[ Before reading: We are now entering Arc 3: Identity and Truth. I'm sorry for the late update. I was already feeling too lazy to write, and recently, I got sick, so that didn't help. Anyway, enjoy reading the chapter. ]
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"Ultimately, my dream not only destroyed the dreams of these regulars, but it even took their lives... Should I continue pursuing my goal if the consequences are so cruel? Yes, I must, because otherwise, the deaths of Akraptor, Shasha, Tin, Goseng, Bruce, and all the others would be in vain. For them, I must achieve my goal of saving all the regulars! Even though my actions were justified by the need to save my friends, it remains wrong, even if less. Let this be a lesson to me to avoid sacrificing others and to impose my pacifism. I must become even stronger!" Yeong said, scratching his arms until they bled from guilt as he looked at the graves of the fallen regulars he had helped create with his teammates.
[In this passage, you can notice that I was inspired by Griffith before the Eclipse in Berserk and a specific moment of Bondrewd from Made in Abyss.]
Aldwin had immediately noticed the change in his friend, just by looking at the gleam in his eyes, which seemed more mature. "You almost seem... different, Yeong. My friend, I know perfectly well that you feel guilty, but don't forget that you chose to save us."
Nevertheless, Yirang's son didn't answer him immediately, at least not before his black hair was swept by the wind. "No one can remain indifferent to such a macabre sight, especially when we know it's our fault... It's only natural that I seem to be changing, right? But you've changed deeply as well, haven't you, Aldwin?"
"It pains me to confirm it, however, you are right. We have all been affected by this trial, and each of us, even the most idealistic, now understands that our climb up this cruel tower will be littered with corpses, whether we want it or not." said the member of the Tu Perie family.
Darius, observing from a distance the conversation between the two young men, was rather pleased with the maturity that both of them, as well as all the other participants in Augustus's test, had gained. With his experience of being close to death due to the Bloodmadder's blood, he knew that such a trial was necessary to forge the minds of these young people, all of whom had such great ambitions. "At least I'm reassured to see that none of them want to give up, not even Wangnan..."
And speaking of Ja Wangnan, he was deep in self-reflection. "I knew this trial would end badly, but I never thought we would go as far as sacrificing regulars by the dozen... It disgusts me! I wanted to save them all, but I couldn't. But next time, I won't make such a mistake. I won't abandon my ideals, because if I give up what makes me who I am, then I'll never become the King of the Tower!" Wangnan thought, filled with determination.
"I don't know this feeling that twists in my chest, but I find it annoying." said Ran, frustrated.
The young genius of the Khun family then felt a reassuring hand on his shoulder. It was the Princess of Zahard from the Arie family, recently healed of all her wounds by the green flames of Yeong.
"You're probably feeling guilty because, unlike the bloody battles that take place in your family, where you protect your own life, those who died yesterday were strangers, who begged us to save them. However, I share the same feeling as you, I also have something boiling inside me, but it's not guilt. It's shame!" She said as tears of rage streamed from her eyes.
"It's not your fault, Rose!" tried to reassure Aldwin. "The robots were way too powerful, and the test was rigged from the start, to make us make that choice. I don't know what the FUG wants from us, but it doesn't bode well for the future..."
However, Arie Rose didn't listen to his speech and screamed to make him stop. "NO! I don't care about the FUG, Aldwin! The only truth that came out of there is that I failed, and because of me, we had to pull that lever... I'm so ashamed! I will never fail like this again, I promise everyone!" she shouted, kneeling in front of her teammates, swearing an oath with her sword.
Everyone was deeply moved by her promise to never lose again, and Yeong took his blade before speaking to her seriously.
"You and I both know that your goal will be hard to achieve," he said. "After all, no offence, but you're essentially a regular, and your father is an irregular. How do you plan to go beyond Arie Hon's immortality contract? How do you intend to defeat him when he has thousands of years of experience, and you don't even have his rate of progression? Will you go so far as to destroy everything you are to free your sister from his grip? Tell me, Rose, because soon we'll be moving on to the 21st floor!"
"Unless you believe in the delusions of the other residents who worship our respective parents as invincible gods, an irregular, unless proven otherwise, is not unbeatable. There are more powerful entities, like the administrators, who can stop them, except Enryu, but that's an exception!
Sure, I'm just a regular, and the contract my father holds prevents him from dying at my hands, but I will break the rules of this tower by finding a way that no one has discovered yet to achieve my goal, all while remaining myself and not losing myself in power! Yeong, I know you'd prefer for us to be a united team with no leader, like the 13 Great Warriors, but nothing stops me from being your blade, just like my father was for Zahard. So, as long as you help me achieve my dream, I'll be the weapon that will crush all our enemies without you having to dirty your hands." She said with determination.
Seeing that her determination perfectly mirrored his own, Yeong handed the blade back to the princess.
"Before, I would have categorically refused to take you as my blade," he said. "But today is a different day. I accept to do so. In exchange, I will help you in your ambitious quest to surpass the irregulars, just as you will help me in my dream of overthrowing this corrupt empire. Moreover, I won't treat you as my slave or an object. You are, first and foremost, one of my most loyal allies and a good friend, Rose. So, when I give orders, you can perfectly choose not to obey. Does that suit you, Arie Rose Zahard?"
Seeing Rose kneel and make a solemn oath, everyone who witnessed the scene was hypnotized by the beauty of the moment, which could have been painted on a grand fresco. After the two members of the 'Little Warriors' had finished what they needed to do, the young man with brown hair from the Ari family wanted to address the heir of the Yeon family as well.
"Yeong, sorry to interrupt you while you're about to head to the next floor, but I want to be part of this journey with you. You and I have similar goals. While you want to rid the 10 Great Families and Zahard's empire of corruption, as you told me last night, I want to put an end to the hypocrisy that runs through every member of my family, which reaches its peak with my family head, Ari Han. I hate how they all call themselves pacifists when they're no better than the other 9 Great Families," Chun said, his voice filled with anger.
"Indeed, our goals align perfectly, Chun, and you would fit well into our group..." Yeong replied, his voice slightly ethereal. "However, even though I greatly appreciate your technological skills, which will be extremely useful to us, you need to understand that, while I am a pacifist and won't spill blood unnecessarily, I won't hesitate to protect my life and the lives of my loved ones by causing death if it's necessary. Given what I've just told you, do you still want to join me?"
"I don't care that you're an irregular and that I'll eventually become an enemy of the empire. I can tell from your words that you're sincere. You truly believe in your vision of pacifism, and that's why I still want to follow you to achieve my own goal alongside you, Yeong. And I think Wangnan wants to join us as well, right?" Chun explained, looking at the regular with blond hair.
"You can't abandon, me, Ja Wangnan!" the young regular in green clothes shouted with humor. "We've been through so much together, we can't part ways now, not before I become the king of the tower!"
The irregular smiled slightly upon seeing Wangnan's antics. "If you all agree with what I've said, then I have no reason not to let you join our team. However, I'll leave the final decision to the wisest among us, Darius, since he was the one who initially rejected you, Wangnan."
"Of course, you leave me with the hardest decision, fiery kid..." sighed the group's defender. "As for Chun, I don't mind adding him to our team, because his skill with the needle will only increase the group's overall strength, given his performance in the pit. Now, as for the difficult case of the blonde-haired child, my first impression of him was very negative, as I saw him as naïve and foolish. But after this test, I discovered that he is loyal, and even though he is weaker than us, he still gave everything he had to succeed. That's why I accept him into our group, and I even wish for him to become the future king of the tower, now that he has discovered the true nature of the tower."
While Wangnan was shouting with joy at being chosen, the team's strategist looked in the direction of the Tower idol, who was separated from the others. "And you, Yura, what are you doing? Are you finally going to join us, even knowing that if you embark on this journey with us, it will inevitably put an end to your idol career?"
"You know, Aldwin... to be honest, being a singer was never the end goal, just a means to an end. So if I can stop being manipulated by a bunch of greedy people, then I'm all for it. I think I'll join you, to live a real adventure!" Yura said with an optimistic tone, striking an idol-like pose.
But behind that joyful facade, Ha Yura hid her true thoughts. "By following these people, I should be able to uncover the truth about my parents, and with some luck, I might even get my revenge on the Ha family for what they did to my mother! Nevertheless, even though these people seem trustworthy, I mustn't let them know my true objective. I've already been betrayed in the past by the same kind of people, and I wouldn't want to experience that kind of suffering again." She thought, maintaining a fake smile.
And without wasting any more time, the 'Little Warriors,' who had integrated three new members, made their way to the 21st floor of the tower, more determined than ever after having gone through such an ordeal.
"In the end, when V returns to the tower as foretold by the Arlen prophecy, what role will you play, Yeong? Will you be one of his victims, one of his allies, or, on the contrary, will you be the one to bring an end to the FUG and all its hopes?" wondered the test director, Augusgus, as he gazed at the sky from his office, while the 'Little Warriors' had long since left to face their next test.