Cinister went to the mail and saw a note labeled: Read Me, Cinister.
He sat at his desk and opened it. The title read: "Our Story."
"You'll lose so we want to prepare you for a fair fight. And this is our way of introducing you to our new friend."
We cut to a flashback.
"Bro, I really want to be a Cryo/Knight. That would be so cool," Scrappy exclaimed.
"Nah, Ignivar would be cooler," Choi replied.
They get their tubes, and it's revealed that Choi is a GaleSwift/Tank, while Scrappy got a CryoShard/Assassin.
"Yoo, this is sick!" Scrappy shouted.
"We should check what Juti got," Choi suggested to Scrappy.
They both walked over to Juti, who was staring down at the tube in silence.
"What happened, Juti?" Scrappy asked.
"I got nothing," Juti muttered.
"Look, Juti, I'm sure you can climb. We just need to ask," Choi replied, trying to stay optimistic.
"No, it's fine. Just go," Juti said quietly, not looking up.
Choi and Scrappy left the classroom and soon bumped into Cinister and Ragna. After finalizing their bet, the two groups went into town to scout for teammates before climbing the tower.
"We should put up a poster on the billboard," Choi suggested.
"Sure, you do that. I wanna check out my abilities," Scrappy said, already turning away.
After Choi put up the poster, they waited at a nearby table. But even after three hours, no one had shown up.
"Dude, no one's going to come. Let's just go. I bet Cinister and Ragna are already past floor five," Scrappy groaned.
"Wait a bit more. I'm sure someone will co-" Choi was interrupted.
"Can I join your party?" asked a mysterious man with red hair and piercing blue eyes.
"Who are you?" Scrappy asked, sizing him up.
"I'm Allen. And I want to be recruited into your party," he said in a cold, calm voice.
"Are you sure? We're new, and you look exp-" Choi started, but was interrupted again.
"Yeah, welcome aboard," Scrappy cut in, covering Choi's mouth with his hand.
They began walking toward the Tower. As they walked, Choi glanced at Allen.
"What's your Nexus, Allen?"
Allen leaned in and whispered in their ears.
"No way!" they both said in unison.
"Are you for real!?" said Choi
Allen nodded gently.
"Well, beating those two is going to be a cakewalk," Scrappy said confidently.
"Beat who?" Allen asked in a cold, flat voice.
"Cinister and Ragna. We made a bet with them—to see who can finish climbing the Tower first," Choi explained.
"Oh? And do you know what their Nexuses are?" Allen asked, his expression unreadable.
"Cinister is an Ignivar/Mage/Support, and Ragna is an Aqualith/Voltbound/Knight," said Scrappy.
"Well, we should hurry then," Allen replied calmly.
As the three entered the Tower, Scrappy grabbed a pair of daggers while Choi picked up a shield. Meanwhile, Allen walked straight to the boss—and with a single punch, unleashed a shockwave that echoed through floors one to four.
"Yoo! Bro, calm down, it's only the first floor," Choi said, wide-eyed.
"Are you two coming or not?" Allen asked, glancing back without breaking stride.
"Yeah, we are," they said in unison, rushing to catch up.
The letter ended with one final line:
Good luck in the team battles, Cinister.—Signed, Scrappy
"D*mn, this Allen guy sounds strong... but they didn't say what Nexus he had. Maybe he has more than one," Cinister muttered. "I guess we'd better get prepared."
Cinister headed to the living room and gathered everyone together.
"Okay, everyone. We're going to train before taking on any quests," he announced.
"But why? Shouldn't we just do the quests?" asked Michael.
"Yeah, but... I forgot to mention something," Cinister said, scratching the back of his head. "Ragna and I made a bet with two other climbers, and it looks like they may have recruited an Eldrich."
"Wait are you serious?" said George, eyes widening.
"Yeah. And his name is Allen. So if we run into him, try not to provoke him," Cinister warned.
"So, how exactly should we train?" Alya asked.
"Well," Cinister began, "everyone's going to focus on using their magic and build up your durability."
Day 1 of Training – Cinister's Group
To prepare for the climb ahead, Cinister's team trained hard, pushing their limits through five grueling days and nights. Let's take a look at how each of them trained:
CinisterCinister focused on mastering his [Jet Burst] ability. He launched himself from tree to tree, trying to sharpen his reaction time midair. However, the constant motion left him slightly nauseous. When grounded, he concentrated [Jet Burst] into his fists, increasing the acceleration of his punches each strike hitting with more force than the last.
RagnaBlindfolded and silent, Ragna stood in the clearing, wielding his [Aqua Blades]. A training dummy moved erratically around him, and his goal was to strike it using only his instincts and other senses. After dozens of swings, he landed just one clean hit but that one strike showed promise.
George & BraydenThe two sparred endlessly to refine their speed and precision. Each match had a point system: every time George was hit, Brayden scored a point; every time Brayden was blocked, George scored. After hours of sweat and discipline, the tally stood: George with 10 points, Brayden with only 3.
AlyaAlya practiced extending the duration of her [Sneak] ability, moving in and out of shadows with near silence. In between, she studied human anatomy to locate deadly one-shot blow zones. But the constant drain from [Sneak] left her exhausted, and she groaned through every minute of studying combat, she could handle; books, not so much.
MichaelMichael focused on tactics and battlefield control. He experimented with new formations and strategies, adjusting the positions and shapes of his magical pillars. By the end of the day, he had developed a few unique patterns that gave his teammates better cover and coordination during fights.
After five long, growling days and nights, the group finally returned home sore, silent, and completely worn out. But stronger.
"Tomorrow we go to do a quest okay?" said Cinister.
"Yeah" they replied in exhaustion.
The next day everyone got ready and headed to the guild where the receptionist greeted us "Hello welcome to the guild can you sign in your team name"
"What should we name ourselves?" Ragna asked, glancing around the room.
"Something cool like The Fun Gang," Brayden said with a grin.
"Nah, something more evil like The Sinister Nexus," George chimed in, arms crossed.
"Are you guys serious right now?" Alya said, clearly unimpressed. "You choose, Cinister."
"Wait why me?" Cinister asked, caught off guard.
"Because you're the strongest one here," Alya replied flatly.
Cinister paused, then said, "How about... The Fangra?"
"Fangra?" Michael echoed, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah. It's a made-up name I came up with-'fang' for something sharp and dangerous, and '-ra' for a mystical vibe. It's meant to sound... powerful, I guess," Cinister explained.
"Where did that even come from?" Ragna asked.
"I don't know. I just always named my parties Fangra in games," Cinister shrugged.
Ragna sighed but cracked a small smile. "Fine. Fangra it is," he said, scribbling it down.
"Okay time to choose a quest" said Cinister confidently.