Chapter 49: The Hidden Floor (1)
99th Floor, Arie Branch Floating Castle
After Hoaquin—once a tempest-like presence within the floating castle—became a Regular, this place settled into days that were far more relaxed and quiet than before.
Of course, the trio who could be called Hoaquin's best friends also spent their days peacefully, even as they missed him.
That was, until an unexpected change arrived—when Headon suddenly appeared.
"Congratulations. In two years' time, you will be granted the right to climb the Tower as Regulars."
A sly yet courteous tone.
As Headon scanned his surroundings, his gaze landed on a girl whose eyes trembled more than anyone else's.
Her name was Arie Albelda.
A girl so frail since childhood that it was hard to believe she belonged to one of the Ten Great Families—she had gone in and out of hospitals as if they were her own room.
But as time passed, her body began to recover as if by a miracle, and at last, the moment she had always dreamed of arrived.
"E-even me…?"
Albelda asked again in a trembling voice.
Was it really true that she had been chosen as a Regular?
If this turned out to be a misunderstanding… she felt like she'd be so heartbroken she'd shut herself away forever.
Hope and fear churned together inside her—until Headon's answer pulled her out of it.
"Of course, my beautiful young lady. Ah—shall I call your names properly so there's no confusion?
Arie Anna, Arie Albelda, and Arie Vicente. Let me say it once more: the three of you will become Regulars and climb the Tower in two years' time."
Only then did Albelda truly realize it.
This wasn't a misunderstanding.
It wasn't a dream.
It was reality.
At last.
At last, she had stepped onto the first stair of her dream.
At last, she would be able to meet him again.
A change she never expected.
An opportunity that arrived without warning.
The hardships she had endured because of her weak body flashed through her mind like a reel.
She had once thought she might be confined to hospitals for her entire life.
But the fairy of the Tower—or perhaps a god watching from somewhere unseen—had answered her desperate wish.
Her eyes welled up.
Before she could cry, Headon quickly offered his encouragement—
"My sincerest congratulations."
—then vanished in a burst of light.
"Albelda, are you alright?"
"Unnie…?"
Vicente's worried voice, and Anna's innocent concern.
Albelda barely managed to hold back her tears before flashing them a wide smile—perhaps the happiest smile in the world.
"I'm fine. I can't let tears ruin a day this happy.
And there's still plenty of liquor Hoaquin left behind—this calls for a party!"
A single tear slipped out anyway.
Albelda hurriedly wiped it away and headed for the room Hoaquin used to use.
Vicente followed after her, half-resigned, helping search for the alcohol Hoaquin had hidden away.
This time, he couldn't bring himself to stop her from drinking.
Her body had already recovered to the level of a normal Arie.
And seeing her this happy—how could he stop her?
Hoaquin would be happy to hear this.
…Are you really okay with this?
Vicente's expression wavered for a moment before he shook his head.
No matter what—today was a happy day.
He was happy too, that they would finally climb the Tower.
First, they'd have to climb it…
Ah—Anna was looking up at him with sparkling eyes.
"What about me, Vicente oppa?"
"Don't worry. I prepared orange juice too."
Vicente patted Anna's head as her face lit up, then prepared to contact Hoaquin.
Just like Albelda and Anna, he too longed to see him again.
Climbing the Tower together was probably impossible—but meeting again as Rankers would be enough.
....
[Message – Vicente]
The three of us decided to climb the Tower in two years. It's probably impossible for us to climb together at this point, but we'll meet again someday.
I'll be waiting for that day. Oh—and while everyone's happy, Albelda is especially excited. If she contacts you, make sure to congratulate her properly.
[Message – Anna]
Oppa!! The Tower Fairy came and made us Regulars!!
Anna's grown a lot taller, so make sure you come see me later! Promise!!—From your loving Anna!
[Message – Albelda]
A flood of messages poured in without pause.
The moment Hoaquin read the first sentence of the first message, an uncontrollable wave of happiness surged through him.
Finally.
Finally!
With no one nearby to brag to, he kicked open the door to the next car and stormed inside.
"Hahahahaha—Maschenny!"
"…?"
He approached Maschenny—who had earlier tricked him and walked off to another car—with a radiant smile.
Ah—this really felt amazing.
"They became Regulars! Finally!"
"…?"
Ah—he forgot the subject. Sorry. Too excited.
"Ahem. Vicente, Albelda, and Anna. They're going to climb the Tower now—well, technically in two years.
But what matters is that they got Regular status.
Two years isn't that long anyway. We can't meet right away, but… someday, we'll meet again."
More than anything, Albelda becoming a Regular made him the happiest.
He knew better than anyone how much she had longed to climb the Tower, to become a Ranker.
Seeing her dream come true felt like his own wish had been granted.
Maschenny showed a slight reaction—at least when he mentioned Albelda and Anna.
"Thinking of sending them a congratulatory gift.
Want to include something too? I'll write your name really big on it."
"No need. I'm not that close to them. I don't plan on sending a gift."
"Really?"
"…Does Albelda like wine?"
She spoke casually while looking away.
Ah—right.
Khun Family wine.
He'd been meaning to ask Maschenny for some anyway—this worked out perfectly.
"That's perfect. Albelda actually likes alcohol more than you'd think. She'll definitely love it."
As they were deciding on the gift, a video call request came through on his Pocket.
Right—Albelda said she'd call.
"Maschenny, Albelda's calling on video. Come over here too—she'll be happy if she sees your face."
I said "come here," but in the end, I just moved so Maschenny would appear on screen.
The fact that she didn't step out of frame meant she didn't dislike it either.
— Oh! It connected! Huh? Maschenny? Long time no see! How have you been?
"…So-so."
Maschenny answered reluctantly, but Albelda greeted her with a bright smile anyway.
Soon, Albelda adjusted the Pocket screen, and Vicente and Anna came into view.
Faces I was genuinely happy to see.
I'd seen them often in photos, but seeing them live like this made it clear just how much they'd grown over the four years since I left the floating castle.
"Hm? Hoaquin hyung, who are they?"
"Huh. These are Arie people I've never seen before."
— Oh! So you're Hoaquin's friends? Nice to meet you!
At some point, Hwarang and Luf had walked over and were now tilting their heads at the screen.
Ah—right. They didn't know each other yet.
I quickly introduced Hwarang and Luf to my Arie friends, and vice versa.
I tried to step aside a bit so it wouldn't get awkward, but Albelda ended up pulling them right in instead.
That friendliness really did reach through the screen.
I left those two to Albelda and turned my attention to Vicente and Anna, talking about the messages they'd sent.
— Hoaquin, did you congratulate Albelda yet?
"Not yet. I just picked up the call and she's already dragging other people in. I'll take my time.
How about you—are you doing alright? I heard you were in a pretty low mood last time."
— I still am. It's just that today's joy is big enough to cover it.
"Haha. I hope it stays that way every day. You don't have to wait until you're a Ranker to meet me—we might run into each other during Regular life.
So don't lock yourself into the idea that it has to be 'as Rankers.' We might meet sooner than you think."
— Understood. Then I'll look forward to a swift reunion.
— Oppa, oppa! Which doll should I take with me?
Just as my conversation with Vicente was wrapping up, Anna cut in. It'd been almost four years since I left the floating castle, but Anna was still just as adorable.
"Haha, Anna. Choosing between them is fine and all… but wouldn't it be better to take both?"
Her eyes went wide like she'd just discovered a great truth, and she nodded eagerly.
While that was happening, Albelda brought out my traditional liquor and poured it into cups.
— Alright! A celebratory drink!
Want to join too? At Albelda's cheerful invitation, Loop and Hwarang gladly accepted.
I quickly took out my own bottle of traditional liquor and filled my, Hwarang's, and Luf's cups.
Maschenny poured herself wine into a proper glass.
— Alright, cheers!
"Haha, that noona really matches my personality. Cheers."
Come to think of it, both Luf and Albelda were naturally good at bringing people together.
Starting with Luf's line, Hwarang, Maschenny, and I all raised our glasses for a global toast.
Even without clinking glasses, the congratulations crossed the screen easily.
"Congratulations, Albelda. And Vicente, Anna too. Cheers."
....
After the modest toast, we chatted for hours.
Before we knew it, Anna got sleepy and went off to bed, leaving only Albelda and Vicente on screen.
— With Pockets, we can stay in touch more often now, right?
"Of course. Hurry up and come climb already—I want to see you in person too."
— Hehe, guess Vicente and I will have to roll pretty hard then.
— Why am I the one rolling all of a sudden? I mean, I am planning to climb fast, but still.
"Haha, Albelda, don't push yourself too hard. If I become a Ranker quickly, I'll come find you instead.
Just make Vicente do the rolling."
Vicente shot me an annoyed look, then broke into a small laugh.
"Albelda."
— Yeah?
"Congratulations again. Looks like life stuck between the floating castle and hospitals is finally over.
In two more years, you'll be able to go wherever you want."
She paused, a little lost in thought, then smiled brightly.
— …That's true. Freely…Thank you, Hoaquin. I really can't wait for the day we're all together again.
I returned her smile with a gentle grin, then turned to Vicente.
"Vicente. I don't know exactly why you're feeling down, but it seems like it started after your father visited. Don't take everything that man says to heart.
Even if he's always technically right, you don't have to follow everything."
— Thank you. I'll keep that in mind.
"Alright then. I think this is a good place to end today's call. Come up soon, all of you. I'll be waiting."
— Yeah, we'll talk again soon!
— Take care, Hoaquin.
Pop—
The video call ended.
The screen went completely dark, reflecting my own face back at me—smiling more happily than usual.
Haha.
It's way too obvious.
Maybe I should learn a poker face.
"You done?"
Hwarang, who had stepped away to give us space, walked back over.
Luf and Maschenny were still in another car, dealing with Guardians.
"Yeah. When are we leaving the 43rd Floor?"
"The train departs for the 44th Floor in two days.
It doesn't look like we're stopping by that 'Hidden Floor' you mentioned last time."
"The Hidden Floor is inside the train. You get access once you clear the Hell Train. Guess it's about time I told you what's there."
"The Hidden Floor?"
Luf and Maschenny returned as well, brushing Guardian blood off their weapons.
I paused for effect, making sure they were listening, then continued.
"What's there?"
At Hwarang's question, Maschenny and Luf also focused on me.
"The Ten Family Heads. And Zahard."
They all flinched.
Well—we'll see who's actually left when we get there.
"Their data from when they were D-Rank Regulars is preserved there."
We should reach the 44th Floor in about a month, so we'll probably enter the Hidden Floor around then too.
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A/N:
• I can't answer everyone's questions, so I'll explain everything here. Yes, he will have a new style. For now, his power revolves around Arie swordsmanship, since it is his family's technique. However, our MC is only using the basics of those techniques, and he still has a hidden card.
His new techniques are still developing, and he has many of them. His current enemies are just small fry. The Hidden Floor arc is different, so wait for the battle. I hope you enjoy it for now.
• And about the messy timeline—like Hoaquin and his siblings, and Maschenny being born after the Great War—I'm sure it's not that messy. After all, it still follows the lore. And to tell you the truth why Maschenny is included because she's one of my favorite girls in TOG. ^...^
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