Tower of Tarros.
According to legend, this tower was built to seal the ancient dragon Tarlos, who was deemed unbeatable.
Due to the power of that mighty dragon, the inside of the tower transformed into a complex labyrinth.
And it is said that monsters infused with the dragon’s magic are born continuously from this legendary tower.
Moreover, there is a tale within that legend.
If someone climbs the tower and defeats the ancient dragon Tarlos…
They would gain the power to change the world’s past as they wish.
And thus, the legend transformed the tower into a dream tower that countless adventurers challenge to fulfill their dreams.
Even now, many adventurers continuously strive to reach the top of that tower,
And due to the adventurers gathering around the tower, a city was formed.
That city is the Tower City of Tarros.
“Huff, huff… Hey, Klein… How’s the condition?”
“No problem. Just scratched my arm.”
“Let me take a look… I think I can heal this with my magic.”
“Haha, I’m sorry for bothering you every time, Triana.”
Currently, this party of three challenging the first floor of the tower is also one of the adventuring parties joining forces for their dreams.
The knight Pedro, the spear user Klein, and the priestess Triana.
“By the way, doesn’t it seem like there are fewer monsters today?”
“You look tired for that, Pedro.”
“No, I’m serious. There really are fewer.”
Pedro, who has a bit more adventuring experience than the other two, had been challenging the tower for quite some time, harboring a fascination for the legend of Tarros.
Based on his experience, he was certain that the number of monsters attacking today was noticeably lower.
While he pondered the reason for this oddity…
“Hey, hey, look! There’s another party down there… Doesn’t it seem like there are too many monsters over there?”
While checking her gear, Triana called to the two as she glanced below.
Currently, they were on the top of a crumbling ancient structure in this perilous first floor of the tower, surrounded by high ruins.
The place they were looking down at was the lowest part of this ruins area.
Since the lowlands are easy prey for monsters, parties challenging the first floor typically avoid them.
So, Pedro’s party made sure to move to higher ground to defeat any approaching monsters.
However, the other party that Triana pointed out…
“I’ve never seen that many monsters before.”
“What… what rank must those adventurers be?”
Pedro’s party, startled, couldn’t keep their mouths shut.
The inexperienced duo would be amazed, but even Pedro, who was familiar with Tarros Tower, was witnessing something unprecedented.
A horde of monsters swarming and that party nonchalantly taking them down.
The number of monsters encountered in Tarros Tower varies greatly based on the strength of the party.
The higher the ranks of adventurers in the party, the more likely they are to be assaulted by large numbers of monsters in the lower floors.
Thus, seeing the number of monsters approaching that party clearly indicated that they were not typical adventurers.
“What incredible spear skills!”
The spear user Klein was utterly awestruck watching a red-haired woman in front of their party slaughtering monsters.
A luxurious spear shining like gold.
Swinging it as if it were part of her body, she swept away the monsters rushing from the front to protect her teammates in the rear.
“Hey, Klein. Have you ever seen a spear like that? How is this even possible?”
“I… I have no idea. There’s no way you could find something like that in a normal weapon shop.”
More than anything, what was peculiar was the spear she was wielding.
It extended and contracted like a whip, piercing the heads of ruin goblins that were out of reach.
Klein had never heard of a spear that could change shape.
“Not just her, but the black-haired man beside her and the blonde guy spitting fire are incredible too.”
“Goodness, that ice magic isn’t even a chant; they’re just unleashing mana to cast spells!”
“Is that a unique skill? It’s extraordinary. It’s rare to see someone so blessed by fate.”
While resting and glancing below, Pedro couldn’t help but click his tongue.
Now he understood why today’s monster count was low.
With a party like that on the same floor, all the monsters would be drawn toward them.
“By the way, the rear seems to lack any notable traits. Maybe their frontliners leave too strong an impression.”
“Still, that blonde girl is casting healing spells left and right, right? Triana, aren’t you around her age?”
“Hmm, I guess so? But she doesn’t seem like a priest.”
“Haha, look at that guy in the back. He’s probably just a baggage carrier.”
Klein pointed at the chubby blonde guy trailing behind the party.
“Looks like he’s just hanging around doing nothing. Must be nice to be part of such a high-rank party.”
Chuckling, Klein mocked, knowing that in the world of adventurers, one would typically be dismissed if seen as weak.
But Pedro sighed at Klein’s reaction.
“Klein, is your vision just decoration?”
“Huh? What do you mean? He’s just a baggage carrier, right?”
“Take a good look at him.”
Pedro urged Klein, who frowned, to reluctantly observe the boy in the back.
And then…
“What… was that?”
“Did you see it?”
Klein thought the chubby boy was merely shuffling behind the party.
But that wasn’t it.
The boy was singlehandedly taking down monsters sneaking up from behind the party.
Protecting the girl who was casting healing magic.
And what caught Klein’s attention the most was the boy’s hands.
“Where is he pulling those weapons from?”
“I’m curious about that too. He definitely was empty-handed a moment ago.”
“And how many of those fancy knives is he using? Magic-enhanced weapons can’t be cheap…”
The boy targeted an approaching monster with a sharp knife and threw it.
The knife he threw definitely crackled with magical energy.
And judging by the reaction of the monster hit, it was undoubtedly a magically enhanced knife.
He continued to throw them without holding back.
“I don’t know… what to say, he’s really hard to understand.”
“The bottom line is, not everything is as it appears. If you mess with someone like him, you’ll end up regretting it.”
Pedro’s warning left Klein speechless.
All he could do was sigh and watch the party handle the monsters effortlessly.
*…
“Phew! It’s finally over.”*
Wiping the sweat off, Emily plopped down on the ground.
After finishing a battle on the first floor of Tarros Tower, they settled in a safe zone for a breather.
Fighting in a dungeon is quite different from battling in the wild.
Especially in Tarros Tower, the balance is adjusted so that the higher the characters’ levels, the more monsters swarm them.
Thus, facing a horde of monsters for the first time, their party was currently challenging the first floor to adapt.
“By the way, Ken! You’re really impressive! This is your first party battle, right? You’re acting like a seasoned adventurer!”
During their rest, Emily exclaimed with sparkling eyes while checking her gear.
Adrian chuckled in agreement.
“I was surprised too. The commands during battle, organizing the party, and even scouting for traps… They don’t teach that at the Academy, do they?”
Noticing the doubt in his eyes, I awkwardly smiled and avoided his gaze.
The truth is I had played Tarros Tower in games so many times; how could I even explain that?
As for organizing people and commands, those were basic skills learned in a party play-based game.
But to them, that might seem unusual.
While contemplating how to make excuses, Siegfried spoke up while polishing his sword.
“Ken sometimes shows surprising skills. There’s still more that Adrian hasn’t seen.”
He added with a faint smile.
He seemed genuinely proud.
It turns out the teacher was pleased to see his student being praised.
“Oh, is there something I don’t know yet?”
“Haha, well…”
I scratched my head, mumbling.
What Siegfried was likely referring to was Calorie Burn, but there was no need to bring that up.
I wanted to avoid any drawn-out conversation about myself.
“Still, everyone was really astounding. Especially Adrian and Mary, your ranged support was fantastic!”
To change the subject, I decided to compliment my other teammates.
And it was a fact; they were truly impressive.
When it comes to compliments like these, it’s best to shift the focus.
As I delivered my praise, Mary perked up her ears as if she was encouraged and then snuggled up beside me.
Though her face was expressionless, her cheeks were flushed.
“Did I do well? Praise me more, Ken.”
“Ah, yes yes, Mary, you were amazing. Thanks to your wide-range magic, the monsters couldn’t approach us, making it a lot easier.”
“Hehe.”
Only after hearing the extra compliments did Mary smile gently.
“Ah! I did well too! I killed a ton ahead!”
“I did too! I cast healing magic plenty! Can’t you see how tired I am?”
Suddenly, the other two approached with piercing gazes.
…Eek.
“H-Haha, yes, you both did well. Raphne did well too, and Emily was a great help.”
“Tch, it feels like I’m lacking compared to Mary.”
“Ken, are you half-hearted? You could put in more effort.”
Mary smugly puffed up her chest as she felt proud, while the two continued to glare at me.
What on earth can I say more?
Despite my repeated praise, the two didn’t seem satisfied.
We took a moment’s rest before checking our individual equipment, then I shared my plans for the next steps.
“For today, we’ll get accustomed to combat on the first floor and then go back.”
Today was reserved for practice.
After all, the party must become used to cooperating in battles against hordes of monsters.
No matter how strong an individual may be, it’s difficult to fend off unending monsters.
Thus, learning how to deal with the endless waves of monsters in this tower’s conquest is crucial.
So today, we would just circle around the first floor as practice.
Fortunately, my party understood that.
Plus, circling around the first floor was also beneficial for leveling up my skills.
Lately, as I frequently threw knives I crafted rapidly, I was able to earn the throwing skill.
If we could fight this many monsters today, reaching level two seems promising.
“And tomorrow, we’ll head straight to the third floor, so we need to restock supplies after we return today.”
“Are we only going to the third floor?”
Mary tilted her head after my additional words.
“I’ll explain the details once we reach the third floor… But more importantly.”
I took a moment to choose my next words carefully.
What I was about to say was essential for everyone in our party.
The companions who had come along with me were entirely here to help me.
Except for Raphne and Adrian, none knew the reason for my challenge to the tower.
During our travels, I was cautious about letting anyone’s ears catch wind of it.
But now that we had arrived at the first floor of the tower, I felt it was time to tell them.
“What I’m about to say is… why I came to this tower.”
As I began to speak in a somewhat serious tone, everyone focused their attention on my words.
Surveying their reactions, I then started to elaborate slowly.
I explained that Raphne was the Child of Prophecy.
And what would happen if she fell into the hands of the Demon King.
That I was challenging the tower to nullify that prophecy and ultimately that the ancient dragon Tarlos was the foe we must defeat.
I delivered all the information that my party needed to know.
“S-She was also a child of prophecy?”
Emily appeared the most shocked by the revelation.
After all, she was another Child of Prophecy and had questioned the identity of the target the Demon King’s forces sought.
For now, I had covered the necessary background explanation.
Why I had come to challenge the tower and why I was determined to clear it.
But now, the most critical question remained.
“So, now that you’re aware of how dangerous the battles ahead may be, I must ask.”
I scanned the party members’ expressions.
Each wore grim faces as they met my gaze.
“If you want to back out, now is your chance. This can be truly dangerous. I’m genuinely grateful for coming this far with me. If you choose to back out, nobody will blame you.”
If things went wrong, someone could lose their life.
It wouldn’t make sense to march into such battles entirely unaware.
And even though they were helping me, laying their lives on the line isn’t something to take lightly.
Therefore, I wanted to explain everything and present them with a choice.
Even if most decided to leave, I would have to accept it.
If something terrible happened without any explanation, I would only regret it later.
Thus, I offered the chance to withdraw to my party members.
And then…
“What are you talking about! If it’s a dangerous place, then we can’t just let you go alone!”
“If you say you’re going to face the Demon King, I would follow you. Don’t leave me behind.”
“I swore on my sword; if you challenge the ancient dragon, I promise to be your weapon.”
As expected, everyone declared their resolve to stick with me.
Emily, Mary, and Siegfried all looked at me with fierce determination.
“…Thank you.”
Though I felt guilty for dragging them into a dangerous situation, my greatest emotion was happiness.
That they would risk this much for me and for Raphne.
“Then, shall we continue our exploration and head back to our lodging?”
“Haa… Well, battles are exhausting. There were so many monsters…”
After my statement, Emily patted her shoulders, exhaling deeply.
As she sat up, Mary reached out with a smile.
“You can rest. I’ll protect Ken.”
“Don’t joke around.”
With a chuckle, Emily took her hand and stood up.
Following that, we engaged in a few more training battles, growing accustomed to combating a large number of monsters.
*…
After wrapping up our battles in the tower, we exited and returned to the lodging we had booked in advance.
Everyone was exhausted from fighting a horde of monsters in the tower.
After a simple meal, we each retreated to our rooms to sleep right away.
However, I couldn’t fall asleep just yet.
Lying in bed, I sat up to gather my thoughts for a moment.
Then I turned to the two who also hadn’t yet fallen asleep and spoke to them.
“You two, …are you awake?”
My voice echoed in the quiet room.
Soon after, I heard the rustling of sheets as the other two sat up.
“What’s the matter?”
Siegfried, usually indifferent in expression, sensed the unusual atmosphere and asked.
After locking gazes with the two, I paused to think for a moment.
Then I finally opened my mouth.
“I have something to ask of you two.”
