Ascending the tower with my SSS class

In the end, things had turned out in a way Uriel did not want. Even now, he lamented Ininise’s situation; there was simply nothing he could do for her as she was now.

He had given in regarding her, but he still hadn’t given up. There had to be some way to at least convince the other Ininise to let her take control of the body again. But for now, his mission was the top priority; at least, in theory, the Ininise he knew would be fine.

Uriel’s steps were heavy on his way back; he carried far too many worries.

Even the other members of his group didn’t seem interested in bringing back the original Ininise; in fact, they accepted the situation with open arms—Kaelira, for example. Uriel didn’t understand it, and he didn’t want to.

But now he had another mission. Ininise, surprisingly, had joined his team herself, under the excuse that she needed to repay in some way the kindness Uriel had shown by defending her—though they were already even after the help they gave him in bringing him back and finding him a good place to stay.

There were still two more spots left in his group. Of course, he thought of the other members of Ininise’s group, especially Malach and Kaelira, but Ininise refused, leaving them in charge of the Church of the Eleventh Finger while she was away.

Uriel only knew two more people: Vladimir and Anastasia. Although it bothered him to ask something of people who had already helped him once, he had no other choice. It’s not like he had many contacts in this place; besides, they had left a strong impression on him.

He approached the door leading to their house and knocked for them to open it.

No one answered. The door opened on its own, so Uriel assumed Anastasia or Vladimir had opened it and were too tired to say anything. It wasn’t unusual to do that.

Uriel stepped inside confidently when, suddenly, a small fist struck his chest. The force behind the blow was mediocre at best, so Uriel didn’t even move from where he stood.

When he lowered his head, he saw the culprit who had committed the act of violence against him.

Anastasia smiled mischievously.

"It’s a shame my class focuses on intelligence; if it were a close-combat class, I would’ve already kicked your ass, Comrade Uriel."

Uriel smiled back in response; he found the little joke somewhat amusing and endearing.

"You forgot to give me a key."

"Keys are bourgeois instruments, made to keep the working class away from their comrades."

Honestly, he didn’t know what to say. Bourgeois? What the hell was that? He felt like he had heard of it in school, but he pushed it to the back of his mind, into the place where he kept things that didn’t matter to him.

"What are you talking about? You have one, don’t you?"

"Of course I do. If I didn’t, who knows how many thieves would be roaming around here. Do you think I’m stupid, Comrade Uriel?"

Anastasia’s expression suggested she was somewhat annoyed by Uriel’s interruption.

"What? But I... ah, forget it. Can I come in?"

"Yes, of course, Comrade Uriel. Come in, make yourself comfortable."

Uriel couldn’t help but sigh. This person was crazy, but she was truly beautiful in every sense. Was everyone attractive on the climbers’ side like this?

Inside, Uriel found Vladimir tending to what seemed to be a small fireplace; however, he paused for a moment to greet Uriel with a wave.

Anastasia, on the other hand, chose to settle into a comfortable spot and resume reading her strange book.

Was this the right moment to ask them?

"Guys, I need your help."

Both Vladimir and Anastasia stopped what they were doing for a few seconds and gave Uriel their attention.

"And what might that be, Comrade Uriel?"

Vladimir simply watched as the conversation continued.

"I’m forming a new group to venture into the second zone."

Anastasia looked up at the ceiling, lost in thought for a few moments.

"I suppose if you’re asking us this after leaving, it’s because you’ve already found more people to join us, right, Comrade Uriel? Who are the others?"

Uriel nodded; it was only fair to tell them who the others were.

"One of them is Miguel, and the other is a friend of mine; her name is Ininise. She’s one of those people with horns and tails."

Anastasia observed him for a few moments—or at least it seemed that way—because suddenly she began muttering to herself under her breath, her gaze lost in the void.

But then, a voice broke both of their contemplations.

"I’ll go."

The man named Vladimir stood up from the floor; his imposing height made him look like a giant.

"Mmmmh... do you really want to go back that badly?"

Vladimir nodded at Anastasia’s words.

"Ahhh... Well, if Comrade Vladimir wants to go, I’d be the worst teammate in the world if I didn’t go with him. Well then, Comrade Uriel, count us in. But what is all this about?"

Uriel searched for the best way to explain the situation as clearly as possible so they would both understand without much difficulty.

"It’s about finding something that will allow us to break through the floor boss’s defenses."

Anastasia’s eyes lit up with excitement.

"Damn it, Comrade Uriel, why didn’t you start with that? HAHAHA. Count us in. Truth be told, we have a couple of scores to settle with those two bastards; of course we’ll help you, isn’t that right, Vladimir?"

Vladimir said nothing, but his clenched fists and his gaze showed he was ready to kill anything that stood in his way.

"Well, now we’re a team." Uriel needed to know what kind of classes these new members had. "Guys, what can you do?"

Anastasia looked at Uriel and, suddenly, bent one of her fingers perfectly backward in a way that seemed impossible.

"What are you doing?" Uriel couldn’t help but ask out loud.

Anastasia blinked rapidly. "What? Oooh, you meant our classes? Sorry, Comrade Uriel."

Uriel was fully aware that this girl was doing it on purpose. Was she getting back at him for his little joke earlier?

"You see, Comrade Uriel, don’t be afraid, but I am a Necromancer."