Chapter 6
After Mai greeted Aragi in the hotel, she adjusted her cloak and said,
"Okay, I'm going somewhere now. We'll meet tomorrow and clear the gates up to the 15th floor. So, wake up early."
Aragi leaned back on the bed, his gray eyes narrowing. "Hmm… Actually, I wanted to ask you something."
Mai tilted her head. "What is it?"
"That boss I fought… Did you fight the same one?"
Mai's expression didn't change. "Yeah. What about it?"
Aragi hesitated. "Doesn't it seem weird? He looked human. If you fought the same boss, that means you killed him too, right?"
"Yes."
"Then… he was brought back to life?"
Mai shrugged lightly. "Who knows? This tower is still full of mysteries. Only the people at the very top know the truth."
Aragi frowned. "Has anyone ever reached the top?"
"No. The furthest anyone's gone is around the 450th floor."
Aragi's eyes widened. "How do you even know this?"
"Don't you read the news?"
"We have news here!?" Aragi almost fell off the bed.
Mai smirked. "Yes. You can find newspapers in Goro Soros' shop. Try reading them sometime." She stretched and turned toward the door. "It's getting late. We'll talk tomorrow."
"…Hmm." Aragi lay down, but her words bothered him. She said she was "going somewhere." At that late hour, where could she possibly be going? He thought about following her but shook his head. It's none of my business. With that, he drifted into sleep.
---
The next morning, Aragi woke up, got ready, and wandered the streets of Drektown. There was still time before they had to head to the tower. While walking, he spotted Mai.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"There's still time," she replied calmly. "Just walking around. What about you?"
"Same thing, just killing time."
Before he could say more, his stomach suddenly growled loudly. Borborygmi. His face turned red.
Mai raised an eyebrow, then smiled faintly. "You're hungry, aren't you? Why don't we eat? We've got time."
Aragi rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "…Fine."
They went to a nearby restaurant. It was Aragi's first time eating in one, and he was shocked by how delicious the food was.
"This is amazing," he muttered between bites. Then he looked up. "Hey, Mai… Just curious, where were you going last night?"
Mai froze for a second, staring at the table. Her eyes seemed distant, as if she was remembering something.
"…If you don't want to tell me, it's fine," Aragi quickly added.
Before Mai could respond, a loud commotion broke out behind them.
A man with iron nails hammered into his face was grabbing another customer by the collar. His gang cheered as he shouted, then threw the man across the restaurant before walking out.
Aragi's eyes widened. "Who the hell were they?"
Mai took a sip of water like nothing happened. "A gang. I don't remember their name, but the one with the nails is their leader."
"They looked terrifying."
"Come on," Mai stood. "Time's up."
---
At the elevator, Aragi stretched his arms. "So, five floors today?"
"Yeah. From the 11th to the 15th. They're mostly the same type of floor, so no problem." Mai gave him a teasing look. "Unless… you're scared."
"Hey! Why would I be scared?"
"Then why are your legs shaking?"
Aragi glanced down. His leg was trembling. He quickly straightened up. "It's… because I'm excited!"
"Right," she smirked.
Before they could enter, a girl approached them. "Excuse me, are you going to the 11th floor?"
They nodded cautiously.
She smiled. "I'm heading there too. Can I come with you? It would make me feel safer."
Mai's eyes narrowed. "You're a Vindicator?"
The girl lifted her bangs, showing her brown eyes. "Yes. But I'm not that strong."
Aragi looked at Mai. "…What do you think?"
"As long as you don't cause trouble," Mai said flatly.
The girl grinned. "Thank you very much! My name's Freya." Then her eyes shifted to Aragi. "And you? A Vindicator too? Grey eyes? First time I've seen one. You don't look very strong… Don't slow us down."
Aragi felt a flicker of annoyance but forced a smile. "…I'll do my best."
---
Floor 11 – The Bunker
(The 11th floor looked like a giant underground bunker, full of broken machines, steel walls, and narrow passages.)
"This place looks creepy," Aragi muttered.
Mai replied calmly, "It's like a bunker. Stay sharp."
Freya's eyes darted around greedily. If I use these two, I can make decent money. I just have to let them fight while I take the rewards.
Soon, monsters appeared—E-rank, half-machine creatures with rusted metal parts.
"Let's go," Mai said.
Aragi slashed with his katana while Mai fought effortlessly. Freya, however, stayed behind, pretending to help while secretly collecting crystals.
Both Aragi and Mai noticed but said nothing.
At the elevator, they scanned their cards. Freya cheerfully declared, "That was easy. I killed so many monsters, earned a lot of crystals!"
Aragi thought, She barely killed three… liar. He glanced at Mai, but she remained silent.
---
Floors 12–14
The monsters grew stronger, D-rank machine-beasts with heavy armor. Aragi and Mai fought back-to-back, sparks flying as their weapons clashed with metal claws.
"Behind you!" Mai called.
Aragi ducked, cutting through a monster's exposed wires. They pushed forward, clearing the 12th, 13th, and 14th floors.
Freya, as usual, did almost nothing. Whenever she moved, it was only to pocket crystals while pretending to fight.
Aragi clenched his teeth in frustration. She's stealing from us…
He opened his mouth, but Mai quietly put a hand on his shoulder. "Calm down. It's the last floor. We'll be done soon."
---
Floor 15 – Split Paths
In the elevator, Freya smirked. "By the way, do you two live together?"
Both Aragi and Mai froze. "N-No! We just happen to stay in the same hotel!"
"Oooh," Freya replied arrogantly, clearly amused.
When they stepped onto the 15th floor, it looked similar to the others—dark steel halls, broken pipes, and scattered debris. They fought their way forward but couldn't find the elevator.
Finally, they reached a fork. Two paths.
"One leads to the elevator. The other might be a dead end," Mai said. "We could split up. Sometimes dead ends hide treasure."
Before Aragi could answer, Freya grabbed his hand. "Then I'll go with him. You go that way."
Aragi frowned. "Wait—"
Mai cut him off. "It's fine. Don't worry. I'm stronger than you. Nothing will happen to me."
Aragi reluctantly agreed. They split up.
---
Freya and Aragi walked down the narrow corridor. No monsters appeared.
Freya smirked to herself. If anything happens, I'll ditch him. I can't risk Mai catching me using her. But there—what's that? She crouched and saw a stash—half-hidden crystals, glinting like prizes.
She looked at Aragi. He was focused on watching paths, unaware. If I tell him, she thought, I'll have to give half. She stuffed as many as she could into pockets and a small pouch and forced a casual grin. Perfect. Nobody will know.
They eventually reached a dead end.
"No treasure… Did Mai find it instead?" Freya sighed dramatically.
Aragi rubbed his chin. "Maybe. We should head back quickly."
"You're worried about her, aren't you?" Freya teased.
"Yeah," Aragi admitted. "She's already cleared twenty floors, yet she's helping me. I don't want to trouble her."
Freya waved it off. "She'll be fine."
They returned to find Mai waiting calmly by the elevator.
"Are you okay?" Aragi asked.
"I'm fine," she said. "But… something feels wrong about this floor. I have a bad feeling."
They scanned their cards. Aragi's and Mai's passed. Freya's didn't.
"What!? Why not?" Freya snapped.
"You have to kill at least two monsters to unlock the next floor," Mai said coldly. "You didn't."
Freya forced a nervous laugh. "Oh, right… maybe I missed one. I'll be back in a few minutes."
Aragi frowned. "Do we really have to wait?"
Mai nodded. "We can't leave her behind."
As Freya left, she smirked inwardly. Idiots. I killed two already. I just want time to grab that treasure I saw.
---
To pass time, Mai asked quietly, "Aragi—what do you want from the Tower?"
He rubbed his hands. "At first… money. Then strength. Now… I don't know. Maybe to know why I exist."
Mai's jaw tightened. "I climbed because I wanted to find someone. That person… didn't make it." She looked away and said no more.
Aragi nodded, feeling the weight of her words. The silence settled between them like a blanket.
Ten minutes passed. Then twenty
Aragi tapped his foot impatiently. "What's taking her so long?"
Mai folded her arms. "Maybe she's still searching."
Aragi sighed. "…You know how greedy she is. Maybe she went to check the other path."
Mai considered this. "Then let's check."
They walked down the other passage. The air grew heavier.
Aragi's foot suddenly pressed into something soft. He froze. Slowly, he looked down.
It was… an eyeball. A human eyeball.
His chest tightened. Both he and Mai raised their guard, stepping forward cautiously.
And then—they saw it.
Freya's head. Split in half, one eye missing, her crystals scattered across the ground.
Behind her stood something monstrous.
A towering figure, 7–8 feet tall. Its arms were long and spiked, iron bars jutting from its back like broken machine parts. It held Freya's body casually, gnawing on her fingers as if they were snacks.
Aragi and Mai froze, horror washing over them.
The creature slowly turned its head toward them, lips curling into a bloody smile.
Both of them thought the same thing.
WHAT IS THAT THING!?
---
To be continued…