Chapter 176: Teammates and Lives
"The strongest version of yourself is still yourself after all, is it not?"
The masked shaman spoke calmly, his voice muffled behind the strange mask covering his face.
After a brief pause, he looked around at the group.
"I feel like meaningless small talk will only lower our understanding of one another and make teamwork more difficult. Since we will be relying on each other during the Eighth Floor, would it not be better if we introduced ourselves first? Perhaps we should also explain our abilities."
The black-haired man with the ponytail nodded in agreement.
"He’s got a point."
He stepped forward and gave a casual wave.
"Since we’re going to be fighting together, I might as well start and help ease the mood."
He cleared his throat dramatically.
"My name is Kurou. Full name, Kurou Utsurogi."
A grin appeared on his face.
"I used to work as a maintenance technician in Osaka, Japan... It’s nothing to brag about, but I quite liked my job actually."
The group listened quietly.
"I lived alone, spent most of my free time gaming, and somehow survived on convenience store food for years. Looking back, I have no idea how I managed that."
He laughed.
"I wasn’t particularly talented either and I had no special background to back me up in life. I was just a regular guy trying to pay rent."
The more he talked, the more it became obvious that Kurou enjoyed hearing himself speak.
"Actually, now that I think about it, I once got locked inside an elevator for four hours because I accidentally fixed the wrong power line. That was probably the most exciting thing that happened before the Tower appeared."
The younger twin between the two sisters who seemed to like having a frown on her immediately covered her face.
"He’s oversharing again..."
"Nonsense. This is important character development."
Kurou ignored her completely.
"Ah, right. Since we’re talking anyway, I should explain my abilities. That’s probably the important part since we’re going to be engaging in combat, right?"
He pointed toward his own shadow.
"I possess several shadow-related skills. The main one allows me to dissolve into darkness itself. I can travel through cracks, walls, and connected shadows. I can also create shadow replicas to scout dangerous areas."
He scratched the back of his head.
"In short, most of my powers involve shadows."
The younger twin raised an eyebrow.
"Honestly, for someone with shadow powers, you’re incredibly talkative."
A small laugh escaped her.
"I would’ve expected someone mysterious. You know, quiet, secretive, lurking in corners. Shadows usually have that sort of reputation..."
Kurou placed a hand over his chest as if deeply wounded.
"That’s a stereotype."
"Oh?"
"Of course."
He pointed toward the ground.
"People always think shadows are symbols of darkness and mystery. But shadows are also companions!"
Everyone listened in, a bit curious at what sort of philosophical thing he was going to say.
Kurou nodded seriously.
"Think about it. Even when nobody else is around, your shadow follows you."
"It stays beside you through good days and bad days and it never abandons you, in fact it walks with you through life."
The younger twin stared at him for several seconds before finally speaking.
"So edgy."
The younger twin immediately burst into laughter.
Even the older one struggled to hold back a smile.
Kurou looked genuinely offended.
"That was heartfelt."
"It was embarrassing."
"It was poetic."
"It was embarrassing."
As the two continued arguing, the atmosphere inside the room became noticeably lighter.
Finally, the older of the two sisters raised her hand.
"You can call me Salvia."
Her voice was calm and composed as she looked directly at Adam.
"Honestly, I doubt this is the first time you’ve heard of me, dear Chosen Conduit. Especially considering how you specifically sought out certain people before entering this floor."
A faint smile appeared on her face.
"Of course, I’m not offended. In fact, I’m quite flattered. It seems I’ve managed to catch the attention of the Stream Hunter who has been making headlines for the past few months."
Adam simply nodded.
He had no intention of pretending otherwise.
The people gathered here would eventually become important figures in humanity’s future. There was no point hiding the fact that he knew who they were.
Salvia continued.
"My sister and I used to study in Melbourne, Australia. We were international students there before the Tower appeared."
She glanced toward Mallory.
"We spent most of our lives moving around so we were often in new schools and new countries. It was exhausting at times, but I suppose it taught us how to adapt."
Mallory nodded quietly beside her.
Unlike Kurou, neither sister seemed interested in sharing their entire life story.
"I’ll keep this brief," Salvia said.
"Yes, I’m a healer. As for the specifics of my abilities, there’s not much reason to explain every detail. If you’re injured, I’ll heal you one way or another."
Then, as if she had already received permission from her sister, she continued.
"My sister’s name is Mallory. Contrary to me, she’s more of a debuffer... or perhaps a damage dealer."
She tilted her head.
"Did I explain that correctly?"
Mallory simply smiled and nodded.
Seeing her sister’s approval, Salvia continued.
"We aren’t the strongest when it comes to direct combat. However, we’ll do our best to keep everyone alive."
She lightly placed a hand on Mallory’s shoulder.
"And while I heal damage, Mallory can release that damage elsewhere."
She didn’t speak anymore, as if she had already said all the she needed to.
The room grew quieter after that.
Then the masked shaman suddenly spoke.
"I’m guessing you and your daughter want to go last?"
His gaze landed on Adam and Guin.
The word daughter immediately made Adam open his mouth to correct him.
However, before he could speak, he noticed Guin’s expression.
She looked oddly pleased.... almost proud. As though being mistaken for Adam’s daughter was somehow a compliment.
Adam found himself momentarily dumbfounded.
Truthfully, they only looked somewhat similar because they shared the same nationality.
Then again, if he asked anyone else in the room, they would probably assume they were related...
Guin possessed surprisingly delicate features and a rather adorable appearance.
Meanwhile, Adam’s appearance was already attractive, but it had become even more refined after his evolutions.
Thus, if one looked at the both of them, one would assume that the "daughter" got her looks from the "father".
Putting them side by side made them resemble a family more than Adam wanted to admit.
In the end, he chose not to correct the misunderstanding.
Instead, he simply nodded... to which made Guin’s eyes sparkle.
The masked shaman inclined his head.
"Then I’ll introduce myself first."
The room turned toward him.
"You may call me Seo-jun."
His voice remained calm and steady.
"I was born in Andong, South Korea."
Several members immediately recognized the name.
Andong was known for preserving many traditional Korean customs and beliefs.
"I never knew my parents, and I was raised by my grandfather.
There was no sadness in his voice when he said it.
"He was the caretaker of a small shrine outside the city. Most people would simply call him a shaman, others often call him a fraud."
A faint chuckle escaped him.
"He never cared which one they chose, and frankly enough he did not need to as more and more people had begun to believe in his shamanistic ways after the Tower of Yxthar had appeared."
"My childhood was rather unusual. While other children spent their weekends playing games or watching television, I spent mine cleaning shrines, studying rituals, and listening to stories about wandering spirits."
He lightly touched one of the talismans attached to his sleeve.
"As stereotypical as it sounds, yes, my abilities revolve around shamanism."
His eyes briefly swept across the room.
"I make use of talismans, rituals, curses, blessings, and spirits."
A faint pause followed.
"Most of my abilities are strange, so it’s hard to form a proper explanation if you don’t have prior knowledge of shamanism..."
As Seo-jun finished his introduction, his gaze naturally turned towards Adam and Guin.
The others followed shortly after.
After all, no matter how much they tried to hide it, they were all curious.
Sitting before them was the infamous Chosen Conduit, a Stream Hunter whose name had spread throughout the floors in an astonishingly short amount of time.
Beside him was the young girl he had personally brought along.
Feeling everyone’s eyes on them, Guin could not help but become nervous.
Perhaps due to the way she had been raised, she was not particularly good with strangers...
Her grip on Adam’s sleeve tightened slightly as she lowered her head.
Even when she tried to glance at the others, she quickly looked away a moment later.
Noticing her hesitation, Adam remained silent for a few seconds before gently patting her on the head.
The sudden gesture made Guin look up at him.
Only after confirming that she had calmed down a little did Adam raise his gaze toward the others.
"You may call me Adam. Since I was the one who recruited you, I will naturally bear the responsibility of leading this team. If there are any objections, you may tell me now."
No one spoke, not daring to object.
Whether it was his achievements, his reputation, or simply the fact that he had personally gathered this group together, none of them could think of a more suitable leader.
Even among the countless Stream Hunters currently climbing the Tower, Adam’s accomplishments were already difficult to ignore.
As such, no objections were raised.
The matter of leadership was settled almost instantly, as though it had already been decided long before any of them entered the room.
