After finishing the preliminary survey of the Gazenran Tower’s first floor, Kousuke and the others began preparations for conquering the tower that same day.
However, “preparations” was a bit of a stretch. Since they had been traveling through forests until a few days prior, they didn’t need to make any significant purchases.
If anything, it was just to replenish consumables.
After buying such items, they proceeded as planned (or perhaps not?) to wander around town searching for a good meal.
Though “searching” was also an exaggeration, as they had no specific target and were just going with the flow.
What Kousuke found to his liking during this “wandering” was something akin to a crepe.
Unfortunately, the dough itself wasn’t sweet, but the fruits piled on top provided ample sweetness.
Since he couldn’t easily enjoy sweet things while traveling, he was able to savor it in that sense as well.
After enjoying Seichun’s Town in that manner, they returned to their inn to rest and regain their strength for the conquest planned for the next day and beyond.
Regarding the inn, instead of requesting a refund, they decided to leave the payment as is.
While it would be a waste if they decided to camp inside the tower overnight, being without an inn upon returning to town would be far more problematic.
Many adventurers also adopt the practice of long-term stays to secure their rooms.
If one dislikes this, they either try their luck with last-minute availability or quickly rent a house.
For establishing a guild, a base of operations, a “home,” is also necessary. Unfortunately, in Seichun, a guild is only recognized from the 21st floor of the Gazenran Tower.
Only after graduating from the beginner class are adventurers deemed qualified to establish a guild.
This is a cumbersome system for individuals like Kousuke who already possess considerable strength, but it does have its meaning.
Someone who has cleared the 20th floor of the Gazenran Tower is recognized as a skilled individual, at least on the West Continent.
A guild formed at that point would naturally gain a certain level of recognition.
For Seichun, the location at the foot of the Gazenran Tower, it’s not entirely disadvantageous for adventurers considering forming a guild.
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With preparations complete, Kousuke and the others began their conquest of the Gazenran Tower.
Nana seemed a bit restless, her demeanor somewhat unsettled.
Perhaps she sensed an atmosphere within the tower similar to that of the Amamiya Tower.
“Nana. It’s good to be excited, but don’t get too carried away.”
“Wafu!”
In response to Kousuke’s admonition, Nana replied as if to say, “Of course!”
It seemed his warning was unnecessary.
Kouhi and Mitsuki watched this exchange between the person and the beast, laughing.
It was a scene as familiar as any other, a typical day.
The conquest of the Gazenran Tower, which then commenced, could be described as a routine event for Kousuke and his companions.
The Gazenran Tower was approximately four-fifths the size of the Amamiya Tower.
Considering this, its height could be estimated at around eighty floors, though this was not definitively known.
It would likely remain unknown for quite some time.
This was because Kousuke and his party had no intention of conquering it to the very end.
The current objective for Kousuke and his companions in tackling the Gazenran Tower was solely to establish a guild and increase their influence within Seichun.
Naturally, clearing the tower would boost their influence, but it would also bring about greater complications.
Moreover, forming a guild was not for Kousuke’s own sake but for Crown’s.
Kousuke had no intention of burdening himself with new troubles.
Once the guild grew to a certain extent, he planned to hand it over to Crown and be done with it.
In furtherance of Kousuke’s intentions, the party made steady progress in conquering the tower.
This time, with people watching, they had no intention of conquering it at the breakneck speed they had achieved in the Holy Demon Tower or the Four Elements Tower.
That being said, they were still clearing about one and a half floors per day, which was a speed unbecoming of newcomers who had just acquired their cards.
However, this pace was not impossible for someone with a certain level of skill, so they likely wouldn’t attract undue attention.
Or so Kousuke thought casually at the time.
It would be only after completing this conquest that he would be left regretting his naive assessment.
Unable to predict such future events, Kousuke and his companions continued to conquer the tower’s floors day by day.
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Half a month after Kousuke and the others entered the Gazenran Tower, no major incidents occurred, and they safely reached the 21st floor.
There was nothing particularly noteworthy about the journey up to the 21st floor.
If anything, it was perhaps the appearance of monsters of a different kind than those found in the Amamiya Tower.
Furthermore, they were different from the monsters found in the vicinity of Seichun’s Town.
In terms of monster rank, they were all beginner class, so they posed no challenge to Kousuke and his companions.
Thus, Kousuke and his party had leisurely progressed through the tower’s floors for half a month.
Of course, this was from their subjective perspective.
Upon reaching the 21st floor, Kousuke and the others headed towards the teleportation gate in the center of the floor, which led outside.
The shortcut teleportation gates, located every five floors, were situated in the center of each floor.
Having reached their destination gate, Kousuke and the others used their cards to teleport back to the first floor with their carriage.
“Oh. We’re really back.”
Kousuke, who had experienced this many times in the Amamiya Tower, exclaimed in awe.
“That’s right. It’s interesting when you experience it like this,” Mitsuki added, implicitly conveying that it was different from experiencing it in other towers.
Kouhi, standing beside her, nodded in agreement, indicating that indeed, there was a different feeling compared to the Amamiya Tower.
Exactly what that feeling was, however, they couldn’t articulate.
Although the tower’s entrance was wide enough for carriages, some adventurers, anticipating a prolonged stay, also arrived by carriage.
Consequently, the entrance could become congested with carriages entering and exiting the tower.
The congestion was particularly severe in the early morning, when many adventurers entered, and in the evening, when many returned. Kousuke and the others happened to be attempting to leave during such a peak time.
With no other option, they patiently joined the queue to wait for their turn. Suddenly, a voice was heard from beneath their carriage.
“Ah, you returned today?”
Upon hearing the female voice, Kousuke, who happened to be driving the carriage, looked towards the source of the sound and saw a familiar woman.
It was the same woman who had processed their application when they created their cards to enter the Gazenran Tower.
“Yes. We managed to reach our target floor, so we’ve returned. But how did you remember us?”
Kousuke had assumed it was just a one-time process for creating a card and hadn’t expected to be remembered.
However, the woman’s expression became slightly complex when Kousuke said this.
“Well, it’s hard to forget if you’re accompanied by two such beautiful women, wouldn’t you say?”
“Ah, ah, I see. Well, speaking of which, what are you doing here?”
To change the subject, Kousuke asked about something that had piqued his curiosity.
“Part of our duty involves managing the queues like this. After all, unexpected troubles can occur.”
“Oh, really? I see.”
Kousuke had assumed it was left to the personal discretion of each adventurer, but it was surprisingly well-managed.
Given the effort they were putting in, the registration fee paid when creating the cards felt justified.
Of course, even with such management, there would still be those who acted foolishly.
Just like what was happening before their eyes at that moment.
“By the way, is that alright?”
“That? W-what? I’m, I’m sorry. I’ll go check.”
The female staff member said this and headed towards the burgeoning situation.
Upon closer inspection, Kousuke noticed several other individuals who appeared to be staff members gathered there as well.
Seeing this, Kousuke was impressed by how thoroughly the operation was managed.
Since the tower conquest ended as readily as usual, I wrote the latter part with the intention of depicting a glimpse of the operational staff’s daily life.
Incidentally, the guild that issues the cards does not control the tower; they merely utilize the established system for creating tower access cards to conduct their business.
Given the nature of their work, they typically uphold principles of fairness and impartiality.
Their organization functions much like a public guild.
