TOBMW 44) Not Stopping Until The Tenth Floor (Unedited)

A fire crackled as night came to the third floor. Myu, Yuu, Kori, and Aeko all sat around it as the talked. “So, Myu, when do you plan to leave the tower?”

“Mm… After I reach the tenth floor. I will take a small break. But after that, I will keep climbing.” Myu only wanted to take a small break to help out with the guild once she made a name for herself. She did not feel she was of much help to Kori at this time. Currently, she was just someone people did not know. Only being spreading her name could she use her influence as a climber to bring more people to the guild.

“I see… You are not taking into account the strength of…” Kori, who was about to lecture Myu again, was cut off when she heard a small laugh. She turned and looked at Yuu, who was covering her mouth, giggling to herself. “Is there something funny?”

“Mmm… You speak as if you are stronger than Myu. Do you not realize that Myu can basically walk up the tower without issue? Only when she reaches beyond the fiftieth floor will she need help. I do believe I mentioned this before.” Yuu replied.

“Who are you?” Kori still had no idea who this little girl was.

“I am Myu’s attachment. Where she goes, I go.” Yu replied, hugging Myu’s arm. Myu, who would normally burn whoever touched her, did not seem to really care about Yuu’s closeness.

Kori furrowed her brow. “Stop dodging the question.”

“In due time, you will know,” Yuu replied. She did not plan to tell the truth any time soon.  After all, she could not. While she could use some of her power if needed, it would be forced, and she might end up hurting herself in the process. Plus, with Myu around, she would be perfectly fine.

Kori wasted to wring the little girl’s neck but held it in. “I see….”  She cleared her throat and decided to get back on topic. “Myu, from what you said, your quest will take a while, maybe even a few years. Are you sure you want to spend it all on this floor?”

“Yeah. I will not leave the tower until I have accomplished what everyone else has. Since everyone else has gone to the tenth floor, I will go there first before leaving. As you know, I do not need sleep or food. While I can still eat, it is mainly just for the pleasure of it. In reality, it just burns up upon entering my body. So I can continue to climb for as long as I want without worrying about food and water. As for bathing… well, I can just burn dirt off me.”  Myu replied. She did not wish to return any time soon. She wanted to feel like she had made some progress.

“Alright. I will leave it at that. But make sure you stop killing people unless they attack you first.” Kori did not want to even think what would happen if Myu found out people were targeting the guild or herself because of her own actions.

“I will try?” Myu tilted her head. She had already been doing that, though….

The next morning, Kori woke up feeling a bit more refreshed. She had not slept in the tower in a long time. When she woke, she found Myu still poking at the fire in front of her, which had no wood, just her own flame. And by poking, it was literal poking. Myu was using her finger to play with the flame.

“Myu, Aeko and I will return today. Are you sure this is what you want to do?” Kori asked.

“Mm…. I will be here for a while anyways, and this floor is so big that it might take a few years….” Myu hated this quest. She had not found a single obelisk yet, and she had twenty to find! 

“Alright.” Kori wondered when she would see the little girl again. She decided she would keep an ear out on this floor. 

“Kori, let her grow.” Aeko walked over and placed her hand on Kori’s shoulder. She leaned in close and whispered: “I placed a tracker on her this time using magic. We will know when she is at all times. So we can come and check on her.”

“Alright.” Kori let out a sigh of relief. “Myu, we will take off then. If that Yuu girl causes you problems, just burn her.”

“Mmm… don’t worry, I will,” Myu replied. She gave Kori and Aeko a smile and said: “See you soon.”

Aeko and Kori left, leaving behind the small figure by the fire. Kori felt a little depressed, but she knew Myu was her own person. She could only hope things went okay for the young girl. She was climbing a tower by herself with no help from a large group, and her floor quests seemed much harder than what she had when she first came to the tower. 

“They left?” Yuu asked as walked over. She had long been up but did not want to interfere in the goodbyes.

“Yep. We will be leaving soon.” With that Myu sucked back in the flames in front of her and stood up. She had no idea where she was going. No clues as to where these obelisks were. But she would need to find them no matter what if she wanted to achieve here dream. She would not stop now no matter how long it took her.

- - -

5 years later….

Myu took a drag of her cigarette. She looked at the large monster in front of her. It was a giant eyeball with large wings made of skin. “Is this the last one?”

“Mm…. It should be.” Yuu looked at the girl who was much taller than she was five years ago and filled out in all the right areas. She no longer looked like the innocent little girl as she did before. Her narrowed eyes, filled with mischief, were clear to see as she puffed on the cigarette she had robbed off a few climbers. The past five years were not easy. Each one of these obelisks had a monster that spawned that she had to fight and was well hidden. The current one was deep within the ground of the floor, which was only accessible by a hidden cave they had just chanced upon.

“I lost count a while ago, so I can only hope it is. We will go to the boss’s room after.” Myu took another drag before lighting the whole thing on fire. She pulled out her chain sword that had now seen better days and grinned widely. “Let’s have some fun, shall we?”

“Sounds good!” Yuu pulled the bow from her back and notched an arrow.