Ji-su emerged with a suit, a cane and a top hat. His outfit was like those worn during the Valedictorian era. Pristine and elegant to a T.
Im-hee clapped as he walked in. His brother, on the other hand, couldn't help but roll his eyes.
Jang-book smiled, and Min-ho found himself grinning as well.
Sae-wee somehow also offered a smile—though faint, but a smile nonetheless.
Im-hee walked up to him, then began to circle him.
"You look great," Im-hee complimented.
Ji-su felt a bit awkward, but he thanked her.
"Who's going next?" Ji-su asked at the same time his brother stood and made his way to the bathhouse.
He said nothing to anyone as he made his way for the bathhouse, shutting the massive door behind him.
Everyone stared at the door for a moment.
"You made a great choice," Im-hee said, breaking the tension in the room.
Ji-su smiled, his cheeks turning red.
"Was the cane really necessary though?" Jang-book criticized as he walked in on them.
"I think it definitely was," Im-hee defended with a smile on her face.
"I don't know, it feels…"
"Jang-book," Min-ho called out, his footsteps echoing throughout the hall as he walked up the steps.
"What is it?" Jang-book asked as Min-ho reached him.
"Can we talk for a moment?" Min-ho replied.
Jang-book looked at Min-ho with a scrutinizing stare for a moment, but didn't question him. He just followed quietly.
After creating a little distance from the others, Jang-book spoke up.
"What's this about?" he asked.
Min-ho hesitated, then he came to a stop once they were about ten feet away from the others.
"I wanted to talk about our upcoming journey to Heart."
"Is this about the distance again?" Jang-book placed both hands in his pockets.
"It is," Min-ho responded.
"Do you have a plan in mind?"
"I do."
"Well, what is it?"
Min-ho paused.
"For us to be able to survive this, we need to grow in strength, which means either killing Spectors or taking on Events."
"I got that much."
"Yes, but we can't do either without being slowed down."
"So what's the alternative?" Jang-book asked.
Min-ho paused once again.
"I was thinking that maybe you could help the team grow faster."
Jang-book frowned, trying to process what Min-ho had just said.
"So you want me to kill Third Tier Spectors and give the Coins to someone else?" Jang-book deduced.
Min-ho ran his hand through his hair.
"Yes, that's pretty much it," he responded, dreading what Jang-book would say.
"I'm no mathematician, but I don't think I'd be able to kill that many Spectors before we start running into higher-ranked ones."
Min-ho paused, his relief overshadowed by astonishment. Jang-book had gone in a direction he had least expected.
In Min-ho's mind, he couldn't help but be astonished by how Jang-book behaved and what he prioritized.
"I…" he stumbled over his words. "I thought that as well, but if we could somehow push through, there'd be two Second Tier in our ranks. Which in turn would help the rest of us grow that much faster."
"This is to say that we don't run into Second Tier Spectors, right?"
"I was getting to that," Min-ho said, and Jang-book listened. "I was thinking we could slow our pace a bit."
Jang-book's frown deepened.
"Doing that would only set us back," Jang-book said, genuinely confused at Min-ho's reasoning.
"If we managed to get up to two Second Tier in our ranks, then we'll be able to make up for lost time very quickly. The distance wouldn't be that much of a problem if we could bring down Spectors in seconds."
Jang-book folded his arms.
"That's quite the gamble."
"I know," Min-ho said, pinching his nose. "But we don't have any other options. It's our best bet."
Jang-book exhaled.
"How many Spectors do I have to kill a day?" he asked.
Min-ho hesitated.
"Around fifty—more if you can do it."
"You think I can do fifty?" Jang-book questioned.
Min-ho froze, blinking a couple of times.
"You killed over fifty back at the Event."
"That was different. There were over fifty Z-Streamers out there. Distracting, watching my back, so on."
"Then we'll help you distract the Spectors. We'll all contribute. I just need you to say yes." He paused. "We can't do this without you."
Jang-book hesitated.
"It's not like I have a choice."
Min-ho practically exhaled.
"But this had better work." Jang-book lifted his index finger at Min-ho's face as he spoke. "I'm not dying out here because some idiot made a bad decision."
"It's going to work."
CREAK!
The massive door opened, revealing Dok-su.
He emerged with a simple sweater and blue trousers.
"It's your turn. Hurry up so we can hit the road," Dok-su said, not willing to entertain Im-hee's compliments.
Min-ho turned to Jang-book. He nodded and made his way to the bathhouse.
Once he reached Sae-wee, she followed and asked, "What did he say?"
"He said he'll do it," he responded. Sae-wee felt a weight lift off her heart upon hearing this.
"That's good," she said, stopping at the door.
Min-ho also likewise stopped, then turned to face Sae-wee.
"I just hope we're not making a mistake," Min-ho whispered, voicing his concerns.
"We're not," Sae-wee said, her reassurance greatly easing the tension rising within Min-ho.
"Tell Jang-book to relay the information to the others. Decide amongst yourselves who will be the first to get all the Coins," Min-ho said.
"I understand," Sae-wee replied. Then he walked in, forgetting to close the door behind him. Not that it mattered.
Some time later, Min-ho emerged from the bathhouse.
He too was now sporting a new outfit, finally completing their set of freshly showered Z-Streamers.
As he walked out, all eyes were now on him. He had purchased a rather simple but sleek outfit. An inner shirt, a designer jacket with its arms folded up to his elbow, and a pair of trousers—all in black.
He looked neat, regal, and very handsome in this moment. While Im-hee and Ji-su praised him, Jang-book huffed, and Dok-su remained indifferent.
Sae-wee, on the other hand, found her gaze lingering on him a bit too long.
She only managed to regain herself with a small cough when he had reached them.
"Dok-su will be the first to get the Coins," she said, ducking her gaze.
Min-ho turned to Dok-su, while wondering if he was the right choice.
There was nothing to be done about it now.
"Okay," he called his Z-Eye into his hands. "Has everyone purchased the Commoner's Armor?" he asked while willing his Z-Eye to life.
Everyone gave the same responses of confirmation.
"What about weapons?" he added as he watched his Z-Eye come to life. The glow from the glass center spread across the spiraling lines making up the bulk of its spherical body.
It began to float as the numbers above it slowly appeared.
"I have what I need," Sae-wee said. The others followed along, confirming that they had acquired their preferred weapon of choice.
He turned to the group, which had now converged behind him.
"Then it's time to go," Min-ho said. "Make sure to watch each other's backs, and be on high alert. We're going to take on whatever the Tower throws at us. And we're going to survive this—no matter what."