Following their battle against Urek Mazino on the eighth floor, the group consisting of Yeong, Rose, Aldwin, Ran, and Darius stopped being arrogant and resting on their laurels. Instead, they committed to improving significantly to avoid facing such a crushing defeat again. Consequently, they trained together continuously, unlike before when they trained individually. This shift solidified their team cohesion, floor by floor. This cooperation granted them new power, allowing the 'Little Warriors' team to reach the 20th floor of the tower in just six months.
The 20th floor of the tower resembles a series of snowy mountains. Fortunately, those who arrive at this floor do not find themselves in the snow, but rather on a flying structure the size of a city, overlooking the entire landscape. This floor is very important for Regulars, as not only do those who pass the test at this level become Rank E Regulars, but they also gain the right to reside, alone or with their families, in the Middle area. This Intermediate Zone lies between the Inner Tower, where the tests take place, and the Outer Tower, where the majority of the tower's inhabitants live. For Regulars and Rankers, this is a residential zone where Regulars who choose to abandon their ascent can live out the rest of their lives.
Indeed, when Yeong and the rest of the group arrived on this floor, they were all so exhausted from their arduous journey that they immediately headed to the Intermediate Zone, which had just been granted to them, to rest in true comfort. Naturally, as members of the Ten Great Families, they were invited to one of the luxury hotels without being asked for points, the currency of the tower. This was one of the more insidious aspects of the Zahard Empire, the descendants of the great families were given preferential treatment, as no one wanted to offend the son or daughter of Yirang Yeon, Khun Eduan, or Arie Hon, who are wrongly regarded by most tower inhabitants as gods.
In contrast, Regulars who are not born into these great families or sponsored by a sufficiently influential family must pay for all tower services, such as the chance to retake a test, with their own money. This money comes from passing tower tests, working, or, in the worst case, borrowing points from unscrupulous loan sharks who could seriously endanger their lives or at least their freedom. This is the harsh reality of the tower under the influence of the Zahard Empire and the Ten Great Families.
Fortunately for them, thanks to their privileges, they didn't have to worry about such questions and were able to sleep in a luxurious suite, with plush beds and good food. As soon as they finished eating, they fell asleep, so heavy was the fatigue upon them. However, while the rest of the team slept soundly, Rose and Aldwin couldn't find sleep and went out to the balcony to talk.
"Well. You don't seem to be able to sleep either, Rose?" Aldwin asked as he leaned his back against the railing.
The princess of the Arie family first looked at her sleeping teammates behind her, then gazed at the nighttime landscape before responding to her companion. "Indeed, Aldwin, I'm far too anxious about tomorrow's test, because if we succeed, we can proudly say that our group has climbed 20 floors. You know, before we started this tower climb, I never would have thought that with my goal of revenge, I could have loyal allies that I could call friends for the first time..."
"All the members of our group, including myself, feel the same way," replied the team strategist. "When I talked with everyone, I realized that we didn't have any true friends. Yeong was forbidden by his mother from having friends because of Yirang's issues with the Great Warriors. As for me, I've never said it, but every member of my family is very solitary, we don't like to get close to each other, so I rejected the idea of friendship. But I now understand the benefits of companionship. Ran has only fought to be recognized by his father since childhood, and finally, Darius has always been rejected because of Bloodmadder's blood. So you're far from being the only one, Rose, who has such a problem."
She sighed and displayed a faint smile, a rare smile that made her even more stunning. "You're probably right. Being around such a group has allowed me not only to grow emotionally and stop being so arrogant but has also strengthened me. Without Darius's guidance, I never could have improved so quickly in my physical training with Shinsu after our defeat against Urek. However, I still have a lot of work to do to catch up to my father. I just have to look at Yeong's astonishing progress curve to realize the level of an irregular. Without being irregular myself, I would need a power that surpasses theirs, like an administrator, but that seems impossible to achieve, unfortunately..."
Shortly after their conversation, they finally returned to their beds to spend the rest of the night. The next day, as they exited their hotel, completely rested, the group encountered a rather disturbing scene: a loan shark with his bodyguards threatening a poor regular with blonde hair.
The young man in the green suit was slumped on the ground, held firmly against the floor by a hand of Blue Shinsu. Yet even in this state, he seemed to carry a great determination within him. "I assure you, Lurker, that this time will be the one. I will pass this test, and I will pay back all my debts!"
"There's a lot at stake, Ja Wangnan because this will be your last chance," said Lurker with a sly grin, savouring Wangnan's shock. "Indeed, this is the last time, dear customer, that we will allow you to borrow money from us. If you fail once more, we will have to repay your debts with your organs."
Seeing such injustice unfold before his eyes, Yeong couldn't help but want to intervene, knowing that the existence of usurers was one of the many effects of the corruption in the Tower caused by King Zahard. For the heir of Yirang, this act was of great importance, as it would allow him to initiate a series of actions aimed at reducing corruption within the empire and among the Ten Great Families, as his dream demanded. Yeong was not naive; he understood that merely fighting Zahard would not make evil disappear. Instead, it required a multitude of actions that may seem insignificant individually but, when combined, could truly change the behaviour of the Tower's inhabitants.
The colossus of the Hendo Lok family noticed Yeong moving toward the usurer with an angry look on his face. Logically, Darius tried to hold him back with his strong grip, saying it was pointless to concern himself with this matter when the Tower was rife with countless issues. However, the young man from the Yeon family ignored him and broke free before accelerating the Shinsu around Lurker and his bodyguards.
[ Eurasia Blossom Shinsu Control Style - Flow Acceleration X 10 ]
Under such pressure from the Shinsu, the usurer's two grey acolytes immediately fell unconscious, and Lurker couldn't even stand, collapsing to his knees to Wangnan's great astonishment. "Why intervene in a matter that doesn't concern you? If you harm me, we will send powerful Regulars or even Rankers corrupted by our credit society after you. So release me from this pressure if you don't want your life to be threatened as well!"
"Money has undoubtedly gone to your head if you seriously believe you can intimidate a great family... But after all, you are the losers who abandoned your ascent of the tower to intimidate and swindle those weaker than you, and that disgusts me! Moreover, do you sincerely think that the rankers you send against me will have the courage to face the only son of a family head, who won't hesitate to turn them to dust with a single thought for daring to attack me?" Yeong said coldly, deliberately emphasizing his high birth to instil fear, as the son of Yirang had finally understood that when dealing with such individuals, calm discussions didn't work, one always had to use fear and righteous anger to make them change.
Without giving him time to respond or to process the information he had received, Yeong Yeon cut off his Shinsu technique and took out his Pocket to transfer 1,000,000 points to Lurker.
"With this large sum of money, you should have enough to pay off the debts of the regular with blonde hair behind me. But don't be fooled, if I've given you all these points, it's so that you and all your usurer friends shut down your loan sharking businesses and take up a new economic activity in a different field. Know this, if I return to your floor after my ascent and see that you haven't heeded my advice, I will be far less merciful than I am today, and I will personally close your businesses. And as Yeon, you must know that there could be a lot of flames that day, so think carefully, Lurker." Threatened the young man with pink eyes, in which one could believe they saw flames dancing.
When Kim Lurker had the chance to flee, he didn't even think about discussing it and preferred to run, abandoning his two bodyguards in the street, leaving Wangnan completely in awe of Yeong, who had greatly helped him by paying off his debts. The regular in the green suit was determined to become part of his group after witnessing his strength, believing with great hope that this was finally his chance to ascend to the next floor and advance toward his ambitious goal. So, he tried to make his request to the 'Little Warriors'.
"I am so indebted to you! Thank you for helping me!" He bowed respectfully at Yeong's feet, then cried out pathetically, "My name is Ja Wangnan! I beg you, please allow me to join your group. I will put an end to the reign of the Ten Families by becoming the king of the tower instead of Zahard!"
Hearing his plea, Rose found him truly contemptible, as he didn't have a single fragment of personal pride. In contrast, Yeong found it particularly interesting that he would shout such a speech in front of members of the Ten Great Families. But before he had a chance to respond, he was interrupted by Darius, the oldest member of the team, who spoke in his place.
"I interrupt you, Yeong. Even if you want to include him in our group because his dream seems similar to yours, we cannot let him join us. If you start doing that, we risk taking in all the regulars who have similar goals to ours, which would be impossible in the long run." Darius said categorically, silently supported by Ran. "Moreover, you've helped him enough by repaying his debts. It would be greedy to want to join us when he seems to have nothing special."
Quickly realizing that most of his friends did not want to accept him, Yirang Yeon's son turned away from the blond young man, apologizing to Wangnan and explaining that, unfortunately, it was impossible to let him join their group because he had to respect the opinions of his close ones.
As Yeong and his friends walked toward the testing location, he could only speak mysteriously to Darius, "You said he had nothing special... True, his mastery of Shinsu seems weak, but Darius, if you had looked more closely at the red ring he wears on one of the fingers of his right hand, you would understand that he is a regular, anything but normal. Indeed, no one at his level carries an artefact with the same density of Shinsu as a weapon from the series of the thirteen months..."
However, the rest of the group couldn't even comment on their teammate's mysterious and meaningful statement, as they had already arrived at the testing location. In the testing area, Aldwin couldn't help but observe a young woman with long blue hair beside him, carrying a suitcase behind her. He felt he had seen her before but couldn't remember where.
For the moment, Aldwin's memory was not particularly important, as the "Little Warriors" now had to face new challenges. After easily getting through a minor preliminary survival test, the group finally arrived in a room with a raised floor that served as a stage. At the back wall, they saw a huge banner that read: "Shinsu Contest: Finding the Best Shinsu User."
They were the first to arrive in the room due to their speed and had to wait for the rest of the regulars to arrive. After several minutes, they spotted Wangnan, who had been lucky enough not to encounter any powerful opponents, along with the girl with blue hair who was wearing sunglasses. However, Ran noticed another regular this time, one with brown hair, whom he thought seemed particularly powerful.
Once all the regulars who passed the preliminary test were present, the test administrator finally arrived. He was a small ranker who looked like a child, wearing a blue cap and jacket. He introduced himself to them and made a machine appear to his right, which contained a sphere of Shinsu.
"Hi, regulars! My name is Mule Love, and I'm in charge of this test. The challenge I'm going to put you through is called 'World's Strongest Regular.' It's a test of strength, in which the machine to my right will measure your ability to enhance your body with Shinsu. Of course, all your techniques, if you have any, are allowed.
Each time you are called, you will hit the Shinsu sphere, and your score will be recorded on the board behind me. The best among you will be able to choose 7 other regulars to advance to the next test. Without further ado, let the test begin!" Love said, sitting down in his chair while eating a piece of chicken.
The test administrator, seeing that no one was stepping forward, chose to demonstrate how to proceed. Mule struck the Shinsu sphere directly and achieved an astronomical score of 13,200,000 points. This showcased the overwhelming strength of the rankers, which could not be matched even by the most powerful regulars unless one was either Adori Zahard or an irregular.
Yeong, wanting to go last, chose to let the various regulars go ahead of him, each ending up with scores ranging between 500 and 1500. Then it was Ja Wangnan's turn. Confidently facing the machine, he struck it and achieved a score of 1950, which he was very proud of, putting him in first place without realizing the monsters that were about to come behind him. Indeed, the next was Aldwin, who scored a total of 28,000, despite being a Light Bearer.
"I can no longer afford to fall after an enemy lands a punch on me, can I?" said the strategist proudly, looking at his team.
He was referring to the fight against Urek Mazino. Then Rose went next, scoring 41,350, not because she was weak, but because, as an Arie, physical reinforcement was truly secondary to her mastery of swordsmanship. Next came the young man with brown hair that Ran had discreetly noticed. The name displayed on the board was Ari Chun, a member of the great family Ari, who excelled not in the art of the sword but in the art of the needle. However, instead of using his needle, he preferred to use a mechanical glove of his design to strike the machine with all his strength.
[ Ari Style: No Needle - Celestial Breakthrough ]
When Chun struck with that powerful shockwave, his score was 53,475. Ran had indeed been correct in estimating him as someone strong, but the genius of the Khun family also knew he was better than him, and he proved it by enveloping himself in electric Shinsu before delivering a strong blow, achieving a high score of 72,000. This surprised many regulars in the room, but what made many men in the assembly shout was the next person to take the test: the young woman with blue hair who had removed her glasses to reveal her starry eyes. Yeong did not understand the excitement surrounding her and confided in his most loyal friend.
"Aldwin, I understand that this girl is beautiful, but why such fascination to the point of shouting?" questioned the heir of the Yeon family.
"Normally, you don't know her, considering you're not interested in much beyond your family's mothership," replied the member of the Tu Perie family before explaining, "I knew I had seen her somewhere, she is Ha Yura, a very famous singer in the tower, so it's no surprise that she drives the crowd wild."
"So this woman is part of the Ha family, she must be very strong physically..." murmured Yeong.
[ Ha Yura Style : Meteor ]
Yura's punch was so powerful that it caused damage all around the machine, and when her attack was counted, the score logically rose to 90,180. This was expected given the blood of Yurin Ha flowing through her veins, which gave her a particularly robust body. But while she celebrated with cute expressions, thinking she had already won, Darius didn't wait to showcase the full strength of his reinforcement.
[ Hendo Lok Style: Shinsu Boost - Metal Palm ]
The result even surprised the ranker somewhat, as he achieved 163,320 points with his power. When it was finally Yeong's turn, the young man thought of all his training with his mother to imbue himself with flames to envelop his body in a highly effective reinforcement. However, he chose not to use any techniques to assess his pure strength. So, when he struck the Shinsu sphere, he was evaluated at 313,000 points, leaving almost all the regulars in the room speechless.
[As a side note, Baam was evaluated at 134,769 points using his "Floral Butterfly Piercing Technique," but since he only tapped it and didn't use all his strength, one can imagine that if he used this technique seriously, he could reach around 500,000 points. So it's not so astonishing to see such results appearing among regulars from the great families.]
"It seems we have a winner. You can step up to the podium, Yeong Yeon," said Mule as Yeong moved onto the elevated platform beside him. "Now, I will ask you to select the 7 regulars who will take the test with you, from the test director Augustus."
Yeong thought as he looked at Wangnan's face, which was filled with hope. "Yes, I have chosen the 7 regulars who will accompany me. First, it will be Aldwin Tu Perie, Arie Rose Zahard, Hendo Lok Darius, Khun Ran, Ha Yura, and finally Ari Chun, and Ja Wangnan." Those selected outside of the 'Little Warriors' group felt relieved and happy.
The test administrator accepted his choice and told them to return to their activities while waiting for tomorrow. At the same time that Yeong and his group returned to their hotel, in a red room, the test director of the 20th floor, Augustus, was speaking at a distance with the test director of the 2nd floor, Yu Han Sung.
"So Augustus, Lord Grace personally asked you to change the test?" Yu Han Sung asked with genuine curiosity.
"Indeed, I was the first to be surprised that the founder of FUG, Lord Grace, would honour me by speaking to me directly, and even more so to demand that I change my test for a regular. This Yeong Yeon seems more important than just an ordinary irregular, doesn't he?" replied the test director of the 20th floor.
"You seem to be right, Augustus." said the test director of the 2nd floor. "Lord Grace doesn't seem to want to include this irregular in our group, but rather wants to test him for reasons that are completely unknown to me."
"Even by my standards, I see this as cruelty, Han Sung. After all, a test that forces a regular into a specific choice is not a test but rather a forced choice under threat," said Augustus. "Furthermore, asking me, through this infamous test, to sacrifice all the regulars who failed seems excessive, even pointless."
"And what does this test involve?" questioned his ally from FUG.
"This test involves recreating the first trauma of the 13 Great Warriors, in which Yeong will have to make a crucial choice using a lever. Lord Grace even remarked on whether, like Traumerei, Yeong would pull the lever or not," Augustus replied wearily.
Yu Han Sung, hearing his words, took on a very serious expression.
"Mmm... I see what this is about, the infamous event that the family heads have tried to forget to erase the first sin from their memory. A test of profound cruelty, I pity you for having to bear all the responsibility, Augustus... Lord Luslec truly wants to deeply change this young man's behaviour through this torment, just as the Great Warriors were, isn't that right? But for what real purpose?"