Floor 3, Floor of Treasures.

After a few hours of travelling, the night had come as the three finally arrived in a bustling city. The vibrant nightlife of the city greeted them as does the dozens of food vendors whose products tickle their noses. However, they pressed on.

Earlier during their travel to a Green Zone in Floor 2 to access the Ascend Stairs to Floor 3, a hooded person met them just like when Yuuki first met Yun.

That individual briefly greeted them and then gave them a location in Floor 3 which Yun wanted them to go to for when they arrive there.

"Are we near?" Emilia asked as she looked around at the numerous stalls, holding her desire to eat.

"I think so. We just needed to find the exact location of this inn that Yun wanted to meet in."

"Okay… Hey, this leader of yours, what is he like?"

"Dunno, I've never been together with him for long."

"Oh… Is he strong?"

"He should be."

"You're also not sure?"

"Yeah, haha." Yuuki scratched his head.

"I'm curious about one this… During the trial, you've sent a huge mana wave and it seemed like you've cut the space around you. What was that?"

"Oh that? That's just part of my technique."

"Technique?"

"Yeah, a sword technique."

"Oh… I'll be honest, I was terrifiieed when I saw that you've killed all those people... Did the moderator ever got angry with you?"

"Well, he didn't, which is nice." Yuuki smiled.

"Eh?! Why wouldn't he be?!"

"He was satisfied with what I did, that's what he said."

"But…"

"Come on, don't overthink it. Besides, those guys are never dead anyway. That's why the moderator took it lightly."

"Not dead? What do you…"

"You'll see in the future, I don't have to answer that. I'm curious what your reaction would be, though." He chuckled.

Emilia frowned and actually wanted to smack him but couldn't because they've just met and are not close enough yet.

After silently walking through the streets for some time with the two's empty stomachs, they finally arrived at the specified inn where Yun was located in.

"Are you sure this is it?" Emilia's jaw dropped as they approached a four story building which seemed like a mansion for how extravagant looked. With golden accents and polished surfaces that could have reflected the sunlight if it was daytime, further enhanced by the cleanliness. It was no wonder why somebody who seemed to be as rich as Yun would want to meet here.

"I think it is…" They all walked forward to the main entrance with doors that's made of oak and there's also two guards standing beside it, questioning those who are entering.

As they neared the entrance, one of the guards stopped them with a question. "Please state your purpose."

"We're here to meet somebody."

"May we ask the name?"

"It's Namgoong Yun."

The guard's stern expression swiftly softened to a gentle one as he personally led them inside. "Right this way, esteemed guests."

Yuuki shrugged as they followed through an extremely wide hall. Everywhere they looked, every single person were adorned with jewelry and all seemed very wealthy with numerous staffs going about and around the inn. The entire inn was richly carpeted with red with a lot of beautiful art pieces everywhere from statues to paintings at every turn. "This is more like a five-star hotel..."

Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

Arriving in front of a door marked with a VIP sign, the guard knocked carefully. "Master Namgoong, your expected guests have arrived."

From within, they heard two people talk. Although it is muffled, Yuuki recognizes Yun's irritated voice. "Guests? I clearly told you I'm only expecting one person."

The other voice then replied in a respectful tone. "Apologies, Master Namgoong, allow me to settle it."

"Yeah, go ahead."

The door then opened as an elderly butler greeted them. "Who are these people?"

"My sincere apologies, Head Butler. A boy who matched Master Namgoong's description was among them, which is why we let them in..."

The butler glanced at Yuuki and swiftly closed the door as their conversation inside resumed. "Master, the person you're expecting is here."

"Is he? Fine, let me see these people."

"As you wish." The butler opened the door wider, revealing Yun seated atop a luxurious chair adorned with gold, matching the inn's opulent exterior. The room's inside was equally luxurious, resembling a grand meeting hall more than a living room. Every surface shone with cleanliness, and the furniture was extravagantly flashy. The grandeur of the space, with its pervasive golden hues, made it feel more like a royal chamber than a mere noble's quarters.

His expression brightened a little as his lips curled up.

"This guy…" Yuuki thought as he laid his eyes on Yun who is wearing a silk robe. "Is that a chair? That's more like a throne…"

Yun spoke in a welcoming tone. "Hero! We finally met again."

"Yeah. I don't get why we needed to go our separate ways last time, though."

"That's because I had things to take care of, and I don't want to burden you with them. Anyways, why don't you guys take a sit first?" Yun gestured for them to take a seat on the luxurious chairs around him, that while are not on par to the throne-like one that he's currently on, are certainly chairs that befits a noble's standards.

"Was that so?" Yuuki replied as he sat comfortably on the chair.

Yun then glanced at Jose. "This person…"

"Oh, I brought him with me since he's strong. That wouldn't be a bad thing for you, right?"

"Well, it's not a bad thing. I've watched him fight Prince Zero, after all."

"Oh, you watch in Neural Hubs, huh?"

"Of course I do, I'm the kind who likes to keep up with news. Anyways, you want him to be part of our group?"

"That's right!"

"Well, mister Jose. Do you want to?"

Rubbing his hands together anxiously, Jose answered. "Uh… Samurai told me I would get something in return for joining you."

"Samurai? You mean him?"

Yuuki then interrupted, "Well, actually… Just call me Samurai from now on, that's what everybody else call me anyway."

"Really? Sure, Samurai it is, then. I do not really mind it at all... So, Jose..."

The latter's eyebrows rose up a little as Yun continued speaking.

"Oh, don't mind me knowing who you are. You're quite famous, you know? You've bested one of Zeus' sons, that's a big deal. And I just happen to have the money to afford most information anyway. Finding someone's name is a trivial task."

Yun leaned forward and spoke with a cold tone. "Tell me. What do you want to get in return?"

"I… I want my brother back."

"What? You know I can't bring back the dead, right?"

"Eh…? But he is not dead, though?"

"Then what exactly are you trying to say just now?"

"… I just want my brother back. He's on a path of vengeance right now, and I can't let it fully consume him. I need your help to bring him back to the correct path!"

"Hmm… Now I'm intrigued, tell me more."

"Yes… We were living together before with our grandfather. We were happy and…" As Jose continued, he began clenching his fist with sadness painted on his face.

"We were very happy living as farmers in Floor 1… We know a lot of good people, we're eating plenty… It was… Peaceful... But then, some bad people stormed our houses and grandpa fought them… Andres and I were out making deliveries at that time, but when we arrived back, grandpa was already losing and was killed before we made it to him."

Jose closed his eyes with a sob and reopened them after a sigh. "They were able to use some kind of black portals to leave, and there's a barrier around their battlefield that we couldn't get past through, so we watched our grandfather die there with no other choice."

Yun then asked. "How many of them are there?"

"There's quite a number of them, but there are around five to seven of them... After that, after burying grandpa, we had an argument on how to live moving forward. Andres doesn't want to stand still unlike what grandpa said, he wants to take revenge and the only way to do so is through going up the tower and finding the truth... I tried to stop him with force, but I'm no match for him…"

"So that's where my help comes in, huh?"

"Yes! Please help me correct Andres into the right path! I will do whatever you want after that!" Jose then bowed his head while seated.

"I'll be honest, I want you around for at least until Floor 100. Even if we managed to bring back your brother. Who will check up on him once we did? Surely you can't since you'll be around me, right? Or are you saying I'll need to help you on that as well?"

"That… I haven't thought that far ahead... But I promise! Once we bring him back, I will go with you until Floor 100! Bringing him back is my only priority right now..."

"No, no. I don't need promises. We'll make an Equalizer Contract."

"I won't object to that…"

"But you know? If your brother is better than you… why not just bring him with us in our climb? Surely he will be a great asset."

"Combat is not the life our grandfather wanted for us, I would have wanted him to stop climbing, even though I need to because of this deal with you…"

"This makes me feel like I'm forcing you when this is a fair trade…?"

"That…! That's not what I meant, I'm sorry!"

"Hah, I'm just kidding…. Well, fine, I'll help you out. We'll just have to figure out what to do once we brought back your brother. I'm not that heartless, after all. We'll go get your brother first in the future and we'll figure out the rest."

"Thank you."

"By the way, where is he currently? Do you have a lead?"

"I can discern his general direction from where I am when we are in the same floor."

"And he's here currently?"

"Yes…"

"All right, we'll figure this out later. How about we form a contract first?"

"Yes…"