The midnight restaurant in Maple Town was nearly empty.
A single lantern hung from the ceiling, its dim light casting long shadows across the wooden tables.
Five of them sat together, quietly eating the food Arjun had paid for. No one complained. No one joked. The clink of bowls and spoons was the only sound.
Arjun set his spoon down.
"So," he said, "how did you reach this town?"
The table froze.
One of the boys stiffened. Another lowered his head. The girl sitting at the end gripped her bowl so tightly her fingers turned pale.
Silence.
Then her shoulders began to shake.
"It's our fault," she whispered.
Tears fell into her food.
"Because of us…. Deva died."
Divya inhaled sharply.
Arjun didn't interrupt.
The girl wiped her face with her sleeve, forcing herself to continue. "When we entered the Tower, we received the beginner's gifts. A class. An F-grade talent." She let out a hollow laugh. "At the time, we thought it was still a game."
One of the boys clenched his fists. "When the countdown ended. We hadn't even figured out how the system worked."
"And then it came," another said quietly.
"A blue monkey," the girl whispered.
Arjun's eyes narrowed. "A monster?"
She nodded. "Fast. Strong. Way too strong for level zero."
Divya felt her chest tighten.
"We couldn't fight it," the boy continued. "We were too scared to even move."
The girl's voice broke. "Deva stayed behind."
Everyone at the table looked at her.
"He shouted at us to run," she said, tears streaming freely now. "He knew… he knew he wouldn't make it."His hands trembled. "He didn't come back ."
Silence stretched across the table.
The lantern flickered.
"He was our friend," the girl said softly. "We studied at the same college. Ate together. Complained about exams together." She laughed weakly. "We thought the Tower was just a game ."
No one spoke.
Arjun stared at the table, jaw tight.
Divya lowered her eyes, fingers clasped together.
Silence lingered at the table.
No one rushed to fill it.
The weight of what had been said needed time to settle.
After a few minutes, Divya spoke gently, her voice steady but warm.
"The past cannot be changed," she said. "No matter how much we regret it."
The girl looked up, eyes red.
"But you can learn from it," Divya continued, "as a lesson—to survive the future. Inside the Tower… and outside it."
She met each of their gazes in turn.
"Become stronger. Strong enough that no one has to stay behind again."
Slowly, one by one, they nodded.
No dramatic promises. No loud words.
Just quiet resolve.
They returned to their food. The atmosphere didn't turn cheerful—but it became lighter, bearable. After a while, one of the boys cleared his throat.
"We… should talk again," he said. "Tomorrow?"
"The same place," the girl added quickly.
Arjun nodded. "We'll be here."
With that, the group stood, offering brief bows of thanks before disappearing into the lantern-lit streets of Maple Town.
The inn was modest but clean, its wooden sign creaking softly in the night wind.
"One gold per day for a basic room," the innkeeper said without looking up.
Arjun placed two coins on the counter. "Two rooms."
Keys slid across the counter.
Before entering their rooms, Arjun paused. "We should talk."
They stepped into one room together. It was small—two beds, a narrow table, and a single window overlooking the street.
Arjun crossed his arms. "Tomorrow, I want to hunt monsters outside the town. Level up, Earn gold and familiarize ourselves with the enveroinment."
Divya shook her head immediately. "And leave them behind?"
"They're not our responsibility," Arjun replied, calm but firm.
"They're not strangers either," Divya said. "They're outsiders—like us. And right now, they are weak."
Arjun exhaled. "Helping them will slows us down."
"Maybe," she admitted. "But letting them die won't make us stronger."
Silence.
"And we cannot survive alone; we need all the help we can get."
Arjun stared at the wall for a long moment, then sighed.
"…Fine," he said. "We help them level up."
Divya smiled faintly. "Thank you."
They stepped back into the corridor and went to their respective rooms.
That night, as Maple Town slept under the protection of the Tower, two outsiders closed their eyes—already preparing for a tomorrow that would demand blood, resolve, and choice.
____
The next morning, Maple Town stirred awake under a pale sky.
Arjun and Divya met the group near the same restaurant from the night before. The others were already waiting, their expressions tense—half hopeful, half afraid.
Arjun didn't waste time.
"We're going outside the town today," he said. "To hunt."
The group stiffened.
"and to help you level up," Divya added quickly. "Safely."
For a moment, no one spoke.
"You… you really mean it?" the girl asked, eyes widening.
Arjun nodded. "But you have to follow instructions to the dot."
They agreed instantly.
When the restaurant doors opened, the smell of food drifted out. One of the boys glanced inside longingly.
Divya noticed. "We are going to eat later."
Arjun shook his head. "Outside the town."
"Outside the town?" another asked.
"Fruits grow beyond the walls," Arjun said. "We have to save gold where we can."
No one argued.
Gold was survival here.
They passed through the town gates without breakfast, the guards barely sparing them a glance. As Maple Town faded behind them, the air grew cooler—and quieter.
After walking a short distance, Divya slowed her pace and turned back to the group.
"Before we go any further," she said, "I need to know something."
They stopped.
"What classes did the system give you?" she asked. "And your skills. Talents too."
The group exchanged uneasy looks.
No one spoke immediately.
The girl lowered her gaze, fingers twisting together. Shame sat heavy in her chest—not just for what had happened, but for how helpless she still felt. She didn't know if she deserved help after running.
One of the boys swallowed hard, his eyes fixed on the ground. He knew his class was weak. He had already checked it a dozen times, hoping the system would change its mind. The fear that he might become a burden gnawed at him more than the monsters ever had.
Another shifted uncomfortably, glancing at Arjun and Divya, then away. His fear wasn't about dying.
It was about being left behind again.
Arjun noticed all of it.
He didn't rush them.
He waited—deliberately.
Silence forced honesty in a way words never could.
A breeze passed through the open path ahead, rustling the leaves beyond the town's boundary. The sound was soft, almost peaceful, but it carried a warning. The world outside wasn't waiting for them to be ready.
It was already watching.
Finally, one by one, they lifted their heads.