As Arjun and Divya weighed their next move in silence, Paul spoke again.
" In ten days," he said evenly. "Monsters will attack the town."
Arjun looked up.
"Use that time," Paul continued, "to familiarize yourselves with the monsters of this floor. It may come in handy."
Divya frowned. "You are not going to help us?"
Paul shook his head. "No, we can only give you minimal assistance. Now, I won't see you out."
The meaning was clear.
This meeting was over.
Arjun stood, Divya following a moment later. Paul remained by his desk, already turning his attention back to the scattered reports.
They left the office and were escorted through the villa in silence.
Outside, the evening sky had begun to darken, the fading light casting long shadows across the stone courtyard.
Someone waved.
"Hey!"
Arjun turned.
Dough stood near the gate, same clothes, one hand raised casually as if nothing in the world was wrong.
When they approached, Dough grinned. "So? What did the lord want to talk about?"
Arjun didn't hesitate. "Nothing important," he said calmly. "It was his first time meeting people from outside the Tower. He was just curious."
Dough studied his face for a second, then nodded. "Figured."
He looked out at the horizon. "The sun is going down. It is getting late. Outside of the town is not a place to be after the sun sets. The town gets really dangerous after sunset."
Divya followed his gaze. The wind carried distant, unfamiliar sounds echoing.
"You should stay inside town tonight," Dough said. "No patrols beyond the gates till morning."
Arjun exchanged a glance with Divya.
"That's fine," Divya said. "We weren't planning on leaving anyway, we are going to explore the town"
After parting ways with Dough, Arjun and Divya decided not to return to their lodging immediately. Instead, they turned their attention to the town itself.
Their first stop was the blacksmith's shop.
The building was squat and heavy, its stone walls darkened by years of smoke. The steady clang of metal rang from within, accompanied by the smell of coal and heated iron. Racks of weapons lined the walls—simple, practical designs with no ornamentation.
A faint system glow hovered beside each item.
[Steel Sword — Low Grade, Tier-0]
[Steel Axe — Low Grade, Tier-0]
[Wooden Staff — Low Grade, Tier-0]
Divya ran her fingers lightly along the edge of a sword. She said, "They all look really simple, to me I mean they all look basic."
"Basic keeps you alive," a rough voice replied.
The blacksmith emerged from behind the forge—a broad-shouldered man with soot-stained arms . "First time ?"
Arjun nodded. "How much these wepons costs"
"Hundred gold," the blacksmith said flatly. "That's the lowest."
Divya blinked. "For one weapon?"
The blacksmith snorted. "You think iron grows on trees?"
Arjun glanced at a display near the counter. Among the weapons sat several small pouches, each faintly glowing.
[Storage Bag — Low Grade, Tier-0]
Arjun frowned. "That costs less than a weapon."
"Of course it does," the blacksmith replied without hesitation. "Storage bags don't need real resources."
Divya tilted her head. "Then what do they need?"
"Cloth," he said, holding up a plain strip of fabric. "And a few basic enchantments . And it lasts for a year minimum."
He tapped the steel sword on the rack. "Weapons are different. Metal has to be refined so it doesn't break easily. And metals are scarce"
Arjun's eyes narrowed. "Are resources that scarce?"
"On the first floor?" The blacksmith laughed dryly. "Scarce doesn't even begin to cover it."
Divya exhaled slowly. "So that's why everything costs so much."
They left the blacksmith's shop and continued down the street, eventually stopping in front of a narrow building marked by hanging glass vials that chimed softly in the wind.
"Alchemy shop," Divya said.
Inside, the air smelled sharp and medicinal. Shelves lined every wall, packed with bottles of varying shapes and colors. Some glowed faintly; others pulsed slowly, as if alive.
Arjun scanned the labels as they passed.
[ Healing Potion — Low Grade, Tier-0]
[Stamina Recovery Potion— Low Grade, Tier-0]
[Mana Restoration Potion— Low Grade, Tier-0]
[Minor Antidote— Low Grade, Tier-0]
"So many," Divya murmured. "At least people don't die from small injuries."
"Only if they can afford it," Arjun replied.
A shopkeeper watched them silently from behind the counter, eyes flicking toward their empty hands. Without buying anything, they stepped back outside.
The sky had darkened further. Evening had fully settled over the town.
"We should rest," Divya said. "We can continue tomorrow."
Arjun nodded. "The inn should be—"
A sudden shout cut through the street.
"Move! Move!"
Arjun turned sharply.
From beyond the town gates, four figures came running toward the walls, breath ragged, clothes smeared with dark stains. Between them, they carried a fifth injured man.
"Open the gate!" one of them yelled.
The guards reacted instantly, pulling the gate open just wide enough for them to pass. The group stumbled inside, panic clear on their faces.
"He's bleeding badly!" another shouted. "We need help!"
"Where's the hospital?" one of them demanded, desperation cracking his voice.
The word spread through the street like a ripple.
"Hospital?"
"What's that?"
Confused murmurs rose from the townsfolk. People stepped back, eyes darting between the wounded man and the shouting group.
An older resident shook his head. "There's no such place here."
Arjun's gaze lingered on the group as they struggled in the middle of the street.
Their clothes confirmed it.
The fabric, the stitching, the awkward fit for combat—too familiar to ignore.
"They're like us , from outside of the tower," Arjun said quietly.
Divya nodded, her throat tight. "Just like us."
Before anyone else could react, a woman stepped forward from the crowd.
She was middle-aged, dressed in layered robes. And a wooden staff in her hand.
"I can heal him," she said calmly.
Hope flashed across the faces of the four carrying the wounded man.
"But," the woman continued, "it will cost fifty gold."
The relief froze halfway.
"We… we don't have that much," one of them said desperately.
"You'll can pay it within a week," she replied without hesitation. "Miss the deadline, and I will personally request your removal from the town."
The words were cold.
The group exchanged frantic glances.
"We agree," one of them said quickly. "Anything—just save him."
The woman nodded once and knelt beside the injured man.
A soft glow gathered around her hands as she pressed them against his chest. Strange symbols flared briefly in the air, then sank into his body. The man gasped sharply, his wounds knitting together before their eyes. Blood dried. Breathing steadied.
Healing magic.
The group stared openly, shock written across their faces.
Arjun and Divya weren't much different.
"So this is real…" Divya whispered.
The woman stood, brushing dust from her robes. "Remember," she said firmly, her gaze locking onto the group. "Seven days. Fifty gold."
"Yes," they said in unison. "We won't forget."
After that, the women in the robe left.
After the town people scattered, the group calmed down.
Then a girl within the group noticed them, seeing their clothes their eyes flashed with recognition
She asked with eyes full of hope, "Are you from Tamil Nadu?"
Divya froze.
In a world filled with monsters, systems, and magic—
Those words hit harder than any spell.