I gave him a quiet nod, eyes fixed on the patterns of old dust on the coffee table between us.
"You’ll get one soon enough," I said. "But for now... I’m thinking I’ll lend you a hand on the Fifth."
Noel looked up sharply, blinking in surprise. "For real?"
There was a spark of genuine relief in his voice — like a man carrying a load too heavy, finally offered a second set of hands. His lips tugged upward, but the smile froze midway, the realization catching up to him almost instantly.
"Wait—didn’t you already clear it?"
I leaned back, arms crossing over my chest.
"I did."
His brow furrowed. "So, does the Rift even allow that? I an... can you go back?"
’Heh. Perceptive of you, Noel.’
I gave a small smirk. "Yeah. It lets you revisit any floor you’ve cleared — doesn’t matter how many tis. Still gives EXP, but don’t expect any of the big rewards. Once the floor is cleared, you only get loot drops and skill progress. No title achievents. No Astral boons."
Noel blinked. "That’s kind of busted."
"It is," I admitted. "But it makes sense. Otherwise, veterans wouldn’t be able to help the newer challengers at all. And believe , the Rift wants us to collaborate."
He sat back in the chair, looking up at the ceiling like it had answers.
"Well," he said finally, grinning. "Then I won’t say no to that offer. You’ve been clearing these floors like they owe you rent. Might as well let piggyback off a floor or two."
"You won’t be piggybacking," I replied, serious. "I’ll be watching how you move. How you fight. If we’re going to make this trio work on the Tenth, I need to know exactly what you’re capable of under pressure."
He didn’t argue. Just gave a firm nod.
"Understood."
-
Noel leaned forward again, elbows resting on his knees, expression sharpening.
"Wait... you said trio. Who’s the third?"
I didn’t answer right away. Instead, I stood up and walked over to the counter, grabbing a half-filled bottle of water. I twisted off the cap, took a slow sip, and let the silence sit between us for just a few monts longer.
Then I spoke.
"Astraia."
His brow furrowed. "Who?"
I turned to face him.
"Astraia. From Tokyo. The one clearing floors just behind ."
Noel blinked, face twisting in brief confusion — until realization slamd into him like a freight train. He jerked upright, pulling his phone out of his pocket like it was burning a hole through his jeans.
"The Astraia? As in... the top challenger out of Asia?"
I didn’t answer. I didn’t need to.
He was already tapping furiously through the Astral Community app, navigating straight into the Astral Rankings. His eyes scanned the glowing nas, the leaderboard that had beco the digital Olympus of our era.
Then he saw it.
Astraia — Rank #1.
"Holy sh—" Noel cut himself off, eyes still wide. "You’re serious. You’re building a team with her?"
I gave a slow nod.
"She offered. Vice Guild Master of her faction, too."
Noel just stared, mouth hanging open for a second longer before he finally leaned back in the chair, letting out a long, low whistle.
"Well damn," he muttered. "Didn’t expect you to be moving that kind of weight already."
"She’s persistent," I said. "And sharp. Saw through the cracks before I did."
"You trust her?"
I paused for a beat.
"I trust her enough for the Tenth."
’Yeah, this is the right thing to do.’
That answer seed to settle sothing in him. He gave one last glance to his screen, watching Astraia’s ranking hover at the very top of the board like a monolith.
"Guess I better not hold the team back," he said, voice low but determined.
"You won’t," I replied.
-
Noel set his phone down slowly, the light of the rankings screen fading as it locked. His expression was thoughtful now, not just impressed — but genuinely intrigued.
He glanced up at . "So... you ever planning to make your own guild?"
The question hung in the air, unspoken weight behind it.
"I an," he continued, "with how everyone’s throwing offers at you — Astraia, probably others too — if you announced your own, half the Rift would line up to join. Hell, I’d be first in line."
I raised an eyebrow. "You, huh?"
He shrugged, smirking. "No sha in admitting it. You’ve got sothing, Nile. You always have. Even before the Rift. I trust that. I’d follow you."
His words lingered longer than I expected — solid, sincere. And from Noel, that ant sothing. He wasn’t the type to say things for the sake of flattery. Not to .
I let out a slow breath, then nodded. "I’ve thought about it."
He leaned in. "Yeah?"
"But not now," I clarified. "I do plan to create one. A real one. Not a charity guild, not so ragtag alliance. Sothing that can take on the Rift floors head-on. Efficient. Ruthless, if necessary. A guild built to last."
Noel’s eyes narrowed with curiosity. "When?"
"When the ti’s right," I said. "Not before the 20th Floor. Maybe even after that. I need more data. More experience. And more importantly, I need to know who’s truly worth bringing in. No dead weight."
Noel gave a slow, deliberate nod, as if locking that answer into mory. "Makes sense. And when that day cos, you know where I’ll be."
I gave him a faint smirk. "I wouldn’t start printing the recruitnt posters just yet."
He chuckled, but then fell silent — the kind of silence that ant understanding.
’I will make you strong, strong enough to be my right hand, buddy. I won’t let you die this ti. I promise’
Then, after a beat, he glanced back at with a casual curiosity.
"So," he asked, "how many floors did you clear today?"
I blinked. It was still early. Morning light filtered faintly through the gri-coated windows, the city outside still slowly waking. For most people, the day hadn’t even begun.
I tilted my head slightly. "Just one."
His brows lifted, mildly surprised. "Only the Sixth?"
"Yeah," I confird. "Cleared it early. Didn’t bother rushing the next."
He gave a long look, like he was waiting for so deeper explanation. I leaned forward slightly, resting my elbows on my knees.
"There’s sothing I need to take care of first," I said. "Before I head to the Seventh."
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