"Haah! I’m full." Wangnan leaned back on his chair, rubbing his belly. "That was really delicious. Thank you for the food!"
"You’re welcome, cluck!" The chicken man– who introduced himself as Gyetang– chirped happily.
As Wangnan waited for the others to finish their share, he snatched some crackers and fruits from the tray and let his mind wander as he snacked.
Earlier, they were all expecting the worst when Dan led them far from the residential area. He remembered how they exchanged worried glances when they ventured deeper into a forest, whispered among themselves of escape plans in case they were ambushed, and even debated going back before it was too late.
But after all Wangnan went through today, he trusted that Grace meant them no harm. He managed to convince everyone and they pushed through. Soon enough, they reached a clearing where a floating ship shaped like a fish was docked, much to everyone's awe.
Honestly, Wangnan shouldn’t have been so surprised when he found out that Grace had his own floating ship since he said it himself that points weren’t something he needed to worry about. Still, it must have cost a fortune that Wangnan couldn't even begin to wrap his head around.
They were greeted by Agni's two other team members— Gyetang and Novick— and were ushered to the cafeteria where the buffet was prepared.
"Actually, in the rundown, we were expecting Boss or Grace to give a speech after we ate," Dan told them once the majority had finished their meal. "But since they're not here, what do you say if we take you around for a quick tour?"
"We prepared rooms in advance in case you decided to stay with our team, cluck!"
And so they were taken to look at their rooms afterward, just a few steps away from the cafeteria. Wangnan could only gape when he saw how nice they were. Turns out, the rooms were grouped into dorms. Each dorm had two to three bedrooms, a shared living room and bathroom. With this, the boys and the girls could each take a separate dorm.
With how perfectly their number filled up each room, it felt almost as if this place was fated to be theirs. They even had a special bedroom and shower to accommodate Horyang's size. Dan also gave them some insight on how their daily lives would go as they passed by the public spaces. All in all, it actually sounded too good to be true.
Living here would definitely be a major improvement from Wangnan's previous lifestyle. The bed was comfortable. The bathroom water was working fine. He wouldn't have to fast when he was low on points. He could focus on training instead of making money. And he would have people to spend off time with.
They were definitely in the recruitment phase, since this ship was this large with even more dorms. At one point, Wangnan offhandedly commented about how he expected more people to come live in such a big place. To which Dan responded with a shrug, and said that he thought the same when he first joined.
Once they were done with the tour, they were free to roam around the place as they waited for the next rundown event.
Miseng and Prince found a dancing game and immediately got invested. The ladies were having a tea party with Gyetang. Meanwhile, Novick invited Teddy Bear to spar in the training area so Wangnan, Akraptor, and Dan decided to watch.
"So, do you know why Grace chose you guys to be in his team?" Dan started. "You said you're not teamed up by being in the top eight."
Wangnan was reminded of his own pitiful ranking, and then he recalled the moment where Grace made that deal with him. The moment Grace revealed that he had already made his picks. "Honestly, I don't know."
Dan smiled, as if he already knew the answer. "Is that so…?"
Akraptor spared Wangnan a curious glance before changing the topic. "So, we're waiting for your Boss to come, correct? Anything we should know about before meeting him?"
Dan hummed thoughtfully. "Not really. He's usually very chill…Well, sometimes literally. He likes to make himself seem unapproachable, but he's actually a softie and cares a lot about his people. Though he can be scary at times too, you just have to be able to read the room.
"In terms of skill, he's the second strongest in our team, after Grace. And he's likely the most skilled lightbearer you can find below the thirtieth floor— FUG acknowledged him for it too. Definitely not someone you want standing on the other side of the battlefield."
Wangnan chuckled nervously as he recalled his encounters with Agni. What Dan said seemed to be on track, and it only made Agni's image in his mind even more scary.
The ground suddenly shook as Novick and Horyang exchanged heavy blows and it drew their attention back to the arena. It was still too early to tell who had the upper hand but at least they looked like they were enjoying themselves.
"That's Novick for you," Dan mumbled, looking somewhat smug. "He's very competitive, especially with new people. You better get yourselves ready."
Wangnan felt cold sweat forming as he forced a laugh. Surely this wouldn't be how he died, right?
It took about another hour until Agni arrived. He looked tired and worn out, but he still carried an air of authority as he entered the meeting room where everyone had gathered.
"Good afternoon, everyone," Agni greeted them. "I heard that you have passed the twentieth floor test. Congratulations. I hope the food we prepared was to your liking."
Everyone only nodded, not much of a verbal response other than hushed murmurs of affirmation.
"As you may have learned, my name's Agni. I'm in charge of managing things around here." His cold gaze swept across them, and Wangnan felt a shiver when it glanced over him. "I apologize for my late arrival, and also on Grace's behalf since he couldn't come right now."
Yeah, Wangnan had seen that coming. There were too many things that happened earlier and it definitely would take a while to sort out. Wangnan was here only because Grace had convinced him that he needed to attend this gathering, otherwise he'd have paid Nia a visit or helped with the funeral planning.
"Anyway. Due to the recent circumstances, we might need to delay our plan to ascend to the next floor," Agni said while he looked toward his team members. "Any objection?"
"Nah. It's understandable."
"Sure. It’s not like I’m in a hurry." Novick spoke. "But how about them?"
"Since they have applied to take the next floor test, they should still climb as planned. I'll try to get the situation sorted by then."
Wangnan wondered who they were referring to, but he assumed that there were more people in Agni's team than he knew of.
"Now, to the new faces here." Agni called for their attention once more. "I'd like for you to forget whatever Grace has said that made you join his team."
"Huh." His group replied collectively.
"What I meant is; If you’re here because you felt threatened, know that you're still able to turn back. If you came here only for money you were promised, I'll spare you some points and off you can go. If you think you'll live an easy life in this place, or think that you can safely hitch a ride, know that you're gravely mistaken.
"Joining Grace's team means you have to put it all on the line. I assume you've seen what he's capable of, and many will target him for it. Thus, being with him will put you in danger because you will be his weakness.
"It's not an exaggeration that you might die following him.
"If you don't have the conviction to get stronger, are afraid of experiencing hardships, or value your life enough to stop climbing the tower, you’d be better off anywhere but here."
Everyone was exchanging glances but none of them uttered a sound. Wangnan knew that this speech was intended to make him second-guess his choice, but for some reason, it only convinced him that it was the right path to take.
Harships were already his old friend, so did putting things on the line just to climb the tower. He had brushed with death so many times already, and he doubted it'd be the last, regardless of which path he chose. If joining this team could make him stronger and take him higher up the tower, then he’ll take the risk.
"Grace wanted to choose his own teammates, and that's the only reason you're here. He believes that you have what it takes, but I just want to make sure that you're all here by your own volition.
"I want it to be known that it won't be his fault for whatever may happen to you the moment you decide to join us here, because I'm giving you a chance to turn back after telling you the truth.
"As you have seen, we will provide you with what we got here. We will help you get stronger and reach your best potential. But that also means you'll have to put in a lot of effort to improve.
"And just so you know, FUG won’t take this team matter lightly. Today, Grace has publicly declared himself a slayer candidate, and we know they are planning to team him up with people who are more talented and stronger. They will try to eliminate you if you're deemed unworthy."
Wangnan shivered. Though it wasn't enough to shatter his resolve, it was still scary to think about.
"Obviously, we will do what we can to prevent that from happening in the first place. But we can’t look after you all the time and guarantee your safety." Agni had put it very bluntly for them.
Agni's approach to the recruitment process was the exact opposite of Grace. If Wangnan had to put it into words, Grace had been trying to appease them to join him, while Agni was trying to drive them away. Even though Wangnan believed that Grace’s actions were genuine—seeing how he truly cares about his friends— Agni’s warning wasn’t something he would take lightly either.
"It's up to you to decide whether the things that we could offer you here are worth risking your life for. So once you leave this place today, I want you to think this through. And if you still want to climb with us, get your belongings ready and gather near the forest entry at noon tomorrow. There will be no turning back afterward."
Ehwa raised her hand. "So you'll really just let us go? Nothing would happen if we didn't come back?"
Agni stared at her for a second, before he nodded. "That's correct. As long as you're not publicly in contact with Grace, you should be fine."
Wangnan supposed that means it was too late for him to turn back now. Well, not that he was planning to do so anyway.
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