There wasn't a time when I was thought to be bold and daring, just to keep my head low and my ego lower. I never once hated where I was, for I wasn't alone in this hopeless dump. I thought I reached the depths of poverty, but I was wrong. It came knocking down with a dreadful melody, a bloody night, and worthless talent.
"You guys came just in time. I'd like to formally introduce our guide, Kang Sei Jun. And they're Yippie, Kai, and Yei,"
Upon the introduction of the three, it was certain they'd pose as their names were called as if to make things more dramatic. Sei Jun felt the three inspecting him from head to toe as if to gauge whether he was strong or not, and the results were disappointing. Not a single bloodlust, skin pale as snow, and the athleticism that rivals a walking twig ready to snap at any given moment.
"A pleasure to meet you three. I'll be guiding you all to the 7th floor. I was informed that all of you will be taking the test, including my employer," He extends his arm as a means of shaking their hands.
"We don't do handshakes, wouldn't wanna accidentally break your grip- ow," A playful jab at the Ogre's side disrupting his sentence and giving way for another's hasty greeting.
"Play nice Yippie! Why do you always have to start a fight? I'm sorry about that, this one isn't too bright; the name is Kai," A scaly lizard maiden reached out to his hands and welcomed him with a warm smile.
"Just don't get in our way," A dwarfling passed through him with his cold and disorienting presence.
'You too, pipsqueak. Well isn't this a nice setup? So their lineup consists of a Harbinger, Frontier, Corekeeper, and lastly, Miss Oriana. I'm pretty sure she's a Pioneer?'
Climbing the Infinite Tower was treacherous, and roles to appoint figures were later created. Harbingers were known to be mobile and slippery, scouting the floors and ambush. The Frontier role is self-explanatory; they're the ones you'll find at the front leading the charge at any battle. A battle wouldn't be clean and devastating without a figurehead, which is the Corekeeper. Versebinder manipulates the laws of the tower as it masters its radiant source of power, the Ether. Last but not least, the Pioneer, in comparison to a turret, their known for its incredible strength in dealing with foes from afar.
'It's a well-rounded team indeed. I was hoping she'd be a Virtuouso, but the chances of that are unlikely. Thats a special role known for their versatility amid chaos. It's quite a surprise that not a single climber I've met seems to possess a capability that matched well in that description,'
"But you know Oriana... this will be our final adventure. Seeing as we made it here on record speed," As you Kang Sei Jun Kai's confusing statement, a blunt yet striking pressure knocked him unconscious.
"You... you dare betray me? Who's your master? Urghh! Unhand me!! Why... why isn't my powers working on you?"
"Oi Yei, I'm supposed to be the muscle head, right? Why did you knock out the guide? He wasn't even a threat," His vision grew darker by the second he heard an inkling of their voices.
"Spare me the complaints, you ogre. I wasn't sure if he was charmed. We need to be cautious given the severity of the job,"
'Job? Severity...? Oh shit! Did I get myself caught in a succession war? Fuck, no wonder she gave me so much cash-'
Once the blood flow from his neck suddenly drops, it gives way to his nerves reacting, which makes him faint. This event was shortly followed by Kang Sei Jun finding himself to have risen from his forced nap to see his tortured employer. What's more surprising is that he's bound to a tree, despite his relations with her only as an employer.
"Um sorry to interrupt, but can you guys untie me? I hardly knew her and she's just my employer. I promise I won't tell- whoa, what the fuck was that for?" His sentence was cut short after a knife was carefully flung to strike his head yet struck the bark near his cheeks.
"You could stop with the tough guy act. I've seen knives faster than yours. And if you really want to kill me, then why wait? You had a perfect chance to kill me back there, or is this your first day as an assassin-" Sei Jun felt a rough collision in his left jaw upon receiving a swift and powerful kick, executed by Yei
"God, you don't shut up, don't ya? Have you been checked for ADHD? Because you sure yap a lot even after I gave a sign to shut up," Yei pulled his collar and screamed to his left ear canal
"No, but my father has it. The only problem is, I'm an orphan, thats also explains why my name is different from theirs-" Yei pulled a left hook followed by a jab, a right uppercut, and finishing it off with a roundhouse kick to Sei Jun's chin.
"Thats enough Yei of Vishear. Allow me to apologize for the battery of my employees. The plan went south, the moment you joined, so we improvised,"
A voice so eloquent spoke, and right after, a silhouette emerged from the shadows, as generic as it may sound. However, Sei Jun wasn't met by a toned muscular bastard covered in expenditures from top to bottom. No, he was confronted by a frail, four-eyed man, with the only distinct symbol of his nobility being the crest.
"Thats alright he'll be having a mouthful once we're at court, consider getting yourself a criminal lawyer, jackass!" The unknown man undone his bindings, and with only a minor discomfort, he was back to his feet.
"Boss, If I may you shouldn't say employees. It was all Yei's fault. He knocked him out, tied him, and beat him to a pulp; we have assistance with his crimes," Kai ever so fluently tried to appease his rage but was cut off.
"Staying silent and doing nothing is also a form of assistance. Not only did you not stop him from tying an innocent bystander... but you also stood there silently as he beat the "Poor" man,"
'Did you really have to highlight the "Poor" part of your sentence?'
"But we were too preoccupied in apprehending your sister, Mr. Khan Ugero Eljis-" Yippie tried to reason with him but it failed after he saw the rage-filled eyes this calm man was not known for.
"The two of you agree that this violates the contract of harming civilians? I'll have the two of you get a pay cut. And you, Yei of Vishear will have a letter of reprimand sent to your boss once this is over,"
'Khan Ugero Eljis eh? So he's from the ten families reigning over the first floor? I need to get out of here before, I get more entangled,'
As the man Khan Ugero Eljis discreetly gave his employee a talking-to, he noticed Sei Jun leaving the premises. "What are you in a hurry for? Please allow me to compensate you. You may not know, but Oriana is quite a two-faced bitch,"
'Did you seriously say that with a smile on his face? But Is it really alright to bad mouth her? They're enemies but damn-'
"She normally blows some steam by going up the tower. Then kills the guide and screwed their corpses. And given your face she wouldn't stop at killing you but, screw you, chop your limbs and eat it while you're alive and breathing as she screws-"
"Okay, I think I heard enough about your fucked up family. So can I go? I promise I won't say anything, I won't even ask for money,"
After hearing a hidden side of the nod deceased Oriana, who hails from the Khan family, Sei Jun was adamant about escaping. Ugero, hearing this, sighed and retrieved his arm; he realized what he meant by his statement. Sei Jun refused money not because he was in a rush but rather because he'd be seen as an accomplice, making him a target by Ugero's siblings.
'I swear, the people of the slums are better than that blasted shit of a city, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. It was a capitalistic hell where you either slave way, be in debt, and be sent to the slums while also working for the Ten families. Talent and status were hailed as weapons in surviving such a rotten environment; that's also why I was tossed aside. My biological family may as well have hidden my birth as an accident, and I died, but they had the heart to just toss me away. Since they named me, the tower appointed that name to me, which made me realize earlier on that I was adopted,'
Once he reaches the clearing and finds the exit to reach the 4th floor, Kang Sei Jun notices a robed individual. It piqued his curiosity, and it made him stop in his tracks. What he felt was mesmerizing; he heard a soothing tone, so soft and nostalgic, coming from the flute, and it wasn't only him who had fallen to such feelings. Monsters all around the 5th floor had begun to flock near the musician.
'Monsters! But why can't I sense any bloodlust? No, it's like they don't even give off a sense of dread. Just what the hell did this person do to bewitch such a gigantic and powerful beast? Wait, is it their flute? Music does have the ability to bewitch; I read a book so old that it predates when humans were still on Earth. How a certain pitch of music can tame an animal called a snake, and even a story of a man leading rats to the bridge, called the Pied Piper,'
After such a bewitching pitch had taken the hearts of these beasts, the performer clad in robes played a disorderly note. In which the beast, entranced by his past performance, reacted in a way in which they grew mad. This led to their immediate rage, but even as these beasts began to riot, they remained clear of injuring the robed individual.
"I need to get out of here-" His route was cut after he heard the slithering of an enormous viper and it pounced on him before it was dragged a by twelve-foot bear
'My only option is the 6th floor!!!'
He ran as all hell broke loose from the forest whilst avoiding any clearing and hiding himself in the thick layers of trees. On his path to escape he once again met with the group led by Khan Ugero Eljis, aside from their leader was killed. Yippie was stomped by an enraged Great Ape, Kai dismembered by a horde of Blits Moles, and Yei skewered to a rock.
"Hey watch out!!!"
Khan pounces on him, pushing Sei Jun along with himself away as the behemoth of the 5th floor, the Albaino centiped bursts from the ground. A majestic and illustrious scene was a sight to behold, but as the two make their escape, the tremor from its arrival expands the ground. It pushed the mass resulting in a wave-like motion as a hulking pile of dirt would bury these poor souls.
"Welp, I guess this is how we die. I'm sorry that I've caught you up in this mess. What bad luck no? To think this monster outbreak would happen unannounced. It's been a hassle for the Ten Families side as well since it is hindering our profit,"
As Kang Sei Jun heard of this information, it seems they have yet to catch the assailant. The Pied Piper so he addresses the perpetrator at hand. With its masterful performance resulting in the distress of the monsters. He could've escaped; why did he stay to hear the show, now he's about to be buried in the 10-meter-wide wave of dirt?
'Again!!? Why am I always dragged to such death-infested events? I have neither talent nor wealth. Why is it the weak and feeble-minded? How come I, who never once acted out, lower my head, get dragged to this hell? Or is it because im weak? Because I made myself a target? Because I never fought back? So fate just threw all the dangers at my face, knowing full well I wouldn't curse and I'd remain down? Maybe living like a doormat made me incapable of fighting back, that it saw me as a waste, and made it so I'll die, knowing my life wasn't important...'
[Target of Immersion: Diary of a Petty Monarch
• Entry Two
Made it to the 5th floor with help, but some jerk kept calling me "Deadweight" and even hit me. I was furious. My powers are strong but drain my stamina fast—barely had time to rest before I wanted to turn him into Ash No. 2.
Turns out, my gift isn't fire itself, but the highest affinity to summon it. Once I learned to store Ether, vengeance became possible. But a massive white centipede killed everyone—including Ash No. 2.
I should've been the one to end him. So, fueled by rage, I incinerated that bug.
• Quality: ??? — Excellent condition, premium materials, [Redacted] ??? rating
• Borrowed Power: ["Redacted" Ether Accumulation Arts] — Full strength due to emotional sync with the author
• Taboo: Burn your target to ash or die trying
• Duration: 15 minutes]
"I refuse to fucking die!!!"
The pile of dirt that should've buried them alive was burnt by the fiery release, and this stream traveled farther. Striking the Albaino centipede and in contact with its shell, it began to spread and burn to a degree so fast and horrific. It lost strength and flailed to the forest with the rioting beast, and only with a whiff of embers did it continue to burn. Everything in contact felt the ferocity of the flame; Kang Sei Jun's clothes weren't an exception, as upon releasing such power, so did his clothes come to be ashes.
"What was that?"
Khan Ugero Eljis was stunned that such power rested in the palms of a beggar, yet the most pressing matter... was Sei Jun's bare junk was open for all to see; Ugero seeing this can't even be in awe, for such power was so deadly. Only the wielder itself was left unharmed, yet the cloth he carried was torched the moment he'd donned the power. Except for the black book held in his left hand
"Ah, shit, I overdid it..."
Right after such a monstrous display of firepower, Kang Sei Jun soon again felt the strain of the book piercing his body. The majestic image he displayed, even the fear of what his power may bring was long forgotten as soon he screamed like a bitch. Khan Ugero Eljis was confused as to what his future actions entail, but he couldn't just let his savior remain on the 5th floor bare naked for all to see.