With less than ten minutes before the Survival Test was scheduled to conclude, Vahn manifested, seemingly out of thin air, alongside Phae. This caught the members of Team Wolf Pack by surprise, but, after realizing who had appeared, most of them visibly relaxed. Endorsi, however, didn’t miss the chance to complain, her voice sounding irritable as she exclaimed, “It’s about time you showed up! Tell me, did you enjoy your vacation while the rest of us were suffering!?”
Without missing a beat, Vahn nodded in response to Endorsi’s question, smiling as he said, “It was a very productive and pleasant rest. Once we have time, I will show you the various changes that have occurred within the Little Garden. There are also a number of new residents for you to meet, several of which have agreed to help in your training. Look forward to it.”
Though she felt an overwhelming urge to punch Vahn in his smug face, Endorsi ultimately deflated when she noticed everyone was looking at her with troubled expressions. She wanted to complain about fairness, but, considering the Little Garden was exclusively the property of Vahn, she didn’t have much ground to stand on. As a result, an exasperated sigh escaped her lips as she shook her head and remarked, “Whatever. As long as there are delicious foods and a hot bath, I’m not going to complain…”
Since he hadn’t been paying much attention to Team Wolf Pack these last few weeks, Vahn was a little surprised by Endorsi’s ‘mature’ reaction. He couldn’t help but nod his head in approval before looking to Gandr and nearly bursting out into laughter when he saw the boy’s deadpan expression. This made it pretty clear that something had happened, but, rather than prying, Vahn continued to smile as he passed his gaze over everyone present and remarking, “You have all grown a lot in these last thirty days. I will make to reward you handsomely once time allows. For now, just know that I’m proud of each and every one of you. Well done.”
Hearing Vahn’s praise, even Endorsi felt a little gratified, a smile spreading across her face as she puffed out her chest proudly. The only person who didn’t really react positively was Laure, who, after looking towards Vahn and giving a curt nod, promptly fell back asleep…
—
After precisely 720 hours, indicated by a row of four zeroes on the Pocket, the same Administrator who had originally greeted the group appeared before Team Wolf Pack. Then, despite their purely synthetic voice, they managed to sound slightly enthused as they said, “Congratulations, Regulars. You have proven yourselves more than capable of ascending further up the Tower. Since you were able to hold the Central Supply Station for the entirety of the Test, your respective Party Leaders will be given 50,000 Points to split between you. I pray that you find similar success on future Floors.”
With those parting words, the Administrator input a command into their Terminal that caused both Khun and Phae to be awarded 50,000 Points. Then, in the blink of an eye, the entirety of Team Wolf Pack found themselves outside a massive teleportation array. There were more than a thousand other Regulars present, some looking a bit worse for wear; but, regardless of the state they were in, a celebratory atmosphere dominated the otherwise chilly room.
Fortunately, though some suspected they would need to participate in some kind of tournament to move higher up the Tower, that wasn’t the case. Instead, everyone who had endured the last thirty days, even if they were the only surviving member of their original Party, was allowed to transfer to the next Floor. They were gathered in batches ranging between 200-300 people, enough to fill the large teleportation array while guaranteeing people could still move around.
Some people, Shibisu and Khun included, believed that it would be ‘safest’ to teleport alongside a weaker group of Regulars, but, after a few chiding remarks from Endorsi, Gandr, Anak, and Rak, they ultimately decided to leave things to fate. After all, so long as they worked together, other Regulars didn’t really have much of a chance against them. Even their weakest members were above average; so, with several powerhouses on their side, they decided themselves to just go with the flow, joining a random collection of Regulars before transferring to the next Floor…
—
Perhaps as a reward for having endured thirty days without any real comforts or infrastructure, the 5th Floor resembled a series of beachside Resorts, high-end hotels, and shopping centers. It was a veritable metropolitan paradise, complete with an oceanic breeze that carried a salivating aroma that caused several Regulars to swallow hard as they impatiently awaited an explanation from the 5th Floor’s Administration.
Fortunately, they didn’t have to wait long, as, less than a minute after the transfer, a fashionable young woman with short brown hair, blue eyes, and white pupils appeared out of thin air. She had a lean and athletic figure that was garbed in a skin-tight, long-sleeved, blouse, a pair of trousers, high boots that extended past her knees, leather gloves, and a stylish mantle that covered her shoulders. It was a little strange that her entire ensemble was various shades of brown, but, perhaps by design, this made her eyes, earrings, and the necklace she wore around her neck stand out quite a bit.
With all eyes focused on her, the woman pressed an invisible icon on her Terminal. Others couldn’t see it, but Vahn, Phae, and even Gandr noticed a ‘magic circle’ that resembled an old microphone head appear in front of her mouth, amplifying her voice considerably as she said, “Welcome to the 5th Floor, Regulars. I am Ranker Analize, Fear Analize. I serve as Senior Administrator and Proctor of the 5th Floor’s ‘Paradise Bay’. As you have undoubtedly noticed, there are various accommodations present within this Floor. We have even contracted the Workshop to host an auction at the end of each month. You are allowed to stay on this Floor for up to a year before being forcibly kicked out, so feel free to use this time to make preparations for future Floors.”
Hearing Analize’s introduction, most of the Regulars present couldn’t wait to venture out into the city and explore its many boons. Unfortunately, as was often the case within the Inner Tower, things were never quite that simple. After all, Analize had yet to explain the method to advance to the 6th Floor, a Test that was guaranteed to filter out more than half of the participating Regulars.
Demonstrating how cruel reality could be, Analize’s expression darkened slightly as she said, “Now, before I release you to go about your own business, allow me to explain the Rules of this Floor and the requirements to advance to the next. From this moment onward, each of you is considered an F-Class Citizen. F-Class Citizens can only step into facilities directly operated by the Administration. All other businesses, including residential areas, are completely off-limits without the requisite Class required to enter. Higher Classes of Citizenship can be purchased within the properties managed by the Administration. To advance to the next Floor, you must become a B-Class Citizen. If you want to continue climbing as a Party, each member of the same Party must be B-Class. As for the remaining rules, they are largely dependent on your Class so I suggest you promptly seek more information at the nearest Administration Office. Know that High-Class Citizens have greater rights than their Low-Class counterparts. There are even situations where you could suffer serious injury or even death so make sure you gather as much information as possible before roaming around at random. Now, as there are far too many of you for me to answer individually, I will not be taking questions. With that said, good luck. Without a surplus of Points, you’re going to need it.”
Removing any chance for questions, Analize vanished into motes of bluish-white light immediately after her explanation was finished. This left many Regulars feeling unnerved and resentful, but, after coming this far, they were determined to go even further. Thus, rather than idle about, wasting time on complaining, they quickly sought out buildings marked with the house-like symbol representing the Administration. As for the members of Team Wolf Pack, they quietly disappeared from the plaza as Gandr, finding a suitable target, vanished into their shadow…
—
Having decided it was pointless to have the members of Team Wolf Pack compete in a Test that was essentially just ‘Class Warfare’, Vahn promptly pulled everyone into the Little Garden before explaining, “Though you will have to venture outside to obtain Points, the Little Garden will serve as your residence for the duration of your stay on the 5th Floor. We’ll discuss the specific after Gandr returns from his reconnaissance. For the time being, let me introduce you to a few people before cutting you loose to wash up and decompress. You all worked hard over the last thirty days, so I’ll allow you a three-day reprieve before training begins.”
Hearing Vahn’s explanation, visible relief could be seen in the expressions and body language of everyone present. It might only be three days, but, compared to their original expectations, which involved immediately returning to training, it was a literal godsend. The fact they would be allowed to stay within the Little Garden was also an extreme blessing, so, with the exception of Rak, most of the other members of Team Wolf Pack appeared to have a tremendous weight remove from their shoulders.
Chuckling lightly in response to the group’s reaction, Vahn resisted the urge to tell them they would need these three days to avoid having a mental breakdown during their combining training. He had spent the last month coming up with a personalized training regimen for each of them, and, though the intensity wouldn’t change much, the burden on their body and mind would increase drastically.
Most of their training was scheduled to take place on the Second Layer, a place where the average Shinsu Density was equivalent to the 20th Floor. Moving further down would increase the Density by 30%, approximately seven Floors within the Tower. This meant that, by the time Team Wolf Pack managed to adapt to the Seventh Layer, they would have effectively adapted to the 55th Floor of the Tower. This would give them an absolute advantage over most Regulars, so, even if he left them to pursue his own path, Vahn was confident they would be able to overcome most challenges.
Though some of the more perceptive members noticed the glimmer in Vahn’s eye, none of them spoke out. Even Khun had come to trust that the man wouldn’t do anything to harm them, so, while it was bound to be difficult, there were no challenges they couldn’t overcome together. These were words that Baam had repeated so many times that they had effectively become a mantra within the group; so, rather than lament what was to come, Khun adopted an expectant smile as Vahn casually introduced their new tormentors…
—
Despite appearing to have teleported away previously, Analize continued to watch over the Plaza from the comfort of her invisible Lighthouse. She dual-specialized as a Light-Bearer and a Wave Controller, considered by many to be the most powerful combination within the entire Tower, so she had quite a number of powerful items and artifacts in her arsenal. She was also an Advanced Ranker that was gradually moving up the ladder towards becoming a High Ranker. This made her extremely attentive to her surroundings, so, feeling someone attempting to probe her during the speech, Analize decided to stick around to conduct an investigation of her own.
Though she was unable to see Vahn and Phae within the playback of her Lighthouse, Analize had an intrigued glint in her eyes when she saw the rest of Team Wolf Pack disappear into thin air. This was an extremely abnormal event, not because they had disappeared, but because they were no longer detectable within the confines of the Administration’s observation network. This was a system that worked in conjunction with the Floor Guardian, so, while it might not be able to tell them the exact location of Testing Regulars, it could at least confirm whether or not they were present on the Floor.
With every other member of Team Wold Pack vanishing without a trace, Analize decided to monitor the person whose shadow Gandr had disappeared into. Her Lighthouse was B+ Rank, so, while she might not be able to sense him if he went into the State of Nothingness, his presence could easily be traced within a sub-dimensional plane. After all, Gandr wasn’t the first person with such abilities, so, as an organization that was committed to uncovering the secrets of ‘Origin’ itself, the Workshop had developed countless methods to detect, trace, and analyze objects that couldn’t be detected by normal means.
Seeing Gandr transition between people’s shadows without them noticing, an amused smile spread across Analize’s face as she mused to herself, “It looks like there are some interesting Regulars this time around…I wonder which organization they belong to? Guess we’ll have to find out by keeping a close eye on them, won’t we? Ufufufufufu~.”
(A/N: Alternate Titles: ‘Laure has life figured out’,’Vahn’s Children be getting spoilt…’,’Gandr can’t catch a break…’)
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