After returning from Floor 1, Aragi Zotai sold the monster crystals he collected. When he received 300 ren, his eyes widened. It was more money than he'd ever seen. Enough to change things — if only a little.
He bought simple gear: a dark padded armor set, some durable clothes, and a decent katana — nothing fancy, but far better than the broken knife he once carried.
Later that evening, Aragi walked into his tiny hut. The roof leaked when it rained, the walls were thin, and the floor was just cold concrete. He laid down on a tattered sheet, stared up at the ceiling, and mumbled to himself.
"Just who am I… or why am I even trying?"
A silence followed. Then he turned over and scoffed.
"It's a waste thinking like that. I should focus on tomorrow... Floor 2. Still, what happened on Floor 1..."
His mind flashed back to the B-rank monster. "It still scares me."
He sighed.
"Will I really make it all the way up? There's still... so many floors."
Sleep eventually took him. But what he didn't know was that someone — or something — was quietly watching him from outside.
---
The Next Morning
Aragi woke up at dawn, dressed in his armor, strapped his katana to his waist, and left. As he stood in front of the lift, he stared at the cold steel doors.
"I'm coming, Floor 2."
He scanned his ID. The 2nd floor button lit up. He pressed it.
---
Floor 2
The doors opened to a nearly identical sight as Floor 1 — abandoned interiors, cracked walls, flickering lights. Broken lockers, rusted pipes, collapsed ceilings.
Aragi moved carefully through the halls, arriving at what once was a shopping mall. Several Headcutter monsters roamed the area.
He didn't hesitate this time.
Slice.
Stab.
One by one, they fell.
Other E-rank monsters appeared, but none posed a threat. Aragi moved with confidence, his armor shielding light blows and his katana making quick work of their bodies.
Compared to Floor 1, this was nothing.
By the end, he reached the lift, scanned his ID, and unlocked Floor 3.
---
Floor 3
The structure had changed slightly. Less like a mall now — more like a ruined hospital.
Empty beds, broken IV poles, cracked monitors, shattered medicine cabinets.
There weren't many monsters. Aragi fought his way through easily, but a strange chill filled the air. A quiet kind of dread. Still, he completed the floor and moved forward.
---
Floor 4
As the doors opened to Floor 4, Aragi thought:
"After this, I'll head home."
But then he stopped.
He wasn't alone.
In the distance, someone — a man — was cutting through monsters. Not E-rank this time, but D-rank. Stronger, faster, tougher.
Yet this person… was killing them effortlessly. Clean slices. No wasted motion. Not a scratch on him.
Aragi was stunned.
The man finally noticed him.
"Who are you?" the man asked.
"Aragi," he replied, cautious. "I'm a Vindicator."
The man's eyes scanned him, then smiled faintly.
"A Vindicator, huh? Me too."
Aragi looked at the man's eyes — blue. His breath caught.
"A blue-eyed Vindicator…? On Floor 4?" he thought. They're supposed to be elites…
The man stepped closer.
"What kind of Vindicator are you? I've never seen gray eyes before."
Aragi hesitated.
"…A weak one."
The man chuckled.
"You're a funny guy, saying that with a straight face."
Aragi blinked.
"Great… my first impression's that I'm a clown," he thought bitterly.
"Name's Maxton," the man said casually.
"What's someone like you doing here?" Aragi asked.
"Just checking something," Maxton replied. "But I'm done. Heading home."
"Where's home?"
"Vindicator City. Floor 200."
Aragi's eyes widened again.
"Two… hundred?!"
Maxton turned.
"See you around, Aragi."
Then, just like that, he was gone.
Aragi stood still for a long while.
He looked at the monsters Maxton had slain — the cuts were perfect. Clean. Effortless.
"He's on a different level," Aragi thought.
"This floor… wasn't even a challenge to him. Not even a trial."
After completing the floor, Aragi walked to the lift and unlocked Floor 5. But he didn't go up.
Instead, he returned to his hut.
---
That night, he laid down again — katana leaning against the wall, armor resting beside him. He stared into the darkness.
"Will I ever be that strong?"
"Can I even make it through all the floors…?"
Then, slowly, he sat up and whispered,
"…No point overthinking. I'll keep working."
He stood, made some food, ate quietly, and returned to bed.
And slept — his next climb waiting just beyond the steel doors.