Chapter 3, Start The Strategy!

Translator: Kazumi

Editor: Silavin

 

After touring the main stores in Seichun, Kousuke and his group arranged to speak with Gazeran. They also invited Doll to join, making it a three-way meeting. The discussion itself concluded quickly.

 

After hearing Kousuke’s proposal, both Gazeran and Doll gave their approval for him to proceed as he wished. As it turned out, Crown had already considered establishing a branch in Seichun along similar lines to what Kousuke had envisioned. However, it would be a long-term mission with uncertain success, and they had struggled to find someone suitable to take charge.

 

From the Adventurer’s perspective, having Kousuke and his group take on this role was an ideal solution. The concept of the Adventurer’s Division establishing a guild first had already been communicated to other departments, so it did not need to be included in their current discussion.

 

Thus, the plan for Kousuke to establish an Adventurer’s guild in Seichun—with the intention of later converting it into a Crown branch—would move forward as a matter to be confirmed by headquarters.

 

With the serious business concluded, Kousuke raised a question that had been on his mind.

 

“By the way, Gazeran, your name is similar to Gazenran Tower. Is there any connection there?”

 

“No special origin or anything. My name is indeed taken from Gazenran Tower,” Gazeran replied simply.

 

Kousuke blinked in surprise. “Really?”

 

“Yeah. My parents were Adventurers from there. They named me after the Tower because they missed it. I’ve always lived here, so I’ve never had the opportunity to visit, but perhaps I’ll be able to go if a transfer gate is built.”

 

Kousuke smiled upon hearing the story behind Gazeran’s name. “I see. Well then, we’ll have to do our best to get you here as soon as possible.”

 

At those words, Gazeran’s smile froze. “Hey, wait a second. You don’t need to use all your power—just go at your own pace, okay?”

 

Gazeran began pleading with him to reconsider, and Kousuke tilted his head in confusion. He glanced at Doll, who stood beside Gazeran with an equally alarmed expression.

 

“Eh?” Kousuke said, looking puzzled.

 

Gazeran continued desperately, “It wouldn’t be a problem if it was just you, but Kouhi and Mitsuki are there too, right? If you two go all out, the Tower itself might break!”

 

“That’s not true. The Towers are quite sturdy.”

 

“That’s not the problem! Just don’t use all your power. At least keep it to a level where people won’t call you a monster.”

 

It seemed Kousuke’s reputation in Gazeran’s mind had reached ridiculous proportions. Kousuke muttered to himself, “That’s terrible. I don’t have that kind of power… Kouhi and Mitsuki, perhaps, but not me.”

 

When Kousuke said this, Gazeran and Doll responded in unison, “Who are you to say that?”

 

“Okay, I get it,” Kousuke conceded. “I’ll be moderate and keep things in check.”

 

Still not reassured, Gazeran turned to Kouhi and Mitsuki. “Please. Kousuke has a habit of going wild without realizing it. When that happens, you two need to hold him back. This is so Kousuke can live peacefully in this world in the future.”

 

In some instances, those two might act wildly on Kousuke’s behalf, but fundamentally, they could restrain their Master’s potential rampage if they deemed it necessary for his well being. Gazeran knew this and appealed to them directly.

 

“I understand,” Kouhi nodded.

 

“Of course,” Mitsuki agreed.

 

Observing this exchange, Kousuke muttered that he did indeed exercise restraint – always. Though Gazeran had cautioned him to hold back, Kousuke never actually intended for his actions to cause commotion. He even suppressed his divine presence to normal levels to avoid drawing attention.

 

Unfortunately, he had come to accept that some disturbances simply found their way to him regardless of his intentions. While this was Kousuke’s perspective, from an objective standpoint, there were definitely times when people could reasonably think he was getting out of control.

 

For Kousuke, many situations involved merely trying to brush away approaching trouble, yet somehow ended up affecting the entire surrounding area. This was something he should reflect on, Kousuke thought to himself.

 

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The day after that exchange, Kousuke and his companions arrived at the base of Gazenran Tower.

 

The atmosphere resembled the other Towers they had seen throughout the Central Continent, with one notable difference: right beside the Tower entrance stood a building about the size of a house. This structure was Gazenran Tower’s most distinctive feature and the secret behind its popularity.

 

Kousuke and his friends proceeded directly inside the building.

 

“Is this the pass to work in the Tower?” Kousuke asked, examining the card in his hand after completing the registration process.

 

“It looks like a portal authentication card,” Kouhi remarked, holding her own card.

 

“I think it is. Based on what I’ve heard, it serves a similar function.”

 

“You can proceed to certain floors once you’ve reached them—that’s precisely what it does,” Mitsuki nodded in agreement with Kousuke’s assessment.

 

The building was operated by the Tower Conquest Guild. Gazenran Tower was unusual among the Towers scattered across Earthgard in that it required registration before entry. This didn’t mean that anyone had conquered Gazenran Tower itself—apparently, this registration system had been a feature from the beginning.

 

With their cards obtained, they could finally enter the Tower. The cards offered convenient functionality for Tower exploration, such as displaying the highest Floor reached. More importantly, the system allowed Adventurers to choose their starting point at five-floor intervals for Floors that had been previously cleared.

 

In other words, if someone started from the beginning and managed to reach Floor 6, they could begin from Floor 6 on their next visit. This feature applied at five-floor intervals, allowing them to skip to Floors 6, 11, 16, and so on. The highest Floor currently reached by any Adventurer was Floor 53, beyond which remained uncharted territory.

 

Naturally, Nana, who had accompanied them, did not receive a card. Familiars were treated merely as extensions of their Masters; in this case, as an addition to Kousuke. Even if Nana advanced to a higher Floor independently, her progress wouldn’t be recognized unless Kousuke was present.

 

Considering Nana’s combat abilities, this was unfortunate, but unavoidable.

 

With the registration complete, Kousuke and the others decided to enter the Tower immediately. For now, they would simply observe and gather information.

 

More than ten years had passed since Kousuke’s group conquered the last Tower in the Central Continent. As he entered, Kousuke felt a wave of nostalgia, quickly followed by a sense of weariness.

 

“Ah, so that’s how it is.”

 

The sight before him evoked memories, but also mild exasperation. After passing through the Tower gate, he found himself in a grassland area identical to landscapes he had encountered before.

 

Noticing Kousuke’s reaction, Mitsuki commented with a wry smile, “Well, this is within the realm of expectation, isn’t it? I’d be more surprised if there was a different pattern.”

 

“That’s true,” Kousuke replied, patting Nana, who tilted her head at her exhausted Master as if to ask, “What’s wrong?”

 

“In that case, perhaps we should consider conquering while traveling by carriage,” Kouhi calmly suggested as she observed Kousuke and the others.

 

“You’re right. It looks like other parties are entering with their carriages as well,” Mitsuki noted, watching several carriages enter one after another.

 

“Let’s think about that later,” Kousuke decided. “For now, let’s just explore the first Floor and then return to the inn.”

 

Kouhi and Mitsuki nodded in agreement and began walking further into the Tower.

 

This marked the first step in Kousuke and his friends’ conquest of Gazenran Tower.