Disclaimer: Everything here belongs to SIU. Except for my OCs.

My work ethic is so ass, holy shit.

Chapter 8

I sat at one of the tables in the mess hall, looking at the rest of the regulars come and go, each of them barely stopping to make conversation. The normal groups that usually filled the hall were absent, with almost everyone sitting at different tables. Something in the atmosphere had changed now that the position test was over, with an air of uncertainty resting upon most regulars. I stretched my arms outward, feeling what was now just a dull ache throughout my body, as I thought back to the day before.

After Hwaryun gave me the warning, we went to attend the meeting. It was short, but I could barely lift my head by the end of it. The physical relief from the cracker wore off, and my exhaustion came back to me. I couldn't remember anything that was said as Hwaryun continued to haul me back to the dorms. I woke up in my bed the next day, slowly processing what had happened the previous day.

"Good morning regulars!" Lero Ro's voice came out of the speakers. "Did you all have breakfast? I know yesterday's test was exhausting, but don't just stay in bed and eat your meals. By the way, now that the tests are over, all the food is now free. Please help yourselves! Although the food here isn't very good."

I disagreed with him, as I thought the food was quite nice. I mean, it's comforting at least. Maybe the food on the higher levels taste completely different. I wrapped my hands around my warm cup of water, looking over to another cup that had steaming coffee in it.I came to realize that Hwaryun was later than she usually was coming into the hall. As I was stuck waiting for her to show up, Shibisu and a slightly injured Hatz greeted me before leaving to get their own breakfast.

Lero Ro's voice continued overhead. "Now, tonight at 6 p.m. the list of regulars who will take the final exam will be announced! All regulars please come to the 1st hall to see if you made the cut! Alright, that's all from me. Bye!"

Most of the regulars I recognized came and went from the mess hall to attend their own business. I watched both Khun and Endorsi keep to themselves, not offering up any pieces of conversation with any other regulars except a small exchange between each other. I didn't see Bam show up, but I could guess where he had been.

"Hello," I looked over to see Hwaryun take her seat across from me. "This is for me?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I've added everything you liked."

She took a small sip then immediately flinched away, sticking the tip of her tongue out. "What the hell did you do to this?"

"The normal. Some cream, some sugar, some salt, some mint, whatever dalendril is, and well, basically everything I could find at the front. Lots of herbs and spices, not sure why, but I'm not complaining." I gave her a shit eating grin. "That's what you get for throwing a cracker onto my face."

She scowled at me. "What did you expect me to do? Chew it up and spit it into your mouth?"

"It's not that hard to place a cracker into the mouth of a person that's lying down." I rolled my eyes. She tried to take another sip for a reason I could not figure out, before placing the cup far away. "Anyway, about the paths you talked about yesterday, what did you mean when you said mine just showed up? I thought paths were supposed to be determined already."

"That's not really how it works," Hwaryun responded, still looking a bit disgusted. "Before we do this, I'm going to get a different cup of coffee." As she moved to stand up, I gestured for her to wait and brought up another cup that was sitting next to me and slid it towards her. She gingerly picked it up and tasted it before settling back into her seat. "So you do know what I usually have in my coffee."

"Yeah, I'd be blind to not notice." I told her as I rested my head on the palm of my right hand.

She took a few moments to take in her fill of coffee before she started talking. "The paths that I'm able to see all depend on my own understanding. Basically, the more I know about the people I'm around, the surroundings I'm in, and the events meant to change the tower, the more detailed the paths will be. Although most information is given to guides from the tower, there are certain anomalies such as irregulars that can affect the tower and the paths that we see. This is how it works for all red witches and why most of them will usually only stick with certain people."

"Then who decides which people the guides follow?" I asked as she began lightly tapping the table with her finger.

She hesitated. "Some are designated by the tower, some by fate, some by the ones we call god."

I grew curious. "Are there any that choose themselves to lead a path?"

"That's hard to say," Hwaryun's eyes narrowed. "If you were destined to see yourself within fate, would you be able to choose to try and avoid it? Maybe we are able to lead our own paths, but that itself could also be called fate."

I took a moment to digest her words. My knowledge about the tower and the ranker that resides within me, that's all that I know about myself. The desire to know who I was before hadn't grown for a reason I didn't know. All my focus has instead been on giving myself strength to survive, but if this strength were meant for a change Headon intended for me to make, would I try to avoid it? I couldn't give myself an answer that I agreed with.

"A few days ago, I saw a path that I couldn't read," Hwaryun continued. "But as you told me about the ranker given to you by Mr. Headon, things began to make the smallest bit of sense. If you held a ranker, someone who had been within the tower before, there would be some sort of path that showed up. As I thought more about this possibility, the clearer the path became."

She paused to take another sip of her coffee. "Then, in the middle of the path, I saw a serow, an animal with a long snout and black horns. It had vibrant green eyes that seemed to block me from seeing the rest of the fate within the trail. Beside it, there were distinct black human bones, enough to fill multiple skeletons. I asked one of my associates and apparently there's been a ranker with a mask that resembles this animal, notorious for stalking and massacring regulars, rankers, even civilians. His affiliation is not confirmed, though most think he's someone who cleans up for the Jahad family."

My gut sank. "So I'm being targeted."

She looked at me with a sort of sadness within her eyes. "To sum it up, yes."

The fight with Quant came flashing back into my head. With a few weeks of the most demanding training I had ever known, and techniques given to me with the help of a ranker, I had hit only hit him twice. The gap between the powers I held, and the powers a ranker held was an abyss, in which I couldn't see the end. If a ranker really came for me, tower restrictions be damned, there would be nothing I could do.

"Damn it." I said softly, pinching the bridge of my nose. "This is really happening on the second fucking floor?" What the hell did Z have to do to get so much attention even after his death? I looked to the ceiling, slouching down in my chair. It was still a few hours until the meeting in the 1st hall would begin. "Do you know how long until this ranker reaches me?

Hwaryun shook her head. "It could be years, it could be months, but this is all I have right now. For what it's worth, I'm sorry."

I blinked. It seemed like she wanted to say more. "Don't be. I should be thanking you for all you've told me already."

She averted her gaze from my own. "Save your gratitude. At the very least, I'm not one to deserve it."

Before I could ask her what she had meant, she got up and left the table. Coffee still in hand, she walked away, and I was left to my lonesome to deal with the information she gave me.

A few hours passed, and I found myself with a light drink on a small table on the deck of the floating test island, with only a few other regulars lounging around. The artificial sun made from shinsu shot soft beams of light onto the deck, sending warmth throughout my body. Along with a thin breeze being carried outside, I had everything I should've needed to relax. But an annoying itch had stayed with me, preventing me from fully being at ease.

After Hwaryun had left, I tried to contact Z by working into my body reinforcement. I felt the presence that he had shown before, but as I called out, there was no answer. A few more attempts left me frustrated, and I gave up, too stressed to wait for his reply. I needed to deal with other things that were coming up.

I remembered the feeling I got when I saw Hoh kill himself, and the dejected sight of Bam crying over his friend. I didn't want to feel that again. I knew I had to change something about the final test, so that I wouldn't regret doing nothing again.

"Who is this turtle?" A gruff voice called out to my side. "Hmph, doesn't look like he'll be much help."

I turned my head to see a miniature sized Rak crossing his short arms, with an apologetic Bam rubbing the back of his head with one of his hands. I raised my eyebrows, unprepared to see such a cute version of the crocodile that had destroyed me during the crown game. He's like a stuffy. I laughed mirthlessly in my head.

"Sorry about that." Bam gave me a smile. "This is Mr. Rak, our other teammate. You probably haven't seen him around because he's spent all of his time passing the early test for the spear bearers."

Rak puffed out his chest in pride, although it just looked like a small child standing on the edge of their toes. Bam continued to introduce me. "Mr. Rak, this is Mr. Shun. He's a very strong fisherman, even able to face the ranker during the position test."

My expression softened a little under the praise as I turned to Rak. "You don't remember me? I was the regular that you faced during the crown game."

Rak narrowed his eyes. "The crown game? You were the turtle that almost erupted?"

"Yeah." I thought back to the event. "Any reason you decided to pummel me so hard?"

He scoffed. "What a dumb question. You were my prey, that's all."

"Ah, of course." I said dryly. "So he mentioned something about asking me for help?" I turned to Bam.

"Oh, right," Bam lightened up. "I was going to ask if you would join my team to help Rachel climb the tower. Actually, you might know her as Michelle light. During the last test she lost her ability to use her legs, and I'd like to build a team to help her move up the tower."

I stared at him for a moment. Flashes of betrayal went through my head. "...what is she to you Bam?"

He didn't lose eye contact even for a moment. "She's a very important person to me. She showed me the light when I thought it would never reach me. If she dreams about seeing the stars at the top of the tower, then my dream is to bring her there. I know this is a selfish request, but still, I ask if I can borrow your strength Mr. Shun!" He ended his request by lowering his head.

I backed down, giving out a heavy sigh. I knew the answer that he would give, but I wanted to see it for myself. His resolve held strong, and his eyes never showed a shred of doubt. If I didn't do anything, he'd lose that resolve. I don't want to think about that, but it's most likely an inevitability, even if I did do something.

I stood up and raised my fist. "Alright. I'll help you. You'll have to face hell, trying to climb the tower you know that? But I'll be by your side to make sure that you won't have to face that by yourself. Make sure you don't have any regrets." I hoped that I could bring reality to my own words.

He gave me an impossibly bright grin, knocking my fist with his own. "I'll do my best!"

Bam then gave me his thanks, walking off with Rak to go ask some of the other regulars if they would join their team. I sat back down to see someone else doing the same on the other side of the table.

"So, you decided to help him?" Endorsi said as she placed her drink on the table. She held her hair up in a bun, making her little horn more distinct than before. She was wearing one of the white shirts sold from the Evankhell convenience store. "You're only going to be holding yourself back from climbing the tower."

"I could say the same about you. I doubt it would look good for a princess of Jahad to climb the tower with the daughter of Annak." I responded.

She barely lifted an eyebrow. "Where did you hear that from?"

"I have my sources." I decided to avoid telling a lie.

"Tch. I should knock that blue haired bastard a new one." She took a few moments, tapping the edge of her drink. "So how was facing the ranker?"

"Painful. Frustrating. Now I have an idea of how weak I am compared to someone who has been to the top of the tower."

"Honestly, you're pretty crazy for doing what you did."

I gave her a questioning look. "Didn't you do the same thing?"

"Yeah, but first of all I'm a princess of Jahad." She said smugly, but gradually lost the look as she continued. "Secondly, I actually focused on winning the game. From what I saw, it looked like you completely ignored the objective. Instead, you were fixated on the ranker that you had absolutely no chance of winning against."

I could hardly think of a response. "I-"

She cut me off immediately. "Normally I wouldn't get myself involved in other people's business, but you're curious. You throw yourself at a ranker with no other regard other than to just fight him, displaying a strength you haven't shown before. You might be able to say that the boost in power was from all the training you've done, but I don't believe that people simply gain an aptitude for shinsu control like that. Even if you did have that talent for shinsu, why didn't you use it before? It's not like you gained anything from just losing to the ranker."

She paused, glancing at Bam before turning back to me. "It looks like you were testing something out. A desperate attempt to prepare yourself for climbing the tower. But still, it's not like I don't understand that you could be readying yourself for some personal endeavor in the tower. Then you throw me off by telling Bam you'll help him with his precious cripple. It doesn't make sense to me unless your personal matter deals with climbing the tower with Bam?"

I stiffened up, not expecting her to pressure me like this. I needed to pick my words carefully. "My own issues are… on later levels of the tower. I figured that I would help my friend for the time being." I looked straight at her, hoping to find something that would distract her. "Besides, doesn't Bam give you the feeling that something worthwhile might happen is you stick with him? He stands out from all the others."

I let out a breath I'd been holding in as her eyes relaxed. "I suppose." She said softly. I winced as she perked back up and pointed a finger at me. "However, that doesn't explain everything." She shrugged. "But I'll be willing to let it go for now."

"What are you going to do after this floor then?" With her backed down, I could finally steer the conversation away. "I take it that you aren't going to help Bam?"

She traced the outline of her cup as she leaned back in her chair. "I'll have to see when this floor is finished. I'm not planning on joining any teams, and I doubt the lizard is either. Though, it's farfetched that we would go up the tower together. I'll be doing what my heart tells me to, but until then I'll have to wait and see."

A sudden thought struck me, that after the second floor I would without my main advantage. Assuming the ranker that Hwaryun mentioned doesn't mess with me until the higher levels of the tower, I'd still be dealing with a 5, no, 6-year gap in between. Information would be very limited. I rubbed my eyes, realizing that I needed to decide my course of action during the guardian test before I could think about anything else that would happen. Do I protect Bam, risking the fact that he might not be introduced to FUG? Would it even matter what I did, or would they just come up with an excuse to take him away regardless? I rummaged the ideas within my head, before determining that I needed to take care of something before I do anything else.

Lero Ro

"The last test for the regulars." Lero Ro spoke out loud as he walked alongside Hansung Yu. They were on their way toward the 1st hall to direct the final test. "This group has a lot of promising regulars. It'd be a shame to drop any of them. Perhaps I've gotten too invested in them."

"Director." Lero Ro continued. "The dangerous individuals you mentioned earlier, would any of them happen to be among these regulars?"

Hansung Yu hesitated. "Mr. Ro, do you know when they began this type of testing began on this floor?"

"…no." Lero Ro narrowed his eyes. It felt as though his question was about to be dodged.

"The test here used to be like the ones on other floors, the administrator of each floor would pick a representative to test the regulars that Headon chose. The testing format here would be put in after the appearance of Phantaminum. Do you know how Phantaminum invaded the Jahad castle?"

"I've heard of it. He killed some of the top rankers within the castle, right? Including the Seralif twins, the infamous Disea, and many others within the top 200."

Hansung Yu slightly turned his head and gave Lero Ro a questioning look. "Supposedly, yes. Though I'm surprised that you knew of that. Most rankers, if they knew of them at all, thought that they ran off and were simply written off as blue holes."

Lero Ro didn't bat an eye. "Well, I like to be as informed as possible."

Hansung Yu accepted his response, rounding his head back toward the path. "This was the first step in unsettling the higher powers. Then came Urek Mazino, the notorious irregular. The fastest recorded person to climb the tower. His strength and influence, along with the group he co-created, the Wolhaiksong, have forced many families and powers to recognize him. Other high rankers such as Aila Rin, Laisook Armda, and the Wayfarer have also had their mark carved onto the tower."

He continued. "The great leaders surrounding Jahad realized that there were many threats that could come to oppose them and their precious tower. If discontent individuals or those with strange powers were to enter the tower, the balance of power becomes threatened, and the tower's peace can no longer be sustained. Here, the leaders decided that they would sort out any dangers and hold them back from ever climbing the tower."

They reached the entrance to the 1st hall. Hansung Yu paused to turn around and face Lero Ro. "In other words, this is the seawall to prevent the tsunami that could shake the tower."

Lero Ro frowned. "I don't really like that idea. It is really so purposeful to the tower to sort those who pose a threat towards these leaders of the tower? A sea without waves is no longer a sea. It's just a pond, is it not? Rather than facing a slow decay, shouldn't it be better to live fighting the waves?"

A knowing grin came from Hansung Yu. "If it bothers you so, Mr. Lero Ro. You are welcome to quit."

Lero Ro couldn't help but notice that the director's words and expression didn't match at all. His face seemed like it agreed with him, but his words came out as an employer of a higher power.

"Even without you," Hansung went to open the doors. "The floor test will carry on unabated. For now, let us go to work, and sort out the dangerous ones."

The 1st hall had a cylindrical structure, with seats that would reach far up the room. Gold pillars were stationed one either side, and in the center of the hall stood a small white platform with a single podium and a few chairs. I sat alongside Hwaryun, one level below Rak and Bam. She was slouching into her seat, her hands stuffed into her pockets, and the bottom half of her face covered by her jacket.

Khun arrived above us, giving Rak reason to start shouting. They discussed amongst themselves, while the rest of the other regulars also settled down. Voices within the room quieted down as Lero Ro walked up to the podium to start the meeting.

"Good afternoon regulars," Lero Ro began. "Now that we're all settled, I will announce the regulars who passed the position test."

A bright screen showed up, presenting the pictures of all the regulars who had passed the test. As anticipated, I saw the face I had seen in the mirror as one of the fishermen that made the cut. I glanced to my side, noticing that Hwaryun was practically asleep.

A loud slam came out from one of the stands. "What the hell? Why am I out?! Our team beat the test, so how come I'm not on the screen?" A short, stocky regular called out. I recognized him as one of the spear bearers that had betrayed his team before.

Hansung Yu's voice came out. "You don't agree with the results?"

"Of course not! Why did I fail? That's bullshit, so change it! Do you know how hard I tried on the last test, coffee addict?" The regular continued to shout. I rolled my eyes hearing the last part of his fit.

I could barely see Hansung Yu, but I would bet that there was a smug grin on his face as he walked toward the front of the stage. He waved down the spear bearer to come over to him. The spear bearer obliged.

"Ok Mr. Murch, if you don't agree with the results, prove that you're talented enough to pass the test. Right here, right now. All you need to do is make it off his platform without going insane." Hansung Yu gave his proposition. The moment Mr. Murch voiced his confusion, a loud pop filled the hall and he fell to the ground screaming in pain. A burst of cracks filled the atmosphere as Hansung Yu meticulously controlled the shinsu around him to dislocate his joints and break his bones.

Hansung Yu turned around to the stands as the regular under him passed out presumably from pain. "Now then, is that all?"

Khun took his chance to stand up. "I also disagree with the results, Director."

Hansung Yu stared at him then sighed. "Come down here then."

Khun refused, instead laying out his plan in front of everyone, to help Michelle Light pass the test by taking the administrators test. Hansung Yu then debunked that idea, pointing out that only irregulars could take that test.

"Wait!" Bam slammed both his hands on the counter above. Hwaryun opened her eye with disdain and muttered something unintelligible. I gave out an exhale of amusement, and she proceeded to give me a hard glare.

"I'll take the test." Bam's voice echoed within the chamber.

"Did you not hear me Mr. Bam? To take the test you must-" Hansung Yu attempted to explain once more.

Bam cut him off. "It doesn't matter, because I'm… an irregular!"

"Here we are. The start of our god." Hwaryun whispered.

I bit the inside of my mouth as I realized that I didn't tell Hwaryun about my plans. She had talked about seeing a path that I would walk on, but she also distinctly said that was mostly the path made from the tower for Z. It was possible that she didn't know what my intentions were. It was also possible that my intervention would have no effect on the test. But there was no use in thinking about that. I was the one who decided to help Bam and change this test, and I had to stick by that.

"Is that so Mr. Bam," Hansung Yu slowly said, feigning shock. "Well if it is true, we'll have you come down to address the administrator."

Bam made his way down as murmurs began to pick up throughout the hall. Rankers and regulars alike were skeptical and confused but made no attempt to change the director's decision. Hansung Yu opened the large doors at the back of the stage, signaling for the rankers and Bam to follow him. Lero Ro picked up the unconscious regular, calling for all the passing regulars in the hall to wait at the stage, and that the final test would be determined after they had figured out the situation with the irregular.

Rak jumped down from his seat and called out to me. "Are you coming, brown turtle?"

I creased my brow, disliking the nickname. Brown turtle? That sounds gross. Like a turtle that shit itself. "Yeah, I'll be there in a bit."

He grunted. "You better. You may be weak, but still, you only make a fraction of a turtle."

I barely understood what he meant as he hopped down to the stage. Also, why is he calling me weak? We only fought one time before I knew how to use shinsu. I stood up, prepared to follow him but a slight tug on my sleeve told me to stay.

"You aren't going to stay still during the next test, are you?" Hwaryun asked as I sat back down.

I winced, slightly taken back. "...what do you mean by that? I'll help the others pass-"

"You aren't very good at being secretive, you know. Something you should improve on. It's obvious that you've been distracted, more withdrawn, anxious, and I could only guess why." Her single eye rolled at me, her lip lifted up only in the slightest.

"Are you going to stop me then? Let Hansung Yu know?" I grew doubtful.

She looked at me, then looked away. "No, I won't. I recognized the face you had watching team B. You didn't look away for a reason, right? If this is the action you believe you should make, then I don't have the right to stop you."

I narrowed my eyes. "...what do you see?"

"The same as I have before."

I frowned, standing back up. "You aren't going to come right?"

"I didn't pass, did I?" She made her point.

My gaze fell. I made my way down the stairs to see almost all of the passing regulars on the platform, patiently waiting for further instruction. I sat down beside Rak, who was crossing his arms and closing his eyes. After a small moment, the large doors opened back up and Hansung Yu made his way through.

"Bam went to see the administrator." He addressed the regulars. "I am shocked as well to find out there was an irregular among all of you. I should get some pills to ease my nerves." He laughed. As always, Hansung Yu unnerved me greatly. It was like being around a giant wasp.

He continued. "So, now the rest of you should make your decisions. To take the test with Bam, or to take your test separately. Of course, if you accompany Bam, you will also be taking the administrators test. As stated by Mr. Khun earlier, the administrator's test is significantly harder, and even if you were to pass, you would be known as the ones who helped the irregular climb the tower. I do hope you all choose wisely."

An uneasy air settled upon the stage that only seemed to widen Hansung Yu's grin. He then turned to me and signaled for me to come over. "Mr. Shun, come follow me. I couldn't tell you why, but the administrator itself has requested for you."

I raised my eyebrows up and did my best to hide my suspicions, wondering if I did end up getting sold out. I stood up and followed him into the doors, hearing them close behind us. The floor was a regal blue, decorated by a pattern that resembled the flow of shinsu. Gold outlines stretched along the walls, with white pillars splashed in a black design of leaves. Although admiration filled me, the need for caution never left me.

Hansung Yu stopped by another set of large doors. "We'll have to wait until Bam comes out. Until then, why don't we have a little talk?"

"I'd…rather not." I responded, making sure I was a comfortable distance away. Of course, it would mean nothing if he decided to attack me, but regardless I did my best to feel at ease.

He studied me for a moment. "My, so cautious. It's a shame, I would like to know something."

I swallowed. "That being?"

"Simple." He walked towards me. I tried to move but my legs were stuck in place. "I would just like to know which one you are. Are you who you say you are? Or are you the one that you hold?" He stared at me with a malicious grin.

Before anything else could happen however, Bam opened up the doors. Relief washed over me as Hansung Yu diverted his attention.

"Hopefully you'll be able to answer me the next time we meet, Mr. Shun. Well then, off you go. You wouldn't want the administrator to wait up." Hansung Yu then made his way over to Bam, leading him back towards the 1st hall.

I gave Bam a small nod as he passed me, then looked to enter the room he had just left. The entrance looked intimidating, a place that had no floor, no ceiling, no walls. Just an empty space of what I assumed to be shinsu controlled by the administrator.

I walked in, finding myself to be sort of floating as the doors shut themselves behind me. The room was mystifying, with flowing shinsu at every stretch of the place, reminding me of the first time I had seen the natural force.

"As I thought." The enormous grey body of the administrator appeared within my line of sight. "Come out, the supposed usurper. Let me see what you have become."

He's probably talking about Z, I thought. After no answer had come about for a moment I decided to try and help the administrator talk with the ranker I held. I attempted to grab the shinsu within me but failed to get a solid grasp. It felt much heavier then when I had done it before.

"I'm afraid, foreign one, that I will not allow you to do that. He will face me on his own, without the help of the host. Or have you become so cowardly even after death?" His voice trembled throughout the room. There was a distinct edge to its tone.

To my side I noticed slow movements of shinsu, gathering together. Strings began to interlock with each other, knitting the outline of a tall man with baggy clothes. His face was indiscernible, but I quickly dismissed that as I realized the shinsu continued to form the ribs of a human skeleton around his body.

"Is this what is left of you? Clinging so desperately to life that you now have to act as a parasite. I wonder how the winged one would react to you now." The administrator berated the humanoid shinsu structure. It didn't react, shinsu still swarmed around it. I still could barely believe my eyes. But something occurred to me. The administrator knows him directly.

"Tell me, even after the collapse of everything you pursued, you still came back. The tower rejected your existence, just as it has so many others, but instead of leading yourself to a peaceful afterlife, you decided to come crawling back with the help of the first guardian. What is so desirable within the tower that you have decided to have forsaken death for?"

The shinsu being took a hold of one of the bones of the rib cage that was encased around him. He shook violently, breaking off the bone, the sound of the crack echoed within the chamber. A low, gravelly voice came out from the faceless ranker.

"You think…I would be able to have a peaceful death? I have come back for the only reason any other fool would come back. To fix the mistake that cost the lives of the people I cherished."

I walked the halls in the infirmary the next day. Coming out of the administrator's room yesterday, I found most the regulars had decided to take the test with Bam, courtesy of Khun of course. A small funeral was held for Hoh, but I didn't show up. I didn't think I deserved to.

During the rest of the day, Shibisu and Khun had gone off for their own strategizing, figuring out the best use of people's strengths and their positions. Bam had gone to train with Endorsi, while Rak continued refining his spear throwing.

Hwaryun was… out of contact. I couldn't find her anywhere. I supposed I would have to join Endorsi and Bam later to practice sparring. But in the meantime, I would address the biggest issue within the next test.

I had asked Bam earlier for this room number, telling him I was there to give my respects. I felt a little guilty lying to him, but I believed this was what I was supposed to do. I wanted to see for myself, the girl that he had chased up dozens of levels, only for her to attempt to kill him and his friends. Not that she had done any of that yet of course, but that was all I could base my opinion on.

I reached the room I was walking towards and opened it. A bright light from the window shined onto the person sitting up on the bed.

"Hello Rachel."

A/N

Thanks for the follows from BoyishVoid, Chifle, Daoisttian3, Iraeli Deus, longsword00, Ramiz, BloodWarMage, DickWizard, Godzilla wearing glasses, and vini2202! Hopefully I didn't miss anyone.

I think I did a decent job of streamlining some of the story but who knows, maybe I'll change this chapter later. Also, just going to update a few of the older chapters, just fixing up some dialogue, nothing too important.

Maybe I should get a beta or something to keep me on track.

Any comments or suggestions are really appreciated!

Edit: 07/19/2021

Thanks for reading!