Chapter 40: Recruiting (3)

Chapter 40: Chapter 40: Recruiting (3)

After Grolm had finally had his fill of squeezing Michael in bear hugs and decided to put him down, Michael headed for the changing room beside the door and began putting on the gear Kael had prepared for him.

It took him a few minutes to get used to the equipment; since several of its buttons concealed hidden mechanisms that revealed secret weapons, but once he learned not to press every button he saw and took things slowly, the process became fairly easy.

With the dressing out of the way, he spent a few seconds steadying his breath before stepping out of the changing alcove, adjusting the high collar of his black jacket.

The beetle-like breastplate underneath sat snug against his chest, designed to turn aside arrows and glancing blows. Dark trousers and practical boots completed the set, while flexible metal guards protected his knees and elbows.

Michael was still pulling on his last glove when he noticed the awkward silence in the room. He slowly raised his head and found four pairs of eyes fixed on him.

He paused, eyes narrowing. "What?"

Kael shook his head slowly, a crooked grin tugging at one corner of his mouth. "Nothing, big boss. It’s just that the world really is unfair, giving one person that much good looks instead of spreading them around."

Michael finished pulling the glove into place and exhaled through his nose. "That’s enough admiring for one day."

He crossed the room to the lone wooden chair beside the table, dropped into it, and crossed his legs. His gaze swept across the room—from Grolm’s near-naked state to Raven’s tight black leathers and Emma’s crossed arms—before settling on Kael.

"Okay, then," he said, leaning back. "How do we reach the tower?"

Kael’s gaze lingered on Michael’s rose-pink eyes before he shook his head lightly, reached into his pocket, and pulled out a folded sheet of parchment.

He spread the old paper across the table, revealing a map of the domain’s major landmarks and the usual rift zones near its outer edge.

Once the map was fully open, he glanced around the room before turning his attention back to Michael. "Although this is common knowledge for most of us, I think it’s best if I bring you up to speed."

He tapped a spot near the edge of the map. "Right here is where rifts normally open and where we usually operate. Honestly, if Her Highness didn’t use her ability to contain them in this area, our job would be much more difficult."

He let out a weary sigh before continuing. "This new one, though..."

His finger slid toward a spot closer to the center. "It opened right here. That’s one of the reasons people started fearing it before anyone even entered. After all, if even Her Highness can’t decide where it stays, how are we supposed to conquer it?"

He shifted his finger slightly, then smiled at Michael. "Actually, you might be more familiar with this area. It’s just beyond the peak where you and Her Highness have been staying."

Michael straightened, one elbow resting on his knee as he propped his chin against his fingers and studied the map. "Wait... if the rift is practically at her back door, then why hasn’t she cleared it?"

Kael blinked. "Didn’t you go to the academy?" His voice dropped slightly, genuine disbelief creeping into his expression. "It’s literally one of the most basic rules that Awakened can’t enter a rift more than two ranks below their own."

"I know that." Michael’s gaze remained fixed on the map. "But that rule only explains why Seraphine can’t enter. It doesn’t explain why no Rank-5 has entered yet."

His fingers tapped lightly against his chin.

He still wasn’t certain whether the towers in this world worked the same way as the ones he remembered from novels and games. However, if they followed even roughly the same rules, then there had to be some kind of requirement, mission, or special key that could reveal the tower’s true rank and allow humanity’s main forces to fight against it.

Or perhaps someone needed to reach a certain floor first.

Still... even if the tower was currently classified as a Babylon-rank rift, which was equivalent to a Rank 7 rift, wouldn’t it make sense to send a team of Rank 5 Awakened? As elite superhumans, they could easily gather information while also figuring out how to bypass the restrictions.

Yet, according to everything Kael had told him, no high-ranked Great King had entered any of the towers.

Michael frowned.

Surely it couldn’t simply be because the Sovereigns wanted to use lower-ranked Awakened as pawns. That might have been believable for some of them, but Michael knew Seraphine well enough to know she wouldn’t deliberately send him into a situation like that.

Besides, according to the completed mission he had given Ivy, she was currently inside one of these towers as well.

So it clearly wasn’t a matter of conserving their strongest forces by throwing weaker Awakened away as disposable sacrifices.

’Then is there some rule or agreement we don’t know about?’

Michael sighed and looked back at Kael. The man seemed to have something else to say, and the moment he noticed Michael’s attention, he spoke.

"I won’t lie, I actually had the same thought as you. Honestly...." Kael said, rubbing the back of his neck. "At first, I thought the Sovereigns wanted to sacrifice us low ranks. After all, a hundred of us aren’t even worth one Great King."

He paused, then fixed his gaze on Michael. "However, you’re different, big boss. The fact that Her Highness allowed you to come with us means we aren’t exactly being treated as pawns."

Kael’s expression became more serious. "But just like you said, it is still strange that she hasn’t sent anyone stronger."

He thought for a moment before continuing. "My best guess? The towers that appeared across several domains at the same time are somehow connected. If Her Highness and the other Sovereigns already know that, then it would make sense that they wouldn’t send their Great Kings inside."

Michael’s eyes narrowed slightly. "Because they need them to protect their territories?"

"Exactly."

Kael continued his explanation. "If another force, let’s say the Shadow Monarch, were to attack while the Sovereigns’ border forces were inside the towers, their domains would be left vulnerable. So instead of taking that risk, they’re using us lower ranks to scout the towers, gather information, and figure out exactly what we’re dealing with."

Raven suddenly chimed in. "So basically... an unspoken information war?"

Kael nodded slowly. "Hmm..."

Michael rose to his feet. "Well, none of that matters much. Once we get inside, we’ll naturally learn the truth."

Before he could take a step forward, Emma’s hand closed around his wrist.

He turned slightly, only to find her staring at him with a deep frown.

"Hey, you bastard. What exactly do you mean by ’doesn’t matter much’? I know I joined of my own free will, but that doesn’t mean I’m eager to die. You’re strong for your age—that’s true, but strength doesn’t automatically make someone a good leader. My advice is that we wait and gather more—"

"Then what?"

Michael cut her off.

He looked down at her from his greater height, his gaze steady and unblinking, before letting out a quiet sigh. "Emma, I get that you’re worried about your safety. But even if we wait until tomorrow, what exactly do you think will change? I doubt any new information is going to magically appear."

He gently pulled his wrist free from her grip. "Seraphine isn’t here, and no one who has entered the tower has returned. So how exactly do you expect us to learn more by sitting here?"

Michael stepped past her, but after a few steps, he paused and turned his head slightly. "Honestly, if you’re too scared to even take the first step, how do you expect to achieve anything?"

He reached the far door and set his hand on the knob, then paused once more, turning his head just enough to look at everyone.

Slowly, a bright, almost careless smile touched his lips. "i know I’m not the smartest leader you’ll ever meet. But I can promise you one thing."

The smile widened by a fraction. "I’ll make sure none of you die."

Silence filled the room for a heartbeat.

After a long second, Grolm threw his head back and roared with laughter. "That’s the spirit, pretty boss! This old master is willing to follow!"

Raven crossed the short distance, slipped her arm through Michael’s, and looked up at him. "Do I even need to say anything?"

Kael sighed, his shoulders dropping. "Well, I can’t exactly leave the tavern." He raised a thumbs-up. "Just know I’m with you in spirit."

All eyes turned to Emma.

Her eyes narrowed as she glared at them, her jaw tight.

’Suicidal fuckers, all of them!’ she thought, her teeth grinding together.

Slowly, her expression relaxed as the uncertainty in her eyes settled into flat resolve. "Haah... I don’t exactly have a choice, do I?"

A perverted grin formed on Kael’s face as he quickly tried to hide it behind one hand. ’Big bro really doesn’t waste time. First the boss, now the crazy healer. If he pulls this off too, I might have to start taking notes.’

He quickly rummaged through his pockets before tossing a set of keys across the room toward Michael.

"There’s a floating mat in the back," Kael said, holding in his grin. "Should make travelling to the site fairly easy since none of us have any flight skills. Though I doubt it’ll work once you’re inside the tower."

Michael offered him a grateful nod before opening the back door, revealing the cobblestone road beyond.

The cold night air immediately rushed past them, carrying the distant howl of wind across the peaks.

Michael stepped through the doorway onto the stone landing, with the others following behind—Raven trailing directly to his right, Emma a short distance to his left, and Grolm bringing up the rear with his heavy footsteps.

He looked up at the dark sky, a grin slowly forming on his face.

Finally, he was stepping outside his comfort zone. And if his theory was correct, he might even get the chance to meet Ivy inside.

’Hehe... time to conquer a tower.’