After finishing everything, he thought of going back to his old one-bedroom apartment, but it was not like there were any important things left in that house.
He called the landlord, settled the remaining rent, and informed him that he would no longer be staying there. After that, he booked a cleaning service to clear out the apartment and dispose of everything left behind.
With that chapter of his life closed, he returned to the hotel, sat down, and pulled out his brand-new phone. He opened Metazon, curious to see if there was anything useful to buy. Last time, he had skipped this section due to a lack of money, but now, he needed to know what was available.
Navigating to the "Inside Tower" section, he noticed that the highest-tier items available in every category were capped at Level Four. To confirm, he searched online and found that, as expected, anything from Level Five and beyond was strictly prohibited outside the tower.
If anyone was found using a Level Five or above object outside, they would be immediately apprehended. However, a few items were exceptions, like storage pouches, defensive items, and health or mana potions that did not cause harm to the public under any circumstances.
As for why Metazon did not sell Level Five and above items, it was because they were too costly, and demand was higher than supply. They also did not want customers using those items outside the tower, as they might get blamed for any misuse. There was no legality preventing them from selling such items—it was just that they chose not to.
After researching for a few seconds, he felt bored and switched on the TV. He skipped the movies and switched to the news channel.
A female news anchor was saying, "Today, we see another destruction caused by the terrorist organization NOVA. They attacked the Crimson Mall in North Asian Longxi City. Players from the Asian Players Association reached there as soon as possible, but the terrorists had already left by then. Four hundred fifty-six people died in this attack, and seven hundred were injured. Now, let's talk with the city mayor regarding the attack."
"What is the terrorist organization NOVA?" he searched on his phone.
"NOVA is an international terrorist organization, as declared by the United Nations with a joint agreement from all nations. This organization consists of rogue players, mostly extremely dangerous criminals, who find satisfaction in causing destruction after gaining power in the tower world. They have caused irreversible destruction in almost every major city in the world. So far, their primary motive appears to be stopping players from climbing the towers. However, the reason for this remains unknown, according to the association's reports."
'Why do they want to stop players from climbing the towers? Didn't they become powerful by climbing the tower themselves?' The reason seemed absurd—there had to be a deeper story behind it.
"Ding!" A message arrived.
[Sanjay, please don't forget to come for the school farewell gathering.]
A girl named Shruti had sent the text. The name was saved in his predecessor's phone, and he had transferred everything to his new phone.
A school farewell gathering—it was not like he knew anybody at school or cared about anyone.
On the TV, the news continued: "Now, the next news. Saurabh Jain got the highest marks in this year's final high school examinations, declared yesterday. Now, let's ask him how he prepared."
High school examinations... His predecessor had also taken the same theoretical exams, right? As his successor with the same body, he should at least check his marks to avoid disgracing ten years of education.
He searched online for how to check the results. It could be accessed using his ID—the same ID issued by the association. Only a pass was generated by the association, not a new ID. That made his work easier.
He checked the results online. His marks were three hundred out of seven hundred twenty.
"What is this?" He checked his results once again and matched his name with it. Only three hundred out of seven hundred twenty—just forty-one percent. So, basically, he was not good at theory either. Not that he cared, nor was it necessary.
He then thought for a while and searched the web for future career opportunities in this world after high school. He was shocked to find that, alongside common professions like doctors, engineers, and lawyers, there were professions entirely related to the tower. These professions were even better paid than lawyers, engineers, and doctors.
Guilds hire people from top-ranking schools with high salary packages, even if they are not players or are low-ranked players. These individuals help by suggesting strategies and contingency plans for high-level players to improve their rankings.
Theoretical knowledge is crucial in this era, as every tower has its own storyline. To achieve a high ranking, players must be well-informed about key characters, important facts, necessary precautions, and how to handle various situations.
Every player above the fifth floor has a dedicated team that formulates strategies for them. Even small guilds offer contractual planning teams to help players navigate their way to higher ranks.
Player associations also advise all players to utilize these services to their full extent. These planners provide real-time strategic support. However, only small and medium-sized guilds offer these services on contract—large guilds prefer to support only the players who officially join them.
He searched online for guilds that offered temporary contracts for planners. There were more than he expected. An entire ecosystem of businesses revolved around the tower.
He checked a mid-sized guild with good online ratings—White Tiger Guild. Browsing through their website, he found different service packages based on each floor up to Level Ten. They offered four tiers: Basic, Standard, Premium, and Ultimate. The level of strategic support varied for each plan.
The Basic plan cost one million, the Standard plan cost three million, the Premium plan was five million, and the Ultimate plan was ten million.
"Why does everything related to the tower start in the millions? Can't they at least begin in the thousands?" he thought.
He checked a few other mid-sized guilds, but the prices were nearly the same. The smaller guilds offered lower prices, but their ratings were also poor.
Should he buy a plan? While the storylines were already available on the web, he had no idea about the hidden resources in each storyline that could help him achieve a better ranking. He wasn't overconfident—he knew that getting an SSS rank for every story wouldn't be possible without a thorough knowledge of all available resources. In battles like these, information was the key to victory.
He was debating whether to purchase a plan when his phone rang. The name "Shruti" appeared on the screen.
"Why is she calling me? Should I pick up? Let's see what she has to say."
Sanjay answered the call. "Hello?"
"Sanjay, are you coming to the farewell gathering? Everyone confirmed except you," Shruti said.
"Except me, everyone confirmed? But where?" Sanjay thought but didn't say out loud.
"Actually, I'm feeling a little unwell, so I'm not planning to go," Sanjay lied.
"Listen, Sanjay, everyone is coming. I don't want you to miss out. I know you're facing some financial difficulties, but we're all friends. I'll take care of it—you just have to come," Shruti said, almost demanding.
Sanjay didn't know how to respond. How could someone just assume he was poor? Then again, thinking about his predecessor, she wasn't exactly wrong.
Taking his silence as agreement, Shruti added, "Okay, I'll take that as a yes. Don't forget—eight p.m." Then, she hung up.
"What kind of girl is she? Don't just go around assuming things! I don't care—I'm not planning to go to this so-called farewell party. And even if I don't, who's going to tell me the location anyway?"
Shaking his head, he went back to searching for good planners from the guilds.
For a few hours, he kept checking different options. Price wasn't an issue—what mattered was the quality of service. He even watched some review videos on MeTube, but now he was even more confused.
"Forget it. Let's go eat something."
The hotel had a famous rooftop restaurant—he should try a few dishes there.
He left his penthouse and took the elevator to the rooftop.
As soon as he got down, he saw a group of young men and women drinking and dancing to the music.
A party was going on. Without disturbing anyone, he quietly walked over to the guest seating area and sat in a corner. A waiter approached him with a smile, holding a menu.
"Hello, sir. Welcome to Orion Restaurant. What can I get for you?" the waiter asked politely.
Sanjay glanced at the menu. It listed chicken, duck, and various exotic seafood dishes. He had always wanted to try so-called expensive dishes, and now he finally had the chance. Without hesitation, he pointed at all the priciest items, along with a few top-tier whiskeys.
In the Asian Nation, the legal drinking age was sixteen. He wasn't sure how it had been lowered so much, but he was grateful—at least he didn't have to wait long to drink again.
A few minutes later, the waiter returned, carefully laying out the extravagant dishes and drinks on the table.
Sanjay picked up his knife and began cutting into the meat. Just as he was about to take a bite—
"Waiter! What are you doing?"
A loud voice rang out from nearby.
The waiter flinched, visibly startled. He turned in the direction of the voice. All the guests stopped eating and looked over—including Sanjay.
A young man with red hair was striding toward him.
"Who told you to serve such expensive dishes to him? Didn't I tell you to ask me first if someone ordered anything costly?" the red-haired boy scolded the waiter in an angry tone.
The waiter became visibly nervous. Before the party, the young man had instructed him to check with him before serving expensive items to anyone from his group. But the waiter had assumed Sanjay was a regular guest since he arrived late.
"S-Sorry, sir. I didn't know. I thought he was just another guest," the waiter apologized sincerely.
"Now tell me—are you going to pay for these dishes?" The boy grabbed the waiter's collar. "Well? Answer me!"
Then, he turned to Sanjay. "And you—do you not have the basic decency to order something less expensive? Just because someone is paying for you doesn't mean you can eat the entire buffet. But what else can I expect from poor people like you who don't even deserve to set foot in this place?"
Seeing this random, arrogant guy insulting him so openly, Sanjay's patience snapped. His fingers twitched, ready to show just how "decent" he was—with thirteen units of strength.
But just as he was about to get up, another voice interrupted.
"Aryan, what are you doing?"
A beautiful girl approached from the other side, dressed in a stunning red gown. Sanjay noticed she wore minimal makeup, yet she could easily outshine actresses and models.
Her charisma must be at least eight, he thought.
At the sight of her, Aryan immediately released the waiter's collar and put on a smile.
"Shruti, come see what Sanjay has done," Aryan said, twisting the story. "I told him to stop, but he was adamant about ordering the most expensive dishes on the menu."
Shruti turned to Sanjay.
He really came.
She had hoped for her entire class to attend this final farewell gathering. They had spent ten years together in the same school, in the same classroom. She wanted everyone to meet one last time before parting ways. She had even organized the entire event herself, making sure to invite each of her classmates.
It was good that he had come.
She observed him more closely. He looked quite handsome, especially in that suit.
Did he rent it just for this occasion? It must have been expensive for him, even if it was just a rental.
Shruti nodded in satisfaction.
The worst student in the class had finally come out of his shell—all thanks to her. It was her duty to help him, after all.
She then turned to Aryan, crossing her arms. "So what? I asked him to come, and I already told everyone that I'd be paying. So what's the issue, even if he ordered these dishes?"
P.S.: If you're still here, that means you liked my story, even if just a little. I know the character isn't very confident and thinks more than he talks, but that's part of his character progression. I will gradually make him more expressive. Please look forward to it!