Chapter 6
Grasping the handle of the door that the cursor pointed him to Edward pauses as he hears an ongoing conversation, quickly suppressing his boiling anger as he recognizes one of the voices. Well, he really should have seen this coming but he might as well use this opportunity to fish for some info.
"So, Mr. Koon, please don't tell Baam about me." Rachel asks, not wanting to worry his friend.
"What do you mean don't tell? Do you want me to tell that you're not you?" Koon asks, not understanding why Rachel is asking him that. She seems to mean a lot to Baam, if he's willing to give up the chance to advance to the next Floor, just to stay with her.
"Yes." Rachel says, seemingly sad that she'll have to essentially hide from Baam.
"He wants to be with you so much. Why can't the two of you stay together?" Koon asks, remembering his own experience with his sister, Maria. After he'd help her become a Princess of Zahard, he had felt something missing... something important.
"That's something that I'd like to know too." Edward says, opening the door, surprising Koon and Rachel. How long had he been waiting behind the door, and how is he even able to move?
"Shouldn't you be bed-ridden?" Koon asks, surprised and suspicious of Edward's recovery. The medical staff had said the he had a lot of fractured bones, a result of Rachel's teammate attacking him. Even with the medical science in the Tower, the recovery process should've taken a week at the very least.
"I don't see why, I feel right as rain." Edward shrugs. If he plays dumb about his healing, they might just stop probing for info.
"You were severely injured. multiple bone fractures." Rachel explains, wondering how Edward managed to heal this quickly. He seems like a regular human, and there isn't a race in the tower that can heal that quickly, well none of them look humanoid at least.
"Meh, nothing that a good sleep won't fix. Anyway, back to the conversation, why do you want to hide your identity from Baam?" Edward asks, wanting to hear what her excuse is. Of course he knew that the plan is to have Baam end up with the F.U.G, and make Rachel the "heroine of the story", but what excuse would she say to others.
"Have either one of you heard the legend of the tower?" She asks, confusing Koon.
"The story that if you can make it to the top of the tower, you can see the real sky and stars? What about it?" Edward asks, not really understanding where she's going with the story. Well, it's not really a story, it's just common sense to him.
"Well, ever since the first time I heard the story, I always dreamed of watching the stars from the top." Rachel starts explaining.
"You do realize that not even the Zahard Empire hasn't reached the top, only 134th Floor?" Edward points out. If a Empire of ridiculously strong Regulars, and maybe some Irregulars haven't managed get to the top, which might be a million Floors up, what makes her think that she can? No matter how many people she'll get to help her, it'll be impossible.
"I do, but I won't give up until I reach the top and see the stars." Rachel proclaims
"That's quite ambitious." Koon smiles at Rachel's innocent and naive dream. Too bad an innocent girl like that would be trampled under the heels of the masses that lie, cheat and stab people in the back in order to climb the Tower.
"Yeah, but it also has a lot uncertainties. Do you even know how many floors the Tower has?" Edward points out. Even if you become a Ranker, that doesn't mean that you'll live forever.
"..." Rachel remains silent, looking downtrodden. She knows that there's no saying how many floors are left. Maybe she's lucky and there's only 200 Floors in the Tower.
"I thought so. But, I admire your guts." Edward admits. It takes some twisted and apathetic guts to do what she did. Betraying someone who revealed himself as someone who the people controlling the Tower want dead, tricking said person's friends in order to have them carry her up the Tower and then unleash a Soul-sucking demon in human flesh who's made of multiple kids, who each seem to have their own demonic power.
"This Tower might just need more innocent dreamers like you. So, aim for the stars," Edward says, leaving the room. Not technically a lie. This Tower needs innocent dreamers, who can try to change the system, but it certainly doesn't need Rachel.
"It'll make it that much more satisfying when I kick you back down." He whispers to himself as he walks away from the room.
=What's got you so pissed, partner?= Haensing asks, noticing the anger radiating off of his wielder.
"It's that Rachel girl." Edward answers. It's not how she acts that pisses him off, but the why and how she climbs the Tower. Lying straight to their face, betraying them, all because she believed in some stupid fairy tale. And when Baam passed the test that she was too scared to complete, the bitch makes excuses, saying that he had help. Did she not realize that Baam was going to try to pass the Ball test, with or without the Black March?!
=You mean the blonde who chestnut was looking for? What about her?= Haensing asks. That girl's presence didn't feel the same as his or Black March's wielders, who Haensing figured were both Irregulars. But the blonde didn't feel the same as the Regulars either, she felt like some sort of a middle ground between the two.
"Yeah, what about Rachel?" Androssi asks, spooking Edward, who gives out a yelp of surprise, something that Androssi takes small pleasure at how easily she managed to surprise him. Throughout the Crown Game, this guy didn't seem to flinch at anything, and he even managed catch her off guard twice. But now she's starting to even the score.
"Well, she seems like she's got some ulterior motive." Edward starts explaining. While he wasn't expecting to bump into her just yet, he might as well try to warn her about Rachel. Sure, Androssi is the kind of girl who will take out the competition if her chances at advancing are in danger, but she at least doesn't use others to do it for her.
"Well doesn't everyone here have a ulterior motive?" Androssi points out, lazily leaning against the wall. Most, if not all people in the Tower have an ulterior motive, whether they're from the outer, middle or the inner Tower.
"Yeah, but none of them proclaim that they want to reach the top of the Tower, chasing a fairy tale now do they?" Edward points out.
"Rachel wants to reach the top of the Tower?" Androssi chuckles a bit at the naivety of Rachel's dream. She'd be an old granny by the time she reached the top, even with the longevity Shinsoo grants people, if there even is a top that is.
"Childish, I know. But that's not the only thing. She and Baam know each other before they entered the Tower." Edward points out.
"Hmm, that is shifty, but the Supervisor ordered it after our team killed all the other Regulars." Androssi shrugs. Since they killed all the other Regulars, there wouldn't be anyone to oppose them for the other tests, forcing them to merge two test sites.
"Look, I know that the Crown Game was made to get rid of your team as soon as possible, but why they chose the batch of Regulars that had someone who knew Rachel, and a false princess, which would set you off?" Edward asks, as Androssi looks at him, surprise and pride on her face.
"I'm impressed that a Regular can recognize a fake princess." Androssi compliments. Most Regulars are from the lower levels. They wouldn't recognize a genuine article from a false princess even if they were beaten over the head with it. But bomberman over here seems to have a lot of knowledge about the Tower, but he doesn't look like a member of any of the great 10 Families.
"But, I suppose you do have a point. What do you suppose we do?" She asks, thinking back on the whole event. The Supervisor would have had access to the records of the Regulars taking the test, so why would their team be put in the very team that would erect a reaction from them? Rachel would want to protect Baam, while Androssi herself would be intrigued by the fake. And Akryung seemed completely subservient to Rachel.
Hell, when she first met the two, she thought that Rachel was an Anima, while Akryung was just a weird looking Shinheuh.
"You actually want to help? And here I was under the impression that you hated me for beating you in the crown game." Edward chuckles nervously. He hadn't really expected for Androssi to ally with him, not yet at least.
"Oh believe, I'll get back at you for that, but this conspiracy thing sounds interesting." She admits. The position test would be a piece of cake for her, and as hard it is for her to admit, the false princess shouldn't have a problem with the test. So why not enjoy a side-show during the test?
"Well, two heads are better than one I suppose." Edward gives a lopsided grin. Hopefully she won't try to sabotage his efforts to pass this floor.
=Make that three heads.= Haensing interjects.
"And what can you do? You're just a hammer." Even though she wouldn't admit it, Androssi's actually a little scared of the hammer that Edward is wielding. Sure, she'd heard of Ignition weapons, and she was planning to acquire a weapon of the 13 Month series, a weapon with a sentient soul. But a weapon that could eat through Shinsoo? Something like that is dangerous, even more so when wielded by a competent wielder.
=I can eat your Shinsoo for one.= Haensing taunts, making a chomping gesture. He would not be belittled by anyone, especially by one of the Hypocrite's adopted girls.
"I'm sorry for Haensing, he seems to have beef with the 13 Month series weapons, and apparently the Princesses of Zahard." Edward apologizes, stuffing Haensing head-first into his pocket, his handle still sticking out, but his voice is muffled by the fabric.
"So, what positions do you think you'll be assigned to?" Androssi asks, interested in if she'll get the chance to get back at him before they pass the floor.
"Well, I might be assigned either to a Fisherman or a Wave Controller, but I don't think that I'd have a problem as a Light Bearer." Edward answers in thought. Back in his world, when he had taken a Quiz relating to the Positions, he ended up with the Defender Position. But during his time in the Tower, he had mostly been engaged in close-range combat, augmented with Shinsoo Explosions.
"But, I think You and Anak will end up as Fishermen, while Baam and Laure will end up as Wave Controllers and I think Koon will end up as a Light Bearer." Edward adds, remembering the Positions of the four Regulars and one Irregular who had shown their skills on the Crown Game.
"I don't know, that Koon kid seemed like he'd be a Scout, what with his speed and all." Androssi mutters. That albino was fast, nearly matching the lizard's own speed.
"Well, how about a bet? The loser owes one favor to the winner, but nothing lethal." Edward suggests, extending his hand to shake hers. Sure, this was a rigged game from the start, but you know what they say, if you don't rig the game, you're not trying.
After a bit of contemplation, she comes to a decision. "I can't wait to see that you're wrong." she taunts, shaking the offered hand.
'And I'm afraid that you'll have to wait for a long time.' Edward thinks to himself, noticing a Data screen appear in front of him.
[Optional Quest: Chat with monsters]
- Go and see what Anak wants to talk about{Complete}
- Go and check up on Baam to see if he's okay{Complete}
- Try to make amends with Androssi{Complete}
Rewards:
-900 EXP
-Increased Reputation with:
-[ 25th Baam]{+25}
-[Koon Aguero Agnis]{+30}
-[Anak Zahard Jr.]{+30}
-[Black March]{+50}
-[Androssi Zahard].{+35}
So, it would seem like the Quest windows don't tell you everything about the Quest, That's good to know. "Oh, and do you know where I might find a training facility of sorts? I want to train before the Position Test." Edward asks, sheepishly scratching the back of his head. Sure he could level up his [ID Create] until monsters start appearing, but mysteriously disappearing and reappearing would draw too much attention, and not the good kind.
"Geez, for a detective, you sure don't know how things work. Just use your Pocket, it should have the map of this place already downloaded." Androssi sighs, struggling to understand the guy in front of her. The guy has combat skills you'd expect of someone from the 10th floor, a mysterious weapon and he healed from broken bones overnight, but he doesn't know how to find his way to a training area.
"Thanks Ms. Androssi, see you at the Position Test!" Edward says, walking away from Androssi.
"Stupid idiot, can't believe I lost to him..." She pouts. She's a Princess of Zahard, a member of the "Ultimate Species", specifically chosen by the Great King Zahard. So how the hell did she lose to that guy. It couldn't be just the weapon he had, or the explosions, though those did catch her off guard. But when she hit him, it felt like she was hitting a White Steel Eel, and it wasn't just when she hit the clothed parts of him, but even his skin was tough like White Steel Eel hide. But when she shook hands with him, his skin was way softer. Did the fact that he wasn't wearing the jacket make a difference?
"Pocket, Invisible mode: Off." Edward says, causing the multipurpose orb to turn visible. It's kind of interesting how something that's so commonplace in the Tower can go invisible, but the White-X observer is a rare item. Maybe he should try and hook up something like that to an Armor Inventory, but now he should focus on the task at hand and leave the interesting experiments for later.
"Pocket, show the route to the gym of this ship." Edward looks in interest as the Pocket glows for a while before a pale yellow cursor with the word "GYM" hanging from it appears over the Pocket. And not even a second behind, a data screen appears as well
[Pocket linked to [Gamer] in order to improve features.]
"Well, that's handy." Edward comments following the cursor as it leads him through the halls, coming to a halt as soon as Edward steps into the gym, a room housing lots of different training equipment, like dumbbells, a treadmill, which is currently occupied by Bolt, who seems to be too focused on running at top speeds to even acknowledge Edward entering the Gym. It's honestly surprising that a place like this would even have training facilities like this, but maybe it's there in case some of the Regulars get bored or if they didn't train their whole lives to prepare for the Tower.
[You have entered the Sub-Dungeon: Physical exercise Gym.]
- EXP gain +50%
- Stat increases double
- HP can't drop to 0
'Oh, I'm going to have fun with this.' Edward thinks to himself, heading to the dumbbell rack. Probably one of the easiest exercises to increase Strength. 'But first, a little test.' he picks up one of the heavier ones, easily lifting it like a piece of paper. It's as he though, with the STR boost from Haensing, he's too strong to gain any Stat increases from lifting wights. And he can't leave Haensing lying around, but maybe he can be put into his [Inventory]? Could that even work, since Haensing is a living weapon?
"Let's see if this works." he mutters, looking around to make sure that nobody's looking before taking Haensing out of his pocket and shoving him into his [Inventory], before the living weapon can start yapping.
[Ignition Weapon: Haensing Yuchung is unequipped. STR -120. VIT -80.]
As soon as the message appeared, Edward can really feel the weight of the Dumbbell, quickly setting it back onto the rack, opting to pick one of the lighter ones. If he exercises his strength while his own STR stat is low, then increasing it should be a cinch!
[Through thinking ahead and preparing for the future, INT has increased by 2!]
After picking one that isn't too heavy or too light, he gets to work, doing one of the basic motions that he remembers, lifting the weights above his head before bringing them back down, rinse and repeat.
[One training montage later...]
[Through exercising, STR has increased by 12!]
[Through exercising for an extended period of time, VIT has increased by 6!]
"I think that's enough for today." Edward mutters to himself, setting the dumbbells back on the rack. He'd definitely come back here, especially if the Stat-increase doubling buff works on investing Stat points. It's kind of sad that something like this is only on the 2nd Floor. But eventually, the stat bonus would stop being as helpful as it is.
"Well, I probably should re-equip Haensing." he mutters, opening his inventory and double-taps Haensing's icon, equipping the Ignition Weapon[+120 STR. +80 VIT].
=NEVER PUT ME BACK THERE!= Haensing shrieks, appearing into Edward's right hand with a flash of light. Thankfully, it was the symbiotic kind of shriek, only audible to the Ignition weapon and the wielder.
"Put you where?" Edward asks, recovering from Haensing's shriek. Who knew that a hammer could scream so loud?
=That weird void that had your clothes.= Haensing explains. When he was shoved in, he couldn't hear or even feel anything. It was just an empty void, nothing to signify the passing of time. It was like being in the state of non-existence.
"Oh, you mean my [Inventory]." Edward nods, leaving the gym. So sentient weapons DO retain awareness while in the Inventory, interesting. That brings up a lot of questions like: What does it look like? An armory, or are you just in a big pile with the other items?
=Nuh uh, that was no Inventory, it was a black void, from there was no hope of escaping= Haensing shivers in fear, remembering his experience there. Although it may have been brief on the outside, in there you could easily lose the sense of time.
"Well, it's not really the inventory that everyone else uses, but my own special [Inventory]." Edward explains, motioning to his Gamer Inventory, which Haensing looks at, utter terror written over his face.
"It's more like a pocket dimension that allows me to store things in there." Edward showcases this by dragging his grey jacket out of the [Inventory] before putting it back in.
=Ok then. But PLEASE don't put me back in there!= Haensing pleads. He'd rather spend a day in a pile of rotten food rather than be put back in there.
"Chill, I only put in there to lower my own strength." Edward chuckles at the sight of the Ignition Weapon pleading like desperately.
=If you wanted me to lower the amount strength I give to you, then just ask.= Haensing grumbles, not understanding why someone would want to less power. Yeah, it could be used as a surprise attack, but he's a fucking hammer! What about him screams surprise attack?
"I'll keep that in mind." While it would be easier to just shove him to [Inventory], Haensing might start making things difficult. Besides, it's a good way to get the jump on somebody. Fool them into thinking that you're weak, but when you do hit them, increase STR to as high as you can.
"Well, there's nothing else to do, so I might just head back." Edward mutters, heading back to his assigned room, letting his Pocket lead the way. Maybe he should level up his ID Create and ID Escape skills, since everybody else is probably resting from the Crown Game.
[Outer Tower: Zahard's 5th Floating Castle...]
"Uaa, so cool! It's like a real-life Inventory from a video game!" A girl with long purple hair, a small portion of it set in a pony tail exclaims, burying her face in a pillow as he watches the boy with the living hammer, that according to Opera(1), can absorb Shinsoo, walk away. She had just been taking a break from observing one of the Test at the 90th Floor, where a team was fighting a A-Rank Shinheuh. And to her surprise, she found a interesting guy with a power that transferred features from RPG's into RL!
And from what Opera can tell, it isn't Shinsoo based! This might actually be an interesting game to watch! And the guy's already making friends with that late bloomer Androssi and her cute little taboo niece, so there might be some drama in the future. Things are getting so interesting on the 2nd Floor!
First, three Irregulars appear, two of them possessing Ignition weapons, while the third one has a Monster servant! Then the guy with Yuri-Eonni's(2) weapon allies himself with a Koon kid. And then the Hammer-boy manages to beat Androssi-Eonni with a sneaky explosion. So cool! Plus, there's the sub-plot with the Coffee addicts plan! This game is getting really really interesting!
"This game is getting so~ooo interesting!" she giggles. The combination of Hammer-boy and Chestnut would be a devastating one. With the Hammer-boy's Ignition Weapon blocking Shinsoo attacks, and Chestnut using that unnatural talent he seems to have with Shinsoo manipulation to mess the enemy up or straight up blasting them with Shinsoo blasts, like that Mazino guy.
Maybe those two could provide her with the ultimate game. Especially if they manage to build the perfect team from the Regulars assembled on the 2nd Floor right now.
That Koon kid would be a good pick, along with Androssi-Eonni and Junior. Androssi-Eonni seems to have a habit of being out of the norm, since she entered the Tower so late and Junior obviously has a grudge with the people who killed Anak-Eonni. None of the other Regulars really show any promise, aside from that staff-wielding redhead who lost an eye and that Eurasia family sloth.
[2nd Floor: Evankhell's Mothership: Edward's Room...]
=So, what you're saying is that you have a power that allows you to interact with the world, as if it was a game?= Haensing asks, laying in front of Edward. After they got back from the gym, Edward explained how his power worked. All in all, it was pretty confusing to Haensing. It didn't sound like anything he'd heard of in the past. But, it does explain some of the weirder stuff about his wielder.
"Yep, that's pretty much it." Edward nods in confirmation to his partner's question. Of course he didn't tell Haensing about where he came from, about this entire Tower being a story in his world. That would cause unnecessary questions to pop up. Besides, the fewer people know about the future, the lesser chances of a Butterfly effect occurring.
=That's really useful.= Haensing begrudgingly admits. With a power like that, you can easily identify the weakest link of a team, carry numerous weapons on your person, store valuable items where nobody can reach them. But that Inventory is still an utter hell.
"I know right? But look, I know that you don't like the [Inventory] but it's the safest place to store you." Edward had been attempting to convince the living Ignition weapon to agree to spend the night in there, which he is adamantly refusing.
=And I told you that there's no force in this Tower that will make me go there.= Haensing growls. If anyone tries stealing him, he'd just bite their hands off.
"Fine then, we'll continue this conversation at a later date." Edward groans, getting ready to hit the hay. It's obvious that convincing Haensing will be a long project, but carrying him around does get tedious, even if he can shrink to pocket size. He could still be misplaced, and that would a big problem
=You'll never convert me!= Haensing exclaims, before falling to sleep himself.
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AN: That's all folks, and happy new year! And could some of you guys do me a favor, and PM me some ideas about what sort of training do the different Positions require. We already know what kind of training Wave Controllers go through, so I probably won't cover that part.
Also, I might hold a poll about the Pairing thing. So far, most of you guys want Androssi X Edward, which I can see why, and have no problems with.
1: The Opera is the pinnacle of Lighthouses, making the Light bearer Position obsolete. In theory, it extends the users scope of information gathering to the levels that it allows the Opera's user to observe the whole tower, well at least as far as the Lighthouse network(Pretty much the Internet for the people with a Lighthouse) reaches, which means that any Floors where the Lighthouse network isn't established, you're flying in blind, no info on what you'll be facing before you get there.
2: Eonni is the Korean Honorific for elder sister, when the speaker is also female.
Current Stats for Edward. Yes, this is going to be something that's in every Chapter.
/Irregular\
Edward Smith LV: 18
/Power\
Exp: 1150/1800
HP: 430
MP: 116
STR: 21{+210}
INT: 29
VIT: 16{+160}
WIS: 30
DEX: 12
AGI: 8{+30}
Points: 39
Perks/Buffs/Debuffs:
High Shinsoo Resistance LV1: the ability to resist Shinsoo.{-62.3% from MP attacks. Ignore AGI Debuffs in areas with High or lower lower amounts of Shinsoo.}
And now to answer some Quest Reviews that I thought warranted an answer:
Overlord Susanoo: Who's to say that Han Sung isn't? And as for why Edward didn't think of using ID Create. A: He hasn't leveled it up to the point where it spawns enemies. and B: If he suddenly disappeared and then reappeared, it would be quite suspicious.
And my Question of the chapter is:
Should I just skip straight to the beginning of the Position Test, or should I cover rest of the 3-day break?
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone