Elang: The Strongest Hunter in the Tower

Chapter 10 ~ Tower Bullies

"Hey! All of you, listen up!" A booming voice echoed across the middle of the grassy plain.

A tall, heavily built man stepped forward, escorted by four Players trailing closely behind him. His silver armor gleamed in the sunlight, while a long red cape fluttered arrogantly behind his back. A name floated above his head:

[Player: Ragnar — Level 18]

"That's Ragnar," murmured a Player who recognized him.

"The highest-ranked Player on this floor!" another chimed in.

"Word has it he was a legendary arena fighter before entering the Tower!"

Ragnar smirked with supreme confidence, crossing his arms across his chest.

'Who is he? He wasn't an NPC in the game. Ah, I keep trying to map everything back to the game, even though there are clearly so many differences here. In fact, I haven't seen the two key figures on this floor—the Sovereign and Laila, the woman who possessed the most formidable magic, the one who constantly supported the Sovereign with her devastating spells as they climbed the floors... a loyal companion who loved the Sovereign selflessly,' Elang thought. 'Does that mean those two characters don't exist in this Tower?'

"From this moment on," Ragnar declared loudly, "anyone who joins my team will not lose!"

Cheers immediately erupted from several Players, snapping Elang out of his thoughts.

"WOOO!"

"What a leader!"

"If we join him, our chances of survival shoot through the roof!"

Ragnar strolled slowly through the crowd like a king surveying his subjects.

"I only accept the strong," he continued. "Tanks, assassins, supports, archers, mages. The weak will only be dead weight."

His cold gaze swept over the crowd. "And I don't carry trash."

Those words caused several Players to lower their heads, turning pale. Those with low stats quickly shuffled backward out of fear of being publicly humiliated.

Elang observed the scene with a deadpan expression.

"A typical arrogant character who usually dies first," he muttered under his breath.

Banyu nodded vigorously beside him.

"Spot on!" He pointed dramatically toward Ragnar. "That man's aura reeked of a future corpse!"

"What kind of nonsense aura is that supposed to be?" Elang asked.

"One of a grand warrior's instincts," Banyu replied nonchalantly.

"Yeah, whatever," Elang sighed, his attention shifting back toward the individuals who used to be NPCs on the Sovereign's team.

Elang slowly scanned the area.

Standing under a small, withered tree was a massive man built like a fortress with bulging muscles. Standing nearly two meters tall, he had a buzz cut, a sharp jawline, and a long scar cutting through his left eyebrow.

Toro.

His arms were folded across his broad chest as he silently observed the crowd. Even without radiating an overbearing aura, his sheer presence forced other Players to keep a respectful distance.

'Still the same,' Elang noted quietly.

In the game, Toro was the living shield of the Sovereign's party. The man who always stood on the frontlines whenever monsters or hostile Players attacked. The man who kept smiling even when half his body was shattered on the 95th Floor.

Elang's expression softened slightly. But before his thoughts could wander any further, Banyu suddenly nudged his waist.

"Oi, kid."

"What now?" Elang asked sluggishly.

"You've been staring blankly at that muscular guy for a while now." Banyu narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Don't tell me you have... strange tastes."

Elang gave him a completely flat look. "Oh, do you want me to shove you forward so you can face Ragnar head-on?"

"Heh! A true warrior isn't afraid of tower bullies like him!" Banyu declared with supreme confidence.

"I'm being serious."

Banyu let out a proud laugh as if he had just been complimented. "I'm serious too, but let's not do it now. My lower back feels like it's going to give out from standing too long."

Elang exhaled a long sigh, averting his gaze to scan the rest of the crowd.

His eyes landed on another figure. A skinny, dark-skinned man standing far away from the gathering. A black hoodie concealed half his face, while his dim red eyes stared coldly at the crowd ahead.

Nobody dared approach him; in fact, everyone actively kept their distance.

Galang.

Elang recognized him instantly. One of the most terrifying damage dealers in the Sovereign's team. The man who would later single-handedly incinerate an army of monsters on the 92nd Floor just to buy his companions time to escape.

Galang's gaze was hollow—as if he were completely accustomed to being treated like a monster. Galang's life had only changed after he joined the Sovereign's team and found true friends who mattered to him.

'Still the same as the beginning of the game,' Elang thought.

Galang was always shunned, always viewed as a threat. Yet he was actually one of the most loyal companions on the Sovereign's team.

Elang shifted his eyes slowly toward another part of the crowd.

In the shadow of another withered tree stood a petite girl with pale, shoulder-length blonde hair. She was tiny, even shorter than everyone else, looking no older than a ten-year-old child. But clearly, that wasn't her true form—she was disguising herself as a child.

She wore a tattered green cloak with a large hood that almost completely hid her face. To an untrained eye, she looked entirely like a lost child.

'She always preferred that child form to hide her true identity,' Elang thought. 'Sofia.'

Elang looked back and forth between Toro, Sofia, and Galang. 'I have to get them onto my team.'

CRASH!

One of Ragnar's henchmen kicked a small bag belonging to Sofia, sending its contents scattering across the ground.

"Hey! Don't get near Team Ragnar's area, brat!" he barked aggressively.

The little girl panicked immediately, scrambling to gather her belongings.

"Haha! How on earth did a little kid end up in this Tower? She must have a death wish," Ragnar laughed, followed by the raucous laughter of his lackeys.

Sofia kept her head down without saying a word. Her small fingers moved swiftly to pick up her scattered items—small bottles, dry bread, and a few cheap crystal stones.

One of Ragnar's henchmen deliberately stomped on the piece of bread while laughing.

"Oops, my bad," he mocked.

"Hahaha!"

A few bystanders in the crowd let out quiet snickers. Nobody offered to help. Everyone was far too consumed with their own survival.

Elang narrowed his eyes.

"Bastards," he muttered under his breath.

Banyu, standing beside him, clicked his tongue in disapproval. "Tsk, if there's one thing a grand warrior despises most, it's bullies picking on weak kids."

"Didn't you try to kill me while I was passed out earlier, old man?" Elang pointed out dryly.

"Tsk, that's a completely different context!" Banyu dodged the accusation instantly.

"You said you wanted to eliminate the competition. If that's the case, go ahead and fight Ragnar over there," Elang nudged.

Banyu immediately coughed, pretending not to hear. "Ahem. That was merely a test of a warrior's mental fortitude."

Meanwhile, Ragnar sneered down at Sofia, stepping closer to her.

"Oi, brat," he said condescendingly. "This Tower isn't a playground for kids."

Sofia didn't answer.

"Scared speechless?" one of Ragnar's henchmen laughed.

"Stop it!" a voice shouted as someone stepped forward, drawing everyone's attention.

It was Toro, striding forward with an irritated expression.

"Does picking on a little kid give you some kind of sick satisfaction? If you're looking for team members, go find them without bothering others," Toro demanded loudly.

"Well, well, look who it is. Looks like someone thinks he's hot stuff," Ragnar said, stepping up to face Toro.

"I'm simply weeding out the competition before we enter the actual arena. Isn't it better to be eliminated now than to be slaughtered later?" Ragnar laughed with arrogance. "Besides, instead of playing hero for a weak kid, why don't you join my team?"

"I have no interest in joining bullies like you," Toro stated calmly.

"You arrogant piece of trash... You think we actually need you?!" Ragnar lost his temper, raising his arm to attack Toro.

"Testing! One, two, three! Players, you have 30 seconds remaining to form a team. Any Player without a team will be automatically eliminated!" The Guide's warning echoed loudly across the plain.

***