Arjun bent down and grabbed the blue monkey's tail.
"Wait," Divya said, watching him drag the corpse through the grass. "What are you planning to do with that?"
"Food. Materials. " Arjun replied without hesitation. "We don't know what has value yet. Leaving it behind feels wasteful."
The man who had been silently observing them—a lean figure with travel-worn clothes—clicked his tongue.
"There is an easy way to store it, you know."
Arjun paused. "Oh…What method is it?"
The man reached into a side pouch and pulled out a small cloth bag, no bigger than a fist. It looked ordinary. Cheap.
He loosened the string.
The blue monkey's corpse vanished.
Just like that.
Divya sucked in a breath. "It disappeared."
"It's a storage bag," the man said, tying the string again. "Lowest grade."
Arjun stared at it. "That bag just stored a whole body?"
"Yes," the man replied smugly. "This one holds about one cubic meter of space. Shape doesn't matter—only how much space it takes."
Divya's brows knit together. "Can it store living things?"
"No only non-living things. Corpses, weapons, food, materials. Nothing alive goes in." He tapped the bag. "Try, and it won't respond."
"But it only lasts for a year," the man said. "After that, the enchantment fades. Whatever's inside spills out—or gets lost, depending on how bad the breakdown is."
"Must be expensive", Arjun asked.
"Haha. Just 20 golds," the man chuckled. "That's considered cheap in town."
Divya exhaled slowly. "So everything we left behind…"
"Had value," the man finished for her. "In the Tower, waste gets you killed."
Arjun looked at the empty patch of grass where the corpse had been.
"…That was my mistake."
The man slung the bag back over his shoulder. "Won't be your last—but you learn fast."
Arjun straightened. "Now, can we go to the town?"
The man studied him for a moment, then nodded.
"Fine," he said, turning away.
They began walking.
The grass gradually thinned as the land sloped downward, the trees growing denser and closer together. The man led the way with ease, stepping around roots and uneven ground as if he had walked this path many times.
"Name's Dough," he said without looking back. "From Maple Town."
"Arjun," Arjun replied. "This is Divya."
Dough nodded. "Figured you weren't from there."
Divya tilted her head. "From Maple Town?"
"No," Dough said. "From anywhere near it. You both walk like newcomers."
Arjun glanced around. "How long have you been inside the Tower?"
"From birth"
Divya hesitated, then asked, "What about the world outside the Tower?"
Dough slowed. Just a little. "What about it?"
"There are dungeons now," Arjun said. "They'll appear outside. That's what the system said."
Dough stopped walking.
"…Dungeons?" he repeated.
"Yes," Arjun said. "Outside the Tower."
Dough turned fully toward them, frowning. "There's no such thing in here. There are only floors. Fields like this. Forests. Ruins, from what travelers say."
Divya exchanged a glance with Arjun.
"So the Tower and the outside world don't follow the same rules," she said quietly.
"Looks like it," Arjun replied.
They resumed walking.
After a moment, Divya asked, "The gold coins … what are they for?"
Dough laughed softly. "Everything."
"Everything?" Arjun asked.
"Trading, buying gear, food, information," Dough said. "And taxes."
Divya blinked. "Taxes?"
"Town protection," Dough explained. "Barriers, guards, maintenance. If you don't pay, you don't stay."
Arjun frowned. "Is there some way to earn money?"
Dough glanced at them over his shoulder. "Kill monsters. Sometimes materials. Sometimes corpses."
Arjun thought of the blue monkey vanishing into the bag.
"…Makes sense."
The forest began to thin.
Wooden stakes appeared ahead, arranged into a rough palisade. Rope and sharpened logs formed a simple but sturdy perimeter. Smoke curled into the sky beyond the walls.
Voices.
Movement.
Life.
"This is Maple Town," Doug said. "Not much to look at, but it's safe."
Divya felt her shoulders relax slightly.
Arjun's eyes sharpened instead.
MAPLE TOWN
Dough gestured forward.
"Welcome," he said, "to the part of the Tower where people try to stay human."
The wooden gates of Maple Town loomed ahead.
Two guards stood at the entrance, leather armour worn smooth by years of use, spears resting loosely in their hands. Their eyes swept over Arjun and Divya—measuring, alert.
"State your origin," one guard said.
Dough stepped forward. "Theyare from outside the Tower."
The change was immediate.
The guards' dull, routine expressions sharpened—posture straightening, grips tightening.
"Outsiders…" the second guard muttered.
Dough clicked his tongue softly. "They just arrived on this floor."
The first guard studied Arjun for a long moment, then nodded. "First entry?"
"Yes."
"Then you're exempt from entry tax," the guard said. "Only this time."
He raised a finger. "Next time you return, tax is mandatory. No exceptions."
"Understood," Arjun replied without hesitation.
The gate creaked open.
As they stepped inside, the noise of the town washed over them—vendors shouting, metal clanging, children laughing, the smell of cooked food and smoke.
Dough said, "Goodbye, I have some work here"
He took out the monkey corps from his bag and gave it to Arjun.
"Thank you for your help"
"Good luck", then he left
And then the whispers started.
"Outsiders…"
"They came from beyond the Tower?"
Eyes followed them wherever they went.
Their first stop was a small materials shop near the gate. The shopkeeper eyed the blue monkey corpse with interest.
"One gold," he said flatly.
Divya smiled.
"Respectfully," she said, folding her hands, "we are from outside the tower and our first time hunting,it's a Level 1 Blue Monkey. Fur intact. And you won't even need to hunt it yourself."
The shopkeeper snorted. "Two gold, then."
Divya tilted her head. "Three—until we leave the town, we will only sell the corps to you, we won't sell it to the tannery across the street."
The man hesitated, glanced outside, then sighed. "Three gold. You outsiders, are dangerous negotiators."
The corpse vanished behind the counter.
[+3 GOLD]
Arjun blinked. "It started at one."
With heavier pockets and lighter tension, they entered a small roadside restaurant.
Wooden benches. Steaming bowls. Conversations buzzing softly.
As food was placed in front of them, Arjun relaxed—just slightly.
Then the air shifted.
Four soldiers surrounded their table, armor marked with Maple Town's insignia. Patrons fell silent.
The lead soldier stepped forward.
"I am Captain Rhel," he said. "Commander of Maple Town's guard."
Arjun slowly set his spoon down. "Can we help you?"
"You already have," Rhel replied. "The City Lord has taken interest in you."
Divya frowned. "Interest?"
Rhel nodded. "Outsiders from beyond the Tower are… rare."
The entire restaurant was watching now.
"By the City Lord's order," Rhel continued, "you are invited to his mansion as honored guests."
A ripple passed through the room.
"Guests…?"
"The City Lord?"
"Why them?"
Arjun exchanged a glance with Divya.
An invitation from power was never just courtesy.
"We'll come," Arjun said carefully.
Captain Rhel stepped aside and gestured toward the exit. "Please follow us."
As they stood, whispers followed them out of the restaurant.
Some curious.
Some envious.
Some afraid.
And as they followed the guards through Maple Town's winding streets, Arjun felt it clearly—this meeting with the City Lord would decide whether they left as guests… or as assets.