The extended memory of before his ability awakened the fear of falling while he walked with his eyes closed in the darkness of the tunnels. His eyes never adjusted to the complete darkness. What made it all so hard was that his mind began to create shapes to make sense of the darkness.

He began to close his eyes because it started to play tricks on his mind. So he closed his eyes and focused on his sense of touch, hearing, and smell. Now, it’s as if he has always seen everything around him down to the smallest pebble.

He didn’t have to turn his head to see who was behind him. Gin walked through the market to clear his head. He had never killed anyone before, and he knew that he had no choice. It’s just that the more he tried not to remember the man’s dead eyes, the more he remembered the scene. While focusing inwardly, Gin didn’t notice until someone walked right into him.

“Hey, watch where you are.”

“My bad.”

The man stared at Gin, and upon seeing the blindfold, the man paused.

“Uh. Never mind.”

The man walks away. Gin realized that he wasn’t paying attention to his surroundings. His [Awareness] was only six feet around him, enough for some personal space an arm-length. It was like having a small lamp that allowed him to see just a few feet before him and nothing more.

He expanded his ability to ten feet to observe the vendors and their Relics while returning to the Inn. He wasn’t the only person with a creature companion. There are adventurers with birds on their shoulders, a beaver holding a bag for a beautiful lady in an armored dress, strange cats with horns, and sabertooth dogs.

There were Fewgels everywhere in place of horses. Ada walked before him like a dog lobster tail the size of a golf cart danced, and her head swiveled to the left and right. She sniffed, and Gin heard a slight whine.

“You hungry girl?”

Ada didn’t nod or bark. She gave him a mental nudge in a specific direction. Gin was embarrassed to realize that he hadn’t spoken to Ada internally. It was mainly because they didn’t need to speak. One pulse of emotion can answer many questions, but this time. Gin wanted to let her do whatever she wanted.

“Go on, I’ll follow.”

Ada turned and walked into an alleyway to cross onto another street. Three men looked up as they played a card game that Gin didn’t recognize. Ada ignored them and kept going.

“Hey, would you like to play a game of Rip?”

“As you can see, I’m blind. I don’t think I would be any good.”

The men laughed, and Gin smiled back. He reached into his pocket, made a face as if searching for something, and pulled out an empty hand. Then he reached into his other pocket, pulled out a silver coin, and flicked it into the pot of trinkets they were playing to win.

“But I can raise the stakes. You boys stay out of trouble.”

The three men chuckled. The man who spoke in the first place was tall, even sitting down with long limbs. He wore tight clothes, the kind a ninja would wear, all black with knives under every crevice of the black leather.

“Can we help you with something?”

“No, I’m just passing through.”

Gin never stopped walking nor paid attention to the rogues as he left the alley. The men watched him walk out of the alley, and through his senses, he watched them continue playing the card game. During the small interaction, the man asked Gin if he wanted to play. Something changed in their demeanor, the way Gin walked without a Cane.

The way he turned to reach into his pocket and tossed a coin in the pot said a lot more than words could ever say to an intelligent warrior, and the tall, lanky warrior knew somehow that they would lose that fight.

Ada stopped by a vendor selling fruits of all shapes and sizes. The only thing Gin recognized was a large fruit shaped like an apple, except it had hair. Gin stared at it, then poked it. Ada stared at them, drooling.

“You got a good eye. That’s a Guram egg. They make great mounts. Oh, who is this little fellow?”

The vendor was a light-skinned man with a partially balding afro and a yellow-spotted red robe.

“He is actually a she. Her name is Ada. So these are eggs?”

“Ah, yes, these are creature eggs. Once they hatch, the mount grows and accelerates until it reaches maturity. Some creatures evolve to mature quickly in dangerous environments, and I’ve done enough research to find them.”

“See Ada. These are not food.”

“Food. I have a few that will never hatch because of mishandling. Would you like some young Ada?”

Ada licked her lips, and Gin chuckled. The vendor smiled.

“I’m guessing that a yes. Because most people never ask about the ones who don’t hatch, I have accrued a hefty amount.”

“I’ll take them all.”

Ada pulsed with excitement. She turned to see someone with their fox sitting by their side. Ada copied the fox and sat on her hunches to wait. The vendor walked into the back and then reversed.

“Don’t just stand there. follow me.”

Ada and Gin follow the vendor into a room full of crates with warm sunstones. The shop had a hole in the roof, and Gin could feel the wind wash through the shop as if they were still outside. The man led them to a section with different types of stones that emitted a frigid air.

“This entire section, some adventurers know that I pay for certain types of monster eggs, but they have no idea how to keep them safe.”

The man sighed.

“What about the ones that hatch early?”

He waved off questions while answering.

“I sell them to the auction. If they’re rare or above, I try to sell them an adventurer if they seem decent before the monster matures. If they mature too quickly, I don’t have the space to keep them, so I let them go outside the wall.”

Gin opened his spatial compartment and began to place box after box inside. In all sixteen boxes, there were a variety of eggs. Gin gave Ada two boxes because he knew she would want to try more food in the market. She swallowed an egg whole and then gently cracked the top of the next.

“If you don’t mind me asking, do you know where the library might be?”

“Ah, the adventurers guild has one.”

Gin nodded, thinking to himself that he should have asked the receptionist.

“What type of monster would she get along with?”

“The vendor stared at Ada, and Ada pulsed a glare at Gin. He paused, mostly confused about how to mentally glare at someone.

“Hmm, what is she exactly?”

“Oh, um, I think she was a Rock Skipper when I met her.”

The vendor stared at Ada.

“Really? I can’t see it.”

A book appeared in his hand. He flipped through several monsters, and Gin noticed that he made notes on eggs and likely locations.

“Did she look like this?”

He showed Gin a skilled drawing of a long-legged insect with sharp pincers. Nothing like what Ada looked resembled when Gin first saw her.

“That’s not a Rock Skipper.”

“Ah, but my boy, this is a Ulyalyss Rock skipper of the volcanic mountains, very territorial and rude. You must be more specific about where she’s from, what she ate, etc. Telling someone like me that she’s a Rock Skipper is like saying she’s a star in the sky. You have to point it out, or else I’ll point at a random star and make my own conclusion.”

“Right, my bad.”

“My bad?”

The vendor stared at him.

“Don’t worry about it.”

Gin told him about Ada, and the vendor flipped to an empty page in the book and began to sketch.

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“Amazing. Ada here is not just a Rock skipper. She is a Chimarick Rock skipper. If she stayed in the nest, she could have taken the position of the Queen.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve heard of Chimera ants, correct?”

Gin’s mind ground to a halt. There was a particular anime with monsters by that name, but Gin was sure The vendor wasn’t talking about what he was thinking.

“Uh, no.”

“Chimera ants like to invade other insect colonies.”

The vendor paused.

“Well. Less invasion is more like pilfering into the prey’s nest and replacing the monsters’ eggs with their own before the monster fertilizes them. After the egg hatches, the chimera ants eat and grow because the Queen recognizes the hatchling as one of her own. She won’t do anything until it’s too late. In most cases, the hatchling kills the Queen, so now the chimera eats an entire colony from the inside out. Based on what you told me, Chimera Ants are the only type of insect that evolves from eating other monsters and incorporating their most important aspects in their bodies. If she’s here and not with her nest, something happened to her. No one has ever found or had a chimera ant for a pet. The only advice I can give you is to be careful.”

“She’s not a pet.”

“Are you contracted partners then?”

“No. We’re friends. She can understand everything you’re saying. We have a sort of psi link.”

“A psychic link that is amazing, but chimera ants are dangerous.”

“After your little story, I get it, but if I started treating her like a monster, she’ll start acting like one, and I refuse to treat my friend like that. Besides, the places we’ll be going are dangerous. If your statement is true, I know Ada will be fine.”

“Haha, it’s your funeral. Chimera ants tend not to eat Razor Beatles because it’s in the name. When they are born, they tend to eat a lot because of their accelerated growth, but after a week, they will be old enough to fight Bullrats. After a few weeks, they can match a level 15 swordsman in a fair fight.”

He picked up a clear glass with a frozen egg from the frozen area.

“This is my only one, and I paid quite a bit for it. Since you are suicidal, I don’t believe you would mind another dangerous partner.”

Gin smiled.

“How much is all this going to cost me?”

“Including the eggs, that would be five thousand credits. A grown Razor Beatle is a gold-rank threat.”

Gin smiled because he had an auction to go to in the morning. It was a price which he could afford.

“That sounds fine.”

Gin left the shop with a little less money and one more friend. Ada made a few more stops at a fruit vendor and a vendor selling large slabs of raw meat from a giant fish. The meat tasted as if it was salted and then dipped in honey. The vendor assured everyone that he had done nothing to the meat. They slowly returned to the Inn to meet his new teammates. Which made him nervous and excited at the same time.

Nhoka sat at a table by the window, and Thade had his arms folded over his chest and a hat over his face, and he was sleeping. Ada curled up under the table, satisfied with a full belly. The table wobbled, and Thade’s foot slipped off the table, causing him to fall back in a heap. Gin rubbed Ada’s smooth shell of a head and sat down.

“That was your first time, right?”

Nhoka stared at Gin with a curious expression.

“Yes, I don’t start fights, and I don’t kill people just because they piss me off.”

Thade stood in a glaring at whoever saw him fall. He brushed off his hat and his clothes.

“Don’t worry, we don’t either.”

Nhoka leaned forward.

“No wonder why you didn’t string him up with your mind. We’ve seen you fight, and you’re not just a hunter. You’ve had training, plus your fight instincts are similar to Cohan’s mala style of fight, especially with your claws.”

Gin waved his hand around.

“Let’s talk somewhere a bit more private.”

“We can all use Telepathy.”

Nhoka sat back and took a sip of something that smelled like almonds. Gin tried to use Telepathy. His [Awareness] touched their minds, and at that moment, both Nhoka and Thade fell unconscious. Gin jumped out of his chair.

“Shit. No, no, no, no. Please be alive, please be alive.”

He frowned in concern while he placed his fingers by Thade’s nose. With Thade still breathing, Gin sighed in relief. They were just unconscious. Gin sat.

“Okay, less power next time. Right girl?”

Ada grunted, still trying to get to sleep. The Barmaid walked by and stared at the two unconscious adventurers, and then she stared at Gin.

“They were exhausted. Um, can you get Nhoka another of whatever she was drinking and something for headaches for both of them?”

“We have Green Lightening. It’s good for headaches and hangovers.”

Gin paused.

“Okay.”

The Barmaid nodded. Gin waited a few minutes. Thirty minutes later, he heard a groan as Nhoka held her head.

“I feel like someone ran over my head with a wagon. What was that?”

“I tried to use Telepathy and never did it. I’m sorry.”

Nhoka’s facial expression changed several times as if she didn’t know what to say.

“You’re ability it’s vast. I see why you haven’t used it in a fight.”

Gin looked around

“I’m not very good at being subtle. This is too public. Let’s all talk in my room.”

Nhoka and Gin looked at Thade, who had begun to snore. They lifted him and brought him up the stairs while Ada followed behind. They slowly climbed the steps to Gin’s room, but his room door was slightly ajar on closer inspection.

Gin frowned. His ability washed in the room, but nothing was disturbed. Gin had an old habit of hiding essential things so potential thieves would have trouble taking things, but ever since he got the spatial compartment, His room was always empty of anything he owned.

“I locked my room door.”

Nhoka stared at him with a slightly raised eyebrow as she replied in his mind.

“Is someone there?”

“No. Nothing was disturbed.”

Gin tossed Thade on his bed and sat on the Nhoka, sipping on a healing potion and holding the side of her head.

“I’m sorry. Next time, I’ll use less power.”

Nhoka lifted one finger.

“That might not be such a good idea. You need proper training.”

While on the fourth floor, as strong as he was, Gin realized that his abilities were untamed. In some ways, he was excited that he had room to grow. Sometimes, Gin wanted to rush through it all, but moving fast to build a solid foundation would only leave room for failure. Training an ability as vast as his [Awareness] would only make him stronger.

“How do I do that?”

Nhoka stopped him by switching to Telepathy.

“Let’s talk about team dynamics first.”

“Okay, how many of you are there?”

Gin leaned forward. Nhoka smiled.

“You never asked, but I’m here with the whole team. There is Thade and Cohan, There is a swordsman, Eltyn is our mage, and Talril is our berserker. She’s also timid. So we can’t exactly join your team without them.”

“This sounds like you’re recruiting me?”

Nhoka gave Gin a pained smile while scratching her head uncomfortably.

“Well, we were disbanding the team before you came along. Our team leader passed away on the third floor. We were all separated and waited several days, but he never showed up.”

“That, I’m sorry.”

“I’m saying that you have to ask Eltyn and Talril to join our team.”

“Okay, that sounds great. What about this Cohan guy?”

“He’s around here somewhere. All we have to do is wait. He will find us.”

“Your team sounds solid. I don’t see how I can help.”

“You can be our new team leader.”

“I was thinking, how about we decide by voting as a team? So that everyone has a say in the choices being made.”

Nhoka blinked.

“Uh, yeah, that might work. Why didn’t I think of that?”

“That way, I’ll just be the new guy on the team.”

Nhoka smiled.

“Talril might be able to sense your…domain. She taught me Telepathy. Maybe she can help you.”

“It’s best if fewer people know what I can do.”

“I’m guessing you’ve never been on a team before.”

“That’s not it. We have to be cautious while sharing. I have a question. Why do other psi users avoid me?”

“It’s stepping into a dark room, but you are afraid to make a sound so that you won’t grab the attention of whoever is in control. No one knows who you are, so getting out of range is best. I personally call it dick swinging. At first, I thought you were some cocky fool who enjoys peacocking. Do you know I had to sleep with my clothes on?”

Nhoka blushed and looked away.

“I would never.”

Nhoka snorted.

“Being a pervert?”

Gin glared, biting back a sharp retort, and noticed the slight twitch in her lip. There was a whisper of a smile. She was trying to push his buttons. When she noticed he calmed, she gave him a mocking smile.

“I feel someone dropped the Inn on me. What happened?”

Thade rose out of bed and stumbled over to sit in the circle, rubbing his head and yawning.

“What day is it? I don’t even remember drinking that much. Did we have fun?”

Nhoka and Gin looked at each other and began to laugh.

“What’s so funny? Hangovers are no fun.”

There was a knock on the door. Gin used his Telekinesis to open the door. The Barmaid held a tray with several drinks. She smiled. The Barmaid was no older than Gin. She had dark blue hair and slightly red skin. The girl wasn’t the Barmaid he ordered the drinks from, but yet again, he hadn’t paid much attention to the Inn staff. She placed everything in the center of the group. She gently touched the mug.

“This is the Green Lightening, compliments from innkeeper Broger.”

She bowed and walked out of the room. Gin smiled and gave Thade the drink.

“I figured that one of you might have a headache after..you know. I asked the Barmaid, and she mentioned Green Lightening. It’s for headaches and hangovers.”

Nhoka stared at the drink and then at Gin with suspicion. That was too out to listen from Gin’s point of view. It seemed as if Thade only heard headaches and hangovers and then summarily shrugged the cup of green-popping liquid. Nhoka smirked and gave Gin a knowing grin, saying, “I know what you did.

Gin didn’t dignify her with an expression he’d snuck a few beers here and there when he was younger, but not enough to feel what people called a hangover. His older foster brother and sister did tell him that not all homemade hangover cures help. Some worked too well. Gin figured it would be worth it if it made up for his accomplishments, so he laid back and waited to see if it worked.

“Ah, that tasted like burnt leather and Nhoka’s pepper mushrooms.”

These smacked his lips.

“Hey, I think it’s working.”

“How do you feel?”

Nhoka spoke through her Telepathy.

“I feel awake. But my tongue won’t stop tingling.”

Nhoka turned to look out the window, but through Gin [Awareness], he watched her shoulders quake with silent laughter. Gin needed to figure out what to apologize for.

“I’m sorry.”

Nhoka began to giggle, then a full belly laugh. Which was clearly strange to Thade.

“Nhoka, are you alright?”

She waved him off.

“I’m fine. All jokes aside, we need to find somewhere to train and gather. This small room can’t hold us all.”

“Us? You mean you told Gin about the others? But what if they left already?”

Thade lay on his side, his sword in front of him. His pinky went for his nose, but he pretended to scratch his neck when he thought Gin was paying attention.

“That’s because I know where they are. They’ve been following us this whole time. I saw them during Gin’s fight, and yesterday, Talril spoke to me. She’s at the Dusty Herons Inn.”

Thade got to his feet and walked to the window.

“That’s right across the street.”

Gin followed, surprised at the news that the rest of the team wasn’t far away. He sighed in relief. He was worried he might have to search the city to find the rest of the team. Just outside the window was a girl wavy and frantically smiling so wide Gin couldn’t but smile back.

The other girl had psi abilities she sensed when Gin [Awareness] touched her mind, and her mouth opened in shock. As if someone had doused her in cold water. Nhoka glanced at Gin and patched him in on the conversation between Talril and her, allowing him to hear Nhoka letting Talril know that Gin was offering them the chance to climb the tower with him.

“I have a place I think might work as our training ground, and if everything works out, we could end up calling it home for the next few levels.”

Nhoka and Thade looked at each other.

“A spatial tent?”

Gin smiled.

“I think you guys will like it.”

“I’ll be back.”

Nhoka ran down the steps, and suddenly, she was outside leading the two adventurers into the Inn. They all sat in a circle on the apartment floor moments later.

“I’m Eltynna Heartwind, a mage of Far Isles. I practice protection magic. I make magical items that protect my teammates from diseases and curses. I also dabble in light magic.”

Nhoka cut her off.

“Her light magic is a lot more powerful than she let on. She just likes to downplay her power.”

Eltynna wore all black and sported blue hair as bubbly as she seemed. She also had a reserved quality, as if she was raised as a noble early in life, and some stuck. She glared at Nhoka and then pinched her.

“Ouch.”

Talril reassembled a smaller version of Innkeeper Phyla from the underground city, except she had green scales. Gin tried to remember what her race was called, but the words slipped from his mind. Talril hesitated.

“I’m. Talril. I’m a [Berserker].”

Gin took a second look at the shy girl. She had no weapons, meaning she had a spatial device or simply used her fist. Gin introduced himself as a [Hunter]. They’ve all seen him fight, which means there was something that he wasn’t saying, and they accepted his silence.

Nhoka and Thade began to catch them up on the conversation so far, including where they might be able to train and sleep. The conversation of when they would leave the city came up.

“I have to go to the Adventurers guild tomorrow for a private auction. After that, we can work on our teamwork. I have a question: do you know anything about the next floors.”

Talril nervously held her hand up.

“I went to the library while we waited for Zab… a lot of accounts on the tower floor were vague as someone went through a lot of trouble to keep the information from adventurers. Basically, many of the floors are underground locations from different worlds. Some are above ground but still just as dangerous.”

Gin had a feeling, given that the tower’s name was Mnepires, the Tower of the Deep. Which sounded like it was submerged in water.

“Did it mention anything about a god or water?”

Eltynna chimed into the conversation.

“All the Towers were created by gods, but no one knows why. We do know what happens if no one enters a Tower. The team went silent.”

“What happened?”

“I’ve heard that cities disappear.”

Thade played on his back, staring at the ceiling. Nhoka bowed her head.

“Powerful monsters above level fifty flood out of the tower and destroy everything around it. Something they make it to towns and villages. These monsters create dungeons and kill travelers in the countryside.”

Everyone was quiet until there was a subtle knock on the window. Eltynna jumped to her feet.

“We forgot about Cohan !”

She opened the window, and a Cartman at least seven feet tall stepped into the room. His fur was a mix of white and brown stripes like a tiger.

“I heard that.”

Eltynne looked guilty.

“Sorry.”

His voice rumbled in the room.

“It’s fine. I can see that we have a guest.”

Gin stood staring up at the giant Catman. He resembled an anime character with cat ears, except brown hair coated his entire body. He had a no shirt on and baggy pants, but Gin could see his hind leg.

“You’re a..”

“I am a Zhotai. Thank you very much for asking. There is no need to throw around the C word. If you want me to like you.”

He sat and folded his arm. His feline ears twitched as he noticed Gin had a tail. His eyebrows rose.

“It’s an armor piece.”

“I know that. You smell like a.”

He paused and squinted.

“Something else.”

Eltynna stepped forward

“Cohan is our rogue.”

Nhoka clapped her hands.

“It looks like the team was all here. Now tell us why we are here.”

Everyone stared at Gin and Gin slouched.

“I thought you told them?”

Nhoka sat back.

“I told Thade by mistake. He runs his mouth too much.”

“Hey!”

“What? It’s true.”

The rest of the team mumbled in ascent. Thade turned his nose up at the team scooting away from them. Gin began to talk.

“Nhoka told me about what you guys are going through. I’ll be here for two more weeks until I hit level thirty. I have new techniques and meditation I need to get used to first. I’m saying that I’m looking for friends or a team to climb the tower. Nhoka said that she would have to say no if all of you said no. We all would need to vote on any decision being made. If you don’t like a plan, speak up. I’m not a team leader, so if you have any questions, ask Nhoka.”

Nhoka stood.

“What? But I don’t know you.”

Gin ignored her

“I leave in three weeks, but I hope Zab is still alive.”

They went on to talk about each of their plans. Gin felt comfortable in a room full of potentially long-term teammates. He could accomplish a lot alone, but things would be more fun with a team. Eltyn spread out her fingers, and a cake appeared in her hand. She smiled like a schoolgirl as she presented plates and sandwiches.

“I say yay for new friends.”

“Have something that goes well with the cake.”

Thade dug into his bag, pulled out a liquor bottle, and so did Nhoka. The rest of the day was spent getting to know his new friends.