Chapter 88

Fractured (II)

Rick led Cain into the well-lit mansion, past even more security, and into the dining room where a fairly light dinner was waiting for them. The room quickly cleared up, leaving only the two of them as they began to eat in momentary silence before Rick turned on a TV, right as the news segment was on.

“We won’t be able to establish it alone,” Rick commented, taking a sip of water. “Though we may have funds and such, the pressure would be too much.”

“Who’d you have in mind?” Cain asked.

“I have a friend--well, no, not really a friend, just a guy who’s not all too bad,” Rick replied, chuckling. “He’s a bit of a traditional hardass, but I think he could do well as a cushion as long as we feed him some. You’ve probably heard of him -- Jack Enliney?”

“... oh? That reality TV ranch owner or something?” Cain mumbled.

“Ha ha ha, yeah, the dude really likes wasting money to be in the spotlight. He’s a pretty big deal, though; owns dozens of ranches, popular chain restaurants, and is a big player in the stock market.”

“Hmm,” Cain mused aloud, glancing at the TV. “I’m fine with it, but you should also grab someone with international connections, especially with the ability to poach people away. Though I’ll limit my group to ten people, one group alone is hardly enough to maintain our current status. Right now, everything is fresh and everyone’s figuring things out, but it won’t be like that for long. Talented people will slowly start establishing themselves and naturally form bigger groups and while I don’t think they’ll be able to threaten us, per se, we can only grab so many resources on our own.”

“I see..”

"I was thinking to start off with six departments or something like that," Cain elaborated. "Something like advance groups, mostly people who will spearhead into the Tower and fight harder and harder challenges. Then, you can have item collectors that will go around already known areas and farm items. Another group for materials, since I've noticed there are some really useful ores and herbs in the Tower. Then you have a logistics department or something that ties it all together, a scouting department that's better than you, and a sales department that offloads the things we don't need."

“... hmm,” Rick looked deeply at Cain who seemed a bit taken with the news on the TV reporting on the ‘party that cleared the first floor’. He’s really punched to the heart of the entire thing... “That’s a lot of manpower.”

"Yeah," Cain nodded. "No need to rush, though. We can't tie people just yet. Right now, everyone's still living in the high of learning to do magic and distinguishing themselves from the rest, but, soon enough, the charm of it all will wear off and people will realize that entering the Tower... is no different than going to war. And, just like always, there will be those who don't want to put themselves in there but would still like to earn nice money. That's when we strike. Turn it up." Cain added as a TV flashed to the scene in front of the Tower where it looked like they were about to interview someone. Rick pushed a button on his phone and increased the volume.

"... we are here with the leader of the 'Garrote Party'," a woman in her mid-thirties spoke directly to a camera. "The party that's responsible for the Tower-wide notification that rang out earlier this week -- about clearing the First Floor of the Tower. The notification sent shockwaves whose ripples we can still feel as yet another massive influx of people coming into the Tower occurred. Mr. Terrence, first off, thank you for agreeing to the interview with us."

“Of course.” the man standing next to her was remarkably tall, at least six-foot-eight by Cain’s quick estimates, brown-skinned and dark-eyed, his black hair cut neatly.

“I’d like to ask whether you thought your actions would result in such a domino effect.” the woman asked.

"Hmm... we knew that it would be a big deal," the man replied. "But we had to do it nonetheless, if for nothing else but to try and figure out more about these things that just appeared out of nowhere."

“Could you walk us through how you managed to achieve such a feat?”

"Of course," the man nodded, grinning. "We got our first clue about a month ago, rumors about the 'strongest monster of the First Floor'. It was extremely vague, but we went with our hunch and started hunting for clues. Eventually, we learned that the creature resided inside an active volcano. On our way there, we had to battle countless small monsters and even a few bosses. However, that only managed to strengthen us further, giving us items and levels before meeting the final boss. It was a massive, flaming giant; even standing near him, if I'm being honest, felt like we were in a sauna. We fought relentlessly for almost eight hours straight and barely managed to defeat him. Unfortunately, one of our party members was killed in the process..."

“Ah, I’m so sorry for your loss.”

“He died protecting us,” Uaaa, he really knows how to get people riled up... Cain mused, taking a couple of fries. "Which is why, in his honor, we are renaming our party to 'Vanguard Protectors'. His dream was to keep us all safe and alive, and we'll now take on his dream and push even deeper into the Tower, so that we may prevent even more pointless deaths."

“On behalf of all of us, I can safely say, we thank you for that,” the woman said, smiling brightly. “So, your plan is to immediately head back in?”

“No, not yet,” the man shook his head. “If our run has taught us anything, it was that we were woefully unprepared. We’ll first have to find more people and gear ourselves more before heading to the second floor.” You’re just waiting for someone to find the entrance to it, Cain scoffed inwardly. Baah, cheap bastards...

“I’m praying for your success.”

“Thank you.”

“And thank you, Mr. Terrence, for the interview,” the woman said, turning to face the camera again. “This has been Andrea Green for Channel 8. Back to the guys in the studio.”

“... what do you think?” Rick asked. “Should I try to reel them in?”

“No,” Cain replied immediately. “They’re just spotlight-hoggers. Don’t get me wrong, there will come a time when we need guys like him, but not just yet.”

“Alright,” Rick nodded. “Damn... aah, I’m getting a fucking headache again.”

“Ha ha ha, well, you signed up for this. Live up to it, old man.”

“Do you know where the entrance to the second floor is?”

“Hm.” Cain nodded. “It’s a bit hidden, but I’m expecting it’s gonna be found in a week at most. If not, I’ll just leak it or something.”

“Oh? Wouldn’t it be better to be the first to get there? Like achievements and titles?”

“Meh,” Cain shrugged. “There will always be those for the taking.” Besides, front-running the second floor is pointless. At least, though, the number of deaths on it should drop considerably... “About those guys you found for me. Tell me about them.”

“Ah, alright,” Rick nodded, a smile appearing on his face as though he was expecting it. “One of them is a local and another I managed to find in Germany!”

“Oh?”

"The local one is Daniel Trey," Rick continued, switching from the TV station to a projection on his phone. The screen flashed, revealing the face of a man in his early twenties, burly-looking, copper-skinned and green-eyed. "Twenty-three years old, has Bachelor's in Psychology, Assassin Class, level 19, and no active party."

“How’d you find him?” Cain quizzed.

“Through the military,” Rick replied. “Apparently, he saved a couple of their guys in there. He left the Tower a few days before you guys and we have him locked for now. He seems to just be relaxing.”

“... bring him in,” Cain replied after a brief silence. “Have a chat, feel him out. If you think he’d fit with us, I’ll trust you. What about the other guy?”

“Lukas Koch,” Rick said as the screen flashed to a different face. Though still youthful, it was much rougher around the edges. The man was bald and without eyebrows, though the biggest detail Cain noticed were the pink-eyed pupils.

“Albino?” he mumbled.

"Hm," Rick nodded. "Twenty-two, worked as a mechanic after high school. His Class is Unslayed, the only tank Class in Germany's Tower, level 21. He is a member of a party, though, from what we know, but it doesn't look like a permanent one. His group had been caught up in the eastern-border-skirmishes over the past two weeks which is how I discovered him. He seems like a steady and calm type."

“... extend him an invitation,” Cain said. “If he accepts, reel him in.” Unslayed, huh? If he really decides to join, that’d be a big win, especially if he’s talented. It’s the only class to ever be able to tank Mercy...

“Alright,” Rick nodded, a self-satisfied smile emerging on his face. “I’ll also slowly start considering those departments. If nothing else, I’d like to establish Logistics and Sales very early on. I’ll find some trusted men of mine to run them. Not everyone is too hot on the Towers -- like me, some stayed behind.”

“Good,” Cain nodded with a chuckle. “You guys will be the reason the world doesn’t collapse.”

“Ooh, I like it.”

“Ha ha ha, I’m glad you do, old man,” Cain said as he stood up, stretching. “I should probably head back now. Emma and I--oh?” his expression suddenly changed as he casually glanced back.

“What is it?”

“There’s someone sneaking around,” Cain had long since gotten into the habit of setting up Mana Traps everywhere he went, and someone just triggered the two of them. “Heading here. My, my, aren’t you Mr. Popular?”

“... this is the first time they’d actually gotten past the wall.” Rick said, frowning.

“It’s an Assassin,” Cain said, smiling faintly. “And someone I recognize at that... well, it’s your lucky day, Ricky.”

“H-huh? How?”

“’cause,” Cain’s expression dropped abruptly. “I’ll make sure people wake up pissing themselves for even dreaming of going after you.”