Chapter 40: Toward the Hell Train (2)
"…It's been a while."
Smirk.
Maschenny accepted the greeting with her usual blank expression. Always the same face, the same reaction. The fact that she hadn't changed at all since the last time I saw her… somehow made her feel even more familiar.
"Come on. Let's go."
"Where?"
Where else? You probably haven't eaten breakfast.
I started walking toward the cafeteria, but Maschenny stayed still, not moving an inch.
"What— huh?!"
A sudden bolt of lightning flew at me—far stronger than anything she used in the Tournament of Power. Seriously, she doesn't need to be "consistent" in this kind of thing. What is this, one-electrocution-a-day?
"…You're fine."
Seeing me tank the lightning without flinching, Maschenny sighed lightly.
Hmm… maybe I should have pretended to be shocked. Even my clothes barely took damage—just a bit of soot.
"I guess the rematch will have to wait. Let's go—to that cafeteria you mentioned. I'm hungry."
"Haha, may I exchange my rematch coupon for another reward?"
"Don't need it."
When we stepped outside through the Gate, Hwarang and Luf were already waiting. I slipped out while they were asleep so I wouldn't wake them… but these kids are absurdly diligent. I introduced Maschenny to the two, though she already knew from the Pocket that I had teammates.
"You're here. We were just about to come get you."
"Haha, we can't let a princess walk around for nothing, right?"
Luf definitely has some kind of fantasy going on about Zahard's Princesses. Well, as long as he behaves, it's fine.
"This is the Maschenny Zahard I mentioned. Her position is… Spear Bearer? I think?"
I want to say more, but come to think of it—I don't even know her age.
"It doesn't matter. Spear Bearer, Fisherman, whatever."
Maschenny's gaze shifted to Hwarang and Luf. She stared quietly for a moment, then— unexpectedly—she spoke first.
"I am Khun Maschenny Zahard."
"I'm Tu Perie Luf! It's an honor to see you in person, Princess!"
"I'm Yeon Hwarang. I think I caught a glimpse of you during the Tournament, but this is my first time meeting you face-to-face."
At the name Yeon Hwarang, Maschenny's brow narrowed slightly, as if she were thinking hard about something. Oh no—don't tell me she's…
"…Ah."
Maschenny walked past Hwarang with a crooked smile.
"Your record got pushed down to third place. I broke it easily. I'm second now."
"…What?!"
Hwarang spun around with wide eyes, staring at Maschenny in shock. Why is he reacting like this again?
"What are you talking about! 640 points isn't something those other guys could even dream of beating!"
Ignoring him completely, Maschenny kept walking, and Hwarang ran after her, sputtering.
Sure, she broke his record on her 21st attempt, so "easily" is debatable… but I'll keep quiet for her sake.
"Hey, Maschenny. I don't know where you think you're going, but it's the wrong direction."
Freeze.
She stopped for a moment, then resumed walking.
Her face is definitely red right now. Well, today's basically her welcome party, so I should go easy on her.
I followed her to find a decent restaurant, and we all headed inside.
Over breakfast—steak, for everyone—I explained yesterday's rough plan to Maschenny.
"The Hell Train?"
"Yeah. It's the fastest way to climb floors. No real reason to avoid it, right?"
Your dad's there too, after all.
And in the original, Maschenny's data appears on the Hell Train, so boarding it is basically destined.
"I was planning to take the Hell Train anyway. Fine."
As expected.
Now the only question is: how fast do we get to Floor 35?
"So, how quickly should we climb to 35?"
I asked, and—predictably—Maschenny answered first.
"Continuously. Without stopping."
Hwarang's answer was:
"I agree with the Princess. Because of me and Luf, we were delayed for a whole year. A short sprint until the 35th floor should be fine."
"I agree with Hwarang-hyung and Maschenny-noona! Let's break a record while we're at it!"
…Maschenny-noona? When did they get that close?
I glanced at Maschenny—her face showed pure shock.
Yep. Definitely a surprise attack from Luf.
"?"
Luf's sparkling, innocent eyes stared at her. Maschenny tried to glare, but… she gave up.
Haha, she's still weak to kids like him.
"Then let's play around until the next test—in six months—and start pushing hard after that."
Everyone nodded.
Watching them, I couldn't help smiling.
I wonder what the fastest record to the 35th floor is… maybe I should look it up later.
After breakfast, we left the restaurant.
The next six months passed more or less the same as before—except now Maschenny was part of our group.
Oh, and she and Hwarang kept competing with each other at arcades.
Like that, six months passed, and it was time to take the promotion test again.
….
Floor 21 — Climbing Test Arena
"—Anyway, I hope you all perform well. The enemy team's information has been sent to your Pockets, so please refer to it during combat."
Beeeep—!
The signal announcing the start of the test echoed.
I, Po Bidau Khunor, heir to one of the Ten Great Families, am climbing the Tower at a pace worthy of being called swift. This test will pose no difficulty. My teammates, though not from the Ten Families, are elite candidates I personally selected.
"Take your positions and move quickly!"
"Okay!"
My teammates moved with perfect coordination, just as expected.
With my superior Shinsu control, intelligence, and their support… the day I become a Ranker isn't far away.
"Then… let's check who we'll be facing in this test."
Even if our team was strong, complacency was forbidden.
I opened the Pocket to review the opposing team's data.
Opposing Team Members
Fisherman: Khun Maschenny Zahard
Wave Controller: Yeon Hwarang (Multi-position)
Spear Bearer: Yeon Hwarang (Multi-position)
Light Bearer: Tu Perie Luf
"…"
After calculating everything with the high intelligence befitting a member of the Po Bidau family, I pressed the forfeit button without a moment of hesitation.
This was exactly the kind of situation where the Po Bidau family's great intellect should be used.
....
BEEEEEP—
The start signal rang as the test administrator finished speaking.
And moments later—another alarm sounded.
This wasn't a glitch.
The first was the start signal.
The second was the end signal.
In other words, the opposing team had forfeited.
Luf tilted his head.
"Huh? They surrendered before we even began?"
"Looks like it. Maschenny, you heard that, right? The test is over. They forfeited, so come back."
— I know. Don't talk to me like you're giving orders.
And like that, the three of them instantly advanced to the 22nd floor.
....
I had been waiting there in advance, and when I saw them arrive, I couldn't help widening my eyes.
Luf messaged me five minutes ago saying the test had just begun…
"? You're already here?"
Hwarang answered my question.
"They surrendered. Anyway, Hoaquin, where's the next test site?"
Haha… they're really planning to climb without a single break, huh?
Maschenny, of course, but even Hwarang and Luf had this firm determination burning in their eyes.
If they were this serious, I couldn't afford to slack off either.
A year that felt long and short at the same time had finally passed, and now we could continue climbing the Tower again.
Maschenny, who once promised she'd climb with me someday, had joined as well.
Because of that, something else stung a little more.
'…Still no reply.'
I checked my Pocket for any messages from Vicente, Albelda, or Anna—but as usual, there was nothing new beyond the occasional greetings and pictures.
I really wish they could climb the Tower too.
When would they become Regulars?
Meeting Maschenny again after a whole year made me miss them even more.
"…Let's go. The test site is that way."
After sorting out my thoughts, I took the lead.
We'd meet again someday—eventually.
Though at this climbing speed, going up together might be difficult…but what mattered most was that we could meet again.
And so we climbed the Tower—literally "without rest."
Just the bare minimum sleep needed to stay alive and three meals a day, and test after test after test.
After seven months of this—
—Welcome to the 35th Floor, Regulars. This floor is famous for the Hell Train, which—
We had finally reached the 35th Floor, home to the boarding station of the legendary Hell Train.
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A/N: If you want extra chapters, let's make this happen.
If we reach:
300 Power Stones → 1 extra chapter
500 Power Stones → 1 extra chapter
1000+ Power Stones → 2 extra chapters
I know the last one is probably impossible unless this becomes a peak book, so I don't have much confidence in that 😅
And yes, I know we already reached 500+ Power Stones, so I believe you guys can do it again. I know I'm being a bit stingy, but this is all I can do for now. I'm a busy person, and I'm also continuing to post my DNA book—I really need to finish that soon.
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