First light had arrived, thawing away the flooding snow, and allowed the squadron of Climbers to reach the nearest Portkeeper.
As Jace treaded through the deep snow, he opened his Soul out of the tedious travel.
[Level: 9]
[HP: 128/128]
[MP: 20/20]
His breath clouded from the cold air as he sighed in relief. His HP had recovered since his sleep. He was beginning to worry he had to swig a potion to regain the points back.
Erin caught beside him, her blonde hair tied short into a pony-tail. Her voice sounded more distant than usual.
"Are you cold, Jace?"
He shook his head.
"I'll be fine when we reach the Port."
Their conversation was quiet, having the other squad members a few feet from each other. Fortunately, Jace was at the back of the line.
'How symbolic.'
Then Erin focused her eyes on the long scar across his cheek.
"What happened here?"
Jace moved her hands away from poking his face.
"Got into a little accident."
"Why don't you get that fixed? I can let you drink one of my potions—"
"Nope, I'm good."
She snorted as a small cloud escaped from her nose.
"You would look better without it. A Climber's appearance is something to stress over, you know, we're all about presentation."
"Didn't know we had modeling side-jobs as we were saving the world."
She softly giggled and handed him a potion for reassurance.
"Just in case, Jace, I know you never carry any of them."
"They taste horrible."
"You're like—seventeen and being picky. Nobody would ever suspect you were a real Climber."
He took her potion before she could insult him again, then watched her rejoin the squad ahead.
Stuffing the unappetizing red vial in one of his pockets, he didn't know why she was so interested in a clean face.
Climbers were almost immediately cleansed of all imperfections once the Soul had chosen them. Every blemish and illness was cured, leaving the body's complexion clean like a porcelain figure. It made an ordinary human look like a masterpiece by nature.
That was why all Climbers looked strangely gorgeous, otherworldly beautiful, and ruggedly handsome. Though, on some separate occasions, that gift could only go so far for certain Climbers but that was generally how the Soul worked its magic.
If their health wanted to be ruined, it was only by the Tower or by candid injury. The Soul would do its part by repairing the Climber naturally. However with one intake of a potion, that process would be accelerated.
But Jace wanted to keep his scar. Not because he hated the taste of the appalling red liquid, but because it was a reminder.
A reminder that the Tower was not the real threat to humanity. It was the humans themselves.
After a while later, the squad had finally reached a Portkeeper. The slim man was shivering in the cold with his long winter coat. How ruthless was their organization to force its workers in Hailfen.
Heather showed the man a metal card, verifying their climb as the Third Generation.
The Port Keeper nodded in another shiver, gesturing them onto the shoveled artificial Port. He summoned a blue window, activating the runes to life, and finalized the destination.
[Soul detected.]
[Beginning ascent.]
Jace kept his eyes on the Port Town of Hailfen as shimmering lights surrounded the squad. He knew, somewhere between, a cunning young man was staring right at him.
[Process successful.]
[ClimberJace has ascended into the 15th Floor, Verdant Maw.]
***
The crystal pedestal was slippery to their boots, a total contrast to their snowy Floor before. And instead of hazardous blizzards, the fifteenth Floor was in a current downpour of rain.
Verdant Maw seemed to be another finite world of rainforests, with a heavy canopy of trees that snuffed out the sun's comforting rays. It was hard telling time but their bodies felt ample to fight multiple encounters.
If only that sounded so easy.
The Floor was a mess of mud and trampled thick leaves, reeking of wet earth with the humid air hanging a subtle fog. Whatever could be lurking around them, had every advantage to its territory.
With the droning sound of rain, and the covering tracks of erosion, the environment was a danger itself.
But, to their fortunate luck, Ports were established near zones where monsters did not roam.
'Thank the First Generation of Climbers for their patronage.'
Heather stepped off the pedestal first, covering his eyes from the pouring rain. He spread his other arm over, welcoming the squad to the uncharted Floor.
"Now, it's about real experience! No more chasing around farm animals and such! We are now officially Climbers!"
Jace scanned around their surroundings, ignoring Heather's voice through the drowning rain.
There were tall, thin trees that stretched to the skies and leaves comparable to an average human body. His eye could only reach so far, anything beyond that repeated the same layer of menacing vegetation. Each trail seemed identical to the last, and without real guidance, any Climber would have been lost within minutes.
That was the perfect prey for any unseen predator.
Jace had to admit Heather was right. The monsters they've slain in the Whispering Woods would be stark to the ones they would eventually see.
As for now, they needed shelter.
The squad traversed through the Verdant Maw, hacking through leaves and clearing a way, and rested under a rocky overhang. They weren't completely safe from the pouring rain, though it was better to say the least.
The girls wringed their soaked hair and cloaks. Klav was trying to scope through the twisting trees, staying vigilant for any ambushing monsters.
Even if they had the benefit of anticipation, the rain served as a perfect mask for any sounds. If a predator really wanted to pounce, it would have already done so during their trip to the overhang.
'At least the Tower was thoughtful enough to give us grace before an encounter.'
Jace turned his eyes to Heather, the only Climber in their squad that didn't seem so bothered about the Verdant Maw.
Heather stood proudly beside the towering barbarian, sharing his own insight of the Floor like he was bragging.
Now that Jace noticed it, their squad leader's demeanor has changed since their altercation in Hailfen. From his snarky attitude, he had turned into someone more demanding and arrogant.
Almost like he was ashamed of the person he was before.
'I guess we have our own interpretation of reflecting.'
Then someone crouched down next to Jace. Her blonde hair was still stuck to her skin. She asked him in a cautious whisper:
"How do you feel?"
Jace turned his face slightly, meeting her eyes in a similar manner.
"Not even an hour on the Floor and you're already worried about me?"
"I'm…sorry, Jace, I tried to convince—"
"Don't."
She retracted her remorseful look. But she leaned in again, her voice still filled with caution.
"You didn't even get to have the full experience in the Whispering Woods, how could Heather think you can withstand something like this?"
Jace decided to keep some details to himself, but he said to her:
"I'll be fine, Erin, I'll always be fine. I came into the ninth Floor with you guys when I was only Level five, something like this isn't any different. If Heather wants us to ascend, then let him, you're not the leader of the squad."
"I'll stay close to you."
"And get dragged down with me?"
She snorted, bumping him with her shoulder.
"Do you still have my Relic?"
He moved his hand into view, showing her the (Ring of Haste) on his ring-finger.
She smiled with content, suddenly massaging his hand.
"Be smart, Jace, this Relic can only get you so far."
'It's gotten me in some mess, for sure.'
Jace gently pulled away his hand, staring off into the multiple puddles beneath them.
Erin did the same, studying the droplets of rain. She continued whispering to him.
"You're going to gain substantial amounts of experience because you're under-leveled. At, what—Level nine, right? These monsters are way higher than that."
Jace grimaced thinking about it. Even if that sounded encouraging, it had meant the exact opposite. His Soul wasn't capable enough to handle calibers of these monsters yet, that was why Erin hoped the Relic would support him.
One strike, even maybe a scratch, of an attack from one of the monstrosities here would deal devastating damage.
'I wonder if any other Climber is just as stupid as me.'
As the rain finally settled, Heather ordered his squad to move, searching for an encounter through the menacing rainforest. As their boots splashed in the mud, and their ears pelted with small droplets of rain, it was difficult to distinguish any unusual activity.
Erin tried to focus her senses, finding any signatures of a beast as they moved deeper into the Floor. Klav even provoked them, shouting his voice and introducing his squad to the prowling predators.
Brita stood in the middle of their formation, knowing she was most likely the most valuable Climber in their squad. Klav walked at their flank, Jace and Erin stood beside the vulnerable mage, helping her vault over some of the fallen trees.
And, obviously, Heather served as their front-line of offense.
For a little while, they had been mindlessly crossing about the rainforest with only the drops of rain greeting them in return.
That was until Erin abruptly stopped in her tracks, loading an arrow into her bow, and drew it towards an seemingly normal patch of bushes.
They finally realized why the fifteenth Floor was named Verdant Maw. In other words, it was the primal mouth of carnivorous beasts.