Vur yawned and glanced around while scratching his belly. The group had gone to the recruitment area, a public plaza where guilds and clans agreed to set aside their differences to acquire new individuals into their groups. Of course, just because the guilds and clans agreed to hold back on the violence didn’t mean there wasn’t any competition. Dozens of people were standing around the plaza, their gazes and attentions directed towards the entrance.

“It’s crowded as usual here,” Gaegukja Yeol said and narrowed her eyes. Her body blazed with a white light, and the people nearby let out gasps and shouts as the temperature drastically increased around them. They shuffled out of the way, and like how a school of fish avoiding a shark creates a void around the predator, a pocket of space was formed in the crowd for Vur’s group to walk through. Gaegukja Yeol nodded at her handiwork. “That’s better.”

“I think I’m understanding the tower’s rules a little,” Tafel said, raising an eyebrow. “As long as you’re strong, no one will stop you, huh?”

“In a sense,” Gaegukja Yeol said and beamed. “As long as you’re causing less trouble than the trouble you’d cause if someone tried to stop you, then you’re fine.”

Tafel hummed to herself and observed the crowd’s expression. Most of the crowd was looking away, keeping their whole bodies turned away from her group. There were a few confused individuals who were staring, but they were wearing clothes befitting a newbie. Other people in the crowd were already nudging the gawkers, telling them to stop.

Tafel stared at the flaming woman that everyone was avoiding. “How come there are only humans here?” Guides were animals, administrators were fire spirits. Shouldn’t the tower have been a bit more diverse? Why was the recruitment area filled with regular humans and almost nothing else?

“Think of it as the human district,” Gaegukja Yeol said. “If you want to see more spirits, you’ll have to go to the spirit district. If you want to see more demons, you’ll have to go to the demon district. I defaulted to the human district because Vur’s … displaying himself as a human.”

Vur looked around. “Where’s the dragon district?”

“Dragon district?” Gaegukja Yeol asked, her mouth spreading open into a smile. “As if they’d open something so pedestrian. There’s a dragon floor, but there’s no dragon district.”

Vur rubbed his chin before grunting in agreement. “What floors are the dragons on?”

Gaegukja Yeol giggled, tiny flecks of flame bursting into existence around her. She pointed straight at the ceiling. “They’re way up there.”

Vur raised an eyebrow. “At the very top?”

“Close,” Gaegukja Yeol said. “They occupy the ninety-first floor.” She examined Vur from head to toe before giggling again. “I wonder how long it’ll take you to get there. If you’re interested, I can help speed up your trip.”

“We’re here to find Mary, right?” Tafel asked before Vur could respond.

Vur nodded at Tafel. “If we ask the dragons for help, it’ll be very easy to find Mary.” He looked at Gaegukja Yeol. “We’re interested.”

“Great,” Gaegukja Yeol said and clapped her hands together. Instead of a thudding sound, a light puff escaped from her palms when her hands collided. “As I said, we’ll sponsor you, and you’ll climb the tower.”

“And what do you get out of sponsoring us?” Lindyss asked.

“I’ll be very straightforward with you,” Gaegukja Yeol said. “If your abilities are only just average, then we’ll be taking the profits you make from hunting while clearing the different floors of the tower in return for providing a safe climbing experience. Eventually, you’ll be expected to climb in organized groups with the other people we’ve sponsored, and a percentage of your profits will be paid to the clan.”

“Ahem.” Stella flew out of Vur’s chest and cleared her throat. “Our abilities are way above average,” the fairy queen said. “Like”—she held her left hand out, angling it towards the ground—“if this were average, then”—she raised her right hand way up towards the ceiling—“this would be us.”

“You’re better than all the newcomers, yes,” Gaegukja Yeol said. “And you’re even stronger than me, but in the tower, that isn’t saying much. There are many, many people stronger than me in the tower.” Gaegukja Yeol grinned. “That being said, I’m sure each and every one of you are quite exceptional. Since that’s the case, we’ll be using you to our own advantage by giving you missions that’ll help both of us. Perhaps clearing out a field, so our newcomers can hunt the leftover weaklings, you know, that kind of stuff.” She waved her hands, causing trails of flames to arc while following her movements. “All of it is detailed in the papers just up ahead.”

“Stop!”

Gaegukja Yeol blinked and turned her head. Someone really just shouted in her direction? Was it because of that little bit of heat she had given off earlier? Her head turned to the side, and a familiar red-haired figure came into view. The only reason why Gaegukja Yeol remembered him was because of the screams he had let out when Lindyss claimed his soul.

Kax Ammer, the red-haired man, gritted his teeth as he approached Vur’s group. His skin turned as red as a cooked lobster from the heat radiating out of Gaegukja Yeol’s body. He took in short breaths as he walked up to Lindyss and glared at her with clenched fists. His muscles rippled as he raised his right foot and stomped it against the ground. He pounded his chest with his left hand which was balled into a fist. “I, Kax Ammer, submit!” He dropped to his knees with his left arm still pressed against his torso. “Wherever you go, I shall follow, Master.”

Tafel stared at Lindyss with an accusing expression. “Weren’t you supposed to take their souls after they died?”

“Absolutely,” Lindyss said and furrowed her brow as she looked down at the kneeling man. “Alright, as your master, I order you to live out your life to the fullest. Make fond memories you can look back on; I heard they help keep you sane for longer after you die.”

“Wait,” Kax said and raised his head. His eyes were wide, and his jaw hung open. He gestured towards himself with his right hand, not moving his left arm away from his chest. “You are rejecting my, Kax Ammer’s, loyalty?”

Lindyss shook her head. “No, I’m not rejecting your loyalty. I’m saying you’ll be more useful to me when you’re dead, so come back to me after you’ve kicked the bucket. From now until then, you’re free to do whatever you want.”