After surviving his battle against the High Ranker Evankhell, Yeong and his companions were teleported to the third floor with the help of the administrator of the second floor, who also healed all their injuries in the process.
Here they were, in a large luxurious white room resembling a train station hall, where many regulars, just like them, seemed to be waiting. However, among this crowd stood a woman with long sky-blue hair, distinguished by her beauty and power, who should never have been so low in the tower under normal circumstances.
When this powerful lady spotted Yeong and his two companions appearing unusually as just three, when they should have been accompanied by a whole group from the second floor's promotion, she immediately understood that this trio of regulars was particularly interesting, and a mischievous smile began to form on her beautiful lips.
"Mmm, it's truly a very heterogeneous group. First, we have a Yeon, who is probably the mysterious only son of Yirang Yeon, being closely watched by Zahard's army. Then there's the sister of Hagipherione, whom I've already met, and finally, we find in this same team a member of the Tu Perie family, the most discreet of the ten great families.
You can see that they are above the other regulars present, just by looking at them. But what makes this team the most interesting is that they seem to form a united group, whereas traditionally, regulars from great families never associate due to rivalry. Perhaps Ran will be able to reach his full potential among them as he accompanies them in their ascent..." She murmured with a big smile while approaching Yeon's group.
And so, without having the time to discuss what they had recently experienced, Yeong, Rose, and Aldwin were approached by a princess of Zahard, eager to get to know them better.
As she approached them with her graceful movements, Yeong could sense the danger she posed with every step, even though she was very beautiful in her expensive blue dress that perfectly hugged her body. Great power was evident to the young heir as he sensed the flow of Shinsu emanating from the individual heading in his direction, which was surprisingly close in level to that of the ruler of the second floor he had previously faced. That's why he used all his caution, silently preparing for a fight in case the person in front of him intended to harm him.
But Rose, as reckless as she was and aware of the identity of the person in front of them, did not hesitate to attack the woman with light blue hair. However, her sword strike was easily stopped by the woman using just two of her fingers, from which a few sparks emerged. This allowed Aldwin to deduce that the mysterious woman was not only a member of the Khun family but very possibly Khun Maschenny Zahard, due to the power and beauty she displayed in just a few seconds.
"What are you doing on the third floor, Maschenny?!" demanded Rose as she pulled her sword away from the grasp of the princess of the Khun family.
"Tsk, that's why I don't like the princesses of the Arie family; you hit first and talk later. The worst part is that sometimes, like right now, you manage to outdo Yuri in recklessness, which is far from a compliment..." Maschenny said, glancing at her bloodied fingers before smiling.
"I see you've improved; congratulations, Rose. But to answer your question, we're simply in a waiting area for regulars, where the test administrators are waiting for your group to grow from 3 members to 5 so you can move on to the next trial. However, some regulars who climb the tower stay here for a long time, either because others haven't chosen them due to their weaknesses, or, on the contrary, they are far too arrogant and solitary to want to be part of a group of 5, like my brother Ran at the moment. That's why I'm here, I'm playing the role of big sister, trying to force him to join a group so he can climb." She finished.
"That still doesn't explain why you came specifically to us when you should be by your brother's side," Rose said, hiding her pride at having been complimented on her strength by her sister-in-law.
"Can't I greet my wonderful sister-in-law from time to time?" Maschenny joked before adopting a curious tone. "It's curiosity that brought me to you and your group, Rose. It seemed strange to see you only with your group when you should normally be accompanied by other teams of regulars just like you. Unless you three eliminated all the other candidates and the Rankers accepted your performance, which is very unlikely knowing them. So tell me, how did you and your group end up on the third floor before everyone else and in record time?"
"Maschenny, since I know you won't let us go until I tell you, I'll confess the truth. To move on to the third floor, Aldwin, Yeong, and I had to face a special test from a Ranker, who challenged us to bring him down. But even after we succeeded, only Aldwin and I were accepted to ascend by the Ruler of the second floor. As for Yeong, he had to take a survival test with Evankhell due to a particular trait of his," said the sword princess, revealing just enough without giving too much away.
Hearing this, the princess of the Khun family tried her best to suppress a smile. Even though she was genuinely impressed by their feats, the one who intrigued her the most was Yeong, who had chosen to fight Evankhell, someone even she wasn't sure she could defeat. So, she approached him and gently placed her fingers on his face to get a better look at his eyes.
"So you wanted to replicate Adori's act by trying to defeat a Ranker while you're still just a regular. I appreciate that boldness, but I don't see the same fanaticism in your eyes as I did in hers.
No! The light I see in your eyes is truly rare. In five millennia, only one person possessed a similar light, and that was the sealed princess Enne Zahard before she went mad. You don't realize the power she had; it took a horde of Rankers, along with me and several princesses, to stop her—and even then, she outmatched us. We had to wait for King Zahard to finally seal her away. That was the craziest fight I've ever experienced, and it still stays with me today. Ha, ha, ha.
Indeed, it was only in her that you could see such a mix of determination and hope. She wanted to put an end to the bloody fights the princesses used to engage in, and in the end, by becoming such an enemy to the empire, she unwittingly succeeded in ending that practice.
But now you, who have that same determination in your gaze, tell me, what is your goal?" she asked, eager to know what motivated Yeong to climb the tower so quickly, even to the point of challenging a High Ranker.
Despite the embarrassment, Yeong felt at that moment, as he sensed Maschenny's delicate fingers moving across his face, he became serious again when she allowed him to share his dream, purging all his previous feelings by abstracting from everything that was happening around him.
For the princess, seeing her soul shine so brightly through her sparkling pink eyes made her particularly happy, widening her smile, but she never would have thought she would become ecstatic upon hearing his next words.
"Princess Maschenny, I am climbing the tower intending to eliminate the corruption not only from the Zahard Empire but also from the 10 Great Families," Yeong said with great determination.
The High Ranker had a hard time holding back her laughter at such a declaration, but she eventually burst out laughing, not out of contempt but pure joy. "Ha, ha, ha! Do you know that your goal will provoke war throughout the tower? Civil wars will arise among the inhabitants of the outer tower, Rankers and Regulars will tear each other apart, and we will see family heads clash with one another. Even knowing this, do you still want to shatter this fragile peace to pursue your dream?"
"I learned several things from Evankhell, and one of them is not to be hypocritical. I'm not naive, Maschenny, to think that my goal won't risk provoking a total war that spirals out of my control, but I will do my best to avoid involving innocents in this conflict," He replied in a resolute tone.
Faced with this, the princess's response was completely unexpected. Instead of words, she passionately kissed him on the lips. But make no mistake, it was not a kiss motivated by love; far from it. It was rather the culmination of all of Maschenny's repressed desire to finally find someone who shared similar goals to hers.
The kiss was as intense as it was brief, and when Maschenny stepped away from Yeong's intimacy, she immediately licked the drool from the corners of her lips, as if she had enjoyed the experience of her first kiss, something she had never experienced since becoming a princess at such a young age. However, she paid no attention to the shock of the Yirang heir, who was trying to clean his mouth as best he could, or to the scandalized look on Rose's face, who knew that if a member of Zahard's army saw her behaving like that with a man, she could risk such a severe punishment that she would probably lose her life.
Maschenny, in a euphoric mood, didn't care about the rules and preferred instead to ramble about her desires with a hint of madness. "Indeed, you're right, this boring peace must be broken to make way for a bloody war like in the past, where the Ten Great Family Heads and their descendants, the FUG and their elders, the Workshop and their creations, Wolhaiksong and their secrets, and finally Zahard and his princesses will clash to determine who will rule this tower once and for all. You can call me crazy if you want, Yeong, but I can truly only live when there's combat and blood."
"I am the opposite of what you propose, as my goal is not to destroy everything to rebuild it all, or to call for a war for blood. I want to lead a legitimate revolt against the tyrant known as Zahard to free the people of the tower from his yoke. However, I am not against the emergence of a new king. Yet, Maschenny, you don't seem to grasp the power held by a leader of a great family. Even with a large number of Rankers by their side, no one in the tower, aside from the administrators or Macseth, dares to think they can surpass them unless we're counting Urek Mazino, Zahard, Enryu or Phantaminum in the equation." Yeong declared convincingly.
"I know perfectly well the level of power they possess!" the princess replied. "But I'm not going to get into another debate with you; I wouldn't want to lose the affection I have for you, especially since our goals align. It's time for me to go, but know this, Yeong: if you want to advance in your goal, you need a group of five. My brother Ran and the opponent he's currently facing will be perfect for helping you ascend the tower quickly. To give you a reason to recruit my brother into your group, know that not only have I trained him, but my father, who cares nothing for so many children, personally intervened with Headon to select him as a regular, even though he is so young."
As Maschenny walked away, the young heir of the Yeon family was already thinking about adding such a genius, recognized by his family head, to his group. Aldwin, for his part, noticing the dull atmosphere, wanted to lighten the mood with a lighthearted joke.
"At this rate, my brother, you might become like Khun Eduan faster than you think and end up surrounded by a whole harem of Zahard's princesses." chuckled the member of the Tu family, before screaming in pain as Rose stomped heavily on his foot. "Argh! Rose, please stop! It was just a joke!"
But even though he was joking, internally, he was quite pleased with how events were unfolding. "Yeong, you have a real gift for attracting Zahard's princesses. I know very well that they don't see you as a lover, which is forbidden anyway, but you have a charisma that commands their respect, which will be crucial for achieving your goal of reaching the 135th floor. And I will help you gather the weapons of the 13 Month Series, so we can discover together what lies beyond Zahard's empire." He thought while trying to tend to his injured foot at the same time."
At the same time, not far from them, a fight was taking place between regulars, pitting a little boy with light blue hair against a giant over two meters tall with dark skin. They both belonged to one of the 10 great families, one was Maschenny's brother, Khun Ran, and the giant, his opponent, was named Darius Hendo Lok, a true colossus who proved by his sheer size that he had the blood of Hendo Lok Blodmadder in him, granting him an extremely high resistance to Shinsu. It is ironic that these two regulars were fighting, while during the journey of the Great Warriors, their respective family heads formed a duo that was reputed to be unbeatable.
"Come on, Ran, join my team, and we'll win all our fights together!" said Darius, punching towards Ran.
Maschenny's brother easily dodged his opponent's attack and prepared a lightning spear in his right hand. "No, you're just too bothersome.." Ran replied in a stoic voice.
[ Maschenny Style: Lightning Spear Technique - Deadly Lightning ]
[ Hendo Lok Style: Shinsu Boost - Metal Defense ]
And despite the power of the electric spear, when it struck Darius's body, it caused no major damage, and the giant allowed himself to mock Ran. "It's not with such an attack that you'll break through my defence. Sure, you're agile, but if this fight drags on, I'll be the one to win, kid!"
"Don't even dare call me a kid! It's just a matter of time before I break through your defence, you old fool!' shouted Ran, preparing a new spear more powerful than the last.
"Nevertheless, as they were about to continue fighting, a wave of fire from outside forced them to interrupt their respective assaults and jump back to dodge. This wave of fire came from Yeong, who wanted to stop the fight to recruit both of them. "Stop this pointless fight, there are two of you and three of us. Let's team up to quickly ascend this floor and the next!"
Of course, the two fighters were displeased at being interrupted, but Darius, being wise for his age, realized from observing the power of the flames that Yeong's team could take him to the top as he desired. So he stepped forward to accept Yeong's invitation, ignoring Ran from then on.
"I accept to join your group. My name is Darius from the Hendo Lok family, and I can serve as your defender. However, may I know the names of all three of you?" asked the member of the Hendo Lok family, extending his hand.
Yeong shook Darius's outstretched hand before introducing the different members of his team. "First, there's me, Yeong Yeon, I'm the wave controller. Then we have the team's Fisherman, Arie Rose Zahard, and finally, the Light Bearer, Aldwin Tu Perie."
While Darius smiled at the chance he had to be part of such a talented team, Yeong Yeon was looking for a way to persuade Ran to join his team. "Ran, I won't force you to join my team, but if you want to surpass your sister as quickly as possible, then join us."
Yeong's bluff, unaware of Ran's true goal, worked, and the young boy from the Khun family became extremely interested for a moment. "I don't know how you know that information, maybe my sister, who was hanging around, mentioned it to you, but I won't join a boring team, so prove to me that you're not."
"This seems like the perfect time for us to talk about our respective goals. Mine, Ran, as Rose and Aldwin know, is to eradicate the corruption within the Ten Great Families and the Zahard Empire. On a more personal note, I want to climb beyond the 134th floor to uncover the truth about this tower. But I warn you, you can still refuse to join me because I am an irregular raised by Yirang, the head of the Yeon family. So joining me could bring you a lot of trouble, which could very well make you enemies of the Zahard Empire and seriously threaten your lives," Yeong said in the most serious tone.
Only Darius was completely disoriented by all this information, but he also understood that he had to bet on this group to achieve what he desired. "It seems that at 41 years old, I am the oldest in the group. All my caution is screaming at me not to team up with you, Yeong. However, my goal is very difficult to achieve. As you must know, our family head, Hendo Lok Bloodmadder, steals the lifespan of all his family members, including me, especially my mother, who is at risk of dying soon. My desire to climb this tower is to become a Ranker so that I can have an audience with my family head and convince him to return part of my mother's lifespan. So I don't care about becoming an enemy of the empire if it means saving my mother."
Everyone knew the truth about the Hendo Lok family, where some members had to lie about their last name to marry and have children so that their spouses wouldn't be afraid of the Bloodmadder bloodline. So everyone except Ran sympathized with his situation. The boy with light blue hair, however, was ready to accept. "You don't seem boring, so I'll join you. My only goal is to become a powerful enough warrior to defeat my sister, to give her a bloody fight like she loves. Besides, I think the fact that you might create a war will please Maschenny."
"You know well, comrade, that I will accompany you on this journey even if you are an irregular," Aldwin said with a smile. "As for me, my goal isn't as ambitious as yours, I just want to see the tower's greatest wonders with my own eyes."
Rose was the last to speak, and she did so with a certain calmness in her voice. "I know perfectly well that as a princess of Zahard, I shouldn't accompany a possible enemy of the empire, but I don't care, because my only goal is to surpass my father, Arie Hon. And since you are irregular like him, I know that accompanying you to climb this tower will bring me closer to my goal."
Having formed such a team, Yeong was truly proud to have such loyal teammates who wouldn't turn their backs at the first challenge. "Within this group, we will all do our best to fulfil each other's desires."
"However, Yeong, I have one last question," Aldwin interjected. "Every team in this tower has a name to distinguish them, so what will ours be?"
The irregular thought for a moment, allowing the others to suggest a team name, but when no one proposed one, he shared his idea. "I admire the journeys of great warriors, among whom my mother was one. So why not take the name 'Little Warriors' so that we can become the Great Warriors of this generation in the future?"
"The idea of replacing my father even in the story seems tempting to me," Rose exclaimed with a big smile, while everyone else also appeared excited.
Then, with everyone generally satisfied, the united group of five headed towards the test on the third floor with great determination. This day marked the creation of the 'Little Warriors' team, which would cause many important incidents within the tower in the future."