98th Floor — Test Hall
"Alright, alright—welco, Selected Regulars! I'll be supervising today's test. My na is Xiao Li."
A Ranker in a black qipao introduced herself as she greeted the Selected Regulars entering the test hall.
It was a vast, open clearing—packed shoulder-to-shoulder with countless examinees, myself and Maschenny included.
There are always a lot of Selected Regulars in the Tower, sure, but tests rarely gather this many in a single location.
The reason was the format.
Normally, tests ran on a reservation system, and teams with close reservation tis were matched to compete.
But the 98th Floor was different. Here, tests were held once a month—after gathering all applicants during that month, everyone tested at once. If this were a lower floor, people would have been screaming and lodging complaints, but this was the 98th Floor.
Anyone who reached this far no longer questioned their ability. Complaining ant admitting you weren't confident in passing.
The higher one climbs, the more the Tower becos a battleground for the ones who already have.
The ones climbing for revenge, for family pride, for
riches, for salvation—the "have-nots"—they've long since fallen off sowhere below.
"There are a lot of Ten Families here."
I muttered as I scanned the crowd.
Black hair with red eyes, blue hair with blue eyes—clear Ten Families traits. At a glance, at least dozens among the hundreds were from the Ten Families, with the most common being the Khun.
Not that I cared much. Even if there were hundreds or thousands of them, it wouldn't matter.
Honestly, every Selected Regular in the Tower could jump at once and I'd still win comfortably.
At this point, floor tests posed no obstacle at all.
"Hoaquin, when we reach the 99th Floor, you're going to the hospital first."
Maschenny spoke in a tone that didn't even consider the possibility of failure. And she would've passed alone without anyway.
But it wasn't about the test—she'd been nagging for a week to go to the hospital on the 99th Floor.
Obviously the heart condition.
Still… if it were sothing a hospital could fix, it would have been fixed long ago.
"Fine, fine. I'll go. Promise."
"Don't joke. I'm serious."
Her eyes sank lower, sharp and earnest. I could only nod solemnly. I didn't believe anything would change, but ignoring her concern wasn't an option either.
Might as well hope for a good outco.
While absentmindedly feeling my heartbeat against my chest, the test supervisor announced through Lighthouse amplification:
"Test begins in five minutes!"
Even now, more examinees were entering, though the flow was thinning. It seed everyone had finally gathered.
Exactly five minutes later, all entrances sealed shut, and Xiao Li set off fireworks in broad daylight to capture attention. When the colorful sparks died, she lifted her mic again.
"Once again, welco! Thank you all for joining this month's test! Without further delay, let's begin preparation!"
Dozens of Lighthouses illuminated the clearing—then she snapped her fingers.
Instant teleportation.
We materialized sowhere dim and oppressive, yet few panicked. Veterans, all of them.
Tracing the teleport path revealed that this space was beneath the clearing—an enormous underground chamber, far larger than the area above.
What was down here that required so much space?
I extended my sensory roots downward, but sothing blocked my perception.
Hm.
"Maschenny, hold my hand. Tight."
"…?"
Confused, but compliant, she clasped my hand.
If my senses couldn't penetrate below, sothing was there. Better to be prepared.
I forced my senses deeper, but the obstruction remained solid—as if a Floor Administrator, Ruler, or the Chief Examiner himself had sealed the space.
While I considered it, murmurs began to spread.
"Where's the supervisor?"
"Don't tell we're just supposed to guess the rules?"
Thirty minutes passed. No supervisor.
Teleporting 500 examinees underground, then disappearing for half an hour—tempers naturally ignited among the less patient. Ten minutes deeper into the complaining, Xiao Li finally appeared, teleporting via Lighthouse, calmly surveying the space.
There was no lighting here—only the glow of floating Lighthouses and whatever night vision people had.
Satisfied, she smiled.
No one complained anymore. Picking a fight with a supervisor never ends well.
At last, her voice echoed through the darkness:
"Let us begin the test."
She snapped her fingers again.
Then—
"Wha—?!"
"—!"
"Ugh!"
The ground vanished.
Literally vanished—the supposedly natural dirt floor beneath our feet simply ceased to exist, sending examinees plumting downward.
Except for and Maschenny.
I could fly, and she was holding onto .
"See? That's foresight."
"You just flew."
…fair enough. Even without "foresight," I could've simply opened my wings on the way down.
I coated her in Shinsu droplets so she could float, then looked below to watch the fates of those who fell.
The drop wasn't deep. Just deep enough for soone to think:
I'm falling—what do I do—there must be sothing—
Which made it far worse.
"…Brings back mories."
"KRRRR–AAH!"
Below, tal gates snapped open to reveal a Shinheuh—vicious, fast, infamous.
The first Shinheuh I ever fought.
The Barracuda.
Seeing that feral beast churned up mories of when I first entered the Tower—a complete child back then—forced by Headon to kill one of those things or steal its ball.
Truly, that bastard deserved a special spot in hell.
I rembered swinging a sword until my arm cracked, getting swallowed, suffocating inside its mouth, covered in blood, nearly dying…
Nope. Back into the vault those mories go.
Still… nostalgic to see one here. Never thought I'd reunite with it like this.
"Aaaah!"
"Help! Sobody—!"
The Barracuda enjoyed its snacks. Those who fell too deep beca an easy al, swallowed whole.
"Elran! Lighthouse! Get out of here!"
"Hold on!"
A teammate extended a Lighthouse toward the fallen one, and while the Barracuda devoured other prey, the lucky Regular clambered onto the Lighthouse and survived.
The ones who saw that desperate scene—the ones who had fallen into the tank but managed not to be eaten—thrashed and fought with everything they had. Survival was possible. Hope was fuel. A few even succeeded, climbing out either with the help of teammates or by their own power.
A few.
Soon the water in the tank was stained a deep red, and once the Barracuda finished its al, it circled lazily, searching for any new prey that might fall.
There were none.
Not anymore.
Aside from and Maschenny—who had been hovering in the air—everyone had dropped when the floor vanished. But like I'd noted earlier, that didn't an everyone had fallen into the tank.
Those near the walls jamd their weapons into stone to halt their descent.
Lighthouse Keepers scrambled onto their Lighthouses.
mbers of the Ten Families detonated Shinsu at their feet, using the recoil to blast themselves into the walls.
Others had special equipnt or peculiar abilities that saved them from the plunge.
And so were simply winged races by birth.
Whether due to lack of reflex, bad positioning, or sheer misfortune, the majority who fell beca fish food and were thus "eliminated."
Those who didn't fall—whether by luck, power, or teammates—were "qualified."
Honestly, I wouldn't mind if the test ended right here and they just sent us all up, but I doubted it would be that easy.
"Hmmm… so you can fly?"
Xiao Li observed with open interest.
"I an, so can that winged guy over there. And that one in the flight suit."
"Haha, true. But you're flying solely through Shinsu manipulation. Pure Shinsu flight is sothing I thought only Rankers achieved… quite a spectacle, I must say."
"Oh, well—thanks."
I'd heard that before.
Satisfied with gawking at , she turned her gaze to the surviving Regulars clinging to walls and Lighthouses.
Clap clap.
With two crisp claps, the Barracuda tank vanished, sliding sowhere underground. In its place, a cavernous hollow erged—deep enough for all remaining examinees to drop down safely.
The survivors finally relaxed enough to descend. Xiao Li floated down as well.
I followed.
We took seats or stood scattered around the cavern floor.
The only difference from before was the tension—everyone kept a weapon in hand or stayed perched atop a Lighthouse, ready to embed steel into stone at a mont's notice.
Seeing that, Xiao Li chuckled.
"Hahaha, relax. No more sudden drop tests. The reason I was about forty minutes late earlier was because that first stage needed proper preparation, after all."
Just the first stage.
Several groans slipped from those who'd already assud they'd passed, but she continued unfazed.
"When you were first teleported underground, you were tense. If I had dropped you imdiately, more of you would have survived than just now… but where's the fun in that? That would hardly count as a selection test."
She smiled slyly.
"This test selects those who maintain vigilance even when nothing happens for nearly an hour; those who already had enough power to survive from the start; those who lacked ability but had good teammates; and those who are simply lucky."
"It seems the test worked rather well."
Of the roughly five hundred examinees, dozens had died.
They were the ones deed unfit by her criteria.
What remained would face the final stage—my instincts were certain.
Scanning the room, Xiao Li raised three fingers.
"The next test requires teams of three. No more, no less. You have thirty minutes to form a trio. Once you have a complete team, send the team info to through your Pocket. If it checks out, you'll be registered."
"And—begin."
A countdown appeared across everyone's Pockets:
30:00
Instant chaos.
No one here asked stupid questions like, "What if we had four?" or "What if we only have two?"
Failure to et criteria ant disqualification—simple.
So people grabbed strangers, or cut loose teammates who were now liabilities, all to secure a trio.
"Maschenny, anyone you've been eyeing?"
"Not really."
No one approached us.
An Arie and a Khun together were too much for most to comfortably join. Which suited just fine—kept the opportunists away.
We watched the frenzy like spectators before a bonfire.
Argunts broke out.
Begging and bargaining sprung up as hopefuls tried to prove their worth to the strongest-looking individuals.
It reminded of the team formation test on the Second Floor.
Lots of nostalgia today.
That was when I t Luf and Hwarang for the first ti.
I missed them.
At this rate, I'd probably run into them again on the 99th or 100th Floor.
I left them behind—fled, even.
I owed them apologies.
"…Hoaquin?"
"…Hm? Yeah? Sorry, lost in thought."
Ah—Maschenny had asked sothing earlier.
"I asked who you're bringing in."
Right, ti to actually pick soone. Preferably soone competent and easygoing—
"Hey. You two have a slot open?"
A loud, clear woman's voice from behind.
I turned, and before I could stop myself:
"…Yuri?"
"…Yuri? Who's that supposed to be?"
She tilted her head.
Ha family.
Black hair, red eyes, confident posture, and an aura sharp enough to cut stone. No doubt about it.
"Yeah. We've got a spot open. What about your teammates?"
"Unfortunately, they beca the Barracuda's lunch. So I'm shopping for a new team. And frankly, you two look a hell of a lot better than the pack of leeches staring at from over there."
I followed her gaze—sure enough, a cluster of nervous hopefuls watched from afar, likely intending to hitch a ride off her strength.
A Ha mber made a fine third.
"Maschenny? Thoughts?"
"Other than being a blunt Ha—and therefore annoying—she's the most competent one here."
"Haha… I'll take that as approval."
She really had sothing against Ha family mbers.
Ha Jinsung, Ha Yuri… well, that made sense. Arie, Khun, Ha—those three families rarely got along peacefully.
Funnily enough, Maschenny was the normal one here. I'd just spent too long with misfits like Luf and Hwarang.
"Well then, welco aboard—for this test, at least. I'm Arie Hoaquin. This is Khun Maschenny Zahard."
Since Maschenny agreed, there was no reason to refuse.
With her, failure was no longer a possibility—she was only a hair weaker than Maschenny herself, and far stronger than anyone else present.
After introductions, her eyes widened a fraction.
"Oh? A Princess of Zahard? And you too, Hoaquin… I've heard that na sowhere. Anyway, I'm Ha Yura, granddaughter of Ha Yurin, Head of the Ha family. Let's work together."
We shook hands.
Arie. Ha. Khun. Zahard.
What a ridiculous lineup.
Even I had to laugh.
While shaking my hand, Yura suddenly squinted at .
"By the way, you called Yuri earlier. What was that about?"
"Don't mind it. Another woman crossed my mind, that's all."
Maschenny snapped her gaze toward .
"Another woman?"
"…Another person."
…Wrong word choice. Very wrong.
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