I headed to the lord's manor office first, accompanied by Captain Luciana.
"Let's get in touch with Sir Jayden before we go."
"Yes, sir!"
I checked the three buttons on the desk in the office. They were crystal buttons connected to the three officials responsible for the safety of the walled city.
[Captain Luciana of the Subjugation Force] ◇ [Captain Sir Jayden of the Guard] ◆ [Captain Sir William of the Scout Force] ◇
Out of the three crystal buttons, only one was lit up. Just Sir Jayden's. That meant only the captain of the guard was at his post.
"…."
'Luciana's right here with me, and William must be out on his regular patrol.'
I pressed the lit one twice.
Click.
Click.
[Visit Scheduled]
A moment later.
Sir Jayden's crystal flashed twice as well.
Flash.
Flash.
[Visit Confirmed]
"!"
I turned to Luciana.
"Alright, let's go."
"Yes, sir!"
We left the lord's manor and fetched two horses from the stables, mounting up. We rode toward the guard headquarters on the wall, where Sir Jayden was stationed.
Even as we rode, I wasn't overly worried.
Thanks to the 'perception correction for layer NPCs' mentioned in the gallery, the city folk didn't bat an eye at climbers' origins or mannerisms. There wouldn't be any real trouble.
"…."
'They didn't think twice when I started using the quest system one day, or when Niva—the village maiden I picked up—started spamming legendary archmage-level warp spells. They just marveled at it.'
So my expectations were low.
The benchmark for proper behavior was Niva.
Casual speech was fine.
I had no intention of strutting around outsiders from beyond the walled city anyway.
If they lent their power and gave clues about advanced magic tomes, I'd play the model NPC as long as needed.
'Of course, if they cross the line too far, out they go without mercy.'
A few minutes of riding with those thoughts.
Luciana and I arrived at the watchpost by the massive gate. We dismounted and entered headquarters, where four climbers were waiting.
"Lord!"
"The lord is here—!"
Snap!
We entered amid the guards' salutes.
"!"
There they were.
The climbers who'd arrived.
They were disarmed. Three sat together in the waiting room, separate from the one loner. The vibes couldn't have been more different.
'The group of three seems calm, while the one's a total thug.'
First, the trio.
Two men in their mid-to-late twenties and one woman, dressed in sleek, modernized black martial robes. I really liked the simple design.
'Like cosplay from a modern wuxia flick.'
"!"
"!"
"!"
As I entered, they all focused on me and bowed their heads.
Even the motion was eerily serene.
Snap!
"We greet the lord."
"We greet the lord."
"We greet the lord."
"!"
'Their reactions are straight out of a wuxia movie.'
The way they held back from speaking casually.
They had that cool martial artist vibe from films.
But….
"…."
'They're all gaunt and ragged. Dried monster meat probably doesn't cut it for nutrition.'
And the last one—
A hulking tattooed gangster straight out of a mob movie. The tattooed guy yelled at the man in front of him.
"Hey, 'Sword Ghost'! He looks like a pushover—let's just take over! I was scared of the 51st floor, but it's nothing! Layers getting higher doesn't make the NPCs stronger, right?"
"!"
No way.
This cliché…?
"You madman…?!"
The man called 'Sword Ghost' looked shocked. He ground his teeth, glaring at the tattooed brute as he replied.
"Shut it!! Don't get reckless just 'cause you tailed us here by luck—!!"
"Keh, asshole. Scared? No wonder the Hundred Swords Society's washed up if their vanguard's like this. Guilds are trash anyway. Bunch of herd-mentality idiots! Here I go—!"
The tattooed guy stood up.
As his two-meter-plus frame rose, the surrounding guards gripped their spears in unison. The three martial artists tensed to protect me, even unarmed.
I nodded.
'Perfect. I needed a test case.'
Luciana stepped in front of me and whispered.
"Lord, stay behind me!"
"Sigh… no. Time to use it now."
"Pardon?"
The tattooed guy sneered at the scene. He slowly approached the massive axe guarded by the guards who'd disarmed him.
"Kuhahaha! These punks don't even look 'special-grade'! Before this treasure 'Steel Eater' wielded by yours truly, the heroic warrior Leonhardt, you all—."
I was done listening.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[Shall we banish them?] [YES / NO]
'Yes.'
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[Climber 'Leonhardt' has been permanently banished.]
Poof!
The tattooed guy vanished like a lie.
Silence fell over the tense room.
Drip—!
"…."
"…."
"…."
A ridiculous scene, like waking from a daydream. But the massive treasure axe 'Steel Eater' left in the headquarters proved it happened.
'Scored a free weapon. Not sure who can wield it besides Luciana—it's heavy.'
I looked at Sword Ghost and said,
"I chased off a fly. Any objections?"
"!"
Sword Ghost shook his head firmly.
"None, Lord. 'Banishment' is the rightful authority of the layer ruler."
"Climber Sword Ghost, did that guy not know about banishment?"
"…."
Honestly,
it was baffling.
'Even legendary archmage Niva bolted without acting up at first. What gave him the guts to antagonize a ruler NPC?'
Sword Ghost paled, looking ashamed.
"He surely knew. But there are fools everywhere who think you won't swing even if you hold a sword. My apologies."
"…."
That one line,
and it clicked.
'Plenty like that in my past life too.'
Sword Ghost bowed deeply. The two behind him followed suit. Exhaustion seeped from the gesture.
"As the vanguard who reached here first, we're truly sorry for failing to control the unruly. But that man didn't represent all climbers—!"
I waved him off. Smiling at their frantic excuses, I said,
"First things first."
"!"
"First, how about a meal? We can talk after."
"…."
Even at the sudden offer.
Sword Ghost's group nodded slowly. The self-proclaimed 'vanguard climbers' looked starved and worn out.
'Poor guys.'
A harsh climber's life.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
We had a simple meal at guard headquarters.
A feast for the climbers, of course. Especially the two besides Sword Ghost—they were still face-deep in their plates.
"Ugh… fruit and veggies after months…!"
"Junior sister Rel, chew slowly. That's how you get it all down."
Munch munch munch—
"…."
'Even their table manners scream country bumpkins.'
I set down my teacup and looked at Sword Ghost. He'd finished and sat before me. I addressed him.
"Sword Ghost."
"Yes!"
He straightened up solemnly. His eyes burned with duty. Seeing that, I gave a wry smile.
'Banishment, quests—power's too skewed toward ruler NPCs. No wonder sensible climbers are on edge.'
I continued.
"To clear up misunderstandings, let's recap what you said during the meal."
"Yes."
"First… that guy can't come here anymore?"
"Yes, correct."
Sword Ghost replied.
"Without your permission, Lord, he'll never reach the 51st floor again. That's the unbreakable rule of this tower."
"…."
Something too obvious to mention in the gallery.
The penalty's severity was beyond imagination.
It left me speechless.
'Still picked a fight? The guy itching for a free axe handout.'
By the way, Luciana—with her Superhuman Strength ability—hoisted the Steel Eater axe effortlessly to the warehouse. Per guard regs, if unclaimed after a week, it becomes shared gear.
'Luciana'll be swinging it soon.'
I asked next.
"And the 'special-grade,' 'heroic-grade' he mentioned…?"
At my question,
Sword Ghost freely shared his abilities.
⚔ STATUS ⚔[Ray (28)] [Hundred Swords Society Vanguard 'Sword Ghost' / Climber] [Heroic] Fangs of the Sword: Controls sword aura. [Heroic] Blood Intoxication: Grows stronger seeing enemy blood. [Special] Superhuman Strength: Increases strength.
Sword Ghost explained.
"Common, special, heroic, legendary… four ability grades. Titles are based on your main ability's grade. Mine's 'Fangs of the Sword'—heroic, so I'm 'heroic-grade.'"
"…."
'So special and heroic get called that even without legendaries.'
I glanced at Luciana munching bread at the next table. We'd scanned abilities already, so it showed right up.
⚔ STATUS ⚔[Luciana (19)] [Captain of the Subjugation Force of Walled City Baran / Knight] [Special] Resilience: Increases stamina. [Special] Command: Increases leadership. [Special] Superhuman Strength: Increases strength.
'Luciana's solid special-grade… top-tier even. So special-grade upper ranks equal about 25 soldiers.'
Simple and intuitive. From now on, my combat metric's '1 Luciana.'
I was about to ask the last question.
"Then finally, the Hundred Swords Society and guild—when will they—."
That instant.
A messenger burst through the headquarters door.
"Urgent report! Urgent! Sir William's scouts spotted a goblin band prowling the hill by the gate—!"
"!"
I stood. Spotting me, the messenger continued.
"Led by hobgoblins!! Three hobgoblins—!!"
"Three…!"
'Damn. Last time that ass-backwards show nabbed one hob from a single unit. Three times that?'
Mana stones don't triple, but hobgoblins inflate threefold.
No inflation like it.
As I foresaw a long day and prepared to rally troops, Sword Ghost—who'd been chatting nearby—called out.
"We'll handle it! Please permit us!"
"You, Sword Ghost?"
"Yes."
Sword Ghost, now with his two comrades who'd approached, drew their weapons. Sword, saber, bow gleamed as he said gravely,
"We 'Hundred Swords Three Ghosts' are elites even in the Hundred Swords Society guild. As vanguard, we scout layers first. The guild's delayed by surprises, but our mission is securing this layer."
"…."
"And…."
"And?"
Sword Ghost grinned.
"Protecting our lifesaver is also Hundred Swords Society code."
"Lifesaver…."
One meal and they're this dramatic.
But….
'Chance to gauge climber power? Now or never.'
I nodded.
"Then I'll entrust you with the quest."
"!"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
A moment later.
A storm raged atop the hill that arrived.
A human-made storm, of course.
"Hyaah—!"
Sword Ghost soared into the sky.
Riding my wind barrier, he swung his sword wildly midair. Red sword aura flashed along the arcs.
Shwick—!
With sharp sounds, crescent auras rained down like arrows. Countless red crescents pummelled dozens of goblins around.
Splat!
Splat!
Splat!
"Kieeeek—!"
"Kyaaak—!"
"Keeek—!"
Endless death cries echoed.
Goblins in layered formations collapsed, revealing the hidden hobgoblin commander writhing in a blood pool.
I thrust my fist toward it.
"Crush!"
⟨ Crush ⟩
At the word, the ground split, forming massive rocks. Like facing palms, the two boulders clapped together.
Boom—!
A thunderous clap.
The shock sprayed the pooled blood upward. It rained down. The hobgoblin in the middle? Obliterated.
'One down, two to go!'
Turning aside,
a hollow laugh escaped me.
"Ha, haha…!"
Soldiers cheered.
-The goblins are fleeing! Catch as many as you can—!
-Waaah—!
The fight was over.
While Sword Ghost and I smashed the main force,
'Bow Ghost' and 'Blade Ghost' had circled, assassinating hobgoblins. The goblin unit lost all morale.
Amid scattering stragglers,
Arrows curved oddly, a darkness-sheathed saber flashed. All goblins dead in under five minutes.
'Would take four Lucianas.'
I muttered watching.
"Three heroic-grades… roughly '12 Lucianas.'"
"Lord."
"!"
Turning, Sword Ghost approached, hobgoblin mana stone in hand alongside his sword. The blue-glowing stone he offered.
"Here, the mana stone from the main force."
I reached for it….
then eyed his sword.
"…."
'Rushed as vanguard? It's completely chipped. Same for Bow Ghost and Blade Ghost probably.'
I shook my head and pushed his hand back.
"Lord?"
"It's fine. Better yet, Walled City Baran has a skilled blacksmith. Take the stone to him for repairs."
"Lord…!"
The moved Hundred Swords Three Ghosts.
I told them,
"Welcome to Walled City Baran. Rest easy, climbers."
And a belated alert appeared.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[Invited climbers 'Hundred Swords Three Ghosts.']
"…."
Not a bad start.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
That night.
The Hundred Swords Three Ghosts' report spread far and wide.
The Tower Climbing Gallery blazed up like kindling.