"You think you can get out of here within one minute?" the policewoman doubted Erik, who was wearing a confident smirk. She glanced at the trio's handcuffs and observed their demeanor. They were mostly relaxed—aside from Luna Park, who was sweating bullets from the pressure.
"Then, let me see you try." she huffed, certain it was impossible for them to escape under these conditions. However, she soon came to regret it.
Erik's grin widened before he uttered the following name.
"Alice Kilgen."
One minute later.
"W-we really did it..." Luna murmured, both flabbergasted and impressed. Like a zombie, she followed behind the laid-back young men, who were already discussing what they should grab for dinner.
Luna looked back at the police station one last time, only to see the policewoman throwing a tantrum. She had been adamant about chasing them down with her sword, but her colleagues held her back.
"E-Erik, right...?"
"Yes, you want to say something?"
"Ehm... Who is Alice Kilgen? And why did they release us so easily...?" Luna asked sheepishly. She was still vigilant toward the two, but at the same time, she wanted to know what just happened inside the interrogation room. She may have been present and listened, but she did not comprehend a single thing.
Even Jay turned to Erik, waiting for an explanation.
"Well... Let's say that we're acquaintances..." Erik replied awkwardly, clearly searching for the right words before settling for a vague answer.
Obviously, Luna was not satisfied with that answer. Remaining clueless, she stared at Erik as if she was still waiting for his answer.
"Jay and I were about to go grab some food. How about accompanying us? We can then tell you everything you want to know calmly." he suggested with a lit-up face.
After hesitating for one moment, Luna accepted the invitation, and before she knew it, she found herself at a high-class restaurant. In her previous world, Luna never went to such a restaurant, thus marking her first time. The restaurant was spacious and decorated elegantly. And despite the space, only a few guests were present, making it pleasantly calm with classical music playing in the background.
"W-won't we stick out in our clothes...?" Luna whispered nervously as she fidgeted around. While the other guests wore high-quality dresses or suits, the trio were still wearing the clothes they had worn when they went to the hunting fields. Especially Jay must have stood out due to the blood on his white clothes.
"Don't worry about these small details, haha!" Erik laughed, truly not caring about the dress code.
Luna looked around and saw that nobody cared about them. Then again, she asked herself why exactly they went to such a place. Were Erik and Jay actually some rich men? People from the upper class?
"I chose this place because we can talk here in peace without anyone overhearing or interrupting us." Erik stated when the food came to their table.
"Can you read minds...?" Luna responded, a chill running down her spine.
"Creepy, right?" Jay chuckled.
Erik cleared his throat.
"Now then, let me teach you about the tower, Luna. That's why we're here, correct?" Erik said, his tone turning stern.
"Yes." Luna replied, giving a firm nod. Although the food's aromatic smell entered her nose, she was craving more for Erik's information.
"For starters, you need to remember these two terms." Erik began, putting up two fingers.
"Challengers and Conquerors."
Luna heard the term Challenger before. She recalled that Jay welcomed her as a so-called Challenger when they entered the hunting fields.
"I assume that you've entered the Whispering Tower from outside, so that you could get your wish granted. In order to have a wish fulfilled, one has to ascend the tower by clearing 100 quests. With that being said, people like us who're trying to clear the quests are called Challengers."
Erik glanced at Jay.
"Conquerors, in turn, are those who successfully cleared 100 quests and received their wish." Jay said. His expression clouded before he continued.
"There aren't many Conquerors, but if there were any, then they're most likely a member of a Conqueror Family."
"C-Conqueror Family...?"
"These are one of the strongest factions inside the tower. It's said that they're the descendants of the first Conquerors ever recorded. Of course, there are other families here who match this description, but a family is called a Conqueror Family because they possess tremendous power. It's better to stay out of their way if you want to avoid trouble."
"One of the current seven Conqueror Families is the Kilgen Family." Erik mentioned.
Luna recognized the name. It was the family name of the person whom Erik mentioned to the police.
"Alice Kilgen, our acquaintance, happened to be the only daughter of the family head." Erik added, picking up on Luna's reaction to the name.
"Not only does a family possess a trait that makes them special, but they are also active in society, running either an essential business or contributing greatly in other ways. The Kilgen Family, for example, specializes in swords and acts as the police force inside the tower."
Luna was speechless. Everything the two told her was a foreign concept in the world outside of the tower. It was unimaginable for certain families to have so much power and influence.
"Luna." Jay called her out. He stared at her with concern in his eyes.
"Are you sure you want to climb the tower? Like I said, there aren't many Conquerors, meaning that only a small percentage can get their wishes granted." he asked.
It was unknown what kind of quests awaited Luna. She did not know how dangerous it could be or how long it could take. Nonetheless...
"I want to climb the tower!" she replied firmly. Everyone had their own circumstances and wishes. Like Luna had her wish, Erik and Jay had theirs, too. It was difficult for others to truly understand each other. Having the two understand her at this point in time would prove to be another challenge.
"I see."
Jay seemed like he wanted to convince her otherwise, but seeing the determination in her eyes, he could not do so.
"Anyways... Are you guys planning to touch your food?" Erik wondered, pointing out that neither of them had taken a bite yet, whereas Erik was almost done.
Upon his remark, the two began to devour their lukewarm food. And after Jay had to pay, they left the establishment.
Luna looked at the dark sky. Without her noticing, almost a whole day had passed since she entered the Whispering Tower. And yet, it felt like weeks had passed. So much happened to her. She managed to witness the Whispering Tower in the Southern Ocean, got thrown into the world inside said tower, met Jay, saw Jay getting beheaded, met Erik and Jay, was taken into custody by the police, and now she was here.
So much information flooded her that she had more trouble digesting it than the food she had just eaten.
"Should we head back, Jay?"
"You can go first. I'll guide Luna to the dorms."
"Dorms?"
Now that she thought about it, she did not have a place to stay the night. Maybe she could book a cheap place for today with the little money she had left. However, this was a new world. Would they accept the money?
"What's wrong, Luna? You look like you've just seen a ghost." Jay remarked.
"New people are automatically assigned to a dorm without having to pay for a week. I'll take you there."
"Then, I'll head back first." Erik said, after letting out a yawn and waving Luna goodbye.
Thus, it was only Jay and Luna, with Luna following behind Jay. It was silent. Neither of those two spoke a word, nor was anyone else around them.
"We're almost there." Jay said.
"Yes..." Luna responded softly.
She was not nervous because she was alone with a guy at night. It was because Jay was the biggest mystery to her. She did not know anything about Erik and Jay, especially the latter one. He was the guy who killed the other Jay and acted like he was the same person.
"Just who are yo-"
Luna shut her mouth with her hands after accidentally blurting her thoughts out loud.
"Erik and I? We're Challengers who just happened to meet each other while doing quests a while ago." Jay replied.
"No... That's not it..." Luna muttered. Jay answered her question, but it was not what she meant. Digging deeper into things may appear rude, and she knew it. But she still felt frustrated. They may have known each other for less than a day, and yet, she did not want to be kept in the dark. She wanted to know what happened to the Jay who approached her when she just appeared inside the tower.
The two of them halted, with Jay turning around for the first time during their walk.
"Showing my status window may be too early, so I hope that you can believe me if I just say it." he began, while scratching his cheek with his finger.
"My case seems to be a bit special, you see..."
"Hm?"
"A few weeks ago, I woke up in the hunting fields, but I had no idea how I got there and why I was there."
Luna was furrowing her brows, trying to get a gist of his story.
"Rather..."
Then, she realized it.
"It appears like I have lost most of my memories..." Jay confessed, laughing awkwardly.
But that was not all.
"Well, not just memories... I don't know how to explain it. I... I lost parts of me, too."
"W-what...?"
Luna was dumbfounded. She understood that he suffered from memory loss, but...
He lost parts of himself?
"Apparently, multiple parts of my original self were scattered across the tower, each having taken on a different form and possessing a certain trait or memory of me."
"H-how is that possible?"
"I don't know. That's also one of the reasons I'm climbing the tower." Jay said, sharpening his gaze at the night sky.
"I don't know how many versions of myself are inside the tower, but I want to hunt them all and become whole again."
Clearing 100 quests would allow Jay to wish to become whole, but it was necessary for him to actually clear them all. There was also the option of searching for all his parts himself during his conquest. However, finding them all could prove to be more time-consuming and dependent on his luck.
"Then, does that mean that the Jay I knew was also a part of you...?"
"Yes. When I killed that version of me, I also absorbed the memories." Jay explained. His face was slightly flushed as he recalled that version's personality and appearance—a complete contrast to his current looks.
"So she isn't... dead...?"
"That Jay continues as a part of me."
Hearing that, Luna folded, sitting on the cold street.
"Thank goodness...!" she sighed in relief.
"You must have really liked me if you care so much after knowing me for just a day." Jay chuckled, offering his hand to her.
"Don't say it like that! It only leads to misunderstandings with your current appearance!" Luna told him off, embarrassingly taking his hand to get up.
"..."
Jay smiled at her.
"W-what?"
Luna was annoyed by his smile, but at the same time, her cheeks were still slightly red.
"Thanks for believing me."
"Hold on, are you implying that it's just a prank? If yes, then I won't hesitate to slap the sh-"
"Not many people would believe it if someone said that they were split into different parts and people. So thank you."
She could not look at his sincere face, so Luna averted her gaze shyly.
"L-let's go... You said that the dorm was nearby, r-right?" she said, walking ahead.
Jay's smile did not fade away even after he took her to her dorms and returned to his own place.
"You look happy. Did something happen between you two?"
Erik sat on the couch in the living room, scrolling through his phone. But without looking away from the screen, he could tell that Jay was in a good mood.
"Nothing happened." Jay replied playfully, not intending to tell the truth. He took off his armor and headed to the shower.
It was a small and clean apartment for two people. There were hardly any furniture or decorations. It was kept to the bare minimum—almost as if the apartment was meant for a short stay.
"Is that so?"
Although he asked first, Erik lost interest quickly.
"By the way, what kind of Jay did you get today?"
"..."
Jay glanced at Erik while he was unbuttoning his shirt.
"It was a kind Jay." Jay responded, sounding guilty.
"I see."
He was determined to hunt down every scattered version of himself. But to reclaim them, he had to kill them. And the more innocent they were, the harder it was for Jay to kill them.
"?"
Suddenly, Jay's phone received a message.
"What did you send me this time?" he asked Erik.
"Information about someone who could possibly be another Jay."
Erik sounded more tired than usual.
"However, this time it could be a lot more troublesome."