The TCA main hall was even busier than when Nathan had entered. Climbers clustered around a newly updated ranking board, murmuring about shifts in the Top 100. A group of guild recruiters had set up near the entrance, scanning the crowd for prospects.
Nathan kept his head down and moved toward the exit. He almost made it out before someone called his name.
"Nathan Cross."
The voice was calm and very familiar that it made him stop mid-stride.
Elise Winterhart stood near one of the display cases with a thin folder tucked under her arm. She wasn't surrounded by guild scouts for once, maybe they had finally gotten the message that she wasn't interested and her expression was as unreadable as ever.
"Elise."
She walked toward him, stopping at a conversational distance. Up close, Nathan was struck again by how composed and beautiful she was. No nervous fidgeting. No awkward pauses. Just those icy blue eyes, watching him like she was trying to dissect him with just her gaze.
"I wanted to ask you something," she said.
"Uh-huh, Go ahead."
"How did you defeat the Berserk Ape?"
Nathan had expected the question. He had even prepared for it, in the quiet moments before falling asleep last night. The key was to answer without lying, but also without revealing anything.
"Strategy..." he said with a smirk "The Ape commanded a monkey swarm. The swarm was the real threat, not the boss itself. Once I understood that, I could work around it."
Elise's eyes narrowed slightly. "That doesn't explain how an F-Rank archer and summon survived long enough to execute a strategy."
"Mirko's faster than she looks. And I've been training my skills." He shrugged. "I'm not saying it was easy, you know? But... it wasn't impossible."
For a long moment, Elise simply looked at him. Then, unexpectedly, she nodded.
"Okay, I believe you."
Nathan blinked. "You do?"
"You're not stupid enough to cheat in a monitored examination, not that there were many ways to cheat in there... And..." She hesitated, just for a fraction of a second. "...I reviewed your point gain pattern. You were farming consistently before the boss fight. Most students who cheat don't do that. You were already building toward something."
Nathan wasn't sure what to say to that. Fortunately, Elise didn't seem to expect a response.
"I'll be watching your climb," she said, turning to leave. "Don't disappoint."
She walked away before he could reply.
'How dare that white hair Human express interest in my master!" Mirko said through their link, her tone filled with a hint of jealousy.
'She expressed interest in my climb, Mirko. Not me.'
'hmph! If you say so.'
Nathan shook his head and resumed walking toward the exit. Women were confusing. Both humans and Demi-Beast girls.
He had more important things to focus on.
---
Back at the apartment, Nathan sat cross-legged on the floor while Mirko in bunny form, lay sprawled across his lap. The Leyline Ring hummed quietly on his finger, a constant low-level current of mana trickling into his reserves.
He pulled up a holographic interface and navigated to the Climber database.
[FIRST CLIMB: TOWER OF BEGINNINGS]
The Tower of Beginnings was the designated starting point for all new Climbers. It was a tower that existed in every country. It wasn't the easiest Tower, some of the lower-ranked ones were safer, but it was the one most guilds required on a resume. And clearing it proved you had fundamentals.
Floors: 10
Recommended Level: 5–20
Monster Types: Varied (Beast, Undead, Elemental)
Boss Floor: Floor 10
Party Size: 1–4 Climbers
Nathan scrolled through the details. Monsters scaled based on party size. A solo climber faced fewer enemies but had no backup. A full party faced more enemies but could divide roles.
With his intention of keeping Mirko's evolution still hidden, solo climbing was the safest way to keep his secrets. But solo climbing also meant no safety net.
"You're thinking too loud, Master" Mirko said.
Nathan glanced down at the beautiful spectacle with a blush on his face, She had shifted into her humanoid form without him noticing, green hair spilling across his knees, rabbit ears twitching lazily, and the ornate bodysuit somehow both practical armor and completely ridiculous.
"I'm... strategizing." He said as he averted his eyes from her upward gaze.
"You're worrying." She sat up, crossing her legs. "We defeated a raid boss together, Master. A ten-floor Tower is not beyond us."
"It's not the Tower I'm worried about. It's what comes after." Nathan closed the interface. "The Tutorial Realm was wasnt watched by people but within the The Tower climb, out battles can be exposed. Guilds. Rival Climbers. The Association. If anyone figures out what you really are before we're strong enough to protect ourselves..."
Mirko's ears drooped slightly. Then she straightened them with visible effort.
"Then we simply have to become strong enough faster than they can figure it out."
Nathan stared at her.
"That's... surprisingly straightforward."
"I am a Knight. Knights are straightforward. Hmph!" She puffed her chest out slightly. "Also, I learned it from you."
Before Nathan could respond, the apartment door clicked open.
"I'M HOME!"
Lucy burst through the door, backpack bouncing behind her. She froze mid-step, staring at the scene before her: Nathan sitting on the floor. A tall, green-haired woman with rabbit ears sitting beside him. Very close beside him.
Nathan's brain scrambled for an explanation.
Mirko, with the reflexes of a warrior, and the infinite courage of a knight did the only thing she could think of.
She shifted back into bunny form instantly.
Lucy blinked.
"Did... did I just see...?"
"You saw Mirko jump off my lap, ha ha ha" Nathan said quickly. "She..she was on my lap. Then she jumped off. That's what you saw!"
Lucy squinted suspiciously. "Why are you acting weird?"
"I am not acting weird. You're acting weird."
"I'm not..." Lucy shook her head. "...Whatever. I'm going to get changed. And then I'm hugging Mirko."
She disappeared into her room, then nathan exhaled slowly.
'Master,' Mirko said through their link, still in bunny form and looking distinctly frazzled.
'Yeah?'
'I believe we may have made a tactical error.'
'You think?'
---
Later that night, with Lucy safely asleep and Mirko back in humanoid form sitting properly on the couch this time, not sprawled across anyone's lap... Nathan finalized his plans.
Tomorrow, Tower of Beginnings, Solo climb.
The Leyline Ring hummed on his finger. Mirko's new class waited to be tested in another real combat. And somewhere in the back of his mind, the system's earlier words echoed:
[Climb the Towers. Increase your authority. The answers you seek shall naturally reveal themselves in time]
Nathan closed his status panel and leaned back. "Tomorrow..." he said quietly.
Beside him, Mirko smiled, that same fierce, confident grin she had worn after blocking the Berserk Ape's strike.
"Yes, Tomorrow..." she agreed.
Outside the apartment window, the city lights glittered against the dark sky. And in the distance, visible from every corner of the capital, the Towers rose like silent challenges against the stars.