Tower Of God: Life As Hoaqin

Middle Zone of the 124th Floor, Commercial City – Link.

The middle zone of the 124th floor, the city of Link—home to some of the wealthiest elites. With the invitation we obtained from the previous incident, we arrived in this city.

The 124th floor was extremely cold in terms of climate. If it were up to me, I would've skipped it and gone straight to the 125th floor, but since the auction was being held here, we didn't really have a choice. Haah—just a small sigh, and my breath came out in thick white vapor. Even though we were still inside the floating ship, the brutal cold had seeped in this far. Why anyone would build a commercial city in a place like this, and how a city built in such conditions even became wealthy, was beyond me.

Still, we were heading to an auction where all kinds of elites, wealthy figures, and people in power would gather, so we couldn't exactly show up wearing long padded coats. We were all dressed up in our own way. Of course, that just meant the cold hit us twice as hard.

I turned my head toward Maschenny to check on her condition. Wearing a blue dress that exposed her shoulders and back, she looked the coldest among us.

"Maschenny, aren't you cold?"

"…Cold."

Wham—I pulled her tightly into my arms and asked again with a grin.

"How about now?"

"…Maybe a little warmer."

She's the type who complains that even sleeping in the living room is too cold, so there's no way she wouldn't be freezing walking around in such thin clothes in weather like this. Looking at her made me feel even more sorry, so I hugged her a little tighter. Geez, her skin's already cold as it is.

"Hoaquin, it's nice and all, but we're about to get off. Watch the stares," Hwarang said.

"Haha, got it, Hwarang. Just a little longer."

Only after blowing warm breath into my hands and gently warming Maschenny's face did the doors of the floating ship open. As if nothing had happened, we immediately put a slight distance between us and began walking side by side with the others.

Yura and Hwarang looked at me with slightly exasperated expressions, but I maintained a poker face and acted nonchalant.

After walking for a while and entering the center of the city, people slowly began to recognize us. At first it was just one or two, but in an instant, most of the people in the city center had their eyes on us. Just like that, we became the main attraction.

"Oh! It's Princess Maschenny Zahard!"

"Princess Maschenny! Please look this way just once!"

Get lost, you idiots. Maschenny's mine.

Thankfully, Maschenny seemed to think the same. With the cold expression she always wore when dealing with others, she snapped at them.

"Get lost."

"..."

That short but powerful remark not only silenced the princess fanatics who had been fervently praising her, but also instantly shut down dozens of reporters who had abandoned their coverage of the auction and rushed toward us.

It wasn't the first time Maschenny had responded like this, yet the ones who never gave up were impressive in their own way.

The onlookers, too afraid of Maschenny to say anything aloud, instead whispered among themselves about her—and about us. Stuff like whether I was Hoaquin, whether that was Hwarang, how Maschenny's personality was bad—wait, who just said that? Whatever.

Even to these people who could be called part of the wealthy class, we—whose futures were said to shine in dazzling colors—seemed to be remarkable figures. They passionately debated among themselves while talking about us.

We, on the other hand, simply headed toward the grand mansion where the auction would be held, receiving gazes that were something like admiration.

Since I couldn't flirt with Maschenny and walking quietly was boring, I spoke to Luf.

"Luf, how's the analysis of the data we stole from the Permafrost Guild last time going?"

"Ah… well… that guild seems to be connected to some pretty dangerous people."

"FUG?"

"No, 'Leruie.'"

Leruie? What a strange pronunciation. I think I heard that name from Uncle Dickel before…

Just as I was about to sink into recollection, thankfully Yura picked up on it as if she knew something.

"Oh? I know them. They're an extremist ancient-species worship group, right? The cultists who claim the Tower originally belonged to the ancient species and should be returned to them."

Before the Ten Great Families and Zahard entered the Tower, the strongest lifeforms in it—aside from the Administrators—were indeed the ancient species. So technically, it wasn't wrong to say they were the original owners… but isn't their logic basically eco-fascist?

"The Permafrost Guild put something up for auction this time, and apparently it's something that group wants. They originally planned to just trade it, but things went sour somehow, so…"

"So they cut ties with the cultists, tried to build connections with FUG instead, got caught by the royal family, and then were all killed by us, right?"

Two Rankers were guarding the main gate, and after we showed our invitation, they checked it, bowed deeply, and opened the gates wide.

As we were about to enter, the Rankers briefly stopped us and showed us something.

"…Masks?"

"Yes. Since the auction will be conducted inside the mansion, if you wish to maintain anonymity, we recommend wearing these masks."

Hmm… before even deciding whether to wear one, wouldn't that mean we wouldn't be able to recognize Ashul Edwaru even if he came?

Well, we don't even know what he looks like in the first place.

Come to think of it, the Tower's official administration system was quite strange. Even the ranking system only listed who was at what rank, along with a brief description of who they were and what they looked like. There were no photos whatsoever. And unless you were someone frequently exposed in the media—like a Zahard Princess—this air of mystique applied to most public figures.

So there was no way we'd know Ashul Edwaru's face.

"Oh, masks? I've always wanted to try something like this."

While I was still thinking, Yura grabbed one of the masks and put it on immediately. Hmm, the designs are pretty good.

Setting aside the unsolvable issue, I chose a mask as well. Luf, Hwarang, and Asensio followed suit, each picking their own. They all looked like high-end, extravagant masks you'd see at a noble masquerade ball, fitting perfectly with the way we were dressed.

"Wear this."

Maschenny, who had already chosen hers, handed me another mask. It was a prince mask. Maschenny's… was a princess mask.

After choosing masks that suited us and putting them on, we finally crossed the mansion's main gate and made our way inside.

Suddenly, a sharp, icy wind struck us. Maschenny, who was wearing the thinnest clothes, stiffened slightly.

"Maschenny, just endure it a little longer. The mansion's heating system should be good."

"…Yeah."

Seeing her shiver more than expected, Hwarang scratched his head apologetically.

"Sorry. Lately it's been hard to control my flames… It feels like I'm about to move on to the next stage of fire, but during times like this, my flames can't distinguish friend from foe very well… I might end up burning someone while trying to warm them."

"It's fine. Don't worry about it."

I draped my coat over Maschenny and layered as many shinsu barriers around her as possible while matching her pace. Maschenny, who had styled her hair into a ponytail to match her dressed-up look, gave me a small smile.

She looked so adorable that it took all my willpower not to grab her and kiss her on the spot. That's a secret.

True to its scale, it took quite a while to walk from the main gate to the residence itself. Only then did we finally enter the mansion, where a warm heating system was in effect.

Ah, warm.

My body doesn't really feel heat or cold that well, but the moment I stepped inside, I could clearly sense the wave of comfort. This place was extremely cozy.

The mansion interior was already filled with quite a number of masked guests occupying the seats.

As we looked around the lavish interior, searching for where the auction would be held, a middle-aged man exuding the aura of a butler approached us.

"Thank you very much for attending this auction with your invitation. Shall I guide you to the banquet hall, or would you prefer to head straight to the auction hall?"

As he said, a banquet was being held on the first floor of the mansion. Considering that all the auction participants were top-tier elites, it was an extremely luxurious and refined affair.

Well, there's still plenty of time before the auction starts. Better than just sitting and waiting.

…Though at this rate, finding Edwaru is out of the question.

An invitation was definitely sent to Ashul Edwaru. The question is whether he accepted it or not. Since one of the auction items is related to him, he might show up… but I doubt that mysterious, stubborn man would bother coming just for that.

It would probably be best to secure the auction item, enjoy ourselves appropriately, and then leave.

I made a slightly regretful expression, but quickly smoothed it out and simply began enjoying the banquet.

Well, we'll meet someday.

We sat around a round table prepared for guests and ordered various luxurious dishes for our meal. After filling my stomach, just as I was about to take another sip of my cocktail, a ballroom dance had begun in the mansion's hall.

Maschenny was sipping her wine as if she had no particular interest, but suddenly she asked me casually,

"Hoaquin, want to dance?"

"My heart says yes, but I'll pass. I didn't take those etiquette classes back when I was in the family. And the auction's about to start soon anyway."

More than anything, that kind of thing just isn't my style. The idea of dancing with Maschenny sounds great, but since I have no skill whatsoever, I'll definitely pass. I'd rather just listen to the orchestra and head to the auction hall with the others—

Whoosh—

"…??"

While I was lost in thought and my body relaxed, my arm was suddenly yanked, and I was dragged toward the hall. It was Maschenny. With a faint smile on her lips, she led me into the ballroom.

"Maschenny? I told you, I don't know how to dance."

"I'll lead. Just don't step on my feet."

"…Ah. Yes, ma'am."

As if it wasn't enough that I've recently become a hot topic and she's a Princess of Zahard, the moment we stepped into the hall, I could feel countless eyes pouring onto us. And now that the two of us were about to dance, the attention intensified even more.

"Haha… Maschenny, we just became instant celebrities."

"You should get used to it by now."

"Aren't you being a bit bold?"

"What are you talking about? At a ball, you just grab anyone and dance."

"If you start grabbing just anyone to dance, I might get a little sad…"

"…Haa. I'm only dancing with you. Happy?"

"Haha, in that case. Just go easy on me if I step on your feet."

I had no idea that such a battle-loving princess—one who adored the scent of blood—would also possess this kind of refined upbringing, and I was genuinely surprised. At the same time, I worked desperately not to step on her feet, even using shinsu to assist myself.

To others, it must have looked like a beautiful scene. Honestly, even to me, the sight of us stepping in rhythm—my white Eastern-style attire and her blue dress fluttering gently as we shared faint smiles—looked better than expected.

Haha… who would've thought that coming here to find a blacksmith would lead to me dancing with Maschenny?

Originally, the auction was scheduled to begin immediately after the ball ended. But because of Maschenny and me, the atmosphere of the banquet heated up so much that the auction's scheduled time was postponed until the excitement died down.

Time passed, and the delayed hour finally arrived. As all the attendees returned to their seats, the auction at last began.

The auctioneer walked up to the stage with steady steps, bowed to us, grabbed the microphone, and began speaking.

"Did you enjoy the banquet? Youth truly is a wonderful thing, it seems. With our gratitude to the two anonymous individuals who raised the atmosphere of the evening, we shall now begin the main event—the auction!"

Applause erupted from all sides, and soon all lights except for the minimal stage lighting were turned off.

Two Rankers carried the first auction item into the spotlight, and the cloth covering it was removed.

"The first item is an ignition weapon. Though ranked 7D, its potential value far exceeds that."

Perhaps because it was the first item, what appeared was an ordinary-looking sword with nothing particularly special about it. Even if it was an ignition weapon, at this floor, a 7D rank honestly wasn't impressive. If you really tried to appraise it generously, it was… moderately usable at best.

"The name of this weapon is Narmada. It was provided by an anonymous merchant guild. According to their information… it is said to be one of seven swords in which seven swordsmen from a village long ago divided and sealed the soul of a monster."

Huh?

That description feels oddly familiar.

Though it had been over 170 years and my memories were no longer precise, something stirred faintly in my mind. When I get this kind of feeling… there's usually only one reason.

That weapon has definitely appeared before.

As I frowned and tried to drag the memory out, Luf nudged me.

"Hyung, that's the item I mentioned earlier—the one the Permafrost Guild put up for auction after things went bad."

"…Is that so?"

There's definitely something here.

"Though it appears ordinary, it may be hiding a tremendous secret. After all, it is an ignition weapon. Since it's the first item, we'll start the bidding lightly at 5 million points!"

Tch—5 million for a 7D item? Isn't that a complete rip-off?

Everyone must have thought so, but the moment the auction began, a voice rang out that surprised us.

"8 million points."

"…?"

All eyes turned toward the voice. It was a rip-off item starting at 5 million, and someone just added 3 million to make it 8? Who in the world was that sucker?

Everyone tried to see the bidder's face, but of course, the person was wearing a mask.

"8.5 million points."

Oh? There's another sucker.

Someone with hair in a brownish-yellow shade raised their number plate and added another 500 thousand.

The black-haired masked figure who first called out 8 million glanced briefly at the blond-haired masked figure before raising their plate again.

"9 million."

"9.5 million."

"10 million."

"10.5 million."

Crazy.

From this point on, we were talking about high-speed floating ship prices. I was stunned, but now I couldn't just sit still.

"Luf, 10 million isn't exactly a huge sum for us… but you know it's still a waste, right?"

"Yes… of course."

"So I'll ask again. You're sure that item is connected to that blacksmith?"

"I can't analyze it fully, but… it's related in some way."

"Haa… fine. A few high-speed floating ships in exchange for extending my lifespan? That's pocket change."

Though if you put it that way, it's the same for me. Just like me, those two probably have their own reasons.

At this point, stubborn pride started to kick in. The more I thought about it, the more I felt that having that item might somehow help in finding Ashul Edwaru.

Let's take this to the end.

"70 million points."

"75 million points."

"80 million points."

"Noona, hasn't Hoaquin become addicted to impulse buying?"

"Stay quiet, Asensio. If you're not contributing money, shut up and cheer for my boyfriend."

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Wow, the scale keeps getting bigger. Look at the auctioneer drooling. Heh heh."

"Hm… we have our reasons, but why are those two so obsessed?"

"Yeah… maybe we need to reanalyze the data we got from the guild…"

While I kept raising the bid by 5 million at a time, my companions watched with excited expressions as I competed with the other two bidders.

Since my friends were watching, I decided it was time to end this decisively.

"100 million points."

"What?"

"Are you insane?"

"Have you lost your mind?"

"Shut up! If you're not paying, then stay quiet!"

My companions stared at me in shock. Irritated by the mutters and remarks from the other auction participants, I snapped at them with a growl.

Part of me had hoped that one of the two trying to buy it might be Ashul Edwaru, but judging by their builds and other factors… it was a bit of a stretch to call either of them a blacksmith. They looked too young, too.

"120 million points."

At that moment, the black-haired masked bidder formally threw down the gauntlet at me. The blond-haired mask, seeing their shoulders slump without saying a word, seemed to have run out of funds beyond 100 million points.

Meanwhile, for some reason, Hwarang was staring intently at the blond mask—but I had no room to care. I had to respond to the black-haired mask's challenge.

"130 million points."

"140 million points."

"150 million points."

"Ah, seriously! 200 million points!"

The auctioneer's cheekbones shot up as if he had ascended to heaven, while everyone else's faces were filled with shock. It was hard to read expressions through masks, but the intense murmuring made it clear they were stunned.

Haha, this is the financial power of the owner of the 78th floor—

…Did I spend too much?

"…Was that a bit excessive?"

I asked my companions beside me, and the ones with wide eyes and hanging jaws responded immediately.

Nod nod nod nod.

Then, at last, two people appeared to take my side.

"What? You did well, Hoaquin. If they crawl up, you stomp them down."

"You are absolutely right, Noona."

As expected, the only one who truly takes my side is my girlfriend. Sob.

"…What on earth do you intend to do with such an ordinary ignition weapon that you paid a full 200 million points for?"

"…?"

The black-haired mask, apparently unable to suppress his frustration, addressed me directly.

"Did you interfere because you thought I and that other bidder would get into a price war? Or are you hoping to receive money from me directly?"

"…What are you talking about?"

"I didn't bring more than 200 million points with me today, but if you wait a little, I can pay you any amount you want. I'll give you 300 million—no, 400 million points. Hand the sword over to me."

His desperate tone was unexpected… but unfortunately, I had my own circumstances. I hadn't done this for money in the first place.

"Sorry, but we have our reasons too. Regrettable."

"...Then that is unfortunate."

The black-haired mask sank back into his seat in resignation. The auctioneer, barely managing to restore his smile to its original position, declared the end of the first lot.

"3! 2! 1! Yes! The ignition weapon 'Narmada' has been sold to that gentleman! What a fiery start to our first item. We'll proceed with the next auction in five minutes!"

The auction resumed five minutes later. I wondered if anything special might appear, but the following items were all things that didn't interest me at all—someone who owns half of the Arie Family's arsenal.

Still, Luf used my funds to purchase some premium floating stones and a few lighthouses. Yura bought a red coat imbued with curse effects, and Hwarang purchased the Flower of Jegena.

As for me, I bought a few antiques that looked useless but somehow appealed to me, along with several art pieces to place in the house I'd one day live in with Maschenny.

After that, the auction concluded smoothly without anything particularly noteworthy. The auctioneer smiled from start to finish, clearly delighted, and after the final banquet, most participants left satisfied.

We also headed back to the floating ship we had parked.

"Hwarang, why were you staring so hard at that blond earlier?"

"Hm… I don't know. Something about them felt familiar… but they were wrapped tightly in a robe, so I couldn't tell."

"Hoaquin, take your coat back."

"Oh? Not cold anymore?"

"Yeah. Thanks for the coat."

"Haha, next time let's all just wear proper winter gear."

"Anyway, we bought this ignition weapon, Narmada—but how are we going to use it? Just knowing it's connected to that Edwaru guy doesn't really tell us what to do with it…"

"Leave that to me. Light bearers have their own ways of making use of things."

"Haha, I feel reassured having someone from the Tu Perie Family on our team."

"Hehe…"

As always, chatting casually, we opened the floating ship door and boarded. The interior had grown quite cold while we were gone, so we turned on the heating system and let it warm up.

While we were making and drinking cocoa together, Yura suddenly began sniffing the air.

"Hmm… I thought something was odd earlier. Doesn't it smell different in here?"

"Does it? I don't notice anything. Noona, are you uncomfortable in any way?"

"Not particularly."

"More importantly… it's warmed up enough. Let's go. To the 125th floor. Looks like Edwaru isn't on the 124th floor after all. Luf, start the engine."

"Yes, Hwarang-hyung."

Viiiiing—

Through his lighthouse, Luf remotely started the engine, and the floating ship began to hum as Hwarang took the controls.

And Yura sniffed the air even more intensely.

Concerned, I walked toward her to ask what was wrong. Just then, with enough energy gathered, the floating ship began to lift off.

"Yura, what's wrong?"

Kuuuu—

The ship had just left the ground and was ascending toward the gate to the 125th floor high above.

At that moment, Yura's eyes widened, and she whipped her head toward me.

"Hoaquin! This is a bom—"

KWA-A-A-A-A-A-A-ANG!!

In that instant, from the engine—or no, before I could even tell where it originated—a high-output shinsu explosion erupted and swallowed the floating ship whole.

Blue and white energy burst outward, engulfing us aboard and blasting everything in the vicinity away.

KWA-GWA-GWA-GWA—

.....

A blond girl, her entire body wrapped tightly in a black robe, cautiously peeked out from behind a building just beyond the explosion's radius.

She hurriedly ran into the blast zone and approached the very center—where the floating ship the group had boarded had been.

What remained was no longer a floating ship, but debris of something that used to be one. The blond girl frantically rummaged through the wreckage.

"Huh? Why is no one here?"

This was definitely the remains of the floating ship. If she dug around this much, at least one body should have turned up.

No matter how massive the explosion was… they looked like children of the Ten Families. At the very least, there should have been corpses.

Flustered, she searched even more desperately.

Then suddenly—

She felt an overwhelming killing intent and froze.

It wasn't her imagination.

Shing—

"…Was it you? The one who did this?"

A white sword was suddenly pressed to her throat.

As goosebumps spread across her skin, she tried to turn around—but instantly she was slammed face-first into the ground.

As she fell, she caught a glimpse beside the white-sworded boy: several youths who appeared to be members of the Ten Families lay unconscious.

Bang!

"I asked if it was you. Look at me—not behind you."

"Ghk… a misunderstanding…"

"A misunderstanding? You were at that auction earlier, weren't you? And the moment the explosion happened, you crawled in here like you were waiting for it."

Clang—

The white sword embedded itself less than a centimeter from her head.

"Let's see if you can still call it a misunderstanding after I slice your fingers off one by one."

"W-wait! It's really not me! Waaahhhh—!"

"…?"

As the girl suddenly burst into tears, the Arie boy gripping the white sword seemed to snap back to his senses and hesitated.

"Hic… I'm sorry, just don't… please… waaah…"

"Ah—wait—"

Just as the boy began to panic, unsure what to do, a man's voice rang out from beyond the blast radius.

"Search the wreckage thoroughly! Especially the one with white hair and white clothes! Find him no matter what! There's a high chance he has the item!"

The girl recognized that voice.

And if her guess was right, the terrifying boy who had just threatened to cut her apart must have realized the same thing.

Fortunately, the scary boy was quick-witted.

"…So it was those bastards. You, stay here."

Grinding his teeth, he moved to rush out with his sword, but the girl hastily grabbed his arm.

"…?"

"D-don't go out. Let's keep hiding here. If I'm right… they're all Rankers."

"So what?"

He shook off her hand and ran out of the wreckage.

Thinking he was about to die, the girl covered her ears and squeezed her eyes shut, trembling in fear—praying the Rankers wouldn't discover her or her former companions lying unconscious here.

Clunk—

Her prayer was in vain. The wreckage was overturned almost immediately.

"Aaaah! P-please spare me!"

"Come out. It's over."

"…Huh?"

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