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“Does that mean we’re climbing the tower again?” Vur asked, glancing up from the bed he was making inside of the grassy spider.
“Yeah,” Lindyss said. “Unless either of you are interested in trying out different kinds of weapons?”
Tafel shook her head. “I’m not too interested in melee weapons,” she said. “After all, I already have Chi’Rururp. As for these magical weapons, I’ll just use them as we climb the tower; I’m sure there’ll be plenty of chances to test them out.”
Vur blinked when his companions turned to look at him. “Weapons?” he asked. He shook his head. “Don’t care.”
“Not even the tiniest bit?” Tafel asked.
Vur shook his head again. “Why bother?” he asked. “The tower gave me a weapon.” His root bracelet flashed amber, and a pillar appeared in front of him, towering over the walls surrounding their group. He glanced up at it before nodding. Then, he placed his hand on it, storing it back into his root bracelet.
Gaegukja Yeol stared at the circular imprint left in the ground where the weight of the so-called weapon had made its mark. “What kind of weapon did the tower give you?”
“A dragon-sized spear,” Tafel said. She turned towards Vur. “Or was it a javelin?”
Vur shrugged. “They’re both the same.”
They’re not, Gaegukja Yeol thought. Of course, she wasn’t going to correct a dragon, much less tell him he’d know the difference if he actually explored the second floor. Besides, dragons didn’t use weapons. They didn’t need them, not with their claws, breath abilities, and overpowered control over mana.
“Alright, since neither of you are interested in learning, then we can go find an instructor to pass this floor,” Lindyss said and stomped her foot. The earthen wall sank back into the ground, causing a few people to turn their heads.
“Let’s go to the axe building,” Tafel said. “That’s where Kax and the others went.”
“Are we going to wait for them if they haven’t decided on the weapon they want to use?” Lindyss asked and took a seat atop the grassy spider. Vur stared at her before tapping on the runes on his forearm, causing the spider to elongate as extra space was added for another seat.
Tafel scratched her head. “Even if they did say they were going to follow us, it wouldn’t be our fault if they couldn’t keep up, right?”
“Even if they’re slow, we can ask the tower to let them come with us,” Vur said as he sat beside Lindyss. He tapped on his forearm again, and the seat extended even further, making space for Tafel to ride the spider as well.
Gaegukja Yeol raised an eyebrow. Was that something that could be achieved just by asking? Maybe for a dragon. She floated behind the grassy spider as it made its way out of the training ground. As for the fact Vur hadn’t offered her a seat as well, she didn’t mind.
It didn’t take long for the spider to arrive at the building where Kax and the rest were in. Since the spider was a bit too wide to enter the building, Vur and the rest climbed off of it to go inside. The building looked like a weapon shop with axes of different sizes and various materials hanging from racks on the walls. Kax and the rest were nowhere to be found, but there was a man at the counter. He waved at Vur’s group. “Are you here to learn about axes?”
Tafel glanced around one more time. “We’re looking for our friends,” she said. “A red-haired man, a bald monk, and a woman with pink hair, have you seen them?”
“Yep,” the man said. “They’re learning from the instructor in the basement right now. If you’re going to join them, it’ll cost you a thousand geums each.”
“Geums are really required for everything, huh?” Tafel muttered. “What about taking the advancement exam? Does that cost anything?”
“The first try is free of charge,” the man said with a grin. “The three of you all use axes? If you’re going to take the advancement exam, you should go to your respective weapon instructors. That way, when you fail, you can at least receive some tips and advice from someone with more experience.”
“Oh?” Tafel raised an eyebrow. “So, you’re saying we can take the advancement exam here even if we don’t use axes?”
The man paused. “I mean, that’s one way to interpret my words,” he said and scratched his head. “The three of you might’ve been strong in the world you came from, but don’t let that get to your head. The first ten floors of the tower are meant to build your foundation as an individual capable of holding your own in any situation. You might easily win against an axe wielder if you use a ranged weapon, but the only person you’re cheating in this situation is yourself. Take your time to explore different weapon options, or you might hit a wall in the future that you can’t overcome.”
Vur turned his head towards Tafel. “He talks a lot.”
“He makes sense too,” Lindyss said.
“Right, but if we ever get stuck on a higher floor because of our lack of understanding of melee weapons, we can always come back here,” Tafel said. She nodded at the man at the counter. “So, if we want to take the advancement exam, we should head to the basement?”
“Yeah,” the man said. “Just so you know, if you come back later when you’ve already passed this floor, the instructors charge much higher, almost extortionist fees. It’s to dissuade people from passing the exam by picking a weapon that’s a counter to the instructor’s.”
“We’ve already made up our minds,” Tafel said and headed towards the only door in the building that wasn’t the entrance. She opened it, and as expected, there was a flight of stairs heading down. “Besides, it’ll be easier to make geums the higher up we go. Extortionist fees or not, they don’t really matter.”