The soft sound of rain on the car windows echoed gently through the half-silent cabin, like an old whisper.
Streetlights passed by the windows, casting flickering light across the seats and their faces. The seats were soft, the air pleasant, and there was a faint scent of new leather.
Daniel sat in the back seat, hands in his pockets, eyes on the road. Next to him, Naya sat calmly, her elbow resting on the window and her fingers touching the cold glass.
Opposite that heavy silence, the driver with a stern face and dark sunglasses drove with full focus. He hadn't said a word since they got in.
"Just woke up?" Naya said out of nowhere.
"My awakening happened two days ago, but why are you asking like that?" Daniel paused for a moment. He wasn't ready for a question like that.
"Well, to be honest, you don't look sixteen. It's rare to see someone awaken at seventeen or eighteen," Naya said, her eyes filled with curious light.
"Well, it was kind of surprising for me too," Daniel chuckled a little.
"If that's the case, then you probably don't know much about the Tower, right?"
"Actually, I do know some things about it."
"Oh? How?" Her tone became even more curious. If Daniel awakened at eighteen, then he shouldn't know much about the Tower.
"My sister is an Awakened. She told me about it."
"I see… so, how much do you know?"
"Ten floors. It appeared five centuries ago… the floors are like some kind of test for the Awakened… and well, those who climb get stronger. It's like a source of global power, right?" Daniel took his eyes off the window and replied with a bit of hesitation.
Naya's smile stretched slightly.
"That's just the surface. Most people only see that part. If that's what your sister told you, then I guess she hasn't entered the Tower yet."
Daniel raised an eyebrow.
"So… there's more to it?"
Naya turned her gaze back to the window, like she was trying to describe something bigger than herself.
"Have you heard of the Sky Land?"
"A bit. That from the second floor and up, there's a different world… something like a central hub or global lobby?"
"Exactly." Naya's tone was now more serious. "It's called the Sky Land. A world where Earth's rules don't apply. No government, no army, no official organizations. The only thing that holds power there… is raw power."
Daniel was staring at her. Naya continued:
"There are other races that had access from the start. Elves, half-dragons, others. There are guilds there that hold entire continents in their grasp. Politics, trade, power… it all begins there."
Daniel nodded. That part, he already knew.
Naya gave a mysterious smile.
"That's why I say most people only see the surface of the Tower. The second floor is a gate… many people don't even care about climbing. They just go there to live, to trade, or to walk on the edges of power."
"As humans grew stronger, the Sky Land also became more dangerous. Especially in recent decades, when the Guardian Council stopped paying much attention to the world. A lot of monopolies were formed there by humans."
"And?" Daniel didn't know what this girl was trying to get at. The only part that caught his interest was when she said the Guardian Council no longer paid attention to the world.
But why?
"Being alone in the Sky Land is dangerous. Isn't it better to join a guild?" Naya said with a beautiful smile on her face.
Daniel was stunned for a moment by her beauty, but quickly pulled himself together.
"I've thought about joining a guild, but first, I want to conquer the first floor of the Tower."
It wasn't that he didn't plan to join a guild, but he didn't want his freedom to be restricted.
That's why he wanted to observe the situation and experience things first. If he saw that surviving without a guild in the Sky Land and Tower wasn't possible, he'd definitely join one.
Besides, with his class, he wasn't too worried. His class rank was Transcendent, probably the only one of its kind in the world.
With such a class, the best guilds would do anything to recruit him.
"Hehe, I get it… but if one day you decide to join a guild, make sure you consider Everlight Moon first, okay?" Naya said sweetly.
Her words sparked something in Daniel's mind.
Everlight Moon Guild? One of the top three guilds in the country.
This guild was founded by one of the few former S-rank Awakened in the country, and it's been more than three centuries since its establishment.
It wouldn't be wrong to say that it's one of the most powerful guilds on the entire continent—and even in the world.
And then he remembered where he had heard the word Everlight before. But why did this girl have the same last name as the guild's name?
Could it be…? But why would a girl like her be in this city? Shouldn't she be in the capital right now?
A moment of silence passed between them. Only the sound of rain and the tires whining on the asphalt could be heard.
Just when he was about to ask the questions forming in his head, a beautiful female voice echoed in his ears.
Naya smiled and pointed to a house they were approaching.
"Well… this your house? I guess we've arrived."