The streets of the Tower had long surrendered to the night.

  As I crossed the stone pavements with weary steps, my eyes locked onto a familiar sign.

  “This inn…”

  It used to be nothing more than a roof and a warm plate. But now... it was the first place I came to when I returned to the city.

  I’m not sure why. Maybe it was that small comfort that comes with familiarity.

  When I pushed the door open, a wave of warmth and the smell of food hit my face.

  The creaking of wooden floors, the echoes of laughter, the crackling of the fireplace...

  All of it unfolded the past right before me.

  As my gaze wandered through the crowd, I suddenly saw that table.

  Joseph, Gareth, and Isabelle.

  All three of them at the same table, just like old times.

  Joseph sat at the edge, laughing with a massive mug in hand. Broad shoulders, battle-worn armor, and the same scruffy beard — he still carried that old leader’s air.

  Gareth was quietly slicing his meat, his axe resting against his knee, occasionally nodding with a faint smile. Still that same stern but warm expression...

  And Isabelle, right in the middle of the table, her eyes scanning the room.

  Then her gaze locked onto me. Her eyes widened, lips parting slightly.

  “Alex?”

  Joseph and Gareth turned their heads toward me as well.

  Gareth’s eyes lit up.

  Joseph stood up, his voice booming across the entire inn:

  “NO WAY! Is that really you, Alex?!”

  Seconds later, the three of them were on their feet, walking toward me.

  One by one, they hugged me. Clapped me on the shoulder. Laughed.

  Isabelle embraced me lightly, then frowned and smacked my arm:

  “Not sending a word for this long? We thought you were dead…”

  “It was like you vanished off the face of the earth,” said Joseph.

  “Or climbed the upper floors on your own…” Gareth added, narrowing his eyes, though his face still held that familiar warmth.

  I nodded and smiled.

  “Not quite. But... it’s a long story.”

  We returned to their table. A plate of food and a mug of hot drink was placed in front of me. We all sat down, and as the conversation started flowing, time seemed to resume.

  I stirred my food a bit with my spoon before I began to speak.

  “I haven’t been around crowds in a long time. I went somewhere far from the city, deep into a cave. Dark, silent and... useful.”

  Gareth raised his eyebrows.

  “A cave? Outside the city but... still within the Tower? Wasn’t it dangerous?”

  “It was, at first. But I built myself a workshop there. Bellows, anvil, stone furnace… all made with my own hands.”

  Isabelle looked astonished.

  “By yourself? You forged weapons there?”

  I nodded.

  “Yeah. Quite a few. Daggers from wolf fangs, armor from pelts, throwing knives reinforced with steel…”

  Joseph let out a whistle.

  “So the whole time you were gone... you were working hard, huh?”

  “Yeah, a lot,” I said, smiling faintly.

  “Today I sold everything I made. Altogether... I earned ninety-three thousand Tower coins.”

  Everyone at the table fell silent.

  Gareth’s fork froze in mid-air, Isabelle’s cup never reached her lips. Joseph scratched his forehead, staying quiet for a moment before whistling again, low and long.

  “Ninety-three thousand?!”

  “Unbelievable…” said Isabelle, her eyes wide.

  “With that, you could live a lifetime in any city outside the Tower.”

  “You could start an army,” Gareth added in a low voice, though he was grinning.

  I lowered my head slightly and smiled.

  But what I felt wasn’t just pride.

  Another path had ended.

  But the real journey… was just beginning.

  I didn’t tell them about the secrets of the cave, or the small hands that helped me.

  That part of the story was mine alone.

  And some things... are more valuable kept secret.

  “I missed you guys,” I finally said.

  “But I think I’ve changed a little.”

  Joseph raised his drink.

  “You’ve got a lot to tell us, Alex. But tonight... just enjoy it.”

  And I, feeling a warmth I hadn’t known in years, nodded and raised my mug.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  “It’s good to be here.”

  Laughter, food, and memories filled the next few hours.

  Eventually, the chatter slowed. Plates were empty, mugs half-full. The fireplace crackled softly as the inn’s hum settled into a comfortable hush.

  But I… had fallen into silence.

  I turned the mug in my hands. My eyes were fixed on the flickering reflection of the fire on the surface of the drink.

  From the outside, I probably looked content, full, relaxed.

  But inside… something was still missing.

  A direction… a next step.

  “Hey.”

  Joseph’s voice broke through my thoughts. I looked up — he was watching me.

  His brows were slightly furrowed.

  “You okay? You suddenly went quiet.”

  I sighed.

  “I’m okay… really.”

  I held the mug a while longer before setting it down. I continued softly:

  “It’s just... I earned 93,000 Tower coins, yeah, but now that I think about it... I never actually planned what comes next.”

  Gareth and Isabelle were listening intently.

  Joseph lowered his head slightly, giving me his full attention.

  “I mean… I made all that money, but now I’ve run out of special materials to craft with. I used everything I had in that cave. Right now, I couldn’t even make a basic blade from plain iron…”

  My voice grew heavier, slower.

  “And... to pass the first floor, I need another 7,000 coins. The entry fee.”

  A silence settled over the table.

  Then Joseph looked at Gareth. Gareth looked at Isabelle.

  With small but firm nods, they exchanged silent signals.

  Then Joseph turned back to me, leaned his arm on the table, and smiled.

  "Well then, how about we help you complete the missing 7,000?"

  My eyes widened. My breath caught for a moment.

  "What?.. No. No, I can't accept that. You earned that money by risking your lives. One mission after another, traps, monsters, death lurking at every step… I can't take it."

  Joseph nodded calmly, Gareth chuckled softly, and Isabelle looked at me with a slightly amused, teasing expression.

  Then Joseph spoke:

  "Look, Alex, we've been stuck in the same loop for months here. Wake up, take a mission, fight, earn a bit of money, rinse and repeat. The total we’ve got right now isn’t even half of what you made in a single day."

  Isabelle added,

  "You're someone who can actually make a change. You’ve got potential. You can craft weapons even without materials—we’ve seen it."

  Gareth's voice turned more serious:

  "But we’re not giving you this money for free."

  I looked up at them. My eyes silently asked what they meant.

  Joseph clenched his hand into a fist and lightly thudded it against the table.

  "This is an investment, my friend. Once you pass the first five floors, we want you to come back down to Floor One. Gather all of us again, and we’ll climb together. If you can earn this much down here… when you get to Floor Five, there'll be more than enough for all of us. More than enough."

  I couldn't speak for a moment. Something was stuck in my throat.

  Such trust, such support… such pure friendship…

  What had I done to deserve this?

  I clenched my hands and lowered my head. Then I spoke softly:

  "Thank you… truly. I won’t forget this kindness. I’ll come back to repay you at the first chance I get. I promise."

  Gareth punched my shoulder with a grin:

  "You made a promise now—no backing out."

  Isabelle raised her glass:

  "Then let’s drink to the future of the party."

  Joseph lifted my glass and clinked it with his own:

  "Not to kings, but to friends."

  And that night, I was embraced by a friendship as warm as the fire.

  Maybe I didn’t have a clear direction…

  But now, I had a promise.

  And that was stronger than any direction.

  The drinks were gone. On the table were only empty glasses, bread crumbs, and the lingering warmth of the night. The tavern had grown quiet. Even the innkeeper had gone silent, save for the crackling of the fireplace.

  Joseph leaned back, stretched, and let out a soft yawn.

  "Alright," he said in a calm yet determined tone, "I’ll transfer the rest through the system to help you get past the Wall. It was 7,000, right?"

  I shook my head with a small grin.

  "Actually… I’ve got around 93,500 gold already."

  I waited a beat, then smirked and added:

  "So 6,500 will do. I had some savings…"

  Joseph looked at me for a moment, eyes narrowing. Then he let out a half-laugh, half-sigh.

  "Of course, after all that dramatic speech, you tell us you’ve got savings? Unbelievable. You’re lucky we like you. Alright, take it."

  He opened the system, and within seconds, a notification popped up:

  +6,500 Tower Coins received

  Total Balance: 100,522 Tower Coins

  For a moment, I felt an odd sense of pride.

  Crossing the six-digit mark, especially in such a short time…

  People spend more time stuck on Floor One than anywhere else, since the requirement to pass it is so steep.

  But just then…

  The tavern door opened.

  When I saw the man who walked in, the whole table went silent. My mind froze like a crashing wave.

  A towering figure who had to duck even to pass through the doorway…

  Heavy armor, iron-buckled boots, a dark gray cloak.

  And his face… hidden behind a gleaming black mask.

  But his eyes…

  A crimson glow seeped through his eyes.

  He walked in slowly, heavily, but with steady purpose. Conversations in the tavern came to a halt. People averted their gazes and whispered among themselves.

  “Is that him? Is it really him?”

  “Messenger of Lord Piggy…”

  “Has anyone ever seen him up close before?”

  His footsteps echoed in rhythm with my heartbeat.

  And he was walking straight toward me.

  Joseph, Gareth, and Isabelle seemed to realize what was happening. All three pushed back their chairs and stood at once. Joseph reached for his sword’s hilt, Gareth raised his hands in a defensive stance, and Isabelle positioned her fingers close to her blades.

  They stood between me and him.

  To protect me.

  The giant stopped a single step away.

  He said nothing.

  He just stared at me.

  That glowing red gaze from behind the mask locked onto mine.

  Then slowly, he pulled his right hand from within his cloak.

  In his palm… was a shimmering golden ticket.

  Everyone held their breath.

  He extended the ticket toward me, holding it delicately between two fingers.

  And his voice…

  Rang out with a metallic echo, muffled yet perfectly clear:

  "Congratulations on reaching 100,000."

  "Lord Piggy invites you to tomorrow’s game of chance."

  "You must attend at midnight. There won’t be another chance."

  He stared at me for another second, then turned and began to walk away.

  Trying to stop him felt like it would be a death sentence.

  No one said anything.

  No one dared to stop him.

  As the man exited through the door, the silence in the room became suffocating.

  The golden ticket still sat in my hand, glowing faintly at my fingertips.

  I slowly raised my head. Staring at the ticket, I whispered to myself:

  "This… must be the second phase of Floor One."

  "In that case…"

  "Let’s begin."