Tower of Endless: Death Granted Entry

Colten decided that he would first get to know Moon, find out more about him, and maybe win him over... Even such characters are useful when used right. Making alliances and preparing for the trial was more important than anything else.

If he was aiming for a top rank, he had to gather a better and more competent group for himself. The two disposables he just sent were worth nothing, and he wasn’t going to be hung up on them. Moon was more important right now; whether he was affiliated or not didn’t mean anything. He only needed him to work for him. If unaffiliated, he became his; if affiliated, it didn’t hurt to make friends... for himself or for his clan.

Colten decided he wasn’t going to be bothered by the previous insult, not until Moon made himself useful. Only then would they settle their debts.

”So, where were we?” Acting nonchalant, Colten restarted the conversation. ”I heard your name is Moon.” Colten smiled while stepping forward, away from his group.

He thought it was better to be seen first, hence why he mentioned Moon’s name and moved onto a formal introduction.

”My name is Col—”

ACHOOOOO~

Colten’s face twitched. Moon was bending forward slightly after the explosive sneeze he had just released.

But Colten wasn’t done. Once again, he decided he would ignore it and use the boy well; in his heart, he was adamant about bringing this hooligan into his group. Once again, his lips parted.

”My na—”

ACHOOOOOOOO~

Another, yet more explosive sneeze came without warning. Colten’s face dimmed; his eyes returned to their usual disinterest.

”So rude.”

”Who’s that guy?”

”How is he acting like that?”

”Is he actually rejecting Lord Colten’s grace?”

Voices erupted like music to Moon’s ears. He wasn’t planning to make friends or anything like that... he had already decided to act like others would around girls, but now that girls were screaming at the sight of Colten and Abshi, he decided he would redirect that admiration to himself. He didn’t think; his wild teenage hormones gave him the answer right away.

He wasn’t going to let these bastards who sent assailants after him get away anyway; he just decided to make an entertainment show of them. Moon watched Colten’s crumpling face, but the one who was even more frustrated was Abshi. Moon noticed the stone-faced guy’s hand rubbing, nearly grinding the sword hilt, but his face remained as if made of unmoving stone.

”Fine then, until we meet again,” Colten turned around to leave, signaling to his men. ”I’ll let you have these useless things for now,” he added coolly before taking his first step.

As the men followed, Moon spoke, stopping them in their tracks. ”Oii, who said you can just leave like this? We’re just starting the negotiations.”

”I was generous enough to let you have two of my men. What else could you want?” Colten replied without turning to look at Moon.

Moon aimed a look at the duo on the ground. ”I mean, I took them since I decided to.” Moon paused. ”But having them assault me is a different matter, don’t you think?” Moon pointed at his own head twice.

”You look fine for someone who was just assaulted, though,” Colten said dismissively.

”Oh, sorry about that, I’m just that strong.” Moon wasn’t done. ”I mean, if all seven of you came at me together, it would’ve been the same.” He opened his hands wide.

At this point, Colten knew things were not going to go as planned, not now and not later. The erupting voices of everyone watching made that evident. He could no longer save face; he had provoked an unhinged hooligan, and holding back at this point was utterly meaningless.

Colten turned around, facing Moon directly. ”What is it that you want?” His lips curled into a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

Moon nodded. ”Now we talk.” Satisfied, he added, ”I mean, it would be rude of me to let someone who clearly came picking a fight leave without one.”

”You want to fight me?” Colten raised a brow.

Moon shook his head. ”Not really, but you have to leave something before leaving.”

”And what could that thing be?” Colten was unsure what this person could want... could it be money, or weapons?

He couldn’t have guessed, nor could anyone else. Moon’s hideous smile crept back to his face while his index finger pointed at Colten.

”Your teeth. Leave them before leaving.”

Clashing voices and noises of exclamation followed, filled with wonder and utter disbelief at what was happening.

Further away, Roran was walking with Dorbish by his side... To be exact, Roran was following Dorbish and refusing to leave him be. The commotion further away caught their attention. Roran tapped Dorbish’s shoulder. ”Let’s check what’s going on there.”

Dorbish looked left and right, reluctant to stay with the guy. He wasn’t very optimistic about either option. The moment he set foot here, Roran had been clinging to him, probably because Roran’s first attempt to make friends turned into a fight, and everyone else only approached him for his big mouth to find something out before ditching him.

But Dorbish was also trying not to get himself in trouble. He might have arrived early, but compared to those who were from greater clans or group trials, he might not be as strong. He wanted to avoid making any enemies for now; it was still early for that. His clan had yet to send any new updates, nor did they make arrangements with other clans. Overstepping anyone or anything was not very smart, save for the fact that whenever he looked around, he found a clan emblem here or there.

He was skeptical about everything. How many clans did the tower gather for this trial, and how many individuals came with their personal aids? It used to be impossible, or rare to a frightening degree, but now he could see a few, and that alone was unsettling. He felt this was a bad time to be on the Second Floor Trial, and if he could afford it—if the decision were his—he would drop out this wave and join the next.

A sigh escaped his lips. Before submitting to his fate, he looked at Roran ahead and followed him. He squeezed his way through the gathering masses; he wasn’t very tall to begin with, and seeing anything from back there was impossible. He also didn’t want to harm his social image by doing something embarrassing to take a look, so he took his time, leaving Roran behind and going ahead alone.

When he finally passed what felt like an endless stream of humans, he could see what was happening on the other side.

At last, or maybe... unfortunately.

His heart jumped into his throat. ’It’s that bastard again. Is he picking fights for fun?’ He couldn’t comprehend what was happening. Two were on the ground, blood leaking from their noses... one of them had a mask hanging on his chin, and where the mask should be, he had a five-finger slap mark. The other one didn’t have it.

Moon was standing between them and Colten’s group, but the thing was... Dorbish had already seen these two with Colten.

Roran, behind him, was squeezing his way through the masses, following Dorbish who had gone ahead. And at this moment, he accidentally leaned forward...

”Excuse m—”

A little too hard, he tripped over something.

Dorbish, unfortunately for him, found himself being pushed forward.

Suddenly was standing between Moon and Colten.

And at this moment, all eyes were on him. Including the heinously grinning face he was desperately trying to avoid.

”Oii, fellow ascender!”