'There's a lot of people here. Pompous rich folks, armored knights, and even some faces I recognize from town…'
All of them gathered with the same purpose in mind. If they were not seeing somebody off, then they were entering themselves.
In an attempt to keep the traffic organized, the capital decided to have regular times for groups of people to enter the tower together. This way, the chances of waking up alone are low. Most people who die when entering towers are alone, at least among those who are well-prepared.
"Notice anything about those guys?" Nudging Worthy's attention towards a group closer to the entrance, Coward implores him to study.
Seven men stood together, casually conversing with confident expressions on their faces. They each wore jackets similar to one another, a white design with a golden insignia of a sword, embroidered over where their hearts. Each man was equipped with a sword, with the tall, imposing man that looked to be their leader, having a holstered sidearm at his hip.
"Is that a…"
Then, Coward stops him from talking, but confirms his suspicions. "Mhm."
In these parts of town, guns were rare. Even Freight, who'd spent his entire life creating, purchasing, and redistributing weaponry had a handful of them. Indifferent to the holster, the condition of the weapon was clearly superior to anything Freight handed out around the slums. This means they didn't illegally acquire their items.
'If they didn't get those from the black market, that means…'
"They're capital-funded mercenaries. Judging by their outfits, they're the notorious group: Golden Shank." Coward, someone who aspired to be a knight growing up, knew much about the capital and their affiliates. It wasn't uncommon for skilled mercenaries who refused to become knights to instead be employed by them for various tasks. If the Golden Shanks were confident enough to take on this impossible tower, it meant they must've gotten surplus information.
'Keeping an eye on them will probably be good. I don't know much about them, but if they're just mercenaries, I doubt they'll kill a kid like me. Take advantage of your size, Worth…'
"They're working separately from the other knights from the capital. There's 50 of them." The knights from the capital, armored in their enchanted, steel armor always stood out. The pristine condition their protective gear was in at all times was a part of the enchantment, cast by one of the capital's artisans. None of their armor compares to those powerful swords in their hands, though. Even Worthy knew about them, as they sold for an unrealistic price in the black market, if you can get your hands on one.
The Divine Swords were mass-produced for knights in the capital, capable of cutting through steel like butter. Only their special sheaths can contain the weapon without cutting everything in its path.
Knights value those weapons more than their lives, for good reason. If one of those weapons falls into the hands of the wrong person, it'd spell disaster for wherever that person scampers away to.
Coward hadn't stopped to count the total number of knights, but something about it roused a deep suspicion. "...Keep an eye out for them, then. With that many enchanted people together, there's no telling what they're going in for. The capital sent more numbers than that in the past, so they know brute force isn't totally feasible once you've been randomly scattered on the First Floor…"
Finally, attention is drawn to the white, shimmering circular gateway that was the entrance of Aciago Tower. Standing in front of it, a kind-looking man in a suit arrives. He is the gatekeeper of Aciago Tower.
"Attention! Attention, please!" The gatekeeper is wearing a mask, one that, according to Coward, protects the wearer from almost all forms of physical damage.
"Shortly, the gateway into Aciago Tower will enter its 'prime-time'. This means its size will increase by sevenfold, allowing groups of you to enter accordingly. If you haven't, please register with your nearest curator before you enter. If you do not, then we won't be able to send any search parties to find you."
The silence from the crowd was telling.
No one believed they'd send search parties to find them if they went missing. Only on a few occasions, normally when a member of the royal family or nobility were stuck, did the capital hurry to find that person and drag them out the tower as quickly as possible. In short, the only person that can save you in the tower is yourself.
"When you make your exit from the tower, please be sure to be ready to fill out a summary report. This way, we can utilize as much information as we can for the next party. If you haven't, make sure that you've grabbed a copy of the 'Tower Guidebook', which contains all the information we've collected thus far."
Worthy looks at his father with a skeptical scowl.
As if reading his mind, Coward quickly whispers to his son:
"The testimonies they get rarely ever go beyond the Second & Third Floors. The people who've made it past that floor and reached others either don't want to fill out a summary or aren't in the mental state to do so. They've got no reliable information in that book."
'That'd explain why I didn't see that many people here with one. Plus, not even the knights or mercenaries were carrying a guidebook with them. They already know everything they need to.'
Seven minutes go by, with the gatekeeper explaining a lot of information that was either irrelevant, slightly important, or something Worthy already knew.
"...Finally, I wish you all good luck on your climb. May the tower bless you with good fortune. You will need it."
Vibrations run through the ground, coming from the shaking tower. The hovering gateway at the front spreads wide, now roughly the size of a well-made house. 'So this is 'prime-time…'
Groups begin entering the tower one after another. There was no need to delay the inevitable. The longer one waits to enter, the more of a chance they have at being left behind… wherever they end up.
Coward puts his hand on his son's head. A firm, warm hand. He would not hug the boy, as he did not want to sour the mood or shift his focus. Sentimentality was humankind's greatest weakness, and a child like Worthy would suffer from it more than others. No matter how much the slums harden a man, his resolve can be softened by his loved ones.
"...I'll…" Coward thinks about the words he can say.
He won't say goodbye. Those words were muttered to his wife before she went into the tower and never returned. They were a bad omen.
"I'll see you soon, Worth. Come home safe." He settles for something a little more positive.
Tears well up in the boy's eyes, a moment of vulnerability passing. With an unshakeable, determined resolve, he wipes them away before they can touch his cheek. "Yeah." He says, forming a smile that was as confident as him. "I'll be back in no time."
Their knuckles connect, a fist bump for the road. Then, Worthy's undivided attention rests on the gateway in front of him. The knights to the side are waiting for people to pass, and show no sign of entering soon. They're tinkering with some devices.
In the end, none of that concerns Worthy.
One step after another, the boy raises his chin, his hands wrapped around the straps of his backpack. Facing the challenge in front of him, a life or death threat, sweat drips down his head.
"Wish me luck, Mom."
With a final step, he disappears behind a shining wall of light.
>>><<<
[Welcome, Climber Worthy. Aciago Tower greets you.]
[For reaching Floor 1, you will receive a Reward.]
[One moment… Apologies.]
[Child of Rule Breaker Coward & Climber Evangelica: Worthy.]
[You are the third of your bloodline to enter the tower.]
[You will be bestowed a Reward according to your situation.]
[Please, accept this Reward and climb as high as you can…]
[...You have received: [Guide.] Good luck, Climber Worthy.]
>>><<<
The next time he opens his eyes, Worthy is in a scene that is just as grotesque as his father's testimony stated.
A horrible smell assaulted his nose, and all around him, there was blood as far as he could see. In this lake of ichor, there are mountains of red waste in all directions. Screams are carried from undeterminable distances around him, likely from the new arrivals or some other horrendous creatures that hide out here.
Worthy was fortunate enough to arrive standing, the blood of the lake coming up to his knees already. "Holy shit, t-this is terrifying."
Looking around, there was nothing but carnage for miles.
With no idea where to run, Worthy decides to trust his instincts. The subtle shift of the blood creates waves rippling in a single direction. He follows the waves.
As he travels, he reaches into his backpack, removing a sheathed knife he received from Freight. In accordance with Coward's concerns, Freight equipped Worthy with gear he believed would be best for surviving some floors of the tower. Currently, the only piece of gear he has that'll alleviate some struggles on the First Floor is this knife. He dips the knife into the blood, letting it stay there as he walks.
There are many shadows in this place. Whenever he looked to see the source, all he saw were the silhouettes of flying balls with ribbons. If they got closer, he'd be able to determine their appearance.
'I'd rather be in the dark about whatever the hell those things are.'
'Besides the disembodied screams, it's pretty quiet. I think I have time to check out my Reward… How did dad put it? I need to have the desire to know—'
Something emerges at the front of Worthy's mind, stopping him in his tracks as all his attention is drawn to the display that was easily confusable with a thought.
[Reward - Guide: You are subconsciously aware of the path you must take. The towers may guide you, should you prove you are worth leading.]
After reviewing the findings, he had to force his conscience to suppress the information, freeing him from what felt like a deadlock. "It's like I got stuck in cement. That's a seriously dangerous thing, I've got to be careful with my thoughts from now on. Maybe speaking out loud is for the better." Although he was conscious, he was completely unable to utilize his other motor functions while the information was present. He'll need to monitor his thoughts better if he doesn't want to get trapped in place at the wrong time.
Besides the dangers posed by accidentally summoning the Tower Information, Worthy thought his reward was quite impressive. Being able to go in whichever direction is the most beneficial definitely helps with navigating this gross valley of blood, guts, and other entrails.
Cautiously going around a pile, Worthy tries his hardest not to look at the faces staring at him. In his peripherals, he can see the wide-open mouth of a woman whose face still had skin, empty eyes begging for his attention. Whatever happened to her, he didn't want any part in it. 'This… isn't realistic at all. There's no way.' It was already known that the towers were supernatural forces, but this level of carnage is unnatural.
It was like the entire world ended up trapped on this floor and died. 'How can there be so many dead bodies… are they all humans?' It's thought to be impossible for monsters to travel through gateways. Nothing has ever exited from a tower except the climbers who entered it.
Soon enough, Worthy would find one of these harbingers of death lurking inside of one of these piles, this much he was certain of.
After several minutes, he arrives at a shore, or something closely resembling one. The waves washed up onto a slope, unable to advance past a certain point. An elevated slope composed of a white, bone-line material made up the ground.
Pulling himself from the bloody pool, he looks down at his knife, which had a subtle glow to it now that it'd had time to drink. 'Woah. I thought Freight was screwing with me when he said it just needed to be fed. This is a real enchantment!'
The knife was enchanted with some kind of ability that let it grow strong by consuming blood. As it turns out, that kind of item is very powerful in this place. The downside is that no matter how strong a weapon is, its wielder must be able to use it proficiently. Growing up in the slums, Worthy had experience swinging and throwing around knives—none of that experience is enough to prepare someone for the tower.
Rising up the hill, he sees red markings staining the slope farther away. 'Looks like I'm not the only person who came this way. That's a good sign…'
Sadly, upon closer inspection, he quickly realized that the imprint left by whoever went up, or down the slop, was far too large for a human to make. Even a heavyset man laying flat on his stomach couldn't replicate this when lathered in the liquid.
Gazing up at the top of the hill anxiously, Worthy wasn't thrilled to imagine what large thing he might find here.
'Buck up, Worth! Buck up! It was your call to come in here. No sense crying about it now!'
When he reached the top of the hill, he was starstruck.
Overlooking the lake he'd just walked through, Worthy quickly discovered that it was more akin to a small ocean. Those piles of bodies, as the further they went, looked more and more like massive boulders randomly spread throughout the body.
The most eye-catching detail he noticed were the various shapes made out of meat. He could make out the figure of trees, walls, and other structures he hadn't noticed while trying to quietly find his way to shore.
If he had any doubts about it before, this was his blunt awakening.
Worthy had thrown himself into another world brimming with nothing except death.