We all sat quietly, thinking about our options and coming up with possible names. The room buzzed with soft suggestions as we considered each idea. After some back-and-forth Lia finally broke the quiet.
"Why don't we name it L2WMN?"
"That's an interesting name," Leo remarked.
"Do you hate it?" she asked shyly.
"No, but what does it mean?"
"It's based on the first letters of our names," she explained with a small smile.
"What does the 'N' stand for?" I inquired.
Lia and Mia's expressions turned somber, a shadow of sadness flickering across their faces. Lia's eyes glistened with tears as Mia took a deep breath and spoke.
"It stands for our last party member's name, Nia," Mia said, her voice faltering. "We were attacked by goblins, and she… she didn't make it."
Lia added, her voice choked with emotion, "She sacrificed herself so we could live."
"I'm so sorry," Leo said softly.
"What does adding a letter to our name do for her?" I asked, unable to hide my skepticism.
"What? How dare you!" Mia snapped, her hands hitting the table with a force that drew the attention of those nearby.
"She died so you could add her name to a party?" I sighed in frustration.
"Shut up!" Mia yelled, her anger palpable.
"She's gone now," I replied. "Don't make it so that her sacrifice was in vain."
Leo stepped in, trying to defuse the situation. "Calm down, Wakaba."
"Sorry, Lia and Mia, she's always like this," Leo said, trying to ease the tension. "She means well."
"It's fine," Leo continued, his voice steady. "Humanity will survive."
"What do you think's at the top?" Lia asked, her voice laced with curiosity.
"In the game, the first to the top gets a wish," she added, her tone thoughtful.
"What would you wish for?"
He paused for a moment, the question heavy on his mind. "To restore the world to what it once was," he finally said.
Mia and Lia's faces brightened at the thought of seeing their friend again, but their gazes also turned cold as they looked at me.Their expressions suggested that, at that moment, I was the worst person in the tower at that very moment.
Leo stretched out his hand for a handshake, to which Mia and Lia obliged. I didn't expect or want a handshake, but they stretched out their arms to give me one regardless.
Instead of waiting around, we agreed to head to the hotel. The streets were quieter now, lit with the warm orange of early evening. Crumbled posters clung to white stone walls. The air smelled faintly of smoke and roasted meat.
"I know the place," Leo said. "It's just down this way—cozy, not too loud, and they've got hot water."
Mia didn't say much, just nodded. Lia walked beside her, one hand lightly brushing Mia's shoulder, as if reassuring her she was still there.
I trailed a little behind until I caught up. No one said anything for a bit. Then, to break the silence, I cleared my throat.
"So… what was your friend like?"
Mia looked over, surprised. Lia slowed her steps. Leo just stayed quiet, watching them.
"She was awesome," Mia said after a pause, her voice soft. "Really brave. Smart, too. I think I'd be dead ten times over without her."
"She always knew what to do," Lia added, smiling sadly. "Like… not just in a fight. She knew when to tell us to take a break. When to run. When to push. We fought a lot, but she always had our backs."
I nodded slowly. "I'm sorry. About earlier. For how I acted."
Mia stopped walking. "Yeah… well. I overreacted, too." She let out a breath and looked up at the sky. "Grief's a weird thing. Makes everything sharper. Dumber."
"You think she'd be proud of you two?" I asked.
Lia's smile returned—smaller, but more real. "I think so."
"I think she'd be annoyed we waited this long to sleep in a real bed," Mia joked, wiping her eyes. "She hated camping."
That actually made us all laugh a little.
We finally reached the hotel. It was three stories tall, built of heavy timber and warm stone, with vines creeping up one side. A weathered sign read The Resting Edge. A bell chimed softly as we stepped inside.
The lobby was small but clean. Wooden floors and oil lamps casting golden light across the walls. Behind the counter stood an older woman with white-streaked hair and half-moon glasses.
"Rooms?" she asked, peering over the lenses.
Leo stepped forward. "One more room, please. If possible, near number 13."
As she fetched keys from the board behind her, I glanced to the side and spotted a small wooden chest labeled Lost & Found.
"What's in there?" I asked.
She looked at me. "Items left behind by adventurers. We hold them for one month. After that, we sell them."
"Sell them?" Mia asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Rent's not cheap," the woman said simply. "If someone leaves their gear, they probably aren't coming back."
We all went quiet.
"Mind if we check it?" Leo asked.
"Go ahead. If you find anything you can prove is yours or your friend's, I won't charge."
We sifted through the chest. A cracked ring. A few worn boots. A torn cloak. Nothing special, but it was enough to make us imagine who had once worn them.
I noticed a man in basic leather gear talking with a group of four mercenaries, each carrying a different weapon.
Mia took their keys and headed upstairs. The hallway creaked beneath our boots, and the rooms were simple: beds, candles, and small washbasins. I tossed my bag on the floor and sat on the edge of the bed.
Mia leaned against the doorway of my room. "Hey… for what it's worth. I don't think you're a bad person."
I looked up at her.
"I was angry. But… she wouldn't have wanted us to fall apart like that." Her eyes softened. "We're all still alive. That means something."
Leo appeared behind her and gestured with his head. "Come on. We'll talk more in the other room. We've still got something important to decide."
"What?" I asked.
"Our new party name," Lia called from down the hall. "Now that we're all together again."
We agreed to the name Lia and Mia had come up with. It wasn't like any of us had a better idea. The name clearly meant something to them. I wanted to ask more about their friend. The one the "N" stood for. I figured that was something they'd share when they were ready.
Leo kept checking his wrist, mumbling under his breath about how the boss on floor 2 was supposed to be easy.
While we walked, he told us more about the end of the floor. "There's a mini-boss called Grim. Big brown bear."
He looked at each of us in turn.
"If you come across the bear—don't panic. You can run, but I would stand your ground, one of us will be there."
We waited for hours, eyes fixed on the entrance, ears straining for the alert that the boss had been defeated. A merchant walked in, the logo of the Merchant's Guild visible on his attire—a symbol of one of the four main factions of the guild. He handed everyone a piece of paper.
The paper read:
"Goblin Chief has been slain by G2."
"Party_Floor_4" Leo commanded, his voice resolute.
A red light enveloped all of us, its intensity almost blinding.
We spawned on a stone platform in the center of a room. Engraved into the platform was a message that read
"Runic_Teleport (size: small, area: 10m, effect: bind, duration: Permanent, location: Venomous Marsh)."
We were the first to arrive, with only guards blocking all the pathways leading in every direction.
A woman's voice cut through the tense air, sharp and frantic. "Where'd he go?" she yelled, her eyes scanning the surroundings with urgency.
Standing calmly beside her was another woman, her presence steady and composed. Her white hair cascaded down her back, and her emerald green eyes were intense yet measured.
"Calm down, Viri. We'll find him. Stay focused," she said, her tone soothing but firm.
Viri's green eyes glowed with a mix of hatred and something else—almost a sadness. It was hard to tell where one emotion ended and the other began.
Leo, still looking confused, stepped closer. "What's going on? What's the problem?"
Viri's hands clenched into fists as she exhaled sharply.
"Wan was killed on the third floor," she said, her voice filled with both grief and anger.
Leo's eyes widened. "What?!"
"Who's Wan?" Lia asked, her curiosity mixing with concern.
Sera's tone was steady as she held out a hand to stop Leo from rushing off. "Stay alert. Keep your head."
Just as the group processed the information, another figure approached them. Her presence was cold and detached, her every step calculated. She had long grey hair that flowed with the wind, and her red eyes looked at the group with a sense of distaste.
Her gaze flicked over them briefly, before she spoke in a low, indifferent tone. "Good riddance," she muttered, a faint smirk playing on her lips.
"'Weakness is a burden that must be discarded,' she said, patting Viri's head as if she were a dog."
Viri glanced over her shoulder, her eyes locking onto the girl. She stopped in her tracks, her expression shifting as her eyes widened, a flash of recognition passing through them.
She didn't respond.
Leo blinked. "Who … ?"
"Name's Sho," she said casually, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "Strongest in the tower. Or close enough."
That earned a small laugh from Mia and Lia.
"Really?" Mia grinned. "You're just gonna say it like that?"
"Should I lie?" Sho said, deadpan.
"I like her," Lia said, laughing again.
Leo chuckled too, but I noticed he was watching Sho a little longer than the rest of us—like something about her made him nervous, or maybe just confused.
Viri stepped forward, narrowing her eyes. "Sho, have you ever heard of a guild that called themselves the Ten Curses?"
Sho tilted her head. "Ten Curses… hmm." She tapped her chin. "That does sound familiar. There are a lot of edgy guilds running around calling themselves stuff like that."
"Ten Slayers maybe?" the other woman in white echoed.
"This is why we're having a meeting," Sho added.