Omniscient Necromancer POV

We climbed the stairs to the second floor of the Lovikalen Climbers Association building just behind Halmax.

The heavy sound of his footsteps was much louder than the soft creaking of the wood beneath our feet.

Rosella walked beside me, looking as uncertain as I did. Despite this, her upright posture made it clear that she was far from intimidated.

On the second floor, the double oak doors opened with a heavy creak, revealing Halmax's office. I expected something simple, perhaps functional, with lots of stacks of Association requisitions because that's what my boss's office was like in the old world, but what I saw was completely different. The room took up almost the entire floor. Bookshelves lined the left wall, some filled with books, others with parchment documents. On the right were a pair of windows with side tables where two things were displayed. One was a cracked black helmet, and the other was a sword proportional to Halmax's large body.

In the center of the office was a huge desk made of dark, polished wood.

But nothing there impressed me as much as the head behind the desk—the empty skull of a wyvern with its fangs exposed in an eternal roar. The empty eyes seemed to watch us as if judging our audacity for being there.

I dragged my gaze to Halmax, who was already sitting behind the desk. As he sat down, he interlaced his fingers, resting his forearms on the table.

He motioned to the pair of chairs in front of the desk for us to sit down. We did so.

"I imagine you're wondering why I brought you here. Perhaps you're confused, like two students taken to the principal's office for a fight they didn't even start. To be honest, if it were just to scold you, I would have called Droverson and his friends. Not you."

He leaned back in his chair, his eyes — one flesh, one stone — fixed on us.

"The fact is, certain men like Droverson need to exist. They function as guard dogs. Few have the courage to face a Rank-C, and as long as that lasted, the hall would remain relatively orderly. But now that you've defeated him, his group's morale will plummet. And when that happens, the hall will become a stage for fights almost every day, as it was in the past."

I understood the logic behind his words. Droverson was like a chronic disease that prevented others from progressing. Still, I didn't know where he was going with this, since it wasn't our problem.

"That's not why I called you here, though." Halmax leaned forward, and his tone of voice grew lower as if he were sharing a secret. "What really matters is that we haven't seen any Rank-B Climbers showing up here at the Association for some time now."

"You used to come more often when there weren't guilds everywhere, offering contractual benefits and fixed salaries... This is a problem for us who run the Climbers Association. We still receive high-rank missions, but we can't assign them to Rank-C Climbers. And coincidentally, I now have a mission on the Third Floor that requires someone of that level."

Rank-B. I had barely gotten used to the idea of reaching that level, and already there was a mission that required exactly that.

"Are you trying to offer me a mission?" I asked, leaning forward as well.

"Honestly, I didn't want to get to this point. I've already requested that the Church send a suitable paladin or hunter, but I haven't received a response yet.

In the meantime, the mission can't wait."

I had already planned to go to the Tower of Babel the next day to fight the First Floor Boss and receive the exclusive reward—a very expensive type of thread. However, things might be different than I imagined... Fighting a Third Floor Boss wouldn't be that difficult for Rosella and me at our current rank.

In the Tower of Babel, humanity advanced the floors together. That meant I wasn't required to defeat the First Floor Boss before moving on to the third. It was just like a rite of passage that showed whether I was ready or not, but if I wanted to pass without fighting, it was possible. All I had to do was wait for another group to defeat the boss, and the chamber would be free for a few hours before the boss respawned and needed to be defeated again.

However, the process of traveling to the first floor boss dungeon, then doing the same on the second and third floors would take several days. Not only would such a long raid be exhausting for Rosella, but it could also take much longer than Halmax was willing to wait.

"With all due respect, Paladin Halmax, we won't be able to help. Neither me nor Rosella. We're still on the first floor. We've only just started, to tell you the truth."

Halmax raised his eyebrows in surprise. Then, to my surprise, the paladin's stern expression broke, giving way to a slight smile at the corner of his mouth—discreet, almost imperceptible.

"Ah... so that's what's worrying you." He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "If that's all, you needn't fear. The Tower is vast, and the Paladins don't rely solely on teleportation stones to traverse the floors. There are safe routes, shorter and more secure paths that we use when we need to move quickly. I can grant you access to one of these passages."

My heart leapt. I had read reports of such routes before—they weren't simple shortcuts, but actual routes maintained by the Church and unknown to most Climbers, including Hunter Ruse. A rare privilege, reserved for those who carried heavy responsibilities.

My mouth opened to respond, but before any words could come out, Rosella pushed her chair back and stood up.

She slammed her hands on the table and exclaimed,

"We accept!"

Her eyes shone with a fire I hadn't seen since I first met her. She then stared at me with an expression of expectation and happiness.

"We accept... right?" she asked, almost breathless, but smiling in a way that made me feel that refusing would be impossible.

For a moment, I thought about the plans I had for myself, but it wouldn't be so bad to take a detour like this. I could get some really cool items on the Third Floor. Besides, when I saw that determination in her eyes, I couldn't help but agree. I slowly nodded my head and let out a brief, knowing smile before waving slightly.

Rosella relaxed her shoulders, as if my approval was the missing piece.

Halmax tapped the table lightly with his fingertips. "Great. But before I say more about the mission, I should at least know the names of those I'm entrusting with this task. It's the least I can do."

"My name is Brandon Shibutani Oneal." I introduced myself formally after standing up.

"And mine is Rosella Tynes." She bowed her head in respect to Halmax.

Halmax's eyes widened for a brief moment when he heard Rosella's surname. He rested a fist on his face and smiled again.

"Tynes, is it? You're a long way from home, girl."

"Yes, sir. A bird must leave the nest to learn to fly." Rosella replied without raising her head or looking directly at Halmax.

Halmax nodded briefly. "I wish the nobles of this kingdom thought that way too. Anyway, now that I know who you are, I can speak bluntly. The mission I'm going to entrust to you isn't just difficult. It's dangerous enough to wipe out an entire Third Floor shelter. Have you heard of the Iruxi?"

I raised an eyebrow, trying to recall. The name was not unfamiliar to me. Before long, I remembered. Iruxis were cold-blooded humanoid lizard creatures that lived in packs, always near sources of stagnant water, such as swamps and ponds.

"They are intelligent monsters," I said.

"It depends.

The Tower treats them as a native race. They are not mindless beasts, nor are they human. They are on the threshold—rational enough to organize ambushes, but cruel enough to feed on living humans. That is why, for us Paladins, although they are not seen as common monsters, they represent a threat that must be eliminated when they begin to organize too much."

"That's exactly why I requested a mission. An entire shelter on the Third Floor was attacked during the last moon. Survivors report that the Iruxi not only looted supplies, but also took people. From what I understand, days later they found only the bones of those people."

A mission of extermination was not just a monster hunt, nor was it an exploration mission. It was a clear order to wipe out an entire race from that territory.

"How many?" Rosella asked.

"At least forty adults, it's estimated. Maybe more. The swamp is vast, full of fog and lakes where they can hide. But it's not just the number that matters. They're organized. They move in packs. A single group can take down even a poorly prepared squad. That's why the missions of the people in the Armored Shelter itself continue to fail."

I took a deep breath and looked up. "And you expect us to go there and do the job?"

"Yes, I want you to locate their stronghold and wipe them all out. Leave no traces. No eggs. No young. The Iruxi reproduce too quickly—if a single pair survives, in a few months we'll have the same problem again."

"Don't underestimate the challenge. I could go personally or try to send a detachment of Paladins, but the Church says that a critical situation like this needs discretion. If it becomes known that an entire shelter almost fell, humanity's confidence will be shaken. You are newbies, you don't attract attention. No one will suspect that you have been given this task, and if you go around talking about it, no one will believe you."

Suddenly, it all made sense. We weren't the ideal choice. We were the convenient choice, especially after he learned who we were.

"We're in," I replied firmly.