As the gates opened, Arthur took a look inside. There, he saw a large open area, floored with ceramic tiles and decorated with greenery. The light coming from the orbs illuminated the place, revealing several buildings surrounding the Divine Tower from every angle.
The entire place was quite vast yet compared to the tower, it was nothing. There, Arthur could also see people going back and forth, clearly busy.
“Please, go ahead.” The guard said.
“Hm? Oh yeah.” Arthur nodded and walked through the gates, feeling many curious eyes on him. Surprisingly, the place was more active than he had expected.
‘Hmm, all these people look like Royal Mercenaries. Since they’re the only people allowed in here, that does make sense.’
“This place looks quite nice…” Arthur muttered. “Hm?”
Looking to the side, Arthur noticed a particularly large building of at least 10 floors or so. It stood taller than the rest of the buildings around it and had a far more expensive-looking outer design. It was also the most active building in the entire Plaza as Mercenaries were going in and out in the dozens with each passing second.
“What’s that place?”
“Oh, that is the Royal Mercenary Guild.” The guard replied.
‘So that’s their headquarters? It’s really close to the tower.’ He mused. The building was perhaps the biggest he had seen in the entire game so far apart from the tower and the Colosseum so it made sense.
“Are you perhaps interested in joining the Royal Mercenary, sir?” The guard asked curiously when he noticed that Arthur had gone completely silent.
“What? Of course not. I like to work on my own or with my people. I’m not joining that.” Arthur shook his head. “It’s easier that way.”
“… Mm, I do not know if you are aware of it or not. But, going into the Tower alone is extremely dangerous. Even the earliest floor is still quite terrifying for newcomers. The Royal Mercenary makes sure its new recruits are always accompanied by experienced Mercenaries on their first raids.”
“I am aware. I heard that many die going in the tower.”
As gorgeous as it was on the outside, Arthur didn’t forget that the tower was a terrifying nightmare filled with danger. It didn’t kill that many people for no reason, after all. In his head, he had already prepared himself to face life-threatening danger and even die a few times if he ended up facing something way above him in power.
“Yes, each year, at least 10 thousand Mercenaries die on their raids into the tower. Though, most of those deaths happen on the upper floors. The first floor is comparatively less threatening.” The guard explained with a cold tone.
‘T-Ten thousand?’ Arthur blinked. ‘So many people… and that’s each year.’
Seeing the pale look on Arthur’s face, the man continued. “We have lost many great talents and many great people in the tower. But, at the same time, we have gained great leaders and great warriors because of it. It gives and it takes, as we all expected. We are grateful for this opportunity no matter what.”
“… That’s a bold claim with that many people dead each year. How are they not afraid of facing their own demise?” Arthur asked.
“We do not fear death because it is an honor to die in the tower. For the sake of protecting our lands and our honor, we must face threats like that. The human race had thrived because we had continuously challenged ourselves. We must continue on that path set by our ancestors.” The man declared powerfully.
Arthur stared at the man’s dreamy look silently for a few moments. There was a deep pride in his words that couldn’t be hidden.
“Sounds very admirable.”
‘Ironic how they’re speaking as if the world outside is the one attacking them and not the other way around.’ Arthur rolled his eyes. The image of the two dwarves and the beastmen was still vivid in his head. That look of fear and terror along with the tales he heard about the human atrocities were all etched into his mind forever.
‘They didn’t lie when they said history is written by the victors. So many lost souls and so much death…. even for humans themselves.’
For a moment, Arthur could swear the entire plaza started reeking of blood. He knew that it was merely his imagination, but the fact he could feel the death of countless souls near this tower gave him a chill.
As they walked through the plaza, Arthur noticed groups of mercenaries talking to one another. All of them stood near a large set of stairs that seemingly led straight to the tower’s gates.
“Did you get the flares?”
“Yes. We should be fine as long as we don’t move too far.”
“The weather cast said the frozen peak will have a blizzard from the east ten hours from now. We can only move south.”
“What about the second-floor raiders?”
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“They will be back tomorrow. They’re in a safe position currently.”
Sneaking an ear into the conversation, Arthur heard bits and pieces of information being traded amongst the mercenaries. Their conversation sounded casual and almost like a routine. But, it also gave Arthur an insight into what he should expect.
“Blizzard… Frozen peak… So the first floor is filled with ice as expected. Interesting.” He muttered. ‘I’m glad I brought some thick clothes with me just in case. I don’t like cold weather.”
Even though Arthur’s body naturally warms itself with mana, he still cannot handle extreme temperatures.
‘Though, with my current level, I can easily move in freezing temperatures with no problem. It wouldn’t be very comfortable, though.’
“Mhm, this is as far as I can go, sir. You can head up the stairs and you will find other guards waiting. They will help you access the gate.”
“Understood. Thanks for helping.” Arthur said as he bid the man farewell and started climbing the stairs. Step by step, he realized that these stairs weren’t short by any means.
‘Long climb.’ He thought to himself as he accelerated his speed. A few minutes later, he finally saw the end of the stairs.
‘I climbed at least 150 meters in the air. This is insane. This tower just keeps getting bigger and bigger.’
Upon reaching the platform, Arthur found himself facing a long bridge that led straight toward the tower on the other side.
The bridge was built out of the same material as the stairs and had no handrails for protection. It was just one straight, considerably thin path, hanging in the air above the plaza.
“…”
For some reason, Arthur felt quite off when he saw it. The bridge was simply a little too empty for his liking. It looked like the perfect place for disasters. Looking over the edge, he noticed the horrifying fall from that altitude.
‘I wonder why there is no protection. Do they want mercenaries to fall?’ He asked himself.
After a few moments of hesitation, he stepped over the bridge and walked forward, heading toward the other side. However, before he could even take the third step, he halted again. He heard a weird clicking sound coming from somewhere.
However, no matter where he looked around, he couldn’t see its source.
‘Huh? What is going on?’
Before Arthur could even take a step into the tower, weird things were happening. It was almost as if the tower was welcoming him in its twisted… humorous way.
A//N: Don’t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3