Clang.
Clang.
The sound of metal striking metal rang out, hollow and mocking. Baam swung the Black March again and again, his breath coming in ragged gasps. His arms screamed with exhaustion, but the black sphere remained pristine, spinning lazily in the air.
"Dammit!" Baam cried out, panic rising in his chest like bile. "Break! Why won't you break?!"
Behind him, the gargantuan shadow moved. The White Steel Eel had recovered. Its blue eye burned with a renewed, murderous intelligence. It didn't roar this time; it hissed, a sound like steam escaping a valve, and coiled its massive body for a strike.
"It doesn't come out either..." Baam whispered, realizing his own futility.
High above, Yuri Zahard gripped the railing until the stone cracked under her fingers. "What's with that ball?!" she screamed at the shadows. "It's fine after being pierced by the Black March! I've never heard of such a ball!"
Headon remained unmoved, his porcelain face reflecting the chaos with a detached curiosity. "Well... I guess it's a very well-made ball."
"Very well made?! Are you joking right now?!" Yuri turned on him, her crimson eyes blazing. "Isn't it that you never had the intention to send him to the next floor?! You goddamned rabbit, stop this test right now!!"
"That is not possible," Headon replied coldly. "A test that has begun can only be stopped by having the individual give up."
Below, the Eel lunged.
"Baam!!" Yuri shrieked.
Baam spun around, raising the needle, but the massive bulk of the monster slammed into him. The impact sent him skidding across the wet stone floor. He crashed against the cage bars, the breath driven from his lungs. Pain exploded in his ribs.
"Hah... hah..." Baam tried to stand, but his legs trembled. The Eel loomed over him, its jaws dripping with saliva mixed with blood. It raised its head, ready to finish what it had started.
"Please...!!!" Baam looked at the needle in his hand. It was just a piece of cold metal. It wouldn't pop the ball. It wouldn't save him.
"Dammit! I can't sit by anymore!" Yuri made to jump, but Evan grabbed her again.
"Evan! Give me support! If he has the Black March... isn't there something only he can still do?"
Evan's eyes widened. "What? Lady Yuri, you don't mean..."
Yuri ignored him. She leaned over the abyss, cupping her hands around her mouth.
"HEY! NEWCOMER! GRAB THE BACK MARCH! AND THEN TALK TO IT! ASK FOR HELP!"
Baam looked up, dazed. "Evan...? What...?"
"BEG FOR IT TO 'START IGNITION'!!" Yuri bellowed.
"Talk to the Black March... what do you mean...?" Baam stammered.
"JUST DO WHAT I TELL YOU TO DO!! DO YOU WANT TO DIE?!"
"Ah... Ok!!"
Evan looked at his mistress as if she had lost her mind. "Evan, are you crazy?! Even I, the master of the Black March, was never able to start it! You can't seriously expect it to lend the power to a newcomer and a weakling like him..."
"It will," Yuri said, her voice dropping to a harsh whisper. "Before... you mentioned that the Black March is like a tomboyish teenage girl who's hard to handle, right? Forget starting, that even talking to it was hard... If so, it will work."
"What kind of sophistry is that..."
"Just call it a woman's intuition," Yuri said, watching the scene below with intense focus. "Although I'm not sure... You have a certain charm about you."
Baam gripped the hilt of the weapon with both hands. He closed his eyes, shutting out the roaring monster, the cold water, and the terror.
Help... he thought, pouring his desperation into the steel. Help me... so that I can climb this Tower. Please!!
The world went silent.
The damp smell of the cage vanished, replaced by the scent of old perfume and ozone. Darkness swirled around him, and from the void, a figure materialized.
She was beautiful, with flowing golden hair and a dress that shimmered like liquid sunlight. She floated before him, ethereal and commanding.
"You want to go up that badly?" her voice echoed, not in his ears, but in his mind.
Baam blinked, stunned. "Who... you are...?"
"Black March," she said simply. "Precious riches... a foul searing magical taste and beautiful women... or even sweeter power and glory. The reason which makes you climb this Tower—which of these is it?"
Baam looked at the spirit. He didn't hesitate.
"No... For me... I just want Rachel."
The spirit frowned. "Lahel? What's that? Is it a name of a treasure? Or a name of the most beautiful woman in the Tower?"
"No... Rachel is my friend. It's a name of my friend I used to spend time with."
"She doesn't sparkle like a jewel," Baam continued, his voice soft. "And she isn't the most beautiful. She's tomboyish and pulls jokes on me and even lies from time to time... But she is very precious to me."
He looked up, his golden eyes burning with sincerity. "If I can just find her... I don't care about climbing this Tower."
The spirit stared at him for a long moment. Then, she sighed.
"...A rather trifle man. But, I don't dislike such a man." She floated closer, lifting his chin with a spectral finger. "More than anything, your face is just my type."
She grinned, a mischievous, devastating smile. "Okay. I'll help. Just this once."
KRRR-ZZZT!
Reality snapped back with the force of a thunderclap.
The Black March in Baam's hand erupted with light. Golden electricity crackled up his arm, wild and untamed. The air in the cage shrieked as the density of the shinsoo warped around the blade.
"Kuuk!!" Baam gritted his teeth, struggling to hold on as the power surged through him.
"Wh... what's this strength?!"
Up on the ledge, Evan's jaw dropped. "That... that's... Ignition?! Is this for real? It's really lending its power?!"
Yuri smirked, though she looked equally shocked. "Thought so."
"I... Is that...?" Evan stammered. "It never started ignition once in my hands!!"
"Sexism?! It's a sexist!!" Yuri shouted, half-laughing. "And here I thought of it as just a kid... But as soon as the first cute boy comes around, it's busy flirting! Is that it?!"
Below, the White Steel Eel recoiled. Even the beast understood that something fundamental had changed. The prey was no longer prey.
Baam swung the needle. He didn't aim at the Eel. He aimed at the unbreakable ball.
The blade, now wreathed in a torrent of golden energy, slashed through the air. The shockwave alone pushed the water back, creating a vacuum in the cage.
CRACK.
The "well-made" ball didn't just pop. It disintegrated.
"POP ALREADY!!" Yuri cheered.
Light exploded outward, blinding and pure. The force of the ignition consumed everything—the ball, the darkness, and the boy.
When the light faded, the cage was empty. The White Steel Eel cowered in the corner. The ball was gone.
And so was Baam.
"He... he's gone..." Evan whispered.
Yuri stood frozen for a second, then whirled on the Guardian. "HEY! YOU CRAZY RABBIT! What else did you do to the ball?!"
Headon looked down at the empty cage. "What did I do...? I simply granted the child's wish. The child has proceeded to the next level."
"Headon..." Yuri's voice was low, dangerous. "Just what were you thinking...?"
"I simply test the people that have come to the Tower," Headon said, turning his back. "And the test reflects the worth of the things they want. That is the duty of the Guardians of this Tower."
"But Princess Yuri," the rabbit added, glancing over his shoulder. "Don't you have to go after him? That child has the Black March."
Yuri froze. "Argh... YOU..." She pointed a shaking finger at him. "You have the worst hobby..."
She spun on her heel, grabbing Evan by the collar. "LETS GO! EVAN! We have to find him!"
"Ah! Yes M'lady!"
As they ran into the shadows of the corridor, Yuri glanced back one last time at the empty cage.
'Have you been watching? The child... has gone up.'
"Damn rabbit!!" Yuri cursed as they sprinted through the dark hallways of the inner tower. "How am I supposed to yank those ears out one day?!"
"Frustrating," Evan agreed, trying to keep up. "And that floating Black March sure works with a man... Should I just lose it too?"
"What are you thinking?" Yuri glanced at him.
"No... just thinking about the kid," Evan panted. "What about Baam? When I first saw him in this Tower... maybe I was mistaken."
"Nope. You look completely different," Yuri said bluntly.
"Seriously!! All lady cares is how they look!!" Evan protested. "But... on this Tower, there are so many things he has never felt or seen. Beauty and power beyond his imagination will undoubtedly tempt him. Even after witnessing everything, will he still look for the girl? Does such determination even exist?"
Yuri stopped. She looked into the darkness ahead. "For me... I can't even recall why I entered the Tower in the first place."
"Wouldn't he also change like that?" Evan asked. "Like us."
"You little punk!" Yuri kicked him. "How dare you include me in 'like us'! My ass!
"We're partners! Of course it's 'us'!"
"Uaak!"
"Stop trying to act cool and hurry up and try to find where he might be!"
Evan rubbed his shin, checking his pocket. "He probably went to Evankhell's Floor."
Yuri stopped kicking him. "Evankhell's Floor? Are you talking about the Floor of Test?"
"Yes. When Irregulars come, they often come to the floor worthy of staying in the Tower. Don't you think Headon-nim would have sent him there?"
"Hmm..." Yuri crossed her arms. "Flood of Test... That's a bit dangerous..."
Then, a wicked grin spread across her face. "OK! DECIDED! LETS MARCH INTO THE FLOOR OF TEST! We go and get back the Black March as well!"
"No! That area is restricted from entering!" Evan panicked.
"Who cares! Lead on, Mr. Rank A Guide!"