[Name: Jay ???
Party: [Erik and Jay]
Title: ???
Level: ???
Current Quest (7/100): Defeat the mutation.
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Exclusive Skill: 6-Hitter
Skills:
1. Appraisal Novice (Level 4)
2. Sword Novice (Level 2)
3. Ice Magic Novice (Level 2)
4. Martial Arts Novice (Level 1)
-----
Endurance: 52
Strength: 50
Speed: 46
Dexterity: 51
Mana: 40
Intelligence: 67
Luck: 23]
Lying on his apartment's couch on a rainy day, Jay stared at his status window, which was missing crucial information about himself. He had cleared six quests so far, so he should have been Level 6, but his status window had censored his level. Not only that, but even his title was blocked.
A title worked similarly to an exclusive skill as it gave the owner a certain ability or boost that could not level up. However, a title could only be obtained by fulfilling certain conditions that were unknown to most people, making them almost as unique as exclusive skills. It was very rare for a beginner to possess a title but seeing his status window block his title made him believe that he had one.
Still, the biggest mystery to Jay was that his last name was censored. Information about age, gender, or origin was left out on the status window due to it apparently only displaying information that was truly relevant for ascending the tower—the name, powers, and stats. However, the name was the thing that was incomplete in Jay's status.
He knew that he was split into different parts. Just a few days ago, he was missing his kindness, which he regained when he also met Luna. Then, did it mean that he was currently missing his last name? Was that missing part living as a person while possessing his full name?
"How in the hell should I find that person...?" Jay grunted, furrowing his eyebrows. He stared at the ceiling before his eyes wandered to the small extra screen beside the status window.
[Your 'parts' are scattered inside the tower.
Completion rate of yourself: 8%]
No matter how often he looked at that small screen, he could not help but be astonished by this weird phenomenon. Jay could still remember how he woke up near the hunting fields, having no clue what was going on. The only thing he could recall was that he was inside the tower and how to live inside it. Anything else, like family, who he was, or other memories, was gone.
Back then, he did not even have an idea what having his parts scattered meant until he coincidentally met Erik during a quest. Although he should have been a beginner like him, he appeared knowledgeable and explained to Jay everything he needed to know. Soon, the two even became good friends and formed a party to ascend the tower together, while hunting for the other Jays.
"I'm back." Erik announced, closing the door behind him. He put his umbrella and shoes away and entered the living room.
"How did it go?" Jay asked indifferently.
"Again, nothing new about that mutation." Erik replied, heaving a heavy sigh. Exhausted, he plopped down on the chair and stretched his legs.
The Messenger gave them their current quest to defeat a mutation, but even after two whole weeks, they had no clue what said mutation was and where it was currently hiding. It was an unknown enemy that could or could not already be near them. The two spent most of their time looking for potential information about it, even reaching out to information brokers. However, they always came back empty-handed.
Fortunately, there was no big penalty if they failed to clear the quest. They would only have to wait for a certain amount of time until they were given a new quest.
"How did it look on your side of things?" Erik asked.
"Didn't find them today either."
However, since Erik sent Jay information about a potential Jay in the Tutorial Section, the two split up. Whereas Erik was searching for the mutation, Jay was busy scouting for the new Jay. Using his appraisal skill, he peeked into the status windows of random people on the streets. Due to its low level, he could only look at their names and levels, and the side effect of using this skill was that people would be aware of being peeked at. Nonetheless, Jay kept activating that skill, as being able to look at names was plenty enough for him.
The moment he saw someone named Jay, he would tail them for a while together with Erik until they confirmed that it was a Jay. For them, it was a Jay if said person was, for example, behaving strangely, or also had no memories.
But another way to look for Jays was to look out for new people who spawned out of nowhere. Contrary to new Challengers coming from outside, they would already have knowledge about the tower and possess stats and skills unnatural for a beginner.
Using the latter method enabled them to find out their current target—the next Jay.
"Based on the information, this one tends to hide from the public, so it's no wonder that you weren't able to find him during the day." Erik said.
"..."
Closing his status windows, Jay gazed outside the window, noticing that the rain was slowly easing. Even the sun started to peek out from behind the gray clouds.
"I think I'll take a walk." he said, lazily getting up from the couch. Jay felt that remaining on the couch, or in the apartment in general, would only make him more sluggish. And because it was still noon, it was a good opportunity to go outside.
"Can you bring some milk when you return?" Erik asked, letting out a yawn. When Jay headed to the door, Erik also stood up, only because he walked toward his bedroom to take a nap.
"Only if I don't forget." Jay replied, tying his shoes. Normally, he would also wear his armor and take his sword with him, but this time he was only going on a short walk.
Jay left the apartment and stepped outside. The rain had almost stopped and now only fell lightly, feeling pleasant on his face. He looked in the direction of the city's castle. Although it was a metropolis, a clean and modern castle still stood at its center.
It was the castle where the section's king resided. It was also the place where the royal knights were training. There was already the Kilgen Police Force, who were responsible for keeping up the order inside the tower, making a knight order feel redundant. However, the section's knights were primarily stationed there to protect and serve the king as his army. Just like the police, the knights obviously helped keep up the order, but their priority was the king.
"Speaking of the knights..." Jay muttered. He recalled that Luna's next quest led her to the castle, as she had to participate in and pass the Royal Knight Selection. It was an event held twice a year and was meant to select potential candidates for their ranks. Many people actually took part in that event, as some of them had given up on ascending the tower or searched for an alternative to make a living inside the tower.
Erik and Jay were also involved with the royal knights a few quests ago, but they were lucky enough that they did not have to go through the selection event. After all, it contained hellish training under even harsher conditions.
Jay smiled at the thought of having evaded that event; however, he unconsciously began to head toward the castle.
During the week-long event, people could enter the castle's gate and spectate. Of course, they were thoroughly checked by other knights before entering. They would, for example, check for weapons and make visitors wear an arm ring—an item used by the police and knights that temporarily sealed a person's skills.
"Thought so..." Jay huffed with a wry smile. He stood before the castle, but because it was already late, the event was over for today, meaning that one could not enter anymore.
And even if the gate was open, Jay doubted that he would dare to go inside. After all, he had to show the knights his status window, and he was sure that they would not allow him in despite his having no weapons and his skills being restricted. It was enough to see his suspicious status window to deny his entry.
Jay gazed at the large grid-formed metal gate. While most candidates returned home, there were still a few who stayed behind. Some continued to train on their own, while others talked with each other.
"You reacted to my name today, didn't you...?"
"W-what are you talking about? Don't c-come closer!"
Initially, Jay planned on turning back, but he suddenly heard a familiar voice. And based on the tone of the conversation, it was definitely not a pleasant one.
"You're suspicious. Are you perhaps also a Jay?"
Clinging to the metal bars of the castle's gate, Jay tried to look closely.
"N-no! I'm-"
Jay spotted the people in question. His gaze immediately fell on the huge middle-aged man. He raised his sword slowly while he was talking to the more frail-looking person in front of him.
"Hey! Help her!" Jay yelled, signaling the present people on the training grounds to stop the lunatic.
"Who's that?" the man grunted, glaring at Jay. His sword was still in the air, and despite all the people rushing toward him to stop his action, he ignored them.
The sound of metal clashing was drowned in the sea of people's screams. The person who was the man's target managed to hold up their spear in a last-minute attempt to block it, but they were still sent flying and crashed right into the castle's gate—in front of Jay.
"Hey! Are you alright! Hey!" Jay shouted, shaking the metal bars separating the two.
"J-Jay...?" the person called out his name. It was also the moment when Jay recognized the person's identity. He had previously heard the voice but had not been certain if it was really that person. But now that they were lying in front of him with wounds and a broken spear, he was sure.
"Luna!"
"Heh, it didn't take longer than a day for us to see each other again..." she joked weakly. Luna was fully armored, as it was a condition for the Royal Knight Selection. Furthermore, she was wielding a spear instead of a dagger.
"Someone! Open the gates!" Jay yelled, unable to see Luna like that and not being able to help.
However, when he looked over to the others, his eyes widened.
"What the..."
Everyone was on the floor. They were motionless. Only the huge man was still standing with his sword stained in blood. As he walked over to the gate, the blood on his sword dripped on the soil, leaving a trace behind.
The man's gray hair reached his shoulders. His black eyes appeared void, only emitting coldness from them. His beard was stubbly and hid some scars on his sharp face. Unlike other candidates, he did not wear armor, showing off his old clothes that had both dirt and blood—be it old or new blood—on it.
He operated the gate's system, causing it to open up slowly.
"You are..." he began to mutter. However, he stopped mid-way and just grinned. Without asking, he had a feeling he knew who Jay was.
With Luna at his feet, the man stood before Jay. The gate was lifted to Jay's hip.
"We both have an assumption about who the other one is. Want to confirm?" Jay said. He was tense and nervous at the same time. Luna was suffering from the pain caused by the man, and yet, Jay did not feel hatred toward the man. For a short moment, he wondered why until he came to the same conclusion whenever he felt something was missing in him.
"You want to use the appraisal skill?" the man huffed, scratching his chin.
It was, without a doubt, an unfavorable situation for Jay. His opponent was in a different weight class than him and wielded a weapon, whereas Jay did not have a weapon or armor on him. It was also pointless to call for help, as they had already been dealt with by the man.
However, Jay could not let the man go. Not because he hurt Luna and others, but because he was the target he was searching for. The man was the one who was hiding himself, barely leaving anything of himself behind.
"..."
The two stared at each other and simultaneously activated their appraisal skill.
[Name: Jay ???
Level: ???]
[Name: Jay ???
Level: ???]
"So you're indeed me, huh?" the man remarked, amused.
"And sadly, you're also me." Jay replied sternly.
The metal gate was now up, letting nothing separate the two Jays anymore.