would never think about something like that. I only figured it out because I'm a princess and my," she put up air quotes, "'family' before Zahard's adoption is counting on exactly that—for me to bring them the prestige and influence that would come with having sponsored a new Ranker princess. So even if not a Ranker yourself, you've gotta be involved in the Tower's politics somehow. So spill, which faction are you working for?"
"It's not surprising to me that you came to that conclusion, but while you've gotten close to the truth, it isn't entirely correct," I said.
I had thought I was giving fairly large hints that Baam, Rachel, and I were all Irregulars, and the three of us plus Androssi herself were all potentials that various factions would be interested in.
It seemed however, that my performance thus far had such an impression on Androssi that her mind went in the other direction, with me working for one of the power players scouting the potentials.
Or perhaps this was inevitable, considering how rare and ridiculously powerful the other known Irregulars were. It was just too much a stretch to think that someone was an Irregular, no matter how abnormal their abilities were. The other three known Irregulars were each absolute monsters that stood at the pinnacle of strength in this Tower, two of them were ranked even above Zahard himself, with power rivalling gods, one of which might as well be a god that could 'instantly destroy the Tower of God story if he wanted to', according to the series author. The third was ranked fourth just below Zahard.
I contemplated briefly how much to explain to bring her to my side, then acted.
Communing with the water spirits, I requested that they create a cloaking bubble around us, similar to what they did against the Beast. I emphasized the need to block out spying attempts and sound, just as Cromwell did when he used it against me.
Previously Lero Ro had shown an impressive hearing range in the Crown game, and there was no telling what other means of spying people in the Tower could use.
As the spirits were in a good mood after consuming and being surrounded by Shinsoo, they actually obliged, to my pleasant surprise.
A spherical barrier appeared around us, distorting the air.
Androssi looked at it cautiously and tried to poke it, which caused a ripple in it like water, but her fingers went through without issue.
"What's this?" She asked.
"What I'm about to reveal to you could be dangerous if the wrong people get wind of it," I said. "Please keep that in mind."
"Right. I won't say anything…within reason of course. I haven't agreed to be part of your team yet, but I'm seriously considering it, so I'll give you this much," she said.
"I can't keep this up for long, so I have to make this quick," I said, and that was true. Already, I could sort of sense that something powerful had turned its attention to us, now that the water spirits cast their spell. It wasn't hostile, but it wasn't friendly either. It was more…curious as to what it was sensing from our location. If I had to guess, it was this Floor's Guardian, the Administrator and practically the god of the floor.
"I am not part of any faction, not yet anyways. I have not chosen a side in this game—I don't even know who the sides are at this point," I said.
"You really expect me to believe that?" She asked with a frown. "After everything you just said?"
"Let me put it this way then. If I were to answer my own question from before, our role would actually be as the pawns. You and I, Rachel and Baam, all of us are pawns. I am not from a faction looking to recruit you. I am in a position similar to yours, and I would rather we…form our own faction, so to speak, while leveraging the resources of other factions that would seek to use us. You already know that there is at least one faction supporting Rachel's rise. Their intentions for me are unclear, though I suspect they are just being cautious with me due to my perceived strength. Nevertheless, I am also keenly aware there are hostile forces arrayed against us, offended by our mere existence," I said. "Therefore, I felt it prudent to temporarily align myself with Headon's group of conspirators, and they have provided useful benefits so far."
Androssi looked contemplative, but didn't dismiss my claims out of hand.
"Do you know why your mere existence offends these supposedly hostile forces? Or who these forces are?" She asked.
"I do have some ideas, nothing certain yet, but it is too early for me to speak of it. Perhaps once you've agreed to team up with me, and we've built a stronger foundation of trust, I can share my thoughts on the matter. After all, I don't know if you would also discriminate against me for the circumstances of my birth, if you knew. You seem like a reasonable person but nobles tend to be a prejudiced lot, in my experience."
"Fine. I guess that's fair. Just so you know, I don't really care about that sort of thing. I'm not really from a noble family, either, so all that high born stuff means nothing to me. I was adopted for the sole purpose of becoming a candidate for princess, as just a pawn, like you said. But anyways, you're basically asking me join up with you without knowing who I'd be up against? Seems risky…"
"This is true, but consider this. I don't know who your enemies are either, and I'm sure you have plenty. By your own admission earlier, you don't have a lot of friends in high places, and you're climbing this Tower more or less on your own despite your status. The connections I am offering have already demonstrated their worth on this floor," I said.
She nodded slowly. "I won't deny that."
Then I continued with a smirk. "…but what are you offering, other than your body?"
A dark look came over her, and then she flew at me, flipping the table over and sending us both to the ground as she tried to choke me while straddling over me, though she wasn't using enough force to be actually threatening, so I didn't fight back.
The cloaking bubble dissipated as we exited its area of influence, and I didn't ask the spirits to move it with us.
"I can offer you a slow and painful death, if you want!" She said with a dark smile.
Some Regulars decided to come in right at that moment, including Hatsu and Ship Leesoo. They stared at us, then gave us a wide berth as they approached the serving area.
O O O
After the servers came to scold us, we were forced to clean up before going to our assigned rooms.
Her room was right beside mine and Rachel's as they were ordered by teams from the first test.
When we were right at our doors, she made up her mind and gave me her answer.
"Don't expect me to jump into whatever trouble you get yourself into just yet. Like you said, it's too early to trust each other. I don't know what your circumstances are, and you don't know mine. So let's start with something simpler. I'll be your teammate for the floor tests. Once we get to know each other a little more, maybe that can change," Androssi said.
"Good enough for me," I said, going to my own door.
Then, just as she was opening her door, she noticed Hwaryun walking towards us.
Hwaryun smiled at me, then looked at Androssi.
"Some jewels may shine deceptively bright, but lose their lustre when examined closely," said Hwaryun.
"What—are you implying something about me?!" Androssi flipped around angrily, and flew towards Hwaryun, grabbing her by the cuff of her shirt while Hwaryun maintained eye contact with the princess, never losing her smile.
Suddenly Derflinger woke up and decided to make a comment.
"Woo! Catfight! You go girl!"
I struggled to keep my hand from facepalming when Androssi let Hwaryun go and turned towards me with an angry glare.
"I didn't say that, that was my sword," I said, holding my hands up innocently. Derflinger went back into his sheath by himself with a snigger.
Before Androssi could say anything though, Hwaryun continued to speak.
She ignored Androssi as if nothing happened and turned to me.
"The water here is very deep. Be careful of monsters hiding in the depths, Mr. Axion," she said, before walking away.
"I see. Thank you for the warning, Hwaryun," I said with a nod.
"Excuse me?! I'm right here!" Androssi stomped over to me. "You're just going to let some other girl insult me and thank her for it?"
"Calm down, she wasn't talking about you. I think," I said, holding up a hand.
"Could've have fooled me, with how she was looking at me!" She shouted loudly.
"Well, she was probably trying to provoke you for fun, but I'm pretty sure she meant something else," I said.
"Like what? You'd better have a good explanation, or we're through!"
By now, some other Regulars were peeking out of their doors to see what the commotion was.
Couldn't Hwaryun have come along at a better time? Or maybe this was her way of getting back at me for threatening her with the gas in the Crown game?
"How troublesome that her fun is coming at my expense," I said, shaking my head. Then I gestured to her to follow me. "Come inside and I'll explain it. There's too many eyes and ears here."
She looked around, saw the people who were staring. "What are you all looking at?!" She yelled with a red face.
If I took Hwaryun's words literally, could she have been referring to the cloaking bubble I used earlier? If she had somehow known that it was the water stone, which looked like a jewel, that allowed me to do that, then she might be warning me about the Guardians of each floor that controlled Shinsoo, the divine water that permeated everything in the Tower.
It was surprising that she noticed at all, but not impossible. Just the fact that the water spirits were hiding us, perhaps even on a conceptual level, could have affected her own ability as a Guide.
Of course, it might have just been metaphorical, and actually referred to my association with Androssi being dangerous to me, especially as a princess of Zahard. After all, the organization that Hwaryun belonged to, FUG, was opposed to the Zahard family.
But I couldn't tell Androssi either of those…the first for my own safety, the second because that would sound like Hwaryun was warning me away from Androssi, which was exactly what Androssi was angry about, even if she thought it was for a different reason.
O O O
[Interlude]
The Crown game ended with no winner. The participants were each given a room to rest in before the next test.
The unconscious Regulars were all carried away, though Baam was only unconscious because of Axion's gas so he was woken up quickly.
Lero Ro announced that all the teams were now disbanded for the next portion of the tests, so everyone could go their own way.
Once most of the Regulars left or were carried away, Lero Ro oversaw the completion of the bet.
Lero Ro handed Baam the Green April and explained to him in brief terms what happened after he fell unconscious, and confirmed that Androssi could keep the Black March before leaving them.
Baam looked at the Green April in his hands, the Black March Androssi was carrying, and the rest of Androssi's team.
His gaze lingered on the girl who looked like Rachel, but she quickly left the area on her own. Then he turned back to Axion and Androssi.
Then he bowed. "Thank you very much for helping me, Miss Androssi and Mr. Axion."
"Don't thank me, thank her," she said, pointing to the quickly retreating and cloaked Rachel. "She's the one that wanted to help you. Don't know why she ran off like that. I was just in it for the Black March," said Androssi.
"Hey Baam. How about a trade? Give us the Green April in exchange for Black March," Axion said suddenly.
"Huh? Why?" Androssi asked.
"The Black March won't let you use it, Androssi. The Green April might."
"I don't want to use something that lizard used! And I don't need you to make decisions for me!" She said with a glare toward her teammate.
"Well, it's your choice, but you do realize the real owner of the Black March is going to come looking for it soon? And you aren't going to stand a chance against her," Axion said.
"The real owner, huh?" Androssi's eyes flashed with something indiscernible.
"Ah…yeah. I've got to return it to Miss Yuri," said Baam with an honest expression. "I would be grateful if we could trade it back…"
"That's right…Yuri Zahard. The only Zahard's princess to receive a 13 month series in the last 500 years. A prodigy Fisherman that became a High Ranker in less than a hundred years, and feared by young Rankers for her vicious temper," Androssi said slowly. "So why would she lend it to a random kid like you?"
"Um…I don't really know. She just showed up all of a sudden…and gave it to me," said Baam nervously.
"Tch, whatever, let's trade then!" Androssi suddenly handed the Black March over and took the Green April.
O O O
[Kaleidus]
"So…the teams are disbanded," said Androssi, after we said goodbye to Baam.
We started walking away from the arena as well, with no particular destination in mind.
"So it seems," I said.
In the distance, Baam went running after the Rachel, who sped up to get away.
"Oh…that's cute," said Androssi, seeing Baam chase Rachel. "Why'd she run off like that, after trying to help him?"
"She doesn't want him to get hurt, but she doesn't want him to keep following her up the Tower either," I said.
"Isn't it romantic? To have a guy risking his life, chasing the girl he likes up the Tower?"
"Maybe. Or maybe he's being a creepy stalker," I said.
"He's not that kind of guy. Can't you tell? He's so innocent," said Androssi.
I shrugged. "Whatever you say."
"I'm guessing you're going to keep helping that girl as part of Headon's deal?" Androssi said while flowing a hand over the Green April as if examining it.
"Maybe. What's it to you? The teams are disbanded. Are you trying to figure out what your competition is going to look like in the upcoming test?"
"Oh come on. You helped me get the Black March, and even advised me to swap it. You treated me as a real teammate, and I'm not the type of girl to just ignore that," she said, brushing back her hair to give me a sidelong glance.
"I gave them to you because they wouldn't let me use them. Otherwise I'd have kept them myself," I said honestly. "If I can't use them, might as well give it to somebody on the team that can."
"There's a pretty girl trying to thank you here! Can't you take a hint and say something sweet, like you did earlier after the first test?"
"Compliments are cheap if you can just fish for them."
She growled. "Fishing, am I?"
"Besides, I wouldn't want a relationship built on lies, would you? I even tried to ignite those weapons myself right in front of you, are you just going to pretend you didn't see that?" I added.
Although Androssi liked having admirers, that wasn't an appropriate role for the current me to take, given the level of strength I had shown. She was likely much more wary of me than she showed. A bit of occasional flattery and playful flirting would be responded to in kind, but if I tried to take it in a more serious direction alarms would probably start going off in her head, even if she was the one that invited me to do it.
"So you want a relationship built on trust? By the way, you know I'm not allowed to date, right?" she said slyly.
"I hear that strict families just make bad girls more rebellious in secret," I said.
"It's a little hard to be rebellious when daddy is the King of the whole Tower," said Androssi. "And the guys with good sense stay away, if they want to keep their heads on their shoulders."
"What a scary family."
"Haah! I know. But my dad loves his daughters so much…" She sighed dramatically.
There was a moment of silence as we walked aimlessly, passing some other Regulars along the way who looked scared stiff at the sight of us.
"But you know, that's surprisingly idealistic of you. I didn't take you for the type," Androssi said finally.
"What kind of person did you think I was then? Something insulting?" I said with a small laugh.
"Only if you consider it insulting to be a schemer. I certainly don't," she said, smirking at me. "You should take it as a compliment. But schemers usually aren't concerned with lies. In fact, they're usually quite comfortable with lying."
"You sound like you have quite the experience with schemers," I said.
"In this Tower, everyone is a schemer. But few are as smart as they think they are, and ever fewer have the strength to make use of it," said Androssi.
Eventually we found our way to what seemed to be a cafeteria, and grabbed some food in exchange for test points before sitting down.
"So," said Androssi, sitting across from me. "How serious are you about this team thing? Did you help me get the Green April because you want this team to last beyond this floor?"
"Oh, so you caught on after all. I was starting to wonder if you actually thought I was after a different kind of relationship," I said.
"Are the two mutually exclusive?"
"Is that another hint?"
She looked at me with a haughty smirk. "I can't be seen holding you by the hand…only a fearless man would have even the slightest chance to claim a royal prize."
"Is that so? Then I'll say it clearly, Androssi Zahard. You are strong and talented. I've no doubt that you will do well for yourself on your own. But there is always a bigger mountain no matter how high we climb. Together, we can be greater than either of us alone. It's a long and harsh journey to the top…but it will be a more comfortable journey with allies you can count on. You have seen my strength as I have seen yours. Now is the time to join forces and achieve greater heights!"
"You sure know how to make a speech. But what about that other girl? Is she going to be part of this?"
"For certain reasons that aren't suitable for me to discuss here," I said, making a show of glancing around the cafeteria, "It is to our advantage to continue working with her. My deal was only to bring her through the second floor, though it is my belief that she and I will both see reasons to cooperate beyond that, at least from time to time, if not as an actual team."
"What's so special about her? Although she gave me a strange feeling at first, she seems like an ordinary girl. She hasn't fought at all and I'm starting to think she just can't."
"You're right, she can't, at least not now. But like her friend, that black-haired kid, she has unusual potential. You've seen some signs of that already."
"That unnatural Shinsoo resistance…" Androssi said, nodding slowly. "Even members of the Ten Families don't have that much resistance before being trained in using Shinsoo."
"There are those that would see such great potential as a threats to themselves, as enemies to be eliminated. But there are also those wise enough to see them as useful investments, pawns to be protected until they can be made use of. The question for us is…which role shall we play?"
Androssi finished the food on her plate and started to drink her juice while thinking of how to answer.
"The obvious answer is the latter, of course, considering how you're helping her with the test. But the way you're talking, it sounds like you're looking at it from a different point of view. It makes me wonder if you're a Regular at all," said Androssi with narrowed eyes.
"Oh? What else could I be?"
"An undercover Ranker, maybe?"
I laughed out loud. "Really?"
"Come on, it fits! There shouldn't be any Regulars stronger than me on this floor," she said, crossing her arms with a pout.
"Is that logical reasoning or just arrogance talking?"
Androssi looked annoyed at that, before I continued, "Though I'm surprised you'd even admit that I'm stronger than you, especially when I'm not sure of that myself."
She raised an eyebrow at my admission of uncertainty. Then more neutrally, she said, "And there's the way you absorbed the Shinsoo barrier the test administrator made. That's definitely not normal. Before, I just thought you were unnaturally strong, but now this talk of Tower politics makes me think there's more to it. You were talking about the Tower's politics weren't you? If someone with high potential reaches the top and becomes a Ranker, it could change the balance of power, or even create a new faction. Most Regulars would never think about something like that. I only figured it out because I'm a princess and my," she put up air quotes, "'family' before Zahard's adoption is counting on exactly that—for me to bring them the prestige and influence that would come with having sponsored a new Ranker princess. So even if not a Ranker yourself, you've gotta be involved in the Tower's politics somehow. So spill, which faction are you working for?"
"It's not surprising to me that you came to that conclusion, but while you've gotten close to the truth, it isn't entirely correct," I said.
I had thought I was giving fairly large hints that Baam, Rachel, and I were all Irregulars, and the three of us plus Androssi herself were all potentials that various factions would be interested in.
It seemed however, that my performance thus far had such an impression on Androssi that her mind went in the other direction, with me working for one of the power players scouting the potentials.
Or perhaps this was inevitable, considering how rare and ridiculously powerful the other known Irregulars were. It was just too much a stretch to think that someone was an Irregular, no matter how abnormal their abilities were. The other three known Irregulars were each absolute monsters that stood at the pinnacle of strength in this Tower, two of them were ranked even above Zahard himself, with power rivalling gods, one of which might as well be a god that could 'instantly destroy the Tower of God story if he wanted to', according to the series author. The third was ranked fourth just below Zahard.
I contemplated briefly how much to explain to bring her to my side, then acted.
Communing with the water spirits, I requested that they create a cloaking bubble around us, similar to what they did against the Beast. I emphasized the need to block out spying attempts and sound, just as Cromwell did when he used it against me.
Previously Lero Ro had shown an impressive hearing range in the Crown game, and there was no telling what other means of spying people in the Tower could use.
As the spirits were in a good mood after consuming and being surrounded by Shinsoo, they actually obliged, to my pleasant surprise.
A spherical barrier appeared around us, distorting the air.
Androssi looked at it cautiously and tried to poke it, which caused a ripple in it like water, but her fingers went through without issue.
"What's this?" She asked.
"What I'm about to reveal to you could be dangerous if the wrong people get wind of it," I said. "Please keep that in mind."
"Right. I won't say anything…within reason of course. I haven't agreed to be part of your team yet, but I'm seriously considering it, so I'll give you this much," she said.
"I can't keep this up for long, so I have to make this quick," I said, and that was true. Already, I could sort of sense that something powerful had turned its attention to us, now that the water spirits cast their spell. It wasn't hostile, but it wasn't friendly either. It was more…curious as to what it was sensing from our location. If I had to guess, it was this Floor's Guardian, the Administrator and practically the god of the floor.
"I am not part of any faction, not yet anyways. I have not chosen a side in this game—I don't even know who the sides are at this point," I said.
"You really expect me to believe that?" She asked with a frown. "After everything you just said?"
"Let me put it this way then. If I were to answer my own question from before, our role would actually be as the pawns. You and I, Rachel and Baam, all of us are pawns. I am not from a faction looking to recruit you. I am in a position similar to yours, and I would rather we…form our own faction, so to speak, while leveraging the resources of other factions that would seek to use us. You already know that there is at least one faction supporting Rachel's rise. Their intentions for me are unclear, though I suspect they are just being cautious with me due to my perceived strength. Nevertheless, I am also keenly aware there are hostile forces arrayed against us, offended by our mere existence," I said. "Therefore, I felt it prudent to temporarily align myself with Headon's group of conspirators, and they have provided useful benefits so far."
Androssi looked contemplative, but didn't dismiss my claims out of hand.
"Do you know why your mere existence offends these supposedly hostile forces? Or who these forces are?" She asked.
"I do have some ideas, nothing certain yet, but it is too early for me to speak of it. Perhaps once you've agreed to team up with me, and we've built a stronger foundation of trust, I can share my thoughts on the matter. After all, I don't know if you would also discriminate against me for the circumstances of my birth, if you knew. You seem like a reasonable person but nobles tend to be a prejudiced lot, in my experience."
"Fine. I guess that's fair. Just so you know, I don't really care about that sort of thing. I'm not really from a noble family, either, so all that high born stuff means nothing to me. I was adopted for the sole purpose of becoming a candidate for princess, as just a pawn, like you said. But anyways, you're basically asking me join up with you without knowing who I'd be up against? Seems risky…"
"This is true, but consider this. I don't know who your enemies are either, and I'm sure you have plenty. By your own admission earlier, you don't have a lot of friends in high places, and you're climbing this Tower more or less on your own despite your status. The connections I am offering have already demonstrated their worth on this floor," I said.
She nodded slowly. "I won't deny that."
Then I continued with a smirk. "…but what are you offering, other than your body?"
A dark look came over her, and then she flew at me, flipping the table over and sending us both to the ground as she tried to choke me while straddling over me, though she wasn't using enough force to be actually threatening, so I didn't fight back.
The cloaking bubble dissipated as we exited its area of influence, and I didn't ask the spirits to move it with us.
"I can offer you a slow and painful death, if you want!" She said with a dark smile.
Some Regulars decided to come in right at that moment, including Hatsu and Ship Leesoo. They stared at us, then gave us a wide berth as they approached the serving area.
O O O
After the servers came to scold us, we were forced to clean up before going to our assigned rooms.
Her room was right beside mine and Rachel's as they were ordered by teams from the first test.
When we were right at our doors, she made up her mind and gave me her answer.
"Don't expect me to jump into whatever trouble you get yourself into just yet. Like you said, it's too early to trust each other. I don't know what your circumstances are, and you don't know mine. So let's start with something simpler. I'll be your teammate for the floor tests. Once we get to know each other a little more, maybe that can change," Androssi said.
"Good enough for me," I said, going to my own door.
Then, just as she was opening her door, she noticed Hwaryun walking towards us.
Hwaryun smiled at me, then looked at Androssi.
"Some jewels may shine deceptively bright, but lose their lustre when examined closely," said Hwaryun.
"What—are you implying something about me?!" Androssi flipped around angrily, and flew towards Hwaryun, grabbing her by the cuff of her shirt while Hwaryun maintained eye contact with the princess, never losing her smile.
Suddenly Derflinger woke up and decided to make a comment.
"Woo! Catfight! You go girl!"
I struggled to keep my hand from facepalming when Androssi let Hwaryun go and turned towards me with an angry glare.
"I didn't say that, that was my sword," I said, holding my hands up innocently. Derflinger went back into his sheath by himself with a snigger.
Before Androssi could say anything though, Hwaryun continued to speak.
She ignored Androssi as if nothing happened and turned to me.
"The water here is very deep. Be careful of monsters hiding in the depths, Mr. Axion," she said, before walking away.
"I see. Thank you for the warning, Hwaryun," I said with a nod.
"Excuse me?! I'm right here!" Androssi stomped over to me. "You're just going to let some other girl insult me and thank her for it?"
"Calm down, she wasn't talking about you. I think," I said, holding up a hand.
"Could've have fooled me, with how she was looking at me!" She shouted loudly.
"Well, she was probably trying to provoke you for fun, but I'm pretty sure she meant something else," I said.
"Like what? You'd better have a good explanation, or we're through!"
By now, some other Regulars were peeking out of their doors to see what the commotion was.
Couldn't Hwaryun have come along at a better time? Or maybe this was her way of getting back at me for threatening her with the gas in the Crown game?
"How troublesome that her fun is coming at my expense," I said, shaking my head. Then I gestured to her to follow me. "Come inside and I'll explain it. There's too many eyes and ears here."
She looked around, saw the people who were staring. "What are you all looking at?!" She yelled with a red face.
If I took Hwaryun's words literally, could she have been referring to the cloaking bubble I used earlier? If she had somehow known that it was the water stone, which looked like a jewel, that allowed me to do that, then she might be warning me about the Guardians of each floor that controlled Shinsoo, the divine water that permeated everything in the Tower.
It was surprising that she noticed at all, but not impossible. Just the fact that the water spirits were hiding us, perhaps even on a conceptual level, could have affected her own ability as a Guide.
Of course, it might have just been metaphorical, and actually referred to my association with Androssi being dangerous to me, especially as a princess of Zahard. After all, the organization that Hwaryun belonged to, FUG, was opposed to the Zahard family.
But I couldn't tell Androssi either of those…the first for my own safety, the second because that would sound like Hwaryun was warning me away from Androssi, which was exactly what Androssi was angry about, even if she thought it was for a different reason.
O O O
35 – Rest 2F 2
35 – Rest 2F 2
We were seated in my room, door shut, and Androssi looking at me expectantly.
"I have some ideas, guesses I can make, but I don't know for certain what she meant. Regardless, she is a Guide. You understand what that means, don't you? It would be unwise to dismiss her advice, no matter which form it might take. It may have been addressed to me, but I think her advice was intended to help you."
I doubted that, but I said so anyways, deciding not to disclose what I actually suspected. There was no need to reveal a secret as dangerous as the water stone. If people knew that it was an artifact and not an inherent part of my abilities, then I'd become an even bigger target than I was already as an Irregular.
Moreover, it wasn't as though Hwaryun couldn't give double or triple meanings to her warnings to achieve multiple purposes. You could never tell with a Guide as powerful as her. She was the Guide for FUG's slayer candidates, the ones who were meant to kill Zahard. While her combat ability was far from amazing, her ability as a Guide was respected even by High Rankers.
It was especially impressive when considering that despite Guide powers not working on Irregulars, she seemed to work around it just fine. In the story, she manipulated events surrounding Baam and Rachel without any issue, even though a Ranker Guide that worked for Yuri Zahard was unable to read Baam and concluded that the Ball test on the first floor was impossible for him.
Androssi's expression became less hostile.
"A Guide? Red hair…she's a Red Witch? But a Regular? That's weird."
"Why is it weird?"
She frowned, evidently still not quite satisfied with my explanation. "First of all, Guides are really rare to begin with, and made even rarer because Father reserves one for every princess that becomes a Ranker. Second, Guides don't need to pass the Floor tests. They can go wherever they want. Is she really a Guide? I've never even heard of a Guide that's a Regular!" She asked with clear doubt on her face.
"So I've been told. I don't know much about Guides myself," I said, shrugging.
"What exactly is your relationship with that girl?" Androssi asked me, glaring suspiciously. "You're the second pair of Regulars that knew each other before the tests now. You aren't chasing her up the Tower like that other kid with Rachel, are you?"
"No need to be jealous, I'm not pursuing her," I said with an amused smile.
"Who said I'm jealous?!"
I ignored her question in favor of continuing my explanation. "In fact, Rachel and I only met her on this floor, in regards to matters related to what we spoke of before, in the cafeteria. She is certainly no ordinary Regular, as you've surmised. I cannot explain the extent of our relationship further than that under the circumstances, but you should be able to understand, right?"
She clicked her tongue and huffed, crossing her arms.
"I'll accept that…for now. But what did you mean by 'her advice might be meant for me'?"
"I mean that she might have been warning you about the Green April. It's possible that you will be targeted because of it, as will I, by association with you. Certainly, I imagine that if Anak is a fake princess as you've claimed, the Zahard family will respond soon. And one must wonder, if she is a fake, where did she obtain the Green April? In a way, it is perhaps no less dangerous than dealing with the Black March's true owner."
"You didn't think of this before we made the trade?"
"I did. As I said, the Green April might actually let you ignite her. For that reason alone, it is the better choice. Besides, I don't know how quick the Zahard family will respond to the appearance of a fake princess. I do know, however, that the owner of the Black March is already on her way."
Actually, from what I remembered of the story, an assassin from the royal faction would be on his way soon too. Still, there was a small but non-zero chance that he might not try to confiscate the Green April if it was in the hands of a real princess, so as to stay officially neutral in the war of the princesses. That was the real reason I wanted to make the trade.
"I already knew that someone from RED would come for Anak and the Green April. Some Guide she is if she can only tell me what I already knew," said Androssi with a dismissive wave of her hand.
"RED?" I asked. I knew, but pretended not to.
"The Royal Enforcement Division. Those are the guys loyal only to Father and that enforce his will, usually for issues involving princesses. Compared to the Zahard's Army, the military arm of the empire, RED is more like an elite black-ops and police force."
"Is that so? Why do you call her a fake princess anyways?"
"It's because the real Anak Zahard is already dead. She had a forbidden relationship with a palace chef and ran away with him. The Zahard family sent RED to kill them and take back the Green April, but they never found it. For this Anak to have it, and a body comparable to a real princess with the blood of Zahard in her, that must mean that she's their daughter. The whole point of the restriction on princesses dating is to prevent the power of Zahard from spreading like that. So they'll come for her as soon as they find out."
"I see. Well, I only suspected someone would come, and now I have a bit of confirmation, so we can better prepare for it. Besides, Hwaryun helped us out during the Crown game too, fighting Hatsu and that other random team instead of teaming up against us. Even as a non-combatant role, she'd give you a run for your money if she actually tried fight you," I said. I knew that she would, because she actually would have fought Androssi in the story and held her own during the Crown game.
In this Crown game, her real help came in the form of taking out Khun and Rak while everyone was distracted. She had seen through my plan immediately and cooperated perfectly, adapting from the previous strategy she'd given us. But our objective in preventing Baam from going up wasn't something I intended to disclose to Androssi yet, so I didn't mention it.
"Like that means anything, you could've taken them all out anyways whenever you wanted."
"You're giving me too much credit. I could've defeated them sure, but I wouldn't have been able to protect Baam and Rachel at the same time while I did that," I said, shaking my head.
My performance was apparently too good, she was overestimating me a bit too much. Even though I might have been able to pull it off, the cost in mana for Derflinger would have been too high and risky, leaving not enough to defend myself outside of the tests.
I was in an environment where I could not easily start an Armoriont farm and refill Derflinger's reserves, so unless I found another solution, I'd only be able to refill about 500 MP per day, and that was only by keeping Agate in hibernation for the day, otherwise it'd drop to 100-200 with the wand active.
A single Slash Beam or Wave at level 5 cost close to 1600 MP, which would already take multiple days or weeks to recover from. That was on top of the massive continuous cost of Derflinger's Boost and my Omni-Flight if I was required to use them. Omni-Flight, the spell that let me levitate like Agate, I could only keep up for less than a minute at the maximum speed before exhausting my own and Agate's reserves completely.
This was why I tried to limit myself to Reinforcement and the Armoriont's biological capabilities wherever possible. Reinforcement was superbly cheap for the effect, while the Armoriont cost basically nothing.
The only other option was to go back to Worm and refill before coming back, cost me 2 planar trips of Primordial GRAIN, and still taking several days in which my absence from the Tower might attract even more dangerous attention, as leaving was essentially impossible, and there was an entire Ranker organization dedicated to finding the way out.
"So I appreciate your confidence in me, but it's never wise to overestimate one's own abilities," I added.
"Why do I feel like you aren't talking about yourself with that last bit…?"
"There is also another possibility. Could it be that the Green April may have dangerous side effects for the user?"
There should be a curse on the 13 month series weapons. Trying to ignite two at the same time would result in the princess being taken over and trying to kill everything, especially other princesses. But with a single weapon? I didn't remember anything like that, but it wasn't impossible.
"I've never heard of any side effects. That seems like a stretch," said Androssi.
"Just be careful, alright? It would be inconvenient for me if anything happened to you."
"If anything happens to me, you'd better come save me. Trading for the Green April was your idea."
"Of course, of course."
In the end, I was at least able to convince her to let it go, even if she still didn't like Hwaryun, and I finally had some time to myself.
O O O
There were lots of things I could do at this point, lots of events happening around me that I could take a more active role in. However, I chose to focus on my real purpose for being in this Tower at all.
I had Agate go into hibernation and kept it in my Armoriont, where my chest was, so that I could recover more MP. There wasn't anybody in particular I wanted to spy on, so I didn't need Agate to stay active.
Derflinger had already expended quite a bit of mana already today fighting the White Steel Eel and in the Crown game. My own reserves and Agate's were still near full as I only used a bit of Reinforcement, which was dirt cheap, but Derflinger had used almost five thousand MP.
I didn't expect another big fight soon, as there should be a month of training ahead, but it would be wise for me to conserve MP as much as possible. Against threats like Rankers or High Rankers, I might need literally everything at my disposal to survive the 10 seconds it took to shift planes.
Then, I settled down to meditate and commune with the water spirits.
With the abundance of "divine water" all around us, and the water stone's apparent capability to absorb the substance, it was time to see what kind of benefits I could get from it, and how it would affect my training with the water stone going forward.
If I could use their absorption ability to actually take Shinsoo with me to use on other planes…that would just be perfect.
O O O
[Interlude]
Lero Ro sat watching Yu Han Sung prepare coffee with an overly complicated procedure.
He had come and demanded answers about why the three Regulars from the other district had been sent to the Crown game.
Yu Han Sung looked concentrated, carefully breaking his coffee stick. "Mr. Lero Ro. Do you know why we gather all the Regulars and test them?"
"Isn't it to test if the Regulars are qualified to go up the Tower?"
"No, it's not. The reason is…they have dangerous powers. They come into the Tower to fulfill their own desires. Glory, money, power, or whatever else they want. But what if they desire something that's harmful to the world? What if there's somebody that dreams of the world's end? It could be disastrous. So we test them and separate the black sheep. The ones who threaten the Tower."
"I don't understand the intention behind your words—" Lero Ro started to say.
"Mr. Lero Ro. Who do you think is among the most dangerous Regulars taking the test this time, wielding a weapon he shouldn't be capable of wielding? Didn't he lose the Crown game? And he didn't acquire a second 13 month series weapon either," Yu Han Sung said.
Now looking straight at Lero Ro, Yu Han Sung finished, "Because of the person I sent you."
Lero Ro's expression turned to surprise, as he had a flashback. The boy who held the Black March, that he was well aware of belonged to Yuri. He had been part of the same cohort that started climbing with Yuri, so he was acquainted with her. And he knew that the Black March refused to ignite for her. For it to decide to ignite for some random kid? It made no sense, even if Yuri had lent it to him as he'd claimed.
If the other district's team hadn't been involved, wouldn't he have won the Crown game starting from the third round? And he'd have won the bet with Anak outright too, instead of trading away one of the weapons.
But the other team had been present, and defeated Baam's team. They'd made it look like they were about to protect Baam's team to give them the victory while keeping the Black March, and Lero Ro felt that wasn't fair, so he'd changed the rules.
But had that really been their intention? To let Baam's team win?
Later, the Khun family boy had negotiated a deal to let them win the Crown game anyways.
And then…that man. Axion. He'd stopped his allies from winning the game for no apparent reason, even though the Khun had already promised them the Black March, even if they won the Crown game instead of merely winning the bet under his new rules. Axion had attacked Baam and knocked him unconscious under the guise of keeping other Regulars away. No doubt he'd have finished off the other two teammates if the masked one hadn't done it first.
As a result, they hadn't gone up to the next floor.
It was illogical. There was no benefit for Axion to have done that, especially when they seemed ready to let Baam's team rise before Lero Ro had interfered. He might have said it was to stop anyone from getting to the throne, but really? With how fast he had defeated Anak, Lero Ro didn't buy it at all. He could've easily defeated all the other Regulars instantly.
Then he thought back to the moment he saw Baam manipulate Shinsoo to attack Androssi. And the time before that, to block several attacks from different directions.
He'd also overheard Axion make a comment of that too to his teammates, the first time it had happened in the 3rd round.
Now, with the test director's admission…it started to make sense. But he wasn't sure he liked it.
Lero Ro brought his coffee cup to his mouth and downed it in one gulp before leaving politely.
"Test Director Yu," he stopped and turned around as he reached the door. "Have you ever seen somebody…who's not from the Ten Great Families…who hasn't made a contract with an Administrator but can still freely manipulate Shinsoo?"
"No, I haven't. That is beyond the rules of the Tower. Oh! But I have heard of one. Urek Mazino. He was…an Irregular."
"I see."
Lero Ro shut the door and walked away, thinking about how the Shinsoo around Baam seemingly acted of its own volition, violating the rules of the Tower
Meanwhile, Yu Han Sung sighed in his coffee room, remarking to himself that Lero Ro was more difficult to handle than Quant.
He had almost had Rachel's team skip the barrier and door test straight to the Crown game, but then he thought it would be interesting to see a little more of Axion in action first.
But when Axion somehow absorbed Lero Ro's Shinsoo barrier…Yu Han Sung had worried then that Axion's status would be exposed before he had a chance to decide whether to help hide it or not.
But then…
"Mr. Axion, a word of advice. With that Pocket Mr. Headon gave you, you should make a contract with the Guardian of this floor. The Administrator. That will allow you to use Shinsoo…within the rules of the Tower," said Yu Han Sung, near the end of their strategy session.
"He already has a contract," said Hwaryun.
"I do?" Axion asked, apparently in confusion.
"Check your Pocket."
Axion did so. He read his Pocket's screen carefully.
"Huh? A contract with the Administrator of the First Floor? So my deal with Headon…? That was a contract? I see. I am able to freely use Shinsoo on the 2nd Floor to carry out the task he requested."
Yu Han Sung had a rare expression of genuine surprise. He hadn't thought to check it, because he hadn't seen Axion making a contract during the tests, and Yu Han Sung had been monitoring him as soon as Headon sent the two Irregulars up and notified him.
For Headon to have made the contract…it was unusual but not unheard of. While most Floor Administrators only made contracts for their own floors, it was possible for them to indirectly broker a contract for other floors, the way that Rankers received a new contract for the whole Tower upon reaching the 134th floor, which superseded the ones they'd made on the way up.
"Very thoughtful of Mr. Headon," Yu Han Sung said to himself, sipping his coffee. "Although you are wary of him, Mr. Axion, it seems that he has done you quite a favor."
O O O
"They traded back the Black March?" Khun asked from his position on the bed, after receiving a summary of what happened from Baam.
"Yeah…Mr. Axion is surprisingly nice," said Baam with a smile, sitting next to him on a chair.
Khun made a doubtful face. "I'm not so sure about that…" Although Baam explained Axion's reasoning for gassing the throne area, and what happened afterwards, Khun was still wary of the man.
But he sighed and shook his head. "I guess it's not his fault we got ourselves knocked out too, eh crocodile?"
Rak was brooding in another corner of the room, quietly munching on a banana. "I saw it," he said randomly.
"Saw what?" Khun asked, confused.
"He defeated the green turtle in one move," said Rak in a mournful tone.
'One move…? Damn, guess that girl wasn't bluffing about how strong he was then,' Khun thought to himself regarding Androssi's comments about their first test's massacre.
Khun looked somewhat guilty as he saw Rak's expression. "Crocodile…look, I know he's strong, but it doesn't mean you're weak. I'll admit I haven't been very encouraging before with your constant big talk but—"
"Hahaha!" Rak suddenly started guffawing and clutching his stomach after carelessly throwing the banana peel away, his brooding look disappearing as if he'd merely pretended. "The look on her face! That's what happens when a turtle acts like they aren't prey!"
"…" Khun looked blankly at Rak as the banana peel landed on his face. 'This damn crocodile actually had me worried!'
O O O
Ship Leesoo, Hatsu, and Serena Rinnen, a dark haired Regular who wore a plain off the shoulder dress, walked through the halls after Serena forcibly joined their cafeteria table.
Hatsu stayed quiet while Leesoo and Serena chatted about their experiences in each test. The two had bonded over the struggle to get through Lero Ro's barrier, though they'd also fought in the Crown game.
Then Androssi's door swung open. She came out looking like she was in a bad mood and ignoring them. The three Regulars watched her turn towards Axion's door, hesitate, then shake her head and walk off in the other direction, passing them.
"What's with those two? You'd think they'd be happy with the results of the Crown game. Didn't they get everything they wanted?" Ship Leesoo said, with a jealous tone.
"Didn't you hear? They broke up earlier today!" Serena whispered loudly to him. "Everyone heard them shouting in the halls."
"What? When did this happen?" Ship whispered back.
"It must have been right after they had that fight in the cafeteria. We were still eating dinner then," said Hatsu.
"Do you know what it was about?" Ship asked Serena, his mind already considering ways to take advantage of the situation. That team had been practically unbeatable, but if those two had a bad breakup, there was a chance for the rest of them!
"Oh yeah. You know that red-head that was masked and wore a leotard during the game?" Serena asked.
"Huh, yeah?"
"I heard goldie fell in love with her at first sight," she said, referring to Axion's golden armor as she didn't know his name. "They were flirting right in front of Miss Androssi, so she broke it off right then and there."
"Ouf! I almost feel bad for her. Almost. She's pretty but that red-head is out of this world. There's just no contest. And if you add in how violent she was with him…" Ship said, thinking of the scene in the café with Androssi choking Axion, "it's no wonder he went for the sweeter fruit."
"She's not that pretty. I'm just as attractive, right?" Serena asked.
"Nope," Ship said instantly. "Not even close."
"Why you…!" Serena turned to Hatsu, as if preparing to ask him the same question.
Hatsu shook his head. "Sorry. Please don't bring me into this."
Serena's face fell. "Argh...! Men! As if looks are all that matters!" Then she stormed away.
"I never said that!" Ship exclaimed. "Sheesh. What's her problem? Another one that just can't admit when they're beat. And I thought she was one of the people with common sense around here."
"Ship…" Hatsu started to say something, but trailed off.
"What?"
"Nevermind," said Hatsu, sighing, one hand going to his forehead in exasperation.
Then Leesoo saw that they'd reached Anak's room. He knocked and there was no answer, so he decided to open the door a little. The door was unlocked, as Anak had been carried in there unconscious.
There were no lights on.
"Guess she's still out," Ship said, closing the door.
"Why bother? The teams are disbanded now. We don't have anything to do with her anymore," said Hatsu, still upset about Anak's behavior during the Crown game.
"That's cold…" said Ship.
"She never thought of us as a team anyways," Hatsu added as the two walked away.
Inside, Anak sat at the head of her bed, head down, bandages covering parts of her body. The blanket underneath her head was dotted with wet stains.
She sat unmoving, cold rage etched across her face, utterly silent.
O O O
We were seated in my room, door shut, and Androssi looking at me expectantly.
"I have some ideas, guesses I can make, but I don't know for certain what she meant. Regardless, she is a Guide. You understand what that means, don't you? It would be unwise to dismiss her advice, no matter which form it might take. It may have been addressed to me, but I think her advice was intended to help you."
I doubted that, but I said so anyways, deciding not to disclose what I actually suspected. There was no need to reveal a secret as dangerous as the water stone. If people knew that it was an artifact and not an inherent part of my abilities, then I'd become an even bigger target than I was already as an Irregular.
Moreover, it wasn't as though Hwaryun couldn't give double or triple meanings to her warnings to achieve multiple purposes. You could never tell with a Guide as powerful as her. She was the Guide for FUG's slayer candidates, the ones who were meant to kill Zahard. While her combat ability was far from amazing, her ability as a Guide was respected even by High Rankers.
It was especially impressive when considering that despite Guide powers not working on Irregulars, she seemed to work around it just fine. In the story, she manipulated events surrounding Baam and Rachel without any issue, even though a Ranker Guide that worked for Yuri Zahard was unable to read Baam and concluded that the Ball test on the first floor was impossible for him.
Androssi's expression became less hostile.
"A Guide? Red hair…she's a Red Witch? But a Regular? That's weird."
"Why is it weird?"
She frowned, evidently still not quite satisfied with my explanation. "First of all, Guides are really rare to begin with, and made even rarer because Father reserves one for every princess that becomes a Ranker. Second, Guides don't need to pass the Floor tests. They can go wherever they want. Is she really a Guide? I've never even heard of a Guide that's a Regular!" She asked with clear doubt on her face.
"So I've been told. I don't know much about Guides myself," I said, shrugging.
"What exactly is your relationship with that girl?" Androssi asked me, glaring suspiciously. "You're the second pair of Regulars that knew each other before the tests now. You aren't chasing her up the Tower like that other kid with Rachel, are you?"
"No need to be jealous, I'm not pursuing her," I said with an amused smile.
"Who said I'm jealous?!"
I ignored her question in favor of continuing my explanation. "In fact, Rachel and I only met her on this floor, in regards to matters related to what we spoke of before, in the cafeteria. She is certainly no ordinary Regular, as you've surmised. I cannot explain the extent of our relationship further than that under the circumstances, but you should be able to understand, right?"
She clicked her tongue and huffed, crossing her arms.
"I'll accept that…for now. But what did you mean by 'her advice might be meant for me'?"
"I mean that she might have been warning you about the Green April. It's possible that you will be targeted because of it, as will I, by association with you. Certainly, I imagine that if Anak is a fake princess as you've claimed, the Zahard family will respond soon. And one must wonder, if she is a fake, where did she obtain the Green April? In a way, it is perhaps no less dangerous than dealing with the Black March's true owner."
"You didn't think of this before we made the trade?"
"I did. As I said, the Green April might actually let you ignite her. For that reason alone, it is the better choice. Besides, I don't know how quick the Zahard family will respond to the appearance of a fake princess. I do know, however, that the owner of the Black March is already on her way."
Actually, from what I remembered of the story, an assassin from the royal faction would be on his way soon too. Still, there was a small but non-zero chance that he might not try to confiscate the Green April if it was in the hands of a real princess, so as to stay officially neutral in the war of the princesses. That was the real reason I wanted to make the trade.
"I already knew that someone from RED would come for Anak and the Green April. Some Guide she is if she can only tell me what I already knew," said Androssi with a dismissive wave of her hand.
"RED?" I asked. I knew, but pretended not to.
"The Royal Enforcement Division. Those are the guys loyal only to Father and that enforce his will, usually for issues involving princesses. Compared to the Zahard's Army, the military arm of the empire, RED is more like an elite black-ops and police force."
"Is that so? Why do you call her a fake princess anyways?"
"It's because the real Anak Zahard is already dead. She had a forbidden relationship with a palace chef and ran away with him. The Zahard family sent RED to kill them and take back the Green April, but they never found it. For this Anak to have it, and a body comparable to a real princess with the blood of Zahard in her, that must mean that she's their daughter. The whole point of the restriction on princesses dating is to prevent the power of Zahard from spreading like that. So they'll come for her as soon as they find out."
"I see. Well, I only suspected someone would come, and now I have a bit of confirmation, so we can better prepare for it. Besides, Hwaryun helped us out during the Crown game too, fighting Hatsu and that other random team instead of teaming up against us. Even as a non-combatant role, she'd give you a run for your money if she actually tried fight you," I said. I knew that she would, because she actually would have fought Androssi in the story and held her own during the Crown game.
In this Crown game, her real help came in the form of taking out Khun and Rak while everyone was distracted. She had seen through my plan immediately and cooperated perfectly, adapting from the previous strategy she'd given us. But our objective in preventing Baam from going up wasn't something I intended to disclose to Androssi yet, so I didn't mention it.
"Like that means anything, you could've taken them all out anyways whenever you wanted."
"You're giving me too much credit. I could've defeated them sure, but I wouldn't have been able to protect Baam and Rachel at the same time while I did that," I said, shaking my head.
My performance was apparently too good, she was overestimating me a bit too much. Even though I might have been able to pull it off, the cost in mana for Derflinger would have been too high and risky, leaving not enough to defend myself outside of the tests.
I was in an environment where I could not easily start an Armoriont farm and refill Derflinger's reserves, so unless I found another solution, I'd only be able to refill about 500 MP per day, and that was only by keeping Agate in hibernation for the day, otherwise it'd drop to 100-200 with the wand active.
A single Slash Beam or Wave at level 5 cost close to 1600 MP, which would already take multiple days or weeks to recover from. That was on top of the massive continuous cost of Derflinger's Boost and my Omni-Flight if I was required to use them. Omni-Flight, the spell that let me levitate like Agate, I could only keep up for less than a minute at the maximum speed before exhausting my own and Agate's reserves completely.
This was why I tried to limit myself to Reinforcement and the Armoriont's biological capabilities wherever possible. Reinforcement was superbly cheap for the effect, while the Armoriont cost basically nothing.
The only other option was to go back to Worm and refill before coming back, cost me 2 planar trips of Primordial GRAIN, and still taking several days in which my absence from the Tower might attract even more dangerous attention, as leaving was essentially impossible, and there was an entire Ranker organization dedicated to finding the way out.
"So I appreciate your confidence in me, but it's never wise to overestimate one's own abilities," I added.
"Why do I feel like you aren't talking about yourself with that last bit…?"
"There is also another possibility. Could it be that the Green April may have dangerous side effects for the user?"
There should be a curse on the 13 month series weapons. Trying to ignite two at the same time would result in the princess being taken over and trying to kill everything, especially other princesses. But with a single weapon? I didn't remember anything like that, but it wasn't impossible.
"I've never heard of any side effects. That seems like a stretch," said Androssi.
"Just be careful, alright? It would be inconvenient for me if anything happened to you."
"If anything happens to me, you'd better come save me. Trading for the Green April was your idea."
"Of course, of course."
In the end, I was at least able to convince her to let it go, even if she still didn't like Hwaryun, and I finally had some time to myself.
O O O
There were lots of things I could do at this point, lots of events happening around me that I could take a more active role in. However, I chose to focus on my real purpose for being in this Tower at all.
I had Agate go into hibernation and kept it in my Armoriont, where my chest was, so that I could recover more MP. There wasn't anybody in particular I wanted to spy on, so I didn't need Agate to stay active.
Derflinger had already expended quite a bit of mana already today fighting the White Steel Eel and in the Crown game. My own reserves and Agate's were still near full as I only used a bit of Reinforcement, which was dirt cheap, but Derflinger had used almost five thousand MP.
I didn't expect another big fight soon, as there should be a month of training ahead, but it would be wise for me to conserve MP as much as possible. Against threats like Rankers or High Rankers, I might need literally everything at my disposal to survive the 10 seconds it took to shift planes.
Then, I settled down to meditate and commune with the water spirits.
With the abundance of "divine water" all around us, and the water stone's apparent capability to absorb the substance, it was time to see what kind of benefits I could get from it, and how it would affect my training with the water stone going forward.
If I could use their absorption ability to actually take Shinsoo with me to use on other planes…that would just be perfect.
O O O
[Interlude]
Lero Ro sat watching Yu Han Sung prepare coffee with an overly complicated procedure.
He had come and demanded answers about why the three Regulars from the other district had been sent to the Crown game.
Yu Han Sung looked concentrated, carefully breaking his coffee stick. "Mr. Lero Ro. Do you know why we gather all the Regulars and test them?"
"Isn't it to test if the Regulars are qualified to go up the Tower?"
"No, it's not. The reason is…they have dangerous powers. They come into the Tower to fulfill their own desires. Glory, money, power, or whatever else they want. But what if they desire something that's harmful to the world? What if there's somebody that dreams of the world's end? It could be disastrous. So we test them and separate the black sheep. The ones who threaten the Tower."
"I don't understand the intention behind your words—" Lero Ro started to say.
"Mr. Lero Ro. Who do you think is among the most dangerous Regulars taking the test this time, wielding a weapon he shouldn't be capable of wielding? Didn't he lose the Crown game? And he didn't acquire a second 13 month series weapon either," Yu Han Sung said.
Now looking straight at Lero Ro, Yu Han Sung finished, "Because of the person I sent you."
Lero Ro's expression turned to surprise, as he had a flashback. The boy who held the Black March, that he was well aware of belonged to Yuri. He had been part of the same cohort that started climbing with Yuri, so he was acquainted with her. And he knew that the Black March refused to ignite for her. For it to decide to ignite for some random kid? It made no sense, even if Yuri had lent it to him as he'd claimed.
If the other district's team hadn't been involved, wouldn't he have won the Crown game starting from the third round? And he'd have won the bet with Anak outright too, instead of trading away one of the weapons.
But the other team had been present, and defeated Baam's team. They'd made it look like they were about to protect Baam's team to give them the victory while keeping the Black March, and Lero Ro felt that wasn't fair, so he'd changed the rules.
But had that really been their intention? To let Baam's team win?
Later, the Khun family boy had negotiated a deal to let them win the Crown game anyways.
And then…that man. Axion. He'd stopped his allies from winning the game for no apparent reason, even though the Khun had already promised them the Black March, even if they won the Crown game instead of merely winning the bet under his new rules. Axion had attacked Baam and knocked him unconscious under the guise of keeping other Regulars away. No doubt he'd have finished off the other two teammates if the masked one hadn't done it first.
As a result, they hadn't gone up to the next floor.
It was illogical. There was no benefit for Axion to have done that, especially when they seemed ready to let Baam's team rise before Lero Ro had interfered. He might have said it was to stop anyone from getting to the throne, but really? With how fast he had defeated Anak, Lero Ro didn't buy it at all. He could've easily defeated all the other Regulars instantly.
Then he thought back to the moment he saw Baam manipulate Shinsoo to attack Androssi. And the time before that, to block several attacks from different directions.
He'd also overheard Axion make a comment of that too to his teammates, the first time it had happened in the 3rd round.
Now, with the test director's admission…it started to make sense. But he wasn't sure he liked it.
Lero Ro brought his coffee cup to his mouth and downed it in one gulp before leaving politely.
"Test Director Yu," he stopped and turned around as he reached the door. "Have you ever seen somebody…who's not from the Ten Great Families…who hasn't made a contract with an Administrator but can still freely manipulate Shinsoo?"
"No, I haven't. That is beyond the rules of the Tower. Oh! But I have heard of one. Urek Mazino. He was…an Irregular."
"I see."
Lero Ro shut the door and walked away, thinking about how the Shinsoo around Baam seemingly acted of its own volition, violating the rules of the Tower
Meanwhile, Yu Han Sung sighed in his coffee room, remarking to himself that Lero Ro was more difficult to handle than Quant.
He had almost had Rachel's team skip the barrier and door test straight to the Crown game, but then he thought it would be interesting to see a little more of Axion in action first.
But when Axion somehow absorbed Lero Ro's Shinsoo barrier…Yu Han Sung had worried then that Axion's status would be exposed before he had a chance to decide whether to help hide it or not.
But then…
"Mr. Axion, a word of advice. With that Pocket Mr. Headon gave you, you should make a contract with the Guardian of this floor. The Administrator. That will allow you to use Shinsoo…within the rules of the Tower," said Yu Han Sung, near the end of their strategy session.
"He already has a contract," said Hwaryun.
"I do?" Axion asked, apparently in confusion.
"Check your Pocket."
Axion did so. He read his Pocket's screen carefully.
"Huh? A contract with the Administrator of the First Floor? So my deal with Headon…? That was a contract? I see. I am able to freely use Shinsoo on the 2nd Floor to carry out the task he requested."
Yu Han Sung had a rare expression of genuine surprise. He hadn't thought to check it, because he hadn't seen Axion making a contract during the tests, and Yu Han Sung had been monitoring him as soon as Headon sent the two Irregulars up and notified him.
For Headon to have made the contract…it was unusual but not unheard of. While most Floor Administrators only made contracts for their own floors, it was possible for them to indirectly broker a contract for other floors, the way that Rankers received a new contract for the whole Tower upon reaching the 134th floor, which superseded the ones they'd made on the way up.
"Very thoughtful of Mr. Headon," Yu Han Sung said to himself, sipping his coffee. "Although you are wary of him, Mr. Axion, it seems that he has done you quite a favor."
O O O
"They traded back the Black March?" Khun asked from his position on the bed, after receiving a summary of what happened from Baam.
"Yeah…Mr. Axion is surprisingly nice," said Baam with a smile, sitting next to him on a chair.
Khun made a doubtful face. "I'm not so sure about that…" Although Baam explained Axion's reasoning for gassing the throne area, and what happened afterwards, Khun was still wary of the man.
But he sighed and shook his head. "I guess it's not his fault we got ourselves knocked out too, eh crocodile?"
Rak was brooding in another corner of the room, quietly munching on a banana. "I saw it," he said randomly.
"Saw what?" Khun asked, confused.
"He defeated the green turtle in one move," said Rak in a mournful tone.
'One move…? Damn, guess that girl wasn't bluffing about how strong he was then,' Khun thought to himself regarding Androssi's comments about their first test's massacre.
Khun looked somewhat guilty as he saw Rak's expression. "Crocodile…look, I know he's strong, but it doesn't mean you're weak. I'll admit I haven't been very encouraging before with your constant big talk but—"
"Hahaha!" Rak suddenly started guffawing and clutching his stomach after carelessly throwing the banana peel away, his brooding look disappearing as if he'd merely pretended. "The look on her face! That's what happens when a turtle acts like they aren't prey!"
"…" Khun looked blankly at Rak as the banana peel landed on his face. 'This damn crocodile actually had me worried!'
O O O
Ship Leesoo, Hatsu, and Serena Rinnen, a dark haired Regular who wore a plain off the shoulder dress, walked through the halls after Serena forcibly joined their cafeteria table.
Hatsu stayed quiet while Leesoo and Serena chatted about their experiences in each test. The two had bonded over the struggle to get through Lero Ro's barrier, though they'd also fought in the Crown game.
Then Androssi's door swung open. She came out looking like she was in a bad mood and ignoring them. The three Regulars watched her turn towards Axion's door, hesitate, then shake her head and walk off in the other direction, passing them.
"What's with those two? You'd think they'd be happy with the results of the Crown game. Didn't they get everything they wanted?" Ship Leesoo said, with a jealous tone.
"Didn't you hear? They broke up earlier today!" Serena whispered loudly to him. "Everyone heard them shouting in the halls."
"What? When did this happen?" Ship whispered back.
"It must have been right after they had that fight in the cafeteria. We were still eating dinner then," said Hatsu.
"Do you know what it was about?" Ship asked Serena, his mind already considering ways to take advantage of the situation. That team had been practically unbeatable, but if those two had a bad breakup, there was a chance for the rest of them!
"Oh yeah. You know that red-head that was masked and wore a leotard during the game?" Serena asked.
"Huh, yeah?"
"I heard goldie fell in love with her at first sight," she said, referring to Axion's golden armor as she didn't know his name. "They were flirting right in front of Miss Androssi, so she broke it off right then and there."
"Ouf! I almost feel bad for her. Almost. She's pretty but that red-head is out of this world. There's just no contest. And if you add in how violent she was with him…" Ship said, thinking of the scene in the café with Androssi choking Axion, "it's no wonder he went for the sweeter fruit."
"She's not that pretty. I'm just as attractive, right?" Serena asked.
"Nope," Ship said instantly. "Not even close."
"Why you…!" Serena turned to Hatsu, as if preparing to ask him the same question.
Hatsu shook his head. "Sorry. Please don't bring me into this."
Serena's face fell. "Argh...! Men! As if looks are all that matters!" Then she stormed away.
"I never said that!" Ship exclaimed. "Sheesh. What's her problem? Another one that just can't admit when they're beat. And I thought she was one of the people with common sense around here."
"Ship…" Hatsu started to say something, but trailed off.
"What?"
"Nevermind," said Hatsu, sighing, one hand going to his forehead in exasperation.
Then Leesoo saw that they'd reached Anak's room. He knocked and there was no answer, so he decided to open the door a little. The door was unlocked, as Anak had been carried in there unconscious.
There were no lights on.
"Guess she's still out," Ship said, closing the door.
"Why bother? The teams are disbanded now. We don't have anything to do with her anymore," said Hatsu, still upset about Anak's behavior during the Crown game.
"That's cold…" said Ship.
"She never thought of us as a team anyways," Hatsu added as the two walked away.
Inside, Anak sat at the head of her bed, head down, bandages covering parts of her body. The blanket underneath her head was dotted with wet stains.
She sat unmoving, cold rage etched across her face, utterly silent.
O O O
36 - Rest 2F 3
36 - Rest 2F 3
[Interlude]
Long after Ship Leesoo and Hatsu left Anak's room, when the halls turned empty and the artificial night of the second floor had fallen, a figure opened the door and stepped inside, lightly shutting it behind them.
Anak looked up cautiously as the figure approached, shrouded in shadow.
As they approached, Anak caught a glimpse of long, flowing red hair.
"Who are you? What do you want?" Anak asked, unable to remember seeing any Regular with hair that shade of red before she was attacked.
A glint of moonlight reflecting off a metallic gold surface.
"...!"
Anak tried to dodge the attack, but couldn't as her body was too weak.
A long pole held her throat against the wall, while the figure merely stayed back and manipulated it with Shinsoo.
"Who am I…? I wonder...who do you think?" A melodious voice answered Anak.
"You!" Anak recognized the weapon being held against her throat from the Crown game. The self-floating pole that the leotard-wearing Regular used.
"How does it feel to lose your mother's last gift?"
Anak froze while her mind raced. Was she an assassin from the royal family? Come to finish the job they started all those years ago?
"Why do you look so surprised? Your identity can be inferred by anyone who bothers looking up your name. Carelessly showing off the Green April like that only made it more obvious."
"What…do you want? If you're going to kill me, just do it already," Anak growled out.
"If I were you, I wouldn't give up like that. I would think of what I could do to survive, and find a way to make things right. You've relied on your body's natural strengths and the Green April too much. You should remember that those are powers borrowed from the very name you despise," said Hwaryun.
The metal pole was retracted and flipped vertical beside her.
"What…? Why?"
"There are people who hate that name just as much as you do. Who hold the same goal as you do. If you are serious about walking down that path, and not just climbing this Tower to gamble your possessions and life away…then get stronger. A lot stronger. And when you're ready to face the truth about your own limits, you should search for those people."
Hwaryun turned and left after that, leaving Anak to ponder in silence.
O O O
[Kaleidus]
Before the start of the next test, there was a three day break. It was to give Regulars time to recover from their injuries and to unwind a little after the intense combat tests from before.
Some Regulars had suffered serious injuries that wouldn't heal even within that time frame. There were medical facilities and healers, but Regulars had to pay for the healing themselves, using the points that were given based on the scores they got on prior tests.
So far the score everyone got for passing each test was the same, though some Regulars would get a lot of bonus points for having the best performance soon. They hadn't yet announced who got the bonuses though.
The points doubled as a form of currency, so some rich Regulars like Khun had plenty of points to spend, which he used to buy uniforms for his team.
During the break, most Regulars continued to hang out with their teams from the previous tests.
"Didn't they break up yesterday? Did they get back together already?" I heard some Regulars whisper while pointing at us from another table, as I sat with Androssi again for breakfast.
Androssi also heard and looked at them. They froze, before awkwardly looking into their plates.
I saw Anak glaring daggers at us from another table, sitting by herself.
Rachel got take out and skipped the cafeteria entirely to avoid Baam.
"Got any plans for the next three days?" Androssi asked.
"Not really," I said. "I wanted to get out of the testing area for a bit and stretch my legs, but they won't let us leave to explore the floor."
"Great! You can help me test the Green April then," said Androssi.
I didn't really want to spend more of Derflinger's MP, but it would also be bad form to decline, especially because Androssi was still not over the incident with Hwaryun yesterday.
We made our way to a practice arena after that. There were lots of them around in the testing area and open for use, fortunately without spending any points.
"Before we start, you should know that I won't use Derflinger's Ignition for this. He needs to recharge and without being able to leave the testing area, recharging is rather difficult. I'd rather not use him in training."
"Okay. Derflinger's the name of your sword right?" Androssi asked.
"That's right," I said.
"You can talk to me directly, girl," Derflinger said.
"It's going to take some time to get used to a weapon that talks out loud. Even the Green April can only talk to me in my mind," said Androssi.
"So did she agree to let you use her?" I asked.
"Yup!" Androssi said eagerly. "Let's get started then!"
The spar that followed was a difficult one for me without Derflinger.
Androssi was stronger and faster than me with full Reinforcement, and a lot more durable too. Once I was on the backfoot on the ground, I switched to aerial combat using the Armoriont wings, which turned things around.
She couldn't fly herself using Shinsoo manipulation, and she had little experience fighting aerial opponents. The Green April couldn't extend indefinitely, in fact Androssi's current range with it was rather short at about fifty meters, so it was easy to dodge.
I couldn't defeat her either though, as getting close exposed myself to counterattack, and it was especially dangerous now that she had the Green April, which could grow like a forest and attack in all directions.
I noticed a few times that she nearly slipped because of her high heels, but I was unable to take advantage of it with the Green April in her hands. In the end, I said nothing because she would learn a more memorable lesson when she actually slips where it matters, as she did in canon.
O O O
For the next three days of the break, I alternated between training with Androssi and the water stone.
The training with Androssi was actually quite beneficial for both of us. For me, despite the martial arts skills I got from Cranial skill implants, I had little experience actually fighting at superhuman strength and speed, or against superhuman opponents.
Many things just no longer applied, or were so radically different as to be unusable. The concept of "range" was very different when your opponent could cross a ten metre gap in less than a second, even starting from a stationary position. It was also much harder to redirect force when even a tiny fraction of that force could blow you away. But perhaps the most awkward point of all was the difference that supernatural forces had on the proportion of force and momentum that could be exerted from the same mass.
Both Androssi and I were able to generate far more force than our mass should be able to, and concepts of leveraging body mass or unbalancing your opponents just plainly didn't work the same way.
After the first session, we started training on more specific elements of our fighting style rather than a free-for-all spar.
Through this, it became clear that Androssi was by far the more skilled fighter on ground, and I couldn't effectively use my wings at such close ranges either.
As a result, a lot of our training turned into her instructing me on melee fighting.
I did however pioneer new methods of combining the Omni-Flight spell in extremely short bursts to alter my body's movement in totally unpredictable ways. The spell was immensely expensive for long distance flight, and I could only keep it up for less than a minute at the maximum speed. It took quite a lot of concentration to pull off, but it was possible to activate and deactivate it fairly quickly. It was simply a matter of practice to do it mid-combat and reflexively.
Because the spell didn't require much acceleration, I could suddenly reach incredible velocities out of nowhere.
Its maximum speed was about 500 mph, which was over 200 metres per second—an astonishing distance for close combat. The MP cost for me to fly that fast was 100x higher than Agate due to my larger mass and size, but still workable.
I didn't try anywhere near the theoretical limit though. It was quite hard on my circuits and mind, increasing the difficulty of casting significantly. I also couldn't aim or track anything at close distances when moving at too high a velocity.
But I did start practicing using the spell to help dodge or attack from impossible angles and quickly shift momentum.
There was no base cost for casting the spell, so doing so cost very little MP if each cast lasted less than a second—as little as 1-3 MP.
"How did you get so strong while being so unskilled? And what's with all these weird techniques, they're unnatural!" Androssi asked after I tried out these new tactics. "You're not even using Shinsoo! How are you doing that?"
"Close quarters combat isn't my specialty. And what makes you think I'm not using Shinsoo? Just because you can't tell how I'm doing it?"
"That's right…you were able to break the test administrator's barrier and absorb the Shinsoo. Are you actually a Wave Controller?" She asked, using the terminology for the team position that focuses on manipulating Shinsoo. "Then you were using Slider? Without Shinsoo traces…"
In the Tower, combat often took place in teams, and various common positions were given names. I expected our next test to be about these positions, and for most Regulars it'd be new to them, but Androssi was already aware of basics like these.
"What's a Wave Controller?" I asked, pretending not to know. Although I knew it already, my own knowledge was rather basic, and it wasn't unusual for people outside of the Inner Tower not to know.
"Oh, you don't know? It's just a name for people who primarily use Shinsoo to fight. Everyone uses it, but Wave Controllers specialize in it and can manipulate Shinsoo on a large scale, especially for long range attacks. That guy who goes around wrapped in blankets would be a Wave Controller," said Androssi.
"So, a Blaster and Shaker? One who blasts from range, and one who affects the environment," I said, using the Worm classifications.
"I've never heard of those," said Androssi.
"It's a classification system I've come across in my travels that I liked. Because that place had so many unique powers, it was necessary to focus on the nature of the threat, and how to respond to it, rather than how the powers worked or what was used," I said.
"That sounds very practical, but the position names are similar. Like I said, everyone in the Tower uses Shinsoo to some degree, but Wave Controllers fill a specific role on the team," said Androssi.
"I see. However, your description of a Wave Controller doesn't seem to describe me. I'm not able to control Shinsoo on a large scale. I can launch large ranged attacks with Derflinger's help, but other than that, my way of using Shinsoo is…well, it works on a much smaller scale," I said.
I didn't actually use Shinsoo. I used mana, or Shinsoo converted to mana, but I'd pretend as long as possible that I did.
"What do you mean?"
"I'll give you a demonstration," I said, then picking up a small rock from the ground.
Androssi watched me carefully.
I sent mana into the rock, then Broke it. It fell into pieces without any fanfare. I could've had it explode by overloading the mana more, but in this case I wanted to minimize the mana used.
"…!" Androssi looked astonished. "You destroyed it with Shinsoo? I didn't see or feel anything. It was as if it broke apart by itself. You must be incredibly skilled with Shinsoo to do that."
"Perhaps, or I'm just using Shinsoo in a different way than usual. Like I said, I don't know how to control Shinsoo in larger quantities. What's basic for any other Wave Controller might be very difficult for me. The amount of Shinsoo I just used to do this…it's so small that it might as well be nothing. That isn't because I'm efficient—I just don't know how to control more the way Laure or Lero Ro did," I said. "Though it does interest me, and I intend to learn now that I'm here ."
Shinsoo was extremely potent as a form of mana. It was difficult to break down and convert into raw mana for me to use in spells, but it was undoubtedly powerful, and that's why the water spirits loved it.
The amount of Shinsoo Laure used to fire the beam that he did on Anak back in the Crown game? If converted to magical energy, the quantity would be comically large.
That beam was comparable to a Slash Beam Level 4, costing Derflinger 800 MP, but Laure probably used something like 10 to 20 times more energy.
However, it wasn't a fair comparison of efficiency, because when Shinsoo was directly used like that, it wasn't used up.
Magic energy was simply gone, like fuel being consumed for spells, and that was how it worked for Derflinger too.
But it didn't work that way with Shinsoo. Wave Controllers manipulated the Shinsoo in the environment, and after whatever effects they created, the Shinsoo was still there, or most of it anyways.
"What about when you absorbed the Shinsoo from the barrier Lero Ro made? That looked pretty large scale to me," said Androssi.
"That was…a special circumstance. It's not something I can explain right now, as I don't fully understand it myself," I said.
"I don't believe you, Mr. Undercover Ranker!" She said with a cheeky grin.
"…still can't explain it, even if you say that."
O O O
Within my room, a bubble of liquid Shinsoo encased me as I meditated.
Condensed from drawing in the Shinsoo in the air, and controlled as if it were ordinary water by the water spirits, they formed a container that levitated me in the air.
I breathed in the divine water, and exhaled water elemental energy.
My body became an extension of the water stone and the water spirits, a nexus of the water element.
After spending half the day and night doing this during the break, my connection to the water spirits seemed to grow by leaps and bounds.
Deep within the meditation, through the Shinsoo I gained an awareness of things around me that extended far past my room into the hallways and other rooms. It was unrefined and imprecise, but I began to feel currents of Shinsoo, the people who used it, and those whose blood ran thick with the power of Shinsoo. I could sense the Rankers whose movements made waves in the Shinsoo just from their presence, and even the Floor Administrator whose presence seemed to be everywhere.
As for the water spirits, after the initial frenzy, they had calmed down and were noticeably more agreeable to all my requests. They'd even stopped asking for lifeforce altogether, as if whatever they'd consumed from the Shinsoo was more than enough for them, and they were far less protective of their own reserves of water mana.
Given their continuous absorption of Shinsoo, it seemed clear that the Shinsoo was serving as a form of nourishment for them, increasing their reserves of water mana and allowing the spirits to grow.
My body was also being altered by the Shinsoo, though it was extremely slow. Through Structural Grasp and my Reinforcement practice, I noticed that my body was different, the gaps where I used to fill with mana were slightly off. The water stone sped up the process as it circulated Shinsoo all over my body, particularly when I meditated and formed these dense bubbles of Shinsoo.
Perhaps the biggest curiosity though was the way my blood had changed. Previously, I hoped that by integrating the water stone within my circulatory system, I could gain a water affinity, but in the presence of Shinsoo, something else happened.
I had placed the water stone into its own organ of sorts and connected it to the circulatory system, and eventually I grew it into a miniature heart. Because the water stone could manipulate blood the same as water, it could function as a backup if my real hearts failed.
Normally, it didn't do anything except circulate tiny amounts of water element energy, which didn't have any obvious effects on me.
However, once the water stone absorbed Shinsoo, it started leaking out trace amounts of the Shinsoo alongside the water mana, directly into my bloodstream.
This Shinsoo wasn't just energy, or even the raw Shinsoo of the environment. It'd been refined by the water stone into something else entirely, and was an actual substance that behaved like blood plasma. It also seemed to carry the essence of the water stone itself, as I could feel the water spirits spreading their presence into my body, instead of staying holed up in the water stone.
This was perhaps one big reason that I felt my connection with the water spirits growing in strength rapidly.
What kind of long-term effect it'd have on my body was still unclear, but this was undoubtedly beneficial for my magic.
The water mana that the water stone previously released would dissipate if unused, even though it took weeks to happen, and was in such small quantities that I couldn't really use it for much of anything, especially as it was water-aligned mana.
However, this new Shinsoo easily retained the water mana and made it more easily used in spells, particularly Reinforcement of my body. It could also readily re-absorb mana.
So far, there wasn't enough of it yet to make a big difference or experiment much with, but I had the suspicion that it was modifying the water-alignment into a non-standard sub-affinity, which related to the body. Self-Reinforcement was easy to do with it, but Reinforcement of other objects was more difficult.
That was on top of the benefit of simply having more cooperative water spirits, and a growing water stone.
I had now confirmed that absorbing Shinsoo allowed the water stone to recover and gain water mana at an incredible rate. Although the water spirits didn't directly convert all of the absorbed Shinsoo to mana—they instead refined and stored it—they were able to convert enough that being here for three days had given the stone more mana than months or even years of sitting in a mana-rich body of water would have.
In fact, the spirits could probably convert all that stored Shinsoo into water mana even after I left this plane, unless they had other plans for it.
If I got nothing else from this plane, this alone would have made it worthwhile to be here. Even as a place to retreat after overusing the water stone, the Tower would serve wonderfully.
O O O
[Interlude]
Long after Ship Leesoo and Hatsu left Anak's room, when the halls turned empty and the artificial night of the second floor had fallen, a figure opened the door and stepped inside, lightly shutting it behind them.
Anak looked up cautiously as the figure approached, shrouded in shadow.
As they approached, Anak caught a glimpse of long, flowing red hair.
"Who are you? What do you want?" Anak asked, unable to remember seeing any Regular with hair that shade of red before she was attacked.
A glint of moonlight reflecting off a metallic gold surface.
"...!"
Anak tried to dodge the attack, but couldn't as her body was too weak.
A long pole held her throat against the wall, while the figure merely stayed back and manipulated it with Shinsoo.
"Who am I…? I wonder...who do you think?" A melodious voice answered Anak.
"You!" Anak recognized the weapon being held against her throat from the Crown game. The self-floating pole that the leotard-wearing Regular used.
"How does it feel to lose your mother's last gift?"
Anak froze while her mind raced. Was she an assassin from the royal family? Come to finish the job they started all those years ago?
"Why do you look so surprised? Your identity can be inferred by anyone who bothers looking up your name. Carelessly showing off the Green April like that only made it more obvious."
"What…do you want? If you're going to kill me, just do it already," Anak growled out.
"If I were you, I wouldn't give up like that. I would think of what I could do to survive, and find a way to make things right. You've relied on your body's natural strengths and the Green April too much. You should remember that those are powers borrowed from the very name you despise," said Hwaryun.
The metal pole was retracted and flipped vertical beside her.
"What…? Why?"
"There are people who hate that name just as much as you do. Who hold the same goal as you do. If you are serious about walking down that path, and not just climbing this Tower to gamble your possessions and life away…then get stronger. A lot stronger. And when you're ready to face the truth about your own limits, you should search for those people."
Hwaryun turned and left after that, leaving Anak to ponder in silence.
O O O
[Kaleidus]
Before the start of the next test, there was a three day break. It was to give Regulars time to recover from their injuries and to unwind a little after the intense combat tests from before.
Some Regulars had suffered serious injuries that wouldn't heal even within that time frame. There were medical facilities and healers, but Regulars had to pay for the healing themselves, using the points that were given based on the scores they got on prior tests.
So far the score everyone got for passing each test was the same, though some Regulars would get a lot of bonus points for having the best performance soon. They hadn't yet announced who got the bonuses though.
The points doubled as a form of currency, so some rich Regulars like Khun had plenty of points to spend, which he used to buy uniforms for his team.
During the break, most Regulars continued to hang out with their teams from the previous tests.
"Didn't they break up yesterday? Did they get back together already?" I heard some Regulars whisper while pointing at us from another table, as I sat with Androssi again for breakfast.
Androssi also heard and looked at them. They froze, before awkwardly looking into their plates.
I saw Anak glaring daggers at us from another table, sitting by herself.
Rachel got take out and skipped the cafeteria entirely to avoid Baam.
"Got any plans for the next three days?" Androssi asked.
"Not really," I said. "I wanted to get out of the testing area for a bit and stretch my legs, but they won't let us leave to explore the floor."
"Great! You can help me test the Green April then," said Androssi.
I didn't really want to spend more of Derflinger's MP, but it would also be bad form to decline, especially because Androssi was still not over the incident with Hwaryun yesterday.
We made our way to a practice arena after that. There were lots of them around in the testing area and open for use, fortunately without spending any points.
"Before we start, you should know that I won't use Derflinger's Ignition for this. He needs to recharge and without being able to leave the testing area, recharging is rather difficult. I'd rather not use him in training."
"Okay. Derflinger's the name of your sword right?" Androssi asked.
"That's right," I said.
"You can talk to me directly, girl," Derflinger said.
"It's going to take some time to get used to a weapon that talks out loud. Even the Green April can only talk to me in my mind," said Androssi.
"So did she agree to let you use her?" I asked.
"Yup!" Androssi said eagerly. "Let's get started then!"
The spar that followed was a difficult one for me without Derflinger.
Androssi was stronger and faster than me with full Reinforcement, and a lot more durable too. Once I was on the backfoot on the ground, I switched to aerial combat using the Armoriont wings, which turned things around.
She couldn't fly herself using Shinsoo manipulation, and she had little experience fighting aerial opponents. The Green April couldn't extend indefinitely, in fact Androssi's current range with it was rather short at about fifty meters, so it was easy to dodge.
I couldn't defeat her either though, as getting close exposed myself to counterattack, and it was especially dangerous now that she had the Green April, which could grow like a forest and attack in all directions.
I noticed a few times that she nearly slipped because of her high heels, but I was unable to take advantage of it with the Green April in her hands. In the end, I said nothing because she would learn a more memorable lesson when she actually slips where it matters, as she did in canon.
O O O
For the next three days of the break, I alternated between training with Androssi and the water stone.
The training with Androssi was actually quite beneficial for both of us. For me, despite the martial arts skills I got from Cranial skill implants, I had little experience actually fighting at superhuman strength and speed, or against superhuman opponents.
Many things just no longer applied, or were so radically different as to be unusable. The concept of "range" was very different when your opponent could cross a ten metre gap in less than a second, even starting from a stationary position. It was also much harder to redirect force when even a tiny fraction of that force could blow you away. But perhaps the most awkward point of all was the difference that supernatural forces had on the proportion of force and momentum that could be exerted from the same mass.
Both Androssi and I were able to generate far more force than our mass should be able to, and concepts of leveraging body mass or unbalancing your opponents just plainly didn't work the same way.
After the first session, we started training on more specific elements of our fighting style rather than a free-for-all spar.
Through this, it became clear that Androssi was by far the more skilled fighter on ground, and I couldn't effectively use my wings at such close ranges either.
As a result, a lot of our training turned into her instructing me on melee fighting.
I did however pioneer new methods of combining the Omni-Flight spell in extremely short bursts to alter my body's movement in totally unpredictable ways. The spell was immensely expensive for long distance flight, and I could only keep it up for less than a minute at the maximum speed. It took quite a lot of concentration to pull off, but it was possible to activate and deactivate it fairly quickly. It was simply a matter of practice to do it mid-combat and reflexively.
Because the spell didn't require much acceleration, I could suddenly reach incredible velocities out of nowhere.
Its maximum speed was about 500 mph, which was over 200 metres per second—an astonishing distance for close combat. The MP cost for me to fly that fast was 100x higher than Agate due to my larger mass and size, but still workable.
I didn't try anywhere near the theoretical limit though. It was quite hard on my circuits and mind, increasing the difficulty of casting significantly. I also couldn't aim or track anything at close distances when moving at too high a velocity.
But I did start practicing using the spell to help dodge or attack from impossible angles and quickly shift momentum.
There was no base cost for casting the spell, so doing so cost very little MP if each cast lasted less than a second—as little as 1-3 MP.
"How did you get so strong while being so unskilled? And what's with all these weird techniques, they're unnatural!" Androssi asked after I tried out these new tactics. "You're not even using Shinsoo! How are you doing that?"
"Close quarters combat isn't my specialty. And what makes you think I'm not using Shinsoo? Just because you can't tell how I'm doing it?"
"That's right…you were able to break the test administrator's barrier and absorb the Shinsoo. Are you actually a Wave Controller?" She asked, using the terminology for the team position that focuses on manipulating Shinsoo. "Then you were using Slider? Without Shinsoo traces…"
In the Tower, combat often took place in teams, and various common positions were given names. I expected our next test to be about these positions, and for most Regulars it'd be new to them, but Androssi was already aware of basics like these.
"What's a Wave Controller?" I asked, pretending not to know. Although I knew it already, my own knowledge was rather basic, and it wasn't unusual for people outside of the Inner Tower not to know.
"Oh, you don't know? It's just a name for people who primarily use Shinsoo to fight. Everyone uses it, but Wave Controllers specialize in it and can manipulate Shinsoo on a large scale, especially for long range attacks. That guy who goes around wrapped in blankets would be a Wave Controller," said Androssi.
"So, a Blaster and Shaker? One who blasts from range, and one who affects the environment," I said, using the Worm classifications.
"I've never heard of those," said Androssi.
"It's a classification system I've come across in my travels that I liked. Because that place had so many unique powers, it was necessary to focus on the nature of the threat, and how to respond to it, rather than how the powers worked or what was used," I said.
"That sounds very practical, but the position names are similar. Like I said, everyone in the Tower uses Shinsoo to some degree, but Wave Controllers fill a specific role on the team," said Androssi.
"I see. However, your description of a Wave Controller doesn't seem to describe me. I'm not able to control Shinsoo on a large scale. I can launch large ranged attacks with Derflinger's help, but other than that, my way of using Shinsoo is…well, it works on a much smaller scale," I said.
I didn't actually use Shinsoo. I used mana, or Shinsoo converted to mana, but I'd pretend as long as possible that I did.
"What do you mean?"
"I'll give you a demonstration," I said, then picking up a small rock from the ground.
Androssi watched me carefully.
I sent mana into the rock, then Broke it. It fell into pieces without any fanfare. I could've had it explode by overloading the mana more, but in this case I wanted to minimize the mana used.
"…!" Androssi looked astonished. "You destroyed it with Shinsoo? I didn't see or feel anything. It was as if it broke apart by itself. You must be incredibly skilled with Shinsoo to do that."
"Perhaps, or I'm just using Shinsoo in a different way than usual. Like I said, I don't know how to control Shinsoo in larger quantities. What's basic for any other Wave Controller might be very difficult for me. The amount of Shinsoo I just used to do this…it's so small that it might as well be nothing. That isn't because I'm efficient—I just don't know how to control more the way Laure or Lero Ro did," I said. "Though it does interest me, and I intend to learn now that I'm here ."
Shinsoo was extremely potent as a form of mana. It was difficult to break down and convert into raw mana for me to use in spells, but it was undoubtedly powerful, and that's why the water spirits loved it.
The amount of Shinsoo Laure used to fire the beam that he did on Anak back in the Crown game? If converted to magical energy, the quantity would be comically large.
That beam was comparable to a Slash Beam Level 4, costing Derflinger 800 MP, but Laure probably used something like 10 to 20 times more energy.
However, it wasn't a fair comparison of efficiency, because when Shinsoo was directly used like that, it wasn't used up.
Magic energy was simply gone, like fuel being consumed for spells, and that was how it worked for Derflinger too.
But it didn't work that way with Shinsoo. Wave Controllers manipulated the Shinsoo in the environment, and after whatever effects they created, the Shinsoo was still there, or most of it anyways.
"What about when you absorbed the Shinsoo from the barrier Lero Ro made? That looked pretty large scale to me," said Androssi.
"That was…a special circumstance. It's not something I can explain right now, as I don't fully understand it myself," I said.
"I don't believe you, Mr. Undercover Ranker!" She said with a cheeky grin.
"…still can't explain it, even if you say that."
O O O
Within my room, a bubble of liquid Shinsoo encased me as I meditated.
Condensed from drawing in the Shinsoo in the air, and controlled as if it were ordinary water by the water spirits, they formed a container that levitated me in the air.
I breathed in the divine water, and exhaled water elemental energy.
My body became an extension of the water stone and the water spirits, a nexus of the water element.
After spending half the day and night doing this during the break, my connection to the water spirits seemed to grow by leaps and bounds.
Deep within the meditation, through the Shinsoo I gained an awareness of things around me that extended far past my room into the hallways and other rooms. It was unrefined and imprecise, but I began to feel currents of Shinsoo, the people who used it, and those whose blood ran thick with the power of Shinsoo. I could sense the Rankers whose movements made waves in the Shinsoo just from their presence, and even the Floor Administrator whose presence seemed to be everywhere.
As for the water spirits, after the initial frenzy, they had calmed down and were noticeably more agreeable to all my requests. They'd even stopped asking for lifeforce altogether, as if whatever they'd consumed from the Shinsoo was more than enough for them, and they were far less protective of their own reserves of water mana.
Given their continuous absorption of Shinsoo, it seemed clear that the Shinsoo was serving as a form of nourishment for them, increasing their reserves of water mana and allowing the spirits to grow.
My body was also being altered by the Shinsoo, though it was extremely slow. Through Structural Grasp and my Reinforcement practice, I noticed that my body was different, the gaps where I used to fill with mana were slightly off. The water stone sped up the process as it circulated Shinsoo all over my body, particularly when I meditated and formed these dense bubbles of Shinsoo.
Perhaps the biggest curiosity though was the way my blood had changed. Previously, I hoped that by integrating the water stone within my circulatory system, I could gain a water affinity, but in the presence of Shinsoo, something else happened.
I had placed the water stone into its own organ of sorts and connected it to the circulatory system, and eventually I grew it into a miniature heart. Because the water stone could manipulate blood the same as water, it could function as a backup if my real hearts failed.
Normally, it didn't do anything except circulate tiny amounts of water element energy, which didn't have any obvious effects on me.
However, once the water stone absorbed Shinsoo, it started leaking out trace amounts of the Shinsoo alongside the water mana, directly into my bloodstream.
This Shinsoo wasn't just energy, or even the raw Shinsoo of the environment. It'd been refined by the water stone into something else entirely, and was an actual substance that behaved like blood plasma. It also seemed to carry the essence of the water stone itself, as I could feel the water spirits spreading their presence into my body, instead of staying holed up in the water stone.
This was perhaps one big reason that I felt my connection with the water spirits growing in strength rapidly.
What kind of long-term effect it'd have on my body was still unclear, but this was undoubtedly beneficial for my magic.
The water mana that the water stone previously released would dissipate if unused, even though it took weeks to happen, and was in such small quantities that I couldn't really use it for much of anything, especially as it was water-aligned mana.
However, this new Shinsoo easily retained the water mana and made it more easily used in spells, particularly Reinforcement of my body. It could also readily re-absorb mana.
So far, there wasn't enough of it yet to make a big difference or experiment much with, but I had the suspicion that it was modifying the water-alignment into a non-standard sub-affinity, which related to the body. Self-Reinforcement was easy to do with it, but Reinforcement of other objects was more difficult.
That was on top of the benefit of simply having more cooperative water spirits, and a growing water stone.
I had now confirmed that absorbing Shinsoo allowed the water stone to recover and gain water mana at an incredible rate. Although the water spirits didn't directly convert all of the absorbed Shinsoo to mana—they instead refined and stored it—they were able to convert enough that being here for three days had given the stone more mana than months or even years of sitting in a mana-rich body of water would have.
In fact, the spirits could probably convert all that stored Shinsoo into water mana even after I left this plane, unless they had other plans for it.
If I got nothing else from this plane, this alone would have made it worthwhile to be here. Even as a place to retreat after overusing the water stone, the Tower would serve wonderfully.
O O O
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37 – Position Test
37 – Position Test
"The test you're taking this time is the Position Test!" Lero Ro explained after gathering all the Regulars together. "I think a lot of you have noticed already. The fighting in the Tower usually happens in a team. The Position is the role that you play during these battles. There are a lot of different positions, but basically…"
He briefly summarized each of the basic five.
Fisherman – Disarms the enemy using the Reel inventory, and is active in the heart of battle. Can also carry out independent activities.
Spearbearer – Uses spears to target enemies from behind or finish off what the Fisherman started.
Lightbearer – Lights up the dark Tower, collects battle data, and sends it to the scout.
Scout – Observes enemy movements at the forefront using the observer and helps the Fisherman when he charges.
Wave Controller – Controls Shinsoo to assist in battle or overpower an opponent. They are known to dominate the battlefield.
Some of these were obvious based on the name, but others were rather strange and used devices and tactics that were unique to the Tower.
"…and there are more positions beyond these five, like the Guide, but it doesn't have much to do with you," said Lero Ro.
To sum up, we were all assigned to a specific position among the five, and we would be trained for a month in it. We'd also be given scores for our performance in various tests the instructors would give us, and our class attendance. Only a limited number of Regulars would pass per position.
Then Lero Ro showed us a large board with the assigned positions and number to pass.
Beside certain names at the top of the assignment lists, there was a "Best Seed" label.
Hatsu asked what it meant, and received the explanation that one person per test from the previous tests were chosen to receive bonus points because they did well.
Lero Ro offered no explanation as to why each Regular got the best seeds, only that they were chosen fairly.
The Regulars predictably started complaining loudly, while I observed the lists closely, glossing over the Regulars that were of no interest to me.
Fisherman (4): Axion (Best Seed), Anak (Best Seed), Androssi…
Spearbearer (4): Rak Wraithraiser…
Lightbearer (2): Michelle Light (Best Seed), Khun Aguero Agnis…
Scout (3): Ship Leesoo (Best Seed), Hatsu…
Wave Controller (2): Phonsekal Laure, Hwaryun, Hoh…Baam.
Only four best seeds had been chosen, one for each test, and the two cohorts hadn't been separated.
Rachel, under her alias Michelle Light, received a Best Seed, probably for gathering the best team in the deathmatch test which was its real purpose.
Ship Leesoo probably got his best seed for figuring out the Door Test through deduction alone.
I received a Best Seed myself, though I wasn't sure which test. If Rachel got it for the first test, that only left the barrier test and the Crown game. Either was possible.
In the story, Khun would have gotten the best seed for the Crown game, because he won two rounds for his team using his own skills and the Regulars he smuggled in.
But we messed up his plan and he never got a chance to show off with the Regulars he smuggled in. I thought he still had a decent chance at it though, the way he negotiated with us to help his team go up. Of course, it failed in the end because of me and Hwaryun, so maybe that was why he didn't get it.
I might've gotten it for the Crown game instead for my battle performance and acquiring the Black March/Green April for Androssi.
Anak's best seed was the most puzzling one of all though. She couldn't have gotten the Crown game best seed, as she disqualified her own team. So, hers must have been the barrier test.
But that made no sense. Lero Ro could call Baam a fluke because he never even got pushed by the barrier, but what about Rachel and Androssi? They also didn't get pushed. Once is a fluke, but 3 times, especially with a princess of Zahard? Doesn't the guy know that Yuri has the same kind of Shinsoo resistance? I thought Lero Ro knew Yuri from his own Regular days while climbing up the Tower, but maybe I remembered wrong.
Anak had the easiest time crossing, but her actual Shinsoo resistance was definitely lower than either of the two other Irregulars or the true Zahard princess. And then there was me, who absorbed the whole barrier.
Did Lero Ro simply get pissed at us and refuse to give any of us the best seed for his test out of pettiness?
Given the way he kept altering the Crown game rules, I could certainly see that. Of course, with me and Rachel, it might just be because we couldn't double up on best seeds, we could only get it once each.
Well, actually, figuring this out wasn't all that important, except to explain to Androssi, who looked ready to murder Anak to wipe that smug expression off her face.
The important part was understanding what the assignments meant.
My position was pretty secure, despite competing with the princesses, simply because there were four spots, and I was best seed. Androssi might have some trouble if she messes up the way she did in the story. That was especially true with me being assigned to Fisherman because Akryawng or whatever, that guy Headon had sent, whom I'd replaced, had been assigned to Spearbearer instead in the story.
All of the other main characters were assigned to the same positions as their story counterpart, and I only included Hoh because he was part of Hwaryun and Yu Han Sung's plan, although as a mere pawn who didn't know he was being used.
After fielding numerous questions and responding to complaints, Lero Ro wrapped up the explanation, telling us to follow the assistant test guides to our instructors and that the Wave Controller instructor would start 3 days later.
I raised my hand.
"Oh, how polite of you, Mr. Axion, raising your hand patiently like that. The rest of you should learn from him instead of interrupting me," said Lero Ro, giving the other Regulars looks, especially the ones who inundated him with questions earlier. "Yes, Mr. Axion, what is your question?"
"Can we choose to attend a different instructor's class from our assigned position?"
"You want to change positions?" He raised an eyebrow. "Well, all of us test administrators evaluated you carefully. The position we assigned is the one we think is best for you. But if you insist, for example, if you deliberately hid your true abilities during the previous tests," he said with narrowed eyes, "…then you can take an extra qualification test for the position you want and we will re-assign you. But I caution you, it will not be easy. You will be required to demonstrate some proficiency in the position you choose. If you fail this test, you will fail the Floor as well, and you will not be allowed to continue in the position we originally assigned either. That is the price of demanding a re-evaluation."
Everyone looked at me as whispers started. Some of the Regulars also had contemplative looks, as if they might consider the option themselves.
Rak looked at each of the Fishermen candidates, before Khun nudged him. "Crocodile, look at that competition, don't be stupid. You can always change positions later, just get through this test."
"Don't you understand the pride of a Fisherman!" Rak said, puffing his chest out.
Khun sighed and shook his head. "I warned you…"
Ship Leesoo was sweating nervously, when Hatsu put a firm hand on his shoulder.
"Don't worry so much, Ship. Even if he switches to Scout, I'm sure you'll do fine. You've got the best seed, after all," said Hatsu.
"Ahahaha…thanks Hatsu. Was I that obvious?" Ship rubbed his head.
"That will not be necessary, Mr. Lero Ro. I am happy with my position. I only meant to ask if I could attend some different classes to learn from them. As we climb up the Tower, it would be useful to be able to learn how the other roles function too, right?" I asked.
"That is an unusual request…it would be up to the instructor whose class you wish to attend. Do bear in mind that it will mean your attendance in your assigned class will suffer, and you will lose points for it," said Lero Ro. "It's also just as likely that if you don't attend consistently, you won't be able to follow along with the lessons either."
"I see, thank you."
Finally, we started to follow the guides to our instructors. Apparently Rak changed his mind after seeing that I wasn't actually switching, and he went with the Spearbearers.
"Are you really going to other classes?" Androssi asked from beside me as we walked.
"There's one in particular I want to attend, if the instructor allows me," I said.
For most of them I could simply have Agate spy on their lessons for a little. Although I could no longer split my consciousness so easily to pay attention to different things at the same time without Agate's mind spell, I could still record the sessions for later viewing.
My wand couldn't be in multiple places at once, but most of them didn't interest me all that much. Getting a quick look to understand the basics of how their role functioned was good enough.
"Let me guess…Wave Controller?" She asked with a knowing look.
"Haha…yes," I said.
But the Wave Controller position was all about manipulating Shinsoo, and I wanted those lessons in their entirety. I wanted the practice and the opportunity to be directly tutored by the instructor as well.
"You're lucky that the instructor's starting 3 days late then. You can come to the first few Fisherman lessons with us, and still start at the same time at the beginning with the rest of the Wave Controllers," said Androssi.
"Too bad you're not a best seed, or you could afford to join your boyfriend without worrying about your points," said Anak, butting into our conversation.
"Too bad you lost the Green April, I'll make great use of her as a top quality hook in the Fisherman position," said Androssi. "And we aren't dating. Don't you know princesses of Zahard aren't allowed to date? Oh, I almost forgot, you're a fake."
"Was there ever a real princess of Zahard? You're also a fake, Androssi Zahard," said Anak.
"An-androssi Z-zahard? You're a princess too, Miss Androssi?" Some other Regular with us in a white sweater with grey hair asked. All the Fishermen candidates had varying degrees of shock on their faces.
"That's absurd, you're calling me a fake?" Androssi said, completely ignoring the other guys. "Guess you don't know the difference between a fake and a real one. I'd teach you the difference, but not now. It would be disrespectful to our instructor to fight here on the way to our first class. But you don't know anything about respect, either, do you?"
"Big talk for somebody who needs her boyfriend to fight her battles," said Anak.
"He's not my boyfriend. And so what? People actually like me, unlike you. Your teammates surrendered as soon as you were out of sight," said Androssi.
"Yeah! We love Miss Androssi!" The same Regular with the grey hair cheered. Despite his grey hairs, he didn't appear to be all that old. Maybe in his late twenties, in terms of physical age. You could never tell with residents in the Tower though, but nobody really cared for real age either, only the physical age.
Some other Regulars cheered with him, chanting Androssi's name.
"See? Everyone likes me. But even your own team abandoned you. How sad," said Androssi, having noticed that Anak was always alone, while Ship Leesoo and Hatsu continued hanging out together. Androssi herself sat in the cafeteria with me, but at other times she also mingled with the other Regulars and gave friendly smiles or engaged in polite conversation, such as during Lero Ro's explanation today. With her good looks, it was no wonder that many of the male Regulars liked her.
The assistant announced our arrival before the argument could go any further, and we entered a classroom almost like a miniature lecture hall with our instructor waiting at the front in front of the white board. The seats were organized in rows with long wooden tables to take notes on.
We filed in and took seats.
The instructor was a thin woman who wore a blue blouse and a pink and white striped dress. Her hair was bunched into twin tails by her helmet that covered her whole head, revealing no features, giving the appearance of a reflective metal ball.
"My name is Hax, and I'll be your instructor for the Fisherman position," she said from the podium. "Congratulations on making it this far. Today, we'll just do some introductions and cover a little bit of theory. First, I'm going to explain what Shinsoo is and why it's important for all positions, not just the Wave Controllers…"
She gave a pretty basic and bland lecture on Shinsoo, without adding anything I didn't already know from my own experimentation.
It wasn't necessary for the Fisherman position to delve deeply into it, only to know that it was necessary for combat, especially as we progressed up the Tower, and to know what kinds of things to expect from other users of Shinsoo.
"The most important part you must remember is that in order to use Shinsoo without the aid of items, unless you are a member of a Ten Great Families or a princess of Zahard, you need permission from the Floor Administrator. You can use items without permission because they were already permitted by the Administrators at the workshop after they were made, for a specific range of Floors. Whereas, if you're using more than a specific amount of Shinsoo, you need a contract with the Administrator, or you'll be restricted. And you'll need to make the contract the same way on each Floor with each of the Administrators. The E-grade Pocket you received when you first entered the Tower will allow you to make the contract. It is also an item that was permitted by the Administrators, so it only works up to the 40th Floor. To contract with Administrators above that, you'll need to buy a higher rank Pocket. By the way, it's very expensive, so don't wait until you're at the 40th Floor to save up. Now take out your Pockets and we'll learn to make the contract."
Everyone did so, even Androssi and Anak, and we followed her instructions to make a contract.
O O O
I found myself in a dark space, with a massive eye looking at me. Glancing around, it seemed to be a reptilian creature of sorts. I could only see as far as its angular face, it was that massive.
"I'm the Administrator of this Floor. Are you here for a contract? Don't you already have one? Or do you want to fight?"
"No fight, thanks, I'm just learning how to make a contract on my own. I didn't even realize I made a contract with Headon until somebody told me about it," I said.
"OK. I don't mind making another contract with you."
"So how does this work?"
"You ask for a contract, I give you one. Then you can use Shinsoo on my Floor."
"What about the terms? My obligations and responsibilities?"
"What? You want to do something for me? Are you an 'adventurer' like that other kid with the red cape that came in a long time ago? Sorry, I don't have any quests for you."
Was he talking about Zahard? My capes were red too, but that was just a coincidence.
"Uh…no, thanks. I mean…are you just letting me use Shinsoo however I want, for nothing in return?"
"What now? You want some restrictions? Those are for the ones who've gone up already, the ones you people call Rankers," it said. "Or if you want to fight me. Are you sure you don't want to fight me?"
"Oh…I see. No, I don't want to fight you."
"Let's make a contract then."
"Wait, one more question. After making the contract, can I cancel it or make a new one with you later?"
"Ah, have you realized it then? Yes, for you, climber of the Tower, this contract is not a strength. It is shackles. But you may come to me to cancel it whenever you wish."
How could that be? The Administrator had told Baam the same thing in the story, but that was because as an Irregular he didn't need the Administrator's permission to use Shinsoo.
That might have been true for me as well, seeing as I was able to absorb and convert Shinsoo to mana even on the first Floor before contracting with Headon, but if there weren't any contract terms, what did it matter?
Perhaps the contract would make things easier for me, and become a crutch if I ever needed to fight without it. But that wasn't really a serious concern for me at the moment.
The more immediate concern was to ensure that my status as an Irregular was not exposed, and have a contract like every other Regular. Test administrators and other individuals with sufficient authority could look up whether people had contracts for each floor based on the status recorded in their pockets. I had verified this with Yu Han Sung, so if I refused to get a contract, I would be either forced to never openly use Shinsoo, or face assassins from Zahard.
There was no real choice but to continue making contracts with each Floor Administrator if I wanted to climb the Tower, seeing as Headon's contract was only temporary and applied up to the 2nd Floor.
The thought of being potentially magically bound by a contract was a little disturbing, but given the lack of any obligations or restrictions, these contracts seemed to be just a way to request permission to use something that fell under the Floor Administrator's authority.
Unless there were specific terms to the contract, I felt that there was no need to overthink the risk involved. I was no stranger to loosely defined contracts already, given my bond with the water spirits, and this type of magic seemed to be vague by nature.
And if the "shackles" did turn out to be a serious problem, I could just cancel the contract, as he said.
"Alright, I'm ready. Let's make a contract," I said.
"Here you go," the Administrator said
Light flashed. What a loose "contract".
O O O
"…that concludes this morning's lesson. I will now hand out the schedule for upcoming tests. Be sure you don't miss those, or you'll lose a lot of points. After the lunch break, return here for the next lesson in the afternoon," said Hax. "You're dismissed."
"Did you make a new contract?" Androssi and I asked each other simultaneously, then laughed.
"Ladies first," I said.
"No, I just wanted to see what it was like and meet the Administrator. You?" She said.
"I did. The one from Headon was conditional and temporary, this new one isn't," I said.
The instructor walked over to us while the other Regulars started leaving the room.
"Mr. Axion. I heard from Mr. Lero Ro you want to attend some of the other positions' lessons? Are you unsatisfied with your position?"
"Not at all, Instructor Hax. I am happy to be in the Fisherman position, and I do think it suits me. I am merely interested in learning how the other positions work, and perhaps some of their skills," I said. "I think it is important to not only develop one's strengths, but also learn to improve one's weaknesses."
"Good. If you were unsatisfied with the Fisherman position, I'd be very disappointed. Did you know that Lero Ro tried to recommend you for the Wave Controller position? I don't know what he was thinking, but I saw the recording of the Crown game, and you're very obviously more suited to the Fisherman position."
Androssi looked at me while holding a hand to her mouth, trying to withhold laughter.
"Not only that, I had to argue with Yu Bok-Dol, the Spearbearer instructor, to get you in this class. Yu thought you were acting as a Spearbearer, supporting Miss Androssi's initial charges, rather than acting as a Fisherman yourself. But the way you disarmed your opponents and took their weapons for your own team, that was clearly a Fisherman's way of thinking. Luckily Yuga was not around to argue with us, and neither Lero Ro or Yu could outvote me by themselves, so eventually they gave up."
"Thank you for your efforts, Instructor Hax. I am flattered that you went to such lengths to support me, though I'm not sure I am worthy of such attention," I said politely. Inside, I was rather displeased this woman had stolen an opportunity from me. I wanted to be in the Wave Controller class, damn you!
"Don't think anything of it. It's my job as an instructor. Anyways, if you really want to go to some of the other classes, I won't stop you. But I'm sure Lero Ro already warned you, you'll lose points for attendance. Especially if you miss any of my tests. We'll also cover the basics of what all the other positions do in this class, so you understand how to fight them as a Fisherman."
"I understand, thank you very much for your consideration."
O O O
The next three days passed in a similar fashion. Taking classes in the morning and afternoon, shorter training sessions with Androssi in the early evening, while I continued meditating with the water stone on my own time.
On the fourth day the Wave Controller instructor finally arrived, and I skipped the Fisherman class, leaving Agate to record in my absence, to attend.
"The test you're taking this time is the Position Test!" Lero Ro explained after gathering all the Regulars together. "I think a lot of you have noticed already. The fighting in the Tower usually happens in a team. The Position is the role that you play during these battles. There are a lot of different positions, but basically…"
He briefly summarized each of the basic five.
Fisherman – Disarms the enemy using the Reel inventory, and is active in the heart of battle. Can also carry out independent activities.
Spearbearer – Uses spears to target enemies from behind or finish off what the Fisherman started.
Lightbearer – Lights up the dark Tower, collects battle data, and sends it to the scout.
Scout – Observes enemy movements at the forefront using the observer and helps the Fisherman when he charges.
Wave Controller – Controls Shinsoo to assist in battle or overpower an opponent. They are known to dominate the battlefield.
Some of these were obvious based on the name, but others were rather strange and used devices and tactics that were unique to the Tower.
"…and there are more positions beyond these five, like the Guide, but it doesn't have much to do with you," said Lero Ro.
To sum up, we were all assigned to a specific position among the five, and we would be trained for a month in it. We'd also be given scores for our performance in various tests the instructors would give us, and our class attendance. Only a limited number of Regulars would pass per position.
Then Lero Ro showed us a large board with the assigned positions and number to pass.
Beside certain names at the top of the assignment lists, there was a "Best Seed" label.
Hatsu asked what it meant, and received the explanation that one person per test from the previous tests were chosen to receive bonus points because they did well.
Lero Ro offered no explanation as to why each Regular got the best seeds, only that they were chosen fairly.
The Regulars predictably started complaining loudly, while I observed the lists closely, glossing over the Regulars that were of no interest to me.
Fisherman (4): Axion (Best Seed), Anak (Best Seed), Androssi…
Spearbearer (4): Rak Wraithraiser…
Lightbearer (2): Michelle Light (Best Seed), Khun Aguero Agnis…
Scout (3): Ship Leesoo (Best Seed), Hatsu…
Wave Controller (2): Phonsekal Laure, Hwaryun, Hoh…Baam.
Only four best seeds had been chosen, one for each test, and the two cohorts hadn't been separated.
Rachel, under her alias Michelle Light, received a Best Seed, probably for gathering the best team in the deathmatch test which was its real purpose.
Ship Leesoo probably got his best seed for figuring out the Door Test through deduction alone.
I received a Best Seed myself, though I wasn't sure which test. If Rachel got it for the first test, that only left the barrier test and the Crown game. Either was possible.
In the story, Khun would have gotten the best seed for the Crown game, because he won two rounds for his team using his own skills and the Regulars he smuggled in.
But we messed up his plan and he never got a chance to show off with the Regulars he smuggled in. I thought he still had a decent chance at it though, the way he negotiated with us to help his team go up. Of course, it failed in the end because of me and Hwaryun, so maybe that was why he didn't get it.
I might've gotten it for the Crown game instead for my battle performance and acquiring the Black March/Green April for Androssi.
Anak's best seed was the most puzzling one of all though. She couldn't have gotten the Crown game best seed, as she disqualified her own team. So, hers must have been the barrier test.
But that made no sense. Lero Ro could call Baam a fluke because he never even got pushed by the barrier, but what about Rachel and Androssi? They also didn't get pushed. Once is a fluke, but 3 times, especially with a princess of Zahard? Doesn't the guy know that Yuri has the same kind of Shinsoo resistance? I thought Lero Ro knew Yuri from his own Regular days while climbing up the Tower, but maybe I remembered wrong.
Anak had the easiest time crossing, but her actual Shinsoo resistance was definitely lower than either of the two other Irregulars or the true Zahard princess. And then there was me, who absorbed the whole barrier.
Did Lero Ro simply get pissed at us and refuse to give any of us the best seed for his test out of pettiness?
Given the way he kept altering the Crown game rules, I could certainly see that. Of course, with me and Rachel, it might just be because we couldn't double up on best seeds, we could only get it once each.
Well, actually, figuring this out wasn't all that important, except to explain to Androssi, who looked ready to murder Anak to wipe that smug expression off her face.
The important part was understanding what the assignments meant.
My position was pretty secure, despite competing with the princesses, simply because there were four spots, and I was best seed. Androssi might have some trouble if she messes up the way she did in the story. That was especially true with me being assigned to Fisherman because Akryawng or whatever, that guy Headon had sent, whom I'd replaced, had been assigned to Spearbearer instead in the story.
All of the other main characters were assigned to the same positions as their story counterpart, and I only included Hoh because he was part of Hwaryun and Yu Han Sung's plan, although as a mere pawn who didn't know he was being used.
After fielding numerous questions and responding to complaints, Lero Ro wrapped up the explanation, telling us to follow the assistant test guides to our instructors and that the Wave Controller instructor would start 3 days later.
I raised my hand.
"Oh, how polite of you, Mr. Axion, raising your hand patiently like that. The rest of you should learn from him instead of interrupting me," said Lero Ro, giving the other Regulars looks, especially the ones who inundated him with questions earlier. "Yes, Mr. Axion, what is your question?"
"Can we choose to attend a different instructor's class from our assigned position?"
"You want to change positions?" He raised an eyebrow. "Well, all of us test administrators evaluated you carefully. The position we assigned is the one we think is best for you. But if you insist, for example, if you deliberately hid your true abilities during the previous tests," he said with narrowed eyes, "…then you can take an extra qualification test for the position you want and we will re-assign you. But I caution you, it will not be easy. You will be required to demonstrate some proficiency in the position you choose. If you fail this test, you will fail the Floor as well, and you will not be allowed to continue in the position we originally assigned either. That is the price of demanding a re-evaluation."
Everyone looked at me as whispers started. Some of the Regulars also had contemplative looks, as if they might consider the option themselves.
Rak looked at each of the Fishermen candidates, before Khun nudged him. "Crocodile, look at that competition, don't be stupid. You can always change positions later, just get through this test."
"Don't you understand the pride of a Fisherman!" Rak said, puffing his chest out.
Khun sighed and shook his head. "I warned you…"
Ship Leesoo was sweating nervously, when Hatsu put a firm hand on his shoulder.
"Don't worry so much, Ship. Even if he switches to Scout, I'm sure you'll do fine. You've got the best seed, after all," said Hatsu.
"Ahahaha…thanks Hatsu. Was I that obvious?" Ship rubbed his head.
"That will not be necessary, Mr. Lero Ro. I am happy with my position. I only meant to ask if I could attend some different classes to learn from them. As we climb up the Tower, it would be useful to be able to learn how the other roles function too, right?" I asked.
"That is an unusual request…it would be up to the instructor whose class you wish to attend. Do bear in mind that it will mean your attendance in your assigned class will suffer, and you will lose points for it," said Lero Ro. "It's also just as likely that if you don't attend consistently, you won't be able to follow along with the lessons either."
"I see, thank you."
Finally, we started to follow the guides to our instructors. Apparently Rak changed his mind after seeing that I wasn't actually switching, and he went with the Spearbearers.
"Are you really going to other classes?" Androssi asked from beside me as we walked.
"There's one in particular I want to attend, if the instructor allows me," I said.
For most of them I could simply have Agate spy on their lessons for a little. Although I could no longer split my consciousness so easily to pay attention to different things at the same time without Agate's mind spell, I could still record the sessions for later viewing.
My wand couldn't be in multiple places at once, but most of them didn't interest me all that much. Getting a quick look to understand the basics of how their role functioned was good enough.
"Let me guess…Wave Controller?" She asked with a knowing look.
"Haha…yes," I said.
But the Wave Controller position was all about manipulating Shinsoo, and I wanted those lessons in their entirety. I wanted the practice and the opportunity to be directly tutored by the instructor as well.
"You're lucky that the instructor's starting 3 days late then. You can come to the first few Fisherman lessons with us, and still start at the same time at the beginning with the rest of the Wave Controllers," said Androssi.
"Too bad you're not a best seed, or you could afford to join your boyfriend without worrying about your points," said Anak, butting into our conversation.
"Too bad you lost the Green April, I'll make great use of her as a top quality hook in the Fisherman position," said Androssi. "And we aren't dating. Don't you know princesses of Zahard aren't allowed to date? Oh, I almost forgot, you're a fake."
"Was there ever a real princess of Zahard? You're also a fake, Androssi Zahard," said Anak.
"An-androssi Z-zahard? You're a princess too, Miss Androssi?" Some other Regular with us in a white sweater with grey hair asked. All the Fishermen candidates had varying degrees of shock on their faces.
"That's absurd, you're calling me a fake?" Androssi said, completely ignoring the other guys. "Guess you don't know the difference between a fake and a real one. I'd teach you the difference, but not now. It would be disrespectful to our instructor to fight here on the way to our first class. But you don't know anything about respect, either, do you?"
"Big talk for somebody who needs her boyfriend to fight her battles," said Anak.
"He's not my boyfriend. And so what? People actually like me, unlike you. Your teammates surrendered as soon as you were out of sight," said Androssi.
"Yeah! We love Miss Androssi!" The same Regular with the grey hair cheered. Despite his grey hairs, he didn't appear to be all that old. Maybe in his late twenties, in terms of physical age. You could never tell with residents in the Tower though, but nobody really cared for real age either, only the physical age.
Some other Regulars cheered with him, chanting Androssi's name.
"See? Everyone likes me. But even your own team abandoned you. How sad," said Androssi, having noticed that Anak was always alone, while Ship Leesoo and Hatsu continued hanging out together. Androssi herself sat in the cafeteria with me, but at other times she also mingled with the other Regulars and gave friendly smiles or engaged in polite conversation, such as during Lero Ro's explanation today. With her good looks, it was no wonder that many of the male Regulars liked her.
The assistant announced our arrival before the argument could go any further, and we entered a classroom almost like a miniature lecture hall with our instructor waiting at the front in front of the white board. The seats were organized in rows with long wooden tables to take notes on.
We filed in and took seats.
The instructor was a thin woman who wore a blue blouse and a pink and white striped dress. Her hair was bunched into twin tails by her helmet that covered her whole head, revealing no features, giving the appearance of a reflective metal ball.
"My name is Hax, and I'll be your instructor for the Fisherman position," she said from the podium. "Congratulations on making it this far. Today, we'll just do some introductions and cover a little bit of theory. First, I'm going to explain what Shinsoo is and why it's important for all positions, not just the Wave Controllers…"
She gave a pretty basic and bland lecture on Shinsoo, without adding anything I didn't already know from my own experimentation.
It wasn't necessary for the Fisherman position to delve deeply into it, only to know that it was necessary for combat, especially as we progressed up the Tower, and to know what kinds of things to expect from other users of Shinsoo.
"The most important part you must remember is that in order to use Shinsoo without the aid of items, unless you are a member of a Ten Great Families or a princess of Zahard, you need permission from the Floor Administrator. You can use items without permission because they were already permitted by the Administrators at the workshop after they were made, for a specific range of Floors. Whereas, if you're using more than a specific amount of Shinsoo, you need a contract with the Administrator, or you'll be restricted. And you'll need to make the contract the same way on each Floor with each of the Administrators. The E-grade Pocket you received when you first entered the Tower will allow you to make the contract. It is also an item that was permitted by the Administrators, so it only works up to the 40th Floor. To contract with Administrators above that, you'll need to buy a higher rank Pocket. By the way, it's very expensive, so don't wait until you're at the 40th Floor to save up. Now take out your Pockets and we'll learn to make the contract."
Everyone did so, even Androssi and Anak, and we followed her instructions to make a contract.
O O O
I found myself in a dark space, with a massive eye looking at me. Glancing around, it seemed to be a reptilian creature of sorts. I could only see as far as its angular face, it was that massive.
"I'm the Administrator of this Floor. Are you here for a contract? Don't you already have one? Or do you want to fight?"
"No fight, thanks, I'm just learning how to make a contract on my own. I didn't even realize I made a contract with Headon until somebody told me about it," I said.
"OK. I don't mind making another contract with you."
"So how does this work?"
"You ask for a contract, I give you one. Then you can use Shinsoo on my Floor."
"What about the terms? My obligations and responsibilities?"
"What? You want to do something for me? Are you an 'adventurer' like that other kid with the red cape that came in a long time ago? Sorry, I don't have any quests for you."
Was he talking about Zahard? My capes were red too, but that was just a coincidence.
"Uh…no, thanks. I mean…are you just letting me use Shinsoo however I want, for nothing in return?"
"What now? You want some restrictions? Those are for the ones who've gone up already, the ones you people call Rankers," it said. "Or if you want to fight me. Are you sure you don't want to fight me?"
"Oh…I see. No, I don't want to fight you."
"Let's make a contract then."
"Wait, one more question. After making the contract, can I cancel it or make a new one with you later?"
"Ah, have you realized it then? Yes, for you, climber of the Tower, this contract is not a strength. It is shackles. But you may come to me to cancel it whenever you wish."
How could that be? The Administrator had told Baam the same thing in the story, but that was because as an Irregular he didn't need the Administrator's permission to use Shinsoo.
That might have been true for me as well, seeing as I was able to absorb and convert Shinsoo to mana even on the first Floor before contracting with Headon, but if there weren't any contract terms, what did it matter?
Perhaps the contract would make things easier for me, and become a crutch if I ever needed to fight without it. But that wasn't really a serious concern for me at the moment.
The more immediate concern was to ensure that my status as an Irregular was not exposed, and have a contract like every other Regular. Test administrators and other individuals with sufficient authority could look up whether people had contracts for each floor based on the status recorded in their pockets. I had verified this with Yu Han Sung, so if I refused to get a contract, I would be either forced to never openly use Shinsoo, or face assassins from Zahard.
There was no real choice but to continue making contracts with each Floor Administrator if I wanted to climb the Tower, seeing as Headon's contract was only temporary and applied up to the 2nd Floor.
The thought of being potentially magically bound by a contract was a little disturbing, but given the lack of any obligations or restrictions, these contracts seemed to be just a way to request permission to use something that fell under the Floor Administrator's authority.
Unless there were specific terms to the contract, I felt that there was no need to overthink the risk involved. I was no stranger to loosely defined contracts already, given my bond with the water spirits, and this type of magic seemed to be vague by nature.
And if the "shackles" did turn out to be a serious problem, I could just cancel the contract, as he said.
"Alright, I'm ready. Let's make a contract," I said.
"Here you go," the Administrator said
Light flashed. What a loose "contract".
O O O
"…that concludes this morning's lesson. I will now hand out the schedule for upcoming tests. Be sure you don't miss those, or you'll lose a lot of points. After the lunch break, return here for the next lesson in the afternoon," said Hax. "You're dismissed."
"Did you make a new contract?" Androssi and I asked each other simultaneously, then laughed.
"Ladies first," I said.
"No, I just wanted to see what it was like and meet the Administrator. You?" She said.
"I did. The one from Headon was conditional and temporary, this new one isn't," I said.
The instructor walked over to us while the other Regulars started leaving the room.
"Mr. Axion. I heard from Mr. Lero Ro you want to attend some of the other positions' lessons? Are you unsatisfied with your position?"
"Not at all, Instructor Hax. I am happy to be in the Fisherman position, and I do think it suits me. I am merely interested in learning how the other positions work, and perhaps some of their skills," I said. "I think it is important to not only develop one's strengths, but also learn to improve one's weaknesses."
"Good. If you were unsatisfied with the Fisherman position, I'd be very disappointed. Did you know that Lero Ro tried to recommend you for the Wave Controller position? I don't know what he was thinking, but I saw the recording of the Crown game, and you're very obviously more suited to the Fisherman position."
Androssi looked at me while holding a hand to her mouth, trying to withhold laughter.
"Not only that, I had to argue with Yu Bok-Dol, the Spearbearer instructor, to get you in this class. Yu thought you were acting as a Spearbearer, supporting Miss Androssi's initial charges, rather than acting as a Fisherman yourself. But the way you disarmed your opponents and took their weapons for your own team, that was clearly a Fisherman's way of thinking. Luckily Yuga was not around to argue with us, and neither Lero Ro or Yu could outvote me by themselves, so eventually they gave up."
"Thank you for your efforts, Instructor Hax. I am flattered that you went to such lengths to support me, though I'm not sure I am worthy of such attention," I said politely. Inside, I was rather displeased this woman had stolen an opportunity from me. I wanted to be in the Wave Controller class, damn you!
"Don't think anything of it. It's my job as an instructor. Anyways, if you really want to go to some of the other classes, I won't stop you. But I'm sure Lero Ro already warned you, you'll lose points for attendance. Especially if you miss any of my tests. We'll also cover the basics of what all the other positions do in this class, so you understand how to fight them as a Fisherman."
"I understand, thank you very much for your consideration."
O O O
The next three days passed in a similar fashion. Taking classes in the morning and afternoon, shorter training sessions with Androssi in the early evening, while I continued meditating with the water stone on my own time.
On the fourth day the Wave Controller instructor finally arrived, and I skipped the Fisherman class, leaving Agate to record in my absence, to attend.
38 – Wave Controller Class
38 – Wave Controller Class
"Mr. Axion! Are you joining our class today?" Baam greeted me with a smile as he noticed me entering the classroom.
"Hello Baam. That's right. I'm very interested in learning about Shinsoo manipulation," I said.
"Me too. It was amazing when Mr. Laure used it in the Crown game!" Baam said.
For once, Laure wasn't sleeping. He sat up paying attention to the front, but still wrapped in blankets. He gave me a quick glance before turning back to the front.
Yuga, the instructor, stood at the front of the class.
He wore some kind of weird fluffy costume that made him look like a giant marshmallow with a smiley face.
"Oh? I don't think you're in my class, Mr. Axion. What are you doing here?"
"Hello instructor Yuga. I am here to attend your class, if you would allow me. Instructor Hax has given me permission to skip her lesson, though I will be losing points for it. Nevertheless, I am very interested in learning about the use of Shinsoo from a master such as yourself," I said.
"Ohoho! I won't turn away such an eager student! Please, have a seat then, Mr. Axion."
Hoh, Laure, Baam, and Hwaryun were sitting in the same row. I walked towards them, passing and greeting Hwaryun at the edge, then taking a seat between her and Baam.
Then I drew Derflinger.
"Hm? There won't be any combat in the class today. You should put your sword away, Mr. Axion," said Yuga.
"My apologies, instructor. It's just that my sword wants to learn too, and it is difficult to see the class from inside his sheath," I said, laying Derflinger out on the table.
"Oi, I'm an eager student too! Don't turn me away!" said Derflinger. "My name is Derflinger, teach! Pleased to meet you!"
"Ah? How very unusual and fascinating…an ignition weapon that can talk out loud. Would that be considered a Living Ignition Weapon? Very well, then Derflinger. I shall permit you to join this class too," said Yuga.
"Hi Mr. Derflinger!" Baam said, waving at the crystal sword.
"Hey kid. From enemies to classmates, huh? Let's learn a lot together, OK?"
"Sure!"
Like this, I started attending Yuga's classes, ignoring my Fisherman classes. I sent Agate to record the Fisherman classes just in case there was anything important, and also exchanged notes with Androssi every day.
O O O
A few days into the classes, we finally started practical lessons with Shinsoo.
"…The basic unit of a cluster of Shinsoo is called a Baang. The size of the Baang is called Myun, and the amount of Shinsoo that can be injected into a Baang is called Soo," Yuga said.
Baang was a word that meant "release". Myun was something like surface area. Soo was just "water".
"Baang, Myun, and Soo are all important, but among them, Baang is the most important for Wave Controllers. The higher the number of Baangs you can control, the more separate attacks you can launch. If you can fire three Baangs while your opponent can only handle one, then he needs to find some other way to block the other two," said Yuga.
He demonstrated by materializing four Baangs, lining up 3 on one side, and 1 on the other, then launching small beams of light from each of them.
Two of the Baangs cancelled each other's beams out, but the other two attacks had nothing to block them.
"For now, we won't worry about having more Baangs. We're starting with the basics, after all, so you should learn to control just 1 Baang."
Then we were all given time to attempt forming a Baang, based on his instructions for mental imagery.
Although I'd been able to manipulate Shinsoo using the water spirits, they could only treat the Shinsoo as water.
In my Fisherman class, we hadn't learned how to use Shinsoo at all yet, despite the lecture on the first day.
We'd only done physical exercises and weapon training with hooks and Reels, which were basically long lines wrapped around a cylinder not too different from a fishing line, that you could attach weapons to and release to swing around or rewind to bring them back.
So the creation of a Baang was entirely new to me.
"Do not worry if you cannot form a Baang right away. It takes a very long time to learn how to materialize Baangs. It is quite different from using Shinsoo to strengthen your body, and usually takes years of training. Just try to get a feel for the Shinsoo, and gather it in your hands," Yuga said.
I tried to do it on my own, without the water spirits' help. Trying to control the Shinsoo on a macroscopic scale was truly difficult for me. I couldn't grasp it like Baam was able to do so instinctively on his first try.
Five minutes later, I had made next to no progress. All I could do was feel a little pressure between my hands, which was about the same when I'd tried on my own the last few days.
"It seems that most of you already had some Shinsoo training before," said Yuga, upon noticing that most of the Regulars had been able to produce small flickers of light in their hands, even if unstable and quickly disappearing. "Of course, that is why you were assigned to this position. If you had not had any training, this would be an impossible task. It took me two years to materialize my first Baang after learning to use Shinsoo, and I was called a genius."
Then a big glow washed over the room. Everyone looked at Baam who looked surprised at his own hands as it disappeared.
"Very good, Baam. But you need to learn to maintain it," said Yuga, looking over.
Baam rubbed his head with a smile. "Oh, it's thanks to Laure's advice from before that I got it!"
Yuga then went around giving pointers to each Regular.
Only Laure and Hwaryun had no trouble at all, each maintaining a stable Baang effortlessly.
"You don't have the talent, Mr. Axion," said Hwaryun from beside me as she saw me watching her. "Not like Baam. He's just a natural."
Baam was working hard on his Baang while Laure gave him some more advice.
"Did it take you years to master this too?" I asked the red-haired Guide.
Her crimson eyes twinkled with her smile, then leaned forward to whisper. "No. I'm a Guide, blessed by the Tower. It comes naturally to me too."
"But not as fast as Baam?"
"He's special," she said.
"So, is it hopeless for me?"
"Are you asking for a reading of your future? You know I can't see yours," she said.
"Tch, this is stupid! Nothing's happening," Derflinger said.
"You don't have the talent either, Mr. Derflinger," said Hwaryun.
"This ain't for me. I'm going back to sleep."
"You sound like Laure now, haha…" Baam said while he practiced with a grin.
I sighed. "Maybe I should stop coming to these classes then."
"Give me your hand," said Hwaryun, holding hers out.
I put my hand in hers. "What for?"
"I'll do a palm reading for you," she said.
"Oh, in that case, I should take off the glove," I said, thinking of the Armoriont.
"Please do," she said, and I had the Armoriont detach at the wrist, allowing me to take off the part that covered my hand.
She took hold of my hand again, running her fingers along my bare palm for about ten seconds, seemingly intently analyzing it.
"So…?"
"You should stay," she said, looking up at me.
"OK…that's it?"
"Should I predict the manner of your death? Or maybe when you'll meet the love of your life?" She asked with a teasing smile and let go of my hand. "Or should I get my crystal ball to make it look more elaborate?"
"In other words, I just got scammed by a fake fortune-telling witch?" I asked while re-attaching the glove.
"Nope. You really should stay," she said, propping up her chin with her hands on the table and looking up at me innocently. "But you don't have to listen to me."
"You totally got scammed, Partner," said Derflinger.
"Didn't you go to sleep already?"
"And miss how you were holding hands with this beautiful maiden? Wait until I tell Androssi the real reason you came to this class!"
"Derf, you bastard, I should've kept you in your sheath instead of fighting for you to attend class like a normal student," I said
"Snore…snore…ZZz…" Derflinger narrated out loud while Hwaryun looked on with an amused expression.
I sighed and went back to practicing.
After a while, Yuga came over.
"Ah, Mr. Axion, having trouble? I am surprised, you know. I spoke to the other instructors. It seems that Lero Ro gave you a strong recommendation for this position, before Hax claimed you for the Fishermen. I thought you would be quite talented."
"I don't know why Mr. Lero Ro did that, but it looks like I'd be in trouble if I were assigned to this position, so I'm grateful to instructor Hax."
"Lero Ro implied that you might be hiding your true abilities…he said you did something quite astonishing during his test. You absorbed the Shinsoo in his barrier. It makes me very curious. Are you hiding your abilities?" asked Yuga.
"Ah…what Mr. Lero Ro saw was just a fluke. I don't know how I did it," I said, pretending to be ignorant about how I absorbed the Shinsoo.
"Mr. Lero Ro said it was a fluke for me too! But it turned out not to be a fluke after all!" Baam said from beside me. "Maybe you have a hidden talent too, Mr. Axion!"
"Mr. Axion, how about this? I'll make a barrier like Lero Ro's, and you can try to do what you did back then. Maybe I can help you unlock your latent talent," said Yuga.
"Okay, sure. Thank you, Instructor Yuga."
Yuga then turned to the rest of the class and announced in a loud voice. "Class, we will go on an impromptu field trip. I wish to satisfy a curiosity of mine, but it will also be a chance for you to witness some interesting uses of Shinsoo. Follow me, everyone."
O O O
We made our way to the testing area Lero Ro used for his barrier test.
"I'm sure you all remember this place. It seems that Mr. Axion did something abnormal during this test that Lero Ro gave. Mr. Axion thinks it was a fluke, but Mr. Baam thinks it might be a hidden talent like his own. As a wave controller myself, I find myself very curious. So I'm going to try and help Mr. Axion discover his talent, while the rest of you will do a little exercise," said Yuga.
He ordered me to stand a little further away.
Then he created a barrier much like the one Lero Ro did, with all the other Regulars on his side, and me on the other.
"Now then, Mr. Axion will attempt to recreate what he did during the test. As for the rest of you, I want you to try to create a Baang again. The Shinsoo on this side of the barrier, I have made a little more stable than usual. It should be easier to make your Baangs. If you are successful, go to the other side where it is normal and try again."
Everyone started practicing again, while Laure and Hwaryun simply demonstrated their Baangs and moved over to my side and did it again. Then Laure laid down to sleep, while Hwaryun stood beside me watching.
I was up against the barrier with my hand again, and I started absorbing bits of it through my circuits to convert into mana. This was what I did the first time around, and my initial plan for getting through the barrier.
Although the Shinsoo was under the control of Yuga, it was still in a raw form, so I could process it with my circuits.
Yuga himself got closer and examined me.
After about a minute of this, he spoke. "That is very interesting, Mr. Axion. I must admit I have never seen anything like this. You are absorbing an incredibly small amount of Shinsoo and running it through certain pathways in your body, where it seems to disappear with a little heat."
I was impressed with the level of detail he had discerned from watching me. Evidently, my magecraft and circuits could be detected via Shinsoo with acute enough senses, even if he couldn't figure out exactly what I was doing.
"Perhaps you have an unusual Shinsoo Quality, Mr. Axion. It is an advanced topic, but when controlled by some special people, Shinsoo acquires new properties, which is manifested as a Quality. For example, in the Yeon Family, their Shinsoo manifests as Flame from the moment of their birth, and it is very wild and difficult to control," said Yuga. "They find it hard to use Shinsoo any other way."
He stepped through the barrier and walked all around me.
"Are you unable to manipulate more Shinsoo than that?" He asked.
"Yes, this is my limit," I said.
"Is there a reason you send the Shinsoo through your body in those specific paths?"
"It just happens naturally when I try to do this," I said, which was true. The circuits absorbed the Shinsoo, so naturally they were processed by the circuits. I couldn't actually manipulate the Shinsoo until it was processed into mana, and I couldn't manipulate the Shinsoo however the other people in the Tower did it.
"Stop that for a moment, and try manipulating Shinsoo the way I instructed in the lesson."
I retracted my arm and did as he asked.
He examined my efforts for another minute.
"Okay. When you manipulate Shinsoo the way you did earlier on the barrier, are you able to feel how much Shinsoo you're controlling? Can you feel the difference between how much Shinsoo you accessed then, and how much you're trying to control with the method I showed in class?"
"I suppose I can. I know it's a tiny amount, and I have a sense of just how much. I can't really tell how much Shinsoo I'm trying to control right now though, I don't get much of a sense for anything other than some pressure on my palm."
"Then, forget what I told you before about gathering a dense ball of water in your hand. Try to visualize a tiny amount of Shinsoo instead. Start from the smallest amount you can visualize. Don't even think of it as water. Imagine the smallest thing you can think of, and imagine it floating gently down on your palm like a bit of dust or a grain of sand, then turning into sparks as if set on fire," Yuga instructed.
Something flickered in my palm as I tried what he told me.
As if it were actually glitter, the Shinsoo sparkled in my hands in countless tiny fragments. Unbelievable. I actually managed to manipulate Shinsoo. Was this my perk for being an Irregular? I thought I got none of the benefits Irregulars normally had, but maybe I was wrong.
"It seems I was right," said Yuga. "You do have a very unusual Shinsoo Quality. With this tiny amount of Shinsoo, it's far too little to form a Baang. On the other hand, under normal circumstances, only very skilled practitioners can control Shinsoo in such low quantities. It is an unusual problem to have."
Hwaryun was smiling at me as if she knew this would happen.
"I'm afraid I'm actually not sure what you can do with this tiny amount of Shinsoo, however. You've piqued my interest so I intend to try experimenting with this myself, but at the moment, I cannot help you further," said Yuga.
"Thank you very much, instructor Yuga. This is already incredible," I said honestly.
"I am glad to have helped, Mr. Axion. However, what you have shown me is not what Lero Ro was surprised about. Would you mind trying what you did again on the barrier? I am told that you managed to absorb not just small bits of Shinsoo from it, but the whole barrier," said Yuga. "Perhaps there is more to you than what we have discovered so far."
"Ah…of course, I'll keep trying then," I said, going back to the barrier.
Internally, I debated whether I should actually show him the water spirits' power.
It was dangerous, because I knew he was the undercover RED agent sent to retrieve the Green April and kill Anak Zahard, but he was also quite helpful.
He was likely to be already interested in me after what Lero Ro told him, and trying to investigate.
If he found any Irregulars, he'd also have to kill them as part of his job. That was in fact what he attempted to do with Baam after his status was revealed, and how the FUG conspiracy successfully faked Baam's death.
At first, Yuga thought Baam had great potential and wanted to recruit him into RED, but once his Irregular status had been revealed, he was forced to assassinate him.
If he believed I was an Irregular, he'd have to do the same to me.
But if I didn't show the water spirits' absorption ability here, he would start thinking that I was actively hiding my abilities as Lero Ro claimed, and his interest in me might turn in a more negative direction.
After all, here he was, a friendly instructor actually trying to help me, what possible reason could a normal Regular have for hiding his abilities at a time like this? One might hide their abilities from fellow competition to keep an ace up their sleeve, but from a Ranker? Even after I had shown the ability in a test already?
If I had a reason to hide it from him, it made me far more suspicious.
So neither option was good.
I glanced at Hwaryun. 'Guide me!' I tried to transmit my thoughts to her. Obviously, that wouldn't accomplish anything, but I really needed her help right now.
She smiled back. "Do your best, Mr. Axion," she said encouragingly.
Well, hopefully I didn't read her wrong.
I called to the water spirits.
O O O
"Mr. Axion! Are you joining our class today?" Baam greeted me with a smile as he noticed me entering the classroom.
"Hello Baam. That's right. I'm very interested in learning about Shinsoo manipulation," I said.
"Me too. It was amazing when Mr. Laure used it in the Crown game!" Baam said.
For once, Laure wasn't sleeping. He sat up paying attention to the front, but still wrapped in blankets. He gave me a quick glance before turning back to the front.
Yuga, the instructor, stood at the front of the class.
He wore some kind of weird fluffy costume that made him look like a giant marshmallow with a smiley face.
"Oh? I don't think you're in my class, Mr. Axion. What are you doing here?"
"Hello instructor Yuga. I am here to attend your class, if you would allow me. Instructor Hax has given me permission to skip her lesson, though I will be losing points for it. Nevertheless, I am very interested in learning about the use of Shinsoo from a master such as yourself," I said.
"Ohoho! I won't turn away such an eager student! Please, have a seat then, Mr. Axion."
Hoh, Laure, Baam, and Hwaryun were sitting in the same row. I walked towards them, passing and greeting Hwaryun at the edge, then taking a seat between her and Baam.
Then I drew Derflinger.
"Hm? There won't be any combat in the class today. You should put your sword away, Mr. Axion," said Yuga.
"My apologies, instructor. It's just that my sword wants to learn too, and it is difficult to see the class from inside his sheath," I said, laying Derflinger out on the table.
"Oi, I'm an eager student too! Don't turn me away!" said Derflinger. "My name is Derflinger, teach! Pleased to meet you!"
"Ah? How very unusual and fascinating…an ignition weapon that can talk out loud. Would that be considered a Living Ignition Weapon? Very well, then Derflinger. I shall permit you to join this class too," said Yuga.
"Hi Mr. Derflinger!" Baam said, waving at the crystal sword.
"Hey kid. From enemies to classmates, huh? Let's learn a lot together, OK?"
"Sure!"
Like this, I started attending Yuga's classes, ignoring my Fisherman classes. I sent Agate to record the Fisherman classes just in case there was anything important, and also exchanged notes with Androssi every day.
O O O
A few days into the classes, we finally started practical lessons with Shinsoo.
"…The basic unit of a cluster of Shinsoo is called a Baang. The size of the Baang is called Myun, and the amount of Shinsoo that can be injected into a Baang is called Soo," Yuga said.
Baang was a word that meant "release". Myun was something like surface area. Soo was just "water".
"Baang, Myun, and Soo are all important, but among them, Baang is the most important for Wave Controllers. The higher the number of Baangs you can control, the more separate attacks you can launch. If you can fire three Baangs while your opponent can only handle one, then he needs to find some other way to block the other two," said Yuga.
He demonstrated by materializing four Baangs, lining up 3 on one side, and 1 on the other, then launching small beams of light from each of them.
Two of the Baangs cancelled each other's beams out, but the other two attacks had nothing to block them.
"For now, we won't worry about having more Baangs. We're starting with the basics, after all, so you should learn to control just 1 Baang."
Then we were all given time to attempt forming a Baang, based on his instructions for mental imagery.
Although I'd been able to manipulate Shinsoo using the water spirits, they could only treat the Shinsoo as water.
In my Fisherman class, we hadn't learned how to use Shinsoo at all yet, despite the lecture on the first day.
We'd only done physical exercises and weapon training with hooks and Reels, which were basically long lines wrapped around a cylinder not too different from a fishing line, that you could attach weapons to and release to swing around or rewind to bring them back.
So the creation of a Baang was entirely new to me.
"Do not worry if you cannot form a Baang right away. It takes a very long time to learn how to materialize Baangs. It is quite different from using Shinsoo to strengthen your body, and usually takes years of training. Just try to get a feel for the Shinsoo, and gather it in your hands," Yuga said.
I tried to do it on my own, without the water spirits' help. Trying to control the Shinsoo on a macroscopic scale was truly difficult for me. I couldn't grasp it like Baam was able to do so instinctively on his first try.
Five minutes later, I had made next to no progress. All I could do was feel a little pressure between my hands, which was about the same when I'd tried on my own the last few days.
"It seems that most of you already had some Shinsoo training before," said Yuga, upon noticing that most of the Regulars had been able to produce small flickers of light in their hands, even if unstable and quickly disappearing. "Of course, that is why you were assigned to this position. If you had not had any training, this would be an impossible task. It took me two years to materialize my first Baang after learning to use Shinsoo, and I was called a genius."
Then a big glow washed over the room. Everyone looked at Baam who looked surprised at his own hands as it disappeared.
"Very good, Baam. But you need to learn to maintain it," said Yuga, looking over.
Baam rubbed his head with a smile. "Oh, it's thanks to Laure's advice from before that I got it!"
Yuga then went around giving pointers to each Regular.
Only Laure and Hwaryun had no trouble at all, each maintaining a stable Baang effortlessly.
"You don't have the talent, Mr. Axion," said Hwaryun from beside me as she saw me watching her. "Not like Baam. He's just a natural."
Baam was working hard on his Baang while Laure gave him some more advice.
"Did it take you years to master this too?" I asked the red-haired Guide.
Her crimson eyes twinkled with her smile, then leaned forward to whisper. "No. I'm a Guide, blessed by the Tower. It comes naturally to me too."
"But not as fast as Baam?"
"He's special," she said.
"So, is it hopeless for me?"
"Are you asking for a reading of your future? You know I can't see yours," she said.
"Tch, this is stupid! Nothing's happening," Derflinger said.
"You don't have the talent either, Mr. Derflinger," said Hwaryun.
"This ain't for me. I'm going back to sleep."
"You sound like Laure now, haha…" Baam said while he practiced with a grin.
I sighed. "Maybe I should stop coming to these classes then."
"Give me your hand," said Hwaryun, holding hers out.
I put my hand in hers. "What for?"
"I'll do a palm reading for you," she said.
"Oh, in that case, I should take off the glove," I said, thinking of the Armoriont.
"Please do," she said, and I had the Armoriont detach at the wrist, allowing me to take off the part that covered my hand.
She took hold of my hand again, running her fingers along my bare palm for about ten seconds, seemingly intently analyzing it.
"So…?"
"You should stay," she said, looking up at me.
"OK…that's it?"
"Should I predict the manner of your death? Or maybe when you'll meet the love of your life?" She asked with a teasing smile and let go of my hand. "Or should I get my crystal ball to make it look more elaborate?"
"In other words, I just got scammed by a fake fortune-telling witch?" I asked while re-attaching the glove.
"Nope. You really should stay," she said, propping up her chin with her hands on the table and looking up at me innocently. "But you don't have to listen to me."
"You totally got scammed, Partner," said Derflinger.
"Didn't you go to sleep already?"
"And miss how you were holding hands with this beautiful maiden? Wait until I tell Androssi the real reason you came to this class!"
"Derf, you bastard, I should've kept you in your sheath instead of fighting for you to attend class like a normal student," I said
"Snore…snore…ZZz…" Derflinger narrated out loud while Hwaryun looked on with an amused expression.
I sighed and went back to practicing.
After a while, Yuga came over.
"Ah, Mr. Axion, having trouble? I am surprised, you know. I spoke to the other instructors. It seems that Lero Ro gave you a strong recommendation for this position, before Hax claimed you for the Fishermen. I thought you would be quite talented."
"I don't know why Mr. Lero Ro did that, but it looks like I'd be in trouble if I were assigned to this position, so I'm grateful to instructor Hax."
"Lero Ro implied that you might be hiding your true abilities…he said you did something quite astonishing during his test. You absorbed the Shinsoo in his barrier. It makes me very curious. Are you hiding your abilities?" asked Yuga.
"Ah…what Mr. Lero Ro saw was just a fluke. I don't know how I did it," I said, pretending to be ignorant about how I absorbed the Shinsoo.
"Mr. Lero Ro said it was a fluke for me too! But it turned out not to be a fluke after all!" Baam said from beside me. "Maybe you have a hidden talent too, Mr. Axion!"
"Mr. Axion, how about this? I'll make a barrier like Lero Ro's, and you can try to do what you did back then. Maybe I can help you unlock your latent talent," said Yuga.
"Okay, sure. Thank you, Instructor Yuga."
Yuga then turned to the rest of the class and announced in a loud voice. "Class, we will go on an impromptu field trip. I wish to satisfy a curiosity of mine, but it will also be a chance for you to witness some interesting uses of Shinsoo. Follow me, everyone."
O O O
We made our way to the testing area Lero Ro used for his barrier test.
"I'm sure you all remember this place. It seems that Mr. Axion did something abnormal during this test that Lero Ro gave. Mr. Axion thinks it was a fluke, but Mr. Baam thinks it might be a hidden talent like his own. As a wave controller myself, I find myself very curious. So I'm going to try and help Mr. Axion discover his talent, while the rest of you will do a little exercise," said Yuga.
He ordered me to stand a little further away.
Then he created a barrier much like the one Lero Ro did, with all the other Regulars on his side, and me on the other.
"Now then, Mr. Axion will attempt to recreate what he did during the test. As for the rest of you, I want you to try to create a Baang again. The Shinsoo on this side of the barrier, I have made a little more stable than usual. It should be easier to make your Baangs. If you are successful, go to the other side where it is normal and try again."
Everyone started practicing again, while Laure and Hwaryun simply demonstrated their Baangs and moved over to my side and did it again. Then Laure laid down to sleep, while Hwaryun stood beside me watching.
I was up against the barrier with my hand again, and I started absorbing bits of it through my circuits to convert into mana. This was what I did the first time around, and my initial plan for getting through the barrier.
Although the Shinsoo was under the control of Yuga, it was still in a raw form, so I could process it with my circuits.
Yuga himself got closer and examined me.
After about a minute of this, he spoke. "That is very interesting, Mr. Axion. I must admit I have never seen anything like this. You are absorbing an incredibly small amount of Shinsoo and running it through certain pathways in your body, where it seems to disappear with a little heat."
I was impressed with the level of detail he had discerned from watching me. Evidently, my magecraft and circuits could be detected via Shinsoo with acute enough senses, even if he couldn't figure out exactly what I was doing.
"Perhaps you have an unusual Shinsoo Quality, Mr. Axion. It is an advanced topic, but when controlled by some special people, Shinsoo acquires new properties, which is manifested as a Quality. For example, in the Yeon Family, their Shinsoo manifests as Flame from the moment of their birth, and it is very wild and difficult to control," said Yuga. "They find it hard to use Shinsoo any other way."
He stepped through the barrier and walked all around me.
"Are you unable to manipulate more Shinsoo than that?" He asked.
"Yes, this is my limit," I said.
"Is there a reason you send the Shinsoo through your body in those specific paths?"
"It just happens naturally when I try to do this," I said, which was true. The circuits absorbed the Shinsoo, so naturally they were processed by the circuits. I couldn't actually manipulate the Shinsoo until it was processed into mana, and I couldn't manipulate the Shinsoo however the other people in the Tower did it.
"Stop that for a moment, and try manipulating Shinsoo the way I instructed in the lesson."
I retracted my arm and did as he asked.
He examined my efforts for another minute.
"Okay. When you manipulate Shinsoo the way you did earlier on the barrier, are you able to feel how much Shinsoo you're controlling? Can you feel the difference between how much Shinsoo you accessed then, and how much you're trying to control with the method I showed in class?"
"I suppose I can. I know it's a tiny amount, and I have a sense of just how much. I can't really tell how much Shinsoo I'm trying to control right now though, I don't get much of a sense for anything other than some pressure on my palm."
"Then, forget what I told you before about gathering a dense ball of water in your hand. Try to visualize a tiny amount of Shinsoo instead. Start from the smallest amount you can visualize. Don't even think of it as water. Imagine the smallest thing you can think of, and imagine it floating gently down on your palm like a bit of dust or a grain of sand, then turning into sparks as if set on fire," Yuga instructed.
Something flickered in my palm as I tried what he told me.
As if it were actually glitter, the Shinsoo sparkled in my hands in countless tiny fragments. Unbelievable. I actually managed to manipulate Shinsoo. Was this my perk for being an Irregular? I thought I got none of the benefits Irregulars normally had, but maybe I was wrong.
"It seems I was right," said Yuga. "You do have a very unusual Shinsoo Quality. With this tiny amount of Shinsoo, it's far too little to form a Baang. On the other hand, under normal circumstances, only very skilled practitioners can control Shinsoo in such low quantities. It is an unusual problem to have."
Hwaryun was smiling at me as if she knew this would happen.
"I'm afraid I'm actually not sure what you can do with this tiny amount of Shinsoo, however. You've piqued my interest so I intend to try experimenting with this myself, but at the moment, I cannot help you further," said Yuga.
"Thank you very much, instructor Yuga. This is already incredible," I said honestly.
"I am glad to have helped, Mr. Axion. However, what you have shown me is not what Lero Ro was surprised about. Would you mind trying what you did again on the barrier? I am told that you managed to absorb not just small bits of Shinsoo from it, but the whole barrier," said Yuga. "Perhaps there is more to you than what we have discovered so far."
"Ah…of course, I'll keep trying then," I said, going back to the barrier.
Internally, I debated whether I should actually show him the water spirits' power.
It was dangerous, because I knew he was the undercover RED agent sent to retrieve the Green April and kill Anak Zahard, but he was also quite helpful.
He was likely to be already interested in me after what Lero Ro told him, and trying to investigate.
If he found any Irregulars, he'd also have to kill them as part of his job. That was in fact what he attempted to do with Baam after his status was revealed, and how the FUG conspiracy successfully faked Baam's death.
At first, Yuga thought Baam had great potential and wanted to recruit him into RED, but once his Irregular status had been revealed, he was forced to assassinate him.
If he believed I was an Irregular, he'd have to do the same to me.
But if I didn't show the water spirits' absorption ability here, he would start thinking that I was actively hiding my abilities as Lero Ro claimed, and his interest in me might turn in a more negative direction.
After all, here he was, a friendly instructor actually trying to help me, what possible reason could a normal Regular have for hiding his abilities at a time like this? One might hide their abilities from fellow competition to keep an ace up their sleeve, but from a Ranker? Even after I had shown the ability in a test already?
If I had a reason to hide it from him, it made me far more suspicious.
So neither option was good.
I glanced at Hwaryun. 'Guide me!' I tried to transmit my thoughts to her. Obviously, that wouldn't accomplish anything, but I really needed her help right now.
She smiled back. "Do your best, Mr. Axion," she said encouragingly.
Well, hopefully I didn't read her wrong.
I called to the water spirits.
O O O
39 – Red Witch
39 – Red Witch
The water spirits were even more eager to respond than usual, knowing the nature of my request.
"Hm? What is this presence…?" Yuga spoke to himself just before it happened.
Suddenly his barrier broke apart and the Shinsoo surged around me like an angry vortex.
"Woah!"
"What's happening?!"
The other Regulars cried out in surprise.
The water stone absorbed the Shinsoo just as before, leaving the room in silence.
All the Regulars on the other side had a look of awe. Even Laure had stood up wide awake behind us and was staring at me warily.
"Mr. Axion…it seems you are even more special than I had imagined. Lero Ro was incorrect in his description," said Yuga.
"Wow! So you really do have a hidden talent, Mr. Axion!" Baam said loudly.
"You did not simply break the barrier and absorb the Shinsoo from it. You took control of the Shinsoo from me. But it should not be possible to manipulate the Shinsoo that is actively under the control of somebody else, even if it's still in a raw form," said Yuga. "This is not a technique. It is simply impossible. Nobody can do it. Not Rankers, High Rankers, even Zahard or the Ten Great Warriors…but there is one exception..."
"The Floor Administrators," said Laure.
"Correct. Our ability to control Shinsoo is derived from the contract with the Floor Administrators. Therefore, they have the absolute authority to control Shinsoo, and can reclaim control from us at any time," said Yuga.
"So what does this mean?" I asked.
"I can only think of one way this can be possible," said Yuga.
"And that is…?" I tensed for a battle and quickly recalled Agate from the Fisherman class.
I readied the spell for planeshifting in my mind in case I needed to make a break for it. It'd have to be a random shift to be faster.
"The Floor Administrator gave you the ability by contract, which allows you to seize control of Shinsoo in the same way they do, as an extension of their authority," said Yuga. "I cannot fathom why they would do such a thing for a fresh Regular, considering that even Rulers of the Floors do not have this privilege, but it is indeed possible to form special contracts with the Administrators. It is not unheard of for Floor Administrators to sometimes give unique rewards to worthy Regulars, but it is extremely rare. As this is a matter between yourself and the Floor Administrators, if you do not wish to speak of it, I shall not enquire further," said Yuga.
I relaxed with his explanation. "I see. It's true that I have a special contract with an Administrator, but I didn't know that the contract included such a privilege. I'm just as surprised as you, instructor Yuga, that my contract would include something like this."
"Then that is one mystery solved! All in a day's work. Alright Regulars, let's head back to the classroom," said Yuga.
What a close call. But was that really the end of it?
On the way back, Yuga spoke to me quietly again. "You are very special indeed, Mr. Axion. I am sure that the 2nd Floor Administrator would not have given any reward prior to completing the tests on this Floor, so it must have been Headon who contracted with you, am I correct?"
"Yes, you are very wise, Instructor Yuga."
He laughed. "Not at all, it was a simple deduction to reach. Headon is the one who selects all the Regulars, after judging if they are worthy, therefore, to have gained his recognition is no small feat. I shall watch your climb up the Tower with great interest."
That did not bode well for me, but it couldn't be helped. Still, I wondered how accurate his theory was. Somehow, I doubted that Headon was so kind as to give me such a power, but it was starting to look like he had predicted this might happen and covered for me in advance.
When the class was over, Hwaryun silently led me to her room.
"You have questions," she said with a tilt of her head, sitting down on her bed, legs dangling.
"Is it safe?" I asked, taking the seat beside the desk.
"Safe enough."
"Why didn't he suspect me of being an Irregular?"
"Other Irregulars can't do that. If they could, Enryu's victory over the Administrator on the 43rd Floor wouldn't be so impressive. Even if Irregulars don't need permission from the Administrators to use Shinsoo, they can't forcibly take control of it from somebody else either," said Hwaryun.
"So why can I do it? Was Yuga right? A special ability given by Headon's contract?"
"No. Don't you already know why you can do it?" asked Hwaryun with a raised eyebrow.
"I have suspicions, but I won't pretend to understand how Shinsoo really works."
She nodded then lay on her back, staring upwards at the ceiling.
There was a moment of silence while I didn't know if she was planning to continue the conversation or not. Was she waiting for me to explain my suspicions? But I didn't really want to talk about the water stone, unless she already knew about it.
"You don't trust me," she said finally.
"I don't know you," I said.
"You don't trust anyone," she said.
"I trust myself," I said.
"I can't Guide you if you won't let me," she said.
"How do I know if the path you lead me down is one that will go where I want?"
"How do you know if the path you lead yourself down is one that will go where you want?"
"And what about you? Don't you have any desires of your own? Or are you content to just Guide other people?"
She turned silent again.
Even though I knew her from the story, I didn't understand her motivations at all. There had been hardly any background given on her. Even though she would start calling Baam her "God" just like the rest of FUG did, she did so using a tone and wording in the original source text that was playful in nature, unlike the rest who took it seriously.
Without understanding what motivated somebody, it was impossible to trust them, besides my own distrust of people in general. Even for a business transaction, a deal without any loyalty, it was difficult to deal with those you had no understanding of.
That was the case for Headon and Yu Han Sung too, and I didn't feel comfortable relying on them even if I had no better options at the moment.
Between the three of them, Hwaryun was the least dangerous, given her relative lack of direct firepower, and the most easily accessible, due to her proximity to me during the tests.
So I wanted to have a good working relationship with her even if I couldn't trust her fully.
This time, it was me who broke the silence.
"The path I lead myself down…I don't know where it will lead. But that's what makes it interesting. If I knew my own fate, then life would be boring. As I said before to Yu Han Sung, it is not the destination, but the journey that matters. There are plenty of things I want…but achieving them wouldn't make me satisfied. I don't want to be satisfied. Rachel says she wants to see the stars. But do you know what I would do if I saw them?"
"Yes," she said suddenly.
I was momentarily taken aback as she actually answered my rhetorical question.
"Really? What would I do?"
"He shall build a Tower to reach them, and pluck them from the sky," she said, holding up one hand as if mimicking the action. "And when they grow dim in his hands, he shall fly into the dark, to leave the story of the Tower, and a dream of stars behind."
There was another long silence as I digested the words.
"…is that a prophecy?"
"It's just an old story," she said, sitting up straight again.
"Of whoever built this Tower?"
"Who knows…we have a terrible, selfish, irresponsible god if it's true," She said, shrugging. "But don't you think it sounds like something you would do?"
"I suppose I might, if I had that kind of power. But I'm no god," I said. "I'm just an adventurer."
"Is it true? What Urek Mazino says about the Outside?" Hwaryun asked suddenly.
"Who is that? And what does he say?"
"The most recent known Irregular that has gone up the Tower. A High Ranker, number 4, just below Zahard. He says that…outside the Tower, there exists a vast world…rolling skies that stretch endlessly, and countless stars that illuminate the darkness. A place a billion times wider and freer than the Tower," she said, while getting up and walking towards the balcony. "It's the goal of his organization, Wolhaiksong, to find a way to return Outside."
"Have you asked Rachel that question?"
"Although she's an Irregular…I don't think she's from the Outside that Urek was talking about…and neither is Baam. Rachel wants to see the stars, and entered the Tower to reach for them, yet the Outside Urek describes would already have had them. As for Baam...he doesn't seem to know much of anything," said Hwaryun. Then she glanced back at me. "But you're different, aren't you?"
"What makes you say that?"
"Because you took my story seriously. You really thought somebody, not necessarily even a god, built this Tower, as if it were just a physical structure. We call it a Tower because there are many floors, but it is the whole of our reality, our universe. The Tower has always been there. From the beginning of the story." said Hwaryun. "Everyone knows that. Even Irregulars, even Urek Mazino, who's from the Outside. But not you."
"The beginning of the story? Don't you mean the world?"
"To a real god…like the one who built the Tower…isn't this world just a story he left behind?"
This conversation had gone in a very strange direction. I never thought somebody in a plane I visited would think of themselves as being in a story, even if it was true from my perspective.
It was fatalistic, perhaps, but also fascinating.
"Maybe you're right," I said, standing up and walking beside her to look out the balcony into the fake sky. "It's true that I'm a little different. I don't know what sort of Outside Urek came from, but I have seen the rolling skies and stars shining in the dark."
As we were at an impasse earlier, and I wanted Hwaryun's knowledge and abilities on my side, I decided to share a little bit about myself, and answer her question regarding the Outside. In any other plane, such knowledge might have been dangerous to share, but here in the Tower, I was not the only traveler from beyond the known universe, just one of many Irregulars who had found their way into the Tower.
"I don't agree with him, though. A billion times wider and freer? I never built a Tower, nor did I pluck the stars from the sky, but I did fly into the dark space above the heavens where the stars lie…it truly was a vast, endless space. But it was empty. Empty of life, empty of joy or sadness, it was just…a void. Did I feel free, having escaped the world that caged me? No...I left the pain and the suffering, but also the joy and the wonder. That world might have just been a story…but it was one full of life and meaning, of triumph and tragedy, of love and loss, and it was beautiful."
My escape from Worm hadn't quite gone like that, but this sounded much more dramatic.
"So then, did you go back?"
"I did, for a short time. But I couldn't stay. As beautiful as it was, it was not my home, and it was still a cage. That was not the first time I had left a world behind. A long time ago, I obtained the power to slide into other stories. The first time I used it, it got me trapped in that world. Once I was free of the cage, I used that power again...but I never once found my way back to home. Perhaps, that is what Urek truly desires. Not simply the Outside, but the memories of home. And now I'm just a traveler without a world to call home, interfering in stories that were never my own, for my own selfish indulgence. Although it may seem as if I am merely trading one cage for another each time, until I find the exit...I've learned to value the journey itself...the story...more than achieving the goal."
Again, I altered my history a bit, implying that I couldn't freely travel to different worlds without finding some sort of exit before I could use my power.
The residents of the Tower had no concept of what the Outside was like, or of the multiverse. Each floor was practically a world of its own. So to them, the Tower was their world, and the Irregulars came from outside that world, whether by some kind of power or luck. So simply being able to cross worlds wasn't that special or different from other Irregulars, without any further context.
But one fact was certain--nobody could leave the Tower. Just because an Irregular had the ability to enter the Tower did not mean they could exit. Urek Mazino was known to have entered the Tower deliberately to track down Phantaminum, but he was trapped like everyone else. Any method to leave would be highly coveted.
The point here was that there was no need to give any hint that I had the power to leave the Tower myself. Nor was I even certain of that, because I hadn't tested the spell here yet.
"So you obtained a power belonging to the gods. The power to edit what has already been written."
"That makes me sound far more powerful than I am. I'm not that different from you. I can't change the past. I can only try to change the future, just like any other mortal."
"Guides don't fight fate, nor can we."
I turned to look at her again. "Aren't you fighting it already? By talking to me?"
She turned to me as well. "Am I? Or is this just a script of your revision?"
I took off my visor, revealing my eyes that stared directly into her own, to add emphasis and a show of sincerity. "If this were my script, you'd be the heroine, and I'd be your secret love interest. Am I?"
"…" She smiled lightly without breaking eye contact. "If it's a secret, then I'd be breaking script if I told you now." Then she turned back towards the balcony. "You should leave before Miss Androssi comes by, Mr. Axion."
"Thanks for the warning, and the interesting conversation, Miss Hwaryun," I said, turning away as well, putting my visor back on.
I was no closer to understanding her motivations, but it had been a thought-provoking discussion, and I at least learned a little about her worldview.
Just when my hand reached the doorknob, Hwaryun's voice stopped me again.
"That thing inside you…it has a power like that of an Administrator's. It's insignificant compared to the Administrators, but its nature is fundamentally similar."
I turned around to look at her, but she was still looking out the balcony, facing away from me.
My mind immediately went to the water stone and the spirits within. They were the ones that absorbed the Shinsoo after all.
Before I could ruminate further, she continued. "By the way, when you confess to a girl, at least bring her a rose. I want a flower of Zygaena though."
"I see. Thank you, Hwaryun. I'll keep that in mind if I see one," I said.
The flower of Zygaena was something rare that only grew on a specific Floor that I couldn't recall but which the Yeon family, one of the Ten Great Families, tightly controlled. It was extremely difficult to acquire, and was involved in one of the floor tests Baam would participate in years down the line.
Did she actually want the flower, or was that a hint for me to interfere in that test, or another one that may involve the flower? The details behind that test escaped me, so for now, I couldn't determine what relevance it might have for me.
Putting it in the back of my mind, I returned to my own room while the hall was still empty.
Only after I sat down to meditate again did I realize that Hwaryun had actually answered my question from earlier. By professing a desire for the flower of Zygaena, she was implying that she did have her own desires, and was not content to just Guide other people.
O O O
A/N: Yuga's such a helpful teacher. And Hwaryun's comments might lead to interesting things farther down the line. Unfortunately I won't be able to continue the pace of updates over the last half year or so. Things have gotten a lot busier IRL and I've run out of buffer drafts as the next part has been harder to write. On that topic I'd like to ask...after the tests of floor 2 are done (still have a couple more to go), should the story continue in ToG and show some more floors (which would have to be original content), or use timeskips and/or move to another world until we get back to a plot-relevant floor later down the line? Time passes very slowly in ToG, there's something like a 6 year gap between Season 1 and 2, and the canon skipped a lot of floors. I might even make time pass differently here.
The water spirits were even more eager to respond than usual, knowing the nature of my request.
"Hm? What is this presence…?" Yuga spoke to himself just before it happened.
Suddenly his barrier broke apart and the Shinsoo surged around me like an angry vortex.
"Woah!"
"What's happening?!"
The other Regulars cried out in surprise.
The water stone absorbed the Shinsoo just as before, leaving the room in silence.
All the Regulars on the other side had a look of awe. Even Laure had stood up wide awake behind us and was staring at me warily.
"Mr. Axion…it seems you are even more special than I had imagined. Lero Ro was incorrect in his description," said Yuga.
"Wow! So you really do have a hidden talent, Mr. Axion!" Baam said loudly.
"You did not simply break the barrier and absorb the Shinsoo from it. You took control of the Shinsoo from me. But it should not be possible to manipulate the Shinsoo that is actively under the control of somebody else, even if it's still in a raw form," said Yuga. "This is not a technique. It is simply impossible. Nobody can do it. Not Rankers, High Rankers, even Zahard or the Ten Great Warriors…but there is one exception..."
"The Floor Administrators," said Laure.
"Correct. Our ability to control Shinsoo is derived from the contract with the Floor Administrators. Therefore, they have the absolute authority to control Shinsoo, and can reclaim control from us at any time," said Yuga.
"So what does this mean?" I asked.
"I can only think of one way this can be possible," said Yuga.
"And that is…?" I tensed for a battle and quickly recalled Agate from the Fisherman class.
I readied the spell for planeshifting in my mind in case I needed to make a break for it. It'd have to be a random shift to be faster.
"The Floor Administrator gave you the ability by contract, which allows you to seize control of Shinsoo in the same way they do, as an extension of their authority," said Yuga. "I cannot fathom why they would do such a thing for a fresh Regular, considering that even Rulers of the Floors do not have this privilege, but it is indeed possible to form special contracts with the Administrators. It is not unheard of for Floor Administrators to sometimes give unique rewards to worthy Regulars, but it is extremely rare. As this is a matter between yourself and the Floor Administrators, if you do not wish to speak of it, I shall not enquire further," said Yuga.
I relaxed with his explanation. "I see. It's true that I have a special contract with an Administrator, but I didn't know that the contract included such a privilege. I'm just as surprised as you, instructor Yuga, that my contract would include something like this."
"Then that is one mystery solved! All in a day's work. Alright Regulars, let's head back to the classroom," said Yuga.
What a close call. But was that really the end of it?
On the way back, Yuga spoke to me quietly again. "You are very special indeed, Mr. Axion. I am sure that the 2nd Floor Administrator would not have given any reward prior to completing the tests on this Floor, so it must have been Headon who contracted with you, am I correct?"
"Yes, you are very wise, Instructor Yuga."
He laughed. "Not at all, it was a simple deduction to reach. Headon is the one who selects all the Regulars, after judging if they are worthy, therefore, to have gained his recognition is no small feat. I shall watch your climb up the Tower with great interest."
That did not bode well for me, but it couldn't be helped. Still, I wondered how accurate his theory was. Somehow, I doubted that Headon was so kind as to give me such a power, but it was starting to look like he had predicted this might happen and covered for me in advance.
When the class was over, Hwaryun silently led me to her room.
"You have questions," she said with a tilt of her head, sitting down on her bed, legs dangling.
"Is it safe?" I asked, taking the seat beside the desk.
"Safe enough."
"Why didn't he suspect me of being an Irregular?"
"Other Irregulars can't do that. If they could, Enryu's victory over the Administrator on the 43rd Floor wouldn't be so impressive. Even if Irregulars don't need permission from the Administrators to use Shinsoo, they can't forcibly take control of it from somebody else either," said Hwaryun.
"So why can I do it? Was Yuga right? A special ability given by Headon's contract?"
"No. Don't you already know why you can do it?" asked Hwaryun with a raised eyebrow.
"I have suspicions, but I won't pretend to understand how Shinsoo really works."
She nodded then lay on her back, staring upwards at the ceiling.
There was a moment of silence while I didn't know if she was planning to continue the conversation or not. Was she waiting for me to explain my suspicions? But I didn't really want to talk about the water stone, unless she already knew about it.
"You don't trust me," she said finally.
"I don't know you," I said.
"You don't trust anyone," she said.
"I trust myself," I said.
"I can't Guide you if you won't let me," she said.
"How do I know if the path you lead me down is one that will go where I want?"
"How do you know if the path you lead yourself down is one that will go where you want?"
"And what about you? Don't you have any desires of your own? Or are you content to just Guide other people?"
She turned silent again.
Even though I knew her from the story, I didn't understand her motivations at all. There had been hardly any background given on her. Even though she would start calling Baam her "God" just like the rest of FUG did, she did so using a tone and wording in the original source text that was playful in nature, unlike the rest who took it seriously.
Without understanding what motivated somebody, it was impossible to trust them, besides my own distrust of people in general. Even for a business transaction, a deal without any loyalty, it was difficult to deal with those you had no understanding of.
That was the case for Headon and Yu Han Sung too, and I didn't feel comfortable relying on them even if I had no better options at the moment.
Between the three of them, Hwaryun was the least dangerous, given her relative lack of direct firepower, and the most easily accessible, due to her proximity to me during the tests.
So I wanted to have a good working relationship with her even if I couldn't trust her fully.
This time, it was me who broke the silence.
"The path I lead myself down…I don't know where it will lead. But that's what makes it interesting. If I knew my own fate, then life would be boring. As I said before to Yu Han Sung, it is not the destination, but the journey that matters. There are plenty of things I want…but achieving them wouldn't make me satisfied. I don't want to be satisfied. Rachel says she wants to see the stars. But do you know what I would do if I saw them?"
"Yes," she said suddenly.
I was momentarily taken aback as she actually answered my rhetorical question.
"Really? What would I do?"
"He shall build a Tower to reach them, and pluck them from the sky," she said, holding up one hand as if mimicking the action. "And when they grow dim in his hands, he shall fly into the dark, to leave the story of the Tower, and a dream of stars behind."
There was another long silence as I digested the words.
"…is that a prophecy?"
"It's just an old story," she said, sitting up straight again.
"Of whoever built this Tower?"
"Who knows…we have a terrible, selfish, irresponsible god if it's true," She said, shrugging. "But don't you think it sounds like something you would do?"
"I suppose I might, if I had that kind of power. But I'm no god," I said. "I'm just an adventurer."
"Is it true? What Urek Mazino says about the Outside?" Hwaryun asked suddenly.
"Who is that? And what does he say?"
"The most recent known Irregular that has gone up the Tower. A High Ranker, number 4, just below Zahard. He says that…outside the Tower, there exists a vast world…rolling skies that stretch endlessly, and countless stars that illuminate the darkness. A place a billion times wider and freer than the Tower," she said, while getting up and walking towards the balcony. "It's the goal of his organization, Wolhaiksong, to find a way to return Outside."
"Have you asked Rachel that question?"
"Although she's an Irregular…I don't think she's from the Outside that Urek was talking about…and neither is Baam. Rachel wants to see the stars, and entered the Tower to reach for them, yet the Outside Urek describes would already have had them. As for Baam...he doesn't seem to know much of anything," said Hwaryun. Then she glanced back at me. "But you're different, aren't you?"
"What makes you say that?"
"Because you took my story seriously. You really thought somebody, not necessarily even a god, built this Tower, as if it were just a physical structure. We call it a Tower because there are many floors, but it is the whole of our reality, our universe. The Tower has always been there. From the beginning of the story." said Hwaryun. "Everyone knows that. Even Irregulars, even Urek Mazino, who's from the Outside. But not you."
"The beginning of the story? Don't you mean the world?"
"To a real god…like the one who built the Tower…isn't this world just a story he left behind?"
This conversation had gone in a very strange direction. I never thought somebody in a plane I visited would think of themselves as being in a story, even if it was true from my perspective.
It was fatalistic, perhaps, but also fascinating.
"Maybe you're right," I said, standing up and walking beside her to look out the balcony into the fake sky. "It's true that I'm a little different. I don't know what sort of Outside Urek came from, but I have seen the rolling skies and stars shining in the dark."
As we were at an impasse earlier, and I wanted Hwaryun's knowledge and abilities on my side, I decided to share a little bit about myself, and answer her question regarding the Outside. In any other plane, such knowledge might have been dangerous to share, but here in the Tower, I was not the only traveler from beyond the known universe, just one of many Irregulars who had found their way into the Tower.
"I don't agree with him, though. A billion times wider and freer? I never built a Tower, nor did I pluck the stars from the sky, but I did fly into the dark space above the heavens where the stars lie…it truly was a vast, endless space. But it was empty. Empty of life, empty of joy or sadness, it was just…a void. Did I feel free, having escaped the world that caged me? No...I left the pain and the suffering, but also the joy and the wonder. That world might have just been a story…but it was one full of life and meaning, of triumph and tragedy, of love and loss, and it was beautiful."
My escape from Worm hadn't quite gone like that, but this sounded much more dramatic.
"So then, did you go back?"
"I did, for a short time. But I couldn't stay. As beautiful as it was, it was not my home, and it was still a cage. That was not the first time I had left a world behind. A long time ago, I obtained the power to slide into other stories. The first time I used it, it got me trapped in that world. Once I was free of the cage, I used that power again...but I never once found my way back to home. Perhaps, that is what Urek truly desires. Not simply the Outside, but the memories of home. And now I'm just a traveler without a world to call home, interfering in stories that were never my own, for my own selfish indulgence. Although it may seem as if I am merely trading one cage for another each time, until I find the exit...I've learned to value the journey itself...the story...more than achieving the goal."
Again, I altered my history a bit, implying that I couldn't freely travel to different worlds without finding some sort of exit before I could use my power.
The residents of the Tower had no concept of what the Outside was like, or of the multiverse. Each floor was practically a world of its own. So to them, the Tower was their world, and the Irregulars came from outside that world, whether by some kind of power or luck. So simply being able to cross worlds wasn't that special or different from other Irregulars, without any further context.
But one fact was certain--nobody could leave the Tower. Just because an Irregular had the ability to enter the Tower did not mean they could exit. Urek Mazino was known to have entered the Tower deliberately to track down Phantaminum, but he was trapped like everyone else. Any method to leave would be highly coveted.
The point here was that there was no need to give any hint that I had the power to leave the Tower myself. Nor was I even certain of that, because I hadn't tested the spell here yet.
"So you obtained a power belonging to the gods. The power to edit what has already been written."
"That makes me sound far more powerful than I am. I'm not that different from you. I can't change the past. I can only try to change the future, just like any other mortal."
"Guides don't fight fate, nor can we."
I turned to look at her again. "Aren't you fighting it already? By talking to me?"
She turned to me as well. "Am I? Or is this just a script of your revision?"
I took off my visor, revealing my eyes that stared directly into her own, to add emphasis and a show of sincerity. "If this were my script, you'd be the heroine, and I'd be your secret love interest. Am I?"
"…" She smiled lightly without breaking eye contact. "If it's a secret, then I'd be breaking script if I told you now." Then she turned back towards the balcony. "You should leave before Miss Androssi comes by, Mr. Axion."
"Thanks for the warning, and the interesting conversation, Miss Hwaryun," I said, turning away as well, putting my visor back on.
I was no closer to understanding her motivations, but it had been a thought-provoking discussion, and I at least learned a little about her worldview.
Just when my hand reached the doorknob, Hwaryun's voice stopped me again.
"That thing inside you…it has a power like that of an Administrator's. It's insignificant compared to the Administrators, but its nature is fundamentally similar."
I turned around to look at her, but she was still looking out the balcony, facing away from me.
My mind immediately went to the water stone and the spirits within. They were the ones that absorbed the Shinsoo after all.
Before I could ruminate further, she continued. "By the way, when you confess to a girl, at least bring her a rose. I want a flower of Zygaena though."
"I see. Thank you, Hwaryun. I'll keep that in mind if I see one," I said.
The flower of Zygaena was something rare that only grew on a specific Floor that I couldn't recall but which the Yeon family, one of the Ten Great Families, tightly controlled. It was extremely difficult to acquire, and was involved in one of the floor tests Baam would participate in years down the line.
Did she actually want the flower, or was that a hint for me to interfere in that test, or another one that may involve the flower? The details behind that test escaped me, so for now, I couldn't determine what relevance it might have for me.
Putting it in the back of my mind, I returned to my own room while the hall was still empty.
Only after I sat down to meditate again did I realize that Hwaryun had actually answered my question from earlier. By professing a desire for the flower of Zygaena, she was implying that she did have her own desires, and was not content to just Guide other people.
O O O
A/N: Yuga's such a helpful teacher. And Hwaryun's comments might lead to interesting things farther down the line. Unfortunately I won't be able to continue the pace of updates over the last half year or so. Things have gotten a lot busier IRL and I've run out of buffer drafts as the next part has been harder to write. On that topic I'd like to ask...after the tests of floor 2 are done (still have a couple more to go), should the story continue in ToG and show some more floors (which would have to be original content), or use timeskips and/or move to another world until we get back to a plot-relevant floor later down the line? Time passes very slowly in ToG, there's something like a 6 year gap between Season 1 and 2, and the canon skipped a lot of floors. I might even make time pass differently here.
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Honestly not trying to insult you im just stating my desires and my own facts
At the rate you update with roughly 3k words per chapter would take like 2 or more WHOLE years to finish ToG and I really like ToG so unless the next world is like FF7,X,and XIII i guess the issue is ToG is super dialogue heavy. And unless you do like 10k chapters like LordRousta and upload faster interest in this probably drop but thats just me take my word with a grain a salt.
Hell if I had a sure way of preserving my memories I'd have went into danganronpa and tried making myself a candidate for the kamakura project.
At the rate you update with roughly 3k words per chapter would take like 2 or more WHOLE years to finish ToG and I really like ToG so unless the next world is like FF7,X,and XIII i guess the issue is ToG is super dialogue heavy. And unless you do like 10k chapters like LordRousta and upload faster interest in this probably drop but thats just me take my word with a grain a salt.
Hell if I had a sure way of preserving my memories I'd have went into danganronpa and tried making myself a candidate for the kamakura project.
40 - Hide and Seek
40 – Hide and Seek
"Very good Baam, hardworking and talented, I see great things in your future," said Yuga as Baam created a ball of light and launched it at a training target.
I looked down at the pitiful flickers of light in my hand. After the initial discovery that I could manipulate Shinsoo on a tiny scale, I'd made no progress in any of the classroom exercises that Yuga had instructed us on.
Nevertheless, I continued to attend the Wave Controller class instead of the Fisherman classes, simply because I believed it was more useful to unlock personal power, particularly outside of the Tower. Even if Shinsoo didn't work on other planes, researching magic of any form was consistent with my long-term agenda.
"Our time is almost at an end, Mr. Axion. As an instructor, it pains me to admit that I cannot be of further help to you," said Yuga. "If there is a way to use such small quantities of Shinsoo, you will have to find it yourself."
I nodded and thanked him for the lessons before he went around to comment on every other student's progress.
Fundamentally, the problem I had with Shinsoo was simply that I couldn't form a Baang, which was necessary for almost all Shinsoo techniques other than the most basic ones related to enhancing the body.
But even the techniques for enhancing physical combat required manipulating Shinsoo on a much larger scale than I was able. The simplest one that had been taught in the Fisherman classes was akin to Mana Burst, using a large amount of Shinsoo to generate explosive force.
Shinsoo was also unfortunately too potent and volatile to be used in my Reinforcement spell compared to refined mana processed by my circuits.
Yet despite my lack of personal progress, the classes were far from useless. After two weeks of absorbing the theory and trying to communicate with the water spirits as to what I wanted them to do, they succeeded in creating not one, but many Baangs.
O O O
Aside from the training, a few other events of note took place.
First was a minor Fisherman test in which Anak tried to fight Androssi without any particular reason, and Androssi baited her into taking out all of the other Fishermen. Everything proceeded nearly the same as canon while I stayed out of the fight, resulting in only me as the last person standing.. Androssi slipped due to her heels and dragged Anak down with her when she fell off the test platforms, getting them both severely injured and losing a lot of points.
They had their bonding moment down at the bottom of the testing arena in which Androssi inquired about why Anak's mother chose a life on the run over luxury and status, and Anak told her it was because of her dad's cooking. Then Anak swore to take back the Green April, and Androssi told her she'd give it back if Anak beat her fairly.
At the same time, the Scouts and the Lightbearers were given the task to make 10 friends. As the task proceeded, Baam's canonical friend group began to form as he helped Hatsu complete his friend list.
I made it onto his friend list when he asked me in the Wave Controller class, and so did Androssi after he bribed her with food while she was recovering from her injury.
As for my cooperation with Rachel, aside from the FUG conspiracy, I also exchanged some notes with her from our classes, given my interest in Lighthouses.
The Lighthouse functioned like a computer of sorts, and had access to an Internet-like network that spanned the Tower. Comprised of "cubes" that could be manipulated with Shinsoo, they could be used as armaments or floating vehicles in battle too.
Unfortunately, there was no information as to how the Tower's Lighthouse network's infrastructure worked, and no way to interface with it using regular electronics. It operated using Shinsoo and I couldn't identify what signals it used. Lightbearers interacted with it by summoning a virtual keyboard and touch gestures.
The conspiracy itself was largely directed by Hwa Ryun and Yu Han Sung, and I had little role to play in it at this point, but I was kept informed of the plan so as to not accidentally interfere, or act as a backup in case things went wrong.
O O O
"The next test is called Hide and Seek, and it's going to be a large team battle, where the Regulars will be split into teams with all the positions required to work together," I said to Androssi after another training session. "One Fisherman from each team has to carry the 'It' badge, and the team wins if their It runs to the exit with the badge, or tags the enemy Seeker badge. The enemy Seeker is going to be Quant, the Scout instructor. He's a Ranker, so it will be quite tough, especially as the team will lose if their own It's badge gets tagged. However, individuals will be scored based on an evaluation from all of the instructors, in addition to the team victory or loss."
"In other words, winning doesn't guarantee a pass, and losing doesn't mean a fail either…it depends on how well we perform in our positions?" Androssi asked.
"That's right. This gives us room to maneuver even though we won't be on the same team."
"You have the team placements already too?"
I told her the members of each side, which had been set by Yu Han Sung.
"Wait, what about you? You're not on either team?" Androssi asked with a perplexed expression after hearing me recount the team roster.
"They couldn't balance the teams with me in the roster, so I'll be given the special position of a 'wildcard'. I can score points by joining forces with either Regular team, or automatically pass by tagging any badge, whether from the Regular teams' It or from Quant. If I tag the Regulars' It, they lose. If I tag Quant's badge, it counts as the Regular team's win. I'm only permitted to join a single round, same as every other Regular, but it will be my choice as to which to join," I said.
"So which round are you going to join?"
"That depends…"
"On?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.
"You. Or rather, your strategy. Despite missing most of the classes, I should still have enough points to pass quite easily thanks to everyone else losing all their points by falling down and getting injured while I remained the last person standing during that Fishermen test we had. So the question is whether you want my help on Team B against Quant or—"
"Or eliminate the other Fishermen on Team A," she finished with narrowed eyes and a smirk. "So you've already thought of that."
"Well…I was going to say if you'd rather I take the badge from Team A's It to ensure their loss, but I suppose outright eliminating the Fishermen works too," I said with a shrug. Actually, I did expect her to think of eliminating the Fishermen first, as that was exactly what she did in canon to her own team's Fishermen.
After a brief moment of thought, Androssi said, "That's a tempting option...but no. I'd rather have you join in my round."
"Really, why? There will be three Fishermen on Team A, and only four passing spots in total. If their team wins, it could be risky for you."
"That's true but how often are we going to get a chance to fight a Ranker? I'm not so arrogant as to think I can win by myself, even if I can use the Green April and he'll be restricted. I'll need your help to take him down," she said.
"…" I sighed. "Very well, let's take down the Ranker."
"What's with that response? It's an amazing opportunity! You should be more excited!"
Although I acted as if I reluctantly went along with her plan, I had my own reasons to fight the Ranker. The opportunity to test my skills against a superior opponent on Quant's level, in relatively safe conditions, was not something I could easily pass up.
O O O
The FUG conspiracy proceeded in the background, without much input from me.
Yu Han Sung sent out an anonymous note to Hoh, convincing him that the best way to eliminate Baam as Wave Controller competition was to kill Michelle Light because she's the reason he's climbing the Tower.
Hwa Ryun warned Khun about Hoh's jealousy, and Khun discovered the note in Hoh's room.
The next test would be where the pieces would all be moved into place, and Khun would unknowingly become their pawn as he worked to protect Rachel and Baam.
Finally, the day of the test arrived. The rules and team placements were announced to all the Regulars.
Just before the test started, Khun came over to quietly stand beside Androssi and me while we were away from the rest of the Regulars.
He was such a dedicated friend, despite having only known Baam for a short time. But he was also exceptionally smart. Unfortunately, he was working with limited information and could only focus on what was in front of him.
"It's too bad Baam and Rachel are on the same team…Baam shouldn't discover that Michelle Light is Rachel, don't you guys agree?" Khun said mischievously.
Androssi gave him an unimpressed look. "Do you have time to be entangled in other people's drama? We have our own business and have no time for that," she said for both of us.
"Don't let Baam and Rachel meet each other," said Khun more seriously.
Androssi looked at me for a moment, to which I responded with a shrug, indicating I didn't care. She proceeded to reject Khun's request again more forcefully.
"I'll help you guys with your business…if you protect Baam," said Khun, before he walked away with a wave. "Keep that promise."
"What did he mean by that? Helping us with our business?" Androssi asked me after Khun left. "Is he going to sabotage his own team? Why go so far just to help a guy he barely met?"
"Who knows? Maybe he had regrets about his own love life and is trying to live vicariously through those two. Give them the happy ending he couldn't get for himself," I said.
"I really don't understand them…any of them. But it's not a bad deal for us, if he actually does it," said Androssi. "It shouldn't be too hard to keep those two away from each other, seeing as Rachel's a Lightbearer who should be staying in the back anyways."
"I don't mind either way, but he isn't really helping us, you know? He says that, but the truth is that he would likely sabotage his team even if there was no deal with us, to give all his friends a better chance of passing."
"So, we help him if it's convenient, but don't need to try too hard."
"Exactly."
O O O
Team A's test went as expected without any significant anomalies while Team B watched the action from the waiting room via monitors.
Khun convinced the group to make him the leader, and they first attempted to trap Quant which failed, then Anak headed towards the exit.
At the end, Khun tricked Quant into falling off the bridge to the exit with him and Anak, but then used a suspendium pulley stolen from his family's vaults to bring Anak back up for a clear run to the exit.
But just as he told Androssi and I, he ultimately sabotaged his team by secretly having Laure use Shinsoo to send Quant back up to tag Anak, after lying to Quant that he made a deal with Hoh to eliminate Rachel, who would be his competition for the Lightbearer position, thus provoking an angry Quant into trying to stop his plan by protecting Rachel in the next round.
Rachel wouldn't be in any serious danger because Headon had given her a special deal to allow her to survive a fatal injury, but to make it more realistic and natural, there had to be a close fight instead of Rachel miraculously coming back from the dead, which is where Quant would come in handy.
The backup plan in case Khun failed to goad Quant into doing it was for me to step in.
Amidst all the cheering from the other Regulars while we watched in the waiting room, Androssi whispered to me, "I'm guessing that was our supposed help? The Ranker couldn't have gotten up without Shinsoo right? If he did on his own, he'd be a lot harder to fight than I thought."
I nodded and whispered back. "Their wave controller has been hiding down there the whole time."
And then it was Team B's turn.
O O O
As the wildcard, I entered the arena from a different location by myself. I wasn't too far from Team B, but they were given a chance to strategize on their own first, before either Quant or I reached them.
The whole arena was very dark, similar to most of the Tower. Without a Guide, a Lightbearer, or some other device to light up the surroundings, it would be difficult to navigate for any normal Regular.
Because of this, I was given a flashlight for this test, not that I really needed it, considering that my visor was equipped with night vision and a headlight.
Through Agate, I kept tabs on Team B. It wasn't long before Androssi took control of the group and proposed the plan for all Fishermen to move together, plus Baam.
Hatsu and the two spearbearers moved as a separate group, while the rest of the Lightbearers, Wave Controllers and Scouts stayed near the safe zone, all supposedly preparing to react to the Ranker's movements.
With everything going according to canon so far, I recalled Agate to my side as a precaution. The arena was likely to be safe, but with it being so dark and mostly unmonitored, there was always a risk that a hidden enemy might use this opportunity to attack me. The test administrators aside from Yu Han Sung and Lero Ro weren't aware of what happened after Quant and Khun fell in the previous match, after all, so if I was quietly killed off they might not be monitoring it either.
I took the chance to practice reaching out with my Shinsoo senses. While I couldn't detect any of the Regulars, Quant was a much more noticeable entity, his anger rolling off in waves.
And he was apparently getting closer to me.
A few moments later, his presence flared up and I barely dodged a punch before I had the chance to draw Derflinger. In retrospect, I should've had Derflinger out already, but I wasn't used to using a sword all the time yet.
A short exchange of blindingly fast hand-to-hand combat followed, and I was quickly launched into a wall before I knew what happened.
"Looks like you need some more practice. Or maybe I was expecting too much from a Regular?" Quant said with a disappointed tone.
I got back up without much trouble, but that exchange already showed how much of a gap there was between us. I was already fully Reinforced, albeit without Derflinger's boost, but Quant was barely using any of his real power.
It wasn't something I intended to contest right here though.
"There's no need for us to be enemies in this game, though, is there? I don't need to tag your badge specifically to win," I said.
"Are you saying you plan to tag team B's It badge?" He asked.
"Perhaps. It would be easier than fighting a Ranker," I said. "We all saw how powerful you were in the previous round."
"Hah. You realize I'm also evaluating your performance? Even if that's your plan, you'd score more by showing me what you've got," he said with a shake of his head. "Then again, I don't want to waste time here either. There are some Regulars I need to put in their place. See ya later!"
Then he rushed off towards team B, leaving me alone. I drew out Derflinger, and continued on my way.
"Tsk, tsk. That's what you get for keeping me sheathed," said Derflinger.
O O O
"Are you really a princess of Zahard?! You don't deserve that power! You're just evil!" The voice of Hong Chunhwa's angry shout echoed its way to me.
By the time I got to Androssi, she was standing alone in the circle she'd drawn with the two other Fishermen lying conscious on the floor.
"About time. Here, want this?" She threw a thin longsword at me. "It's an Ignition weapon. I'm surprised he had one, but we might as well put it to use."
I caught it by its handle with my free hand. It was Narumada, Hong Chunhwa's Ignition weapon. Androssi took it from him after beating him unconscious.
"Hm…maybe this will come in handy later. I don't know how to use dual swords though, so I'll have to stick with Derf for now," I said. "Thanks."
I clipped the sword to my Armoriont utility belt.
"You don't, but I do. Keep that in mind, partner," said Derflinger. "I promise I won't get jealous if I'm the one using the other sword."
"Right. If you say so," I said.
Androssi looked at Derflinger oddly, not understanding the statement, but shook her head and turned around.
I assumed that Derflinger meant that if necessary, he could use his ability to take over my body and use a dual sword style with his own skill.
"Let's get going then!" Androssi said before running off, expecting me to follow.
"Where's Baam?" I asked, even though I already knew.
"Urghh! That naïve idiot ran off to find Rachel. How could there be someone so…so…innocent, climbing the Tower?" She asked with a frustrated tone. "He thinks this is actually a team. That we're all friends, just because we signed a piece of paper. He actually took a hit for me, after I blatantly betrayed the team, can you believe it?"
"He's certainly a special sort," I said, without judging his actions either way.
"There are plenty of fools in the world. Some are just more stubborn than others," said Derflinger. "I've seen it too many times already."
"There's no way this can end well. The Tower isn't a place for someone like him," said Androssi.
"Maybe not, but maybe…it's time for the Tower to change," I said.
She glanced at me with surprise, but then said nothing.
O O O
"Why is everyone leaving me?!" Baam's anguished voice echoed ahead of us.
"As I said…never thought things would turn out happily," said Androssi upon reaching the scene near the safe zone with Rachel apparently unconscious, Baam crying over Hoh who committed suicide after his plan to kill Rachel failed.
Hoh had a tragic backstory similar to many other Regulars that came from the Outer Tower. One day a monster appeared and killed everyone he cared about. When he entered the Tower and started taking the Wave Controller classes with Baam, he grew resentful that he didn't have the talent or power that Baam did, and wasn't able to save anyone.
His jealousy and hatred of Baam made him the perfect pawn for the FUG plot. But his plan failed when Quant arrived. He took Rachel hostage, but then Baam managed to learn Fast Skip just by getting hit with it once, before using it to paralyze Hoh to save Rachel.
In the end, he just gave up, with nothing left to live for, and killed himself.
Now Baam was crying for Hoh because he genuinely thought they were friends, after Hoh signed his friend list.
Quant looked on with a sad expression.
The team's other Scout and Lightbearer was still held hostage by Parakewl and his spearbearer accomplice. These two traitorous spearbearers ditched Hatsu earlier when he was facing Quant and attempted a "spearbearers' revolution" to take over the team. Now they were whispering to each other and presumably trying to come up with another idiotic plan.
Serena, one of the hostages, hopped over with muffled shouting since her mouth was taped shut.
Androssi cut off her restraints and let Serena slap and yell at her for disappearing and destroying the Lighthouse, before admitting calmly that it was all part of her plan to eliminate the other Fishermen.
"Baam," Androssi said, walking over to the boy. "You said you don't understand why she's going up the Tower just for some stars. I don't understand it either. But Baam, I also don't get why you're following her. What do you like about that girl? But—I know it sounds weird right now, but I've also got someone I want to go up the Tower with. Actually, scratch that, I've got a couple of someones I want to go up the Tower with. One of them, I'm not very close to her. Actually, she probably hates me." She sighed.
"Argh! It's hard to explain. I just feel like…she deserves a chance, OK? Anyways, that's why I ate all the Fishermen. It was the only way I could think of," she continued.
Once she said that, I understood the real reason that she wanted me to join this round instead of eliminating the Fishermen on Team A.
I had forgotten about this part of her motivation. Anak was also low on points and would have a difficult time passing.
Perhaps Androssi didn't want to admit to me that she didn't want me to eliminate Anak, or she was worried that even if she made the request for me to leave Anak alone, I might accidentally injure her in a group fight, and so Androssi simply asked me to join team B's round instead.
"I don't expect you to understand me, and it doesn't change the fact that I'm evil, but I just did what my heart told me to. We're all the same…we just…desire different things," she said.
Then she turned to Quant, who was still watching without making a move.
"If we beat the Ranker here, you and Rachel can continue up the Tower together. But you'll suffer like today again and again. If you betray your team and help the Ranker, you can leave the Tower with Rachel. But you'll crush her dream in the process. Whatever you decide…it's your choice," Androssi finished.
Then she brandished the Green April towards Quant.
Although she said "leave the Tower", what she really meant was leaving the inner and middle Tower, where Regulars climbed and Rankers ruled. Just one of those quirks of being a resident of the Tower. Normally, people didn't even think about the concept of actually leaving the Tower to the Outside, because the Tower was the whole world.
Baam looked like he was struggling to make a decision.
"A princess of Zahard. It's my first time fighting one of you," said Quant.
"Be honored. Later, you won't be able to look me in the eye," said Androssi.
"And you...didn't you say you were going to take the It's badge?" Quant asked me pointedly as I quietly maneuvered myself behind him on the opposite side of Androssi.
I shrugged. "Don't tell me you took that seriously?"
"Tch. I guess not. I knew you two were going to team up. Lero Ro kept arguing to put you two on different teams," said Quant. "Haha, at least you two are working together still. This test would be so stupid if literally everyone turned traitor. Two on one versus the two strongest Regulars here, huh? This should be fun! You better not sandbag like you did earlier, or you'll be in for a world of hurt! Let me see how you guys dominated my survival test at the beginning of this floor!"
"Be careful what you ask for, buddy," Derflinger said threateningly. "Maybe I'll unlock 2% of my true power today."
Derf, this isn't an enemy we can fool with that. But I said nothing aloud, and simply concentrated.
I had no delusions this fight would go similarly to how it was supposed to, with Androssi matching him and Baam providing a little backup to immobilize Quant using the Reverse Flow technique Fast Skip he just learned from getting hit by Quant using it on him earlier.
Quant was likely to take this to a higher level to fight against me and an Androssi wielding the Green April instead of Narumada.
It wasn't a particularly important fight, but it would be one of the best chances to put my recently learned skills into practice against an extremely powerful opponent who could take it, and not just a friendly spar against Androssi where we weren't really trying to hurt each other.
In Worm, I'd largely stayed behind the frontlines while letting other people do my dirty work. In the Familiar of Zero world, I'd fought a bit, but I had such overwhelming power relative to the locals that I could make plenty of mistakes without even noticing and still come out victorious.
While I'd also gotten some skill uploads from Cranial's tech in Worm, that sort of thing couldn't compare to real memories and experiences of my own.
After Quant and Androssi showed their badges to each other, the fight began immediately with Androssi launching a needle.
Quant dodged, then a shout from Androssi ignited the Green April.
The enlarged weapon slammed into Quant, but he shrugged it off and pushed away before charging back for close quarters combat.
Androssi jumped away and swung the Green April, launching numerous segments outward.
Parakewl screamed and ran away, followed by the other spearbearer. They got hit by a wayward segment and sent flying into the distance. Though maybe Androssi did that intentionally just to mess with them.
Baam stayed focused and seemed to find his resolve after carefully moving Rachel to the safe zone. Serena sat beside the unconscious Rachel and the dead Hoh, watching the battle with an empty expression.
"Getting serious from the start, huh? I like it!" Quant said as he weaved around all the segments of Green April.
I took out my laser gun and started firing.
"Ouch, that stings! What kind of weapon is that?" Quant yelled when a lucky shot hit him on the shoulder, without apparently piercing his clothes. "Ahh!" The distraction got him hit by another explosive branch of the Green April.
"Damn, looks like I don't have to go easy on you guys at this level," said Quant after he flipped back upright and got his bearings.
It would be difficult to take his badge if we kept staying at range, but on the other hand, this was probably the best strategy given that Quant was restricted from using Shinsoo.
After several more minutes of Androssi pressuring him with the Green April and Quant dodging everything, including my lasers, Baam managed to hit him with Fast Skip and he was paralyzed.
Androssi then took the chance to cage him within several branches of Green April. "Axion, now!"
"Sword Beam, Level Six!" I used the strongest Beam I'd shown yet in this plane, costing around 3200 MP.
Light spilled out from Derflinger and the Beam smashed into Quant full force. Smoke covered the area after the explosion.
As we waited for the smoke to clear, there were sounds of coughing.
Quant emerged a little away from where Androssi had trapped him, looking much worse for wear.
"Shit. You little punk. You actually managed to injure me, even if it's only a little," Quant said with a glare my way. His white suit was torn, revealing bloodied skin on his chest and arms. "Getting shown up by a few Regulars…"
Then he moved with blinding speed towards me, and I could barely react before he was right there. Unable to move fast enough with my normal reflexes, I was forced to use a quick burst of the Omni-Flight spell to dodge. A technique which I now called Burstshift, as it was somewhat similar to the Mana Burst that Saber from Fate used, but able to shift around in any direction.
I shifted ten metres away in a split second, then flew into the air with my Armoriont wings. The Shinsoo density in the arena was higher than outside on the Floor, but it was only a minor hindrance to biological flight at this level.
"The hell? You can fly?" Quant asked after missing me. I thought he'd have known that already, considering I was flying around during his survival test, but apparently he wasn't paying much attention to it. "Damn, you are so lucky I already used my allotment of Shinsoo this round!"
Androssi attacked again with the Green April, but this time Quant easily dodged and then got up close to her, forcing her to retract the weapon and counter at close-quarters.
As it turns out, the Green April wasn't quite as easy to use in close range, and Quant managed to knock it out of her hands.
Baam froze him again before he could swipe the badge from Androssi.
At this point, I considered that I might possibly defeat Quant outright with an even higher level of Sword Beam or Sword Aura, given that he couldn't use Shinsoo directly to defend himself and was relying solely on his body's base physical capabilities which were nurtured by Shinsoo as he climbed up the Tower.
However, I didn't want to reveal that level of power or use up a huge amount of MP in a fight whose outcome was actually not that important to me. Whether or not we got the badge in the end, I was quite sure our performance by now was enough to get both Androssi and I into the passing Fishermen spots.
My only significant interest here was to test myself against the power of a Ranker and hone my abilities through combat experience.
As such, I decided to join Androssi and double team Quant in close combat.
"Boost, Level Ten."
"You got it, partner!"
Derflinger took over my body and unleashed a devastating storm of attacks with a two-sword style to give Androssi the opening to pick up the Green April again.
I wasn't skilled enough to really coordinate with Androssi against an opponent of Quant's calibre, so I left it to Derflinger along with the maximum boost. Combined with Reinforcement and the Armoriont's base capabilities, a level ten Boost from Derflinger got me to about sixteen times the strength of an Olympic athlete and fourteen times the speed.
Soon the tables had turned and Quant was on the defensive.
"When the heck did you get this skilled?" Quant complained loudly while barely avoiding Derflinger's attacks. "I knew you were sandbagging earlier but this is ridiculous!"
"Didn't I tell you, be careful what you ask for, buddy!" Derflinger shouted. "How does it feel to face a whole ten percent of my full power?" The sword spirit unashamedly bluffed again.
After a while, I noticed that Androssi hadn't joined the fight, and was looking at us flabbergasted.
It finally occurred to me that Androssi couldn't actually keep up with this level of combat either. I had assumed that she could, because she was so much more skilled than either me or Anak, despite not being that much faster, but in our spars I'd only ever faced her with full Reinforcement, never with Derflinger Boosting.
With the added speed from the Boost and Derflinger being in control, using his skills honed over millennia, it was no wonder she wouldn't be able to keep up.
"Fuck this! I'll seriously use my full power too!" Quant shouted back with a furious expression.
"Go ahead, bring it on! You call yourself a Ranker and this is all you got? Maybe I should be the one teaching your classes!" Derflinger shouted.
"Alright, that's it, you asked for it!!" Quant yelled.
"What?! No, are you insane, you're a Ranker!" Androssi shouted in alarm when it looked like Quant was not joking around this time.
I too was alarmed when I felt the Shinsoo currents shift. What the hell. Derf, why did you have to provoke him this much?!
"Hahh!!!" Shinsoo surged all around the angry Ranker.
"Oh shit," Derflinger said, just before we were blown away by Quant's fist.
I smashed into a wall, getting stuck inside a crater, the Armoriont cracking in a few places and the sheer force damaging my internal organs. The pain caught up to me a moment after, something I hadn't felt for a long time ever since I got the Armoriont. Then it was washed away by Derflinger's Boost energy, and we tore out of the wall, ready for another round while the Armoriont worked on regenerating.
Androssi released a forest of branches from the Green April, but Quant easily batted them all aside before charging at me again.
Baam tried to use Fast Skip on Quant again, but it failed because Quant was using Shinsoo now, and all Reverse Flow techniques require that the user be overwhelmingly more powerful than the target.
With nothing left in his way, Quant shot towards me like a bullet. Before he even reached me, he punched and a burst of Shinsoo rushed ahead of him.
"Hooraaah!" Derflinger shouted and unleashed a Sword Beam, the level of which I wasn't sure of since I wasn't the one that commanded it, but it was definitely higher than six judging from the intensity of the beam.
The two techniques collided in a massive explosion. The resulting shockwaves almost sent us flying again but Derflinger braced for it and I helped by using a Burstshift to cancel out the momentum.
Before the smoke cleared, Quant appeared in front of us again, apparently unscathed and with a wide grin. "I can't believe how much power you were hiding, let's take this up another notch!"
Before I could protest, the Shinsoo around his body took on an orange hue and he launched a flaming kick towards me.
Derflinger activated his Sword Aura and prepared to meet the challenge, but I had enough.
I Burstshifted to dodge and then used another Burstshift to move us a hundred metres in a couple of seconds, all the way to the safe zone, where Serena was cowering with her hands over her head, and the Ranker wasn't allowed to enter.
Then I took back control from Derflinger, which shut off the Boost as well. "Alright, we're done. Not here to fight a Ranker for real, Derf."
"Aww man. It was just starting to get exciting!" He complained but powered down the Sword Aura.
As the smoke started to clear, Androssi noticed I was in the safe zone and quickly ran over as well. Just before she reached the edge, she noticed Baam still standing just on the outside staring into the smoke as if trying to discern what was happening.
"Huh? Miss Androssi?" He asked with a confused look when she dragged him by the arm into the safe zone with the rest of us. "Mr. Axion?! When did you get over here?"
"Okay. I guess we're giving up then? That stupid Quant, how can he be so unprofessional as a test administrator! No, wait, if he used Shinsoo, that means he broke the rules, so we should win by default!" Androssi exclaimed.
"That is correct, Miss Androssi," said Yu Han Sung, who suddenly appeared out of the smoke together with a sheepish Quant trailing behind him. "This Hide and Seek game is over. Team B has won due to the Seeker violating the rules."
"Yes!" Androssi cheered. "Haha! You hear that Quant? We won, and you lost. Which means we beat you." She gloated while pointing at the Ranker in question.
"You little…!" Quant started, but then noticed the look Yu Han Sung gave him. "Ah…hahaha. Of course. You beat me fair and square, princess."
"So we can get help for Rachel and Hoh now?" Baam asked with an urgent tone.
The rest of us looked at him.
"We can take care of Miss Light," said Yu Han Sung slowly. "However…I'm afraid it's too late for Hoh. He is gone."
The boy looked crestfallen and teared up again at that.
We returned to the lobby outside the arena in silence.
Rachel was taken to the medical area, while the rest of the Regulars were dismissed to get some rest while the Rankers debated on the evaluations.
It was when we were walking along the halls that I suddenly found myself assaulted by a sense of vertigo.
"Very good Baam, hardworking and talented, I see great things in your future," said Yuga as Baam created a ball of light and launched it at a training target.
I looked down at the pitiful flickers of light in my hand. After the initial discovery that I could manipulate Shinsoo on a tiny scale, I'd made no progress in any of the classroom exercises that Yuga had instructed us on.
Nevertheless, I continued to attend the Wave Controller class instead of the Fisherman classes, simply because I believed it was more useful to unlock personal power, particularly outside of the Tower. Even if Shinsoo didn't work on other planes, researching magic of any form was consistent with my long-term agenda.
"Our time is almost at an end, Mr. Axion. As an instructor, it pains me to admit that I cannot be of further help to you," said Yuga. "If there is a way to use such small quantities of Shinsoo, you will have to find it yourself."
I nodded and thanked him for the lessons before he went around to comment on every other student's progress.
Fundamentally, the problem I had with Shinsoo was simply that I couldn't form a Baang, which was necessary for almost all Shinsoo techniques other than the most basic ones related to enhancing the body.
But even the techniques for enhancing physical combat required manipulating Shinsoo on a much larger scale than I was able. The simplest one that had been taught in the Fisherman classes was akin to Mana Burst, using a large amount of Shinsoo to generate explosive force.
Shinsoo was also unfortunately too potent and volatile to be used in my Reinforcement spell compared to refined mana processed by my circuits.
Yet despite my lack of personal progress, the classes were far from useless. After two weeks of absorbing the theory and trying to communicate with the water spirits as to what I wanted them to do, they succeeded in creating not one, but many Baangs.
O O O
Aside from the training, a few other events of note took place.
First was a minor Fisherman test in which Anak tried to fight Androssi without any particular reason, and Androssi baited her into taking out all of the other Fishermen. Everything proceeded nearly the same as canon while I stayed out of the fight, resulting in only me as the last person standing.. Androssi slipped due to her heels and dragged Anak down with her when she fell off the test platforms, getting them both severely injured and losing a lot of points.
They had their bonding moment down at the bottom of the testing arena in which Androssi inquired about why Anak's mother chose a life on the run over luxury and status, and Anak told her it was because of her dad's cooking. Then Anak swore to take back the Green April, and Androssi told her she'd give it back if Anak beat her fairly.
At the same time, the Scouts and the Lightbearers were given the task to make 10 friends. As the task proceeded, Baam's canonical friend group began to form as he helped Hatsu complete his friend list.
I made it onto his friend list when he asked me in the Wave Controller class, and so did Androssi after he bribed her with food while she was recovering from her injury.
As for my cooperation with Rachel, aside from the FUG conspiracy, I also exchanged some notes with her from our classes, given my interest in Lighthouses.
The Lighthouse functioned like a computer of sorts, and had access to an Internet-like network that spanned the Tower. Comprised of "cubes" that could be manipulated with Shinsoo, they could be used as armaments or floating vehicles in battle too.
Unfortunately, there was no information as to how the Tower's Lighthouse network's infrastructure worked, and no way to interface with it using regular electronics. It operated using Shinsoo and I couldn't identify what signals it used. Lightbearers interacted with it by summoning a virtual keyboard and touch gestures.
The conspiracy itself was largely directed by Hwa Ryun and Yu Han Sung, and I had little role to play in it at this point, but I was kept informed of the plan so as to not accidentally interfere, or act as a backup in case things went wrong.
O O O
"The next test is called Hide and Seek, and it's going to be a large team battle, where the Regulars will be split into teams with all the positions required to work together," I said to Androssi after another training session. "One Fisherman from each team has to carry the 'It' badge, and the team wins if their It runs to the exit with the badge, or tags the enemy Seeker badge. The enemy Seeker is going to be Quant, the Scout instructor. He's a Ranker, so it will be quite tough, especially as the team will lose if their own It's badge gets tagged. However, individuals will be scored based on an evaluation from all of the instructors, in addition to the team victory or loss."
"In other words, winning doesn't guarantee a pass, and losing doesn't mean a fail either…it depends on how well we perform in our positions?" Androssi asked.
"That's right. This gives us room to maneuver even though we won't be on the same team."
"You have the team placements already too?"
I told her the members of each side, which had been set by Yu Han Sung.
"Wait, what about you? You're not on either team?" Androssi asked with a perplexed expression after hearing me recount the team roster.
"They couldn't balance the teams with me in the roster, so I'll be given the special position of a 'wildcard'. I can score points by joining forces with either Regular team, or automatically pass by tagging any badge, whether from the Regular teams' It or from Quant. If I tag the Regulars' It, they lose. If I tag Quant's badge, it counts as the Regular team's win. I'm only permitted to join a single round, same as every other Regular, but it will be my choice as to which to join," I said.
"So which round are you going to join?"
"That depends…"
"On?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.
"You. Or rather, your strategy. Despite missing most of the classes, I should still have enough points to pass quite easily thanks to everyone else losing all their points by falling down and getting injured while I remained the last person standing during that Fishermen test we had. So the question is whether you want my help on Team B against Quant or—"
"Or eliminate the other Fishermen on Team A," she finished with narrowed eyes and a smirk. "So you've already thought of that."
"Well…I was going to say if you'd rather I take the badge from Team A's It to ensure their loss, but I suppose outright eliminating the Fishermen works too," I said with a shrug. Actually, I did expect her to think of eliminating the Fishermen first, as that was exactly what she did in canon to her own team's Fishermen.
After a brief moment of thought, Androssi said, "That's a tempting option...but no. I'd rather have you join in my round."
"Really, why? There will be three Fishermen on Team A, and only four passing spots in total. If their team wins, it could be risky for you."
"That's true but how often are we going to get a chance to fight a Ranker? I'm not so arrogant as to think I can win by myself, even if I can use the Green April and he'll be restricted. I'll need your help to take him down," she said.
"…" I sighed. "Very well, let's take down the Ranker."
"What's with that response? It's an amazing opportunity! You should be more excited!"
Although I acted as if I reluctantly went along with her plan, I had my own reasons to fight the Ranker. The opportunity to test my skills against a superior opponent on Quant's level, in relatively safe conditions, was not something I could easily pass up.
O O O
The FUG conspiracy proceeded in the background, without much input from me.
Yu Han Sung sent out an anonymous note to Hoh, convincing him that the best way to eliminate Baam as Wave Controller competition was to kill Michelle Light because she's the reason he's climbing the Tower.
Hwa Ryun warned Khun about Hoh's jealousy, and Khun discovered the note in Hoh's room.
The next test would be where the pieces would all be moved into place, and Khun would unknowingly become their pawn as he worked to protect Rachel and Baam.
Finally, the day of the test arrived. The rules and team placements were announced to all the Regulars.
Just before the test started, Khun came over to quietly stand beside Androssi and me while we were away from the rest of the Regulars.
He was such a dedicated friend, despite having only known Baam for a short time. But he was also exceptionally smart. Unfortunately, he was working with limited information and could only focus on what was in front of him.
"It's too bad Baam and Rachel are on the same team…Baam shouldn't discover that Michelle Light is Rachel, don't you guys agree?" Khun said mischievously.
Androssi gave him an unimpressed look. "Do you have time to be entangled in other people's drama? We have our own business and have no time for that," she said for both of us.
"Don't let Baam and Rachel meet each other," said Khun more seriously.
Androssi looked at me for a moment, to which I responded with a shrug, indicating I didn't care. She proceeded to reject Khun's request again more forcefully.
"I'll help you guys with your business…if you protect Baam," said Khun, before he walked away with a wave. "Keep that promise."
"What did he mean by that? Helping us with our business?" Androssi asked me after Khun left. "Is he going to sabotage his own team? Why go so far just to help a guy he barely met?"
"Who knows? Maybe he had regrets about his own love life and is trying to live vicariously through those two. Give them the happy ending he couldn't get for himself," I said.
"I really don't understand them…any of them. But it's not a bad deal for us, if he actually does it," said Androssi. "It shouldn't be too hard to keep those two away from each other, seeing as Rachel's a Lightbearer who should be staying in the back anyways."
"I don't mind either way, but he isn't really helping us, you know? He says that, but the truth is that he would likely sabotage his team even if there was no deal with us, to give all his friends a better chance of passing."
"So, we help him if it's convenient, but don't need to try too hard."
"Exactly."
O O O
Team A's test went as expected without any significant anomalies while Team B watched the action from the waiting room via monitors.
Khun convinced the group to make him the leader, and they first attempted to trap Quant which failed, then Anak headed towards the exit.
At the end, Khun tricked Quant into falling off the bridge to the exit with him and Anak, but then used a suspendium pulley stolen from his family's vaults to bring Anak back up for a clear run to the exit.
But just as he told Androssi and I, he ultimately sabotaged his team by secretly having Laure use Shinsoo to send Quant back up to tag Anak, after lying to Quant that he made a deal with Hoh to eliminate Rachel, who would be his competition for the Lightbearer position, thus provoking an angry Quant into trying to stop his plan by protecting Rachel in the next round.
Rachel wouldn't be in any serious danger because Headon had given her a special deal to allow her to survive a fatal injury, but to make it more realistic and natural, there had to be a close fight instead of Rachel miraculously coming back from the dead, which is where Quant would come in handy.
The backup plan in case Khun failed to goad Quant into doing it was for me to step in.
Amidst all the cheering from the other Regulars while we watched in the waiting room, Androssi whispered to me, "I'm guessing that was our supposed help? The Ranker couldn't have gotten up without Shinsoo right? If he did on his own, he'd be a lot harder to fight than I thought."
I nodded and whispered back. "Their wave controller has been hiding down there the whole time."
And then it was Team B's turn.
O O O
As the wildcard, I entered the arena from a different location by myself. I wasn't too far from Team B, but they were given a chance to strategize on their own first, before either Quant or I reached them.
The whole arena was very dark, similar to most of the Tower. Without a Guide, a Lightbearer, or some other device to light up the surroundings, it would be difficult to navigate for any normal Regular.
Because of this, I was given a flashlight for this test, not that I really needed it, considering that my visor was equipped with night vision and a headlight.
Through Agate, I kept tabs on Team B. It wasn't long before Androssi took control of the group and proposed the plan for all Fishermen to move together, plus Baam.
Hatsu and the two spearbearers moved as a separate group, while the rest of the Lightbearers, Wave Controllers and Scouts stayed near the safe zone, all supposedly preparing to react to the Ranker's movements.
With everything going according to canon so far, I recalled Agate to my side as a precaution. The arena was likely to be safe, but with it being so dark and mostly unmonitored, there was always a risk that a hidden enemy might use this opportunity to attack me. The test administrators aside from Yu Han Sung and Lero Ro weren't aware of what happened after Quant and Khun fell in the previous match, after all, so if I was quietly killed off they might not be monitoring it either.
I took the chance to practice reaching out with my Shinsoo senses. While I couldn't detect any of the Regulars, Quant was a much more noticeable entity, his anger rolling off in waves.
And he was apparently getting closer to me.
A few moments later, his presence flared up and I barely dodged a punch before I had the chance to draw Derflinger. In retrospect, I should've had Derflinger out already, but I wasn't used to using a sword all the time yet.
A short exchange of blindingly fast hand-to-hand combat followed, and I was quickly launched into a wall before I knew what happened.
"Looks like you need some more practice. Or maybe I was expecting too much from a Regular?" Quant said with a disappointed tone.
I got back up without much trouble, but that exchange already showed how much of a gap there was between us. I was already fully Reinforced, albeit without Derflinger's boost, but Quant was barely using any of his real power.
It wasn't something I intended to contest right here though.
"There's no need for us to be enemies in this game, though, is there? I don't need to tag your badge specifically to win," I said.
"Are you saying you plan to tag team B's It badge?" He asked.
"Perhaps. It would be easier than fighting a Ranker," I said. "We all saw how powerful you were in the previous round."
"Hah. You realize I'm also evaluating your performance? Even if that's your plan, you'd score more by showing me what you've got," he said with a shake of his head. "Then again, I don't want to waste time here either. There are some Regulars I need to put in their place. See ya later!"
Then he rushed off towards team B, leaving me alone. I drew out Derflinger, and continued on my way.
"Tsk, tsk. That's what you get for keeping me sheathed," said Derflinger.
O O O
"Are you really a princess of Zahard?! You don't deserve that power! You're just evil!" The voice of Hong Chunhwa's angry shout echoed its way to me.
By the time I got to Androssi, she was standing alone in the circle she'd drawn with the two other Fishermen lying conscious on the floor.
"About time. Here, want this?" She threw a thin longsword at me. "It's an Ignition weapon. I'm surprised he had one, but we might as well put it to use."
I caught it by its handle with my free hand. It was Narumada, Hong Chunhwa's Ignition weapon. Androssi took it from him after beating him unconscious.
"Hm…maybe this will come in handy later. I don't know how to use dual swords though, so I'll have to stick with Derf for now," I said. "Thanks."
I clipped the sword to my Armoriont utility belt.
"You don't, but I do. Keep that in mind, partner," said Derflinger. "I promise I won't get jealous if I'm the one using the other sword."
"Right. If you say so," I said.
Androssi looked at Derflinger oddly, not understanding the statement, but shook her head and turned around.
I assumed that Derflinger meant that if necessary, he could use his ability to take over my body and use a dual sword style with his own skill.
"Let's get going then!" Androssi said before running off, expecting me to follow.
"Where's Baam?" I asked, even though I already knew.
"Urghh! That naïve idiot ran off to find Rachel. How could there be someone so…so…innocent, climbing the Tower?" She asked with a frustrated tone. "He thinks this is actually a team. That we're all friends, just because we signed a piece of paper. He actually took a hit for me, after I blatantly betrayed the team, can you believe it?"
"He's certainly a special sort," I said, without judging his actions either way.
"There are plenty of fools in the world. Some are just more stubborn than others," said Derflinger. "I've seen it too many times already."
"There's no way this can end well. The Tower isn't a place for someone like him," said Androssi.
"Maybe not, but maybe…it's time for the Tower to change," I said.
She glanced at me with surprise, but then said nothing.
O O O
"Why is everyone leaving me?!" Baam's anguished voice echoed ahead of us.
"As I said…never thought things would turn out happily," said Androssi upon reaching the scene near the safe zone with Rachel apparently unconscious, Baam crying over Hoh who committed suicide after his plan to kill Rachel failed.
Hoh had a tragic backstory similar to many other Regulars that came from the Outer Tower. One day a monster appeared and killed everyone he cared about. When he entered the Tower and started taking the Wave Controller classes with Baam, he grew resentful that he didn't have the talent or power that Baam did, and wasn't able to save anyone.
His jealousy and hatred of Baam made him the perfect pawn for the FUG plot. But his plan failed when Quant arrived. He took Rachel hostage, but then Baam managed to learn Fast Skip just by getting hit with it once, before using it to paralyze Hoh to save Rachel.
In the end, he just gave up, with nothing left to live for, and killed himself.
Now Baam was crying for Hoh because he genuinely thought they were friends, after Hoh signed his friend list.
Quant looked on with a sad expression.
The team's other Scout and Lightbearer was still held hostage by Parakewl and his spearbearer accomplice. These two traitorous spearbearers ditched Hatsu earlier when he was facing Quant and attempted a "spearbearers' revolution" to take over the team. Now they were whispering to each other and presumably trying to come up with another idiotic plan.
Serena, one of the hostages, hopped over with muffled shouting since her mouth was taped shut.
Androssi cut off her restraints and let Serena slap and yell at her for disappearing and destroying the Lighthouse, before admitting calmly that it was all part of her plan to eliminate the other Fishermen.
"Baam," Androssi said, walking over to the boy. "You said you don't understand why she's going up the Tower just for some stars. I don't understand it either. But Baam, I also don't get why you're following her. What do you like about that girl? But—I know it sounds weird right now, but I've also got someone I want to go up the Tower with. Actually, scratch that, I've got a couple of someones I want to go up the Tower with. One of them, I'm not very close to her. Actually, she probably hates me." She sighed.
"Argh! It's hard to explain. I just feel like…she deserves a chance, OK? Anyways, that's why I ate all the Fishermen. It was the only way I could think of," she continued.
Once she said that, I understood the real reason that she wanted me to join this round instead of eliminating the Fishermen on Team A.
I had forgotten about this part of her motivation. Anak was also low on points and would have a difficult time passing.
Perhaps Androssi didn't want to admit to me that she didn't want me to eliminate Anak, or she was worried that even if she made the request for me to leave Anak alone, I might accidentally injure her in a group fight, and so Androssi simply asked me to join team B's round instead.
"I don't expect you to understand me, and it doesn't change the fact that I'm evil, but I just did what my heart told me to. We're all the same…we just…desire different things," she said.
Then she turned to Quant, who was still watching without making a move.
"If we beat the Ranker here, you and Rachel can continue up the Tower together. But you'll suffer like today again and again. If you betray your team and help the Ranker, you can leave the Tower with Rachel. But you'll crush her dream in the process. Whatever you decide…it's your choice," Androssi finished.
Then she brandished the Green April towards Quant.
Although she said "leave the Tower", what she really meant was leaving the inner and middle Tower, where Regulars climbed and Rankers ruled. Just one of those quirks of being a resident of the Tower. Normally, people didn't even think about the concept of actually leaving the Tower to the Outside, because the Tower was the whole world.
Baam looked like he was struggling to make a decision.
"A princess of Zahard. It's my first time fighting one of you," said Quant.
"Be honored. Later, you won't be able to look me in the eye," said Androssi.
"And you...didn't you say you were going to take the It's badge?" Quant asked me pointedly as I quietly maneuvered myself behind him on the opposite side of Androssi.
I shrugged. "Don't tell me you took that seriously?"
"Tch. I guess not. I knew you two were going to team up. Lero Ro kept arguing to put you two on different teams," said Quant. "Haha, at least you two are working together still. This test would be so stupid if literally everyone turned traitor. Two on one versus the two strongest Regulars here, huh? This should be fun! You better not sandbag like you did earlier, or you'll be in for a world of hurt! Let me see how you guys dominated my survival test at the beginning of this floor!"
"Be careful what you ask for, buddy," Derflinger said threateningly. "Maybe I'll unlock 2% of my true power today."
Derf, this isn't an enemy we can fool with that. But I said nothing aloud, and simply concentrated.
I had no delusions this fight would go similarly to how it was supposed to, with Androssi matching him and Baam providing a little backup to immobilize Quant using the Reverse Flow technique Fast Skip he just learned from getting hit by Quant using it on him earlier.
Quant was likely to take this to a higher level to fight against me and an Androssi wielding the Green April instead of Narumada.
It wasn't a particularly important fight, but it would be one of the best chances to put my recently learned skills into practice against an extremely powerful opponent who could take it, and not just a friendly spar against Androssi where we weren't really trying to hurt each other.
In Worm, I'd largely stayed behind the frontlines while letting other people do my dirty work. In the Familiar of Zero world, I'd fought a bit, but I had such overwhelming power relative to the locals that I could make plenty of mistakes without even noticing and still come out victorious.
While I'd also gotten some skill uploads from Cranial's tech in Worm, that sort of thing couldn't compare to real memories and experiences of my own.
After Quant and Androssi showed their badges to each other, the fight began immediately with Androssi launching a needle.
Quant dodged, then a shout from Androssi ignited the Green April.
The enlarged weapon slammed into Quant, but he shrugged it off and pushed away before charging back for close quarters combat.
Androssi jumped away and swung the Green April, launching numerous segments outward.
Parakewl screamed and ran away, followed by the other spearbearer. They got hit by a wayward segment and sent flying into the distance. Though maybe Androssi did that intentionally just to mess with them.
Baam stayed focused and seemed to find his resolve after carefully moving Rachel to the safe zone. Serena sat beside the unconscious Rachel and the dead Hoh, watching the battle with an empty expression.
"Getting serious from the start, huh? I like it!" Quant said as he weaved around all the segments of Green April.
I took out my laser gun and started firing.
"Ouch, that stings! What kind of weapon is that?" Quant yelled when a lucky shot hit him on the shoulder, without apparently piercing his clothes. "Ahh!" The distraction got him hit by another explosive branch of the Green April.
"Damn, looks like I don't have to go easy on you guys at this level," said Quant after he flipped back upright and got his bearings.
It would be difficult to take his badge if we kept staying at range, but on the other hand, this was probably the best strategy given that Quant was restricted from using Shinsoo.
After several more minutes of Androssi pressuring him with the Green April and Quant dodging everything, including my lasers, Baam managed to hit him with Fast Skip and he was paralyzed.
Androssi then took the chance to cage him within several branches of Green April. "Axion, now!"
"Sword Beam, Level Six!" I used the strongest Beam I'd shown yet in this plane, costing around 3200 MP.
Light spilled out from Derflinger and the Beam smashed into Quant full force. Smoke covered the area after the explosion.
As we waited for the smoke to clear, there were sounds of coughing.
Quant emerged a little away from where Androssi had trapped him, looking much worse for wear.
"Shit. You little punk. You actually managed to injure me, even if it's only a little," Quant said with a glare my way. His white suit was torn, revealing bloodied skin on his chest and arms. "Getting shown up by a few Regulars…"
Then he moved with blinding speed towards me, and I could barely react before he was right there. Unable to move fast enough with my normal reflexes, I was forced to use a quick burst of the Omni-Flight spell to dodge. A technique which I now called Burstshift, as it was somewhat similar to the Mana Burst that Saber from Fate used, but able to shift around in any direction.
I shifted ten metres away in a split second, then flew into the air with my Armoriont wings. The Shinsoo density in the arena was higher than outside on the Floor, but it was only a minor hindrance to biological flight at this level.
"The hell? You can fly?" Quant asked after missing me. I thought he'd have known that already, considering I was flying around during his survival test, but apparently he wasn't paying much attention to it. "Damn, you are so lucky I already used my allotment of Shinsoo this round!"
Androssi attacked again with the Green April, but this time Quant easily dodged and then got up close to her, forcing her to retract the weapon and counter at close-quarters.
As it turns out, the Green April wasn't quite as easy to use in close range, and Quant managed to knock it out of her hands.
Baam froze him again before he could swipe the badge from Androssi.
At this point, I considered that I might possibly defeat Quant outright with an even higher level of Sword Beam or Sword Aura, given that he couldn't use Shinsoo directly to defend himself and was relying solely on his body's base physical capabilities which were nurtured by Shinsoo as he climbed up the Tower.
However, I didn't want to reveal that level of power or use up a huge amount of MP in a fight whose outcome was actually not that important to me. Whether or not we got the badge in the end, I was quite sure our performance by now was enough to get both Androssi and I into the passing Fishermen spots.
My only significant interest here was to test myself against the power of a Ranker and hone my abilities through combat experience.
As such, I decided to join Androssi and double team Quant in close combat.
"Boost, Level Ten."
"You got it, partner!"
Derflinger took over my body and unleashed a devastating storm of attacks with a two-sword style to give Androssi the opening to pick up the Green April again.
I wasn't skilled enough to really coordinate with Androssi against an opponent of Quant's calibre, so I left it to Derflinger along with the maximum boost. Combined with Reinforcement and the Armoriont's base capabilities, a level ten Boost from Derflinger got me to about sixteen times the strength of an Olympic athlete and fourteen times the speed.
Soon the tables had turned and Quant was on the defensive.
"When the heck did you get this skilled?" Quant complained loudly while barely avoiding Derflinger's attacks. "I knew you were sandbagging earlier but this is ridiculous!"
"Didn't I tell you, be careful what you ask for, buddy!" Derflinger shouted. "How does it feel to face a whole ten percent of my full power?" The sword spirit unashamedly bluffed again.
After a while, I noticed that Androssi hadn't joined the fight, and was looking at us flabbergasted.
It finally occurred to me that Androssi couldn't actually keep up with this level of combat either. I had assumed that she could, because she was so much more skilled than either me or Anak, despite not being that much faster, but in our spars I'd only ever faced her with full Reinforcement, never with Derflinger Boosting.
With the added speed from the Boost and Derflinger being in control, using his skills honed over millennia, it was no wonder she wouldn't be able to keep up.
"Fuck this! I'll seriously use my full power too!" Quant shouted back with a furious expression.
"Go ahead, bring it on! You call yourself a Ranker and this is all you got? Maybe I should be the one teaching your classes!" Derflinger shouted.
"Alright, that's it, you asked for it!!" Quant yelled.
"What?! No, are you insane, you're a Ranker!" Androssi shouted in alarm when it looked like Quant was not joking around this time.
I too was alarmed when I felt the Shinsoo currents shift. What the hell. Derf, why did you have to provoke him this much?!
"Hahh!!!" Shinsoo surged all around the angry Ranker.
"Oh shit," Derflinger said, just before we were blown away by Quant's fist.
I smashed into a wall, getting stuck inside a crater, the Armoriont cracking in a few places and the sheer force damaging my internal organs. The pain caught up to me a moment after, something I hadn't felt for a long time ever since I got the Armoriont. Then it was washed away by Derflinger's Boost energy, and we tore out of the wall, ready for another round while the Armoriont worked on regenerating.
Androssi released a forest of branches from the Green April, but Quant easily batted them all aside before charging at me again.
Baam tried to use Fast Skip on Quant again, but it failed because Quant was using Shinsoo now, and all Reverse Flow techniques require that the user be overwhelmingly more powerful than the target.
With nothing left in his way, Quant shot towards me like a bullet. Before he even reached me, he punched and a burst of Shinsoo rushed ahead of him.
"Hooraaah!" Derflinger shouted and unleashed a Sword Beam, the level of which I wasn't sure of since I wasn't the one that commanded it, but it was definitely higher than six judging from the intensity of the beam.
The two techniques collided in a massive explosion. The resulting shockwaves almost sent us flying again but Derflinger braced for it and I helped by using a Burstshift to cancel out the momentum.
Before the smoke cleared, Quant appeared in front of us again, apparently unscathed and with a wide grin. "I can't believe how much power you were hiding, let's take this up another notch!"
Before I could protest, the Shinsoo around his body took on an orange hue and he launched a flaming kick towards me.
Derflinger activated his Sword Aura and prepared to meet the challenge, but I had enough.
I Burstshifted to dodge and then used another Burstshift to move us a hundred metres in a couple of seconds, all the way to the safe zone, where Serena was cowering with her hands over her head, and the Ranker wasn't allowed to enter.
Then I took back control from Derflinger, which shut off the Boost as well. "Alright, we're done. Not here to fight a Ranker for real, Derf."
"Aww man. It was just starting to get exciting!" He complained but powered down the Sword Aura.
As the smoke started to clear, Androssi noticed I was in the safe zone and quickly ran over as well. Just before she reached the edge, she noticed Baam still standing just on the outside staring into the smoke as if trying to discern what was happening.
"Huh? Miss Androssi?" He asked with a confused look when she dragged him by the arm into the safe zone with the rest of us. "Mr. Axion?! When did you get over here?"
"Okay. I guess we're giving up then? That stupid Quant, how can he be so unprofessional as a test administrator! No, wait, if he used Shinsoo, that means he broke the rules, so we should win by default!" Androssi exclaimed.
"That is correct, Miss Androssi," said Yu Han Sung, who suddenly appeared out of the smoke together with a sheepish Quant trailing behind him. "This Hide and Seek game is over. Team B has won due to the Seeker violating the rules."
"Yes!" Androssi cheered. "Haha! You hear that Quant? We won, and you lost. Which means we beat you." She gloated while pointing at the Ranker in question.
"You little…!" Quant started, but then noticed the look Yu Han Sung gave him. "Ah…hahaha. Of course. You beat me fair and square, princess."
"So we can get help for Rachel and Hoh now?" Baam asked with an urgent tone.
The rest of us looked at him.
"We can take care of Miss Light," said Yu Han Sung slowly. "However…I'm afraid it's too late for Hoh. He is gone."
The boy looked crestfallen and teared up again at that.
We returned to the lobby outside the arena in silence.
Rachel was taken to the medical area, while the rest of the Regulars were dismissed to get some rest while the Rankers debated on the evaluations.
It was when we were walking along the halls that I suddenly found myself assaulted by a sense of vertigo.
matureraven
Self-Requested Ban
Glad to see this back!
You know I just realize that you can help Rachel achieve her dream by taking her with when you leave the tower.
That would end up screwing everyone in TOG. hahahha
Also can we expect new updates soon or do I have to wait another year for it? I just want clear expectation for this fic
You know I just realize that you can help Rachel achieve her dream by taking her with when you leave the tower.
That would end up screwing everyone in TOG. hahahha
Also can we expect new updates soon or do I have to wait another year for it? I just want clear expectation for this fic
Last edited:
Next update shouldn't be too far off since most of it is already written, though updates will probably be more sporadic from here compared to the weekly updates last year.
Jupiteresse
The bard of blood
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Reminds me of trash of the count's family with them calling themselves "the real arm" and going out in crappy knock-off costumes xD.
Safe to say that i love this idea
41 - Irregularity
41 - Irregularity
[Mini-Interlude]
Examiner's Room
"Can't say I expected it to end that way," said Yu Bok-Dol, commenting on Team B's victory by Quant getting disqualified.
"Your lottery ticket did pretty well. I can't believe that someone just learned Fast Skip by getting hit with it once," said Hax to Yuga, in reference to Baam, whom Yuga had claimed was the most talented Regular there, despite not being one of the top ranked Wave Controllers in the group. "But that 'wildcard' was an equally big surprise. Being able to fight on par with a Ranker for a short time, even if it's an idiot like Quant…"
"Is that man really just a Regular though?" Lero Ro asked aloud.
"Is that really so shocking? He's good, but Quant wasn't using Shinsoo until the very end. Even then he was holding back a lot. There are probably some D-rank Regulars that could have done similarly against Quant," said Yu Bok-Dol. "It's not like he won against Quant. Now that would be crazy."
"Did it look like Axion was going all out though?" Lero Ro countered. "He baited Quant into using Shinsoo and took a serious hit without apparently taking any real damage, and still managed to match a blow after. Then he easily escaped once he got Quant to break the rules, winning the round for Team B. He might well have been holding back as well."
Hax made a humming sound as if in contemplation. "It does almost seem like he was simply raising his power each time to be 'just enough' to match his opponent's strength."
"He relies too much on that Ignition Weapon of his," said Yuga. "Without much talent for Shinsoo, he might seem powerful now, but as they climb up the Tower, unless he has some other way to gain strength, those with talent will inevitably grow beyond him."
"Those with talent like Baam?" asked Hax.
"There's also Princess Androssi," said Yuga. "Shouldn't you have noticed the difference in their talent, as their Fishermen instructor?"
"He's barely participated in my Fisherman classes, instead going to your classes, so I can't really comment on Axion, but you're certainly right about the Princess," said Hax. "Even without the Green April, she's a monster, and she learns quickly. But that's how it should be for Princesses of Zahard. Anak is similar, even if she's still green."
"Hahaha!" Yuga laughed at the pun on Anak's skin color.
"Speaking of Princesses, isn't it rather unusual for there to be two Princesses in the same cohort? And the presence of so many Ignition Weapons as well. Makes one wonder if there's something else going on here," said Lero Ro.
"Oh? And what might that 'something else' be?" Asked Yuga as his expression quickly turned serious again with glowing dots for eyes emanating from the crease of his costume.
"Neither of the Princesses seem to be from one of the Ten Great Families. I wonder if whichever families they came from before they were adopted by Zahard deemed it necessary to take certain steps to protect their 'investment'," said Lero Ro. "Say, by smuggling a dangerous person with a powerful weapon into their cohort, ensuring that their Princess has enough time to grow."
"It is dangerous to involve yourself in the politics of the royal family, Lero Ro," said Yuga. "If what you speculate has any truth to it, one would be well served to be cautious speaking of such things in the wrong company."
"Speaking from experience, Yuga?"
"Oh, not at all. I'm just a lowly Ranker who couldn't possibly be involved with such matters. Isn't that why we all got a job working for the Infernal Evankhell? A nice, cushy job, on a neutral Floor, away from the dangerous games of the powers that control the fate of the Tower, hahaha."
O O O
[Kaleidus]
My vision grew strange, dark edges appearing around all objects as their colors became lifeless, as though the world were becoming less real. I blinked, and it was gone, yet the sense of vertigo and pressure remained.
What was going on?
An attack?
I stilled and tried to reach out with my mana sense, only for the uncomfortable feeling to grow stronger, with no discernible source. It seemed as though the sensation itself stemmed from my mana sense to begin with, and focusing on it made me more sensitive to it.
"—ion. Are you alright?" Androssi's concerned voice broke my concentration.
"Do you feel that?" I asked quietly while glancing around. "That pressure…"
"What?" With a frown, she also threw a few furtive glances around. "I don't feel anything…"
"Derf?" I asked aloud, while pushing the sword out of its sheath with my thumb.
There was no response, though I knew the sword spirit was sound asleep after that intense battle with the Ranker.
At times like these, I wished Agate was still around. It was not possible to mentally communicate with the Kaleidostick anymore, except to execute functions I could control manually.
I recalled the wand from agatespace and into its designated compartment within the Armoriont.
The instant I did so, the pressure seemed to magnify, my heart skipped a beat before the pressure let off to a merely distracting level.
I had the wand run a few different scans of the area with its superior sensory spells.
Nothing out of the ordinary.
Then why…?
"Maybe it was my imagination, then. It was a tough fight. Perhaps I overextended myself," I said to Androssi.
"You'd better get some rest then," she said.
"Of course," I said.
O O O
I wasted no time getting back to the privacy of my own room.
The water spirits hadn't seemed to be disturbed in any way, but I had no way to really ask if they knew what was going on either.
Some basic tests with my magic didn't show anything wrong with me either. My vital signs were similarly normal.
"Derf, wake up!" I unsheathed the sword and sent some mana into him in an effort to jolt him awake.
Derflinger groaned. "Ugh, what's going on?"
"I was going to ask you that. I'm feeling some kind of weird pressure with my mana senses, and my vision was also discoloring erratically for a bit. Do you feel anything?"
"Huh, now that you mention it…" The sword paused. "Yeah I do feel something."
He glowed a bit as he used some magic, presumably running a test of his own.
"Any ideas?" I asked.
"Patience, young one. All will be revealed in due time," said Derf.
"So you don't know?" I huffed in annoyance.
"Hey, I didn't say that. As a matter of fact, I do think I know what's wrong," it said.
"...and?"
"Well, I can't be completely sure, but I think the world's rejecting us. Remember when I told you as an artificial nature spirit I could tell you didn't come from the same world? It seems like this world has finally noticed that we don't really belong here."
"Why do you think that? Any specific evidence leading you to that conclusion?"
"For one thing, this happened to Brimir too. But I don't really remember the specifics except that whenever it started, he could only stay for a limited time before the world kicked him out. Then he'd stay away for a while, and when he came back he'd be fine again. Don't ask me how long though."
"That's not too bad…" Better than I feared, anyway. "What triggers this though? Why haven't I encountered this on previous worlds?"
"Beats me. Maybe it was something we did?"
I thought back to the fight from earlier today. It was the most obvious culprit, if it was actually something we did.
Derflinger had used an abnormally powerful attack, which was…
"What level of Sword Beam did you use at the end, earlier?"
"Eight."
"The strongest we used before that was Level 6 in Worm. We tested all the levels on Halkegenia, but you aren't foreign to that world. So if we were to look for something we did that never happened before, that could be it. I don't know how to judge based on spell potency, but if we go by the actual mana expended, then the trigger could be anywhere between 3,000 to 12,000 MP for the Level 6 and 8 Beams. Unless it's a different threshold for each plane."
"That sounds about right. I'm going back to sleep now, don't call me unless it's an emergency, please."
Still, the hypothesis needed to be confirmed. I'd have to wait until the plane kicked me out, and observe how long it took, as well as anything else that affected it.
Did I really want to wait for however long it takes for the plane to eject me though? It could be days, weeks, months, or even years for all I knew.
That wasn't such a big deal since the Tower wasn't a bad place to stay and grow in, but I did want to go back to Worm to refill Derf's MP reserves fairly soon.
On the other hand, leaving now for a quick stop in Worm before returning would also test whether it reset this effect.
Before that though, I used the Pocket to meet the Guardian of the floor.
"Do you know anything about what's happening to me?"
The humongous reptilian Guardian gave me a bored look. "I know about everything that happens on my floor."
"So what is suppressing my powers? And why?"
"There is nothing suppressing your powers," it said.
"What do you mean? There's clearly some kind of force counteracting my magic. Everything is harder to cast."
"If there is something wrong with your magic, then you should consult with your magic patron, not me. That's got nothing to do with me. I gave you the Shinsoo contract like you wanted, and that's all. I administrate Shinsoo, got it? Not magic. Shinsoo," it repeated slowly, as if talking to an idiot. "And there is nothing suppressing your ability to use Shinsoo."
I left when the Guardian was unable to offer any more information, and tested what few Shinsoo techniques I was capable of. As the Guardian claimed, I didn't seem to have any more difficulty than usual when using Shinsoo.
At least I'd narrowed down the scope of the suppressive effect to solely powers that were foreign to the Tower.
I began to form a more complete hypothesis.
If there was indeed a planar level force acting against me, then it made sense that it would be specifically counteracting foreign powers—powers that originated from outside this plane, or which simply followed different laws. And not only foreign powers, but foreign entities, souls, or even physical objects.
It was analogous to the incompatibility of different physical laws that made some technology useless in other planes, except mystical forces didn't have binary outcomes. There was instead a gradient of interference which could manifest in different ways depending on the degree of violation.
This required further observation and testing.
O O O
The next day, the pressure hadn't gone away, neither did its effect on my spells.
With the Position test over, the food in the cafeteria was now free for the Regulars.
"I thought you said the food here was terrible. Have you had a change of heart?" I asked Androssi with a glance at her plate, which was stuffed with several servings of spaghetti.
"I'm just making up for all the days I had to save on points," she said. "Besides, the taste of victory is always delicious."
Khun walked over and sat across from us, but made a point not to look at us.
For a few moments, there was just silence at our table as we ate.
Finally, the blue haired boy spoke. "You were supposed to keep Baam from meeting Rachel."
"I couldn't stop him from running off," said Androssi.
"I knew I shouldn't have trusted you guys. You ruined everything," Khun murmured bitterly, then he left.
After a while, Androssi turned to me. "Speaking of Rachel, I heard she might be too injured to take the next test. Isn't that going to be a problem for you?" She asked, alluding to my deal with Headon.
"It's inconvenient, but hardly a problem. My alliance with her is only temporary, and if need be, I can return what was given to me if the task cannot be completed."
And I knew she would pass anyways, if the conspiracy proceeded as expected. Her failure in the latest test was part of the plan, after all.
O O O
The list of passing Regulars was displayed on a large screen while Lero Ro stood at the podium and Yu Han Sung sat in a big chair behind him.
Fishermen: Axion, Androssi Zahard, Hong Chunhwa, Anak Zahard, Death Ryan (Failed due to Injury)
Spear-Bearer: Rak Wraithraiser, Parakewl, Alexay Amigocharz, Erik Biyon
Scout: Ship Leesoo, Hatsu, Narae Seonwoo
Light-Bearer: Khun Aguero Agnis, Michelle Light (Failed due to Injury), Rebin
Wave-Controller: Baam, Phonsekal Laure
One of the failing spearbearers complained about the results, and was then called up by Yu Han Sung to prove that he was worthy, at which point the Regulars watched in horror as he was tortured to unconsciousness with Shinsoo pressure.
Once Yu Han Sung finished with that guy, he asked if anybody else wanted to challenge the results. For a moment, there was only stunned silence.
Then Khun raised his hand. "I also disagree with the test results."
Yu Han Sung gestured for him to go down to the stage. "What do you object to, Mr. Khun? You are one of the passing Regulars. Do you think you deserve to fail instead?"
"I want my friend Michelle Light to take the next test," Khun said.
Yu Han Sung laughed. "I didn't associate you with the word friend. But regardless, she is too injured and cannot continue to the next test, even if her score is high enough. Those are the rules."
"Under normal circumstances, maybe. But my friends and I will take a test from the floor administrator. I heard that although supervisors carry out the tests now, the floor administrator has the real authority on all tests. So if we take the Administrator's test, your rules wouldn't matter, right?"
"How did you find out about that?" Yu Han Sung asked curiously, as if he didn't already know. But being privy to the FUG conspiracy, I was aware that Yu Han Sung and Hwa Ryun had set up this whole scenario.
After Khun found the note telling Hoh to assassinate Rachel, he'd realize that only a test supervisor with knowledge of the team placements could have sent it. Because Rachel and Baam were being sabotaged by a test supervisor, he'd have a legitimate reason to complain—but he couldn't complain openly, lest he be silenced. So he'd go to the only supervisor he felt he could trust, Lero Ro, who was his Lightbearer instructor. But Lero Ro wouldn't have the authority to do anything about it directly.
It was a simple matter of leaving the information about the Administrator's test for Lero Ro to find, and then he'd offer that to Khun as the solution.
"I'm a Khun, as a member of one of the Ten Great Families, it's only normal to know a lot about these tests," Khun said, hiding Lero Ro's involvement, not even glancing at the supervisor, who was watching the proceedings intently from his position at the podium. The man had a strong sense of morals, and when Yu Han Sung taught him the true purpose of the Floor of Tests—to remove threats to Zahard's empire that would disrupt the stability of the Tower, he found it difficult to accept. So he was happy to help Khun work against Yu Han Sung, without realizing that he was still being manipulated.
"Then you must know why people don't take that test. It's too difficult," said Yu Han Sung.
"I'll be fine. I'm sure we can pass it," said Khun.
At the end, Yu Han Sung smirked. "Sorry to say, but there is another reason you can't take that test. There is a requirement for it. Only Irregulars are allowed to take it."
With that, Khun's façade of confidence broke, and he looked at Lero Ro for help. But Lero Ro looked equally surprised, had gave a helpless look back.
"Why don't you return to your seat, Mr. Khun," Yu Han Sung said with a shooing gesture.
"Wait!" Baam shouted, standing up. "I'll take the test! I am an Irregular!"
The whole auditorium was filled with looks of astonishment.
O O O
Baam was sent off to meet the Administrator while the rest of the Regulars were left to make a decision. To join him in his test and potentially be viewed as the regulars who helped an Irregular, or take the normal test.
"Um…what is an Irregular?" Sunwoo Nare, the young blonde girl Scout asked.
Ship Leesoo answered. "An Irregular isn't like us. They opened the door by themselves without being chosen. It violates the rules of the Tower, and every time one has entered the Tower they've caused chaos. The people in central fear and hate Irregulars."
"So what do we do?"
"Of course we won't help!" Parakewl said quickly, the traitorous spearbearer that served as comedy relief in the canon. "We can't just ruin our lives to bring that girl with us! What did he do for us anyways?"
Hatsu glared at the green-skinned Regular that abandoned him during the previous test. "I heard that Quant threatened to kill all the traitors on the team if Ms. Light died. If it wasn't for Baam saving her, would you be here at all right now?"
"Yeah but think of the consequences!" Parakewl shouted vehemently.
Considering that the Administrator's test was taken by all the Regulars in canon, and it was the only one shown, it was the only choice where I would have knowledge of the test, assuming it was the same one. While I couldn't discount the possibility that the Administrator would change the test given my participation, it was at least better than attempting the normal test, which would be a total unknown, and would also be in contradiction with my deal with Headon and my cooperation with the FUG conspiracy. Rachel was already failed, after all, so if I wanted to continue the task of helping her, I had to participate in the test that she was taking.
While the rest of them were arguing, I spoke to Androssi, "Well, this is convenient for me, if Rachel can pass using Baam's test. But how about you?"
"Passing an Administrator's test would only make my record more impressive," said Androssi. "It isn't against any of Zahard's laws to help an Irregular who hasn't acted against the empire yet, it would just be frowned upon. As a princess, enemies that could actually threaten me could use any random excuse to attack me, so adding one more won't make a difference."
I nodded, then we walked towards the gate where Baam was led to meet the Administrator.
"Eh? They're going? But they're 90% of the team power!" Sunwoo exclaimed upon noticing our movement. "W-wait for me!"
"O-of course, we have to follow the princess!" The pragmatic Parakewl did an instant 180. "What are the rest of you hesitating for? If you don't join us, you're just garbage that's not even worth recycling!"
The argument among the Regulars ended immediately.
Once we made it into the waiting room on the other side of the gate, Khun slid up to me and Androssi. "I apologize for what I said in the cafeteria. Thank you for doing this."
Not long after, Yu Han Sung and Baam came in and confirmed our participation in Baam's test.
Just as we were dismissed, Sunwoo came up to me. "We're going to be on the same team for the test, so will you please return Narumada to my knight?" She said, pointing at Hong Chunhwa, who was standing further away, just glaring at me and Androssi. Apparently he was quite durable, because the wounds he took from Androssi weren't enough to disqualify him. Or he was secretly rich and paid for a fast treatment.
The sword was a curiosity I could've experimented on, but had no particular strategic value to me long-term, so I decided not to make enemies over it.
I unhooked and tossed the sword to Sunwoo, who thanked me and happily ran over to Hong Chunhwa. The swordsman looked surprised as he took it, then bowed slightly towards me.
"You big softie, can't resist the pleading eyes of a little kid?" Androssi teasingly asked.
"That sword was nothing special. I'd have given it back to Hong too if he wasn't too prideful to ask."
"Suuure."
O O O
Because I hadn't technically completed the task Headon gave me, I decided to return the Pocket before attempting to leave the plane, lest he deemed it an attempt to steal it or break the deal. Of course, there was also the fact that bringing it with me might be a bad idea in the first place. These things were made of Suspendium, a material unique to the Tower. They seemed to be magical artifacts of a sort, being powered by Shinsoo, but there was no way to be sure. If I took it to a plane where the physical laws were incompatible, and it ended up breaking down…that would be inconvenient. I'd test it if I had multiple, but there was no easy way to get another one of this quality, so better not to risk it.
After contacting the guardian of the first floor through the Pocket, I was teleported to meet him in the grand hall where I first arrived in the Tower.
"Mr. Axion. Why did you ask to see me?"
"I came to return the Pocket you lent to me. I need to take care of some private business before I continue with the task you assigned, and I felt it would be inappropriate for me to retain possession of the Pocket during this time, in case I am unable to return quickly," I said, holding the Pocket out to him.
"How very thoughtful of you, Mr. Axion. However, it is not necessary. You have already done all I require of you, and may consider the task complete. Therefore, the Pocket is yours to keep."
"Even though there is still one more test that Rachel needs to pass?"
The rabbit-like creature smirked widely with his eyes that were so squinted they looked like slits. "Oh, but Miss Rachel has already passed the test of the second floor. Similarly, you too have already passed the Administrator's test."
"…what?" I asked, with much confusion. Although I suspected some shenanigans here, I'd thought that the Administrator's test in canon was binding on all of the participants. There was an argument to be made that the inclusion of Rankers, betrayals, and interference from various parties was all part of the Administrator's plan, but even so, I thought that the test for Rachel had been to go through with her betrayal.
"Are you so surprised? The test of the second floor, is a test of courage. It is for one to prove that they have the resolve to risk death against the unknown. The boy and you completed this by accepting the ball test. The girl completed it by allowing herself to be struck down on an unproven claim that I could bring her back to life," it said, then chuckled darkly.
"Wasn't that the first floor's test? And aren't you the Administrator of the first floor?"
"Why, the first floor's test is merely to be chosen, whether by myself, or for an Irregular, to open the door, and in doing so, proving that they have been chosen by the Tower! The second floor's Administrator has no interest in preparing complex tests, so I prepare them for him."
This utter troll. If he was telling the truth now, then that meant the final test was engineered by him too. And…well actually that made sense. Of course he was the one behind it, since he was the initiator of the whole conspiracy and told Yu Hansung to rig it in the first place! And Rankers were allowed to interfere because…wasn't Headon was the one who sent Baam up before Yuri could get back the Black March? Forcing her to go to the second floor herself to get it.
"…Unless the candidate accepts his offer to face him in battle. In that case, merely accepting the challenge would satisfy his test of courage," Headon added.
"Are you kidding me? That was it?"
So when the second floor administrator asked me—and Baam too presumably, just like in canon—whether we'd want to fight him, that was literally the test? All Baam had to do was accept it, and then he wouldn't have had to deal with Headon's bullshit?
"I'm afraid it is too late to change the test for Mr. Baam now, Mr. Axion," he said, guessing what I had been thinking. "The role of a Floor Administrator is to prepare a test commensurate to the value of your wish. Even if Mr. Baam has already passed a qualifying test for the second floor's, he has negotiated a new one for a new wish: that if he dies during the test, all his Regular friends shall be allowed to pass if they agreed to take it with him, regardless of the test's actual outcome. But most unfortunately, this means they shall all fail if they abandon it now," Headon continued, still smirking maliciously.
"Whatever, not my problem, anyways," I said, shrugging. "I wouldn't be able to explain how I found out about this from you even if I cared to do so, which is undoubtedly why you're so generously telling me now. I can only imagine it must be entertaining for you to see my reactions."
"Perhaps, Mr. Axion. But feel free to inform Miss Rachel, if you wish."
"Which is also useless because continuing to climb despite backing out now would mean exposing ourselves as Irregulars who've passed a different test. Well played. It is said that a truly great chessmaster forces his opponents to move according to his plan, even if they know they are playing to the master's tune. Clearly you deserve the title."
"Such flattery, much impressed, am I," he said in an equally sarcastic tone. "Have I not simply given you many honest insights? What cause have I given for you to think the worst of me?"
"You mean aside from the evil smirks and laughter you don't even try to hide? You've been lying since I entered the Tower. You told me all these things not on some whim, but for a purpose. In fact, this is my real test, isn't it?"
The Administrator's head tilted, and his eyes opened. "Oh? How exactly did I lie?"
"Maybe not lie outright, but intentionally misleading. You said before that my reward for passing the ball test was the opportunity to go up to the next Floor. This contradicts what you told me today, that the test for the first floor is merely to open the door. You also said that abandoning a test means failure, and that once we agree to take a new test, we can't abandon it. Why doesn't that apply to Baam's new test? Rachel may not have agreed yet as she wasn't there, but I already agreed to it, so I can't abandon it now without failing. Even if I passed the second floor's test, you intentionally told me all those extra things to lead me into a trap. To make me think that I wouldn't really need to take it. I already pointed out one reason why I still do, but this is actually the more important one. Since my reward for the ball test was specifically to go up to the next Floor, I wouldn't have any way to get to the Third Floor. But that's not all. Your real test for me isn't merely whether I could see and avoid this trap, it's much more than that. The real trick you played is in equating the passing of any given test on a floor with going up to the next floor, or that there is only one chance or one test per floor."
"Whatever do you mean by that?" Now he pretended to be thoroughly confused.
"The only tests that grant access to the next floor, are tests which explicitly have that as the reward, by way of contract. So you can claim that the first floor's test is merely to open the door, and that we passed. Except that didn't grant us the right to go to the second floor. The same is true of all these supposed tests of courage that we passed. That's what you mean by preparing tests commensurate with our wish. On each floor, our 'wish' has to be 'to go to the next floor', and only after negotiating this will the test grant that as the reward if passed. This is why Rachel was allowed to move to the next Floor despite not having taken the ball test. You negotiated a deal with her, which included allowing her to go to the second floor, even though she hadn't taken any test at all. It's the contracts that matter, not the tests. You also specifically said that my reward was the opportunity to go to the next floor, and not the right. Because the opportunity was offering a contract from you, which included that right if I accepted to help Rachel."
"That is very interesting. But is that all?"
"No. Even if I avoided your trap, and went back to complete Baam's test. that wouldn't mean I've passed your true test. Because unlike the other Guardians, you also test whether we are worthy of climbing the Tower as a whole, not just whether we are worthy of going to the next floor."
"What makes you think there's a difference between the two?"
"Because none of us, neither Baam, Rachel, nor I, have passed our true tests yet. That is the real reason you can interfere with the Second Floor's test. His test is simply a smaller part of yours. Because you instructed Yu Han Sung to rig the Regular tests, and got Baam to take the test from the Second Floor's Guardian. You didn't just devise that test, but this entire scenario from the beginning, as part of a bigger test for all three of us. You must have instructed Yu Han Sung to give me that choice to participate in that meeting as well, right? Had I declined, I would be lacking important information needed to solve my real test."
"And what are my real tests for you three then?"
"To call it a test at all is perhaps too generous, because your goal isn't actually to disqualify us. It's to get us to climb the Tower. The passing condition for your test is the choice itself, to climb the Tower, and you prepare a test that uniquely addresses what each of us need to climb the Tower successfully. You gave Baam the initial test of courage and then sent him up right away because that is what he needs. He has the talent, the luck, the potential. But his reason is suspect. Could he really face all these numerous challenges just to chase after some girl? So you lied and made him think that Rachel had already gone up, so that he would be placed into position for the real test. What will he do after he finds his target immediately on the second floor? Does he have the resolve to keep climbing? What if the girl betrays him? The most ridiculous part of this 'test', is that he isn't even supposed to fulfill his wish like that and leave the Tower. To pass the 'test', he has to choose to climb instead."
"Hmm…"
"Rachel doesn't have the same talent or potential in terms of raw power growth. Simple courage won't make her successful. She is too weak and ordinary, not even attractive or charismatic enough to make proper allies. She needs to learn how to make up for it. Her best chance is to be more despicable and desperate than anybody else. To steal and betray, to use any dirty tactic conceivable. So you insulted her so that she would feel conscious about her weakness and made her think she had no right to climb at all, so that she would have to steal it from Baam. Baam could've have been a great ally to climb together with her, but that isn't good enough for you, is it? Because Baam shouldn't stop climbing if Rachel died on the way up, and Rachel shouldn't stop climbing if Baam died and left her unable to rely on him. You need both of them to continue making the choice to climb on their own."
"…and yourself, Mr. Axion?"
"Unlike those two, I don't have a specific goal beyond the opportunity to climb itself. I may not have the same potential as Baam, but I already know how to make up for it, unlike Rachel. And because I don't have an overarching goal, I could lose interest in it at any time, whether because the difficulty is too high, I'm no longer entertained, or for some other reason…like right now. The thing I need most to keep climbing, is to continue believing that the benefits are worth it. Or more specifically, to understand the nature of these tests and contracts—that there is more than one way to gain access to higher floors if it seems too difficult, that there can be rewards and benefits along the way without necessarily reaching the top."
"Oh, but didn't you have a reason to go to the top? What was it you said on the first day? 'Not much of a choice', if you wanted to leave the Tower."
"I heard from Hwa Ryun that Urek Mazino also seeks a way back to the Outside. Had I been like Mazino, that may have been enough reason to keep climbing. But you knew from the beginning that I'm different. You said I might be able to leave the 'same way you came'. You can't actually stop me from just leaving the Tower, can you? The whole reason we're having this discussion, the reason you used the Pocket as an excuse to launch into that misleading explanation about the tests, is because you can only entice me to climb by making the tests and the climb sound reasonable and rewarding enough to keep going. As if they were actually a lot fairer and easier than they first appeared, if only we were smart enough to see it."
Headon raised his hands into a slow clap. "Very good, Axion. I could confirm your impressive deductions, but then again, you already believe me to be a liar, so I think there is little point."
Then he raised a hand and wagged a finger at me. "I must however, point out that you have misunderstood one thing. I do not impede anyone from leaving the Tower, if that is truly their wish. Those who asked, I always pointed them to a potential path. That no one has been able to reach it is hardly my fault. Had you attempted to leave before seeing me, I would have brought you to me to speak first, but I have no intention of barring your way out."
Was he trying to imply that he could stop me, but wouldn't? After looking at him skeptically for a moment, I considered that it was probably possible for him to be at least aware of it when I made the attempt, and then for him to teleport me to him and possibly disrupt my spell before it could finish. If he could do that, it wouldn't really matter if he could actively block me or not—since that'd achieve the same thing.
"I see, well in that case, could I ask you to hold on to the Pocket anyways? I'm concerned that it might not survive the trip, and seeing as I cannot replace this easily, I'd rather not risk it."
"Oh, why didn't you just say so? Very well. I shall keep it and allow you to retrieve it whenever you are ready to continue."
Finally, he took the Pocket back, then bid me safe travels as I started the spell and counted down the thirty seconds it took to activate. We continued to stare at each other all the while, his smirk perfectly still like some kind of frozen cartoon scene.
O O O
As Headon said, I reached the Ring of Deterrence without any struggle whatsoever.
Every plane's Ring of Deterrence looked different, and I found myself under what seemed to be a night sky full of stars.
I glanced around, trying to identify the Gate to the Root—so I could avoid it—and find the unformed Creation bubbles I needed to use for my spell, but all I saw was rolling mist covering everything below my knees.
I walked a short distance and made out what seemed to be the edges of the circular platform that I was standing on. Then I looked down over the edge and saw…
A tower.
I was standing at the top of an enormous Tower. Somehow, after I reached the edge, the Tower looked far bigger than what the small circular surface I was standing on would have suggested. I looked back, and unsurprisingly, I could no longer see the opposite side of the Tower, as if the floor had grown immeasurably while I wasn't looking at it.
Suddenly the mist in front of me condensed and grew rapidly into an indistinct blob.
Another Beast?!
I immediately kicked off the Tower and activated my Omni-Flight spell, attempting to fly away.
Yet despite flying what should have been a large distance, when I looked back I was no further away from the Tower or the mist, which now had a humanoid shape to it.
"Calm yourself, traveler. I am not your enemy," the thing said.
There was nothing in its posture or tone that suggested hostility, but simply being in the Ring of Deterrence made it a threat. Why was it here? How was it here, if not an entity commanded by the primal forces of the plane to attack me?
"What are you? What do you want?" I asked, turning back to face it.
"I am the will of the Builder…I observe all those who climb the Tower," it said.
"The Builder? As in…the one who built the Tower?" I asked with shock. A being powerful enough to construct the Tower—something which was essentially a world…it would be akin to a true god.
"Congratulations, traveler. You have reached the top of the Tower," it said.
O O O
A/N:
Some might wonder how much of Headon's claims or MC's deductions are true in canon. I can only say that it fits my personal interpretation of canon as well.
There is a conversation between Gustang and an unknown person much later in the story who is probably Headon that strongly suggests Headon absolutely wants Rachel to climb, despite everything he said to her. And the most compelling reason that Headon would have for interfering that far into the story and conspiring with Gustang, is that he needs to ensure all Irregulars are committed to climbing—including Zahard and the Ten Warriors, who stopped at the 135th Floor.
And a big thanks to @Nidhogg , @Trek and @inphernalmenace for continuing to beta and having the patience to go through many different versions of this chapter, the next one, and other related notes after I rewrote them many times over the course of the hiatus while determining how certain aspects of powers and the multiverse should work.
[Mini-Interlude]
Examiner's Room
"Can't say I expected it to end that way," said Yu Bok-Dol, commenting on Team B's victory by Quant getting disqualified.
"Your lottery ticket did pretty well. I can't believe that someone just learned Fast Skip by getting hit with it once," said Hax to Yuga, in reference to Baam, whom Yuga had claimed was the most talented Regular there, despite not being one of the top ranked Wave Controllers in the group. "But that 'wildcard' was an equally big surprise. Being able to fight on par with a Ranker for a short time, even if it's an idiot like Quant…"
"Is that man really just a Regular though?" Lero Ro asked aloud.
"Is that really so shocking? He's good, but Quant wasn't using Shinsoo until the very end. Even then he was holding back a lot. There are probably some D-rank Regulars that could have done similarly against Quant," said Yu Bok-Dol. "It's not like he won against Quant. Now that would be crazy."
"Did it look like Axion was going all out though?" Lero Ro countered. "He baited Quant into using Shinsoo and took a serious hit without apparently taking any real damage, and still managed to match a blow after. Then he easily escaped once he got Quant to break the rules, winning the round for Team B. He might well have been holding back as well."
Hax made a humming sound as if in contemplation. "It does almost seem like he was simply raising his power each time to be 'just enough' to match his opponent's strength."
"He relies too much on that Ignition Weapon of his," said Yuga. "Without much talent for Shinsoo, he might seem powerful now, but as they climb up the Tower, unless he has some other way to gain strength, those with talent will inevitably grow beyond him."
"Those with talent like Baam?" asked Hax.
"There's also Princess Androssi," said Yuga. "Shouldn't you have noticed the difference in their talent, as their Fishermen instructor?"
"He's barely participated in my Fisherman classes, instead going to your classes, so I can't really comment on Axion, but you're certainly right about the Princess," said Hax. "Even without the Green April, she's a monster, and she learns quickly. But that's how it should be for Princesses of Zahard. Anak is similar, even if she's still green."
"Hahaha!" Yuga laughed at the pun on Anak's skin color.
"Speaking of Princesses, isn't it rather unusual for there to be two Princesses in the same cohort? And the presence of so many Ignition Weapons as well. Makes one wonder if there's something else going on here," said Lero Ro.
"Oh? And what might that 'something else' be?" Asked Yuga as his expression quickly turned serious again with glowing dots for eyes emanating from the crease of his costume.
"Neither of the Princesses seem to be from one of the Ten Great Families. I wonder if whichever families they came from before they were adopted by Zahard deemed it necessary to take certain steps to protect their 'investment'," said Lero Ro. "Say, by smuggling a dangerous person with a powerful weapon into their cohort, ensuring that their Princess has enough time to grow."
"It is dangerous to involve yourself in the politics of the royal family, Lero Ro," said Yuga. "If what you speculate has any truth to it, one would be well served to be cautious speaking of such things in the wrong company."
"Speaking from experience, Yuga?"
"Oh, not at all. I'm just a lowly Ranker who couldn't possibly be involved with such matters. Isn't that why we all got a job working for the Infernal Evankhell? A nice, cushy job, on a neutral Floor, away from the dangerous games of the powers that control the fate of the Tower, hahaha."
O O O
[Kaleidus]
My vision grew strange, dark edges appearing around all objects as their colors became lifeless, as though the world were becoming less real. I blinked, and it was gone, yet the sense of vertigo and pressure remained.
What was going on?
An attack?
I stilled and tried to reach out with my mana sense, only for the uncomfortable feeling to grow stronger, with no discernible source. It seemed as though the sensation itself stemmed from my mana sense to begin with, and focusing on it made me more sensitive to it.
"—ion. Are you alright?" Androssi's concerned voice broke my concentration.
"Do you feel that?" I asked quietly while glancing around. "That pressure…"
"What?" With a frown, she also threw a few furtive glances around. "I don't feel anything…"
"Derf?" I asked aloud, while pushing the sword out of its sheath with my thumb.
There was no response, though I knew the sword spirit was sound asleep after that intense battle with the Ranker.
At times like these, I wished Agate was still around. It was not possible to mentally communicate with the Kaleidostick anymore, except to execute functions I could control manually.
I recalled the wand from agatespace and into its designated compartment within the Armoriont.
The instant I did so, the pressure seemed to magnify, my heart skipped a beat before the pressure let off to a merely distracting level.
I had the wand run a few different scans of the area with its superior sensory spells.
Nothing out of the ordinary.
Then why…?
"Maybe it was my imagination, then. It was a tough fight. Perhaps I overextended myself," I said to Androssi.
"You'd better get some rest then," she said.
"Of course," I said.
O O O
I wasted no time getting back to the privacy of my own room.
The water spirits hadn't seemed to be disturbed in any way, but I had no way to really ask if they knew what was going on either.
Some basic tests with my magic didn't show anything wrong with me either. My vital signs were similarly normal.
"Derf, wake up!" I unsheathed the sword and sent some mana into him in an effort to jolt him awake.
Derflinger groaned. "Ugh, what's going on?"
"I was going to ask you that. I'm feeling some kind of weird pressure with my mana senses, and my vision was also discoloring erratically for a bit. Do you feel anything?"
"Huh, now that you mention it…" The sword paused. "Yeah I do feel something."
He glowed a bit as he used some magic, presumably running a test of his own.
"Any ideas?" I asked.
"Patience, young one. All will be revealed in due time," said Derf.
"So you don't know?" I huffed in annoyance.
"Hey, I didn't say that. As a matter of fact, I do think I know what's wrong," it said.
"...and?"
"Well, I can't be completely sure, but I think the world's rejecting us. Remember when I told you as an artificial nature spirit I could tell you didn't come from the same world? It seems like this world has finally noticed that we don't really belong here."
"Why do you think that? Any specific evidence leading you to that conclusion?"
"For one thing, this happened to Brimir too. But I don't really remember the specifics except that whenever it started, he could only stay for a limited time before the world kicked him out. Then he'd stay away for a while, and when he came back he'd be fine again. Don't ask me how long though."
"That's not too bad…" Better than I feared, anyway. "What triggers this though? Why haven't I encountered this on previous worlds?"
"Beats me. Maybe it was something we did?"
I thought back to the fight from earlier today. It was the most obvious culprit, if it was actually something we did.
Derflinger had used an abnormally powerful attack, which was…
"What level of Sword Beam did you use at the end, earlier?"
"Eight."
"The strongest we used before that was Level 6 in Worm. We tested all the levels on Halkegenia, but you aren't foreign to that world. So if we were to look for something we did that never happened before, that could be it. I don't know how to judge based on spell potency, but if we go by the actual mana expended, then the trigger could be anywhere between 3,000 to 12,000 MP for the Level 6 and 8 Beams. Unless it's a different threshold for each plane."
"That sounds about right. I'm going back to sleep now, don't call me unless it's an emergency, please."
Still, the hypothesis needed to be confirmed. I'd have to wait until the plane kicked me out, and observe how long it took, as well as anything else that affected it.
Did I really want to wait for however long it takes for the plane to eject me though? It could be days, weeks, months, or even years for all I knew.
That wasn't such a big deal since the Tower wasn't a bad place to stay and grow in, but I did want to go back to Worm to refill Derf's MP reserves fairly soon.
On the other hand, leaving now for a quick stop in Worm before returning would also test whether it reset this effect.
Before that though, I used the Pocket to meet the Guardian of the floor.
"Do you know anything about what's happening to me?"
The humongous reptilian Guardian gave me a bored look. "I know about everything that happens on my floor."
"So what is suppressing my powers? And why?"
"There is nothing suppressing your powers," it said.
"What do you mean? There's clearly some kind of force counteracting my magic. Everything is harder to cast."
"If there is something wrong with your magic, then you should consult with your magic patron, not me. That's got nothing to do with me. I gave you the Shinsoo contract like you wanted, and that's all. I administrate Shinsoo, got it? Not magic. Shinsoo," it repeated slowly, as if talking to an idiot. "And there is nothing suppressing your ability to use Shinsoo."
I left when the Guardian was unable to offer any more information, and tested what few Shinsoo techniques I was capable of. As the Guardian claimed, I didn't seem to have any more difficulty than usual when using Shinsoo.
At least I'd narrowed down the scope of the suppressive effect to solely powers that were foreign to the Tower.
I began to form a more complete hypothesis.
If there was indeed a planar level force acting against me, then it made sense that it would be specifically counteracting foreign powers—powers that originated from outside this plane, or which simply followed different laws. And not only foreign powers, but foreign entities, souls, or even physical objects.
It was analogous to the incompatibility of different physical laws that made some technology useless in other planes, except mystical forces didn't have binary outcomes. There was instead a gradient of interference which could manifest in different ways depending on the degree of violation.
This required further observation and testing.
O O O
The next day, the pressure hadn't gone away, neither did its effect on my spells.
With the Position test over, the food in the cafeteria was now free for the Regulars.
"I thought you said the food here was terrible. Have you had a change of heart?" I asked Androssi with a glance at her plate, which was stuffed with several servings of spaghetti.
"I'm just making up for all the days I had to save on points," she said. "Besides, the taste of victory is always delicious."
Khun walked over and sat across from us, but made a point not to look at us.
For a few moments, there was just silence at our table as we ate.
Finally, the blue haired boy spoke. "You were supposed to keep Baam from meeting Rachel."
"I couldn't stop him from running off," said Androssi.
"I knew I shouldn't have trusted you guys. You ruined everything," Khun murmured bitterly, then he left.
After a while, Androssi turned to me. "Speaking of Rachel, I heard she might be too injured to take the next test. Isn't that going to be a problem for you?" She asked, alluding to my deal with Headon.
"It's inconvenient, but hardly a problem. My alliance with her is only temporary, and if need be, I can return what was given to me if the task cannot be completed."
And I knew she would pass anyways, if the conspiracy proceeded as expected. Her failure in the latest test was part of the plan, after all.
O O O
The list of passing Regulars was displayed on a large screen while Lero Ro stood at the podium and Yu Han Sung sat in a big chair behind him.
Fishermen: Axion, Androssi Zahard, Hong Chunhwa, Anak Zahard, Death Ryan (Failed due to Injury)
Spear-Bearer: Rak Wraithraiser, Parakewl, Alexay Amigocharz, Erik Biyon
Scout: Ship Leesoo, Hatsu, Narae Seonwoo
Light-Bearer: Khun Aguero Agnis, Michelle Light (Failed due to Injury), Rebin
Wave-Controller: Baam, Phonsekal Laure
One of the failing spearbearers complained about the results, and was then called up by Yu Han Sung to prove that he was worthy, at which point the Regulars watched in horror as he was tortured to unconsciousness with Shinsoo pressure.
Once Yu Han Sung finished with that guy, he asked if anybody else wanted to challenge the results. For a moment, there was only stunned silence.
Then Khun raised his hand. "I also disagree with the test results."
Yu Han Sung gestured for him to go down to the stage. "What do you object to, Mr. Khun? You are one of the passing Regulars. Do you think you deserve to fail instead?"
"I want my friend Michelle Light to take the next test," Khun said.
Yu Han Sung laughed. "I didn't associate you with the word friend. But regardless, she is too injured and cannot continue to the next test, even if her score is high enough. Those are the rules."
"Under normal circumstances, maybe. But my friends and I will take a test from the floor administrator. I heard that although supervisors carry out the tests now, the floor administrator has the real authority on all tests. So if we take the Administrator's test, your rules wouldn't matter, right?"
"How did you find out about that?" Yu Han Sung asked curiously, as if he didn't already know. But being privy to the FUG conspiracy, I was aware that Yu Han Sung and Hwa Ryun had set up this whole scenario.
After Khun found the note telling Hoh to assassinate Rachel, he'd realize that only a test supervisor with knowledge of the team placements could have sent it. Because Rachel and Baam were being sabotaged by a test supervisor, he'd have a legitimate reason to complain—but he couldn't complain openly, lest he be silenced. So he'd go to the only supervisor he felt he could trust, Lero Ro, who was his Lightbearer instructor. But Lero Ro wouldn't have the authority to do anything about it directly.
It was a simple matter of leaving the information about the Administrator's test for Lero Ro to find, and then he'd offer that to Khun as the solution.
"I'm a Khun, as a member of one of the Ten Great Families, it's only normal to know a lot about these tests," Khun said, hiding Lero Ro's involvement, not even glancing at the supervisor, who was watching the proceedings intently from his position at the podium. The man had a strong sense of morals, and when Yu Han Sung taught him the true purpose of the Floor of Tests—to remove threats to Zahard's empire that would disrupt the stability of the Tower, he found it difficult to accept. So he was happy to help Khun work against Yu Han Sung, without realizing that he was still being manipulated.
"Then you must know why people don't take that test. It's too difficult," said Yu Han Sung.
"I'll be fine. I'm sure we can pass it," said Khun.
At the end, Yu Han Sung smirked. "Sorry to say, but there is another reason you can't take that test. There is a requirement for it. Only Irregulars are allowed to take it."
With that, Khun's façade of confidence broke, and he looked at Lero Ro for help. But Lero Ro looked equally surprised, had gave a helpless look back.
"Why don't you return to your seat, Mr. Khun," Yu Han Sung said with a shooing gesture.
"Wait!" Baam shouted, standing up. "I'll take the test! I am an Irregular!"
The whole auditorium was filled with looks of astonishment.
O O O
Baam was sent off to meet the Administrator while the rest of the Regulars were left to make a decision. To join him in his test and potentially be viewed as the regulars who helped an Irregular, or take the normal test.
"Um…what is an Irregular?" Sunwoo Nare, the young blonde girl Scout asked.
Ship Leesoo answered. "An Irregular isn't like us. They opened the door by themselves without being chosen. It violates the rules of the Tower, and every time one has entered the Tower they've caused chaos. The people in central fear and hate Irregulars."
"So what do we do?"
"Of course we won't help!" Parakewl said quickly, the traitorous spearbearer that served as comedy relief in the canon. "We can't just ruin our lives to bring that girl with us! What did he do for us anyways?"
Hatsu glared at the green-skinned Regular that abandoned him during the previous test. "I heard that Quant threatened to kill all the traitors on the team if Ms. Light died. If it wasn't for Baam saving her, would you be here at all right now?"
"Yeah but think of the consequences!" Parakewl shouted vehemently.
Considering that the Administrator's test was taken by all the Regulars in canon, and it was the only one shown, it was the only choice where I would have knowledge of the test, assuming it was the same one. While I couldn't discount the possibility that the Administrator would change the test given my participation, it was at least better than attempting the normal test, which would be a total unknown, and would also be in contradiction with my deal with Headon and my cooperation with the FUG conspiracy. Rachel was already failed, after all, so if I wanted to continue the task of helping her, I had to participate in the test that she was taking.
While the rest of them were arguing, I spoke to Androssi, "Well, this is convenient for me, if Rachel can pass using Baam's test. But how about you?"
"Passing an Administrator's test would only make my record more impressive," said Androssi. "It isn't against any of Zahard's laws to help an Irregular who hasn't acted against the empire yet, it would just be frowned upon. As a princess, enemies that could actually threaten me could use any random excuse to attack me, so adding one more won't make a difference."
I nodded, then we walked towards the gate where Baam was led to meet the Administrator.
"Eh? They're going? But they're 90% of the team power!" Sunwoo exclaimed upon noticing our movement. "W-wait for me!"
"O-of course, we have to follow the princess!" The pragmatic Parakewl did an instant 180. "What are the rest of you hesitating for? If you don't join us, you're just garbage that's not even worth recycling!"
The argument among the Regulars ended immediately.
Once we made it into the waiting room on the other side of the gate, Khun slid up to me and Androssi. "I apologize for what I said in the cafeteria. Thank you for doing this."
Not long after, Yu Han Sung and Baam came in and confirmed our participation in Baam's test.
Just as we were dismissed, Sunwoo came up to me. "We're going to be on the same team for the test, so will you please return Narumada to my knight?" She said, pointing at Hong Chunhwa, who was standing further away, just glaring at me and Androssi. Apparently he was quite durable, because the wounds he took from Androssi weren't enough to disqualify him. Or he was secretly rich and paid for a fast treatment.
The sword was a curiosity I could've experimented on, but had no particular strategic value to me long-term, so I decided not to make enemies over it.
I unhooked and tossed the sword to Sunwoo, who thanked me and happily ran over to Hong Chunhwa. The swordsman looked surprised as he took it, then bowed slightly towards me.
"You big softie, can't resist the pleading eyes of a little kid?" Androssi teasingly asked.
"That sword was nothing special. I'd have given it back to Hong too if he wasn't too prideful to ask."
"Suuure."
O O O
Because I hadn't technically completed the task Headon gave me, I decided to return the Pocket before attempting to leave the plane, lest he deemed it an attempt to steal it or break the deal. Of course, there was also the fact that bringing it with me might be a bad idea in the first place. These things were made of Suspendium, a material unique to the Tower. They seemed to be magical artifacts of a sort, being powered by Shinsoo, but there was no way to be sure. If I took it to a plane where the physical laws were incompatible, and it ended up breaking down…that would be inconvenient. I'd test it if I had multiple, but there was no easy way to get another one of this quality, so better not to risk it.
After contacting the guardian of the first floor through the Pocket, I was teleported to meet him in the grand hall where I first arrived in the Tower.
"Mr. Axion. Why did you ask to see me?"
"I came to return the Pocket you lent to me. I need to take care of some private business before I continue with the task you assigned, and I felt it would be inappropriate for me to retain possession of the Pocket during this time, in case I am unable to return quickly," I said, holding the Pocket out to him.
"How very thoughtful of you, Mr. Axion. However, it is not necessary. You have already done all I require of you, and may consider the task complete. Therefore, the Pocket is yours to keep."
"Even though there is still one more test that Rachel needs to pass?"
The rabbit-like creature smirked widely with his eyes that were so squinted they looked like slits. "Oh, but Miss Rachel has already passed the test of the second floor. Similarly, you too have already passed the Administrator's test."
"…what?" I asked, with much confusion. Although I suspected some shenanigans here, I'd thought that the Administrator's test in canon was binding on all of the participants. There was an argument to be made that the inclusion of Rankers, betrayals, and interference from various parties was all part of the Administrator's plan, but even so, I thought that the test for Rachel had been to go through with her betrayal.
"Are you so surprised? The test of the second floor, is a test of courage. It is for one to prove that they have the resolve to risk death against the unknown. The boy and you completed this by accepting the ball test. The girl completed it by allowing herself to be struck down on an unproven claim that I could bring her back to life," it said, then chuckled darkly.
"Wasn't that the first floor's test? And aren't you the Administrator of the first floor?"
"Why, the first floor's test is merely to be chosen, whether by myself, or for an Irregular, to open the door, and in doing so, proving that they have been chosen by the Tower! The second floor's Administrator has no interest in preparing complex tests, so I prepare them for him."
This utter troll. If he was telling the truth now, then that meant the final test was engineered by him too. And…well actually that made sense. Of course he was the one behind it, since he was the initiator of the whole conspiracy and told Yu Hansung to rig it in the first place! And Rankers were allowed to interfere because…wasn't Headon was the one who sent Baam up before Yuri could get back the Black March? Forcing her to go to the second floor herself to get it.
"…Unless the candidate accepts his offer to face him in battle. In that case, merely accepting the challenge would satisfy his test of courage," Headon added.
"Are you kidding me? That was it?"
So when the second floor administrator asked me—and Baam too presumably, just like in canon—whether we'd want to fight him, that was literally the test? All Baam had to do was accept it, and then he wouldn't have had to deal with Headon's bullshit?
"I'm afraid it is too late to change the test for Mr. Baam now, Mr. Axion," he said, guessing what I had been thinking. "The role of a Floor Administrator is to prepare a test commensurate to the value of your wish. Even if Mr. Baam has already passed a qualifying test for the second floor's, he has negotiated a new one for a new wish: that if he dies during the test, all his Regular friends shall be allowed to pass if they agreed to take it with him, regardless of the test's actual outcome. But most unfortunately, this means they shall all fail if they abandon it now," Headon continued, still smirking maliciously.
"Whatever, not my problem, anyways," I said, shrugging. "I wouldn't be able to explain how I found out about this from you even if I cared to do so, which is undoubtedly why you're so generously telling me now. I can only imagine it must be entertaining for you to see my reactions."
"Perhaps, Mr. Axion. But feel free to inform Miss Rachel, if you wish."
"Which is also useless because continuing to climb despite backing out now would mean exposing ourselves as Irregulars who've passed a different test. Well played. It is said that a truly great chessmaster forces his opponents to move according to his plan, even if they know they are playing to the master's tune. Clearly you deserve the title."
"Such flattery, much impressed, am I," he said in an equally sarcastic tone. "Have I not simply given you many honest insights? What cause have I given for you to think the worst of me?"
"You mean aside from the evil smirks and laughter you don't even try to hide? You've been lying since I entered the Tower. You told me all these things not on some whim, but for a purpose. In fact, this is my real test, isn't it?"
The Administrator's head tilted, and his eyes opened. "Oh? How exactly did I lie?"
"Maybe not lie outright, but intentionally misleading. You said before that my reward for passing the ball test was the opportunity to go up to the next Floor. This contradicts what you told me today, that the test for the first floor is merely to open the door. You also said that abandoning a test means failure, and that once we agree to take a new test, we can't abandon it. Why doesn't that apply to Baam's new test? Rachel may not have agreed yet as she wasn't there, but I already agreed to it, so I can't abandon it now without failing. Even if I passed the second floor's test, you intentionally told me all those extra things to lead me into a trap. To make me think that I wouldn't really need to take it. I already pointed out one reason why I still do, but this is actually the more important one. Since my reward for the ball test was specifically to go up to the next Floor, I wouldn't have any way to get to the Third Floor. But that's not all. Your real test for me isn't merely whether I could see and avoid this trap, it's much more than that. The real trick you played is in equating the passing of any given test on a floor with going up to the next floor, or that there is only one chance or one test per floor."
"Whatever do you mean by that?" Now he pretended to be thoroughly confused.
"The only tests that grant access to the next floor, are tests which explicitly have that as the reward, by way of contract. So you can claim that the first floor's test is merely to open the door, and that we passed. Except that didn't grant us the right to go to the second floor. The same is true of all these supposed tests of courage that we passed. That's what you mean by preparing tests commensurate with our wish. On each floor, our 'wish' has to be 'to go to the next floor', and only after negotiating this will the test grant that as the reward if passed. This is why Rachel was allowed to move to the next Floor despite not having taken the ball test. You negotiated a deal with her, which included allowing her to go to the second floor, even though she hadn't taken any test at all. It's the contracts that matter, not the tests. You also specifically said that my reward was the opportunity to go to the next floor, and not the right. Because the opportunity was offering a contract from you, which included that right if I accepted to help Rachel."
"That is very interesting. But is that all?"
"No. Even if I avoided your trap, and went back to complete Baam's test. that wouldn't mean I've passed your true test. Because unlike the other Guardians, you also test whether we are worthy of climbing the Tower as a whole, not just whether we are worthy of going to the next floor."
"What makes you think there's a difference between the two?"
"Because none of us, neither Baam, Rachel, nor I, have passed our true tests yet. That is the real reason you can interfere with the Second Floor's test. His test is simply a smaller part of yours. Because you instructed Yu Han Sung to rig the Regular tests, and got Baam to take the test from the Second Floor's Guardian. You didn't just devise that test, but this entire scenario from the beginning, as part of a bigger test for all three of us. You must have instructed Yu Han Sung to give me that choice to participate in that meeting as well, right? Had I declined, I would be lacking important information needed to solve my real test."
"And what are my real tests for you three then?"
"To call it a test at all is perhaps too generous, because your goal isn't actually to disqualify us. It's to get us to climb the Tower. The passing condition for your test is the choice itself, to climb the Tower, and you prepare a test that uniquely addresses what each of us need to climb the Tower successfully. You gave Baam the initial test of courage and then sent him up right away because that is what he needs. He has the talent, the luck, the potential. But his reason is suspect. Could he really face all these numerous challenges just to chase after some girl? So you lied and made him think that Rachel had already gone up, so that he would be placed into position for the real test. What will he do after he finds his target immediately on the second floor? Does he have the resolve to keep climbing? What if the girl betrays him? The most ridiculous part of this 'test', is that he isn't even supposed to fulfill his wish like that and leave the Tower. To pass the 'test', he has to choose to climb instead."
"Hmm…"
"Rachel doesn't have the same talent or potential in terms of raw power growth. Simple courage won't make her successful. She is too weak and ordinary, not even attractive or charismatic enough to make proper allies. She needs to learn how to make up for it. Her best chance is to be more despicable and desperate than anybody else. To steal and betray, to use any dirty tactic conceivable. So you insulted her so that she would feel conscious about her weakness and made her think she had no right to climb at all, so that she would have to steal it from Baam. Baam could've have been a great ally to climb together with her, but that isn't good enough for you, is it? Because Baam shouldn't stop climbing if Rachel died on the way up, and Rachel shouldn't stop climbing if Baam died and left her unable to rely on him. You need both of them to continue making the choice to climb on their own."
"…and yourself, Mr. Axion?"
"Unlike those two, I don't have a specific goal beyond the opportunity to climb itself. I may not have the same potential as Baam, but I already know how to make up for it, unlike Rachel. And because I don't have an overarching goal, I could lose interest in it at any time, whether because the difficulty is too high, I'm no longer entertained, or for some other reason…like right now. The thing I need most to keep climbing, is to continue believing that the benefits are worth it. Or more specifically, to understand the nature of these tests and contracts—that there is more than one way to gain access to higher floors if it seems too difficult, that there can be rewards and benefits along the way without necessarily reaching the top."
"Oh, but didn't you have a reason to go to the top? What was it you said on the first day? 'Not much of a choice', if you wanted to leave the Tower."
"I heard from Hwa Ryun that Urek Mazino also seeks a way back to the Outside. Had I been like Mazino, that may have been enough reason to keep climbing. But you knew from the beginning that I'm different. You said I might be able to leave the 'same way you came'. You can't actually stop me from just leaving the Tower, can you? The whole reason we're having this discussion, the reason you used the Pocket as an excuse to launch into that misleading explanation about the tests, is because you can only entice me to climb by making the tests and the climb sound reasonable and rewarding enough to keep going. As if they were actually a lot fairer and easier than they first appeared, if only we were smart enough to see it."
Headon raised his hands into a slow clap. "Very good, Axion. I could confirm your impressive deductions, but then again, you already believe me to be a liar, so I think there is little point."
Then he raised a hand and wagged a finger at me. "I must however, point out that you have misunderstood one thing. I do not impede anyone from leaving the Tower, if that is truly their wish. Those who asked, I always pointed them to a potential path. That no one has been able to reach it is hardly my fault. Had you attempted to leave before seeing me, I would have brought you to me to speak first, but I have no intention of barring your way out."
Was he trying to imply that he could stop me, but wouldn't? After looking at him skeptically for a moment, I considered that it was probably possible for him to be at least aware of it when I made the attempt, and then for him to teleport me to him and possibly disrupt my spell before it could finish. If he could do that, it wouldn't really matter if he could actively block me or not—since that'd achieve the same thing.
"I see, well in that case, could I ask you to hold on to the Pocket anyways? I'm concerned that it might not survive the trip, and seeing as I cannot replace this easily, I'd rather not risk it."
"Oh, why didn't you just say so? Very well. I shall keep it and allow you to retrieve it whenever you are ready to continue."
Finally, he took the Pocket back, then bid me safe travels as I started the spell and counted down the thirty seconds it took to activate. We continued to stare at each other all the while, his smirk perfectly still like some kind of frozen cartoon scene.
O O O
As Headon said, I reached the Ring of Deterrence without any struggle whatsoever.
Every plane's Ring of Deterrence looked different, and I found myself under what seemed to be a night sky full of stars.
I glanced around, trying to identify the Gate to the Root—so I could avoid it—and find the unformed Creation bubbles I needed to use for my spell, but all I saw was rolling mist covering everything below my knees.
I walked a short distance and made out what seemed to be the edges of the circular platform that I was standing on. Then I looked down over the edge and saw…
A tower.
I was standing at the top of an enormous Tower. Somehow, after I reached the edge, the Tower looked far bigger than what the small circular surface I was standing on would have suggested. I looked back, and unsurprisingly, I could no longer see the opposite side of the Tower, as if the floor had grown immeasurably while I wasn't looking at it.
Suddenly the mist in front of me condensed and grew rapidly into an indistinct blob.
Another Beast?!
I immediately kicked off the Tower and activated my Omni-Flight spell, attempting to fly away.
Yet despite flying what should have been a large distance, when I looked back I was no further away from the Tower or the mist, which now had a humanoid shape to it.
"Calm yourself, traveler. I am not your enemy," the thing said.
There was nothing in its posture or tone that suggested hostility, but simply being in the Ring of Deterrence made it a threat. Why was it here? How was it here, if not an entity commanded by the primal forces of the plane to attack me?
"What are you? What do you want?" I asked, turning back to face it.
"I am the will of the Builder…I observe all those who climb the Tower," it said.
"The Builder? As in…the one who built the Tower?" I asked with shock. A being powerful enough to construct the Tower—something which was essentially a world…it would be akin to a true god.
"Congratulations, traveler. You have reached the top of the Tower," it said.
O O O
A/N:
Some might wonder how much of Headon's claims or MC's deductions are true in canon. I can only say that it fits my personal interpretation of canon as well.
There is a conversation between Gustang and an unknown person much later in the story who is probably Headon that strongly suggests Headon absolutely wants Rachel to climb, despite everything he said to her. And the most compelling reason that Headon would have for interfering that far into the story and conspiring with Gustang, is that he needs to ensure all Irregulars are committed to climbing—including Zahard and the Ten Warriors, who stopped at the 135th Floor.
And a big thanks to @Nidhogg , @Trek and @inphernalmenace for continuing to beta and having the patience to go through many different versions of this chapter, the next one, and other related notes after I rewrote them many times over the course of the hiatus while determining how certain aspects of powers and the multiverse should work.