My mouth watered as the aroma of meat wafted through the rest site, courtesy of the two Players who had volunteered to cook. They were a brother and sister pair, both wearing the garb of stealth-type classes. The brother, whose name was Jake, had already carved a few slabs of roasted beef and was slicing them up on a nearby makeshift table. His sister, Sasha, was preparing a heaping pile of mashed potatoes, seasoned with a blend of herbs and spices that made my mouth water even more.

Meanwhile, dessert was being made by a group of Players who had volunteered to bring their own ingredients. There was a large bowl of freshly whipped cream, a plate of sliced strawberries, and even a few homemade chocolate chip cookies. The table was covered in a checkered red-and-white cloth, with a vase of colorful flowers in the center, lending a festive atmosphere to the gathering.

Finally, it seemed like the beverages were concocted by mage-type/support-type classes, as they were handing around colorful, glowing glasses filled with a delicious-looking fruit punch. The fruity aroma wafted through the air, and I found myself suddenly thirsty. I thanked a Player who offered me a glass and took a sip, savoring the refreshing taste.

[System alert: Regenerative I in effect.]

[Duration: 00:01:00]

Oh? There were Players who could make potions as drinks? I glanced at Gigi, who smiled knowingly.

"The food here isn't just for sustenance. They're made by Players who are skilled at infusing various buffs into the dishes and drinks. Of course, they're not as potent as the stuff you can buy from NPC shops in the Safe Zones, but it's better than nothing when you're limited on resources."

"Right," I nodded, feeling a little excited. I had always gone for a damage and speed build when playing 'Last Stand', so learning that mechanics like this existed was a pleasant surprise.

As I followed Gigi down the food line, we managed to find a spot off to the corner of the throne room, sitting on the chairs she conjured for us. I began to stuff my face, failing to notice a presence walking up.

"Oh, Technomancer, Immortal. I'm glad to see you both well." I looked up, seeing Celine standing in front of us.

"Hey, Celine," I swallowed a mouthful of food. "Are you gonna grab some food–"

"So, when's the earliest you are able to meet me tomorrow?" Celine interrupted as she sat down with an apathetic gaze. "I tried to contact you several times with no response. I'm aware you were clearing the floors, but I thought you'd have checked your phone at least once."

"I'm... sorry?" I choked down my bite, chugging my drink to help ease its journey. "Er, I had it in my Inventory. Gigi already told me everything."

"And you still haven't texted back."

"I... well, since I knew you were coming, I was gonna tell you in person," I glanced at Gigi for help.

She gave me a reassuring smile. "It's alright, Celine. You'll have plenty of time before the induction to coordinate with Luquier."

"Okay," Celine shrugged, crossing her legs in front of her and leaning back. I couldn't help but notice that she was wearing sportswear, like she had just finished a workout. Most of the Players in the throne room rest site were wearing some form of armor or protective gear, excluding Gigi, though I suspected that she could simply make her own. I wasn't better off with my jeans and t-shirt, but at least my cloak granted some defense.

"Seems like you've become even stronger, Immortal," Celine casually continued, giving me an unreadable expression. "You might even surpass the top Players in the world."

"Thanks," I replied lamely, checking her stats. I noticed she had jumped a few levels, and even invested 5 points into Risk. Was that because of me?

"I think so too," Gigi grinned, conjuring a chair for Celine to sit on. "You're pretty crazy in the way you do things, but then again, so are the top Players."

"Who are these 'top Players' anyway?" I asked before shoveling another mouthful of food. "Considering I just soloed the last two floors, wouldn't I be a part of that category?"

[Can you swallow before you speak? Or at least wait to eat after you're done talking? :\ ]

"One thing to keep in mind is that these top Players are more or less not concerned with the tower," Gigi made a face. "In fact, there's two different categories of the elite."

She took a deep breath before continuing, "The top Players I've been referring to are the ones who focus more on clearing tower floors. They grind nonstop, until they reach a level where they no longer gain any rewards from the mobs. Then, that's when they attempt to beat the floor boss. Honestly, we were supposed to clear the 28th around this time, but then you came along and pushed the global level up."

"Ah," I smiled sheepishly. "Well, in that case, I'd be more than willing to step aside for them after the 30th floor."

"That's good, because you haven't gained any monster cores, have you?" Gigi raised an eyebrow. "The tower Players aren't so overleveled that nothing drops for them. This way, it balances the economy and the overall strength of the Players. Unfortunately, this also makes it quite difficult to kill floor bosses at such a slow rate."

"I see," I said, swallowing another mouthful of food. "So what about the other category of top Players?"

"Oh, they're the ones who are fearless, diving into dungeon breaks whenever possible or farming dungeon resonances," Celine chipped in, a new glint of excitement in her eyes. "They have no qualms about the higher risk involved with them and only seek to reap the rewards. All you need to know is, they're much stronger than the Players focused on the tower."

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"You skipped a few details, but yeah, that's the gist of it," Gigi smiled wryly at Celine. "In fact, many of the dungeon Players are in Enigma. That's why I, along with the other members I've contacted, were so eager to have you on board. Especially with two solo clears under your belt, I'm sure you'll fit in with the others very easily."

I blinked. "Then... my sister is a dungeon Player? That explains why you guys are so much stronger than everyone else here in the tower."

"Well, she was more of a tower Player originally," Gigi clarified, "but she switched over after a while. And yeah, she's pretty awesome. You should see her in action. She's like a whirlwind of death."

I grimaced. "No, thanks."

Gigi shrugged. "Anyway, that's the best I can explain it. Dungeon Players usually have exponential growth due to either their abilities, items, or stat specs, so they'll plateau more quickly than tower Players. Running the tower wouldn't be of much use to them, since they'd push the level higher than the rest of the world can handle."

I mulled this over as I finished my food. It seemed like the world had already set up a system where they'd be prepared for the worst case scenarios, and I had sorta fucked up the pacing. Well, that was fine- it wasn't like two extra levels would do any harm.

[I hope it's enough to push past the 50th floor.]

I grew solemn reading Sephera's message. I hadn't forgotten about that.

"I'll keep that in mind," I nodded to Gigi and Celine. "I'll transition over to dungeons once we clear the 30th floor."

"Good," Gigi approved. "Then, I'll pass the word along to Aurora and the others. As for now, you should focus on getting your strength up. If you have any questions or need help, feel free to ask us."

I nodded, still feeling a bit overwhelmed by the sudden influx of information. The Last Stand that I knew didn't have dungeon breaks or resonances, just the tower. Could it be that I only played a fraction of the real deal? Whatever the case was, I'd deal with it. Right now, I was focused on figuring out a way to beat the next boss.

I continued to eat, watching the other Players mingle amongst themselves as they made preparations to enter the 30th floor. Some of them had already gone ahead, trying to scout out the difficulty in order to report back. Gigi lapsed into conversation with Celine, occasionally getting me to join in. Ah, this woman was the pinnacle of kindness.

I zoned out again, but caught sight of my sister sitting alone off to the side. She was busy wolfing down her food, and it seemed like she was in a bad mood. Not that it was any of my business.

I finished my meal and stood up, stretching my arms over my head. "You two ready to go?" I asked, trying to sound casual.

"Already?" Gigi asked, surprised. "I was hoping to wait until the other tower Players got here. Not that I don't trust your strength or anything, but it'd be a good idea to coordinate with them, right? How about we group up with Phoebe and..."

I clenched my jaw. I knew Gigi stopped herself from saying my sister's name, but she was right. I had to admit, Aurora was the strongest one here besides myself, and I needed all the help I could get for this boss fight.

"Alright," I sighed. "Let's just hurry up and get it over with. I'll go get Phoebe. You guys can round up everyone else."

"Get me for what?" Phoebe asked as she joined us out of the blue. "Are we doing something bad?"

"No, that's not what we're doing," Gigi frowned at her, then glanced at me. "Luquier, how about you go get Aurora?"

"Why?" I immediately flared up, but kept my voice even.

"Because she's stubborn and refuses to work with people. It's really hard to get her to do anything because she prefers to go solo."

[._.;; Sounds like someone else I know.]

"So, why me?" I couldn't stop the scowl on my face.

"I know you've noticed that you hold all the power, Luquier," Gigi explained quietly. "She'll listen to you."

I stood there for a moment, trying to come up with an excuse. It’s not that I hadn’t noticed, it was that I didn’t want to.

"Fine." I ground my teeth, but nodded. I did have a bad habit of not listening to anyone else, and maybe Aurora was the same way. Still, it didn't mean I had to like it.

Dragging my feet the entire time, I reluctantly crossed the throne room over to where Aurora was. She looked up at me as I approached, brightening for a brief second before her face became unreadable. "What?"

"Gigi wants us to group up with her and other strong Players to plan for the boss," I explained through gritted teeth. "Apparently, she thinks you're 'stubborn' and don't like working with people."

"Yeah, I've heard that before," Aurora said dryly. "And you're just the best person to change that, huh?"

I scowled at her. "I didn't say that. I just had to tell you. Whether or not you come, I don't care."

I actually did. Aurora's strength was absolutely necessary for this boss fight.

I peeked at her stats, inwardly shocked that she had reached level 2700, had 100 Risk points, and broke through 10000 on both her Strength and Speed stats. I wasn't sure what the hell happened in that short amount of time, but I was certain that Aurora was a powerhouse.

"Fine, I won't." Aurora grumbled, turning away.

Fuck. Why did I let my emotions get the best of me? In the games I used to play, toxic players were everywhere, so I had learned how to deal with rising tempers very quickly. I took a deep breath, swallowing my pride.

"On second thought, I'd really like it if you would join us," I managed to choke out, making my voice sound as convincingly sincere as I could. "Please."

Aurora seemed shocked, but recovered and gave me a sly grin. "Oh? My little brother is actually asking me for help? Need your big sister again?"

"Don't start with that," I grimaced. "The time I needed you has long passed since then. Right now, I would like it if you would join us for a pre-meeting."

"Hmm," Aurora pondered for a moment. "Okay, fine."

"Cool, we're gonna group up near the portal–"

"Only if you say the magic word."

I scowled. "...Please."

"Not that one," Aurora smiled mischievously. "The other one."

"Other one? What other magic word is there?" I asked, feeling a slight sense of apprehension.

"The name you used to call me whenever you'd ask me for help. When we were kids."

I felt my blood run cold. No way. No fucking way.

"...Rora." I muttered.

"Nope. Ask again and use the name you’d call me before you could pronounce my name." My older sister grinned. I could feel my face burning as I struggled to compose myself. Thank god no one else was around.

"Please... come join us... Awra…"

Aurora's grin widened. "Of course I will, little bro."

I spun on my heel, face burning, and began to walk over to the portal behind the destroyed throne, not bothering to check if Aurora was following me. I was glad she hadn't made me say that in front of the others.

[^~^ That was so cute, Player.]

I gritted my teeth, too humiliated to make a retort.