Zone and the smiling

Temur finally took them to where they would eat. And as he promised, it's a cold seasoned monster meat that was lit on fire to make it soft while they eat it.

Mopi, Litha, and Jael liked it and asked Temur to tell them how he found out about the restaurant and the delicacies they serve. He told them that in the 103 floor, he helped a man with his luggages and he was rewarded with a free lunch ticket to the restaurant.

Litha rolled her eyes and said it was so typical of him, and then she reminded him how helping a little girl landed them in a cage.

Temur shrugged and said he'll be careful now that he's in the Tower because, in his world, everyone who lives under the Green sky will tell you bluntly where they stand with you. A friend is a friend and an enemy is an enemy.

Jael wondered what type of word that is where you don't have to guess the reason behind a smile. That led him to ask how someone like him ended up with Litha.

Temur said they were paired together on the floor below them when they taught them the history of the Tower and basic stuff. He said Litha reminded him of a 'grass viper' who spite venom on people for no reason.

Jael grimaced because that didn't explain why Temur, the friendly be bear, was with a grass viper. But maybe he could see it; Litha, with all her glaring eyes, still had a soft heart she's protecting with a hard shell and Temur, well Temur is Temur. Not that Jael would say any of that aloud.

They finished eating and began to walk to their new destination– The GUV.

They had been on this floor for four months already, waiting for all the Awakeners who would take the test. And they had been going to rent a zone when they got drugged and kidnapped.

Litha explained. "Zone, commonly called the zone is a place where there's an abnormally high concentration of mana. It twists space and time to bring different monsters from different worlds. These monsters will then grow stronger on the strong supply of mana and evolve. These monsters are not restricted to the zone, though; sometimes, they might venture out to hunt.

Guilds and organizations will fight to take control of the zones and then rent them out to Climbers.

It usually happens in a forest and is found on all floors; the higher the density of the mana on the floor, the stronger the zone and the mana on the floor gets denser the higher you climb. Meaning the stronger the monster."

"..... ..Zones are also ranked. E to S. This low in the Tower, we can only see the E-ranked one. But higher? We might even see Domains."

They are walking to the headquarters of the GUV because they are in control of the zones here. "What are Domains?" Jael asked.

"A bigger, harsher version of dungeons. That's the only thing we know about it for now, but what I do know is that the resources found inside are astonishing. Guilds go to war just for the right to own it."

The plan is to rent a part of the zone for the rest of the week. It will allow them to train, especially Jael. So they could prepare for the following week's test.

Jael didn't have enough money to contribute to his part of the rent, so they planned to borrow him, and he would pay back with the money they made hunting monsters.

"Wait...what about you Mopi?" Litha asked suddenly when they reached the GUV building. She didn't know why, but he always seemed to slip her mind, as if he was not there.

Temur and Jael are also surprised. Mopi has been with them all the while but they have even forgotten. No, not forgotten, more like it escaped their mind.

Mopi smiled. "Don't worry about me. I'll just hang around until the test comes around."

Temur touched him on the shoulder gently. "Maybe if you can gather some money then you can come with..."

"No no. I'm saving my money for the test in 101. I heard it's the most important, the foundation of climbing the Tower." Mopi said. He smiled again.

He did that a lot, Jael noted. He wondered why he smiled so much, but soon, they all forgot about Mopi as they went for their registration. The GUV isn't shy in showing their wealth; their building was painted a metallic brown, and it's a majestic dome made of thick black glass.

The inside was cool with different white-colored stone chairs in the big room. Litha represented them; she collected waiting numbers because of the amount of people trying to register for one.

Jael used the time to study the Climbers. They range from different and rces, both genders, but one consistent thing is the age range. They are all teenagers. 'How many of them will make it to the top? How long will it take? How many will I have to fight against here?'

One thing he noticed is that everyone has formed a team, or at least a group that they moved with. Jael asked Temur about it and he nodded. "It's better to climb the Tower as a group is not necessary to be a permanent one. You can form new ones on every floor.

"But then everything has its disadvantages, and some find joy in climbing alone. You should think about it. If you plan to climb alone or look for people to climb with."

Jael was still thinking about this when Litha stormed out of the office she had been called to. She held a small metal card in her hand that she waved in their face. "I can't believe this! We have been given a new zone that we don't know much about. All the good ones have been taken!"

"Calm down. Does it matter? As much as we get to hunt monsters." Temur said.

She looked at him in disbelief. "Of course, it matters! With known territory, we will know what type of monsters we will hunt and how much we wouldwillntially make. It's all about calculations, and we would have gotten the good ones if only a certain someone didn't decide to play knight!"

"Ah ah ah." Jael smiled as they started their argument again.