Chapter 36: Ch. 36 17th floor
( Zero Pov )
For the next two years we traveled to the 17th floor. During this time, I trained with or fought with Arie to improve our swordmanship.
I also trained Yui in stealth attacks, improving her Shinsu and how to take a hit, which pained me a lot to do, but she had to learn to take a hit. And Arie almost killed me for it.
I also learned many things from Seung's ancestors' memories. Which also helped in taking shortcuts and finding items that could be helpful in the journey and found many unfounded treasures.
I still don't get how Seung managed to hold everything in that bag of his.
" I'm telling you, Seung has every kind of thing in his bag. "
" Nuh uh." Arie shook her head.
" There's gotta be a limit, I mean, look! That bag is about to burst!" She argued.
" You wanna bet?" I leaned in with a smirk as Arie hesitated.
It wasn't a secret that I had good luck, and Arie's luck was bad, so bad that a chest that was filled with jewels was actually fake, and that was the only chest that had fake jewels.
" Sigh. Never mind, I give up." She lifted her hands in surrender.
" Sigh, what can I say, I'm just too lucky." I patted Yui's hair as she slept on my lap.
During the two year period. Arie and I became great friends despite going to each other throats.
" We're almost to the 20th floor. Do you still want that rematch?" I asked.
Arie held her chin as she gazed out the window, complementing as she watched regulars pass by.
" No... I... I'm starting to enjoy this adventure with you guys, and even if I won, it wouldn't change anything." She replied as she turned her head to look at me.
" But one day, I'll surpass you." She spoke with such conviction that lightning crackled over her sword.
I grinned excitedly under my mask. Despite the years we spent together, most rewards that I gotten were given to the team to increase see their fighting and defensive prowess.
And I gave Arie a strengthening potion. And now I'm going to reap my rewards soon because in my heart, I craved the sense of battle.
And I'm sure Arie felt the same way as she looked at my sword near the couch.
" Well, hopefully you don't trip on a pebble during battle." I chuckled.
" Shut it! It was only one time!" She shouted.
I continued laughing as I remembered how she tried on a pebble as we battle against a white steel eel.
Arie started throwing things at me, trying to stop me as I continued to laugh. It took a few minutes for me to calm down as I Arie ran out of stuff to throw except her sword.
" I heard about you time during the first floor till the abduction with that FUG, but I never heard of what you did before entering the tower. " Arie looked at me.
I looked at her as I wondered if I should tell her, but recalling the times she's been with me, I began to trust her.
" Well, I might as well. And you better be listening as well, Seung." I looked st Seung, who lifted his arm from his bed.
" I was born into a drugged household then sold to an orphanage that raised kids to be assassins..."
The reason i hated daggers and the very thought of assassins angering me was because of their cruel training and their very existence.
Even though I was supposed to be an assassin, I became a fighter in an underground fighting ring, which was to please the orphanages investors and partners.
Once they realized this, they stopped my assassin training and made me become a fighter instead. Every day, I wondered if it was my last.
I became so numb that I didn't care about dying anymore and just wanted to get it over with. I killed again and again to the point that I was an effective killing machine.
Until one day I met my first friend. Elizabeth. Her skills were unparalleled, but she was weak. But she was also intelligent as she always planned for us to have a draw so none of us would die.
With her planning, we both founded a way to escape that hellhole. But it was too late. The viewers were getting tired of us and would kill us both of we don't kill each other.
That day... I killed my only friend. But it was also the day I was saved. To this day, I regretted my actions. If I had just waited for a few seconds, we both would've been saved.
Every second, I was haunted by my actions, regretting that I didn't try to kill her but to buy time till our savoirs rescued us.
" I was saved by my mentor and the man I looked up to, Zero. For if it wasn't him, I'd be gone and lost. He gave me a reason to fight, but the day I lost him... I lost my light and leader. "
" He taught me what it meant to be a soldier to be a warrior and to protect the weak because someone has to. Back then, I thought he was full of shit but now... I think he really made a difference." I smiled as I remembered the smiling face we save back home.
" Despite the sacrifices, I'm sure someone will remember us and continue to defend the weak just like we did." I looked at Yui sleeping on my lap.
" Before entering the tower, I honored my leader's order to save the people below and give them freedom."
" So you're like a guardian knight. No wonder you always carry that sword." Arie smiled.
I snorted.
" Of course, and as a knight, I shall always complete my mission." I smiled.
" Well, this princess needs a knight to climb the tower, I'm sure you'll keep me accompanied?" She smiled, holding out her hand.
" Okay, no more role-playing." I slapped her hand away.
" Tsk!" She clicked her tongue before relaxing on her chair.
" So... is she really your adoptive daughter?" Arie asked.
I nodded.
" Yes. I wondered if this is how Zero felt when he took me in."
" Well, you seem to be good, father, and I'm sure there was too." Arie replied.
" Zero? A good father... that man literally gave me a grenade for my 14th birthday." I smiled.
" A what?" Arie looked at me, and I shook my head.
" It's nothing." I replied.
" How about you, Seung?" I asked Seung, who shrugged.
" Mom is still with the clan, and Father ran away." He replied.
" Wow, I think he has the most normal parents out of us." I spoke, and Arie nodded in agreement.
Seung gave us the middle finger before going back to sleep.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone