Inquiry

Since it would take a short while for everyone else to catch up, Gandr decided to perform his duties as a Scout by inquiring about methods to acquire Points, the specifics of party formation, residency, and, most importantly, her Special Test.

Though she would normally only go over the basics, Marble had a positive impression of the youth standing before her. He was friendly and charismatic, so, with nothing better to do, she decided to humor him, explaining, "As you walk around the Town of Beginnings, you'll notice various buildings with the symbol for the Test Administration. Though it requires points to purchase a License, these are places where you can accept various odd jobs. The most profitable jobs you can take are those related to the subjugation of specific Shinheuh. You are only allowed to earn points from Shinheuh you have obtained a License for so make sure you purchase the pertinent maps and gather as much information about specific regions as possible..."

Hearing Marble's explanation, Gandr's smile became notably wry as he asked, "So, in other words, you need to spend points to earn the right to obtain points...?"

Nodding her head in affirmation, Marble plainly stated, "If we allowed people to hunt freely, there would be no Shinheuh left in the surrounding regions. Though there are no penalties from killing a Shinheuh you are not assigned to hunt, trying to sell the materials without a License will get you in a lot of trouble. Also, in order to receive credit for a subjugation, you must record the killing with an Observer or a Lighthouse. Without this proof, any Shinheuh corpses you bring into the Town will be confiscated at the checking station."

Surprised by how comprehensive their system was, even with just a basic explanation, Gandr had a helpless expression on his face as he mused, "I guess I won't be able to rush off and kill one of the Kings then~."

Though she was amused by Gandr's words, Marble only offered a hint of a smile as she nodded her head and stated, "The License to hunt a King costs between 7,000~10,000 Points. You also need to have proven yourself to the Test Administrator just to earn the qualifications. Though it varies from person to person, most of us require you to complete our Special Test and hunt 10 Elite Shinheuh before attempting to challenge a King. Lastly, since I know you're going to ask, my shop is located near the Eastern Gate. Most of the Administrative businesses and offices are located near the walls in order to prevent any hordes of Shinheuh from overrunning the Town. As for my Special Test, it is pretty simple. I will wear a badge on my back. So long as you can survive my assault for ten minutes or steal the badge from my back, you will have passed my Special Test. Don't worry, for the sake of fairness, we are only allowed to use one Baang of Shinsu for everyone taking the Special Test."

Keying in on Marble's final statement, Gandr's ears twitched excitedly as he asked, "Does that mean a Party can accept the Special Test together?"

Nodding her head, Marble answered, "That is, indeed, the case. However, to prevent every Regular in the Town from ganging up on a single Administrator, you are limited to one person filling each of the Positions. In other words, unless you have someone with a Special Position in your group, there is a five-person participation limit. You have to be careful though. If even a single member of your Party is eliminated, everyone will fail. Each attempt also costs 1,000 Points per member, so you have to be very careful if you want to attempt a Special Test...."

Imagining every Regular in the Town teaming up against the chibi standing before him, Gandr could understand the need for such a restriction. Being a Ranker didn't necessarily mean you couldn't be defeated by a Regular. Rather, the only real benefits the status provided, other than a considerable amount of experience, were increased Shinsu Capacity and Shinsu Resistance.

Though she was only around the size of a tall Pallum, Marble, like most of the Rankers Gandr had met, had a phenomenal amount of Shinsu within her body. Her usage of this energy was limited by the Contract with the Guardian, but, compared to someone like him, with a Shinsu Capacity nearing 72,000, Marble's was like a lake compared to a tiny pond. It was impossible to be certain, but, going by volume and density, her Capacity was more than 100x his own...

Seeing Gandr fall into deep thought, Marble was slowly beginning to lose interest. She didn't really have anything else going on right now, but, if he was just going to stand there, she had no reason to stick around. She also wanted to leave before the other Regulars arrived, so, after idling for a few seconds longer, she stated in her signature monotone, "I will be going now. If there is anything else, you can find me near the East Gate. Meeting with a Ranker also requires Points though, so, unless it is something important, you should try and exchange information with other Regulars."

Sensing the subtle change in atmosphere, Gandr adopted an apologetic smile, but, rather than try to keep her around, he bowed politely and said, "Thank you for the information, Ms. Marble. Sorry for any inconvenience I might have caused you..>"

Feeling a little better, Marble nodded her head in approval before turning around and adding, "One last thing before I go...make sure you always have at least enough Points to stay in the Town for an entire day. If your Point value ever reaches 0, you will be ejected into the Middle Tower without any warning. Also, don't trust the lending services here, even if they are operated by an Admin. Oh, and make sure you stay away from the South-West Quadrant. Even if there are no rules against it, a boy your age should not wander into that place..."

Before Gandr could aks what was located in the South-West Quadrant, Marble took off with even greater speed than they had arrived. If her pointed ears weren't covered in a thin layer of brown fur, he might have seen the very tips turn red. Fortunately, even without this tell-tale sign, Gandr could guess what must be located in the region simply be deferring to Rule 3: 'Gambling and Prostitution are legalized, but only within marked regions.'

Though the average Shinheuh wasn't particularly powerful, they often traveled in extremely large groups known as 'schools'. A school of Shinheuh could easily have more than a hundred members, so, unless you were confident in your strength or belonged to a capable Party, it was difficult for the average Regular to make a living through defeating Shinheuh. As a result, they had little choice but to rely on performing odd-jobs, brokering information to newly arrived Regulars, gambling, and, as could be expected, prostitution.

Imagining a bunch of Regulars selling their bodies just for a chance at moving on the next Floor, a tired sigh escaped Gandr's throat. He knew prostitution was the 'oldest trade in the world', as it was 'very' profitable, but that didn't make it any easier to accept. The fact it preyed upon the weak and easily exploited always bothered him, but, more than anything else, he hated how so many people just accepted the existence of such a system.

Shaking his head, Gandr reminded himself that it wasn't his responsibility to 'fix' everything that was wrong with the world. There would always be bad things to balance out the good, so, rather than seek out and try to help out every living person that might need his help, his time was better spent dealing with those who had created the system in the first place. Though he would certainly help those he encountered along his journey, he would never get anywhere if he stopped to help 'everyone'...

---

With Lighthouse travel limited by the control, intelligence, and spatial awareness of the user, there were very few Regulars who could compel the floating cubes to travel at high speeds. Despite this, they were still very convenient when you wanted to get an overhead view of your surroundings and bypass obstacles. They also had an ability that functioned similarly to Vahn's Map Function, allowing the Light Bearer to compile a detailed map just by sweeping over a new region.

Fortunately, though his capabilities were a far cry from Phae's, Khun was actually a very talented Light Bearer, so, after around twenty minutes had passed, the group touched down near the large Inn where Gandr was waiting with a total of four Room Keys, one for the girls, two for the boys, and a single bedroom for Vahn. This would cost them an additional 400 points, but, considering staying in Town for a single day cost 240, per person, it wasn't that bad.

After accepting his own key, Vahn turned to the rest of Team Wolf Pack, a smile visible on his face until he set eyes on the green-skinned man standing near the back of the group. This caused his expression to turn into a glower, but, refusing to even acknowledge the existence of the man, he, instead, advised, "We'll get situated into our respective rooms later. For now, we will gather in my room to hear what Gandr has to say."

Since it was the plan of action that made the most sense, none of the members of Team Wolf Pack voiced any complaints. The only person who was left feeling troubled was Parakewl, as, the moment he tried to enter alongside the rest of the group, he was sent tumbling back by an invisible wave of pressure. Then, before he could rise to his feet, powerful nausea overwhelmed him as he suddenly found himself in the middle of an unfamiliar street.

---

Though the room was almost completely empty, bereft of even a single piece of furniture, it was surprisingly spacious. The interior was an impressive 300 square meters, and, likely to accommodate the larger residents of the Tower, the ceiling was more than 9 meters from the floor. This was made possible by the existence of Compression Technology, something that was incorporated into nearly every aspect of a Regular's life.

Seeing how massive the room was, Endorsi couldn't help but remark, "Well, at least we don't have to worry about things being cramped. Still, they could have at least provided beds...I don't even see a closet or a bathroom. Seriously, this is more like a carpeted prison cell than an actual room..."

Finding Endorsi's remark rather amusing, Gandr couldn't help but laugh before going on to explain, "Everything on this Floor costs Points, even information. I'm certain you could complain to the staff, but, unless you are willing to fork over your Points, they aren't likely to care. Luckily, we don't really have to worry about things like that. Isn't that right, Master~?"

With the attention of everyone shifting to him, Vahn nodded his head in affirmation before making a sweeping gesture with his hand. To the surprise of everyone present, even though they had seen him produce several things from thin air, the interior of the room was quickly populated by various expensive pieces of furniture. This included a large circular table that was surrounded by fourteen chairs, the largest and most opulent one obviously belonging to him.

Though most people didn't pay attention to such minor details, Shibisu and Khun quickly noticed the addition of a fourteenth chair. This caused the latter to frown deeply, but, before he could ask, his tensions were eased when Vahn brought out the Little Garden, producing Hwa Ryun instead of the woman he had been expecting.

Understanding the question in everyone's mind, Vahn gestured towards Hwa Ryun with the intent to introduce her. Before he could, however, Hwa Ryun instantly bent the knee, her head lowered in reverence as she boldly declared, "I am prepared to be of service..." in a resolute tone.

Doing his best to prevent his expression from cracking, Vahn maintained his smile as he explained, "This is Hwa Ryun. Many of you know her as a Wave Controller candidate, but her true identity and status are that of a Guide. She is also a member of my Familia, so, while she is unable to participate in any actual Tests, you can trust her advice to make your climb a lot smoother. Now, before we get any further off-topic, let's all have a seat and listen to what Gandr has to say..."

Hearing that Hwa Ryun was a Guide, nearly everyone present, with the exceptions of Rak and Baam, showed expressions of surprise. After all, Guides were extremely rare within the Tower, and, so long as you had one on your team, you could overcome most obstacles with extreme ease. Their ability to read the paths within the Tower was tantamount to foresight, and, though they could not explain the finer details of what they had seen, following their advice virtually guaranteed success.

Realizing just how 'comprehensive' Vahn's planning was, Khun's appreciation and fear of the man compounded exponentially. It was like the former had 'everything' within his grasp, and, though he seemed to be providing them with every conceivable advantage, Khun couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable dancing in the palm of his hand...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Capitalism, Ho~!','A Very Persistent Pickle...','Meanwhile, Vahn be like, "I have no idea what is going on..."')

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