WELCOME, ADMINISTRATOR

"That was a spectacular performance. You say this game is called tennis, eh? It's most interesting. Perhaps I'll make it into an official means of entertainment," King Gorges said as Kojo walked with him.

"I'm surprised you could actually follow what was going on," Kojo said.

"But of course. I may not look it, but I am a capable fighter. Having a keen battle sense and good observation skills is the foundation that builds every warrior," Gorges replied.

"So, in short, you didn't see anything," Kojo muttered.

"Hm?"

"Nothing," Kojo quickly said.

"Hmm. So what did you wish to speak to me about?" The king asked.

"Well, Your Highness, I would like to return to Ekron. We've already been here a full month, and I'm grateful for the hospitality, but I think it's best if we go," Kojo answered.

"I don't see why you'd want to leave. All previous champions have resided in the Capitol. A lot has happened, that's why you haven't been given accommodation, but you can stay in the palace until I have some arranged," the king said, stopping to turn to him.

"That's very kind of you, but I'll have to decline."

"Could you at least tell me why?" The King enquired.

"Isn't it the champion's job to safeguard the country? Why should I be in the most safely guarded place in the whole Kingdom while there are other places prone to attack?"

"But the Capitol was attacked, and things would have gone badly had it not been for you," the king interjected.

"That's true, but things would have been way worse if it had been at another place, like Ekron."

The king was silent.

"I see," he said after some time. "Ekron is the only city with a scattering of villages and hamlets all along the province. It's the least populated place in the Kingdom, even though it's rich in Mystium. You've developed a sense of patriotism and want to develop that place as much as you can."

"How'd you know?"

"Call it intuition," the king replied as they continued walking.

"Well, I wouldn't say I'm doing it for patriotism. I'm just doing it so it'd be stable enough for me to slack off. Always being in the Capitol, where I'd be sent to do this or that, would be a hassle," Kojo thought to himself with a smile.

"Besides," he continued, "the perpetrators of recent disturbances won't act again in a while. If they're really after the kingdom's downfall, then us leaving would be the perfect trap. They wouldn't pass up a chance to attack once they see the palace is vulnerable."

"Hmm, I never really thought of it that way," the king said.

"Alright, you have my permission. Just inform me when you're leaving," the king replied.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. Oh, I almost forgot. I'll be taking the tower and settling its residents in Opal," Kojo said.

The king looked at him in surprise and smiled.

"That's quite ambitious. Still, I doubt the country officials and nobles would be pleased about it. Don't worry though, you have my full support. It's the least I can do for what you've done for us."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. Then in that case, I'm off to make preparations," he said with a bow before walking off.

(So we're going to the tower today.)

"Yep, I told the Harpies to spread the news," Kojo thought as he ran into the girls at one of the entrances.

"Where are you going, Kojo?" Adriana asked.

"I'm going to the tower."

"The Tower?" Lin repeated.

"Well, it's kind of a long story. I'll tell you about it when I get back," Kojo said.

"Master, would you like me to accompany you?" Eden inquired with a bow.

"Nope, I'm good. Oh, you could... I hear Rey's out training. Would you mind giving him a few tips?"

"As you wish," Eden responded.

"Awesome," Kojo said, unfurling his wings and flying off.

Kojo used Spatial Magic and teleported the Tower of Babel to the designated coordinates, the 69th floor. The 69th floor was a large grassy plain that had hills dotted all over it and a mountain range in the distance. There was a huge river that bisected the floor into two, with its tributaries extending here and there. He flew above a large crowd that was made up of all the species in the tower.

He observed that they were lined up according to their race. There were;

Centaurs, Minotaurs, Gnomes, Merfolk, who were in the river beside the others, Harpies, Lizardmen, Orcs, Gorgons, and Shaperlings, who were the scorpion-like creatures Kojo had fought in the desert floor of the tower.

He landed in front of the crowd, and they immediately turned their attention to him. There was a murmur among them as their gazes bore into him. Kojo gave a nervous smile and cleared his throat. He noticed that some of the shorter ones had trouble seeing over those taller. He therefore used earth magic to raise a platform so that he could be seen by all.

"This should do it. I hope now all of you can see me?" They talked even more among themselves and seemed to ignore him. Kojo's eye twitched. He then released a bit of his aura which washed over the crowd. They braced themselves, with the women and young ones getting back.

"Oops, I think I overdid it," he thought.

(You think.)

"What? I'm not exactly leadership material."

(Well, try and act like it.)

"Okay, everyone, it seems like I now have your attention," Kojo spoke to the crowd.

"Some of you may have met me when I first entered the tower, most especially the harpies. I want to thank you for helping me out the other time. Anyway, as you all know, I am now the administrator of the Tower Of Babel, and as such, I am your new leader. With this power, I've decided to make a few changes around here—"

"We will not have it," someone interrupted.

"Huh?"

One of the residents stepped forward. It was one of the centaurs, and judging by his demeanor and the way the others of his race made way for him, he was the leader. He was well-built with long black hair and a huge scar across his chest. He also had horns on his head, but the left one appeared broken. Kojo was surprised; he'd never seen a centaur with horns before.

The Centaur stood at the foot of the platform and looked up at Kojo.

"Why should we follow you?" he asked with a voice laced with disdain. "You may have administrator status, but you can't control us."

"But I never had any plans to control you or anything like that," Kojo said, bending down to speak to him.

"Don't give me that. You elevated yourself on this platform and released your menacing aura as a means of intimidating us. Well, it's not going to work. We were saved and brought here by Lady Estelle, who saved us during the war. There's no way in hell we're going to let a weakling like you take our freedom from us," he spat.

The crowd murmured. Aside from the harpies, who'd been outside during the event, it had been told by their comrades that the others agreed with the Centaur chief.

"Don't you think the word 'weak' is a little bit harsh? Besides, why are you being so unfriendly? You only just met me, and you didn't even hear me out."

"That aura you gave off was probably your only hope at controlling us. You're all bark and no bite. Because there's no way that you could have defeated Eden. He was the strongest one among us."

"I see, so they don't think I could've done it. But I did. How'd they think I got the brand of administrator if I didn't do it? Everyone seems to underestimate my strength for some reason," Kojo thought.

(Maybe it's because you carry yourself in such an undignified manner.)

Kojo groaned, then jumped off the platform and stood with his hands in his pockets and looked at the centaur dead in the eyes.

"Will you hear me out if I prove I'm strong?" Kojo asked.

"You think you can take me down? My speed is faster than thought!" The centaur sneered. However, between the word "than" and "thought," Kojo extended his middle and index fingers like a gun.

"Indigo," he said as a

A beam of indigo energy shot from his fingertips, scorching the earth and piercing multiple mountains.

The crowd fell silent, and the Centaur chief stepped back in surprise.

"I'm not here to rule over you. Being administrator would be a pain. I'll release you to the outside world," Kojo clarified, showing them Estelle's ring on his finger.

"I'm the inheritor of Estelle's will, and no, I'm not the hero. I'm just a normal dude trying to live a normal life."

(That's delusional talk.)

"Shut it," he said under his breath before clearing his throat and continuing.

"Estelle had kept you all in the tower for your own safety. You had your homes, your territories, and even some of your people taken away. But things have changed. Sure, the world is still a messed-up place, but it was time for freedom. You guys can't stay cooped up here forever. I know that there are some among you who wish to see the sky and the stars once again. I know a place where all of you can be safe – Ekron, the capital city in Opal Province. Its topology is mostly untouched, rich in Mystium, and abundant with beasts for our flesh-eating brethren. It's not exactly the safest place in the world, but I promise on this ring that I'll do my best to make it safe enough for you all to live peacefully," Kojo said with a smile. An awkward silence descended.

"What with this awkward silence?" Kojo thought.

(That speech was terrible.)

"Of course, it was terrible; I told you I'm not cut out for this sort of thing," Kojo retorted.

The Centaur chief bowed, followed by his people, before the other residents of the tower.

"We pledge allegiance to you, our new master."

The brand of Administrator on Kojo's wrist began to glow.

"What's happening?"

(A bond is forming between Administrator Atari Kojo and Resident Species, Tower Of Babel. Accept?)

Kojo hesitated before nodding.

"Yes."