“How disappointing,” Orion muttered, adjusting his glasses. The mage observed the passage and sighed, shaking his head. “I thought the entrance to each individual area would be unique. It's disappointing to find it's just the same as mine,” he sighed again.
“I'm surprised you didn't test it out before now,” Scott mentioned, without glancing at the mage. “With your persuasive skills, it wouldn't have been hard to form an alliance,” he added.
“You're right,” Orion affirmed with a nod, a sly smile gracing his lips. “Though I was intrigued by the possibility of it being different, I wasn't willing to lower my standards to accommodate some riffraff, you know?”
Scott chuckled softly, shaking his head, and the trio pressed on in silence, bathed in the shimmering lights from the crystals. Barely twenty minutes after their last discussion, the leftmost head turned toward Orion, scrutinizing the mage more closely.
“So, you're rank 1, huh?” it muttered, slowly sizing up Orion.
Orion turned toward the curious head, wearing a broad smile as he nodded.
The leftmost head prepared to ask another question, but the rightmost head interjected, “Any benefits?”
“Hey, I'm asking the questions!” the leftmost head glared at its counterpart before turning back to the mage. “Any benefits?” it asked.
“Not that I'm aware of,” Orion replied with a teasing grin. “The examiner was quite adamant about revealing nothing. However, as the saying goes, an inquisitive mind will find a way,” Orion chuckled softly.
Scott paused in his steps, and Orion and the asura followed suit. For the first time, the eldritch knight turned toward them. “So, what did you find out?” he asked.
“It’s still unverified information right now, but apparently our ranks are basically some sort of sorting code,” Orion explained.
Scott and the asura frowned simultaneously.
“Explain further,” Scott said.
“Like I said, this is all my own musings, so take it with a pinch of salt, no, just keep it at the back of your mind,” the mage started before readjusting his glasses. “I don’t know what you went through before the ranking games, but I’m sure you received a fair few offers from some lesser gods and god, right?”
Scott and the asura nodded, silently waiting for Orion to continue. The mage didn’t dally as he continued, “Isn’t it strange that the lesser gods and gods have basically been quiet since the games started? For such a nosy bunch to be objectively inactive despite having an array of talents gathered here, surely that’s unusual. That’s why I believe that the ranks will play a significant role in choosing sponsors in the not-so-distant future. There are obviously several rank 1s based on their batch; maybe depending on the tier of the lesser gods and gods, they will have priority in choosing who they want to sponsor.”
“But all that would only apply to those who are unsponsored. I doubt another lesser god or god would be able to have anything to do with a sponsored champion,” Scott echoed his doubts after a brief pause.
Orion chuckled, “I wasn’t done. Naturally, that theory would only apply to the unsponsored but being sponsored is just a placeholder. It could be something we’re not privy to yet,” the mage explained.
“It’s almost impossible to know exactly what they’ll use the ranks for, but I genuinely believe the gods will conduct some sort of event that will make the ranks the determining factor. I don’t have enough data so I can’t make an accurate deduction yet.”
The mage paused for a moment, muttering inaudible words under his breath. Meanwhile, neither Scott nor the asura could refute the mage’s deductions. Although it didn’t paint a complete picture of what they should expect, it did give them an inkling of what to expect.
After a brief pause, Orion raised his voice once more. “Then again, there’s a possibility the more established guilds will purposefully do everything within their powers to actively recruit people with high ranks.”
“Why?” Scott asked.
“The only reason they all have branches and their headquarters here is to recruit talents. The tower of champions after all is a competition to determine who will be the rulers of the next epoch. It’s not beyond reason to think the most talented faction would have the best chances of winning the whole thing,” Orion explained.
Scott and Asura silently agreed with the mage’s words.
“While it’s fun to speculate on the unknown, it’s best to wait until there’s an official explanation,” Orion said with a smile. “The best we can do now is raise and maintain our ranks.”
Scott nodded, turning as he continued his trek, and Orion and the asura quickly joined.
“Did you face the titan in the last ranking stage?” Scott suddenly asked.
Orion's brows creased; confusion evident in his eyes. However, it only lasted a moment before curiosity and then excitement replaced it. The mage quickly caught up to Scott, facing the eldritch knight with sparkling eyes. “Please, tell me everything about it. Don't leave anything out.”
Stolen story; please report.
“Ask him instead,” Scott said, pointing at the asura. “He knows more about that thing than I do.”
Orion shifted his gaze towards the asura, approaching with brisk cheerfulness. The asura's heads exchanged glances, as if debating what to do. However, they eventually yielded to the mage's inquisitive eyes.
As the trio continued their journey through the passage, Scott gathered his thoughts while Orion and the asura discussed the details of the last ranking game with intricate detail.
“Wow!” Orion exclaimed, rubbing his chin. “So, there was a hidden option like that,” the mage muttered while patting the asura's back. “If I had known it was possible to abstain too, I would have done the same. Can you imagine the data I'd get from a battle against such a creature?” The mage wiped away the drool sneaking out from the corners of his lips.
“Have you always been like this?” the rightmost head asked, unable to quell its curiosity.
“Don't be rude,” the leftmost head interjected. “Have you ever seen a freak who has a reason for being a freak?”
“Now, who's being rude?” the rightmost head asked, glaring at its counterpart.
Orion chuckled softly, staring at the centermost head, unable to hide his fascination. While the leftmost and rightmost heads displayed an array of emotions every so often, the centermost head usually had a stoic expression. The fact that it had never spoken also filled the mage with curiosity.
The centermost head lowered its gaze, meeting Orion's curious eyes. “Is there something you want?” its voice echoed in the mage's mind.
Orion's brows shot up, his smile brightening. “Mind projection. How fascinating,” Orion said.
This time, the centermost head stared intently at the mage. After all, the mage too had projected his voice.
“I like the three of you. I believe we're going to have a lot of fun over the next couple of...” Orion paused midway through his statement, a frown forming on his forehead as he quickly turned toward Scott.
The asura also focused on Scott, confusion evident on the faces of the leftmost and rightmost heads. Although the eldritch knight stood there motionless, he wasn't alone. The duo could see a luxuriously dressed skeleton, a beautiful elf, and a feline with a bloodthirsty edge. While Orion and the asura scrutinized Scott's companions, they too observed the mage and asura.
“Buddies, how have you been? You don't know how much I've missed you guys,” Slim said while locking Zara and Scott, who Llorva clung to, in a hug. Fi-Fi tied itself around Llorva's arm, wiggling as the champions exchanged hugs.
“That's enough from you, Slim,” Zara said, trying to free herself from the necromancer's clutches. The feline's cheeks had turned flushed pink, but she couldn't unclench Slim's wrists no matter how hard she tried.
Slim chuckled warmly while regarding Llorva and Fi-Fi. “I never thought I'd find a place worse than that desert, but this one takes the cake,” he said, shaking his head. “Do you know how many annoying games I've endured already?”
“You're acting like you're the only one suffering,” Zara retorted, wriggling out of Slim's embrace. She playfully grabbed the necromancer's neck and pinned his skull under her arm, patting the skeleton's head vigorously.
“My leader, this is an abuse of power,” Slim protested, but Zara just laughed like a comedic villain.
“I'm glad to see you're all still in good spirits. Let me introduce you to my alliance members,” Scott chuckled, gesturing towards Orion and the asura, who approached quietly. “That's Orion, he is a mage, and that’s... well, you can call him whatever you want. He doesn't mind."
Scott then proceeded to introduce his companions to Orion and the asura.
“A real-life undead,” Orion muttered, circling around Slim with a giggle. “Truly fascinating.” He stopped in front of the necromancer. “You have an impressive physique.”
Slim grinned bashfully, patting the mage's shoulder. “Your name's Orion, right? You've got a keen eye,” he said, turning towards Zara, showing off.
Zara rolled her eyes at Slim and nodded towards Orion and the asura. Llorva waved casually, while Fi-Fi formed a makeshift hand and waved. Slim, however, stood between the asura and Orion, his arm around their shoulders. The skeleton grinned widely. “Your new friends look quite normal, buddy,” he chuckled. “I half-expected you to attract some weirdos again,” he added, glancing at Llorva and Fi-Fi. “No offense, guys,” he muttered.
But Llorva was too busy cuddling up to Scott to hear Slim's remark, and Fi-Fi simply formed a thumbs-up without comment.
Zara approached Scott slowly, standing next to him. “I didn't think you'd make friends so easily. What's special about them?” she whispered, watching Slim bond with Orion and the asura.
“They're alright. They shouldn't cause any trouble,” Scott replied. “What floor are you on now?”
“The 13th floor, hunting maze. It's a real pain,” she sighed. “And you?”
“We just finished the 11th floor, the shifting step valley,” Scott said.
Zara frowned. “Wasn't the 11th floor the rainbow sprint?” she muttered, a thought forming in her mind. “Does that mean there are variations within the same floor?”
“My 11th floor was the canopy forest,” Llorva chimed in.
“And Fi-Fi's 11th floor was the sludge valley,” Fi-Fi declared.
Zara's eyes widened in surprise. “I had a hunch it was impossible for everyone to go through the same floor, so I was right after all. No wonder I couldn’t find any of you,” she muttered, her features relaxing a bit as she continued, “It seems our best bet of meeting each other again is at the first neutral ground.”
This time, it was Scott's turn to be confused. “What are you talking about?” he asked.
“Oh, you just completed the 11th floor. You won’t find out about the neutral ground until after the 12th floor,” Zara explained. “Basically, the whole choosing a path thing sort of ends when you get to the 15th floor. The examiner didn’t say too much about it, but he said that’s the moment alliances will truly be tested.”
Scott silently digested the brawler’s words before speaking up, “Do any of you have people you’re in an alliance with?”
“Fi-Fi hasn’t met someone worthy,” the slime declared.
“I found a few interesting assistants, but no one as capable as you,” Llorva said, fiddling with Scott’s neck.
Scott cast a glance toward Zara, who had been notably quiet. “Something on your mind?”
The brawler wore a wry smile while shaking her head. “To be honest, I joined a faction,” Zara whispered.
“Oh, that’s surprising,” Scott muttered, glancing at the feline. “What’s their name?”
“The Blood Cult,” Zara said softly.
Hundreds of thousands of tendrils shot out from Scott’s mask, drowning the area in a sea of black. A crack echoed within the darkness, and Zara, Slim, Llorva, and Fi-Fi disappeared. Orion and the asura stared at each other, unable to hide their confusion. Moments ago, they were eagerly chatting with Slim, only for the world around them to suddenly go dark. Now, they noticed that they had returned from the illusionary world Scott had dragged them into, but the eldritch knight remained in the same position. Thousands of tendrils coated his body, while a murky, somewhat bloody pool formed underneath his boots.
Orion and the asura collectively retreated, their eyes focused on an older version of Scott seemingly forming out of the pool. A hand appeared from Scott’s mask, squashing the bloody figure before it took proper form.
Scott cocked his head backward, staring at Orion and the asura. “Let’s hurry before the examiner suspects we’re up to something,” he said, turning as he continued his advance.
Meanwhile, Orion and the asura stared at the back of Scott’s hair, which had turned blood-red.