Awakener's Guide to Climbing the Tower

Watchtowers rose from each corner of the checkpoint, their dark roofs cutting into the pale morning sky. Soldiers moved along the battlements in quick lines. The raised gate faced a road cutting straight through the forest.

Misha barely looked at it. Her gaze had already drifted toward the stretch of earth beside the northern wall.

Somewhere there, Jules had died.

The thought came without warning, as it always did. A dull pressure on her chest grew sharper the longer she stared.

The floor had reset, she had known it would. The checkpoint had returned to its original state. The dead soldiers stood alive again, unaware that they had already fallen once before, they all stood except for Jules.

Misha searched the ground anyway but nothing remained. The Tower had cleared away every trace of the quest she had completed with Skyreach. It had returned the floor to the moment before everything went wrong.

Her fingers tightened around the edge of the carpet.

Beside the wounded man, Caius lifted his head. His gaze moved toward her first, then followed hers to the empty ground beneath the northern wall. He studied the spot without asking what she saw there.

"Incoming!" A shout cracked across the battlement.

Soldiers rushed toward the wall, and several archers turned toward the sky and raised their bows.

Hiiro’s eyes widened so he quickly shouted, "We’re friendly!"

He released one tassel to wave his arm over his head. The carpet dipped sideways.

If it weren’t for Caius stabilizing it, they would have fallen.

Misha grabbed Hiiro by the back of his jacket. "Keep your hands on the controls! You’ll make us fall!"

"I’m trying to look non-threatening!" Hiiro twisted around, still attempting to wave with one hand.

"You’re flying toward a military checkpoint on a carpet," Astrid snapped from the rear. She kept one hand braced against the fabric while the other held her sidearm. "Do you think they’ll see us as non-threatening?"

An arrowhead turned in their direction.

Then, a dark figure appeared on the battlement.

Captain Reinhardt stepped between the archers, his broad shoulders covered by the same heavy cloak Misha remembered. He looked exactly as he had before.

His eyes swept over the carpet, paused on Hiiro, then dropped toward the wounded man between Misha and Caius.

"Lower your weapons!" Reinhardt’s command rolled across the wall.

Several soldiers exchanged wary looks but obeyed.

Hiiro guided the carpet over the wall. The carpet drifted into the courtyard, leaned too far to the left, corrected violently, then dropped.

Fwump!

The carpet struck the ground hard enough to bounce once. Everyone rose several inches from the surface before landing again.

The messenger released a low groan.

Hiiro slowly turned around. "Um... I’ll do better next time."

Astrid raised her head. Her hair had fallen across one eye. She pushed it aside with her fingers, revealing a stare that would have made a sensible person apologize immediately.

Hiiro was not always sensible. He avoided her eyes. "I-I’m still learning."

She stood and scoffed. "He may need a second escort quest after your landing."

Soldiers rushed across the courtyard with a stretcher.

Caius and Misha lifted the knight from the carpet and helped place him on the waiting stretcher.

Captain Reinhardt came, approaching them before he knelt beside the wounded man.

"Sir Aldren." Recognition tightened his expression. "Can you hear me?"

The man’s eyes trembled. It took him several seconds to open them. His unfocused gaze moved across Reinhardt’s face, and something in his body finally loosened. With shaking fingers, he reached toward the straps of his chest.

Misha understood so she pulled the sealed letter free and held it out to the captain. "He protected it the entire way."

Reinhardt accepted the envelope with both hands, his thumb brushed over the unbroken seal before his attention returned to the messenger.

"You did well." His voice softened. "Rest now, you made it."

Aldren’s shoulders finally relaxed, then several soldiers carried him toward the infirmary.

Captain Reinhardt watched until the door closed behind them, only then did he stand.

"You have my thanks." He secured the letter inside his coat. "Without this warning, the checkpoint would have been taken by surprise."

Ding!

「〔FLOOR QUEST COMPLETE〕

Protect theMessenger and deliver the sealed letter safely to the next checkpoint (1/1) 」

Hiiro looked toward the flying carpet with pride. "A flawless mission thanks to my carpet!"

Astrid stared at him. Her face remained blank for so long that Misha almost felt sorry for the boy.

"We spun in a full circle," she said, counting each failure on her fingers. "You nearly threw the messenger off twice, almost flew us into a tree, and landed hard enough to reopen his wounds."

Hiiro lifted one finger. "But did he arrive safely?"

"That does not make it flawless."

"Oh come on, he’s alive." He crouched and began rolling the carpet. "That is the primary objective. Everything else is artistic interpretation."

Misha gave Astrid a tired look. "It’s useless."

The other girl released a small sigh and holstered her sidearm. "Yes... It can’t be helped, he resists education."

Hiiro hugged the rolled carpet against his chest as if Astrid had insulted a close family member rather than a piece of enchanted fabric.

"For your information, I am highly educated." He lifted his chin, gathering what remained of his dignity. "I ranked first in my college department, and I was the number one player in Worldspire Online!"

Misha’s brow flinched. ’College? Did the Academies have college?’

Hiiro continued before he noticed her reaction. "Not number one in some forgotten server, either. I held the top global ranking for three consecutive seasons!"

Astrid’s expression went blank while Caius turned his head slightly, his calm gaze settling on Hiiro with a puzzled look.

"What exactly is a ’college’ department?" Astrid ended up asking.

Before Misha could open her mouth and ask Hiiro as well, a horn sounded from the nearest watchtower.

BWOOO!

A System window flashed into view.

「 〔SYSTEM NOTICE〕

Linked Quest Detected.

Proceeding to the next phase.

Initializing Next Floor Quest... 」

「 〔FLOOR QUEST〕

Defend the Northern Checkpoint (0/1)

Survive for 30 Minutes

Failure Condition:

All defenders are eliminated. 」

「 〔WARNING〕

Retreat is prohibited.

The use of Teleportation Runes has been temporarily restricted until the Linked Floor Quest is cleared.

Prepare for prolonged combat. 」

A lookout leaned over the battlement before he shouted, "Movement in the forest! Large force approaching from the south!"

Reinhardt’s face hardened. "Close the gates!"

Soldiers moved at once. Chains rattled, the iron gates began lowering as men carried crates of arrows toward the walls. Others dragged barrels of oil into position or distributed weapons among the defenders.

Hiiro whistled as he watched the gate descend. Then a grin slowly spread across his face. "This is just like Genesis all over again!"

Misha’s hand tightened around Twinfang. She couldn’t agree with him at all. Genesis had been worse. She swallowed the reply.

Astrid drew her sidearm. "At least there is no Goblin King this time."

"No city full of panicking civilians either," Caius added. He opened his storage, and his staff-spear appeared in his hand.

Captain Reinhardt started up the stone stairs leading to the battlement. Halfway, he stopped and looked back. "You four. Can you fight at range?"

Astrid raised her sidearm, Caius retrieved his staff-spear from the storage, and Hiiro lifted both fists.

Reinhardt looked at him, raising a brow.

He held the pose for another second before slowly lowering them. "I can throw things instead..."

"Give him a bow." Astrid said, pointing at Hiiro without looking at him.

A soldier shoved a simple wooden bow and quiver into the boy’s arms. Another approached Misha with the same equipment.

She accepted both and followed the others up the wall.

Goblins gathered beyond the edge of the clearing. More appeared every few seconds, carrying crude shields, bows, and hooked blades. Mounted Chieftains remained deeper inside the forest. Several larger shapes moved behind them, Hobgoblins and their Commanders.

"We stay on the wall and focus on ranged attacks." Misha studied the enemy lines instead of looking at the others. "The quest only requires us to hold for thirty minutes. There is no reason to waste stamina meeting them in the field."

That had been a mistake before. It was not exactly a choice though. Jules, Nyxie, and Yara had not reached the checkpoint. They were split apart, and by the time they arrived, the linked quest had already started.

Beside her, Hiiro leaned over the battlement and looked down. The ground was not impossibly far below. His mouth tightened at the distance.

Misha noticed. "Afraid of heights?"

"No..." He stepped back from the edge. "I simply respect gravity."

"You were riding a flying carpet ten minutes ago."

"That had emotional support."

"..."

He patted the rolled carpet secured behind his shoulder. "We bonded."

"..."

Sighing, she raised her bow and pointed toward the larger shapes behind the goblin lines. "Watch for the Hobgoblin Commanders. They’ll try to break the gate once enough goblins reach the wall."

Hiiro leaned forward again, the playfulness in his face faded. "How many commanders?"

"Six of them," Misha replied.

Hee reached behind him and tapped the rolled carpet. "What if I fly around them?"

Misha turned first.Then Astrid lowered her pistol, while Caius shifted his attention away from the enemy lines.

He pointed west, toward the trees bordering the approaching army. "I can circle wide, stay below, then come up behind the Commanders while everyone is focused on the checkpoint."

They ended up staring at him.

He lowered his hand slightly. "What?"

Misha cupped her chin as she gave it a thought. It was reckless, that much was obvious, but it was also not entirely stupid.

Hiiro continued, warming to the idea. "They’ll be watching the wall. Their archers will be aiming upward, and the front lines will block the Commanders’ view. No one will expect a flank from the air because most people don’t carry emergency carpets. It’s basically a free backline access."

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!