****(POV)

Exactly 562 meters away from the kidnapping, a group of 5 men lied in wait.

In their midst was a man called Benny, simply Benny. Benny had an ordinary face, an ordinary life, ordinary dreams, and also an ordinary job. (As far as the world was concerned.)

He had climbed the Tower but had just decided to retire. He would lead an ordinary life as an employee in an old antique shop.

People didn't understand his career choice at all. His future had been promising after all. Now, he would be stuck in an old antique shop that was so destitute that it just standing was a miracle.

Other antique shops had the wealthy and the powerful swaggering inside like kings. They were easily noticeable with their high-end sports flying cars and their glamorous clothes or even armors at times. That one never did.

That small shop was called Eons. To the eyes of the general populace, it was a small antique shop that was the colossal business failure of a stubborn middle-aged man that simply never knew when to give in.

They all knew that man for his talents as an appraiser, but they all thought he only sold affordable pieces. After all, this was the only thing he would actually showcase in his shop. At first glance, the man was an idealistic fool that simply was unmoved by the attraction of wealth.

What they failed to realize was that the poor customers that kept visiting were 99% members of high society that simply didn't dare to appear arrogant at all. They would all visit in casual clothing and show extreme respect. None wanted to become a joke for being blacklisted from the establishment.

Of course, there were many rumors about the truth. Still, to the general public, it was only considered that, rumors. From time to time, there would be fools actually believing such rumors and attempting something silly like a kidnapping.

Now, Benny was actually a newcomer in this group. As he saw the current situation unfold he couldn't help but find it extremely wrong. They had watched the young miss get kidnapped while sitting on their asses!

"Leader why aren't we doing anything?! The young miss clearly needs us! That's why we were even hired in the first place!"

Benny couldn't understand. The man in charge of their team had struck him as a man of action in the past. He had been working a long time as a soldier before the Tower even became a thing.

During training, he had been the one pushing him to his limits relentlessly until he could shoot every target with uncanny precision. After all, as much as the Tower gave strength, there was incredible power to be obtained by adding guns. (Especially the plasma ones.)

Yet this man was now slowly sipping his ice coffee while watching the situation play out!

"See, that's where you're wrong. There are two kinds of threats that the young miss will face. Do you know what these are?"

"Kidnappers and killers?" Benny could hear some chuckles behind him.

"Nope, their goal matters not to us. All we need to know is how much of a threat they actually are. There are the inconsequential dumbasses, then there are the real threats. Our job is only to care about the latter." The leader explained.

"What?! What if an accident happens? When will we act? Soon, right?" Benny couldn't believe his ears.

"Hahaha, soon he asks! Haha, I'm going to die laughing!" came the voice of a colleague in the back. Then the leader explained further.

"The young miss is expected to deal with such a threat level alone. How she does it doesn't matter much to us. She could be begging, negotiating, giving in, receiving help from someone, anything."

"You're saying we'll just watch while she's suffering down there?!" at this point Benny was starting to reconsider this job completely.

"Haha, that's where you are wrong, brother! We will not simply be watching. We will also be betting!"

"Are you guys insane?!" Benny was getting the urge to simply run down there and help.

"Get used to it Newbie, it's always like that around here."

Benny lay there emotionally defeated. This wasn't what he had believed an elite bodyguard job would be like. Not in the least! His colleagues were even discussing odds! Benny could hear their conversation quite clearly.

1. What were the odds of her saving herself somehow?

2. What were the odds of her getting saved by the young man that had followed her?

3. What were the odds of them having to intervene?

4. What were the odds of a disaster zone spawning right now and killing them all?

As Benny looked at the bets he couldn't help but be perplexed. The only one without a single bet was the third option, the one involving them saving her.

"Guys, why is no one betting on…"

"She may seem frail, but she is way tougher than she looks you know. Honestly, the only reason option 2 is on the board is that she is also playful at times. She may very well let him save her for fun."

Then they kept bickering as Benny watched baffled. He felt confused but mostly intrigued by this young miss he now had to protect.

"Yeah, but that's where you are wrong. I have searched the guy using our special channels- no it's not cheating! I found the young man's identity. Not only is he Classless, but he also has been climbing solo for a while. Because of this, we can be sure he hasn't beat Floor 10 yet because of the Boss!"

"Sure, but you totally missed that he is one of the only ones known to have ventured into Disaster Zone D-23 while surviving! He totally got this!"

"Ah! You should have done your research better! It is clearly stated in the report that he only got out because of luck! I'm sure he has used his lifetime supply of luck already there!"

"Ah, you actually missed something else! He is the one that came up with the Floor 6 strategy to feed the Boss! Clearly, he is a hero amongst men!"

"Isn't that just a theory?"

"Eh, not sure. I heard that some TV crew died in the Tower trying to figure it out. Then again, TV crews tend to do that a lot lately."

"So we are back to square one. We have no confirmation at all. It all comes down to if he'll be able to take down two men armed with guns! According to their file, they both are expert shooters…or were before the Tower. Well, hobbyist that won competitions."

"Oh? This is a classic superhuman versus technological user showdown. But it's also one versus two…this is getting better and better."

At this point, Benny was completely sucked into their discussion. Once it came to an end, he somehow felt at a loss. He even made eye contact with one of the betters that simply showed him an understanding grin.

Benny couldn't help but wonder if he was getting corrupted by them and if he should fear for his mental health. That is when the leader seemed to be receiving a call. The ensuing conversation proved very confusing.

"Yes, Sir. We are in position, about 500 meters from the young miss. Yes, we…."

"Yes, Sir. 562 meters exactly, why?"

"Seriously?! How?!" He could then be seen nervously looking around and shuddering.

"He did what?! Are you kidding me?! …Sir…" He exclaimed.

"Yes Sir! I understand Sir!"

Then the call ended. The leader could be seen staring blankly in the air for a few seconds while shaking his head slightly.

"Leader, what happened?!" One asked the question they all were wondering about.

"*Sigh* Well, I don't know how to explain it but we have a new mission. Once this Josh comes outside we need to check one thing…"

"What is it, leader?"

"We need to check how he even walks straight with these humongous balls of his!"

"?!?!"