Alabaster

Mr. Hawklight was a middle-aged man with nearly gray hair, wearing a brown tunic with a black robe over it. At his waist was a leather sheath with a new-looking sword. I could tell he didn't use it very often because of the shine on the hilt.

"He was on the same cable car as me, and he was the last one to arrive..." I judged Hawklight without thinking twice, looking at him out of the corner of my eye. "But then again, he did have to change clothes. Maybe that explains why he was late."

Hawklight suddenly clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. "Now that we're all here, I think it would be a good idea to introduce ourselves before we enter the Tower of Babel. Once we're inside, it'll be better if we know as much as possible about each other... Maybe that way you'll all survive..." he muttered at the end.

"What did you say?" asked the blond-haired boy with a snobbish demeanor, frowning.

"I said for you to introduce yourselves. Since you were so proactive in asking, how about you start?" Hawklight suggested.

The snobbish boy took a deep breath, rested a hand on the hilt of his sword at his back, and put a proud smile on his face as though posing for a painting.

"My name is Anton Wilxes, descendant of the prominent Wilxes family that rules the Brotherhood of Fire Guild—I'm sure you all know it, after all, it's the largest guild in the Midwest of the Durtch Kingdom.

As you can imagine from my lineage, I naturally have the power to summon flames!" He pointed his left hand upward, and a fireball the size of a tennis ball appeared.

Mr. Hawklight and the mysterious woman behind Anton Wilxes clapped their hands simultaneously. They were the only ones.

"It's great to have someone like you with us, Mr. Wilxes. An elemental ability like fire is certainly very rare and will be very useful if we need to spend the night," commented Hawklight.

Anton extinguished the flame and put his hands on his hips. He looked very proud of himself.

"Ah, Mr. Wilxes, I forgot to ask, but I see you brought someone with you."

Looking over his shoulder, Anton remembered that someone was following him like a shadow.

"Ah, yes... that's the bodyguard my father hired to follow me. Her code name is Sun. Don't worry, she won't interfere with the others' experience, nor will she help us. My father instructed her to only interfere with the mission if my life is in danger."

"Only if your life is in danger?" asked Kyle Barlow, the small boy with round glasses who carried a staff.

"Only his," Sun replied immediately with a cold stare. She had the typical assassin's look under that black hood.

Anton looked at Kyle with a smirk that seemed to say, "That's what I said, idiot."

Sensing the tension, Hawklight quickly directed the question to someone who seemed completely oblivious to the little intrigue.

"You, black-haired boy in the brown jacket, introduce yourself," he said to me.

At that moment, I was sure he hadn't recognized me from our brief encounter on the electric tram. Otherwise, he would have mentioned it, right? But it didn't matter.

"My name is Brandon Shibutani Oneal, and I'm a Summoner."

"A straightforward introduction. I like that. Now..." Hawklight was already moving on to the next person, but suddenly the snobbish boy's voice interrupted him.

"What? A Summoner?" Anton asked.

Everyone looked at me with different expressions that showed some level of surprise, except for Sun and Hawlight.

I looked at Anton and nodded. "But it's not as impressive as it sounds. I'm a Rank-D Summoner and can only summon once per day. So, I ask that you don't put too much faith in me," I said to the others.

Of course, it was a lie. At my level, I could already summon at least two Skeleton Soldiers. However, I preferred that they and others believe they knew my limits and that I was underestimated, at least for now.

It was easier to be underestimated and stay alive than to be overestimated and have them expect more from me than I could deliver.

"I'm also Rank-D," said Kyle Barlow. "And I'm also a wizard, like Mr. Oneal, but my specialty is healing. By the way, you can call me Kyle."

Kyle surprised me a little. From his purple clothes that matched the crystal at the tip of his staff, I could guess that Kyle was a Dark Mage or even an Ice Mage. Weren't healers usually required to wear green or white?

Speaking of green clothes, the next to raise her hand to introduce herself was Rosella.

"If we're continuing our introductions and stating our ranks, I think I'm the only one who hasn't spoken yet. I'm Rosella Tynes, a Rank-C swordswoman. I'm counting on you all."

"Rosella Tynes? From the noble Tynes family?" asked Anton, quickly approaching Rosella and taking her hands in both of his.

Anton was still staring at me a moment ago, probably still surprised by my class, but he completely lost interest when he heard Rosella's introduction.

Rosella frowned and easily pulled away from Anton. "Yes, that's right."

"Ha! How lucky you all are!" Anton hid his disappointment at Rosella's rejection well and turned to us with a smug look. "You're in the same group as a Tynes and a Wilxes. If we happen to disappear for two or three days inside the tower, many will come looking for us."

"I hope that won't be necessary," Hawlight muttered.

The reason Hawlight had only murmured was the same reason I had remained silent in the face of Anton's arrogance.

The difference between social classes in Aland was much greater than on Earth, and the treatment was also very different, even between people of similar classes.

For example, if the situation Anton mentioned happened, our rescuers would charge more to rescue me than they would charge Anton. That's because making someone like Anton Wilxes or Rosella Tynes feel indebted was highly valuable.

And in my case, since I didn't have an important surname, they could charge an exorbitant amount to force me to accept being saved and remain in monetary debt to them. There were Climbers on the lower floors who used these "tricks" to survive, and there were even those who deliberately created dangerous situations to extort money for rescues.

"Mr. Hawlight, are you and your group ready?" asked the mustachioed police officer, approaching us.

"Yes, we are. When you open the doors, we'll go in."

"Okay, then... Open the gates!" the policeman exclaimed, and a pair of policemen began turning a pair of cranks that forced the huge double doors open.

All of us, from that uncertain group full of distinct personalities, positioned ourselves in front of the huge stone doors of the Tower of Babel as they slowly opened. Soon, the bright light at the end of the long corridor reached our eyes, blinding us for a moment.

"Please, make sure to protect your eyes a little and follow me," Hawlight ordered, walking forward.

We did exactly as he asked and followed the instructor into the Tower of Babel.

The light was already uncomfortable and gradually grew stronger.

Before I realized it, that alabaster light had completely enveloped me, and for a moment, I heard absolutely nothing — not even the sound of my own footsteps.

I understood that we had completed the passage from Aland into the Tower of Babel when the sound of creaking doors closing was replaced by a pleasant breeze.

I opened my eyes and gazed at the panoramic expanse of the Tower of Babel's first floor.

As far as I could see, there was a dense forest of trees towering over a hundred meters, with trunks as thick as a city block.

This was the Thorn Forest — just one of many biomes on the first floor.

"Wow..." Kyle exclaimed with his jaw dropped.

He was the only one to express his feelings out loud, but I was sure we were all equally impressed.

Although we were theoretically inside a tower, the sky above was blue, scattered with clouds like any ordinary world, and since we stood atop a mountain, the view felt even more breathtaking—we could see both the vast sky and the sprawling land below.

"Khum!" Hawlight cleared his throat. "Now that we're here, we don't have time to waste. I'm sure you've all read the letter from the Church, so you know that, as a group, we have a mission. The mission's objective wasn't revealed beforehand because in the past, some newcomers had their path made easier by outside help. So, I'll tell you now." He raised a finger.

"Your sole objective is to collect at least one Angelica Root—a medicinal plant that grows on certain trees deep within the Thorn Forest. But it's absolutely essential that you don't go alone. The Thorn Forest is one of the most dangerous and treacherous regions on the first floor, swarming with monsters of all kinds."