Tower Of The Elite

"I have 258 G at this moment."

At Dante's casual remark, Nathan stood dumbfounded. He couldn't fathom how this was possible. They hadn't taken any quests yet, and Nathan had confirmed that Dante hadn't taken any solo quests. Yet here he was, claiming to have 258 G as if it were nothing.

"How?" Nathan asked, still struggling to believe it. But Dante couldn't lie while the pact was still in effect. They were bound by their agreement not to lie until the interrogation session ended.

"It's simple. I just took a loan," Dante shrugged, offering no further explanation.

"You took a loan? You can do that?" Nathan asked, still in disbelief. "But won't they need a guarantor or something to mortgage?"

At his question, Dante smiled, clearly amused by Nathan's reactions. "You're right. As soon as I arrived in this village, I went to the Toverian Guild to ask for a loan. I got 500 G for a 3-month deadline with an 8% interest rate per month. I asked Buer to become my guarantor and paid him 40 G, which he readily accepted."

'How does this guy's mind work?' Nathan thought. Dante was navigating this world like a seasoned veteran, as if he already knew all the ins and outs of the tower's system.

Even though his actions left him baffled, Nathan couldn't help but admire Dante's choices. The interest rate was undeniably high, but it seemed like a calculated gamble, one that could be paid off with some time once they started completing quests. Yet, as he mulled over the situation, a nagging suspicion began to form in his mind.

'Why did he need that much money right at the start? Considering he only has 258 out of the 560 G... Could it be...?'

To confirm his suspicion, Nathan asked bluntly, "Hey, by any chance, did you buy the 24-hour time-limited item, , from the shop?"

Dante remained silent for a moment, but the sly grin spreading across his face was answer enough. He gave a slow nod, confirming Nathan's guess. The reason behind his rush to secure money became clear—he had used it to purchase that book. It was a unique, one-time offer, priced at 250 G, with only five copies available exclusively for the Floor 1 Ascenders.

Nathan had wanted that book too, but with the challenges he'd faced at the time, it hadn't been a priority. By the next morning, the book was out of stock, and he'd assumed it had been snapped up by those who had already begun completing quests.

"Is that how you knew about the quests?" Nathan asked, piecing it all together.

"Yes," Dante admitted with a smirk. "In any world, information is power. And I'm not just someone who possesses it—I'm the one who will capitalize on it."

Now, everything clicked. Dante's apparent knowledge and foresight weren't just a coincidence; he had invested in being prepared.

A hint of admiration flickered in Nathan's eyes as he regarded Dante. Nathan, too, intended to capitalize on his knowledge, and his mind worked furiously as he asked, "Is there a way to lose the ?"

Dante shrugged. "I don't know."

Unsatisfied by his uncanny response, Nathan urged him, "Check the book, then."

But Dante shook his head, a sly grin returning to his face. "The pact is for information exchange based on what we currently know. Your question isn't a question, it's a demand. And I am not compelled to meet your demand."

Nathan clicked his tongue in frustration, cursing internally, 'Clever bastard.' Realizing the constraints of their agreement, he understood that he could only ask about what Dante already knew and had to frame it as a question, not a request or order.

After a moment of thought, Nathan asked, "What is the best information you got from the ?"

Dante's smug expression faltered, the move was a genius play. He already had an answer to the question in his mind, which meant he couldn't lie under the pact. Unlike before, he couldn't dodge the question either, as he lacked a valid reason to refrain. Gritting his teeth, he responded reluctantly,

"There's a labyrinth on the 2nd floor where you can earn an Elemental Trait by completing a given by the labyrinth master. The quest can only be taken once individually and must be completed before clearing the second-floor quest."

Nathan felt a surge of satisfaction and excitement at the revelation. He had finally gained the upper hand, and it wasn't just a small score either. Still, he kept his composure, masking his triumph as he probed further, "Anything else?"

Dante's face scrunched in annoyance. "You need to have equipped the to trigger the special quest."

Nathan frowned, a mixture of anger and suspicion clouding his thoughts. 'This bastard was hiding such a crucial information.'

He remained unconvinced and he pressed on for more, "Is that all the information you have on this labyrinth? Like the location on the second floor?"

Dante sighed, clearly irritated but bound by the pact. "The labyrinth is filled with illusions, so it's recommended to prepare accordingly. As for the location, the entrance is said to be somewhere in the graveyard of Ukansa Village."

Nathan smirked finally grasping the full information, but he wasn't done yet.

"If you take the previous one out from the book, which other information do you think is the most beneficial to you?", At this moment Nathan became a greedy man who couldn't stop fishing out more from the poor Dante. The worst part, he couldn't escape with the pact still intact until Nathan said it was over.

Nathan knew asking for too much from him could essentially worsen their relationship. but since he didn't make it easier for him, why should he? He would fish out just a little more from him before backing out.

Nathan knew pushing too much could strain their future partnership, but Dante hadn't made it easy for him. Since he now had the upper hand, he wasn't going to let the opportunity slip by and would squeeze a bit more information before backing off.

******

(Outskirts of Klipsan Village, 1st Floor)

Nathan and Dante moved silently through the dense underbrush of the forest outskirts, their every step calculated as they navigated the territory of dire wolves. These dire wolves were only monsters, but when they attacked in groups, their coordination was strong enough to take down an monster.

These beasts also posed a significant threat to the local farmers and shepherds, attacking fields, corrupting the soil, and devouring their cattle.

Today, Nathan and Dante were on a hunting quest commissioned by the farmer association. While they could have chosen easier tasks like guarding, escorting, or gathering, Dante had insisted on tackling something more challenging to sharpen their combat and coordination skills from the outset.

Nathan inhaled deeply, surveying the surroundings from a higher vantage point. His breath was steady and almost imperceptible as he blended into the environment. Dante, on the other hand, had to be more cautious. Espionage wasn't his strength, so he was more prone to giving away his position. Still, he did his best to stay quiet, while following closely behind Nathan as he took the lead.

They weren't moving around aimlessly. Nathan was singling out the ones where they could ambush one group without alerting the other packs nearby.

"Found one on the east", Nathan muttered slowly, his voice barely above a whisper only to be heard by Dante. They were treading on a thin line where death was imminent with a single mishap. But unsurprisingly neither felt the pressure.

Nathan, because of his trait and nothing-to-lose mentality rather felt a sense of excitement. Dante was no different, with his perceptive mind and strong composure, he had seldom give in to pressure.

As they neared the desolated group of three dire wolves, Dante stepped forward as he whispered,

" Steady yourself, I will take the lead from here".

He transformed his head and legs into metal as he jumped up from the grass while unsheathing his katana,

"Grrr", as they sensed his bloodlust all 3 dire wolves let out a growl as they turned towards Dante, but before they could act, a small spherical object landed at the center and it exploded into a gray smoke. The dire wolves growled once again as they felt their sight blocked.

But that wasn't the case for Dante as he was already in motion, the position of the nearest wolf still envisioned in his mind as a silhouette appeared in front of him, he swung his katana with all the strength he could muster towards the blurry figure.

*Spurt*

Dante heard the wolf screaming in pain as felt something on his hands, a hot liquid substance that was undeniably the wolf's blood. He still couldn't see well due to the smoke, So he decided to rely on his other senses.

He didn't bother to check whether the wolf was dead or not as it writhed in pain. Either way, it was dealt with a critical hit and would stay down. right now he needed to be wary of the approaching wolves as he tried to use his trait to sense any shift on the ground.

Dante had practiced with his trait and could use it to detect small moments in a 3 m distance. Though the distance was small, with his heightened senses it could still be valuable in dodging an attack or avoiding a critical hit.

He felt a hint of vibration from the left side as he turned just in time to meet a wolf jump at him, and he instinctively raised his metallic leg to kick the wolf in the face.

The force of the impact set him off balance as he fell, but by the time he could rise, the third wolf closed in and opened its jaw wide to chew his head. 

*Thud*

But right when it seemed like the wolf was about to bite on Dante's neck, a spear had penetrated its neck from the side as it fell.

Nathan released the breath he had been holding in. He hadn't stayed still after throwing the smoke bomb, he was marking the wolf on the farther end as he blended inside the smoke following it from a distance. 

Even when he heard the wailed cry of a dire wolf, he hadn't lost the sight of the blurry figure in the smoke and when the third wolf started moving towards the crying wolf, Nathan had matched its rhythm to the best way possible while moving like a silent death chasing after the wolf. It couldn't sense Nathan's bloodlust because he was not thinking about killing the wolf, only to chase it. 

His intent had only changed when he saw two shadows in the distance, one belonged Dante and another of the wolf he had just kicked.

Nathan turned his gaze to the fallen Dante and offered him a hand as the smoke started clearing away into the sky. Dante's gaze fell on the first wolf he had slashed, it was already on its last breath as it lay in the pool of its blood.

Only a few seconds had passed since they started the assault, yet two of the three dire wolves were already confirmed dead.

Their strategy had worked well as by isolating the wolves, they became more easy to kill while both Nathan and Dante co-ordinated their attacks.

Just then both of them heard a noise of rushed footsteps as they both turned their faces to see the second wolf trying to flee. They immediately gave chase to it but the wolf proved to be faster as it ran with ferocious agility. It was likely trying to find and alert another pack.

Both ran at their full speed trying to catch up with the wolf, but the gap between them continued to grow.

Nathan's mind raced as he searched for a way to stop the wolf. His boots slid through the mud as he sprinted forward, the spear gripped tightly in his hand.

He skidded to a halt, digging his feet into the earth to steady himself. Lifting one leg, he positioned his body like an athlete preparing for a throw. His gaze fixed on the wolf, and he adjusted the spear, ensuring his grip was firm.

With a sharp breath, he pulled his arm back, releasing the tension. In one swift motion, he channeled all his energy and strength, throwing the spear with everything he had.

*Vroom*

The spear flew in a straight horizontal path as it passed through Dante who was running a bit ahead. The dire wolf sensed the danger as it tried to turn aside, to dodge whatever was coming.

*Thud*

Alas, it had been too focused on fleeing earlier. The danger registered a split second too late, and the spear pierced its right thigh. The four legged creature howled in pain, its leg giving way as it fell to the ground, immobilized.

The dire wolf continued to cry louder hoping that its friends would come to rescue. But the hope died as soon as it came as Dante unleashed a vertical down slash to cut down the wolf.

His katana met the wolf's head and blood splattered everywhere as the floor was painted in dark red.

The red spear still rested on the wolf's thigh as Dante gasped for breath exhaustion catching up to him as he fell on his butt.

"Tsk.. I had aimed for the center of it's ass, yet it landed a bit low. If I had anticipated the wolf's reaction as well, It could have been a straight kill" Nathan walked closer to the corpse as he pulled back his spear while muttering in frustration.

" What... ha... the hell... were you.... ha... thinking... while aiming?"

Dante gritted his teeth, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he struggled to catch his breath., He had to reach the wolf and kill it quickly before some other pack followed its call for help.

Thankfully, they were still quite far from the other territories as Nathan had acted quickly.

'But his throwing skills were certainly impressive to be his first time' he thought.

"Were you always good at javelin?" He asked after catching his breath.

" I used to be good at short put back in high school, they didn't have javelin or I would have tried that as well." Nathan's voice carried a hint of sadness which Dante easily picked up given his perception.

He realized that with his middle-class background, he must have gone to a mediocre high school.

Deciding to change the topic, he mentioned their progress," With this, we have killed 3 out of the 100 Dire wolves they have requested"

" They certainly asked for too much, but why is it only an quest and not "

Nathan asked while cleaning his brand-new spear.

"We can't help it" Dante sighed in exhaustion, "Despite how it seems like, They are merely 100 mystic beasts we are killing, The process is long and tiring, but the reward is still worth it". 

The reward would also help them on the second floor and this long and tiring quest also served as training for the two rookies. 

"So as for their Anima cores, I take 2 while you get 1 right?" Dante asked while grinning. They had agreed the anima cores from the beasts would go to whoever killed it, and in this case, it was as Dante had said.

" But I was the one who dealt with the last one as well right?" Nathan pleaded, feeling betrayed despite all his efforts.

Alas, Dante's response was brutal.

" 40% of it would be wasted to your anyway, So might as well take what is rightfully mine as I was the one who dealt the finishing blow".