The smell of toasted bread and scrambled eggs filled the small room while the TV murmured in the background, the morning news moving between headlines of no particular importance.
Lily ate sitting in her bed, the adjustable table in front of her and the sheet covering her legs up to her waist. Noah sat cross-legged on the mattress, careful not to invade his sister’s space, his own plate balanced on one knee.
“So Sofía said the history teacher fell asleep in the middle of his own class,” Lily was saying, her mouth still half full. “Like ten minutes. No one dared wake him up.”
“Ten minutes?” Noah raised an eyebrow, genuinely amused. “That’s dedication to the art of napping.”
“He snores so bad, brother! Everyone was holding back laughter.”
“I hope someone recorded that.”
“Of course they did. Half the class already has it.”
Noah laughed heartily, more than the story probably deserved, but it was the kind of laugh born from seeing her happy, from hearing her talk about her life without restrictions, without worries bigger than a sleeping teacher.
“What about you?” Lily asked, pointing her fork at him. “You’ve been acting weird lately. Quieter than usual.”
Noah hesitated for a moment, but decided there was no point hiding it from her. She’d find out sooner or later anyway.
“About that,” he said carefully. “My Hunter Mark awakened today.”
Lily’s expression changed instantly. The joy faded, replaced by something closer to fear.
“The Mark?” she repeated, almost in a whisper. “Brother, that’s… everyone says it’s a curse, not a gift. People die in there.”
“I know.”
“And you still—“
“I don’t have a choice, Lily.” Noah set his plate aside and leaned in a little closer. “No one chooses it. It just appears. But listen to me carefully: I give you my word I won’t do anything stupid or reckless. I’ll take every precaution I can. I’m never going to leave you alone.”
Lily looked at him with shining eyes, wanting to believe him with all her heart, but the uncertainty was still there, weighing between them.
“It’s hard not to worry,” she admitted.
“I understand. I’m not going to ask you to stop worrying, because that would be unfair. I’m just asking you to trust that I’ll keep my word.” Noah smiled, trying to lighten the mood. “And don’t think of it as only a bad thing. Think of it as an opportunity. Hunters get paid well for every floor. Maybe, in time, we can move to a better house.”
Lily tried to smile, visibly making an effort to match his optimism.
Noah ruffled her black hair affectionately, mussing it up completely.
“Leave all this to me, little sister. I’ll handle everything. I always have.”
She laughed, pushing his hand away playfully.
“Yeah, yeah, I trust you blindly. As always.”
On the television, the anchor switched segments with renewed enthusiasm.
“And now, the news everyone’s been waiting for: SSS-Rank Hunter Belle Snow returned today from Floor 512, setting a new personal record…”
Noah turned his head toward the screen immediately.
There she was, exactly as she’d been in the corridor, with that same indifferent gaze capable of cutting straight through cameras, answering questions in elegant monosyllables while reporters practically competed for her attention.
‘Impressive,’ Noah thought, unable to help himself. ‘Slender, serious, almost perfect. And to think she broke my neck with one hand yesterday.’
“Have you had any contact with other SSS-Rank Hunters during your expedition?” one of the reporters asked.
“No,” Belle answered, curtly.
“And regarding the Three Great Quests? Any progress in the search for the Heart of the Fortress?”
“No.”
Brief silence. Camera cut.
Noah lingered on that last part. The Three Great Quests. Centuries with no one completing even a single one. They were so far removed from his current reality that it almost felt absurd to even think about them.
“Now that you’re a Hunter, does that interest you?” Lily asked, noticing his focus.
“A little,” Noah admitted. “But that’s light-years beyond my abilities. That’s work for SSS-Ranks, not for a pathetic Rank F like me.”
Lily laughed.
“Then you’ll have to work out and get strong.”
Noah looked at his own arms with resignation.
“You’re right. I need a better build.”
“That way you can finally get yourself a girlfriend.”
“I don’t have time for that stuff,” he replied, shaking his head.
“It’s because of me, isn’t it?” Lily said, suddenly more serious. “Having to spend so much time on me…”
“No.” Noah cut her off immediately, firmly. “Don’t ever say something like that again. You are not, and will never be, a burden. You don’t steal any of my time from me. I’m just not interested in anyone right now, and that has absolutely nothing to do with you.”
Lily lowered her gaze, a little embarrassed, but also relieved.
“Okay.”
“Now eat quickly,” Noah added, standing up. “We have to get to the academy.”
◇◆◇
He carried her down the stairs carefully in his arms, greeting a couple of neighbors along the way who already knew the routine by heart.
Once on the ground floor, he settled her into her wheelchair, adjusted the cap over her messy hair, and they set off together toward the academy.
Noah checked his watch. He still had about an hour left before the curse would activate.
‘Enough time,’ he thought. ‘But I need to get into the castle fast. I don’t want to lose the progress I’ve made with Belle.’
They reached the academy entrance, where a woman with tied-back brown hair and a kind expression was waiting for them.
“Good morning, Lily. Good morning, Noah.”
“Good morning, Professor Marín,” Noah said, hugging his sister before saying goodbye. “See you when you’re out of class.”
“Remember,” Lily added, her tone more serious than usual, “that if the curse doesn’t end in time, you’ll have to stay inside the castle.”
“I know. Don’t worry.”
Professor Marín frowned, surprised.
“The Hunter Mark?” she asked, looking at Noah with a mix of concern and respect. “It’s already awakened?”
“Yes, today…” Noah confirmed. “That’s why, if there’s ever a day I can’t come pick her up on time, could she stay a little longer under your care?”
“Of course,” she replied, without hesitation. “It’s my job to look after my students, Noah. Don’t worry about that.”
“I really appreciate it.”
They said their goodbyes, and Noah stood for a moment watching Lily head into the building, pushed along by the professor, before turning his gaze toward the horizon.
There it was, imposing as always: the Fortress of a Thousand Floors, vanishing into the clouds.
‘I’d like to go buy a few things, but the curse forces me to be over there. So I’ll use the day to level up.’
◇◆◇
The plaza was already buzzing with people by the time he arrived, tension palpable in the air like electricity before a storm.
And then it happened.
The sky turned a violent red, and high above, the crimson moon rose slowly, displaying what looked like a grin full of jagged fangs carved into its surface.
[The curse has activated. Enter the Fortress within 20 minutes. Failure to do so will result in instant death.]
The crowd reacted immediately: shoving, screaming, the familiar chaos breaking loose within seconds.
Noah took a deep breath, steadying his pulse, and drew his iron dagger.
‘My first self,’ he thought, watching the madness around him with a calm he’d never had in this exact place, the first time around. ‘The one who couldn’t even make it into the castle. Who died stabbed like an idiot before taking two steps.’
He smiled.
‘I’m not that useless Rank F anymore.’
He activated [Swift Step] and threw himself into the crowd, dodging bodies, slipping through gaps that appeared and vanished, carving a path with an agility he couldn’t have even imagined before.
He cut through bursts of magic and slashes from every kind of weapon.
He reached the main door in record time, without a single scratch.
He looked up at the colossal structure vanishing into the clouds and smiled with a brand-new confidence.
“This time, for you, first floor boss,” he said, crossing the threshold, “you’re the one who’s going to die, pig. Not me.”
NOTE: I’ll be uploading one chapter a day. :D
Remember, if the novel gets enough support, I’ll increase the release rate to 2 chapters a day. ^^