The water of a hot pool could do wonders, especially during cold nights. Damian knew he wouldn't always have a structure like that in the tower, so why not use it?
Alanna was there with him, and both had seen their naked bodies, more than just seeing, so sharing a hot pool was not a problem for them, and the one they had was at the back of the house.
"It feels so refreshing," Alanna said.
"Yeah, agree. Alanna, you are staying in the resting room during the week, right? No more tower attempts," Damian asked.
"For now, yes. I already completed a request in the dungeon, so I want to return, get the reward, and train before trying to climb more of the tower."
"So you are part of an organization?"
Damian wouldn't lose the chance of scouting her to see how her life was on Earth and perhaps recruit her to The Dawn organization, where he was the leader, but he was almost sure she already had one.
"Yes, the same one Lucy and Luna are a part of. Why do you ask?"
"Nothing, just to know you better," Damian said with a smile, trying to look as ordinary as possible.
They spend one hour inside the hot pool, discussing many things and their next steps. Damian got Alanna's phone number, as well as the phone number of Lucy and Luna. After that, it was time to go to bed.
The house had more than one room, so no one slept together that night, and on the next day, they parted ways. Of course, they shared a kiss before that.
"Good luck with the tower climbing," Alanna said, waving at Damian.
"Good luck, Damian! If it is dangerous, go back," Lucy said.
Damian then set his mind to the critical part: the tower climbing. He went toward the staircase, which led to the next level; sure enough, others were doing the same.
No one had surpassed Damian on the leaderboard, and that's because the only ones climbing the tower were the ones from the first batch. Damian knew that when the information about the tower spread and the powerhouses went there, it would be impossible to maintain himself at the top, but it did not matter.
'If I can stay at the top at the end of it and reach the last floor before everyone else, that's what matters.'
With that thought in mind, Damian went up the stairs, passing through the portal at the end of it, just like it happened the last time.
'What is this place?'
Damian expected a scenario similar to the last one, or at least a building of some sort, but that was not what happened. He was inside a ship, not alone but with a few people who passed through the portal like he did.
The surrounding area was all water, like the ocean, and the ship they were in looked like those the pirates had, not technological ones. What was most impressive was how real the place looked, and even the unique scent of the sea was present!
Damian still could not understand how the tower's creator could do all of that, make those places so real, and implement game systems.
"Who are you?" a man said.
They realized what was happening and how they weren't alone in that place but with a crew. Everyone was a stranger to one another except Damian.
Everyone knew him, the first ranked person, and it was hard not to consider the creepy mask Damian wore and his black outfit giving him the vibes of a mysterious person.
They stood quiet, waiting for what Damian would say. It was not because they liked him, but rather, they respected him! Some inside the ship thought of going against Damian to prove to everyone the first-ranked person was not that much of a deal, but they kept those things inside and did nothing in the first moment.
Damian saw they were waiting for him to speak, so his mind worked at full speed, trying to think about their situation and judge their next steps.
"We are eight people here," Damian said hoarsely.
"Look, the best tower climber knows how to count!"
Some of them laughed, thinking their guesses about Damian were true and that he had been lucky to get there.
"Considering all of you are as dumb as rocks, or even worse, let me explain. Eight is the minimal number of people required to run a ship like this one we are in,"
"But way more people passed through the gate, right? So it means there are other ships with eight people in them, and we had been randomly put together,"
"This could mean we have to fight against others, but that's not the point of this tower. Sure, it has conflicts, but this is not the primary goal. I guess we need to reach somewhere in this tower level to pass, maybe an island or something. What do you think?"
Damian said many things, and those who were previously laughing were no more. There was no denying that Damian's thought process was fast, and he understood more of the level than the others.
It was not because he was a genius or something, but rather because while everyone else was thinking about fighting against one another, or other useless stuff, Damian was focused on what mattered: pass to the next level.
No one argued against him anymore, and without a word, Damian turned into the captain! The ship actually only needed seven people, as the eighth would be the captain, who did nothing but stay inside his room.
Of course, Damian was not that type of a captain, and he stood behind the ship's wheel, working with one of his crew members to explore those waters and hopefully find a way out.
Their peaceful time on those waters lasted short, and after a few minutes, the ship shook. It was like something had hit it, and then a gigantic octopus came out of the water, movings its tentacles.
'Really? Fuck...'