An hour later, Jas was walking through central Dublin when the System notification appeared.
[TRB PARTNERSHIP LINK RECEIVED]
[STREAM CHANNEL ASSIGNED: TEAM ZERO]
[EVENT: FLOOR 9 RAID ATTEMPT]
[ACCEPT PARTNERSHIP? Y/N]
Jas stopped on the sidewalk and selected YES.
[PARTNERSHIP ACCEPTED]
[STREAM TAB UNLOCKED]
[STREAM CHANNEL: TEAM ZERO]
[STATUS: INACTIVE]
Then another notification appeared.
[TRB OFFICIAL RAID STREAM ANNOUNCENT]
[FLOOR 9 RAID ATTEMPT SCHEDULED]
[STREAM CHANNEL: TEAM ZERO]
[TEAM DETAILS: HIDDEN UNTIL STREAM ACTIVATION]
Every registered Irish Challenger received the sa notification at the sa ti.
Jas dismissed the window and kept walking.
That night, Jas sat at ho in his room. His mother was asleep and the house was quiet.
Before sleeping, he opened his System window to check his current status.
[NA: JAS GANNER]
[CLASS: NECROMANCER (LEGENDARY)]
[LEVEL: 13]
[EXP: 2,340/8,000]
[HP: 620/620]
[MANA: 1,080/1,080]
[PRIMARY STATS]
[STRENGTH: 32]
[AGILITY: 35]
[INTELLIGENCE: 54]
[ENDURANCE: 31]
[LUCK: 23]
[CONTRACT SLOTS: 4/4]
[MAX SUMMON UNDEAD SKELETONS: 5]
[UNSPENT STAT POINTS: 0]
[TOWER CREDITS: 61,615 TC]
He’d allocated his five free stat points from Level 13 earlier: two to Intelligence, one each to Strength, Agility, and Endurance. His Intelligence now sat at 54, which ant he could summon five skeletons instead of four.
Jas closed the window and picked up his phone.
The TRB Floor 9 raid stream announcent was trending on every Challenger forum and news site.
Jas tapped one article and scrolled through the comnts.
@DublinClimber92: They’re streaming another Floor 9 attempt already? Did the first wipe an nothing?
@MageUnionWatch: Heard it’s not even a TRB team. Anonymous outside party.
@GreenTowerFan: Anonymous? Then they’re dead.
@PriestWanted: Unless they found a priest, they’re walking into a grave.
@RaidStatsGuy: If this clears, Ireland gets first confird Floor 9 data. If it wipes, TRB is finished.
Jas read through the comnts and felt doubt creep in for a mont. People were angry, scared, and curious. So thought the TRB was sending another team to die. Others said the team was anonymous because they were disposable.
He closed the phone and set it on the nightstand.
He’d already signed the contract. He’d already told Team Zero to prepare.
Tomorrow, they would try Floor 9.
The next day, Jas arrived at the Hale Estate with the circlet box under his arm.
Team Zero was already gathered in Finn’s basent training room when he walked in. Finn was checking his axe near the equipnt racks. Kael had strategy notes spread across the table. Aria was pacing near the windows. Elliot sat on one of the couches looking nervous.
Everyone looked at Jas expectantly when he entered.
Jas placed the box on the strategy table and opened it.
The Apostle’s Radiant Circlet glowed inside with pale divine light. The white stone at the center pulsed faintly and the gold band caught the overhead lights.
Everyone went silent.
Finn recognized it imdiately. "That’s the circlet from the news."
Elliot leaned forward. "Is that actually the one the TRB used?"
Aria stared at it. "Did you rob the governnt?"
Jas said, "No. I’m the original owner."
The room went completely silent.
Finn’s expression changed as he rembered the news reports from after Floor 5. The circlet had been borrowed from an undisclosed source for TRB use. European guilds had licensed it. It had been used on floors up to 69 before the tower reset.
"That source was you," Finn said slowly.
Jas nodded.
"How much are they paying you for it?" Kael asked.
"Fifty percent of all licensing revenue," Jas said.
Aria whistled. "That’s millions."
"Yeah," Jas said.
Elliot looked between Jas and the circlet. "You’ve been getting paid millions this whole ti and you live in Northgate?"
"Mother doesn’t know yet," Jas said. "I’ll tell her when the ti is right."
Kael reached for the circlet and checked its information window.
[APOSTLE’S RADIANT CIRCLET]
[GRADE: LEGENDARY]
[REQUIRENT: LEVEL 80]
[CLASS REQUIRENT: HEALER OR SUPPORT]
[PRIMARY EFFECT: PURIFY]
The team looked at each other.
"None of us can equip this," Elliot said.
Finn looked at Jas. "You brought an item nobody can use?"
Before Jas could answer, Kael said, "I might be able to."
Everyone looked at him.
Kael explained. "When I cleared Floor 4, I received a reward that lets equip items Level 100 and below without level or class restriction."
He pulled up his System window and showed them.
[REWARD TITLE: EQUIPNT ADAPTATION]
[EFFECT: USER MAY EQUIP ITEMS LEVEL 100 AND BELOW WITHOUT LEVEL OR CLASS RESTRICTION]
[LIMITATION: ITEM EFFECTIVENESS MAY SCALE WITH USER COMPATIBILITY]
Kael picked up the circlet and equipped it.
The divine light flared once, then settled. The circlet sat on Kael’s head and glowed faintly, but not at full strength.
[RESTRICTION BYPASSED]
[APOSTLE’S RADIANT CIRCLET EQUIPPED]
[COMPATIBILITY: PARTIAL]
[PURIFY EFFECT AVAILABLE]
Kael nodded. "It works. The Purify effect is active."
Finn exhaled slowly. "Good. That gives us a chance."
Jas said, "There’s one more thing. The TRB wants this stread."
Finn’s expression hardened imdiately. "You accepted a national broadcast before discussing it with us?"
"Yes," Jas said.
"Why?"
"Because the stream deal was the only way to get the circlet released quickly."
Elliot’s face went pale. "The death-on-stream rule. If any of us die, our families—"
"Read the contract," Jas interrupted. He pulled out the folder O’Shea had given him and handed it to Finn.
Finn read it carefully. Kael and Aria looked over his shoulder. Elliot stood behind them and read the protection clause.
They saw the 90/10 revenue split. They saw the TRB liability coverage. They saw the family protection clause.
Finn looked up. "No death penalties charged to families."
"Correct," Jas said. "TRB absorbs all stream failure liability."
Aria noticed the channel na. "Team Zero. At least they’re not calling us ’Anonymous Suicide Squad.’"
Elliot didn’t laugh. "This is still dangerous."
"Everything in the Tower is dangerous," Kael said. "But this contract protects our families. That’s what matters."
Finn closed the folder and handed it back to Jas. His voice was calm but firm. "Next ti, anything involving the whole team must be discussed before signing."
"Agreed," Jas said.
Finn studied him for another mont, then nodded. "Alright. The circlet gives us the best chance we’re going to get. We’ll do it."
Jas sent a ssage to O’Shea: Team Zero is ready.
O’Shea replied within minutes: Stream infrastructure is ready. Activate when you’re inside.
The team prepared.
Kael wore the circlet and it glowed faintly on his head. Finn checked his axe and shield. Aria readied her spear. Elliot checked his bow and quiver. Jas drew his sword and checked his mana.
They moved to the Tower access booth and Finn activated it.
The System prompt appeared to all five of them.
[FLOOR 9 CHALLENGE REQUESTED]
[TEAM: TEAM ZERO]
[MBERS: 5/5]
[WARNING: DEATH IS PERMANENT]
[CONFIRM ENTRY?]
One by one, they confird.
White light filled the room.
They materialized on Floor 9.
The setting was exactly like the failed stream footage. A large goblin settlent built across a muddy battlefield. Crude wooden walls. Smoke rising from fire pits. Sharpened stakes planted in the ground. Broken siege structures scattered around the edges. Watchtowers with goblin archers.
The air felt heavy and wrong.
The goblins didn’t rush blindly toward them like on previous floors. They watched from the distance and waited.
Even before the three ogres appeared, Team Zero knew this floor was worse than anything they’d faced.
Jas opened the Stream tab in his System.
[STREAM TAB]
[EVENT: FLOOR 9 RAID ATTEMPT]
[CHANNEL: TEAM ZERO]
[STATUS: READY]
[ACTIVATE STREAM? Y/N]
Jas looked at the team once.
Finn nodded. Kael adjusted his glasses. Aria gripped her spear. Elliot nocked an arrow.
Jas tapped YES.
The stream went live.
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