Vol. 1 - Ch. 11 - The Weak are Expelled

"I haven't gotten this close to death in a while..."Ash stood up sluggishly and lightly brushed the dirt from his clothes.

He was no longer in the hall with the Lord.

He was in front of the entrance to the 10th floor, where the crystal to inscribe the Mark of Completion was placed.

He turned around and looked up at the wall painted in red and gold.

The Lord of the 10th floor had been mighty and Ash hadn't stood a chance, yet he'd made it out alive.

Despite this, Ash had also suffered major losses.

He put his right hand behind his back and rubbed the empty scabbard.

The two daggers that had been destroyed were both custom-made.

In some countries, those two daggers would be worth enough to build a magnificent mansion.

Ash sighed heavily and removed the pouch from his belt.

He opened the lid to see what was inside.

There were three red gems with a picture of a sword on the front and the number {1} engraved on the back.

There was also one, slightly longer red gem.

Ash had picked all of them along the way, however, he didn't feel they had any special value.

"I doubt this will be enough to cover the losses..."

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While caught in a floating sensation, the vision filled with pure white gradually faded away.

Soon, as the familiar landscape unfolded, the weightiness returned to Ash's body.

"I really did come back..."

Ash muttered to himself, looking down at his body and then up at the tower that loomed nearby.

He had just jumped down from the tower.

At first, he had been terrified, but when it was over, he honestly felt that it had been a surprisingly pleasant thrill. He could see why people were addicted to this.

"You survived?" called out the red-haired Milma - the tower's supervisor.

She was waiting at the tower's entrance, perhaps because she had sensed that someone was coming back.

"You look disappointed." Ash teased.

"Of course not. Still, by the looks of it, you seem to have gotten your bottom whooped."

"Now you look quite happy saying that, don't you?"

"Of course I do." She said excitedly. Thanks to which, her response didn't feel unpleasant at all.

"Yea, you're right. I did get my ass whooped."

"You're quite upfront about it."

"Well yea, it was totally one-sided. I can't even find any excuses to defend myself with." Ash admitted, recalling the battle with the Lord and still believing he had no chance to win.

"So, which floor got you looking like this? Given this was your first time in the tower, I guess it was the 2nd Floor? A lot of challengers retreat once they get there. Still, considering that you went in by yourself, Sir Ash, you have nothing to be ashamed of." the supervisor said, nodding her head and speaking eloquently.

Ash appreciated the encouragement but felt the need to correct the misunderstanding.

"It was the 10th Floor."

"I see the 10th Floor. It truly is a place of nightmares. A lot of rookies get stuck there for close to a month. It's quite normal. ...Huh? Wait... Which floor did you say again?" she asked.

"I got my ass beaten by the Lord of the 10th Floor." Ash reiterated, causing the supervisor to open her mouth in surprise.

"Wait, wait, wait! You shouldn't joke about such things!"

"You should know that big Direwolf, no?" Ash asked.

"You can't be serious..." the supervisor said in shock.

Judging by her expression, Ash noted that his pace had apparently been quite good for his first time inside.

Even he had thought that he'd gone a bit fast through the floors. However, before entering the tower he had planned to go up to the 20th or even the 30th floor.

The reality was that the only thing he could do was to reach the 10th floor and go back in tatters, making it the most embarrassing thing ever.

"I really should've listened to you."

"Does that mean you managed to survive until all of the cups were lit...?"

"I was this close to dying you know." Ash responded, shrugging his shoulders.

In reality, Ash had run around the entire time.

He didn't feel like he had anything to be proud of.

"S--Something just came up so I'll have to excuse myself." the supervisor said.

"S-Sure."

(What happened so suddenly?)

Ash couldn't help but wonder.

The supervisor bowed her head and turned around, walking away.

As she left, she put her hands over her ears, yelling, "Master Venus! Master Venus!"

Ash remembered that this was the way that the Milma used to communicate to one another. It certainly was a strange thing.

Ash tilted his head, and at the edge of his vision, he noticed a girl wearing a flower ornament.

It was Clara, the girl who was staying in the same inn as him.

She was looking up at the tower with a somber expression.

"What are you doing just standing there?"

"A-Ash?!"

Clara exclaimed, visibly surprised to see Ash here.

She looked away and replied in a muffled whisper.

"W-Well... I-I was thinking of going up. What about you, Ash? Are you going back?"

"That's right. I just snatched myself quite the spectacular debut." Ash said, spreading his hands while speaking lightly.

"Wouldn't disgraceful be a better way to describe it... You look terrible."

"Yea... I did get my ass whooped." Ash chuckled.

"You seem quite happy about it, though." Clara noted. 

It was just as she said. The sense of fulfillment was far greater than the frustration of losing.

"If you beat someone you once lost to, it means you've surpassed who you were before. There are so many opportunities to do that here. How can I not be happy?"

Ash was now sure after finally having ascended the Red Tower.

He was convinced that the towers on Dural Island would definitely ascend him to new heights.

"I'm so jealous." Clara blurted out.

As when she had been looking up at the tower earlier, Clara had an expression of deep thought.

Ash wondered for a moment whether he should step in but decided not to butt in.

"Sooner or later I'll catch up with you Clara."

"In your dreams. I'm your senior after all."

"Now you've said it! By the way, what floor are you--"

Just as Ash was about to ask what floor she was on, someone appeared beside him.

"I don't mean to butt in, but you shouldn't hang out with her." the person said.

It was someone Ash had seen before.

It was the big guy with the bandana who had gotten involved when Ash was talking with Leo in the central plaza.

Unlike before, he now wore thick sheet metal armor and carried a large battle axe on his back.

(So that's how he looks when he's in battle mode.)

Three other men stood behind him, looking quite imposing.

"Darrion..." Clara muttered upon seeing the big man.

She looked away, appearing uncomfortable in some way.

Ash remembered that Clara had mentioned Darrion the day before, as if she knew him.

(Just what sort of relationship do these two have?)

Ash was curious, but first, he had to deal with the big man who had made the disparaging remark about Clara.

"We meet quite soon, big oaf."

"Cocky as always I see. How's your hand doing?"

"Thanks to you, it's in tip-top shape."

"Haha. And yet you still got your ass whooped."

"I'm still alive, aren't I? I'll climb again tomorrow." Ash stated.

Despite his lighthearted tone, he showed that he had not lost his composure.

Ash could also feel that the other party was the same.

"So, what's wrong with hanging out with her?" Ash asked.

"What? Haven't you heard?"

Darrion looked dubious and then laughed mockingly.

"Let me enlighten you then."

"Please, don't!" Clara quietly exclaimed, trying to stop him, but Darrion continued without a care in the world.

"She hasn't been able to beat the 10th Floor's Lord despite already trying for close to a year."

"So what?" Ash responded.

The supervisor had told him that the 10th floor was usually a struggle, and struggling for a month there was quite normal.

Undoubtedly, a year seemed like a long time, but he didn't think it was all that unusual.

It wasn't important enough to criticize someone for.

"You really don't know anything, do you? Challengers are required to pass the 10th Floor of any of the five towers within a year. Those unable to accomplish that are not qualified to be challengers, and are expelled from the island." Darrion said, raising his chin to point at Clara, "That one's got only 3 days left." he remarked.

Ash looked at Clara, only to see an uncomfortable look on her face.

He didn't want to believe it, but it appeared to be true.

"You seem to be quite informed. Could it be that you have the hots for Clara or something?"

"L-Like hell!" Darrion vehemently denied, his blood pressure rising.

(Seems I missed the mark.)

Darrion clicked his tongue and turned a sideways glance at Clara, as if to glare at her.

"She used to be on my team. She was useless so I ended up kicking her out." He said in a mocking tone.

(Whoa! I never would've imagined!)

At first glance, Darrion looked like a town gangster, and Clara looked like a quiet village girl.

It was quite hard to imagine them working together.

In any case, it was definitely not a good memory from the looks of both parties.

"Sir Darrion, let's leave them and go." 

"Yea. See you around, rookie. Try your best not to end up like her." Darrion said, turning to leave towards the tower after being urged by his team.

Watching their backs, Ash spoke to Clara,

"Is everything that guy said true?"

"I'm sorry... I acted all high and mighty, and yet I have nothing to show for it."

"Absolutely." Ash turned to look at her as he answered.

Clara turned her face down and bit her lip hard as she gripped her hands tightly.

"And because of it, it took me so long to realize that you were in trouble!"

"Ash?"

"Wait here for a bit."

Ash left Clara in a daze and headed toward the tower.

He shouted to the biggest person in the group of four walking in front of him.

"Hey, muscle bandana!"

"What? Who dares call me that?!"

Darrion stopped in his tracks and turned around only to see Ash.

Ash looked at him, declaring, "I'll clear the 10th Floor with Clara. When we do, I want you to take back what you said about her being useless."

"What? What are you--"

"You'll take it back." Ash said with determination.

Darrion stared at him, and eventually, the edges of his mouth curled up.

"Fine! I'll take you up on that offer. However, keep in mind that it's the 10th Floor of the Red Tower that Clara has failed to conquer. And if you fail, you'll have to leave Dural Island alongside her. That's my condition." S~ᴇaʀᴄh the NʘvᴇlFirᴇ.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

"Fine by me." Ash responded immediately.

He had no intention of failing in the first place.

"Hell, I'll even give you my three day cut if you manage to do it!" Darrion laughed.

"Deal!" Ash exclaimed.